Mad Props to the Advance Teams
July 21, 2008
OK, so we need someone to ask Speaker Pelosi a question about global warming, and then we need Pelosi to check her blackberry, and then we need to have Al Gore’s voice come over the loud speaker, and then we need Gore to walk on stage and make a surprise appearance at Netroots Nation. And we need to pull this off without any of the media knowing until Gore walks out on stage.
Impossible?
Hotline On Call: Gore Makes Surprise Visit To Netroots Nation
Gore joked, “We oughta take that act on the road, Nancy,” to which Pelosi responded, “We are on the road!” Gore replied, “We are on the road, but I feel right at home, I’ll tell you.”
theHotfile Returns
July 16, 2008
We still don’t know who theHotfile is, but FamousDC’s favorite news producer turned YouTube news host has returned!
RedState Gets a Face Lift
July 14, 2008
The popular conservative community had a little work done recently. Web 2.0 is such the rage.
FamousDC Posterous
July 3, 2008
FamousDC - It’s like waking up to a double yolk egg every morning.
We Can’t Quite Figure This Out
July 2, 2008
But we’re sure it is very cool.
Twitter Taking Over MSM
July 1, 2008
Several of our DC newspapers and reporters are firing out tweets (but they’re not all on the GraphicDesignr’s list):
Washington Times
Politico
The Hill
Washingtonian
FishbowlDC
NPR News
Houston Chronicle’s Julie Mason
CQ’s Eric Pfeiffer
The Washington
The Fix
The Sleuth
Washington Post Politics
NYC Tweets:
Wall Street Journal
WSJ’s OpinionJournal
New York Times
NY Times Politics
FamousDC’s Twitter page
Hat Tip Katie Harbath
Romney Still Running for President
June 30, 2008
…on YouTube.
Romney’s YouTube page still has him running for President.
And the winner is…
June 27, 2008
Lawmakers in DC, not Big Oil or the War in Iraq, are now the top scapegoats for high prices at the pump. But perhaps the most interesting result from this survey is that a whopping 81% of those who responded want the U.S. government to allow more domestic drilling.
Americans are feeling the impact of record gas prices in their pocketbooks. Nearly half of those surveyed said they are saving less, and 24% said they cut back on essentials like food and health care costs.
…
As a result, 90% of those surveyed support an increase in alternative energy development, and 81% want the U.S. government to allow more drilling on and off our nation’s shores. Americans also favored conservation measures, with 83% saying they supported tax incentives for alternate transportation.
Twitterific Beltway Talking Points
June 26, 2008
Yep, we gave in. We’re on Twitter.
Hop on board — http://twitter.com/famousdc
Get your Twitterific beltway talking points delivered to your cell phone, blackberry, or email.
Breaking Snooze: WaPo Late to the Dance, Again
June 26, 2008
It doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to figure out that Barack Obama is beating John McCain online. But, don’t tell that to the crew over at the WaPo Style section - because do they have a timely story for you…
DEPT. OF FISH IN A BARREL - The WashPost Style front examines the tricky question of whether Obama or McCain has the more energized Web operation. Hope you’re sitting down…
Do they not understand that this story has been written over 1 million times? It’s almost as if they report from a cave in Afghanistan and don’t have a clue as to what’s news and what’s not.
Not to mention, if you’re a loyal FDC reader, you already know that if you ignore online communities like Facebook, and even take it a step further and don’t vote- then chances are you won’t get struck by lightning. Find out why by clicking here.
Congressman Turns the Tables on TMZ
June 25, 2008
If you’re a constituent from Houston, TX, you’d be happy to know that you got a two for one special when you elected Rep. John Culberson. On one hand he’s a legislator who serves the needs of his constituents back home [when he’s not breaking house rules by Twittering]- and on the other hand, he’s a member of the paparazzi.
