November 25, 2004
Turk-E Day
I hope everyone in the US is enjoying Thanksgiving Day. I hope everyone outside the US is at least enjoying the day.
I would blog during the feast, giving a play by play of the action, but for some reason my family has banned all electronic devices at the dinner table. Must have something to do with that 'Robosapien dancing in the pot roast' incident last week. Hey, give me a break. I'm still learning to work the controls.
Posting has been light this week... still recovering from election, and trying to conserve energy for the eating binge in approximately 4 hours.
Will resume on Monday with lots of stuff you can't afford NOT to read.
A Very Thankful,
Buzz
Posted by Buzz Webster at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 22, 2004
JFK Reloaded
Not everyone loves it when politics and technology collide.
"It is despicable," said David Smith, a spokesman for Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, upon hearing about a new video game released Today allowing players to simulate the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
The release of "JFK Reloaded" is timed to coincide with the 41st anniversary of Kennedy's murder in Dallas and was designed to demonstrate a lone gunman was able to kill the president.
The game is available via download for $9.99 at JFKreloaded.net.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
November 18, 2004
Democracy On Three Wheels
I’m not real fond of just posting excerpts of other people’s articles. But isn’t that what blogging is all about? This story out of India was just too good for me to ruin by hacking it apart.
From Hindu.com
We always like our democracy to be dressed up in funky garbs, with loads of make-up. But the mode of publicising the same can really be down to earth. Or that's what two websites, www.indiademocracy.com and www.JantaRaj.com show us.
Both websites are touted as attempts to add the advantages of Information Technology to the `rights' of democracy and extend the same to the masses. The point, however, is the way the creators of these sites have chosen to advertise the sites.
Clueless drivers
Well, next time you are on the streets of Hyderabad, keep an eye on the rear of the auto-rickshaw before you. Crudely scribbled in white on the black tops of over 100 three-wheelers, these websites invite you to the virtual realm of democracy.
The joke of the `online democracy', however, is not just that. Ask any of these auto-drivers, and a majority have no inkling of what they are advertising on their vehicles. Says Nagaraju, one of them waiting near Walden: " I don't know, sir. I bought this auto from a friend and this was already there. He told me to let the ad remain there. Nobody has asked me about it in the last one year," he says nonchalantly.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 17, 2004
Segway-The-Vote
I just read about the team of documentary filmmakers who recently finished piloting a Segway across the United States. Wow! I can’t wait until this thriller hits the theatres.
It seems that Segways might also serve well for helping political candidates speed up canvassing. A past CNN article tells of how a few local candidates around the country used Segways to go door-to-door during the election season. Besides saving a candidate from walking to death, it also helps undecided voters remember who you are. For example, if the kids come outside to look at the Segway while visiting, chances are you’ll at least be remembered (but maybe not voted for) on Election Day.
Most of the candidates featured bought a new or used (eBay) Segway. However renting might be more cost-effective for candidates. At Segway-Rentals-Now one can rent by the day or up to a month at a time, and even have the vehicle tricked out with custom-built campaign signs.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 15, 2004
Lame-duck Is...Well, Lame
lame duck
n.
- An elected officeholder or group continuing in office during the period between failure to win an election and the inauguration of a successor.
- Something news media feels obligated to print at least once in every political story now until January 1, 2005.
Please enough with the lame-duck usage.
About the most interesting thing in ePolitics today is the online war under way between Americans who want to apologize for the US presidential election results, and those who are happy with the way it turned out.
A slew of ePolitics conferences coming in the next few months. Keep checking the calendar for the latest.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 12, 2004
Penguin Day
I have some news for all of you tech geeks who moved Canada because of the U.S. election outcome. It’s still a little early to pull out the ice fishing tackle so why not spend next weekend changing the world instead?
Penguin Day, a day-long conference for activists and socially conscious software developers kicks off Saturday, November 20th 2004, in Toronto. At local Penguin Days non-profit organizations explore the range of issues and options involved using Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS).
Other great/upcoming conferences of interest include the E-Voter Institute Research Roundtable, November 30, 2004, at Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., and the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet 12th annual Politics Online Conference, March 10 - 11, 2005, at George Washington University.
And to set you in the right mood for the weekend - Here’s a little something from Ask Dogbert, passed on by contributing editor Bob Pyke.
Dear Dogbert,
How can I decide for whom to vote?
Dan
Dear Bedpan,
Highly intelligent and well-informed people disagree on every political issue. Therefore, intelligence and knowledge are useless for making decisions, because if any of that stuff helped, then all the smart people would have the same opinions.
So use your "gut instinct" to make voting choices. That is exactly like being clueless, but with the added advantage that you’ll feel as if your random vote preserved democracy.
