Tired

I just spent ten plus hours in transit from SC to HI. I looked over a bunch of articles and commented on them on the plane ride. I'll post them tomorrow, because I'm about to collapse.

Net Neutrality: The Players

Alright, as far as I can tell there are three players involved when it comes to net neutrality.

1. The government
   

   Currently being pressured to both make and resist from making rules.
   

2. Companies
   

   In particular I'm talking about companies and coalitions of companies with deep enough pockets to turn the heads of a number of congressmen. Under this heading are the most vocal agents both for and against net neutrality. Within this category I'm going to define two subcategories.
   

   
   
   • Internet Providing Companies
     

     These are the guys you pay to use the internet at all. Thus included are the network companies like BellSouth and Verizon as well as others.
     

   • Internet Utilizing Companies
     

     These are companies whose business is built on using the internet. The heavyweights include Google and Yahoo. But due to the permeating nature of the internet, this category expands outward to online financial services, Frappr, YouTube, or MySpace.
     

   
   
3. Consumers
   

   Powerless to have a real voice in the matter, consumers are a vital part of the equation nonetheless in both their number, and the fact that their patronage controls the other two sections
   

Ok. The next post should either involve dipping into each group's motivation, or I may decide to go ahead and jump into some of the comments and stories one can find online... probably the latter.

Big Issue Number One: Net Neutrality

The first topic I want to take a closer look at is something I believe to be monstrously important that I'm sure many (but not enough of you) have heard about... net neutrality. From what I can tell, I'm entering the debate a little later than many, but I'll do my best to catch up over the coming posts. If any readers don't know anything at all about the issue, you can catch the anti-neutrality talking points via a cutesy cartoon (which will be explicated later) or their linked website, handsoff.org. The other half of the talking point shouting match can be found at savetheinternet.org. These websites are both heavily biased, so just beware that neither of them is being completely honest or reasonable as they lay our their sides of the story.

The birth of a blog

Alright. So it's time to try my hand at the blogging business. For those interested, I am going to attempt to comment somewhat intelligently on the technological issues of greatest importance today. As the name implies, I'll be looking beyond the technical implications of various technologies and blogging my thoughts on their greater meanings and implications. As this is my first blog, it's prone to reassembly and total revamping at any time, but my focus on my topic won't waver. So... enjoy.