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Capitol Valley

Bringing you the best of technology and communication policy from both coasts. We have 27 hours in our day.

If the Kevin Martin PSA wasn't wacky enough...October 21 2008

I stumbled on this photo taken by Mobile Diner's Chris Parandian...




Patrolling for Fleeting Expletives is especially dangerous, I assume.

Please answer the question: What should I be putting here?October 14 2008

When I started this site with a friend almost a year ago, we had this crazy idea that getting the Washington, DC inside-the-beltway crowd and the Silicon Valley crowd talking to each other and understanding each other would be helpful.

I spent a few months in hibernation and brought Robert Scoble to DC to interview a bunch of people and try and get the people out in Silly Valley to see what goes on here. We even made some news with Rep. John Culberson when his Qik habit turned into a minor controversy on the Hill.

Meanwhile, I've been mired in the depths of trying to practice journalism while working my way through law school, and have been contributing content to a number of sites. And sadly, I have been neglecting my own.

But my neglect has not come from laziness or lack of caring. I simply don't understand what my core mission here is anymore. There are tons of tech blogs out there. Some have more resources and better access than I do.  Some don't. What I tried to offer is a balanced perspective based on my varying experiences in both the tech, political and legal worlds.

And some of you liked it. Some of you probably still do.

So, I'm asking all of you. Do you want more straight news stories? Do you want commentary on them? Do you want opinion and bloviating? What is it you want that I can provide for you?

Because if I'm just another voice, what's the point? I might as

"Citizen Journalism" is just an excuse for being stupid.October 5 2008

Was that headline provocative enough for you? Are you reading? Good! I'm going to let you in on a secret...

...there is NO SUCH THING as "Citizen Journalism."

Do I have to repeat myself? I'll say it one more time.

There is NO SUCH THING as "Citizen Journalism."

Good. Now I've really got your attention. Please keep reading.

The web allows anyone to publish anything, pretty much at any time, on any subject. With some SEO voodoo, it can even get to a good place in search results.

Cheap video and still digital cameras, broadband, and the advent of blogging have brought about this idea of "citizen journalism," presumably to report the "real" stories that get ignored by "mainstream media." Many bloggers have assumed this mantle of "citizen journalist," and some sites like The Uptake have embraced the idea of publishing firsthand reporting by Joe Sixpack, as Sarah Palin would say. Some sites take this further, like the "collaborative journalism" of NowPublic. CNN has had an "iReport" site that posts "citizen journalists'" clips, reports, and other snippets.

This isn't neccesarily a bad thing. I have no formal training in journalism, and I think the more people out there who are reporting on events, the better.

But I do think the idea of "citizen journalism" needs to be abandoned, for good. Heck,

Paging Meredith Baker...October 3 2008

H/T Andrew Noyes/Tech Daily Dose

Dingell asks about looming tie votes at FCC, finally.October 1 2008

This has been old news for a while, but Congress is finally starting to ask questions, as CNN Money reports:

In a letter sent to the companies Tuesday, Dingell noted that the five-member FCC could be forced to operate with just four commissioners - two Republicans and two Democrats - as early as November, and they could split votes on controversial decisions.

Currently, the commission consists of three Republicans and two Democrats, but Republican Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate's term ends when Congress ends its current session. A new commissioner likely won't be appointed until after a new administration and Congress begins next year.

I've written about this before, and the folks at Communications Daily were on it over a month ago. But many FCC-watchers are neglecting to mention the fact that Tate was supposed to have been gone last week, the 26th having been the date that the House was to adjourn sine die (ending the 110th Congress). The Senate, on the other hand, will be holding pro forma sessions to prevent President Bush from replacing Tate with a recess appointment.

Another thing -- if Sen. Obama wins the election, there is a good possibility that Chairman Mart