Shows #79 and 80 — Prof. Mark Bauerlein and Jeff Howe — posted and schedule

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I am pleased to post two new shows. The first, Show #79, is my interview with Prof. Mark Bauerlein of Emory University, author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30). Mark takes a critical view of the impact of technology on youth. He cites a wide array of empirical data to support his core assertion that technology, and particularly the Internet, is not leading to a greater degree of knowledge or awareness among our youth. Mark’s book, with its highly-charged title, is among the best of the contributions on this side of the ledger, and I hope that you enjoy our interview.

I am also pleased to post Show #80, my interview with Jeff Howe, author of Crowdsourcing. Jeff’s book takes a journalist’s perspective on the growing ability of groups to innovate and create. Jeff collects a variety of examples to show ways that the crowd can create, both in terms of goods and services as well as movements generally. We had a wide ranging discussion, and I hope that you enjoy it!

Alas, there is one more show this quarter, and then Hearsay Culture is in hiatus until the beginning of January. Happy holidays!

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Noah will wake up in a better country and world

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Tonight, I looked at my 21 month-old son Noah, sleeping peacefully in his crib. He, God willing, will wake up in a stronger, more hopeful and advanced nation in the morning. I am very proud of America tonight.

Congratulations to President-elect Obama and to the United States. I am confident that future generations will thank us for our courage and perception at this defining moment in our nation’s history.

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Shows 76, 77 and 78 — Prof. Paul Ohm, David Rice and Michael Gollin — posted

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As I sit here and follow the election results (and did I mention, screen within a screen is great — local news in the small box, national news in the main screen), thoughts naturally flow to posting new Hearsay Culture shows. So I’m pleased to post three new shows! When you need a break from election and post-election coverage, you may want to check one (or all three) out.

The first, Show #76, is my interview with Prof. Paul Ohm of the University of Colorado Law School. We discussed his most recent article, The Rise and Fall of Invasive ISP [Internet Service Provider] Surveillance. It is a fascinating article that discusses, in greal detail, Paul’s core argument that consumers and citizens should be extremely concerned about how ISPs can and do monitor the Internet activities of their subscribers. We discuss not only the whys but the hows of ISP surveillance and Paul’s suggestions to address these issues. I very much enjoyed the interview.

Show #77 is my interview with David Rice, author of Geekonomics: The Real Cost of Insecure Software. David’s book focuses on the concerns surrounding insecure and/or flawed software to our nation’s (and the world’s) economy and infrastructure. This is a serious issue that we need to address as a nation — and a great start would be to take notice of these issues as a populace through David’s book. I greatly enjoyed the interview!

Finally, Show # 78 is my interview with Michael Gollin, Esq. of Venable LLP, author of Driving Innovation. Michael’s book is a comprehensive overview of the application of intellectual property law (IP) to the business plan and management of businesses. In our interview, we largely focus on an often-ignored aspect of IP management: the human factor. Michael’s book would be a great desk reference for those in any aspect of IP management. I hope that you enjoy the interview as much as I did!

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Show #75 — Profs. Michele Boldrin and David Levine (not me!) — posted

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How do I approach posting a show with a professor with the same name as mine? Do I downplay it to appear more balanced? Do I come up with a kitschy title (Dave Meets David)? Or celebrate the achievement of another member of the tribe of Levite? I think I’ll celebrate it.

I am very pleased to post Show #75, my interview with Profs. David Levine and Michele Boldrin of Washington University in St. Louis, authors of Against Intellectual Monopoly. David and Michele have written an empirical study, from their perspective as economists, of the copyright and patent systems. As the title suggests, they think that both are, in essence, superfluous and counterproductive. While against my long-term career interests as a professor of intellectual property law, they make a compelling argument. I very much enjoyed the interview and hope that you do as well!

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Show #74 — Prof. Hal Abelson, Ken Ledeen and Dean Harry Lewis — posted

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I am pleased to post the first show of the new quarter on KZSU-FM, Show #74, my interview with Prof. Hal Abelson of MIT, Ken Ledeen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nevo Technologies, and Dean Harry Lewis of Harvard College/Harvard University, authors of Blown to Bits.

The authors, with decades of experience in technology and education, write a compelling overview of the state of technology as it relates to today’s consumer of technology. Aside from deep insight into how technology impacts our daily lives, the book makes topics that seem inaccessible to those without a computer science degree accessible and entertaining. We cover a wide range of topics in our discussion, and I hope that you enjoy it!

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Excellent explanation of the credit mess and a fiscal responsibility call to the Presidential candidates

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Paul Solman of PBS gave an excellent explanation of the basics of the credit crisis tonight on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Highly recommended to get the basics down cold.

Along these same lines, as we consider a $700 billion taxpayer package to bail out the financial industry, I invite you to consider signing a letter to the Presidential candidates, penned by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation (Peterson being a founder of The Concord Coalition) calling for, in sum, two major changes in fiscal governance once the Bush administration comes to an end: “First, to engage Americans in an open and honest discussion about our $53 trillion financial hole and make addressing it a top priority if elected. Second, to create during their first year in office a bipartisan ‘fiscal responsibility commission’ to recommend meaningful reforms to the government’s budget processes and entitlement, health care, and tax systems – recommendations that are guaranteed to receive an up-or-down vote by the Congress, as is done with military base closings. Everything must be on the table.”

When I think about the massive pile of debt that we are giving to our children and grandchildren, which will severely curtail their ability to make meaningful choices about their priorities (not to mention the burden of having to pay it back), the callous irresponsibility of our behavior as a nation gets me pretty angry. While I am not a fan of more commissions, studies, etc., my own experience with advocating deficit reduction is that this may be the only way to get meaningful discussion going. So, for the future of this nation (read: our children and grandchildren), please consider signing this wonderfully drafted and clearly argued letter. It is not an understatement to say that nothing less than generational responsibility requires that our new President implement these two goals, at a minimum.

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Shows #71, 72 and 73 — Profs. Tim Holbrook, Michel Bauwens and Neil Netanel — posted

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I am pleased to post three new shows to close the Summer quarter of KZSU’s schedule. The first, Show #71, is my interview with Prof. Timothy Holbrook of Chicago-Kent College of Law. Tim is a prolific patent scholar, and we discussed the extraterritoriality of US patent law and recent reform efforts. As patent becomes more ubiquitous, a greater understanding among the public about patent law generally is increasingly critical.

Show #72 is my interview with Michel Bauwens of the Foundation for P2P [Peer-to-Peer] Alternatives. Michel is an Internet and technology philosopher, and we discussed P2P theory and Michel’s conception of P2P as a mode of organization that transcends technology. P2P as a unifying theory of a new focus in communal creation is the primary focus of the discussion.

Finally, Show #73 is my interview with Prof. Neil Netanel of UCLA School of Law, author of Copyright’s Paradox. Neil focuses on the tension between US copyright law and the First Amendment. The paradox becomes how to reconcile the two within the framework of copyright and IP principles generally. Our discussion raises both the practical and theoretical tensions in copyright law as it relates to speech.

I enjoyed these interviews and I hope that you enjoy listening!

The show will be on hiatus until Wednesday, October 1st. I have lined up an outstanding group of guests for the Fall and Winter and look forward to those interviews. Enjoy!

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