This specific clip has Schmidt discussing how
government can be more effective by using the internet to allow people to get directly involved in policy decisions. It's funny because Ryanne and I were sitting with some cool folks from the Sunlight Foundation…and we all looked at each other because he was speaking straight out of their vision.

For more on Eric's talk and policy priorities, go to Google's Public Policy Blog.
I posted the video of his entire talk here.

Every spring, tent caterpillars infest the trees where I live. They especially seem to love apple trees where they can eat all the leaves off a tree in under a week. Neighbors say the best thing to do is pick them off and put them in a bucket of vinegar. One day, I didn't have any vinegar. No surprises here.

(original music by Chuck Stern)
Ryanne and I spent a week with the Wreck and Salvage gang, tearing down an old barn in Vermont.
It was a long days of work and plenty of long talks about the future.
None of this you'll see here. These are just the moments in between.

My friend, Charles Hope, and I have been having a great political discussion about Libertarianism for the past six months. I'm a relative new comer to this political philosophy, and Charles has been good enough to debate with me over emails. Plenty of links and books shared.

This video shows Craig Newmark, the founder of Craig's List, explaining his political stance. He says he's a "Libertarian Moderate", right of center. He admits that he made up this term and is searching for a label that fits his world view. Funny enough, he says that Markos Moulitsas of the ultra liberal Daily Kos calls himself a "Libertarian Democrat".

I tell Charles that many people on the "Left" probably lean more towards Libertarianism. We believe in free speech, separation of church and state, government out of our personal lives, self-responsibility. We start getting skeptical when the Freemarket is touted as a solution to all problems though. Too many rigged games on all sides. But like Craig says, "I just want to give people a break." I doubt he means welfare, but a system where everyone truly has equal access and are kept honest. I think Craig's List is a great example of a fair system: everyone has equal access to information, basic rules apply to everyone that help avoid/punish fraud, moderators track any problems and keep rules enforced, and all members of the community can help flag/police negative players. If I act fairly, I should be treated fairly.

(Today is also Day 1 of Videoblogging Month 2008 VloMo08)

Update: There is a a great podcast with Naomi Klein Naomi Wolf on the LewRockwell Show here. She is considered a liberal, but admits she's leaning more and more towards Libertarianism, especially on human rights. Lew and Naomi have a great conversation where they share how they got to this way of thinking. The economic worldview is the real key. What does a "Free Market" mean, and how would it really work in reality?

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So the last 60 days has brought these images. If you know me, you’ll see I’ve found many of the things I like. (For Semenal: week 27)

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First video for Videobloggingweek2008.

Videoblogging week started in 2004 with less than ten videobloggers
as a participatory way to raise awareness of videoblogging and welcome
new videobloggers. Over the years Videoblogging Week has grown to be an
exciting yearly event that encourages people to push themselves
creatively.

I’m also posting this to Semanal.

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Look how insane LA looks at night as you fly into the city.
We built it piece by piece.
This is for week 7 of Semanal.

Music: Pachebel’s Canon In D (Glass Harmonica). See how they play the crystals here. Kick ass.

This first group were all eventually convicted or humiliated off the TV screen only after their lavish lifestyles became too outrageous. TV evangelists have since become more sophisticated with James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Ted Haggard (recently uncovered). Instead of just asking for cash for their own pockets, they now help organize voting blocks that elect US politicians. Everyone knows this is where the real power and money is. Hook right into the vein.

Anyway, this guy is a throwback to the simple, "Give me money and god will reward you" days. He’s hypnotic like a vampire. I can only imagine the people who call to give money at 4am. Desperate, sad, confused.

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The computer is designed to be bought in orders of 100,000 units by developing countries to jump start their educational process. If every kid has a computer that’s connected to the internet and each other, and is using open source software they can learn to program, then the kids in these countries can figure out their own solutions. This is the social techie dream.

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But there are many people who say the OLPC program is bullshit.
I just got into another heated debate tonight over OLPC.
The argument is that children in developing nations need clean water and food first.
Many children barely have proper schools to attend. How are you going to give a kid who lives in a hut a computer? The corruption in many developing nations is incredible, and this would be another waste of precious resources. Why give computers to kids anyway? Give them to the adults.

I believe in appropriate technology and trust that the right people will find their ways to computers.
I truly believe that there are those of us who love to connect and explore. The OLPC computer just lowers the barrier to having a machine that connects you to the greater web so you can find your own way. Computers are not the answer, but they are a tool.

It’s a pretty cool computer if you check out the features.
It runs on linux, has a video camera built in, an automatic mesh network is created through the antennae, and can be powered by a hand pump. Brewster is especially excited because he’s working on Project Gutenberg which is scanning thousands of books that can be read on computers like these. He has a dream.