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New Frontiers in Campaigning

Aug 122008

The Bush era may have created a polarized political environment, but the differences between Obama and McCain are more than political. Increasingly voters are asked to consider the socio-cultural differences between the candidates, whether it be age, race, ideology, or some other factor.

Two recent stories illustrate this trend.

First, and close to my nerdy heart, here is an analysis of Obama’s recent announcement that SMS and Email would be the information medium of choice for his upcoming VP announcement. It’s a move that simultaneously galvanizes young voters, for whom SMS in particular is a primary method of communication, and functions as a kind of pot-shot at McCain’s less than sophisticated utilization of technology.

Second, NPR takes penetrating news analysis to a new level with this story about the candidates top music choices. This kind of thing also appeals to a younger crowd, for whom musical preferences are a way of creating personal identity. In this regard, I wonder how McCain’s choice of ABBA–twice–will resonate.

Should the President Twitter?

Culture 4 Responses »

Aug 032008

As a computer nerd who nevertheless has a strange love of LPs and dusty old books, I found this article interesting. Here are a couple of highlights:

While 73 percent of American adults use the Internet (only 35 percent 65 or older), according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, it’s likely that many of them would rather have a president who can get Osama bin Laden than get online. And there is a common belief that says being president should be more a “vision” job than a “management” job, and that the clutter of a digital life can only distract from the Big Picture and Deep Thoughts a leader should be concerned with. In other words, would we really want a president “friending” from the Oval Office, scouring Wikipedia for information on Iran’s nuclear program or fielding e-mail from someone claiming to be “Nigerian general” seeking an American bank account for embezzled millions?

Computers have become something of a cultural marker — in politics and in the real world. Proficiency with them suggests a basic familiarity with the day-to-day experience of most Americans — just as ignorance to them can suggest someone is “out of touch,” or “old.”

“I do understand the importance of the computer,” Mr. McCain reassured in The San Francisco Chronicle last week. “I understand the importance of the blogs.” He said, “I am forcing myself — let me put it this way, I am using the computer more and more every day.” But keeping up with technology “doesn’t mean that I have to e-mail people,” he said. “Now, I read e-mails.” The staff is “constantly showing them to me as the news breaks during the day.”

Read the whole thing.

Sharing Large Files

Software 4 Responses »

Jul 312008

A friend and I recently ran into a little problem: we wanted to share files with each other, but the files in question were larger than could be sent via email. Sure you can mail a CD, or meet up for coffee with a USB drive, but those options require both time and trouble.

Enter Drop.io. It’s a simple, private, password-protected file-sharing service that allows individuals or groups to exchange data quickly and safely over the internet. You “drop” your data in a folder with either a randomized name, or a name of your choosing, then send the link to whoever you want to access the data. You can set password protection, automatic deletion dates, and a variety of different permissions (view, view/add, or view/add/delete). Furthermore, drop.io provides a variety of different interfaces by which you can interact with its services: Web, email, phone, fax, and even a desktop widget. Even Twitter-integration is provided for those seasoned in the Web 2.0 world.

You can create as many drops as you like, though individual drops are limited to 100mb at the moment. All drops are anonymous (that’s right, you don’t even have to create an account!). Upgrades are available at $10 per gigabyter per year.