Politics's archive
How Technology Won the Presidency, Pt. II
I explained yesterday how the Obama campaign utilized data integration techniques to realize a distinct advantage in targeting voters. However, all that data wouldn’t have meant anything without the technologies to process it and disseminate it. Obama’s team excelled here, too, utilizing the latest technological advances and trends to do on the cheap what, just […]
How Technology Won the Presidency, Part I
Command of the issues, cool confidence and disarming smile aside, Barack Obama might just owe his campaign’s success to his team’s ability to harness the technology at their fingertips. Social networking, broadband and data management all played huge roles in making the Obama campaign the most personalized presidential campaign ever. I learned just how big […]
2008 Florida New Economy Index
Here’s an excerpt, reprinted from the State Science and Technology Institute, or SSTI, was worth sharing to give you a sense of what two very respected institutions, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Kauffman Foundation, are recommending regarding how states approach technology-based economic development going forward.
As state budgets reel from the fallout of the financial crisis, the authors warn: “If states are going to meet the economic challenges of the future, they will need to make the promotion of innovation a larger part of their economic development policy framework.”
Based on the report, state legislators would seem well advised to avoid deep budgets cuts affecting those areas required to support and encourage innovation - the fundamental elements of tech-based economic development.
The Index does not mean, however, that the status quo should be maintained for most state economic development strategies - particularly given the current fiscal malaise. That applies as well to current TBED approaches before we get too smug. Innovation within state economic development portfolios - in many cases seismic shifts and unconventional thinking - are also necessary, the authors point out.
“All states and most regions no longer can rely solely on old economic strategies of relentlessly driving down costs and providing large incentives to attract locationally mobile plants or branch offices…Rather regions must look for competitive advantage in earlier-stage product and service cycle activities.”
“In short, regions need to be places where existing firms can become more productive and innovative, where new firms can emerge and thrive, and where locationally mobile establishments want to locate because of the innovation environment.”
To accomplish this, the final chapter of the Index is dedicated to explaining briefly the four current paradigms for approaching state and regional economic development before outlining more than a dozen specific strategies for states to adopt:
Invest in Innovation
- Use targeted investments in knowledge infrastructure as an incentive
- Support statewide broadband promotion organizations
- Help Companies to Be More Innovative
Create a statewide commercialization and entrepreneurship organization
- Catalyze and empower industry clusters
- Use Web 2.0 tools to support open innovation
- Use tax policy to spur innovation
Extend sales tax parity for manufacturing purchases of computers and IT equipment
- Align state R&D tax credits with the new federal R&D tax credit
- Facilitate entrepreneurship
Provide digital tools that make it easy to start a new business
- Benchmark state procedures for starting a business
- Support angel capital networks
- Link together the array of information resources for entrepreneurs
- Expand entrepreneurship training
- Cultivate Institutional Innovation
Create different and better K-12 schools
Shift the focus of post-secondary education more toward acquiring skills
Take industry-university partnerships to new levels
“Success in the New Economy requires that a whole array of institutions–universities, school boards, firms, local governments, economic development agencies–work in new and often-uncomfortable ways. At the end of the day, this is a challenge of leadership,” the Index concludes.
My thoughts:
When I look at what our area spends in traffic abatement, I wonder how it compares to Stupidity Abatement. Florida for years has had a reputation for a poor education system. In fact, private schools down here have as competitive an admissions process as Ivy League colleges and a price tag to match. Parents are spending $10,000 per student per year starting in Kindergarten to ive their children a better education.
We are in a Knowledge Worker World. We still have an education system based around the Industrial World. Florida lacks a Fortune 1000 presence (except for call centers). This means that there is a dearth of executives to help smaller business grow. It also means that smaller businesses need to take an active part in the Education system. Public-Private Partnership is needed to produce quality employees that stay here. If you need qualified candidates to grow your business, shouldn’t you be involved in helping to create them?
We don’t teach selling, entrepreneurship, telecommunications, management or coaching in schools. Perhaps our Industry could get together and help change that. (We all know that once telecom is in your blood, there’s no leaving
Tags: economy, eduction, florida
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Tags: eduction, florida, economy, knowledge
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Internet Will be Full by 2012
“Nemertes Research continued to throw cold water on the future of the Internet last week, releasing a study projecting that demand for bandwidth on the Web would exceed its capacity by 2012.” [PCWorld.com]
I just don’t see how that can be. With 40G pipes starting to emerge. With Content Delivery Networks (CDN’s) popping up every where. The CDN’s make most traffic local. The CDN’s are getting closer to the edge. Does that report mean that the backhaul traffic will overflow? Or the CDN network will exceed capacity?
Nemertes analyst Mike Jude says, “More and more applications are coming online that will drive expectations for service quality even higher,” he said. “I’m not saying that the Internet is going to crash in 2011, but that people’s expectations are going to be throttled. People will stop going to the Internet for those services.” [PCWorld.com]
Jude goes on to say that people expect more reliability and real-time traffic from the Internet (which it was not designed for). And to get thta ISP’s will have tiers of packages to deliver it. That’s where the Net neutrality debate unhinges.
My skepticism tells me that it is just the Duopoly wanting to make as large a buck as possible from consumers to continue to get their 40% margins, despite the fact that their actions stall innovation and the economy. And the capacity can be made available, it is just more expedient to create a supply issue.
