Puja Deverakonda's blog

The Revolution Is the Easy Part (and “typewriters, baby, typewriters!”)

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 08:45:46 -0700

Did anybody else notice that Thomas Friedman’s technology joke -that Republican support of drilling for oil instead of fostering new technology for green energy is analogous to them chanting on the eve of the IT revolution “typewriters, baby, typewriters!”- was repeated in three different media?

Print: His column
Television: The Late Show with David Letterman
Radio: Fresh Air with Terry Gross

Controversial book to be published in Germany

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:16:35 -0700

An unnamed German publisher has agreed to publish The Jewel of Medina, a novel about the prophet Muhammed and his child bride. The book was passed over by Random House over concerns that it might incite anger among Muslims. Though the author claims the story honors the prophet and his wife, the book was withdrawn from shelves in Serbia after local imams protested, saying the book was insulting to Islam.

[NY Sun via Gawker]

The Great Illusion: Paul Krugman

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:50:38 -0700

While reading about the recent crisis in South Ossetia, Paul Krugman wondered if the second wave of globalization will share the fate of the first: world war. A world in which the US isn't the only military force, argues Krugman, is a dangerous one. Russia has proven itself willing to use gas as a political weapon, and China, emboldened by Russia's example, might invade Taiwan. These nationalism-powered conflicts threaten the stability of our globalized world.

I'm skeptical.

Gaz de France cancels Nabucco interest

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:04:43 -0700

French energy firm Gaz de France recently canceled its bid to become the seventh member of Nabucco pipeline consortium.

The French gas company’s involvement with the Nabucco pipeline was contentious. Turkish energy officials opposed Gaz de France’s involvement with the Nabucco pipeline because of the French National Assembly’s approval of a bill which made it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered at the hands of the Ottomans during the First World War.

Despite resistance, however, France continued to show interest in participating as recently as last month. Details of the cancellation were not given, though Jean Sirelli of Gaz de France-Suez said that it would consider rejoining if the pipeline was extended to France.

My take on it is that it doesn't really matter. Nabucco has enough leadership; what it needs are the actual supplies. Dubbed 'a pipeline without gas,' the Nabucco pipeline project has floundered in the absence of a natural gas source. Azerbaijan, the onetime hope for the pipeline’s leadership, is no longer “feasible” as a supplier. In the absence of a single gas source, Nabucco leadership is deliberating a more multilateral approach for the pipeline, potentially supplying Europe an amalgamation of Middle Eastern, Northern African, and Eurasian gas. This would raise the multi-billion dollar price tag on Nabucco even higher, but at the very least save its face.

Ambassadors: Career Diplomats vs. Political Appointees

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:36:06 -0700

Here’s a good article by Barbara Bodine, former US Ambassador to Yemen and director of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative at Princeton University. She argues that the next president should stop the practice of filling over 30% of ambassadorships with presidential appointees, those loyal to the party or to campaigns. The positions should instead be filled by career diplomats. I think her article makes some good points but I would also add a few things:

Young professionals in domestic policy

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:28:34 -0700

In what has been dubbed as the city's "brain gain," New Orleans has benefitted from the stream of young professionals moving to the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Many are compelled to move by a sense of wanting to help the city, either directly by working in disaster-related industries or simply trying to reverse the trend of net emigration since the 2005 disaster.

These 20- and 30-somethings work primarily in disaster relief work, but can be found in fields as diverse as business or politics. They come mostly for opportunity, and for the chance to feel part of something greater. They can see the impact of their work, be part of rebuilding a broken city, and a share sense of camaraderie and purpose with their fellow city residents. Personally, I wonder if these new residents seek some of the romanticism and raw energy associated with a rising American city - Gold Rush-era San Francisco, Atlanta during Reconstruction, or even 1950's New Orleans, as portrayed in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Obama's speech at Berlin's Victory Column still contentious

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:01:36 -0700

Berlin is getting ready for Barack Obama’s visit this Thursday. Today's Tagesspiegel predicts what Chancellor Merkel and Obama will discuss beforehand (the economy), Germany’s Social Democratic Party has made clear they do not want any call for more German troops in Afghanistan, and the current cover story of Der Spiegel explores how much “change” Europe can expect from the popular candidate.

Obama's Berlin speech - can he have his cake and eat it too?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:33:08 -0700

Yes, if campaign officials select the new favored location for Obama's July 24th speech, the Berlin Siegessäule (Victory Column).

Putting Obama’s speech at the Siegessäule would be a smart public diplomacy for three key reasons:

1) "Change" - After the Brandenburg Gate proved to be contentious, other ideas tossed around by the campaign were Tempelhof Airport, site of the Berlin Airlift, Checkpoint Charlie, the only East/West Berlin checkpoint through with non-Germans were allowed to pass, and Schoeneberg Town Hall, the site of John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech as well as a rally immediately after the fall of the Berlin wall. All these places evoke Berlin's Cold War History. By picking a monument that is both symbolic of Berlin and commemorative of another history (Prussian military victories), Obama's speech would now symbolize an intentional break with Berlin's Cold War past, and, consistent with the theme of his campaign, ushering in a new era for German-American/EU-American relations.

Three sides of the internet

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:09:16 -0700

The Bold
Serchilo is a new tool that allows a user to navigate several search engines at once and quickly be taken to the final destination. The website works by allowing you to place short commands before your search to tell the engine where to look for what you want. For example, users interested in searching wikipedia will type a "w" before their search terms, and be taken directly to the wikipedia page on that topic. The simple commands don't save you much more time than going to the website itself - Serchilo really shines when it comes to more sophisticated functions. For example, someone wanting to quickly search an exchange rate need only type in "eur-usd 115," and they will get a currency conversion.

Washington DC leading high-tech cluster

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:12:42 -0700

With almost 300,000 employees, the DC area surpasses Silicon Valley in number of high-tech jobs, according to a report released by the American Electronics Association. Adding over 6,000 jobs in 2006, the DC area also had the second-largest growth in the US after The Big Apple. Other leading metro areas by high-tech employment were the New York City region (#1), Boston (#4) and Dallas-Fort Worth (#5).

The study’s definition of “high tech jobs” encompassed a variety of fields. While New York City’s is a hub of internet services, Silicon Valley remains the national leader in semiconductor manufacturing. Washington DC’s tech cluster is based around computer system design.

The first city-level report created since the burst of the dot com bubble, the study also warned that stringent visa requirements barring skilled foreigners to work in the United States and lack of qualified American graduates would hinder high-tech competitiveness in the long-term.

Further Reading
American Electronics Report releases Cybercities 2008
Cybercities 2008 on the Business Innovation Technology Society blog

Innovative (and plugged-in) non-profits

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:42:18 -0700

As I've written before, our generation of 'digital natives' is also using the internet to change public service. Here are some innovative non-profits I’ve come across recently.

Creative Commons
Operating under the motto of "share, remix, reuse – legally," Creative Commons seeks to further idea sharing and creative thinking by providing an alternative to traditional copyrights. Founded in 2002 while Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig was arguing Supreme Court case Eldred v. Ashcroft, Creative Commons licenses fall between the private domain (all rights reserved) and the public domain (no rights reserved). By selecting the degree of restriction, creators are able to maintain their rights while inviting derivative works based on their own.

The Associated Press and 'fair use'

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:43:29 -0700

The Associated Press has roiled the blogosphere with a recent attempt to enforce what it deemed as an infringement of copyright laws. Last week the American news organization sent a letter to the Drudge Retort, asking the liberal link hub to remove seven items that contained long quotations from AP articles. After leading bloggers criticized the policy the AP retreated on Saturday calling their action “heavy-handed". They indicated however, that the battle wasn’t over, and that they were going to find a “positive” way to enforce their copyright

Mind the gap: England's brain drain

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:06:12 -0700

The United Kingdom will need to attract highly-skilled foreign workers in order to maintain a competitive economy, said the London–based Work Foundation this week.

Their report, which highlighted key trends in migration and future obstacles for British companies, warns that a hostile environment towards migrants could harm the ability of firms to attract skilled, talented workers that are desperately needed in the UK. National debates about immigration combine low-skilled and highly-skilled migrants, forcing politicians into the precarious balance of being open to talent and growth while not appearing weak on national security.

Reporting live from my Nokia N810

Wed, 21 May 2008 03:07:47 -0700

Formerly tools of the tech savvy, two new social networking trends are becoming mainstream – and changing how citizens react to crisis situations. Moblogging (short for “mobile” and “blogging”) and microblogging allow for instant updates via cell phone to a web interface. During the recent Kenyan elections and Myanmar cyclone relief efforts, moblogging has been used to provide valuable on-ground information to circumvent autocratic governments.

In the aftermath of the Kenyan elections, the formerly free press was suddenly under the control of the state. Leading Kenyan bloggers (including Kenyan Pundit and White African) gathered and created a mashup, Ushahidi.com, to gather real time reports of major events. Updates included reports of police brutality, bonfires, and peaceful events (such as meetings or candlelight vigils). The blogs then used information to report on the post-election crisis. A good summary of this coverage can be found at Global Voices Online.

Gas OPEC: How realistic, How threatening?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:39:16 -0700

In 2006, Gazprom Deputy Chairman Aleksandr Medvedev, threatened the West saying if Russia did not get its way in European negotiations, it would create "an alliance of gas suppliers more influential than OPEC."

When asked about a gas cartel at a recent meeting in Doha, Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez answered “Why not? We’re producers in OPEC and from our view, this is a good idea. We have the opportunity to create a similar organization, and are prepared to do it.”

In August of 2007, Russia and Algeria signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ which called for coordinated gas prices, seen by many as an attempt to set up a cartel. Although some Russian leadership has come out in strong favor of a cartel, the likelihood of one emerging soon is minimal.