Traditionally, August is supposed to be a little quieter in Washington, DC. Not so this summer with the current debates heating up over the future of the US economy, bailouts, healthcare reform and energy legislation.
The Internet is certainly playing a key role. In fact, YouTube may have officially reached its digital advocacy “tipping point” when a handful of videos were recently uploaded featuring flustered politicians struggling to answer tough healthcare questions during several Congressional town hall meetings.
Many Democrats in support of the bill have moved to characterize opponents as an organized, astroturfing, angry right wing mob. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) even went so far as to call the protests “un-American.” On the contrary, it was the SEIU who was caught on tape beating a black conservative who voiced dissent over the plan.
Chalk up another Internet success for Campaign 2008 as users continue to generate content aimed at moving minds and generating online buzz for Presidential candidates in their bid for the White House.
This time, Will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas fame, created a music video based on Senator Barack Obama’s speech after his loss to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
The catchy and inspiring song, entitled “Yes We Can” officially lives at Dipdive.com, and features a number of celebrities from sports, stage, music, television and film.
It’s almost impossible to fight back a smile when Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson go at it in the “lock it up” reception scene in the 2005 comedy smash hit Wedding Crashers.
However, what Network Solutions is doing is no laughing matter. The domain registration mega-site has recently started a new practice which is – well, in my opinion, un-American!
Have you ever tried to purchase a domain name? It’s really pretty easy and there are a number of web based registration choices out there such as GoDaddy, Register, MyDomain and, of course, Network Solutions.
The first basic step is to visit one of these sites and search to determine if your domain name is still available. Chances are that someone out there may have had the same idea and beaten you to the punch.
Last night hundreds of Washingtonians braved a cold and wet wintry mix to attend a reception hosted by Google as they unveiled their new DC office space. Although Google has been in Washington for some time, occupying temporary offices on Penn Ave, this move is significant primarily because it further evidences the search giant’s commitment to establishing a stronger, more permanent presence in the nation’s capital.
The New York Ave location is home to approximately 15 Googlers for now – with ample room to expand. In keeping with Silicon Valley style, the space itself looks more like the Googleplex in Mountain View, rather than a traditional, stodgy law firm which is a welcome departure – and an indication that times, they are a changin’!
Individual work areas are complete with colorful yoga balls, curved desks and open air studio celings. Various other meeting spaces including conference rooms, a game room lunch room and kitchen bear names familiar to the DC power set such as the Situation Room, Camp David, and even, yes, a Secret Undisclosed Location - which isn’t too secret considering the bold-lettered sign by the door.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt attended the event, as well as members of Google DC’s leadership team including Alan Davidson, senior policy counsel, Dr. Vint Cerf, chief Internet evangelist, and Bob Boorstin, corporate communications.
Many Democrats in support of the bill have moved to characterize opponents as an organized, astroturfing, angry right wing mob. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) even went so far as to call the protests “un-American.” On the contrary, it was the SEIU who was caught on tape beating a black conservative who voiced dissent over the plan.