Yesterday Culberson turned the tables on a TMZ reporter and had this to say to his new friend:
“I’m a big believer in the disinfecting power of sunshine… And TMZ just got ambushed and that’s cool, that’s great and I think that’s awesome…”
We will give him credit - he’s very tech savvy and seems to know what he’s talking about.
Watch the ambush here. *Warning, the camera work is sub par and will make you want to vomit.
If You Can’t Find Your Tech Nerd, Check NYC
June 24, 2008
The annual Personal Democracy Forum [PDF, very clever] is going on right now in NYC and it’s all the buzz in the blogosphere.
If you’re unaware as to what the hell PDF is, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
We will give you a hint though- it’s where the political online community converges every year to discuss why their important.
This year’s conference headline: Twitter: The Blue-Balls of Modern Blogging
Of course, in order to attend, there is a dress code.
Google Bombs You Can Believe In
June 23, 2008
Andrew Noyes: McCain ‘Google Bomb’ Project Announced
Computerworld reports that liberal blogger Chris Bowers has launched a ‘Google bomb’ project aimed at boosting Google search results for nine news articles showing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain in a negative light. Bowers, managing editor of the blog OpenLeft, is reprising a similar effort he undertook in 2006 against 52 different congressional candidates.
Meet Me on the Virtual Playground, So I Can Kick Your Ass
June 20, 2008
In the fascinating world of political blogging, often times the Left and Right-leaning bloggers find themselves tangled in controversy. No different is the latest throw-down that comes via one pissed off Michael Turk.
Turk, one of the online Godfathers for the GOP, is apparently sick and tired of lefty blogger Matt Stoller’s attempt to paint the GOP as a party of racists.
“I recently wrote a post about the fact that someone punched Matt Stoller in the face, and suggested it might have had something to do with him accusing people of being racist at every opportunity.”
Turk, a firey lad, who’s leveled a virtual punch on Stoller before, has offered an open challenge to his good pal. Curious? Click here to read it.
We’ll give you a hint - it has to do with the picture below.
Social Networking Manners?
June 17, 2008
Get Your Nerd On
June 17, 2008
Today is the Official Firefox 3 Download Day
Firefox is trying to set the Guinness World Record for Most Software Download in 24 Hours (PR Genius)
From Firefox:
Set a Guinness World Record
Enjoy a Better Web
…Sounds like a good deal, right? All you have to do is get Firefox 3 during Download Day to help set the record for most software downloads in 24 hours - it’s that easy. We’re not asking you to swallow a sword or to balance 30 spoons on your face, although that would be kind of awesome.
Take the Pledge and download today.
Coburn and Hensarling Will Pee Their Pants
June 13, 2008
American Public Media recently launched Budget Hero - an interactive game that lets people explore the major issues of the election by changing the federal budget to match their stands on issues and their values- sort of like WarCraft for policy wonks.
This latest game, that’ll have like-minded fiscal conservatives peeing their pants, tries to bring a “level of clarity and simplicity” to the federal budget - although the game itself isn’t exactly clear or simple.
Budget Hero puts numbers against issues like bringing home troops from Iraq soon or gradually or not at all and providing options on taxes, Social Security and Medicare. Who’s excited?
Regardless, we give American Public Media an A for effort, although it’ll never quite replace this.
Please Sir, Put Your Twitter Machine Back in Your Pocket
June 12, 2008
Earlier this week we wrote about the Politico’s obsession with 100 year-old senile white men who carry around blackberries. Well, because politics and technology are so darn groovy, the story doesn’t end there.
Tech President, a community for politically hip techies, just bench pressed yet another riveting example of technology meeting politics.
This time, the culprit is Rep. Culberson of Texas.
Apparently, Mr. Culberson loves to Twitter from the House floor. If you don’t know what Twittering is, click here.
While we admire any politician who’d rather goof off than work, we’re sad to report that Rep. Culberson is breaking the house rules by doing so.
