2010

Joanne McNeil on online introversion and curation

Thumbnail image for Joanne McNeil on online introversion and curation

Joanne McNeil, a science and technology writer living in Brooklyn, New York, and curator of Tomorrow Museum, a collection of images and speculative essays exploring how technology, science, and economics are affecting the fine arts, discusses online introversion and curation. McNeil discusses realspace introverts turned online extroverts, explains the lack of social media presence of many extroverts and celebrities, and parses the distinction between shyness and introversion. She also talks about Hanoi Wi-Fi and other technology encountered on her recent trip to Southeast Asia and addresses online curation, link blogs, and Tumblr.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Nick Bilton on how technology creatively disrupts society

Thumbnail image for Nick Bilton on how technology creatively disrupts society

Nick Bilton, Lead Technology Writer for The New York Times Bits blog and a reporter for the paper, discusses his new book, I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works. In the book, Bilton examines how technology is creatively disrupting society, business, and our brains. On the podcast, he talks about neuroplasticity and reading, a debate with George Packer about Twitter, innovators’ dilemmas in the porn industry, why many CEOs and movie producers bristle at how the future works, and “ricochet working.” He also discusses effects of combining human curation with computer algorithms, hyperpersonalization, informational veggies, and serendipity. He concludes with his theory about today’s news (and the reason he doesn’t worry about missing tweets): “If it’s important, it will find me.”

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Kimberley Isbell on news aggregators

Thumbnail image for Kimberley Isbell on news aggregators

Kimberley Isbell, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society working as a staff attorney with the Citizen Media Law Project, discusses legal implications of news aggregators. The rise of aggregators amid the transformation of news and journalism spurred Rupert Murdoch to label news aggregation “theft.” In her recent paper, Isbell classifies various types of news aggregators and examines their roles in light of copyright, fair use, and hot news misappropriation doctrines. She notes that courts have yet to decide key aspects of the issue, but legal rules that promote flexibility and free access to information are needed to ensure a productive and innovative future for news.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Caren Myers Morrison on Jury 2.0

Thumbnail image for Caren Myers Morrison on Jury 2.0

Caren Myers Morrison, assistant professor at Georgia State University College of Law, discusses how internet tools are affecting our jury system, which she details in her new paper, Jury 2.0.  She cites examples of jurors using the internet to seek information about cases, Facebook-friending witnesses and defendants, and even blogging about trials on which they are deliberating.  She also expounds upon jury tradition in America, the evolution of impartiality’s definition, jury secrecy and integrity, ramifications of jurors’ internet activities, and the future of the jury — Jury 2.0

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Tim Lee on net neutrality, spectrum policy, and software patents

Thumbnail image for Tim Lee on net neutrality, spectrum policy, and software patents

Timothy B. Lee, PhD candidate in computer science at Princeton University and fellow at Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, discusses a variety of issues. Lee parses new net neutrality nuances, addressing recent debate over prioritization of internet services. He also discusses wireless spectrum policy, comparing and contrasting a strict property rights model to a commons one. Lee concludes by weighing in on potential software patent reform, referencing Paul Allen’s wide-ranging patent-infringement lawsuits and the Oracle-Google tiff over Java patents.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Danny Sullivan on search neutrality

Thumbnail image for Danny Sullivan on search neutrality

Danny Sullivan, an expert on the internet search industry and editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, discusses search neutrality. He explains the concept of search neutrality and discusses a recent New York Times editorial suggesting Google’s search algorithm should be subject to government oversight or regulation. Sullivan points out flaws inherent to the notion of search neutrality and discusses competition in the search engine industry. He also imagines what it might take to topple Google from its perch atop internet search.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Kevin King on federalism, internet gambling, and geolocation

Thumbnail image for Kevin King on federalism, internet gambling, and geolocation

Kevin King, a recent law school graduate now clerking for a federal court of appeals, discusses his recent paper, Geolocation and Federalism on the Internet: Cutting Internet Gambling’s Gordian Knot. In his paper King uses the online gambling industry to examine conflict between federalism and the internet — the borderless nature of the internet eschews traditional models of state jurisdiction. He discusses previous attempts to regulate online gambling, conflict between internet gambling providers and the Kentucky horse betting sector, Congress’ current online gambling bill, and a solution that utilizes geolocation technology.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Peter Sunde on Flattr

Thumbnail image for Peter Sunde on Flattr

Peter Sunde, co-founder of BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay and creator of Flattr, a new online social micropayments system, discusses Flattr. Sunde explains the Flattr concept, how it differs from previous micropayment platforms, and why it’s more meaningful than the Facebook “like” button. He also briefly discusses progress of the Pirate Bay case.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Birgitta Jónsdóttir on the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative

Thumbnail image for Birgitta Jónsdóttir on the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative

Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Member of the Icelandic Parliament for the Movement party, and one of the chief sponsors of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, discusses the initiative. She explains how it was crafted, who it would protect and how, and Wikileaks’ influence on it. Jónsdóttir specifically discusses the proposal’s impact on journalists, sources, whistleblowers, libel tourism, superinjunctions, freedom of information, prior restraint, and government transparency. She also talks about the inspiration behind the initiative, which stems partly from her background as a writer and activist, and her path to the Icelandic Parliament.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

Gilbert Wondracek on the economics of online porn

Thumbnail image for Gilbert Wondracek on the economics of online porn

Gilbert Wondracek, research fellow at the International Secure Systems Lab and postdoctoral fellow at the Vienna University of Technology, discusses his research on the online porn industry. He addresses various economic roles of online porn providers and the industry’s connections to malware and cybercrime. Wondracek also explains how he investigated the industry, how he set up adult websites to assess user vulnerabilities and examine traffic, what he learned, and how he got approval for the project.

Listen to and discuss this episode →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →