Broadband Politics - Latest Comments

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

BubbaDude — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:28:40 -0000

When I lobbied the California Legislature, I had face-to-face meetings with committee chairs, got regular phone calls from the governor's office, and served on boards and commissions where I got lots of attention from politicians. If you play your cards right, you can influence the process.

But look at the issue in the larger sense: if Sarah Palin becomes the stewardess of the economy, your customers won't have jobs. What does that do to your business?

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

Brett Glass — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:51:07 -0000

It's very hard to get a politician's attention, Richard. Obama will be surrounded by advisors, and it is clear from his choice of advisors what they are going to say. I'm not normally a single issue voter, but how can I support Obama when he is trying to drive me out of business and my customers off of broadband and back to dialup?

Re: What was McCain thinking?

Improvement tips michal — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:52:25 -0000

Yeah I wonder what was he thinking

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

BubbaDude — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:52:25 -0000

All the more reason for responsible people to help Obama see the right side. If this election were being fought over Internet regulation alone, McCain might be the better choice, but he has a tendency to get all mavericky and take irrational position, like he did with campaign finance restrictions. But there are much larger issues at stake, of course. If it happens that we have to kill the Internet to save the global economy, for example, it's not a hard choice to make.

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

Brett Glass — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:03:56 -0000

Both Obama and his team worry me. Obama professed his support for the ill advised Dorgan/Snowe bill two years ago. Lessig is apparently one of his campaign's advisors. And it is of great concern that Gigi Sohn -- a lawyer from the DC lobbying group "Public Knowledge," which was behind the Comcast debacle -- is representing his campaign on network issues. See also the following URLs:

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=oba...

http://alpie.net/blog/bin/post.cgi?id=499

http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060608-network_...

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6495...

Re: The best in women’s wear

Scott — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:47:24 -0000

Congratulations, pops!

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

BubbaDude — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:09:27 -0000

The regulators are going to be active regardless of who wins, so it's a matter of some importance for both candidates to have sound advice. The McCain tech policy team - Mike Powell, Meg Whitman, and Carly Coverphoto - doesn't impress me a great deal. Obama's is much more diverse, as one would expect.

Re: Europe’s Choice

BubbaDude — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:06:57 -0000

It's interesting that the Internet is the only communications network to undergo continuous improvement since its deployment, and is also the least regulated. Forcing it into the mold of regulatory stasis - with the consent and approval of the watchdogs - doesn't strike me as step in the right direction.

Re: The best in women’s wear

BubbaDude — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:04:38 -0000

She ain't exactly a kid anymore, but she was once.

Re: The best in women’s wear

Scott — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:44:27 -0000

Is that your kid?

Re: Europe’s Choice

Brett Glass — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 11:31:46 -0000

It's not just the regulators who are looking to save their jobs; it's the "consumer crusaders." They used to do a brisk business by railing against the telephone companies. Now that we're seeing a digital convergence, they are turning their attention to the Internet. This has caused them to take steps to promote a duopoly (they can't justify their positions as Davids unless there are Goliaths to fight, and so they are actually pushing regulations that will drive the little guys out of business, leaving a duopoly). They then need to impose complex regulations which require constant vigilance to enforce, so that they can be "watchdogs." This is the REAL reason why the Washington lobbyists (e.g. Free Press, Public Knowledge, etc.) are pushing for "network neutrality." It's not about consumers. It's about keeping their jobs, growing their staffs, and getting contributions. (If consumers are not dissatisfied, these lobbyists won't get money, so it is vitally important for them to bring about consumer dissatisfaction.)

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

Brett Glass — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:15:56 -0000

I'd love an excuse to get over to Europe. If I can arrange to be invited to such an event, I will go. It will be especially important to speak on this issue once Obama is elected and the "network neuterers" go to work on Internet-crippling legislation.

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

BubbaDude — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:27:29 -0000

I'm back now, it was a short trip. Your restaurant is only one tube stop from my hotel. I landed near the Holburn station, a pretty great location where the Picadilly Line and the Central Line cross. Had DSL in the room, but it wasn't the greatest speed. You should come to the next NN event over there, you'd like it.

