Wednesday, June 19, 2002

The Bush Quiz II: Who Said It? First, an answer to Monday's Quiz: C, Uninalienable, of course. 7. "I think it's appalling that the President of the United States would cut vaccine money for children so he can give a tax cut to Ken Lay:" 8. "Before September 11th, I remember asking on TV if Bush knew where Europe was. Then suddenly you had to act as if he was Einstein." 9. "I really think he's a Renaissance kind of guy; and I've known him for twenty years, and I've never been on a topic where he doesn't know something about it." 10. "For ail the spoon-fed portraits of the President exuding new gravitas since the war began, President Bush is still an easy man to take lightly:" (a) Times columnist Bill Keller. (b ) Vermont Governor Howard Dean. (c) "Weakest Link" host Anne Robinson. (d) Times columnist Frank Rich. (e) White House adviser Mary Mata1in. 10:46:25 AM     Welcome to the lawyers, those great wealth destroyers... In a fine article on realmoney.com -- which you need a subsciprtion to view --, Paul Kedrosky argues the the the tech ship has passed. His points are interesting -- one of which he notes that because the Internet had such a profound effect on the very visible chattering classes -- white color workers and those tied to the media -- its actual effect was blown way out of proportion by the strength of the voices of those it affected. He compares the Internet to the top five great inventions, a list that includes electrification, the automobile, the airplane, water supply and distribution and basic electronics. (Side note: How widely are these deployed in the Muslimn world?) and finds that for all its promise, it only comes in 13th, and that it's time of greatest growth and impact in the market has passed. His other point, to which the headline refers, is that government is now, belatedly, of course, excited about technology, and that this is not a good thing. He finds no argument here. Emboldened by being invited into the marketplace in the various Microsoft (MSFT:Nasdaq - news - commentary - research - analysis) cases, the largely hands-off Federal and European governments are now demonstrably hands-on. They love technology. They want to be part of technology. They want to police technology. They want hearings on technology. And lest there be any doubt on the subject, that is not good. 10:38:46 AM

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