Berkman Buzz, week of November 26
BERKMAN BUZZ: A look at the past week's online Berkman conversations
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School
Week of November 26, 2007
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What's going on... take your pick or browse below.
* Ethan Zuckerman considers Michael Anti’s perspective on Chinese blogging.
* David Isenberg praises Verizon for opening its wireless network.
* John Palfrey reflects on the studies of Professor François Lévêque.
* Dan Gillmor takes Time’s Joe Klein to task.
* Citizen Media Law Project: Missouri Town Makes Online Harassment a Crime After Megan Meier's Suicide.
* Weekly Global Voice: Annapolis: The View from the Middle East.
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The full buzz.
“The name ‘Michael Anti’ is known by almost everyone who follows free speech issues. Journalist, aka ‘An Ti,’ became internationally famous when Microsoft blocked his Chinese-language politics blog hosted on their Spaces service. Before he became well-known as a blogger, Anti worked as a researcher in the Beijing bureau of the New York Times. He was – very briefly – a Chinese correspondent in Baghdad during the Iraq war, but had to leave when the newspaper he worked for was shut down by the government. He’s now a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, and is studying the question of how blogs and mainstream media have interacted in different countries.”
Ethan Zuckerman, “Michael Anti and the end of the golden age of blogs in China”
“I still think it's huge and wonderful that Verizon has announced the opening of its wireless network. Harold Feld outlines most of the reasons why, but here's my list: 1. Apple not only got beat up for tying the iPhone to AT&T, but it also seems to have a real mismatch on its hands. AT&T is causing Apple some real business problems. Even the U.S. Congress beat up Apple. And the European Commission is giving Apple a hard time too. 2. Verizon didn't have a good iPhone competitor. 3. Google's Android, aka GPhone, is getting some big attention, e.g. from T-Mobile and Sprint. And Google looks like it will be a serious bidder in the 700 MHz auctions.”
David Isenberg, “Verizon ‘Tears Down the Walled Garden’”
“As part of our Berkman@10 celebration this year, we at the Berkman Center tonight welcome François Lévêque, professor at the Ecole des Mines, Paris, and visiting prof at the faculty of law at UC Berkeley. He’s presenting the findings of two new papers, each co-authored with Yann Meniere: ‘Technology standards, patents and antitrust’ and ‘Licensing commitments in standard setting organizations.’ Prof. Lévêque offers us a series of insights about the interaction of economics and law in the context of patents in the standards setting process. One key finding of his papers: it would be best for consumers and for innovation in general for the licensing of patents by players in standards setting processes to occur ex ante, rather than ex post.”
John Palfrey, “François Lévêque on Standards, Patents, and Antitrust”
“One of the most amazing episodes in modern American journalism has emerged from a flagrantly inaccurate and misguided Time magazine column by Joe Klein. He’s a political writer whose work in this case may become Exhibit A for what’s wrong with the craft today. Klein’s column attacked congressional Democrats’ effort to pass electronic surveillance legislation that would restrain the Bush administration’s wish for essentially no restraints or oversight whatever. In his piece, Klein got some vital facts dead wrong, giving a totally misleading message to his readers. Needless to say, bloggers and others who care about truth and the Constitution jumped on this outrageous stuff.”
Dan Gillmor, “Shameful ‘Journalism’ by Time Magazine’s Joe Klein”
“City officials in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri unanimously passed a measure on November 21 making online harassment a crime, punishable by up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail. The city's six-member Board of Aldermen passed the ordinance in response to 13-year-old Megan Meier's suicide. Meier committed suicide after a ‘boy’ she met on MySpace abruptly turned on her and ended their relationship. It turned out that the boy was actually Lori Drew, a neighbor who had pretended to be 16-year-old ‘Josh Evans’ to gain the trust of Megan, who had been fighting with Drew's daughter, according to the Los Angeles Times.”
David Ardia, “Missouri Town Makes Online Harassment a Crime After Megan Meier's Suicide”
“With leaders and politicians from the Middle East and far afield meeting in Annapolis, US, over brokering a peace deal between Israel and its Arab neighbours, the mood remains somber, skeptical and pessimistic among bloggers from the region. Here's what bloggers from the region are writing.”
Amira Al Hussaini, “Annapolis: The View from the Middle East”