As usual, the focus this week at
Etopia Media News Networks has been on the intersection of new technologies and politics, and, more specifically, the conflicted, confusing, and lagging response of the "political community" to technological innovation.
Energy and Geopolitics
On the global and national level, former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey, after briefly mentioning his suggestion that the U.S. move as rapidly as possible to adopt a transportation policy based on
"plug-in hybrid electric vehicle" technology during a guest appearance on
"The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," made another guest appearance, this one on Etopia Media's
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle World to speak in much greater detail about the background and possibilities involved in transitioning the U.S. to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle-based future.
8-5-05: R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence, talks about a "plug-in hybrid electric vehicle-based strategy" for fighting terrorism and enhancing national security; supports Arizona Senator John McCain for President (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle #6)
Politics and Privacy
RFID (radio frequency identification) technology is already in place to help track the constantly-changing locations of millions of products. California State Senator Joe Simitian, who represents the area that includes Stanford University in Sacramento, wants a three-year moratorium on the deployment of this technology on mass-distributed, state-mandated identification documents such as driver's license. Roxanne Gould, spokesperson for the RFID industry, opposes such a moratorium.
The two of them appeared together on Etopia Media's
California Politics Today on August 3, 2005, in a civil-but-somewhat-heated discussion of whether putting little radios that can broadcast personal information and possibly allow "data skimming" by identity thieves and stalkers, and second-by-second "location surveillance" by the police and other governmental authorities, on smart cards that the government can require you to carry is in the best interests of the people of California.
8-3-05: California State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) and AeA/High-Tech Trust Coalition spokesperson Roxanne Gould discuss SB 682 (California Politics Today™ #399)
Telecom Politics
On Friday, August 5, 2005, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that:
"big telephone companies no longer have to lease their high-speed Internet lines to competitors, giving the companies more power over the delivery of popular fast Internet services."
The day before, Richard Ramlall, Senior VP at "convergent" cable TV, phone and internet service provider RCN, spoke at length with Etopia Media's
American Politics Today about the impact of distribution and content production consolidation on the choices available to U.S. media consumers and of the efforts his company is involved in to create a "level playing field" for the benefit of these consumers.
8-4-05: RCN SVP Richard Ramlall talks about avoiding "a perfect storm" of consumer-hostile telecom reform and creating a consumer-friendly "level playing field" (American Politics Today #39)
Stem Cells
More so than usual, research involving embryonic stem cells was in the news, and, as usual,
Etopia Media News Networks led the way in coverage of the biomedical, ethical, financial, and political aspects of this growing debate.
8-4-05: Stem cell update, August 4, 2005 (American Politics Today #40)
8-3-05: Motion to consolidate two stem cell cases is granted (California Politics Today™ #398)
8-3-05: Dana Cody updates stem cell lawsuit consolidation proceedings story; calls ICOC Chair Robert Klein "a religious bigot"; says her arguments are constitutionally, not religiously, based (California Politics Today™ #397)
8-1-05: California State Treasurer Phil Angelides' press secretary discusses "bridge funding" of embryonic stem cell research in California (California Politics Today™ #396)
Media and Communications Technology
As part of its constant and on-going effort to keep its audience up-to-the-minute on the latest developments in digital communications technology, and, whenever possible, in ways that demonstrate that technology itself, two articles on Etopia Media's
Entertainment Technology World highlighted the latest in personal video communications, in an interview with Jason Loeffler at EZonics, the company that provides the webcams for many
Etopia Media News Networks remote video interviews, and another in-depth interview about the roll-out of advanced digital cinema technology in the context of the rapidly-evolving film/video distribution-and-exhibition space with Kurt Schwenk, now the General Manager of the Digital Cinema Division at NEC Solutions (America), located in the heart of "Hollywood," in Burbank, California, not far at all from the Etopia Media studios in, um, Studio City, California.
8-4-05: Jason Loeffler, Sales Manager at EZonics, talks about its iContact Pro web cam (Entertainment Technology World #32) (includes video)
8-2-05: Kurt Schwenk, General Manager, Digital Cinema Division, NEC Solutions (America), updates the digital cinema story (Entertainment Technology World #31)
Listen to and watch all, or even a good chuck of, these timely reports from
Etopia Media News Networks and you'll have a better than random chance of gaining some portion of that understanding of today's technopolitical environment that can help you successfully navigate your business and personal lives in these rapidly-changing times.
