Aside

Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri has passed away. All the major news outlets are covering the death of this intellectual, dissident high-ranking cleric in Iran. However, I’m obviously fascinated with Montazeri’s small role in Iran’s Internet history. As best as I can tell, this is the first example of the Islamic Republic’s getting involved in the Internet directly and going after a particular person directly, even through cybersquatting. Back in 2000, the Agence France Presse covered this interesting episode. Montazeri.com vs.…

I was asked to contribute some material for Al Jazeera English’s The Listening Post to talk about Iranian bloggers. Apparently this aired today. Sorry that my head is a little cut off — I haven’t shot much video on my MacBook.

The Economist, December 9 2009: Street traders can now accept credit cards—so long as you trust them THE economy might be cashless but people still use the stuff, if only to reimburse a colleague who bought their lunch or pay for a newspaper from a street vendor. Now a new device called Square that was launched on December 4th will enable individuals and small businesses to accept electronic payments by turning any device with an audio-input jack—such as a computer…

Dear Switzerland, You welcomed me with open arms as a child immigrant from 1997-1998. You unknowingly shaped my life in immeasurable ways. I attended your schools and played in your community bands. In short, I love the cheese and wine you produce, not to mention your beautiful landscapes. I’ve even made a lifelong friend. I get that you have this image of yourself of being all progressive and such. Sure, you helped broker the peace between the United States and…

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my piece on the world’s first custom-designed Islamic search engine, IMHalal.com, is airing this week on CBC’s Spark! It will be available on CBC Radio 1 at the following times: Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. (12:00 NT) Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 NT) If you find yourself outside the reach of the CBC’s antennae, feel free to listen to it online, here, or of course, via podcast.

I’m a little behind, but I just read Maziar Bahari’s account of his 118 days in an Iranian prison in Newsweek. It’s frightening to say the least, and confirms similar accounts I’ve heard by others who have had the pleasure of Evin Prison’s hospitality. Robert Mackey in The Lede blog writes: Mr. Bahari’s account of his 118 days in captivity offers a fascinating insight into the government’s attempts to understand and stifle the dissent that followed the election. It is…

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my piece on the recent UCLA conference on the 40th anniversary of the Internet is airing this week on CBC’s Spark! It will be available on CBC Radio 1 at the following times: Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. (12:00 NT) Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 NT) If you find yourself outside the reach of the CBC’s antennae, feel free to listen to it online, here, or of course, via podcast.

Remember the announcement earlier this summer about how a Silicon Valley company had patented podcasting? Not surprisingly, the EFF is none too thrilled about this: EFF and the law firm of Howrey, LLP aren’t willing to just sit by and watch. This patent could threaten the vibrant community of podcasters and millions of podcast listeners. We want to put a stop to it, but we need your help. The Volomedia patent covers “a method for providing episodic media.” It’s a…

The Associated Press, November 14 2009: TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has formed a special unit to monitor Web sites and fight Internet crimes, in a clear attack on an opposition that relies almost exclusively on online means to broadcast its message, local newspapers reported Saturday. Police Col. Mehrdad Omidi, who heads the Internet crime unit, said the committee will fight “insults and the spreading of lies,” terms widely used by the judiciary to describe opposition activities. “Given the spread of…

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my piece on the creation of the world’s longest California roll, is airing today on, appropriately enough, The California Report. It will be available on any of these stations (and their Internet streams): FRI – San Francisco – 4:30/6:30/11 pm Pacific – KQED – 88.5 FM – www.kqed.org SUN – Los Angeles – 10:30 pm Pacific – KPCC – 89.3 FM – www.kpcc.opg You can also find it on The California Report site later…