August 21, 2008
The DNC: Then and Now - 100 Years Of Tech Growth
Technology has come a long way since the last time Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1908. This year is the most digital Convention in history with live youtube feeds, twits, hundreds of bloggers and thousands of credentialed media.
- In 1908, there were approximately 5 million telephone lines in the US, today, 95% of housholds have landlines and 260 million people are connected to wireless
- There were 12 phones and 6 special operators in 1908, compared to 5,500 voice and data lines today
- $100,000 was raised for the 1908 convention; $20 million was raised for the 2008 Convention
- The Convention venue cost $700,000 in 1908, the Pepsi Center for the 2008 Convention cost $160 million
- The price of a hotel in denver was $1, today is is an average of $144
In 1908 the U.S. census reported the population at 88 million, with 15 million registered voters. The Democratic National Convention was held, for the first time, in a western state supporting Candidate William Jennings Bryan, who did not attend the convention but listened via long-distance telephone. Today, the U.S. census population exceeds 300 million, with 136 million registered voters. The convention is supporting candidate Barack Obama, and will be the greenest and most digital convention in history.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 20, 2008
Blogging the 2008 National Democratic Convention
Posted by Buzz Webster at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 12, 2008
ePolitics First: Announcing US Vice President Via Text Message
.jpg)
Obama's campaign manager notified supporters of the chance to be "the first to know" Obama's VP pick via text, streamlining news to supporters and differentiating himself on the technology platform.
Here is the email Obama's campaign sent to supporters yesterday:
Barack Obama is about to make one of the most important decisions of this campaign -- choosing a running mate.
You have helped build this movement from the bottom up, and Barack wants you to be the first to know his choice.
Sign up today to be the first to know:
http://my.barackobama.com/vp
You will receive an email the moment Barack makes his decision, or you can text VP to 62262 to receive a text message on your mobile phone.
Once you've signed up, please forward this email to your friends, family, and coworkers to let them know about this special opportunity.
No other campaign has done this before. You can be part of this important moment.
Be the first to know who Barack selects as his running mate.
Thanks,
David
David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
With over 250 million Americans subscribing to a cellular-phone service, it will be interesting to see the difference on the Net's reporting on the VP announcement and mainstream media's reporting.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 08, 2008
"Freedom Sticks" Help Skirt Great Firewall of China
A group of German hackers called the Computer Chaos Club have taken an online detour around the great firewall of China in order to provide journalists, athletes and citizens around the world with uncensored access to the Internet in China.
CCC is offering "freedom sticks", regular USB drives with an uploaded toolkit containing a browser that provides its users an anonymous way to send data over the Internet. The CCC is only providing access to the freedom sticks' software during the two weeks that the Olympics are taking place.
Our Take: The Chinese Government are in a catch 22. With 253 million people online, has recently surpassed the as the largest nation on the Net. The more people who demand broader access to the Internet, the harder it will be for the Chinese Government to keep their censorship alive. We have been saying for years that the dynamics of the Internet will never work in an authoritarian government.
Posted by Buzz Webster at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
