• Aug 12, 2010

    Americans don’t think internet access should be a government priority

    Earlier this week, I posted about the CRTC’s open consultation on basic phone and internet service, which asks: “[W]hat role, if any, should the CRTC play in ensuring that all Canadians have access to broadband Internet service at comparable rates?”

    Stateside yesterday, the Pew Internet & American Life Project published a new report on home broadband, with some surprising results:

    By a 53%-41% margin, Americans say they do not believe that the spread of affordable broadband should be a major government priority. Contrary to what some might suspect, non-internet users are less likely than current users to say the government should place a high priority on the spread of high-speed connections.

    Seems like the majority agrees with The Thrill.

    [Via David Weinberger]



  • Aug 11, 2010

    Reminder: The In-Between Stuff Matters

    Christopher Schanck compares his iPhone to his Droid X, and in doing so, highlights the interface paradigm introduced by the Android back button:

    You know how every Twitter app on the iPhone has its own built in browser? And how each embedded browser works almost, but not quite like, all the other embedded browsers? With each embedded browser having different buttons, different scaling strategies, different rules for rotation? All of this exists to prevent you from having to leave your Twitter app and go to Safari, which would render the link properly. Going from TweetDeck to Safari is a big deal. After you switch to Safari, when you are done reading the link, looking at the picture, whatever, then you are stuck at a precipice — you want to go back to TweetDeck right where you left off. How do you do that? Home. Restart TweetDeck. Hope it is written such that you pick of where you left off. But traversing through the Home key and the Springboard is incredibly interruptive. Indeed, leaving TweetDeck or any other app in order to go to Safari feels like a huge step on the iPhone.

    Contrast that with the Android Way: just click on the link, and whatever app you set as the default handler for that action springs open. Noise around, read it, whatever. Then just hit the back button and you are right where you left off. No barrier. It truly blurs the line between applications.

    I know I’ve linked to it before, but it’s really worth repeating: The In-Between Stuff Matters.



  • Aug 10, 2010

    Google-Verizon, the CRTC’s open consultation on basic service, and Canadian rural broadband

    Yesterday, Verizon and Google announced a joint policy proposal for an open Internet, suggesting that

    there should be a new, enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices. This means that for the first time, wireline broadband providers would not be able to discriminate against or prioritize lawful Internet content, applications or services in a way that causes harm to users or competition.

    Taken alone, this seems like a boon for net neutrality. But, Google and Verizon continue:

    we both recognize that wireless broadband is different from the traditional wireline world, in part because the mobile marketplace is more competitive and changing rapidly. In recognition of the still-nascent nature of the wireless broadband marketplace, under this proposal we would not now apply most of the wireline principles to wireless

    So, Matthew Lasar at Ars says, “Wireless network operators can discriminate and prioritize to their heart’s content.”

    This news is particularly interesting for Canadians, because it comes at a time when the CRTC is actively soliciting comments as part of its open consultation on basic service. Among the questions that the CRTC poses:

    Do you think that wireless services (e.g. Wi-Fi, 3G networks or satellite) can be substitutes for landline services to connect to the Internet? Explain why or why not.

    Given than in the US, under Google-Verizon’s proposal, wireless internet providers would be exempt from net neutrality principles, this could set the stage for a tiered internet system in Canada. I suspect this question is particularly relevant for underserved rural Canadians. According to recent numbers, 1 in 5 rural Canadian homes does not have access to broadband internet service. Based on its questions, the CRTC seems to be considering wireless technology as a possible way to ensure broadband to all Canadians.

    In addition, the CRTC asks the following internet-related questions:

    • For what activities do you use or expect to use your Internet service?
    • what role, if any, should the CRTC play in ensuring that all Canadians have access to broadband Internet service?

    This week, my CBC Radio tech column is all about the CRTC’s open consultation. It airs Tuesday on afternoon shows across the country. The consultation runs until August 20 (not August 10, as the FAQ indicates), and you can particpate at o2s.publivate.ca.



  • Aug 6, 2010

    Gone to pot

    The Chronicle-Herald reports on a grow-op raid in Lake Echo, NS, and includes this choice detail in the description of the grow house:

    The 1,135-square-foot home is about 40 years old and includes a high basement

    No kidding.



  • Aug 5, 2010

    Hello hello hello hello hello. Yeah, hello.

    I love Google Voice, but sometimes I get the strangest messages:

    [audio:http://misener.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/78f38d760110bedd4062ac89e2c64ae168a635f4.mp3]

    Transcription: “Hello hello hello hello hello. Yeah, hello.”