The Digital Home

Now that the election is over and Barack Obama enjoyed a landslide victory over John McCain, it's time we shift our focus from the past, to the future. Keeping in tradition with that mindset, it's also best that we forgo the use of Obama's campaign initiatives in developing a framework for the future. If presidential politics has taught us anything over the past 200 years, it's that what the candidates say on the campaign trail and what they do in the Oval Office is usually much different.

Rest assured that no one has any idea what the future will look like and it's difficult to say what President-elect Obama will do since the current macroeconomic conditions can change at any time.

But one thing is for sure: if we truly care about the vitality of the tech industry and want to see it stay as one of the most important sectors in our economy, status quo simply isn't going to do that.

Over the past five years, few companies in the tech industry have even considered an IPO in the U.S. thanks to draconian policies in the form of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that make it far too costly to be a public company in this country. And in the process, the government's fear of companies has made the U.S. far less competitive globally and American-based tech firms have felt that strain.

Realizing that, soon-to-be-President Obama needs to evaluate the economy and realize that the tech sector is being impacted heavily by laws that punish them for operating in the U.S. instead of encouraging them to expand their businesses here.

If he doesn't, the entire industry could be left in a dire position.

With election day fast approaching and Americans running to the polls to cast their vote for the next president of the United States, I thought it was an appropriate time to discuss when (if ever) technology will take center stage in American politics.

Maybe I have a vested interest in seeing technology take center stage in American politics. After all, I believe that it's the most important industry in the world, thanks to the Internet and the billions of dollars it generates for the economy each year, but I know many disagree. Some say that the health care industry matters more than technology and others believe the environmental industry takes the cake. Good arguments can be made for any industry, but I think more politicians need to see the value of technology.

The Internet is the lifeblood of the world. Without it, we would be thrown back into the Stone Age. Why? The world runs on it. In just a few short years, the Web has become as important to our lives as water. Can you imagine what would happen if the Internet suddenly disappeared? Almost every single company in the world would be crippled. The entire online industry would die in one day and the stock market would crash. We would be sent into financial turmoil and start fighting over scraps as supermarkets and stores became unable to communicate with vendors.

Now, I understand that and I'm betting you do too. But when will politicians finally realize that caring about technology really does matter and they can't just set it aside like it's a fringe concern?

Over the past few months, I've frequented a number of technology websites that have tried to sway public opinion by telling the world where the writer or the publication itself stands on an issue.

And while I have no problem when a technology publication informs its readers about a political issue relevant to the world of tech and subsequently tells those same readers where the politicians stand on the particular issue, I don't think it's a technology journalist's responsibility (or right) to opine on world affairs or the economy.

In fact, just as I don't talk to my readers about sports and politics because it's outside the parameters of my work, political and sports journalists shouldn't wax poetic about the world of technology.

To be quite honest, I think it's disgusting that journalists would use their pulpit as a vehicle to promote their own political views even though it has nothing to do with the industry they cover.

Bring on the dancers!

(Credit: ESA)

A story in The New York Times yesterday reports that the video game industry has finally woken up and realized that in order to stay strong going forward, it can't rely on 13-year-old pimple-faced kids to promote its agenda.

According to the report, Michael D. Gallagher, chief executive of the Entertainment Software Association, the industry's lobbying arm in Washington, told the Times that its political action committee (PAC) will be up and running by the end of March and will represent Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, among others.

We will be writing checks to campaigns by the end of this quarter," Mr. Gallagher said. "This is an important step in the political maturation process of the industry that we are ready to take now. This is about identifying and supporting champions for the game industry on Capitol Hill so that they support us."

Am I the only person who thinks it's about time this industry has woken up and realize that political payoffs are the only way to get somewhere in this country? If you want to finally destroy these idiots who think we should kill creativity in video games, look no further than your friendly congressman from the 10th district with his hat in hand.