Sincerely,
Dogbert
Dear Dogbert,
Lots of people write blogs, but I’ve never heard of anyone who actually reads them. What’s up with that?
Kurt
Dear Skirt,
Blogs exist to fill the important market niche of writing that is so dull that your eyes will burrow out of the back of your head to escape. People do read blogs, usually by accident, sometimes on a dare, but those readers are later mistaken for Mafia victims with what appears to be two holes in the back of their heads. On closer inspection, you might find their eyeballs clinging to the drapes directly behind them. Unless the cat gets them first.
Sincerely,
Dogbert
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 11, 2004
Buffalo Springfield Redux
- Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound
I hear the church bells ringing outside as I write this post. That means it’s high-noon on the East Coast and a ruckus is stirring in front of White House. The folks at ReDefeatBush.com are calling on citizens to rally at LaFayette Park in front of the White House in Washington, DC Today to “protest both the suspicious and highly selective mismanagement of the 2004 election by local authorities in Florida and Ohio as well as the escalation of the war in Iraq with the massacre underway in Fallujah.”
- They police our highways, but should the government police our information superhighways too?
As the Federal Trade Commission convenes a summit this week to discuss cybersecurity issues, the Competitive Enterprise Institute today released a report urging federal regulators to allow the marketplace to develop solutions that will both address Internet security and protect online anonymity.
- Remember Dick Gephardt
U.S. Congressman for 28 years and still a natural blond. This man is amazing! Hey, hair is a big in Dem politics these days. To recognize his hair and “public service, there will be a tribute dinner in his honor. I hope that you will show your support for all the great work that he has done throughout his career by joining us in St. Louis, Missouri on Thursday evening, December 9. Details of the event can be found below or by going to our website at www.GephardtTribute.org.” $1,000 will get you in the door.”
- About That Election We Lost
More than 1,700 people are using the Internet to issue an apology to the world for President George W. Bush's re-election last week, according to TownHall.com. ”A website, sorryeverybody.com, set up after the election allows users to post pictures of themselves with signs that "say we're sorry, even on the behalf of the ones who aren't," according to the website's home page.”
- In-Specter Gadget
Arlen Specter is going to have to pull out all the tricks if he hopes to take on the role of chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has the tough job of winning over opposition in his own Republican Party. RightMarch.com among other online conservative groups is work the web hard to raise awareness of Specter, who they call a RINO (Republican IN Name Only).
Posted by Buzz Webster at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 09, 2004
Radical, Rigged And Rumored: ePolitics Buzz Brief
- Have you seen this map of “American Coastopia” circulating the Internet? Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t the U.S. try succession about 150 years ago?
- Three Democratic Congressmen have urged the Government Accountability Office to undertake an urgent review of electronic voting systems, citing several apparent technical snafus that have come to light after the Nov. 2 election. The Dem’s also noted that the requested probe has nothing to do with being sore losers.
- The Internet Rumors are true! Former presidential candidate Howard Dean is considering a bid to become chairman of the national Democratic Party.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 08, 2004
E-lection Analysis Coming Soon
There is a lot of important analysis on the Internet’s impact on the 2004 elections that will be coming out in the next few weeks. PoliticsOnline will post it’s own report in the next few days. But for now:
- The most important post election analysis is questioning the religious conservatives or the religiously online right had more impact. So far the religious right option seems most probable.
- Have you heard the new Yahoo! ad with Howard Dean? It’s a scream.
- Arlen Specter is in the Hot Seat as Republican’s hope to oust the Republican. The folks at the new website NotSpecter.com think of him as a RINO (Republican In Name Only).
- Even if the U.S. adopts Internet voting in 2008, it will still be atleast two years behind many European Countries. E-stonia, one of the newest EU members, will vote online next year.
- Then again what’s all the hurry with online voting and other government e-advocacy considering a new World Bank report estimates that as high as 85 per cent of e-government projects in developing countries are either "total or partial failures."
- And in case your in Washington after Thanksgiving - E-Voter Institute Research Roundtable -- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: How Effective was the Internet in Election 2004? November 30, 2004, Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. Click to register.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 05, 2004
Post Election Modernism
I’m so sick of reading ‘blogger blew it’ articles I’m going to puke.
- For a Post-Election Humor Roundup, check out editorial cartoons, late-night jokes, "Daily Show" video clips, Letterman top 10 lists, and other humor about Bush's election victory at about.com.
- In case you still feel the election and not the exit polls was rigged, a new report by the polling system’s architects says there were a number of problems that led to the early erroneous impression that John Kerry was heading for victory.
- Two of the best ePolitics events of the year will be held in December, and they are both FREE.
