Brian Gongol
Dictator's son says he's not interested in succession
North Korea has suffered under Communism for far too long. Whether Kim Jong-Il's son is rejecting the idea of succeeding his father out of self-interest, national interest, or something else altogether is unknown. But it would be nice to know that the country might move away from Stalinism soon.
Why we'd be better off if our legislators spent more time doing nothing
Among the promises of a new White House: More diverse media ownership
Curiously, the President's very first item on the White House "Technology" agenda includes a bullet point saying, "Encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation's spectrum." In today's era of digital broadcasting, satellite television and radio, streaming audio, and podcasts, it seems less important than ever for the government to be involved in the regulation of media diversity. The market has done quite the job of managing media diversity by itself. Media ownership rules date from a time when spectrum space was far harder to allocate; now, content from around the world is available at a keystroke or less. And at a time when even the New York Times needs a financial white knight, it's hard to understand how more government intervention would lead to a healthier media market. The first item in the White House technology agenda really ought to deal with encouraging innovation through inducement prizes for the things we really need, like new improvements in energy production, storage, delivery, and conservation.
50 years ago: The first commercial transcontinental jet flight
Technology and commerce have funny ways of changing the world when they hold hands
No one mentioned in 1993 that the First Lady would become Secretary of State someday
And that it would happen before children born the year her husband was elected would themselves graduate from high school
A DTV switchover delay? Might be.
(Audio from Saturday's WHO Radio Wise Guys)
1,300 wastewater projects promised under new stimulus package
