ICANN Nixes Google Quest for Dotless Domains

Slipping quietly under the radar on a dog day Friday was some interesting tech news. ICANN, a/k/a "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers," recently voted to turn down Google's request for "dotless domains" that the Mountain View company could introduce and own. The story was reported earlier today in theverge.com.

"Http://cloud" was one domain Google had requested. The intention, in this case, was to direct users to a "user-specified" cloud services platform.

Theverge.com story notes that other firms share Google's lust for control of selected top-level domain names. Amazon, for example, has made its interest known for control of ".book" and ".amazon". It doesn't seem far-fetched to envision famous enterprises such as the Yankees or entertainers such as Jay-Z requesting top-level domain names. Hey, dot-(name your religion), anyone?

Feds Award IBM $1 Billion Cloud Computing Contract

IBM, which howled when Obama Administration-friendly Amazon won a lucrative CIA cloud computing contract, recently won a consolation prize from the federal government. Big Blue won a 10-year, $1 billion deal to provide the Interior Department with cloud computing services. The Interior pie was divided up more or less equally among a number of DC corporate power players, including Lockheed Martin, Verizon, and ATT. The story, originally posted by Bloomberg News, appeared in today's siliconvalley.com.

Why the Interior Department needs a multi-billion dollar, long-term investment in cloud computing was not stated. However, what has become evident is the federal government's role in creating the new millenium's version of the military-industrial complex. This juggernaut requires that tech heavyweights get de facto government subsidies via sweetheart contracts, often generated through corrupt business dealings. As long as Americans remain enthralled with technology and "the promise of tomorrow" (whatever that means), this corrosive situation is unlikely to change.

Sandberg's LeanIn.Org to Its Interns: Work For Free

Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg's nonprofit foundation, Leanin.org, recently posted for a part-time intern to assist its editorial guru Jessica Bennett. Apparently, Ms. Sandberg's associate thought free labor was her entitlement: a foundation spokesperson later noted in a statement quoted in a Los Angeles Times story on the contretemps that Leanin.org "has enjoyed the participation of part-time volunteers to help us advance our education and peer support programs."

Keep in mind that Ms. Sandberg recently cashed in over $90 million in Facebook stock. Surely her nonprofit venture, which managed to find a healthy compensation package for Jessica Bennett, could find at least a minimum wage salary for a part-timer.

The moral of the story? Women who "lean in" promptly get "pushed out." Is that the legacy Sandberg wants to create?

Chicago's O'Hare Airport Goes "Animal"

Llama at O'Hare Airport
(Image:redeyechicago.com)

I fly in and out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport every so often. My arrivals and departures are typically uneventful affairs. I certainly don't expect to see llamas near the runway. Yet, according to a story in today's Chicago Tribune, live animals help manicure the airport's grassy areas that humans prudently avoid.

The creatures who feast on O'Hare's apparently fertile grounds include sheep, goats, and burros, as well as llamas. I'll admit that catching a glimpse of an animal associated with the Andes Mountains on the airport's restricted areas seems like a mirage. However, there's a resourcefulness in O'Hare "going animal" that I admire. The alternative -- dull, machine cutting -- hardly seems like an option at all.

"Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" Star Haji -- RIP

Canadian actress Haji
(Image: cbc.ca)

In 1965, movie directors still had the ability to both shock and amuse their audiences. This knack seemed connected to the Ed Wood school of directing; any glimpse into Luis Bunuel's more outrageous montages was purely coincidental. Russ Meyer's circa mid-1960s films fit this profile to a T.

His movies were testaments to comic bad taste and soft core porn. One of his best known features was Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Haji, the actress who played a leading role in the movie, recently passed away; an obit was published in today's online editions of the BBC. However, a much more fun obit, and one more in tune with Meyer's world, appeared in The National Enquirer. The tabloid's piece includes video trailers that capture Haji's screen presence and Meyer's sense of ribald humor. They're great guilty pleasures to watch.