RULES OF DECORUM & DEBATE IN THE HOUSE
Refrain from eating, smoking, or using electronic equipment, including cellular phones or lap top computers, on the floor.
At least Culberson’s offense wasn’t caught on tape. The same can’t be said for a certain colleague of his.
Breaking News: Politico Discovers Earth Not Flat
June 11, 2008
Well, not quite, but the story they did decide to write begs the question- have they run out of content to cover, or are we the only ones who don’t give a flying leap if a 100 year-old Senator is enamored with his blackberry?
The Politico: “People who mull such things are beginning to ask whether Capitol Hill’s BlackBerry addiction - seven out of 10 members and staffers have one - is putting too much power into the hands of small groups of well-connected constituents, exacerbating partisan polarization and snuffing out whatever’s left of Washington’s political sanctuary removed from the parochial concerns back home. “
Too much power because of a mobile device that lets them communicate with each other? Really?
Was this question posed to Robert Byrd in 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, right around the time lawmakers were debating postage rates? Probably not, because it’s a ridiculous assumption.
Perhaps this is 21st century product placement and BlackBerry is paying for this story. We can only hope.
VP Candidates Scrambling for Google SEO
June 10, 2008
On Call: “Its A Google”
John McCain stumping and raising cash today in Richmond joked about his method for vetting prospective veep candidates. Per pool press …
“We’re going through a process where you get a whole bunch of names, and ya … Well, basically, it’s a Google,” McCain said. “You just, you know, what you can find out now on the Internet. It’s remarkable, you know.”
RNC and DNC Tangle Over ‘Friends’
June 9, 2008
File this one under mission critical.
The RNC’s Facebook friends total recently surpassed the DNC total. So what does an organization do when that happens? Simple, you attempt to pitch it to the media and hope that JoMa isn’t asleep at the keyboard. [Riveting, isn’t it?]
Only this time, it didn’t play well for the Republicans.
A few minutes after the rumors of the RNC Facebook pitch idea hit the blogosphere, Daily Kos went front page, urging people to sign up for the DNC’s Facebook group.
Seconds later, the RNC lead had evaporated.
We know what you’re thinking. This is all very fascinating and important, especially given the fact that we are constantly told the importance of the social networks this political season.
According to the political propeller-heads, the more friends you have on Facebook, the better the chances to be voted Prom King. And if you have 15,000 friends, compared to 14,000, in the case of the DNC vs. the RNC, it quickly becomes clear that, not only are you more popular, but chances are, you’ll be awarded the finest fruits and cheeses upon your arrival at the Gigabyte Gates - particularly given the fact that there are over 200,000,000 age eligible voters in the United States.
That’s right. Over 200,000,000 possible voters and both parties are pissing and moaning about friends’ lists that don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the political radar screen? Not to mention, their missing the entire point of the platform anyway.
Sarcasm aside, imagine what a 1000 friend differential could do for a presidential candidate?
1000 divided by 200 million is about .000002.
Perhaps this perspective helps:
In the United States about 1,000 people are injured by lightning every year, so 1,000 divided by 300 million or about .000003.
Conclusion: If you ignore political Facebook groups and even take it a step further and don’t vote- then chances are you won’t get struck by lightning.
What Do Supreme Court Justices Do After They Leave the Bench?
June 5, 2008
Play video games.…Obvi!
Claudia Parsons: Retired Justice O’Connor Unveils Video Game
America’s first female Supreme Court justice unveiled a videogame project on Wednesday to teach children how courts work, saying she wanted to counter partisan criticism that judges are “godless” activists.
Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers!
June 4, 2008
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer stops by the WaPo and pronounces newspapers and magazines dead.
Kim Hart: Steve Ballmer Swings By the Post
Steve Ballmer’s favorite TV show is “Lost,” but he refuses to pay a buck to get it on iTunes–he’d rather deal with a few ads. He still isn’t sure what “Web 2.0″ really means. And he predicts that in 10 years, everything will be delivered over the Internet in an ad-supported format. Newspapers and magazines will cease to exist, but content producers will continue to proliferate. And Google’s strategy is baffling to him.