Online Campaigning: Lessons The UK Can Learn From Internet Use In US Elections will be held on December 7th in London, and Votes, Bits & Bytes December 9-11th at Harvard. Our very own Phil Noble will be speaking at the former.
- E-voting machines are still in the clear, but politicians say it will be years, if ever, before electors can use the Internet to vote.
- And just in the nick of time Oslo cops have shut down a 'Kill Bush' website. The site (killhim.nu) urged Norwegians to put a bounty on the head of president Bush.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 04, 2004
Loose Ends: ePolitics Buzz Brief
- Bloggers are still taking heat for being off the mark. While mainstream refuses to admit they’re the reason for bloggers being off the mark.
- E-voting machines were deemed a ‘success’, but there’s chatter among bloggers that the exit polls were right and the machines were rigged.
- MoveOn.org’s PAC endorsed 27 candidates for House or Senate in Tuesday's election. By James Taranto’s count, five won. That's not good for them.
- A Bush ‘Thank you’ email almost went out the day after he won, with many receiving emails around 11:55pm on Wednesday. A Kerry ‘Thank you’ email went out less than two hours after his concession speech.
- And since we’re always thinking ahead, paid search, mapping and wireless messaging will probably be the next big Internet tools in 2006.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 03, 2004
Youth Vote Does Not Add Up
I thought the Youth Vote and the Internet went together like peas and carrots. I was really excited about young voter turnout. It appears all the hype was for nothing; it’s just like what happened with Dean in Iowa during the primaries. Everyone waited for the youth vote powered by the Dean machine.... and waited... and nothing.
How can Declare Yourself, a group that was instrumental in getting young people registered, come out with a release so late in the afternoon that begins like this:
Defying predictions of youth apathy, more than half of eligible young voters (51.6%) showed up at the polls yesterday, according to data compiled by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), obtained by national exit polls.
In reality it went more like this from SFGate:
Fewer than one in 10 voters Tuesday were 18 to 24, about the same proportion of the electorate as in 2000, exit polls indicated. Still, with voter turnout expected to be higher overall, more young people appeared to have come out.
Meanwhile Rock the Vote Rock the Vote is keeping track of how many young people voted and why you voted.
That should take all but about 5 minutes considering the poor turnout.
Confused...
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Kerry Concedes
Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:
SEN. JOHN KERRY WILL CONCEDE THE ELECTION AT 1 PM
http://abcnews.go.com?CMP=EMC-1396
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Morning After: ePolitics Buzz Brief
Congratulations! If you're reading this you're still alive, but possibly feeling a little weird like it was a Y2K Armageddon all over again. Computers did not freeze up, explode or send the world into chaos. But, a lot of things did happen on the web in the last 24 hours. Oh yes, and about those e-voting machines.
- Thank you mainstream media for saying bloggers screwed up and gave out inaccurate reports. Some really did. But, I’d just like to remind everyone that many bloggers 'botched' information came from guess who? Mainstream media.
- E-voting was smooth in Maryland but not other regions that were predicting problems. Parts of Florida, Philadelphia, and New Orleans were among the 600 reported glitches. Washingtonpost.com writes that the massive experiment "looks like a success."
- There was a huge surge in web traffic to blogs and especially campaign sites in the final days. JohnKerry.com and GeorgeWBush.com attracted more than 300,000 US visitors on Monday 1 November.
- It looks like Bush won, but votes in Ohio need to be recounted before its official. I think Drudge was the first to call it for Bush around 3:00am this morning.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 02, 2004
Bush Leads In Electoral College
Electoral votes, from C-SPAN: Bush: 170, Kerry: 112.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Youth Vote Predictions
Andrew Sullivan writes that the exit polls report the Youth Vote Doubled. I had great hopes for the Youth Vote, I hope this is true.
However, I have another source saying the opposite. I'm a little skeptical. These are the folks without cells phones that were so hard to reach, but did all the registring online.
Not really any good new numbers floating around.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 08:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Questioning Exit Polls
There's a growing concensus that the exit poll numbers floating around aren't accurate. Although no one ever said they were, I'm having trouble believing what's going on here.
We need to remember that at best these are the same sources that gave the country a 'Gore wins' embarrassment in 2000.
Regardless, I'll probably keep posting whatever I find when it becomes available.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Bloggers Affect More Than Polls
How about this headline from Bloomberg?
Kerry Overtakes Bush In Online Futures After Exit Poll Reports
Traders reversed bets that George W. Bush would win the U.S. presidential election after Web sites posted what they said were exit polls showing John Kerry leading in battleground states including Florida and Ohio.
Who would of thought political bloggers would impact elections...and world economics?
