Next Universe (aka Mac 10 Handle)
Big Mike Pellegrino reminded me that my LJ's what the game's been missing and that I needed to get back to keeping you entertained during work. ;) But the simple truth is that I've been so busy working and looking for more work that I haven't had a lot to say that you'd be interested in hearing about. I haven't read Harry Potter, for instance, so I can't thrill you with vague allusions to the plot or screams to not spoil it like 90% of my LJ list, for example. :)
As far as the job hunt goes, it's actually quite good. I have one offer on the table, one second-phase interview and two first-phase interviews tomorrow, three new offers to consider, and I'm still e-mailing and sending resumes like mad. The last thing you guys want to hear about is how tough it is to be going from interview to interview and pitting companies against each other to boost my salary demands ("Well, you know, Recruiter X, I was offered $$$$$$ to work at Job Y, so I might be taking a pay cut if I accepted your offer...you think you can talk to your manager about boosting that up a bit?") Seriously, all joking aside, I know my situation is good and I have little to complain about, so I'll spare the Internet any personal issues.
So what I WILL do is drop some science via my absurdly prolific output of the last week or so now that we're living in a post-Potterdammerung world. To wit:
Google has agreed to front 4.6 billion of its own money for the upcoming FCC wireless auction if the FCC will agree to open wireless standards. This is a huge, watershed moment not only for telecom policy, but for the Internet in general--if Google makes good on its word, this could lead to the development of a true alternative source of communication access--a "third pipe," if you will. Senator Daniel Inouye has also introduced a bill to redesign how the FCC conducts broadband studies, in order to get more accurate information and find out just which parts of the country are truly the least served by incumbents' broadband efforts.
Another issue near and dear to my heart is "interchange fees," the hidden costs of processing credit transactions that merchants pay--the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust task force held hearings on the issue last week, and the results sound promising. It looks like the major credit card companies are in for some serious retooling of their business models.
Finally, today my esteemed colleague Joe Enoch and I hit the National Press Club and covered Sirius Radio CEO Mel Karmazin's announcement of "a la carte" and "family-friendly" packages for the proposed merger. My hunch was that this was designed to placate FCC chair Kevin Martin, a known religious zealot who's pushed cable a la carte for years in order to please fundie rights groups. I'm still skeptical about the merger in general, and this didn't do anything to change my mind.
Going back to Scholars & Rogues, I revisited former Domino's CEO Thomas Monaghan's self-financed city of Catholicism,Ave Maria, as it opens its doors to the faithful.
Jon also blogged about this recently.
Did you know that the $54 million pants lawsuit against Chung's Cleaners in D.C. is now being turned into a right-wing rallying point for tort reform? Kudos to
Brandon for drawing my attention to this.
If you're a member of the military receiving benefits through TRICARE or are the spouse or family member of same--be warned. Your personal information may be at increased risk for identity theft and fraud, thanks to a data breach at SAIC. I tell you true--this company has done dirt to so many friends of mine and the world in general that I turn down any job offer that even remotely connects with them. Look up "military-industrial complex" on teh Intar Wubs and you'll see their logo come up first in each search result.
Finally, as a John Edwards supporter, I would be remiss if I didn't link to my study of why it is that his message about American poverty is resonating--and yet he himself isn't reaping any political gains from it. The war on the middle and working classes is one of the most important issues of our time, and Edwards may be the Moses of the Democratic Party on this issue--he may lead us to the Promised Land on this issue, but he may not be able to see it himself. Yeah, that's a hyperbolic comparison, but I'm Jewish--indulge me. :)
*phew* This ought to keep you guys satiated for a few days or so. I'll check back in a few days to see if you need more of what only I can give. ;)