Comments on: A New US Administration Could Mean Change for Technology, Arts

By: Michael Tiemann

Michael Tiemann — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:17:56 +0000

Well said. I have been very impressed in the change I have seen across many US federal departments and agencies concerning open source software. There is still a long way to go, but the direction, velocity, and acceleration are all positive for open source.

By: AvantUrb Radar: S01E02 | AvantUrb

AvantUrb Radar: S01E02 | AvantUrb — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:35:23 +0000

[...] A New US Administration Could Mean Change for Technology, Arts [...]

By: he;s just another politician

he;s just another politician — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:57:10 +0000

To ‘Keith Handy’:
I apologize if it seemed I was insulting your personal saviour. Obviously, it upset you and your belief systems. I don’t mean to offend your delicate sensibilities or trigger a knee-jerk response in your ‘racism’ meter, but keep this in mind… change is not the same thing as progress and HE’S JUST ANOTHER POLITICIAN. The fact that you felt the need to personally respond to my post in such a condescending manner tells me that you have no sense of humor.

By: Downpressor

Downpressor — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:23:52 +0000

This is quite interesting stuff. My gut instinct is I’d rather that the dead hand of the state not be too involved in the arts, but I certainly couldnt object to money for the arts being pumped into the school systems.

By: Keith Handy

Keith Handy — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 05:15:23 +0000

To “he’s just another politician”:

There may be a “mania” surrounding this presidency, but for anyone who feels overly nauseated by it, keep in mind that Obama has been insistent all along that he’s not promising any kind of instant magic, nor that he’s going to accomplish anything alone.

So wherever you’re getting this over-the-top “he is the second coming” theme that you feel the need to react against, I don’t think that’s the predominant view his supporters have of him. The fact that you felt the need to react that way to this post tells me you skimmed it.

Sure, the media turns everything up to eleven, but most people know to expect that anyway.

By: Create Digital Music » Artists’ Jobs Aren’t Jobs? Will the Real Conservatives Please Stand Up?

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:13:59 +0000

[...] Iâ€™m discussing the potential to take new directions in the arts and technology worldwide, and about ways in which creative technology can help repair the global economy, Iâ€™d be [...]

By: Peter Kirn

Peter Kirn — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:49:14 +0000

I don’t think you have to like a politician to recognize that he may bring about change. There’s no question that President Bush had a profound impact on the US both in tone and policy. And there’s likewise no question that some of those changes came not from the Executive Branch, but from the American people — at all ends of the political spectrum.

I should see Bre this Thursday, actually; I’ll ask him. :)

My sense is that both the garage innovator *and* the bigger government and corporate projects may have something in common – they need young people getting better educations and they need to make sure things like flawed patent policy or abuses don’t stifle invention. (Even big corporations face some significant challenges on both of those fronts.)

I’m all about DIY, but of course, not all problems are suited to garage innovation. A lot of the power consumption and greenhouse emissions in the US, for instance, are the result of a flawed power grid and dependency on materials like coal for power generation. Garage innovators can bring something to that problem (like power-saving measures) but others (like massive wind farms or a nationwide remake of the electrical grid to reduce inefficiencies) clearly aren’t. But what I find interesting is that the essential needs in terms of policy and underlying culture may overlap anyway. And that’s where, say, a musician might be able to help kids better understand how electricity works. Those kids could wind up working on that wind farm, or voting for a bond for it, or simply understanding when to unplug stuff.

Peter

By: Darren Landrum

Darren Landrum — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:43:51 +0000

Although I do agree the Obamania is getting out of control (and has been for a while), I really do think we’re better off under him than under the previous guy. At the very least, I don’t see how he can do any worse.

Other than that, I find myself wanting to agree with Bre Pettis, that it’s going to be the maker geeks working in their improvised workshops and being open about their inventions that will bring innovation back to the world. Well, he says that they’ll be the ones to “save the world”, but I think that’s too optimistic. :-)

As an aside, Peter, you’ve probably had occasion to chat with Bre, right? I wonder what he makes of all this.

By: he's just another politician

he's just another politician — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:29:58 +0000

thank god almighty! now that the son of god has been elected the FIRST PRESIDENT EVER IN HISTORY, we will all finally be able to make good music! oh, how i have waited for this day! obama will make sure that all music software will only produce GOOD music! obama will pass legislation that will force the software production companies to include a ‘make instant good music’ button! we all know that we don’t really have any good musical ideas and we lack any real talent, but THANK GOD the federal government will finally step in and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:21:56 +0000

Great article. In fact, I read this right before I read last week’s issue of Newsweek at lunch. There was a really good article in there about this same topic, and how Obama can help stimulate the arts in a WPA-style.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/178845