Re: If it’s Wednesday, this must be London

Brett Glass — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:20:15 -0000

You're in London? I'm jealous. Especially about the Indian food. ;-) If you get a chance, try the Motijhell restaurant, at 53 Marchmont Street, south of Cartwright Gardens (Near the Russell Square tube stop and also fairly close to King's Cross/St. Pancras). They make the best Dhansak Curry in London, IMHO. Cybergate, one of the best London cybercafes (they will let you plug in your own laptop; many others will not) is around the corner at 3 Leigh Street, a few doors east of Cartwright Gardens.

Re: Not Impressed By Barack Obama

BubbaDude — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:19:47 -0000

I'm for him. McCain lost my vote when he put that moron on his ticket. Obama needs a lot of educating, but he's by far the lesser of the evils right now.

Re: Not Impressed By Barack Obama

Matthew Schrader — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:08:35 -0000

How do you feel now about Obama? It's been 8 months, ther'es 20 days left before the election.

Re: Why the Kyoto Protocol won’t work

BubbaDude — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:50:26 -0000

This post is 18 months old, and information available at the time said developing countries were exempt from the strict carbon limits imposed on developed ones. The caps also tended to punish countries that had already taken steps to reduce emissions, such as the UK, but were friendly to those who were just starting to do so, like the newly-united Germany.

Re: Why the Kyoto Protocol won’t work

carol — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:52:15 -0000

Can you substantiate the "China is exempt" part? I've tried to learn more abou this and only found that the US, China and India are all refusing to sign any agreement because (1) the other countries, all big offenders, aren't and (2) the controls and requirements aren't measurable enough or clear enough. Can you clarify where you got this information?

Re: Ultra-cool Computers

BubbaDude — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:53:57 -0000

Yes, the X200 has a faster CPU, but that's not the only feature that matters in an ultra-portable. Beyond a certain point, it doesn't really matter.

The capacitive-touch screen on the XT is a real trend-setter. See the review at Gotta Be Mobile for some insight.

Re: Ultra-cool Computers

George Ou — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:41:15 -0000

Intel Centrino 2 graphics aren't too bad if you're not a gamer. The main reason they use integrated chipset as oppose to a discrete graphics card is that it saves a significant amount of power.

Re: Ultra-cool Computers

George Ou — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:39:55 -0000

I just got a new Lenovo X200 (non tablet). You better believe the 2.4 GHz Intel 45nm processor is MORE than double the speed of the Intel 1.2 GHz 65nm processor. You not only have better IPC (instructions per second) on the 45nm chip, you get SSE4.1 capability which doubles the speed per GHz for video encoding. So in some cases, the 2.4 GHz is 4x the speed of the 1.2 GHz processor.

As for the fact that the 1.2 GHz 65nm CPU is a 10W TDP part while the 2.4 GHz 45nm CPU is a 25W part, the 45nm chips have better average power consumption than the TDP suggests. So the power advantage for the 1.2 GHz part is not nearly as good as the difference in TDP suggests. You also have to realize that the X200 has one of the best battery life of any ultra mobile despite the fact that it's not using a low voltage CPU.

At this point, I would not buy any laptop with an old 65nm CPU and old chipset. The new chipset and 45nm CPU is the only way to go.

http://formortals.com/Home/tabid/36/EntryID/115...

Re: Debate Strategy Notes: Don’t debate, pontificate

Mumon — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:14:11 -0000

I had an epiphany of sorts yesterday.

I realized that Sarah Palin is the best thing to happen to the drag-queen business in years.

And sure enough, if you google "Sarah Palin" and "drag queen"...

Re: Debate Verdict: McCain snatches defeat from the jaws of victory

BubbaDude — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:13:43 -0000

I love that sense of humor.

Re: Debate Verdict: McCain snatches defeat from the jaws of victory

Shadow — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:10:19 -0000

McCain soundly beat Hussin just as Gov Palin throughly splattered Biden tonight.The markets will swiftly make an up swing once President McCain is elected. God forbid, if the muslim is elected blue fabric will be in strong demand..

Re: Debate Verdict: McCain snatches defeat from the jaws of victory

Mumon — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:00:32 -0000

You're right; it's time for Obama to put away the Bush brush; McCain's an incompetent in his own right.