After a four year head start, Republican nerds finally join the race
May 27, 2008
A group of tech-savvy, right-leaning politicos have launched an online movement that hopes to compete with websites such as MyDD, Open-Left and Daily Kos.
Co-founded by Patrick Ruffini, Soren Dayton and Jon Henke, the Next Right, is a blog-style platform that hopes to offer fall-behind Republicans advice as to how to catch up to the “left” online.
According to Ruffini: This site is the product of literally hundreds of offline conversations with some of the brightest young minds in the conservative movement. It grows out of a recognition that the road back can’t be about a series of disjointed technologies, blogs, and pundits. It begins with telling a story about why we should lead. With advancing majoritarian ideas with real buy-in from the grassroots, not diktats from Washington policy shops. With revitalizing the Republican Party with real participation from the bottom up. The right needed a place online where these discussions could flourish, where a narrative about revitalizing the movement could congeal, and where smart new voices could assert a leadership role in a party at a crossroads. We hope The Next Right can be a small part of this ongoing dialogue.
The only mystery thus far: Why did their friends at Daily Kos not make their blog roll - perhaps a technical oversight?
Kurtz - We Get the Media We Deserve
May 27, 2008
If you read one article today, check out this one … and then go back to FacebookYouTubeGmailCraigslist.
Howard Kurtz: Post Buyouts Come With an Emotional Cost
Let’s not bury the lead: This is a rough time for the newspaper business, a rough time for The Washington Post and a rough time for me.
Who does Kurtz blame? Those darned kids!!
The ticking time bomb here is the wholesale abandonment of newspapers by younger people who grew up with a point-and-click mentality. When I was speaking at Harvard recently, a smug graduate student said, “I get everything I need from YouTube. What are you going to do about it?”
…
“What are you going to do about it?” I shot back. If people want to tune out the news, no one can compel them to change their habits. We can be smarter, faster and jazzier in providing information, but we can’t force-feed the stuff. If newspapers wither and die, it will be in part because the next generation blew us off in favor of Xbox and Wii and full-length movies on their iPods. Network news faces the same erosion. Maybe, in the end, we get the media we deserve.
John McCain gets a virtual facelift
May 20, 2008
The web wizards over at Team McCain have just re-launched John McCain dot com. It’s very fancy and if you enjoy windmills, you’ll love it as much as we did.
Bush discovers the interweb
May 13, 2008
Republican nerds everywhere are wetting their pants over this.
Hooked on politics, not so much phonics
May 12, 2008
Last week, the RNC launch CanWeAsk.com, a website which invites users to ask Barack Obama a question - although, I’m not quite sure he’s worked in time on his calendar to answer any of them.
The gimmick has received a lot of press, but unfortunately for the RNC, they forgot to buy the sister domain, CanWeAsk.org, which one GOP tech junkie found to be a pretty “silly” move.
The good news for the RNC, although they clearly dropped the virtual ball on snatching up the other domain, the mental giants who did buy it, can’t spell - which is slightly more embarrassing.
Screen grab below [how long until they change it?]
Bringing the Noyes!
April 23, 2008
Tuesday’s Senate Commerce Hearing on the “Future of the Internet” had lots of DC paying attention.
“I believe I am the only panelist to have written a film about a robot poker tournament in Space Vegas in the year 3009 so I think my expertise in the area is unquestionable.” – Writers Guild of America, West President Patric Verrone during his Tuesday testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on the future of the Internet.
This is the U.S. Senate, folks.
What is it with lawmakers and acronyms?
April 16, 2008
Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Clever) and Jerry Costello (D-Wordsmith) held a news conference Tuesday to announce that someone on their staff had successfully managed to create yet another legislative acronym. The latest congressional acronym … HANG UP, Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace, which would ban cell phone use on airplanes.
