Microsoft embellishes the cloud business model   ¶ 12/30/2008 10:14:00 PM 0 comments

  The free marketplace of ideas has never been about free content Yeah, that's it.

Back in the early 70's at this alternative newspaper, the business ("hiss, scorn") manager was trying to persuade everyone that after the failure of the subscription/stand sales model they should consider the advertising revenue from the circulation numbers of a give-away paper. The perception that the immortal prose of these defenders of right was certainly worth more than nothing did not interfere with a copycat making the give-away model wildly successful in the area within ten years.

We've all had enough jingoism for now, but that's always been the American way: Somebody has got to pay. The struggle to determine who pays what, in the free marketplace of ideas, hasn't always been good for journalism. Yellow journalism and pandering, dishonest circulation wars are just two examples of what these defenders of freedom will do on the way to the often seemingly all too easy sale of their ideas and soul.

Money hasn't been all bad for journalism. It was the economics of market diversity that drove the early wire services to strive for what would pass as objectivity. This professional objective did more to lift the news business out of the murk of diarists and pamphleteers as it has ever been. Money enables enterprise; reporting and otherwise. It has always been about what people were willing to pay.

By the way, working this out will take off significant pressure in the economic struggle over intellectual property rights.  ¶ 12/26/2008 03:33:00 PM 0 comments

  Yeah, Clay, but... We are not so sure about this idea of not for profit news. The idea seems to enjoy some acceptance at this time.

The free marketplace of ideas has never been about free content. Ruminate on that.  ¶ 12/26/2008 12:27:00 AM 0 comments

  Web 2.0 myth deflated Certainly not the final or best word on the long tail.  ¶ 12/23/2008 05:13:00 PM 0 comments

  Doppleganger Deep Throat E&P's Greg Mitchell on the other side of Mark Felt.

Another Bob Woodward fueled fairytale.  ¶ 12/19/2008 07:40:00 PM 0 comments

  Depression era tactic used by sacked workers Approximately 200 window factory workers have occupied the Chicago building when the company failed to follow the law.

Saul Alinsky and Studs Terkel would be proud.  ¶ 12/06/2008 12:28:00 PM 0 comments

  A hoot from Huff For those without a clue that Sarah Palin is a rich vein of laughs.  ¶ 12/04/2008 01:35:00 PM 0 comments

  "Aggrieved party" in FISA suit By our thinking, we were all put upon by the incompetence of the Bush years.  ¶ 12/04/2008 07:44:00 AM 0 comments

  Groklaw on MySpace case We first came across this piece from gigaom that brought our thinking beyond the tragic circumstances involved in the Lori Drew case.

We had always felt this was a matter best suited for a judgement in civil court.  ¶ 12/01/2008 07:58:00 PM 0 comments