Conferences
I got to go to the Berkeley DRM conference and Stanford spectrum conference (thanks to the organizers of each). They were very interesting, and I got my first glimpse of Marybeth Peters.
I also got to see Aaron Swartz and Bob Frankston, the latter preaching his very seductive gospel of connectivity.
Why, Bob asks, are CD sales down?
Because of Internet piracy! answers a hypothetical recording executive.
No, says Bob, because of cell phones. People used to buy CDs for entertainment while they were going somewhere, in a car or while walking around. Now they would rather talk to friends. If they have the ability to talk to friends, they find that more interesting than listening to somebody else.
Everyone nods.
Also at the spectrum conference, Judge Alex Kozinski served on a moot court panel and kept explaining that "property owners are very grabby".
I think I've understood the so-called "spectrum commons" argument (which may be misnamed), and I'm trying to write something up about it.
