10 posts and columns on reform

BoomTown on TWiT: You Can't Say No to Oprah!

in News on October 1, 2010 at 10:29 am PT

No, you may not, and that’s what I said on Leo Laporte’s terrific “This Week in Tech” online show last Sunday about why Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his recent $100 million donation to schools in Newark, New Jersey, on the same day as the splashy Hollywood movie–”The Social Network”–eviscerating him premiered. Because the powerful television talk show host wanted him on that week, since she was focusing on education reform! And what Oprah Winfrey wants, Oprah Winfrey gets–which is pretty much my motto for life. Here’s the video.

The Facebook Movie Is Here, the Critics Love It–So Let the Panels Begin!

in News on September 27, 2010 at 5:16 am PT

The world of Facebook did not stop last Friday–although its unusual downtime was kind of spooky–when “The Social Network” made its debut in New York. The much-anticipated movie opens wide this Friday for all to see what the hubbub is about. And for everyone in Silicon Valley to debate over, of course. BoomTown too.

A Hollywood Ending? The Timing of Zuckerberg's $100 Million Donation to Newark Schools Debated at Facebook

in News on September 23, 2010 at 2:55 am PT

The question is: Which movie was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinking about when he decided recently to fork over $100 million to public schools in Newark, New Jersey? Was it a bid to spiff up his image–with a splashy announcement on Oprah Winfrey’s popular television talk show tomorrow–on the very same day of the New York premiere of “The Social Network,” which casts Zuckerberg as the villain in his own creation myth? Or was it another film, “Waiting for Superman,” a just-released gripping documentary about the crisis in public education? Either way, Newark wins.

As Silicon Valley Infighting Gets Ever Nastier, Let's Be Careful Out There

in News on May 7, 2010 at 8:50 am PT

Last week, BoomTown was in Washington, D.C., my old stomping grounds for 15 years. I miss a lot of things about living there, but most definitely not the poisonous political partisanship that you get sucked into from the minute you arrive. But it’s almost a relief to be there rather than in Silicon Valley, given how increasingly hostile the atmosphere is getting as a range of companies wrestles over a range of issues, both key and trivial.

As Silicon Valley Infighting Gets Ever Nastier, Let’s Be Careful Out There

in D8 on May 7, 2010 at 8:50 am PT

Last week, BoomTown was in Washington, D.C., my old stomping grounds for 15 years. I miss a lot of things about living there, but most definitely not the poisonous political partisanship that you get sucked into from the minute you arrive. But it’s almost a relief to be there rather than in Silicon Valley, given how increasingly hostile the atmosphere is getting as a range of companies wrestles over a range of issues, both key and trivial.

Viral Video: Bill Gates's TED Talk on Innovating to Zero Emissions

in News on February 24, 2010 at 5:15 am PT

One of the more remarked-upon talks at the recent TED conference was by Microsoft co-founder and mega-philanthropist Bill Gates. Rather than talk about his work around AIDS and other global medical issues, or education reform, he focused, surprisingly, on the future of energy and the need to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050. In fact, Gates said that if he had one planetary wish, this would be it. It’s well worth a watch.

China’s “New Approach” to Google: Bai-Bai

in News on January 14, 2010 at 6:15 am PT

Whether it’s an act of moral bravery or the first step in a commercial retreat it had been planning anyway, Google’s “new approach to China” isn’t going to fly with that country’s government. Beijing clearly has no intention of granting Google’s request to allow unfiltered Internet searches.
schmidtgoogcn

Swedish File-Sharers Mull VPN (Virtual Pirate Network)

in News on April 2, 2009 at 9:54 am PT

If Sweden’s Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive was crafted to scare the hell out of the country’s Internet population, it seems to have had the desired affect. Swedish Internet traffic dropped by a third on Wednesday after the law, which allows copyright holders to force ISPs to divulge the IP addresses of computers sharing copyrighted material, was implemented.
piratecassette