Chaotic & Disturbing: a view of Katrina from France

Being in France starting my first week of Insead business school has been strange enough. But reading about Katrina and the aftermath in New Orleans on the web in France, without much access to television, has felt so distant. (listen to this week's activefree podcast.)

I finally started hearing about how intense some of the conflict has been between people, with major race and class overtones, over the last few days.

I just talked with my father, who had just finished listening to the "This American Life" episode called "After the Flood," and he basically said he felt more disturbed than he has in a long time.

I was already a bit nervous for my country, but it feels even more intense being so far away, with so much violence and sadness at home.

Tshirts and Rhythm: "Free the White Booty"

Check out the "Free the White Booty" website, with links to buy tshirts, tote bags, and more from the Cafe Press store.

With testimonials from folks of all shapes and colors, and some words of wisdom for the cause, you gotta check out the site and get your FTWB gear.

Band Breaks Up, Final Show Thursday!

After 5 years of negotiating work/life balance in the big city, months of long drives to shows in 11 states, and countless emails trying to work out our differences, the time has come to share the unfortunate and heartbreaking news with our loving fans... yes, the rumors are true... my band is breaking up .... and like so many artists before .... going to business school outside of Paris.

Luckily, before the band breaks up, you have one last chance to see the Free Culture show in rare form!

Thursday, July 21st at 8pm
Bowery Poetry Club ($6)
308 Bowery b/w Houston & Bleeker
(F train to Second Ave, or 6 train to Bleecker)
212.614.0505

Come out for the last NYC gig! And have a drink with the band after the show!

The Transition to Digital TV and affordable Wireless Broadband

Below is an email worth reading from the New America Foundation. I've met Michael Calabrese, and he's a pragmatic thinker who's genuinely committed to broadening open, unlicensed spectrum to benefit citizens and the economy.

Senate Testimony Outlines New America Foundation Plan to Speed the DTV Transition and Jump-start Affordable Wireless Broadband

WASHINGTON, DC (July 12, 2005) -- Seeking testimony from affected industries and consumer groups, the Senate Commerce Committee today held two hearings to examine issues concerning America’s transition to Digital Television (DTV). At this afternoon’s session, New America Vice President Michael Calabrese argued that a credible “hard deadline” for channel clearance would ensure $15 to $30 billion in auction revenue for returned TV band channels, enough to allow Congress to make three policy investments with long-term benefits for the general public:

1. A broad-based converter box rebate that ensures all households that still rely on analog over-the-air reception are not abandoned by a DTV switchover.

A means-tested compensation program is neither administratively practical nor fair. Using only a fraction of auction revenue, Congress could offer at least one rebate to each household. Any rebate should allow consumers to choose between a converter box, a new digital TV, or even a satellite dish or cable set-top box.

2. The reallocation of 20 of the 60 MHz of spectrum available for wireless services to unlicensed broadband networks, as well as the opening of unassigned DTV channels in each market for sharing by low-power unlicensed devices.

The U.S. has fallen from 3rd to 16th in broadband adoption worldwide. Calabrese recommended that Congress address this “broadband gap” by using the DTV transition to encourage both licensed and unlicensed wireless broadband networks as competitive alternatives to wireline cable and DSL offerings.

3.The earmarking of TV band auction revenue in excess of the CBO “score” into a trust fund to help finance the digital future of public broadcasting and e-learning technologies.

The auction of the public’s airwaves should be used to capitalize a trust fund to finance ongoing investments in both educational public media and e-learning content and applications. New America Foundation recommends that Congress includes the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust (DOIT) legislation as part of a DTV transition bill.

Full text of this testimony is available on our website:
http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2460_1.pdf

Remix Hotel Panel on Saturday

After participating in a panel with DJ Spooky last month at the Chelsea Art Museum, I was invited by Jo-Ann Nina of Shocklee Entertainment to be on a panel at the Remix Hotel NYC this Saturday June 4th at 3:30pm. It should be a great conversation about copyright, with a diverse mix of opinions. Come out and check it out...

People include: HANK SHOCKLEE (Music Industry Executive, Producer, Founder of Public Enemy), ROSE MEADE HART (Attorney, Copyright & Trademark - Mary J. Blige, MC Lyte, Frank Sinatra, Shaggy), SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN (Media scholar, historian, author of "Anarchist in the Library" & "Copyrights, Copywrongs"), COLIN MUTCHLER (Director of activefreemedia.org, Creative Commons Advocate, Musician, Media Artist), ATOSSA KIA (Attorney, Copyright & Trademark, Webcasts, Formal counsel for Sony Music Entertainment).

SAE Institute of Technology, NYC Campus
Herald Square, 1293 Broadway, 9th Floor
Sixth Ave @ W 34th - at the top of the Daffy's/Staples building