Copps for President

Posted on October 9, 2003 by Lessig

An FCC commissioner who gets it � read here, and spread the word.

Posted in good law | 11 Comments

free software for Mail OS X

Posted on October 9, 2003 by Lessig

I’ve been experimenting with Apple’s mail client, “Mail” (note to product development: generic names make it very hard to search on product specific information), and have been frustrated that an obvious function is not in Mail (or any other client I’ve seen).

The obvious function is the ability to define a hot key that will move a message to a specified folder. I had built (and had built) tools in Entourage to enable me to hit, say, ctrl+f, and the highlighted message(s) would be moved to the friends folder. I know you mice-on-the-brain sorts like to do that with the (insanely inefficient) drag function, but I like keys.

Anyway, I asked coder Jonathan Nathan whether he could help me out on this, and he put together a couple cool little Applescripts that get close. (He’s GPL’d them here).

The hard coded version lets you code in the name of a folder. The variable gives you a list of folders to toggle through. Both require a keyboard utility to invoke the script. And both face a similar problem: Sometimes the utility will “forget” which message is highlighted so it forgets which message to highlight next.

Both problems come from the relatively immature stage of development that “Mail” is in. Interestingly, in MS Entourage you could invoke a script from the keyboard without a utility, and it had no problem remembering where it was on list of messages. (It’s also relatively easy to find information about “Entourage” on the web.)

Thanks to Jonathan Nathan for his free (as in beer and as in speech) code. Any ideas to tweak it would be appreciated.

Posted in good code | 19 Comments

ways to undo the 9th circuit

Posted on October 9, 2003 by Lessig

On Monday, the 9th Circuit decided that the FCC was wrong in classifying a “cable modem service” as an “information service,” and thus exempting it from any common-carrier-like obligations. This is a very important decision in the ongoing battles about preserving end-to-end neutrality on the Net.

But meanwhile, there’s a very tricky game being played with the Internet Tax Freedom Act which might make the whole 9th Circuit issue moot. Someone has slipped a nice little change into that statute that potentially could exempt any broadband service from any common carrier obligations. The legislative history is being puffed up to say this won’t be the effect. But the language of the change has many concerned (and no doubt some filled with glee) that this fundamental policy issue will be decided by a slip of the hand in a totally unrelated bill. As one critic writes,

If Congress adopts the bill in its current form and it becomes law, it will be cited as “evidence” that it was Congress’ intent to treat the transmission services used to provide Internet access differently than those transmission services not used for Internet access, and more precisely that Congress intends the underlying transmission service to be treated the same as the Internet access service. (not subject to Title II in the DSL and cable modem proceedings) Moreover, it will be used to argue that Congress supports the FCC’s revisionist “telecommunications is subsumed into information services” approach that serves as the basis of the FCC’s cable modem and wireline DSL proceedings.

The bills are HR 49 and S 150.

Posted in NetNeutrality | 3 Comments

remix: code is law

Posted on October 8, 2003 by Lessig

Dave Winer has remixed the “code is law” meme. Nicely, unsurprisingly.

Posted in good code | 1 Comment

cc-tech challenges

Posted on October 8, 2003 by Lessig

Creative Commons has launched a series of technology challenges that we invite anyone to tackle. That mirrors the artistic challenge of our Moving Image contest. More soon.

Posted in cc | Comments Off on cc-tech challenges

total(ly wrong about the) recall

Posted on October 8, 2003 by Lessig

I was, at least. The recall provision is still stupidly crafted. But the results last night are as a democracy should be. A clear majority voted to recall the governor. And more people than supported Davis voted to elect Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He wasn’t my first choice. But it is interesting that the two top candidates “started” their life in the US in poverty. Anyone who gets as far as either did deserves our respect. And we Californians can hope that some of the benefit of the hard work and luck that has marked Mr. Schwarzenegger’s life might now pass to California.

Posted in politics | 23 Comments

we now return you to your regularly scheduled program which is already in progress

Posted on October 7, 2003 by Lessig

0.jpgWillem is a month old today. It has been an extraordinary month. I apologize for the absence, and am astonished by the kindness in the comments to my last post. Thank you.

But it’s time to restart this space.

Judge Stanley Birch provides the perfect incentive. Howard Bashman has a wonderful interview with Judge Birch, in the course of which he offers “With all respect, Eldred was wrongly decided.”

Thank you, Judge. It’s nice to be back.

Posted in eldred.cc | 14 Comments

more (not so) quiet time

Posted on September 8, 2003 by Lessig

Sorry about the ambiguity. Willem Dakota Neuefeind Lessig was born yesterday.

Posted in eye | 108 Comments

a few days quiet

Posted on September 5, 2003 by Lessig

My wife is T+7. I’m going radio silent while we see this amazing process through. Argue well.

Posted in eye | 24 Comments

Edwards in blogland

Posted on September 4, 2003 by Lessig

Senator Edwards has launched a blog. Built on Slash, with ratings, and a special icon to signal staff postings, the site has local (well, state) blogs linked to the national blog as well.

Posted in presidential politics | 19 Comments