Category: America

Wednesday, 15 November 2006

In Need of a Rural Internet-ification Administration

by Garrick van Buren Comments Off on In Need of a Rural Internet-ification Administration

This country is vast. “Miles and miles of little more than telephone line”, I wrote last summer after half-cross country road trip.

The costs of providing and maintaining that infrastructure miles and miles between neighbors is baffling to me. Let along the fact we electrified the cornfields 70 years ago.

But, unlike energy – we can’t get broadband internet access from the wind and water around us. Something has to literally connect us to the rest of the world – and fast (in both senses of the word).

Internet access has an interesting potential to revive dying rural towns – for the exact same reason it’s helping India, China, Brazil, Russia, and Eastern Europe – people can work worldwide, get paid worldwide-ish wages, and maintain a lower cost of living.

This is why customer call centers are in the Dakotas.

50 years ago – electricity and telephone service meant survival, today – it’s high-speed internet access.

Compare this from the Wikipedia entry on the Rural Utilities Service:

“Many were critical of the decision, in particular private electricity utilities, who argued that the government had no right to compete with private enterprise (though many of those utilities refused to extend their lines to rural areas, claiming lack of potential profitability as the reason)”

And this from With a Dish, Broadband Goes Rural in the New York Times:

“Roughly 15 million households cannot get broadband from their phone or cable provider because the companies have been slow to expand their high-speed networks in areas where there are not enough customers to generate what they regard as an adequate profit.”

The mindset of the incumbents hasn’t changed in 70 years – we need a Rural Internet-ification Administration to bring new life to our rural areas.

Thanks to PFHyper for the pointer

Thursday, 9 November 2006

Wednesday, 8 November 2006

Thursday, 2 November 2006

Friday, 29 September 2006

FCC’s Current Stance on Internet Censorship

by Garrick van Buren Comments Off on FCC’s Current Stance on Internet Censorship

This topic came up in a lunch conversation today, and I wanted to confirm I still accurately understood the FCC’s current position:

“That being said, the F.C.C. has no jurisdiction over what content an individual broadcasts over the Internet, assuming it is legal.”

Looks like the recently ratified Cybercrime Treaty is the closest to internet censorship.

The treaty requires the U.S. government help enforce other countries’ “cybercrime” laws – even if the act being prosecuted is not illegal in the United States – EFF

Seems consistent with the previous statement…if only that it extends to the following 15 countries; Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Macedonia, Ukraine.

Thursday, 28 September 2006

Don’t Visit the Truckstops

by Garrick van Buren Comments Off on Don’t Visit the Truckstops

Just got off the phone with my dad who recommended not to visit the TA truckstops in Ontario, California.

I’m going to heed his suggestion. Though, I’m not sure where that leaves for dinner.

Monday, 11 September 2006

I’ve Never Been to New York or New Orleans

by Garrick van Buren Comments Off on I’ve Never Been to New York or New Orleans

Last year’s Katrina disaster in New Orleans is a far more important event in our nation’s history than today’s date.

Katrina told us we’re unprepared for predictable, frequent, and common events. That’s bad.

Nothing wrong with being unprepared for rare and spectacular events.

“In many ways, the success of 9/11 was an anomaly; there were many points where it could have failed. The main reason we haven’t seen another 9/11 is that it isn’t as easy as it looks.” – Bruce Schneier

There’s something in here about comparing these disasters to technology:
“The impact of technology is often overestimated in the short-term and underestimated in the long-term.” (credited to Bill Gates).

Thursday, 25 May 2006

Why the Democrats Lose

by Garrick van Buren 2 Comments on Why the Democrats Lose

Over the past 17 days I’ve received 19 calls from this same unknown number. No message, no nothing. Some where in there, I found out it was the DNC calling (presumably for money) and well, I don’t have time for that right now. They just kept calling, and calling, and I just kept hitting ‘Ignore’. Leave a message, seriously.

Tonight, call number 20, I had a single moment to hear their spiel.

Uninspiring. Some vague statement about needing to train people, some script-read bit about taking back something from Bush, and how they need 80 gazillion dollars to make it worth their while. And the ask;

“Can we count on you to make a symbolic contribution of $110?”

“Symbolic” contribution?

Are they asking for actual, real money?

Baffled, I asked why they called me 20 times and couldn’t leave a message.

She apologized and said the call center had so many calls to make that nobody had time to leave a message.

Wrong answer.

There are so many things wrong with this story. So many. At least 20.

If the DNC is going to win, they need to be aggressive, passionate, straight-forward, engaging, and focused. Not annoying, aimless, vague, and apologetic.

Have we learned nothing?

Monday, 22 May 2006

End Illegal Immigration – Send More Jobs to Mexico

by Garrick van Buren Comments Off on End Illegal Immigration – Send More Jobs to Mexico

The reason America has so many illegal immigrants is the same reason America (and any other country) has immigration. Same reason young Americans flee the Dakotas. Those places suck.

Building a fence between the US and Mexico won’t make Mexico suck less (or NoDak) – illegal workers sending money to their home country just might. US, European, and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) corporations opening satellite offices, training Mexicans, and making Mexico a cool place to be will.

What if.

What if the rest of the world took it upon themselves to improve Mexico. And they did. Sure it could take years. Decades. Decades that should be behind us.

Friday, 7 April 2006

Oh, Canada?

by Garrick van Buren Comments Off on Oh, Canada?

We’re watching some Degrassi Junior High tonight and a bit about the U.S. invading Canada came up. Now, it may surprise you that my public school education didn’t discuss the multiple times we invaded (War of 1812, Fenian Raids of the 1860s), or planned to, our northern neighbors.

First I heard of an invasion was Canadian Bacon. Oh, and History Lessons: How Textbooks from Around the World Portray U.S. History.

(related note: Numb3rs is written just like Degrassi)