politeness

Netflix has formed a political action committee called Flixpac, records show.

Under federal election rules, PACs are allowed to make donations directly to federal candidates of up to $5,000 per election.

The formation of Flixpac is just the latest sign that the technology sector is raising its profile on Capitol Hill. The news about Flixpac was first reported by Politico.

Politico wrote that Netflix's lobbying costs have gone from $20,000 in 2009 to $500,000 last year. The documents that Netflix filed with the government for its PAC were signed by Christopher Libertelli, hired in December as … Read more

Why must political seasons always be as fragrant as a raccoon's breath?

Agreeing to disagree seems to have all the popularity of dancing in a graveyard. Who, then, can but offer a snort of resignation that some underhanded nastiness has allegedly wafted over to Facebook?

Allegations are surfacing from the political swamp that supporters of one party are getting those of their rival party suspended from commenting on fan pages.

This alleged ruse was brought to my attention by Jon Kopp, the founder and president of Quality Epoxyin Gilbert, Ariz. He claims he has been banned by Facebook … Read more

AUSTIN, Texas--Former U.S. vice president Al Gore and Facebook's founding president Sean Parker argued passionately today that online communities must use the powerful tools at their disposal to save American democracy.

At South by Southwest (SXSW) here, Gore and Parker took the stage to tell an adoring crowd of several thousand that though they should be proud of the mass Internet activism that derailed the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), there is still a huge amount of work to be done if Americans want to keep special interests from perpetually forcing their agendas down society's throat.

Fortunately, … Read more

I am a crypto-fascist, proto-communist, middle-of-the-road liberal conservative.

I just wanted to embrace all eventualities, just in case any of my Facebook friends are reading this. For, it seems, that a significant proportion of Facebookers are surprised--perhaps even aghast--when their virtual friends reveal their politics.

This revelation--one that might be critical in determining the future of our nation--was offered by respondents to a Pew Study that analyzed the relationship between social networking and social notworking--aka politics.

Some 38 percent of Pew's sample were truly surprised that their friends delighted in, say, the idea that capital punishment should be visited … Read more

Apple's got a doozy of a feud going on with a Chinese company and the outcome may decide who owns the rights to the iPad brand name in the world's second biggest market.

That's not a typo. Pretty crazy but this is a crazy world and if the cards fall the wrong way, Apple conceivably could lose one of the world's most valuable trademarks in China. But first a brief recap.

Apple acquired the worldwide rights to the iPad trademark from Proview Technology in 2006. Four years later, Apple introduced the iPad and the product became … Read more

One shouldn't hold one's nose when politicians talk of space travel.

One should merely hold one's judgment until they've all finished and then simply emit whatever emotions might have built up in one's intestines over the minutes.

Tonight, the Republican presidential candidates debated in Jacksonville, Fla. It just so happens that jobs in Florida have flown many of its coops--and this just happens to be a state that has become a little synonymous with blasting off to the moon.

So here we had Newt Gingrich, squeezing himself gingerly into Neil Armstrong's boots. For yesterday … Read more

You might think that Facebook's millions of U.S. users would be a good resource for anyone who wants to get a sense of what people are thinking about politics in (almost) real time. The news site Politico clearly agrees, as it's just struck a partnership to measure the political sentiments of Facebook users.

Under the terms of the partnership, which was announced today, Politico readers will be given inside looks at the Facebook conversations taking place in advance of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary on January 21. It's not clear if the partnership extends beyond … Read more

It is entirely commendable that Silicon Valley's largest brains take time out from deciding which shade the color of money should be in order to become talk show hosts.

We had already enjoyed Google's Marissa Mayer boring into Lady Gaga's darkest depths.

Now I am delirious to learn to Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg will be stepping into the limelight to interview another large brain, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

I am pulsatingly grateful to TechCrunch for revealing this news, on receipt of an e-mail from Christie's office.

It is inevitable that many will wonder what … Read more

Is it possible that hacking has become slightly old hat?

Is it possible that the amorphous group called Anonymous has decided more direct action is necessary?

This might be the case, given a new YouTube video which has emerged from the very loose organization. This one attempts to rouse a disruption of the 2012 Iowa caucuses, traditionally the first in the election process.

In the video, which includes some quite hum-worthy music, the disguised narrator declares that both political parties have failed us.

He continues: "Both parties are desecrating the American democracy and committing crimes against humanity on behalf … Read more