What’s New with Wu

Google’s Free the Airwaves campaign!   I recorded this video in support, though for some reason I look kind of evil in the video.

No more Mr. Not Nice Guy.

After (alas) losing my iPhone recently, I got myself a new one and sat down to unlock it.

Phew!  Its not easy any more.  Apple has managed to mess enough with its newer iPhones that unlocking once again requires opening up the phone, which isn’t exactly something for everyone.
It is hard to believe how the image of this company I once worshiped has changed. A few months ago I was in Apple HQ, and they had a 70′ tall banner in the lobby announcing the iPhone - it made the iPhone look like a giant Mao Zedong.
Meanwhile, the new Apple stores just seem scarier every time I go there.  I still like and use Apple’s products, but the company is starting to scare me.

My patience with Apple has begun to wear thin, when I realised they have crippled bluetooth on my iPhone.

I was in the midst of trying to use bluetooth for sync, and to send and receive some files when I realized this!

I am amazed that my Razr has better Bluetooth compatibility with my Mac than the iPhone..

Its downright obvious that the video from political debates should be free to everyone to use, quot from, remix, etc.

Lawrence Lessig has written letters to the RNC and DNC so suggesting, and its hard to see good arguments against this.  (I can think of plenty of bad arguments).

Some different ideas about the future of political technology, from Colin Delaney’s interesting site.

Matching campaign contributions and federal contracts is becoming easier and easier, and mapping applications may make the results more intuitive and digestible. Using affinity software to evaluate neighborhood political tendencies? Ignorant (political) armies clashing by night in a (virtually) bloody battle royale? We’ll see….

Did a segment on “Talk of the Nation” about the Washington Post “After Youtube” story — that was fun.

One caller asked whether new technologies will make campaigns cheaper or more expensive. The funny this is that better technology _should_ make campaigns cheaper, but it doesn’t seem to be doing so at all!

Why not is a good question for an economist. I suppose the issue is that campaigns are contests, but just issuance of a product, hence you cannot risk going cheap unless your opponent does.

There are plenty of other things that technology should make cheaper, but doesn’t. For example, e-books are no cheaper than real books, despite the fact that it costs basically nothing to make another e-book. Why that is so is a long story–

Zephyr and I’s article came out in the Washington Post today, with the title “YouTube: It’s so Yesterday.”

Of course we didn’t really mean that.

If you have any reactions email me and I’ll post good ones.