Chillin' in Utah

Voting Problems

The reason why groups like MoveOn and ACT emphasize voter registration as opposed to the voting process is because it is USUALLY far more difficult to even get people to the polls, let alone without having to deal with the fact that once they are there, they are disenfranchised by poor equipment and a lack of organization.

In a time where technology is able to take us around the globe, beyond the globe, and into the virtual world, there is NO excuse for what occurred in Ohio and elsewhere in the Unites States. Obviously, voting machines and more training for election overseers are not priorities for our Federal and State Government. Sadly ironic, we tout about "fair voting" practices abroad, but we ignore then in our own cities. At least groups like MoveOn and ACT are trying to do SOMETHING.

NOTES TO PONDER: With election problems shadowing W since the start, why has he not made any steps to solve the election problems? Can technology make elections not only more efficient, but also fairer?

I'm Famous

Check out my blog posting on Amy Graham's site. Kudos to Stuck in The Middle with Blue and Right Blog.

NOTES TO PONDER: Is someone telling all of the high uppers in GSPM how amazing we are? Do we get extra credit for being famous?

Ethics in Narrowcasting

Successful political campaigns have a message that represents the candidate's views. Getting that message out to the voters is the goal of the campaign. It is not just about what the message says, but how the message is presented and how it reaches specific voters. As technology becomes more and more integrated into the lives of Americans, it was only a matter of time before candidates started utilizing the Internet, just as they had TV and Radio, as a means to deliver their message to the voters. In any marketing campaign, targeting, or defining a specific audience to get a specific message to, is crucial to making sure the right people are getting the right message. Unlike TV and Radio targeting, Internet targeting and marketing is unique because it is a totally new venue for communication. Cookies are the future.

There are some ethical concerns in relation to the privacy of individuals and how they are targeted by candidates and companies via the Internet. The privacy issue stems from the fact that individuals do not willingly give permission to be solicited to on the internet. Surfers and the website they view are tracked, via cookies, and those cookies are stored by companies and later sold to candidates and campaigns for solicitation purposes.

NOTES TO PONDER: Why haven't ethical concerns in narrowcasting been addressed earlier? How far is too far?

Online Retail

In the introduction of Technology, The Internet, and Progressive Politics, the author states "In my experience, it seems that many progressives prefer personal retail politics to the more impersonal wholesale politics involved in modern campaigns. Many progressives tend to shy away from business and marketing approaches -- sometimes for good reason, but in most instances not. Other progressives avoid technology because they tend to equate the means of technology with the ends. While this is always a danger, it is not a necessary outcome."

This observation, while stereotypically true, does not take into account the decentralizing power of the internet. Watkins claims that progressives like personal retail politics better then wholesale politics; Watkins then states that progressives avoid technology. The internet, however, is more like retail politics, the only difference is virtual. The targeting and decentralizing power of the internet is much like a retail experience, you can browse for what you want, ask questions, and compare prices...

NOTES TO PONDER: Why is it that progressives have not grasped technology that is so common to their political preference? Are retail politics better enhanced by technology then wholesale politics?

My Excuse? Moving and Dave Matthews