Both lawmakers are strangely concerned that airborne cell phone use will find its way over to the states, now that the European Union allows mobile technology during in-flight service. [Assuming that these flights haven’t already been cancelled or delayed.]
The D.C. Examiner reported, “No sooner did DeFazio begin his statement than, as if on cue, an array of cell phones began ringing in the pockets of those in the front row -’See what I mean?’ DeFazio asked.
Shockingly, the entire thing wasn’t a coincidence. [Can you hear me now?]
‘We had it arranged,’ said Molly Simmons, DeFazio’s press secretary, who explained that she had put six staffers from DeFazio’s personal office and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the case. ‘I instructed them to be loud and obnoxious, which they were, successfully,’ she said.’
The HANG UP act joins the SPY ACT, Standing for Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act and HEAT, House Energy Action Team as the latest unnecessary, and soon to be forgotten congressional acronyms.
Either way, kudos to Simmons and her team of acronym extraordinaires. And here’s to hoping this is the end of an ERA, Ending Ridiculous Acronyms.
CONTROL + ALT + DEBATE
April 8, 2008
Beowolf Porpoiseburg, Rob Riggle’s avatar, reports on the virtual world congressional hearings. [hysterically appropriate]
Do Pelosi and Boehner heart Ok Go?
April 7, 2008
OK Go lead singer, Damian Kulash Jr., on the op-ed pages of the NY Times discussing net neutrality….only weeks after testifying before House Judiciary Committee
GREAT LINE: “I’m flattered, of course, but it makes you wonder if Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner sit around arguing who was listening to Vampire Weekend first.”
Link to video — 32 million people watched this [viral]
Where Do Kids Get Their News?
March 4, 2008
Michael Calderone notes that according to Chuck Shumer — all the kids are going online.
Bill Gates Farewell Tour
March 4, 2008
Daniel Reilly: Bill Gates to Testify Before Congress – March 12, House Science and Technology Committe
Come One - Come All!
March 4, 2008
Chris Frates: Big Business Ventures Into the Blogosphere
Who would read a pro-business blog?
“Short answer: people who care about your issues,” such as congressional aides, lawmakers, reporters, policymakers and opinion leaders, Pat Cleary said.
Will Lawrence Lessig Keep His Blog in Congress?
February 21, 2008
Lawrence Lessig Forms Exploratory Committee for Lantos Seat
His blog
His book
His other book
And another
He must have been thinking about this for a while
Draft Lessig for Congress Facebook Group
$200 says he’s on the House Judiciary Committee…
I’m totally going to Twitter this
February 21, 2008
BBC: Warning Given Over Techno Addicts
A growing number of people are becoming addicted to their mobile phones, Blackberries and other digital devices, researchers are warning.
Techno addiction can become so bad that people wake up several times a night to check their e-mails and text messages.
No Technology Mandates
February 19, 2008
Chris Frates: Net Neutrality Fight Will Demand Big Bucks
Tech companies, relative newcomers to the game and reluctant to spend, still rely largely on their cool-kid cachet to sell their arguments, said a longtime adviser to the Net neutrality campaign.
“The other side has been showing up and lining pockets for years,” the lobbyist said. They “don’t win by accident. They don’t win because the facts are on their side. They see it as a marathon and not a sprint, and they invest.”
No Blog For You
February 15, 2008
CNN Producer Says He Was Fired for Blogging
Google Alert
February 15, 2008
Famously recomended:
Garrett Graff recently penned “The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web, and the Race for the White House.” This book is a must read that explores the political, economic and technological changes that Graff believes will make this years race for the White House a campaign of “new age.” [click here to watch him speak about his book at the Google headquarters]
Garrett M. Graff is also an editor at the Washingtonian magazine, where he covers the intersection of media and politics.
And if that wasn’t enough, he was the founding editor of one of Capitol Hill’s favorite blogs, Fishbowl D.C.
