By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon May 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET The Politics of Tech (Never Obsolete) A man (genius) named David Braben values education. More specifically, he values education regarding programming and computer use. Based on his desire to see more young people learning about computers and their use has created a $25 PC. . . On a USB stick. Incredible. [Geek.com]
For the first time in 20 years the number of U.S. homes with a television has dropped. The main cause seems to be the economic down-turn (similar to the economy of the early 90s). In the 90s, the numbers rose again once the economy turned around near the middle of the decade. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to expect that to happen once again. [NY Times]
Have you heard of the PaperPhone? If you haven’t creator, Roel Vertegaal predicts you soon will. Vertegaal is quoted as saying that within 5 years “everything is going to look and feel like this.” [Science Daily]
Last week, federal judges took the side of airplane mega-manufacturer Boeing, giving the okay for the company to fire two of its auditors. What did the auditors do wrong? They tried to act as whistle-blowers for what they felt was lax security by Boeing. The duo expected to be protected by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. However, at this point they have been thwarted. [Wired]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon May 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The hackers that breached the Playstation Network in mid-April and brought the entire network down now claim to have copied 2.2 million users’ credit card numbers along with CWs. It is now widely speculated that the the hackers could be European. [The Guardian]
A bit of bike tech! Here is a really cool innovation on the traditional bike lock. [Gizmag]
MaximumPC has a very interesting list of 7 things that have been leaked about Microsoft’s future OS Microsoft 8. The list includes much needed touch optimization to help get the Microsoft brand picked up by tablet makers and use of the hot-topic cloud technology. Definitely check this out. [MaximumPC]
Someone already mapped out Osama Bin Laden’s mansion hideout in Google Maps. [The Atlantic]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Apr 25, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET The Politics of Tech -- Courtesy of arstechnica You may have recently heard about the news that Apple’s iPhone recording individual users’ locations. Arstechnica gives a rundown of what this means for Apple device users and for the company itself. [arstechnica]
Gizmodo asks: Have you contracted Netflix Streaming Syndrome? I hear it’s pretty serious [Gizmodo]
Many of you are probably familiar with Playstation Network, Sony’s answer to Microsoft’s Xbox Live. Unfortunately for Sony, many hackers have also become very familiar with Sony’s online gaming service. This time the network has been down for four days now and there is no indication so far when it will be back. Sony will have to do some serious damage control to keep this from being anymore of a PR disaster than it already is. [CNET]
David Fagin, a writer for AOL News, just announced that he is suing Facebook for $1 (yep, 100 pennies) after being labeled a “spammer” by the social-networking giant. [TechCrunch]
In last week’s Tech Web Gems I wrote about the rumors of a successor console to the Nintendo Wii that could be revealed at this year’s E3 in June. Now Nintendo has confirmed that we will see a next-gen preview at E3. [Engadget]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Apr 18, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET  The Politics of Tech If you are interested in science and technology, but don’t know who Jamie Hyneman is, I don’t know where you have been. He is the co-host of the hugely successful Discovery channel show Mythbusters and an excellent ambassador for science and education. And now he has been contacted by the US military to work with them on developing armor for military use. Cool stuff. [Discovery News]
Now that Spring has sprung we are all ready to do some cleaning around the house. Make sure you remember that your PC requires basic cleaning from time to time as well. Many people feel intimidated when it comes to opening up your case and tidying things up, but Gizmodo has a nice post to guide you through it. [Gizmodo]
Comcast has just announced that they will now offer a 105 Mbps internet connection, for a price. If you are willing to pay $1 for each Mbps ($105 per month) then you can enjoy one of the fastest connections around. Let me know in the comments section if this is something that would interest you. [Engadget]
Pres. Obama needs a “cool phone.” Apparently the Oval Office is sorely lacking in the technology department. I have heard before that the White House lags behind many other official buildings in cutting edge technology. Why is this? [TechCrunch]
The Nintendo Wii has enjoyed amazing sales numbers during its lifetime. However, it has, for years, lacked one of the main selling points of its competitors: the Xbox 360 and the PS3, high-definition. However, it is being reported that Nintendo will unveil an HD console at this year’s E3 conference. Definitely something to watch for. [ars technica]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Apr 11, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
Has the iPad already won the tablet war? CNET looks at the recent history of the iPod and the mp3 wars for the answer. [CNET]
Do you enjoy mobile gaming on a smartphone or similar device? Of course you do. But we all hate those banner ads and pop-up ads. However, good news is on the way. Recent mobile start-up Kiip is proposing a revolutionary way of advertising within mobile games. [TechCrunch]
Apparently, there is a creepy (albeit cool) walking table that could soon be scooting around a home near you. That’s pretty much it, a walking table. Check it out. [Gizmodo]
The House of Representatives recently voted to undo the newly established Net Neutrality rules. However, there is little to no chance this passes through the Senate, and even if it did, President Obama is likely to veto it. So, there’s that. [Wired]
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Apr 4, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
David Kirkpatrick breaks down the Consumer Electronics Show and lets you know the most exciting things to look for in the world of technology in 2011. [The Daily Beast]
The relationship between Amazon and Apple has been pretty rocky of late. Now, with Amazon’s release of “cloud” music storing and streaming service horning in on Apple’s music game, it doesn’t seem like it will improve anytime soon. Here’s a good explanation of where the relationship is now and how it could evolve moving forward. [CNET]
Google is certainly at the forefront of web companies. However, that doesn’t mean they haven’t failed at times. Remember the hype surrounding Buzz and Wave? Now, Google is releasing its new +1 feature. It will work similar to Facebook “likes” in that it allows you to give a +1 to search results you enjoy. [Gizmodo]
Speaking of Google, they are set to present a wonderful opportunity to Kansas City, KS: a 1 Gbps fiber-optic network. Over 1,000 cities applied to be chosen for this fantastic experiment. The U.S. does not have the greatest infrastructure for speedy internet in the world (especially if you’re comparing us with South Korea). However, if this is successful it could signify a change is possible and faster internet for all is on the horizon. [ars technica]
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Mar 10, 2011 at 4:41 PM ET LAUNCH DATE: APRIL 1, 2011
In just a few days, a new entry to the blogosphere will revolutionize the way Americans think about politics.
All right…I doth promote too much. I am a recovering politician after all.
I can promise, however, that The Recovering Politician will present a unique forum for spirited, reasoned, civil dialogue — dispatches from a few dozen folks who’ve actually served in the arena; and now having left, are liberated to share their experiences and critiques of the system without partisan bias or interest group pressures.
Don’t expect interminable political blather; our contributors will also share their opinions and ideas about business, religion, sports, pop culture, you name it. And you’ll be encouraged to join the conversation through your comments.
Be prepared to join us on April 1. In the meantime, feel free to surf around the bare bones of the site: check out our mission, sign up for my email notification list, and join me on the social networks: Facebook, Twitter, etc — you can find the links and forms above.
So strap in tight, liftoff is in T minus 12,000, 11,999, 11,998…
Best,
Jonathan Miller, The Recovering Politician
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