by Lee Gesmer | Nov 21, 2008 | Technology
The New Economy – it takes full advantage of the Digital Revolution. It’s open to innovation, not just in IT but in robotics, clean energy, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. It supports a low-cost, low-carbon energy system. It takes advantage of opportunities offered by globalization. It accommodates regional growth in a balanced manner.
And yes, as was true in 1999, 2002 and 2007, in 2008, once again, Massachusetts ranks first, by a significant margin. The full report — The 2008 State New Economy Index, from the non-profit The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation — leaves no question about this. The states at the top of this index are “leading the United States’ transformation into a global, entrepreneurial and knowledge- and innovation-based New Economy.” And yes, let me repeat lest your attention has wandered, we are first, first, first. (n.b.: Washington is second, and Mississippi last).
by Lee Gesmer | Nov 16, 2008 | Technology
Quoting from Cringley’s most recent column –
The U.S. CTO – at least this FIRST U.S. CTO – will be the buyer-of-cool-stuff-in-chief for the entire nation.
I would make a better buyer-in-chief than almost anyone else because of two important
characteristics in my warped personality: 1) I would be immune to special interest groups so this wouldn’t turn into another National Information Infrastructure boondoggle, and; 2) yet as a true enthusiast I would buy with such reckless abandon that I’d easily fulfill the economic stimulus needs while spewing money widely enough to guarantee at least a few good technical investments for the nation. . . .
We need someone with just enough savvy to know good technology, enough independence to make the right decisions, and crazy enough to do it all 24/7 right out in public so that vaunted “transparency” we keep talking about yet never see can be proved to be more than just a modern myth.
I’m the man for that job.
AND I can use the work.
That’s because December 15th will mark my last column for PBS,
After 11 years and more than 600 columns I’ll be moving-on, perhaps into that big CTO job in Washington, but then maybe not. This is my decision, not that of PBS, which has been nothing but good to me these many years. . . .
Full column here. More on Cringley here.
by Lee Gesmer | Nov 15, 2008 | Miscellaneous
Linux.com, one of the leading open source software web sites, recently interviewed my partner, Andy Updegrove, and wrote a very complementary article (part of its Portrait Series). The article focuses on Andy’s involvement with open source software, and also touches on many highlights in Andy’s career, including the role he played in the creation of the MIT License in the early ’90’s (one of the first, and most popular open source software licenses). Andy had drafted that license for our client, the X Consortium, and it was only years later that he realized that the license had been adopted by many open source projects, eventually becoming known as the MIT License. The interview also includes his views on open source and open standards (where he has played a significant role), his work as counsel to the Linux Foundation, and several other highlights of his career.
A link to the article is here.
by Lee Gesmer | Nov 14, 2008 | Courts
… courtesy of Jeffrey Toobin –
The current Supreme Court is the first court in U.S. history where all nine judges are federal appeals court judges. The court that decided Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 had only one justice who had been a judge of any kind on any court anywhere (Associate Justice Sherman Minton).
by Lee Gesmer | Nov 13, 2008 | Antitrust
OK, OK, this is not my blog post title. It’s the title of a post by Professor D. Daniel Sokol over at the Antitrust & Competition Law Policy Blog. He provides ten reasons in support of this statement, but undermines his argument (which I hope is at least a bit facetious), by stating that tax law is second. (Not, not, not.)
Of course, he shows what a nerd (wonk?) he is by not only listing the ten reasons from 1 to 10 (rather than in reverse, à la David Letterman), but failing to inject even the slightest bit of humor into his post. Antitrust lawyers aren’t known for their sense of humor or for humility.
As an antitrust aficionado myself, I am inclined to agree with him. I certainly did when I was in law school.
