Monthly Archives: November 2010

Petition for New Leadership of Florida Democratic Party

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

I know that after a big loss the circular firing squad is not usually the best response.

But here in Florida the leadership of the state party is — based on what it actually does — pretty darn awful.

For now, I'll leave it to others to detail how the party has lost touch with the majority of its core voters, to give detailed thoughts on a future direction, and make five-point arguments why the current state party leadership must go.

My beef is much simpler: a state party that can't be bothered to field a full slate is run by incompetents. Many federal and state offices were not contested by Florida Democrats, leaving the GOP free to spend its money elsewhere. Gov. Dean's “50 state strategy” understood how destructive this preemptive surrender is and also understood that unexpected things happen, making unlikely wins almost inevitable — if you have a candidate. The Florida Democratic party doesn't understand this.

Sign the petition to FIRE KAREN THURMAN NOW and get a new head of the state Democratic party.

Posted in Florida | 4 Comments

First, But Not Last

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

Nicaragua cites Google Earth to justify 'invading' Costa Rica:

La Nacion — the largest newspaper in Costa Rica — says the Nicaraguan commander, Eden Pastora, used Google Maps to “justify” the incursion even though the official maps used by both countries indicate the territory belongs to Costa Rica. Pastora blames Google Maps in the paper.

Interestingly, Bing has the internationally recognized border; Google gets it wrong.

Further applications of this precedent are left as an exercise for the reader.

Posted in Internet | Comments Off on First, But Not Last

What Happened?

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

I want to believe this Progressive polling post-mortem from Stan Greenberg & Robert Borosage. I'm just afraid it appeals too much to my preconceptions.

Posted in Politics: 2010 Election | 4 Comments

Seminal Paper on Problem of Global Names

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

Via Financial Cryptograph comes news of “a seminal paper on the subject” of global names in which “all [is] resolved”:

Global Names Considered Harmful by Mark Miller, Mark Miller, and Mark Miller

As reported by Bill Frantz, that's the paper.

I await the sequel on global distinguished names with bated breath.

Posted in ID Cards and Identification | Comments Off on Seminal Paper on Problem of Global Names

Ed Felton to FTC Chief Technologist

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

felton.jpg
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today announced that Ed Felten, one of the best technology & society people I know, will be the FTC's first ever Chief Technologist.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today announced the appointment of Edward W. Felten as the agency’s first Chief Technologist. In his new position, Dr. Felten will advise the agency on evolving technology and policy issues.

Dr. Felten is a professor of computer science and public affairs and founding director of the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University. He has served as a consultant to federal agencies, including the FTC, and departments of Justice and Defense, and has testified before Congress on a range of technology, computer security, and privacy issues. He is a fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery and recipient of the Scientific American 50 Award. Felten holds a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering from the University of Washington.

Dr. Felten’s research has focused on areas including computer security and privacy, especially relating to consumer products; technology law and policy; Internet software; intellectual property policy; and using technology to improve government.

“Ed is extraordinarily respected in the technology community, and his background and knowledge make him an outstanding choice to serve as the agency’s first Chief Technologist,” Leibowitz said. “He’s going to add unparalleled expertise on high-technology markets and computer security. And he also will provide invaluable input into the recommendations we’ll be making soon for online privacy, as well as the enforcement actions we’ll soon bring to protect consumer privacy. We’re thrilled to have him on board.”

Dr. Felten currently is a part-time consultant for the FTC. He will start full time as Chief Technologist in January.

This is good. Congratulations to the FTC, and thank you to Ed for doing this.

Posted in Science/Medicine | 3 Comments

The Only Good News

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

Amendments Five and Six look like they will pass (and Amendment Two is a shoo-in). The other ones either fail to get 60% or in the case of Amendment Four fail miserably.

I was a huge fan of Amendments Five and Six, which hold out the hope of fixing a pretty broken state districting system currently based on pervasive gerrymandering.

Other than that….ouch.

Posted in Politics: 2010 Election | 5 Comments