Thursday, October 31, 2002

Special to Andrew: Heh, heh, heh. Wish I'd bragged more earlier today. Just finished watching my recording of the second half of the Wizards vs. Celtics game. From my comments on yesterday's game: Did Kwame Brown do it again? No, he traded rebounds for actual points. Better hands? I haven't looked at the box score, but what I saw in the second half was much less tentative than Game 1. Less offensive patience with the game winding down was decidedly not needed. Shooting percentage obviously way the heck up. Fun game for a fan of the winners. Still only two of 82, but fans can hope. 11:13:15 PM    comment []

Four Benton Headlines: DOES SEARCH ENGINE'S POWER THREATEN WEB'S INDEPENDENCE? Has Google's ascent to the top of the search engine food chain given it control over the Web? Several Internet companies claim that it has. They say that if you fall out of favor with the Web's top search engine, watch revenues fall along with your search ranking. According to some Internet observers, if Google doesn't list your site prominently in its search results, "you might as well not exist," prompting calls for regulation of the engine as a quasi-public entity. While Google's "victims" claim that paid advertising is the sure-fire way to stay in the portal's good graces, Google Chief Technology Officer Craig Silverstein states that advertisers do not get preferential treatment. Nevertheless, the company is looking into its ranking system, aware of the growing criticism. [SOURCE: CNET News, AUTHOR: Stefanie Olsen] IRAQ DEBATE PLAYS OUT ONLINE With the growing debate over Iraq, the Internet has become an essential forum for mobilizing support against war. Talking advantage of the low operating costs and infinite reach of the Web, groups are using the Net disseminate information, coordinate plans and form coalitions. "We have organized protests of thousands of people within hours of a bombing," said Sarah Sloane, an organizer with ANSWER, an international coalition of organizations devoted to ending war and racism. "Bush can call a press conference and have instant national coverage, so that view is represented in the public sphere," said Dale Herbeck, chairman of the communications department at Boston College. "On alternative places like the Internet, you can find the other side. The Internet is the great equalizer." [SOURCE: MSNBC, AUTHOR: Rachel Elbaum] WHY SIMPUTER? WHY NOT? (Commentary) The recent launch of the Simputer, a low-cost handheld device intended to bring the benefits of computer technology to disadvantaged communities, has been received with a mix of hope and skepticism. While the Simputer is not a silver bullet for the problems that plague impoverished countries, such a device can play "a special role in speeding up development in the Third World," says Kanti Kumar, co-editor of the Digital Opportunity Channel. The value of the Simputer, which was developed in India, has "more to do with its philosophy than its features," according to Kumar. He explains that the devise provides proof "that developing nations can build their own solutions to their problems and need not accept generously doled out pre-fabricated, proprietary and expensive technologies." [SOURCE: Digita l Opportunity Channel, AUTHOR: Kanti Kumar] POWELL TAKES PATH TO FREE UP AIRWAVES FCC Chairman Michael Powell has proposed loosening restrictions on the use of scarce spectrum space. Powell has been touted as a free-market proponent and has long sought to relax the rules regulating spectrum use and allow more companies to use the US's quickly dwindling supply of airwaves. Currently, the FCC sells licensees for specific blocks of frequencies for, say, TV broadcasters or wireless companies, charging billions of dollars for them at auction. Wireless companies fear that interference might result if unlicensed services are allowed to share their spectrum. "People paid billions for their licenses with the expectation of their ability to perform," said Tom Wheeler of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. [SOURCE: USA Today, AUTHOR: Paul Davidson] (c) Benton Foundation 2002. 7:10:02 PM    comment []

Hilary Rosen loses Oxford digital-music debate by 3-1 margin. Fun account in Declan's politech. 6:09:44 AM    comment []

Digital copyright law on trial. A researcher argues that his lawsuit challenging the DMCA should be allowed to proceed. If successful, the suit would be the first to strike a blow against the controversial law. [CNET News.com] 6:07:59 AM    comment []

Over at Andrew Bayer Is Dreaming of China, Andrew talks about the Celtics loss to the Bulls: Mind you, there was some ostentatiously bad refereeing going on, but still - Pierce had only five points in the second half, which was just baaaad. Damn. I watched the Wizards-Raptors game and had similar officiating thoughts. Several times my guys should have been sent to the line, but no calls were forthcoming. (Not that that accounts for the loss, which is more easily attirbutable to the miserable shooting percentage the Wizards posted.) 6:05:47 AM    comment []

Something to bring my blood pressure back down, maybe? Mac O'Lanterns Light Up Halloween. For a pair of Mac fans, there's no one scarier than Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer. That's why they carved his portrait into a pumpkin, along with an amazing likeness of 'Switch' star Ellen Feiss. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News] 6:00:15 AM    comment []

Restoring integrity in the Executive branch, Part 4362 Okay, this is bloody unbelievable. According to a page-one story in the New York Times, by Stephen Labaton: Shortly before William H. Webster was appointed to head a new board overseeing the accounting profession by the Securities and Exchange Commission last Friday, he told the commission's chairman, Harvey L. Pitt, that he had until recently headed the auditing committee of a company that was facing fraud accusations, Mr. Webster recounted today. Mr. Pitt chose not to tell the other four commissioners who voted on Mr. Webster's nomination that day, according to S.E.C. officials. White House officials said they, too, were not informed about the details of Mr. Webster's work for the company. The small publicly traded company, U.S. Technologies, is now all but insolvent and it and its chief executive, C. Gregory Earls, are facing suits by investors who say they were defrauded of millions of dollars. The suits contend the misconduct occurred in late 2001 and this year. That was after the three-person audit committee, headed by Mr. Webster, had voted to dismiss the outside auditors in the summer of 2001 after those auditors raised concerns about internal financial controls. So, let me make sure I understand this. Given the goal of cleaning up corporate accounting, and avoiding ridiculous scandals like those at Tyco, Enron, Worldcom, and so forth, legislation established the Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board. A highly regarded professional investor, John Biggs (Chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF), is proposed to head the board. But his candidacy is torpedoed, and SEC Chairman Pitt nominates instead Webster, who has no background in accounting, which one might think is an important qualification for leading the Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board (since a big part of what is at issue is whether various technical accounting moves are legitimate business or shady tricks). Webster is said to be qualified on account of (a) his insider status in Washington, and (b) his reputation for integrity. Bush and the White House staff speak in his favor. In a party-line vote, Republicans on the SEC confirm him. But in recent experience with auditing a public company, when outsider auditers raised concerns, the committee Webster headed fired them. He left that committee and the company's board when the company said it could no longer provide liability insurance against claims from investors. And now, come the claims from investors that they were defrauded of millions due to accounting misconduct. There goes the reputation for integrity part of the qualifications. So, it might be that this is guy who, when he supervises audits, fraud happens, and he's the one in charge? Well, at least he's an insider. And a republican, I guess. Oh -- and Webster says he brought this up Friday, which would be only just before he was appointed. That's great. And he says that Pitt told him the SEC staff had looked into things and everything was a-okay. But everybody associated with the company who would know (the outside auditors, the investors who say they were defrauded and their lawyers, the audit committee, company executives) say no one at the Commission ever contacted them about Webster's candidacy. I guess the White House, and the others involved in this, don't know the difference between cleaning something up and just plain cleaning up. Or maybe they do and that was the point of the exercise? This disturbs me greatly. 5:51:44 AM    comment []