Tags: internet, net neutrality
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Tags: net neutrality, internet
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Are You The Next Sue Crawford?
If you can’t get a position at the FCC, perhaps you can put your talents to use at the other governmental telecom agency, which is looking for a few intelligient people like Sue Crawford help shape the broadband policy of the US:
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is seeking nominations of individuals to represent the business community, public interest groups, and other appropriate groups interested in serving on the NTIA Online Safety and Technology Working Group (OSTWG) for a single fifteen (15) month term to commence in January 2009. At the conclusion of the working group’s term, the OSTWG will provide a report to the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator and to Congress on ways to promote and to preserve a safe environment for children using the Internet.
DATES: Nominations must be postmarked or electronically transmitted on or before December 12, 2008.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 10, 2008, the President signed into law the ”Broadband Data Improvement Act” (the Act), Pub. L. No. 110-385. Section 214 of that Act directs NTIA to establish the OSTWG to review and evaluate: READ here…
Who is Sue Crawford? Read her bio here. Besides being a law professor, she is on the board of ICANN. Her writings are very articulate and logical - until the ramblings you read from me. I understand that she is part of the Obama transition team, but I can’t confirm that.
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Obama and NAB
I don’t know how this ended up in front of me this morning, but it was an interesting piece about Obama and Radio Localism. Obviously, conservatives don’t want localism because it gets in the way of profit. You can’t profit if you have to pay a DJ in each market AND report some local news. Sheesh! Why do you think we get these licenses anyway - Profit. The guys at NAB are ready to fight Localism.
Unfortunately for NAB, word is getting out that license renewal is NOT automatic and even one complaint can derail the process and cost you money. (This was news to me). And during the media ownership workshops, despite broadcasters trying to fill seats, too many folks showed up to report about the total lack of local news in their communities. Even though Martin had a pre-determined gift for NAB, the workshops were too powerful to allow the steamroller to work.
NAB needs to realize that the FCC’s job is not to insure that some businesses have a profit or even stay in business. The FCC’s main duty is to protect the consumer and to mandate the spectrum equitably. (Congress needs to remember this as well). If TBO.com companies started going backrupt, I am certain that another entity would take its place.
Tags: radio
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Hostoric Moment
Well, we just witnessed a historic moment in US politics: our first black president was elected. McCain gave a very good concession speech. The heavy lifting starts now.
Tags: politics
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Jun 23, 2008
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Here’s a Tweet
Congress joins the Web 2.0 world thanks to a bill pushed by some grass roots groups like this one and that one. There are Congressmen already using Twitter. They are listed here. You can watch them with this widget:
Now there is an open source microblogging service like Twitter called Identica. CNET has the interview with Identica. A further explanation about Identica and Laconia are here.
With all the buzz about Twitter, businesses have a platform for creating an internal app. I think people puke too much on Twitter. Try following some of these folks using Twitbin (a Firefox plug-in) and the page quickly fills with one person’s messages. Ridiculous even if his name is Guy. I wonder how much puking Congress Critters will do — or if they just tell their aides what to Tweet.
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Politics on the Internet
The first presidential debate was
streamed live, which just shows you that the Internet is becoming a mainstream news and entertainment outlet. YouTube has channels for both candidates. Both parties are working the websites, forums, “social networks”, etc. to get the message out and spread the word.
All of this to hit the Undecideds, because the people that HAVE decided who to vote for will not be changing their minds. All persuasion is targeted at the Undecided.
Following the first debate, T. Boone Pickens was having a web event about his Energy Plan for America. The PickensPlan website was clogged 15 minutes after the debate ended. Are people engaged about the issues facing America right now?
I think in 4 years the Internet will be even more important for politicians. I caveat that with the fact that metered broadband may affect that since people won’t be streaming video if they have to pay for it. They’ll watch TV.
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What a Crazy Wall St. Monday
As we start Monday, we learn that Lehman Bros. filed for BK, AIG needs to re-structure (and needs another $40B! after raising $20B) and Merrill Lynch gets bought by BoA for $50B. This follows on the heels of last week’s Freddie Mac and Fannie May take over by the Fed.
Interesting note from USA Today, ” When Bank of America balked at buying Lehman, the government urged it to buy Merrill instead.”
Oh, and Ike smashed much of Houston, but oil still dropped below $100 per barrel.
Yesterday, Greenspan, on ABC’s This Week with George, said that this is “by far” the worst economic crisis he has ever seen. “it still is not resolved and it still has a way to go.” My response to this what: “Look what you created.” To avoid Inflation, Greenspand spent several years dropping interest rates - in other words making money very cheap, which allowed this soft market to happen. He didn’t do it alone. He had help from the Treasury, the Administration, the hedge funds, and the very folks that we taxpayers are going to have to bail-out, the banks. This isn’t the first banking industry real-estate debacle.
When you look at all the problems this nation faces: poor education (certainly not enough PhD students); mounting healthcare costs; Social Security crisis; the banking disaster; and the energy situation. These didn’t just creep up on us — well, maybe the banking disaster did — but Congress and the White House has had 8 years, yes, 8 years, to fix. (That’s one of the problems I have with McCain and Obama - you been there more than 6 years and haven’t done anything to fix anything. Why move up the street?)
The CEO at AFS is always calling for Forbearance since CLEC’s should be into fiber. How is that possible in this financial market?
Tags: bankruptcy, banks, rant
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