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Top Stories: Feb. 1, 2010

Prop 8 Trial: The Movie; 'Boobie' Bracelet in Schools; Kids' Workout; Puzzlers Convene

by Danny Wool on Feb 01, 2010
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Mr. Chip Goes to Washington
A new report by the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org) finds that high-tech industries—i.e., computer and internet companies—were collectively the fourth largest industry lobbying Washington in terms of money spent. This places them right after Big Pharma and the insurance companies, right behind electric utilities, and ahead of the combined efforts of big business and the oil and gas industries.

By far the largest high tech companies who are having an impact on Washington in 2009 are Microsoft ($6.7 million) and IBM ($5.4 million), but Silicon Valley is starting to edge them out. It's all the big names one would expect too: Oracle ($5.1 million), Google ($4 million), Intel ($3.9 million), and HP ($3.3 million). Even Sun did its share of lobbying ($217,000), though it's soon to be swallowed up by Oracle. Apple spent $1.5 million, while Yahoo spent $2 million—half of what Google spent—a pretty good reflection of where they stand in the search engine market.

The big news though is that Google is creeping ahead of Oracle, and surpassed it in dollar spending in 4Q 2009 by $700,000. In comparison, Google spent just $260,000 on lobbying in 2005. And yet, Alan Davidson, Head of U.S. Public Policy for Google, still considers his company to be a "guppy" in the D.C. fish tank, surrounded by big fish.

What could be most telling is that the two biggest spenders, Oracle and Google, have both been embroiled in anti-trust legislation over the past year. It cost Oracle to get its acquisition of Sun approved by the Department of Justice, while in 2008 Google was less successful in getting a search ad agreement with Yahoo approved. The increase in spending could very well mean that it doesn't want to repeat that mistake.

So why is Google not in the spotlight, while Exxon, which spends less, is? One possible answer could be its mission as exemplified by its informal corporate motto, "Don't be evil." The company has long fostered the belief that everything it does is for the benefit of mankind, whether it is scanning books to protect the world's knowledge (even at the expense of copyright holders), or improving its ad delivery mechanisms to help its clients make a buck. Even Steve Jobs is chiming in on this, calling the Google motto ”bullshit”.

As the Merc points out though, Google does what it does "because it expects to make money in some fashion down the road." While that's not a bad thing per se, it's a far cry from the model of altruism that Google likes to see itself portrayed. And in the end, Google, and all the other high-tech companies that are breaking into the lobbying business, could/should see itself the subject of the same media scrutiny.
Read More at ZDNet.
Read More at The Mercury News.


Prop 8 Hits YouTube
Once upon a time, the battle over Prop 8 would have been the perfect fodder for a Lifetime movie of the week. With no cameras in the courtroom, hordes of A-list actors would have mobbed the studios to play Judge Walker, odd-couple attorneys Olson and Boies, or the couples Katami and Zarillo and Perry and Stier. They could even have made it into a sequel of the Prop 8 musical.

Too late. Two LA filmmakers have already created a reenactment of the trial, and they posted it on Youtube. Referring to the SCOTUS decision to keep cameras out of the courtroom, filmmakers John Ireland and John Ainsworth say that "this was the perfect way to circumvent the US Supreme Court's decision to not show it." They consulted with Law Professor David Cruz of the University of Southern California for help in accurately reconstructing what happened, using blogs and transcripts as the basis for their script.

All of the actors and crew have volunteered, and the entire budget is less than a shoestring. They are careful not pick sides in the debate, or to force their own beliefs on anyone. They just want to leave a video record of a "landmark case in our nation's history."

Could the result be Youtube's first Emmy?
Read More at NBC Bay Area.
Read More at Neon Tommy.


Give the Officers a Gun
Probation officers have a dangerous job, especially when dealing with gang members … especially that more and more people could be placed on probation to cut down on overcrowding in the prison. It's especially difficult in Santa Clara County, the largest county in California that does not permit probation officers to carry a firearm.

That could soon change though, as early as this week. At a series of public meetings, county officials will discuss the possibility of arming some probation officers, particularly those who deal with high risk populations. Supporters argue that this is necessary, particularly if the officers are expected to make unannounced calls on their clients, some of which might even lead to arrests.
Read More at KLIV.


Awareness Bracelet Considered Distracting
Once it was a red ribbon to mark AIDS awareness. Then it was a yellow Livestrong bracelet to support the fight against cancer. Simple fashion accessories like these have become staples among celebrities, school kids, and everyone in between … at least until recently.

The newest fad in the Santa Clara Middle School is a bracelet in support of breast cancer research, replacing the popular pink ribbon. The problem is the message on the bracelet: "I love boobies," and "Keep a breast." Though some money from the sale of each bracelet goes to support breast cancer research, some people find the message offensive, especially when worn by a middle school boy in the throes of puberty. To quote Nelson from the Simpsons, "Ha ha!"

Some school board officials oppose the bracelet, claiming that the manufacturers intended to provoke a controversy. Some parents, however, aren't convinced, and claim the bracelets make an important message accessible to a middle school audience.

Of course, there is the simple alternative of wearing a pink bracelet to promote breast cancer awareness. It should also be considered that Lance Armstrong, who first popularized the bracelets, suffered from testicular cancer. Do they even want to go down the path of potentially snarky comments that a redesigned Livestrong bracelet could bring on.

As for me, I'll stick with my orange MS Awareness bracelet.
Read More at ABC 7.


Skipping Ahead to a New World Record
In the days before Nintendo and Wiis, kids had to make due with the simplest of toys: a ball, a hoop, a piece of rope. It's not just nostalgia. Kids were healthier then, and the epidemic of childhood obesity wasn't on anybody's radar.

All that has changed in the past few years, and the California Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance wants to do something about it. This week, 80,000 students across the state will be gathering in public parks, ropes in hand, to jump into the Guinness Book of Records, and maybe lose some baby fat along the way.

Elementary and middle school kids in Santa Clara County will be part of the effort to break the world record for people jumping rope simultaneously. It's a record now held by Australia, home of bouncy kangaroos and wallabies, but California has weigh more people, and it reasons to believe more pounds to lose too. Children from some 20 schools across the South Bay will be participating in the effort. Jump ropes mandatory. Cellphones and iPods optional.
Read More at KLIV.


Puzzlers Olympics in Silicon Valley
The Winter Olympics may be all the rage, but a different kind of competitive spirit pitted people who replaced their skis for pencils and the luge for logic. They gathered in the Morgan Hill Public Library this weekend for the Fourth Annual Silicon Valley Puzzle Day.

Among the guests were the stars of the puzzle page, including U.S. Sudoku champion Thomas Snyder of Stanford and Tyler Hinman of San Francisco, winner of the American Crossword Puzzle tournament for five straight years.

Among the winners was Brian Kulman of Los Gatos, CTO of the firm Diio. A crossover puzzler, he recently made the switch from crossword puzzles to Sudoku. He solved the final puzzle in just four minutes, but still came in second in the crossword puzzle competition. Could he be on his way to the Puzzle Pentathlon?
Read More at The Mercury News.



by Danny Wool on Feb 01, 2010
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