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Zogby Website Shows Kerry Up
From Zogby:
Our Call: Zogby International's 2004 Predictions
(as of Nov. 2, 2004 5:00pm)
2004 Presidential Election
Electoral Votes:
Bush
213
Kerry
311
Too Close To Call
Nevada (5)
Too Close To Call
Colorado (9)
Zogby was most accurate in 2000.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
4:30 Exits Via The Web
From Wonkette: Getting confused yet? Don't get confused; get out the vote.
FL: 52/48 - KERRY
OH: 52/47 - KERRY
MI: 51/48 - KERRY
PA: 58/42 - KERRY
IA: 50/48 - KERRY
WI: 53/47 - KERRY
MN: 57/42 - KERRY
NH: 58/41 - KERRY
ME: 55/44 - KERRY
NM: 49/49 - TIE
NV: 48/49 - BUSH
CO: 49/50 - BUSH
AR: 45/54 - BUSH
NC: 47/53 - BUSH
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
TV Stays Silent, Web Blasts Results
From MyDD as of 2pm EST-
Early VNS exit polling
by Jerome Armstrong
Here is some of the early VNS data, fwiw:
---- AZ--CO--LA--PA--OH--FL--MI--NM--MN--WI--IA--NH
Kerry 45--48--42--60--52--51--51--50--58---52--49--57
Bush 55--51--57--40---48--48--47--48--40--43--49--41
Now, mind that these are early numbers. And even if correct, they reflect the ones most wanting to vote, and it's still a long way to go... but wow, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire & Minnesota voters can't wait to boot Bush!
Posted by Buzz Webster at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Drudge, EVOTE.com Exit Poll Postings
In regards to the previous post, our Editor actually received a quick response from EVOTE.com on their exit poll sources.
From: Laura [xxxxx@ideacast.com]To: "David Abel"
Cc:
Subject: RE: exit polls
Hello David, hope you’re having a blast today! We’re getting our numbers from various newsroom media sources who are feeding them to us – the same way Drudge is getting them.
EVOTE.com is actually consistent with Drudge. And for where Drudge is getting results: http://www.exit-poll.net/pool.html.
It's nothing unusual if the page doesn't open. It appears all the traffic has knocked it offline.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Exit Poll Update?
From EVOTE.COM website/email:
EXIT POLL UPDATE:* Kerry leads New mexico by one point as of Noon.
* Kerry leads Iowa by two points as of 11AM.
* Kerry ahead enough in New Hampshire to claim the state.
* Kerry leads in Ohio, 49 to 45.
* Kerry leads in Florida, 49 to 48.
* Very high turnout -- approaching 60% nationally (10% higher than 2000).Overall, Kerry is competitive everywhere -- confirming polling that
showed a very close race leading into today.
Where is EVOTE.com getting this information? I am very curious to know the source, but they have yet to cite this information.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
What Do The Results Say?
Today is election day. If you're like me, you'll be anxious to see
the returns. It looks as close as the 2000 election.
All of the major news networks (ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC, etc.) will
have up-to-the-minute updates on returns.
If the race is particularly close, we may not have an immediate answer.
Whatever the outcome is, I hope you went to the polls and cast a vote!
Here are a couple sites where you can get election results:
USAelectionAtlas
NY Times
Post sent in by Contributing Editor Bob Pyke
Posted by Buzz Webster at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 01, 2004
Eminem Is My Political Consultant
- I’m the first one to tout the power of the Internet, but if Eminem impacts the election we’ve got problems.
Headline from the San Francisco Chronicle - “Eminem's angst-filled video, 'Mosh,' spread rapidly on the Internet, might actually get youth to the polls”
- In regards to a previous post, I would be remised if I did not mention Election Projection, another good electoral vote map, which currently favors Bush.
- Here is Kerry’s final online push “Millions To See New Kerry Campaign Online Video”... still looking for the Bush online push.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Get-Out-The-Electoral-Vote
It all comes down the electoral votes whether you like it or not. Electoral vote prediction websites have been hot this year, with electoral-vote.com among the most popular. The projection works by amassing daily data from statewide polls to predict the White House’s next occupant.
The Washington Post also has an electoral vote map, which basically tabulates data the same way.
While both are great, a Princeton electoral vote map might be the most accurate based on the way it collects data.
Currently all three maps slightly favor Kerry, but there is still too much up for grabs.
Also Jonathan Dube at Poynter online put together a nice article on election quick links to “make sure you've got everything you need to compare results to past elections and explain the unexpected on election night ... and beyond.”
And finally, to find your polling place, learn on what type of machine you will cast your vote and get instructions on how to use that machine go to www.mypollingplace.com.
Be prepared for slow load times. This is politically one of the three busiest days of the year.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
