This made me laugh -- having had a Finn, a Swede, and four Irishmen over to dinner last night! -- and also think about all the misunderstandings that arise when a person with one set of cultural habits and mores brings them into another culture where they can be utterly misinterpreted: Juha Haataja: "It may be a singularly Finnish trait that when giving positive feedback we tend to insult the recipient a bit. This way the recipient feels that you didn't offer you encouragement only because you wanted to be polite." [Scripting News]
11:27:26 PM  #   your two cents []

Declan McCullagh (http://news.com.com/2010-1023-971115.html?tag=fd_nc_1) thinks Washington needs a GeekPAC -- or better yet, several of them. Certainly, the industry has suffered at times because of its indifference (and ignorance) of Washington's ways. On the other hand, given that tech bigwigs pushed for US legislation that analysts say have stymied even very legitimate class action lawsuits, I hardly think the tech industry is a lobbying lightweight. And apres-Microsoft/DOJ, I doubt the tech industry will *ever* underestimate its need to constantly keep its fingers on Washington's pulse.

In Ireland, the industry is primarily represented by lobby groups born out of employer organisations like IBEC, which doesn't always give them the broadest focus. I believe strongly that the industry, and key figures within it, continue to underestimate (and under-utilise) their influence in and on government. I'd like to see an independent tech CEO or corporate lobby to take industry issues to the government -- as well as the public. The Irish people need to know why such things as broadband internet access are crucial for reasons that extend beyond multinational convenience.
6:56:22 PM  #   your two cents []

Richard Stallman is going to preach to the Green Party in Brussels...
4:24:43 PM  #   your two cents []

Europe Primed for Quick Rescues. The European Space Agency will unveil a satellite system next year that will make it faster and easier for EU nations to respond in the event of a disaster. [Wired News]
4:23:17 PM  #   your two cents []

Bruce Perens wants to pack the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a key Internet standard body, with open source and free software movement supporters in advance of the group's spring meeting in San Francisco. But critics think the plan could backfire.
4:22:24 PM  #   your two cents []

Satellites Track Near-Earth Asteroid Explosions [Scientific American]
3:13:26 PM  #   your two cents []

Court to decide Kazaa's U.S. liability. Has the file-swapping network's parent company kept business contact with the United States minimal enough to avoid a U.S. lawsuit? A judge gets set to hear the arguments. [CNET News.com]
12:58:03 PM  #   your two cents []

IBM rolls out grid future. Grid protocols and virtualized scheduling underpin On-Demand plan [InfoWorld: Top News]
12:55:29 PM  #   your two cents []

The secret life of us. We censor it, sentimentalise it, treat it as a commodity. But we can't reduce its power. Jeanette Winterson on why art now matters more than ever. [Guardian Unlimited]
11:10:30 AM  #   your two cents []

Martin Mull. "The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass." [Quotes of the Day]
11:09:05 AM  #   your two cents []

The search goes on. Search engine Alta Vista thought it could diversify but found that the more it did, the worse things became. [Guardian Unlimited]
11:08:40 AM  #   your two cents []

For the Tolkien fans: Apple is hosting the new trailer for the next Lord of the Rings installment, the Two Towers (in Quicktime, of course).
11:07:35 AM  #   your two cents []

Edward R. Murrow. "When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained." [Quotes of the Day]
11:04:46 AM  #   your two cents []

Mourning Becomes Electronic: A Final Webcast Place. "Necrocam," a Dutch television film that centers on installing a camera inside a coffin, finds its natural audience on the Internet. [New York Times: Technology]
11:01:47 AM  #   your two cents []

A Conundrum for Hewlett: How to Angle Its PC Business. Can any company compete broadly against Dell Computer, the hyperefficient steamroller of the PC business? Hewlett-Packard will soon find out.  [New York Times: Technology]
11:01:12 AM  #   your two cents []

Apple's Quirky Ads Evoke Parodies of Themselves. Apple's current campaign has received so much attention that imitations and parodies are showing up across the Web. [New York Times: Technology]
11:00:32 AM  #   your two cents []