Internet

I would like to take a few moments to introduce Buffalo, the access point and router which provides network connectivity to portable computers in the Free Software Foundation's office. More specifically, we are using Buffalo WZR-HP-G300NH, which features the free-software-supported Atheros AR9132 chipset with 32MB of flash memory and 64MB of RAM.

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Clay Shirky has done it again. In a fascinating TED Talk, Shirky examines the impact that collaboration tools developed for and by open source communities will have on the way citizens participate in public life and how they can steer the political processes. » Read more

What's going on at the International Telecommunications Union?

Earlier this month, the IEEE, Internet Architecture Board (IAB), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), Internet Society, and World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) signed a joint agreement to affirm and adhere to a set of principles that establish what they call The Modern Paradigm for Standards.  » Read more

What do you think when hearing the term collective authorship? Wikipedia or open source software might first come to mind. These are collaboratively-created products and services that enhance education, technology, and business. You might not be so quick to think of a largely overlooked area where collective authorship is gaining significance: pop culture entertainment. The comedy genre, in particular, is experiencing notable changes because of open thinking, and for the better. » Read more

David Boswell has a couple of interesting posts (here and here) about how he is using metrics to measure how effective Mozilla is at attracting and engaging people who express an interest in helping contribute to the Mozilla mission. » Read more

Last month, I attended the 5th Annual Leadership North Carolina Forum. The day was filled with amazing information and thought-provoking ideas for the future. However, one session I attended kept me thinking. » Read more

In October 1969, when experts at the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) connected the first two nodes of what has now become the Internet, they probably weren’t considering the ramifications of their actions on future organizational cultures. But while these DARPA folks likely wouldn’t have considered themselves management innovators, the Internet they created has rocked the traditional management science to its core. » Read more

Tim Wu, author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, in his SXSW talk offered the idea that while we think of net neutrality as a new problem, it is actually a very old problem that we've dealt with many times before.

While sharing and collaboration are the oldest of ideas, much of the modern innovation and successes that have resulted from them have depended on the wide availability of an open Internet. And the basis for that was set in place 400 years ago. » Read more

» After you vote, discuss this topic in-depth on the article, Navigating the murky waters of the new media: Five lessons from PepsiGate or in the comments below.

Recently PepsiCo quietly bought the rights to blog about nutrition on a highly respected science blog network. Outraged bloggers and readers at ScienceBlogs said—well, things I can't repeat here—and dubbed the debacle PepsiGate.

As you may have guessed, the blog quickly vanished, but the resulting debate provides insight into some ethical considerations around the so-called new media: the world of online citizen-based journalism. » Read more