Fukushima Radioactivity Again Reaches "Emergency" Status

Fish Caught Near Fukushima, 2013
(Image: LA Times)

In 2011, nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, became radioactive disaster areas, courtesy of an earthquake and subsequent catastrophic tsunami. The Japanese government and the facility's corporate ownership have tripped over themselves in their desperate flight from their failed Faustian bargain with nuclear energy. The grim scenario has recently become even bleaker, as radioactive groundwater is building up without any obvious exit except one: the Pacific Ocean.

A recent BBC story notes the evident alarm Japanese prime minister Abe's government feels at this most unwelcome turn of events. This environmental disaster continues largely unabated, without any clear solution. It wasn't so long ago when many, including President Obama, were touting nuclear power's promise. That song has changed, hopefully for keeps.

Average Silicon Valley House Costs $1 Million

A story in today's Mercury News notes that the average price of a Santa Clara County home now costs a cool million dollars. The county is the heart of Silicon Valley and its legion of tech zillionaires. The area now rivals the moated areas of Manhattan and Miami Beach as among the country's most expensive residential real estate.

As for the other 99% of Americans, well...there's always $11 per hour jobs "middle class" jobs at Amazon warehouses.

Auction to Feature "Maltese Falcon" Statuette

The "dingus" (a/k/a "The Maltese Falcon"
(image: bonhams.com)

If you're in New York on November 25th and have money needing something to do, see if you can become a bidder for the statuette featured in the movie The Maltese Falcon. Sam Spade's "dingus" will be auctioned, along with other items from motion pictures past and (sometimes) remembered. Bogie's "bird" will be as plain as the creature that served as the dramatic vehicle for the eponymous 1941 film. No diamonds, no precious jewels, no gold will appear on the falcon. Instead, you'll find those items among the prospective buyers at this special event conducted by the auction house Bonham's.

Just don't try to outbid the fat man.

Justice Dept to Apple: Open iPhone and iPad to Amazon.com apps

The Washington Post reported that a recent US District Court ruling against Apple has opened the legal door for the Amazon-friendly Department of Justice and a majority of the nation's state attorneys-general to make commercial demands on the late Steve Jobs' company. The government's brief included demands that Apple open its e-book store to competitors' links. This is supposedly being done so that consumers can have access to "competitive pricing."

However, the Feds' Amazon-friendly lawyers didn't stop there. The demand expands the judge's intent to include any digitial and print content, including video, streaming movies, printed books, and music. It's clear that the DOJ's demand, as Apple attorneys noted, goes well beyond the district court's ruling. The DOJ's broadside's impact obviously benefits Amazon, under the guise of "helping consumers." The Justice Department brief did not mention the data collection Amazon and others would be able to reap as a result of opening Apple's walled shopping garden. There's money -- big money -- in the data, as Amazon has amply demonstrated. I suppose the DOJ was absent from that presentation.

The story, unsurprisingly, was reported on a slow news summer Friday. Most media outlets, including Silicon Valley and Seattle outlets, played down the story's implications, with the The New York Times' ho-hum account of the episode doing the light lifting for many mainstream publications. The irony is that Amazon has experienced a fabulous week with Barack Obama and friends, and no one really wants to ask why.

Here's this week's Obama Administration-Amazon scorecard:

• President Obama visits an Amazon warehouse, touting its $11/hour jobs as an entry point to the middle-class. The story gets national coverage.
• POTUS 44 offers Amazon a one-on-one interview exclusive.
• The interview is available for free via amazon.com as an "Amazon Single". (Does anyone think it's available at Apple or Barnes & Noble?)
• The DOJ hammers Apple's content merchandising advantage and essentially demands that Apple accept becoming a free gateway and data collector for Amazon sales.

If Mitt Romney or George W. Bush had shown such blatant favortism to a corporation, liberals would have screamed. They're notably silent on the Amazon issue, perhaps because they're addicted to shiny Kindles.

Again, I ask the question: Why is President Obama and his administration so tight with Jeff Bezos' Amazon?