Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Update on TSA Metastasizing

Posted on January 22, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Update to TSA Metastasizing, the item on American Airlines demanding intrusive personal info from EFF's Cory Doctorow at Heathrow, and then being unable to explain why they wanted it or how they would keep: Ryan Singel writes to AA and gets a reply. Trouble is, as Cory Doctorow explains, it's a pretty weaselly reply.

Posted in National Security | 1 Comment

Fascinating Article in NYT on Road Design. Yes, Road Design.

Posted on January 22, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

A Path to Road Safety With No Signposts. This profile of Dutch road safety engineer Hans Monderman is the most interesting article I've read in the New York Times in quite a while. At least in civilized countries like the Netherlands, roads in suburbs are safer without many signs and without sidewalks. It doesn't work for highways, and it may not work for the most built-up urban centers, but in mid-density areas,

To make communities safer and more appealing, Mr. Monderman argues, you should first remove the traditional paraphernalia of their roads – the traffic lights and speed signs; the signs exhorting drivers to stop, slow down and merge; the center lines separating lanes from one another; even the speed bumps, speed-limit signs, bicycle lanes and pedestrian crossings. In his view, it is only when the road is made more dangerous, when drivers stop looking at signs and start looking at other people, that driving becomes safer.

“All those signs are saying to cars, 'This is your space, and we have organized your behavior so that as long as you behave this way, nothing can happen to you,' ” Mr. Monderman said. “That is the wrong story.”

Instead of a regulated, dirigiste system, Mr. Monderman promotes roads that permit a decentralized self-organizing traffic system.

“This is social space, so when Grandma is coming, you stop, because that's what normal, courteous human beings do,” he said.

Spain, Denmark, Austria, Sweden and Britain are trying it out, and the EU is doing a Europe-wide study.

The idea of running traffic a bit like the Internet — a self-organized anarchy working within the guidelines of set basic standards — is intensely appealing. It's also safe, at least in Europe: “there has never been a fatal accident on any of [Monderman's] roads.”

Of course, whether this could work in lawless Miami, where as Dave Barry once said 'everyone drives according to the laws of his home country,' is a different question.

Posted in Sufficiently Advanced Technology | 4 Comments

Death to the Washington Monument Ploy!

Posted on January 21, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

One of the enduring mysteries of our time is how the media can fall for the Washington Monument Ploy time and time again. It's as bad as Lucy, Charlie Brown, and that football.

If only they would read Mark Schmitt, The Decembrist: How to Read a Bush Budget — A Rerun.

Posted in The Media | Comments Off on Death to the Washington Monument Ploy!

Winning Hearts and Minds in Iraq

Posted on January 21, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Every day, we're getting better in every way, and yes, the good news is that they just love us in Iraq.

Or, then again, maybe not: When even your hand-picked cabinet members resign in disgust, you're really doing great.

Posted in Iraq | 2 Comments

FSU To Open Chiropractic School (Probably)

Posted on January 21, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

It's not a science; in fact it's more like a cult or a religion. But it is covered by my health insurance. And FSU up in Tallahassee may soon have an entire school devoted to it, now that our esteemed state legislature has voted funds for an FSU Chiropractic College.

Needless to say, the FSU faculty are not happy to find the legislature giving them this surprise gift. Several of the biggest names on campus have threatened to resign. It's all a glorious political mess, and there's even a special-purpose blog to tell us all about it: FSUblius.

Posted in Florida | 11 Comments

Smart Counter-Programming Idea for CNN

Posted on January 20, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

It's amazing that half the country votes Democratic, and yet no network wants to cater to this huge market.

The American Street » How CNN can Beat Fox.

If CNN wants to take over the news business again, they have one choice to make. And that is to be unrelentingly antagonistic toward the Bush administraton and the Republican party establishment.

This will generate a lot of attacks, whining, and complaining from the rightwing media machine. It may even generate a boycott of the network by the GOP, and/or a freeze out by the Bush administration.

If it does, that is 100% solid ratings gold for CNN. Nothing generates publicity like controversy. And nothing sends people rushing for their remotes to tune into your network like the prospect of fireworks.

Be honest. Do you tune in to watch American Idol to see some great feats of vocal gymnsatics? Or to see who will be the next William Hung?

CNN should summarily fire every one of its sycophantic, boring reporters, and hire evey liberal, entertaining, anti-Bush firebrand they can find. Do story and after story after story on the latest way Bush is screwiong America and the world. Hire Al Franken, John Stewart, Joe Conason, Ed Schultz, and Bob Somerby. Tell people that if they want balance, they should become buddhists.

You can bet that every network, and major newspaper will write editorials denouncing CNN, and attacking them. Howie Kurtz will have a connyption! Advertisers will pull out. The establishment will run for the hills. But you can also bet that CNN will no longer be hemorraging viewers.

People will tune in. And when they do, a market for anti-GOP, anti-Bush news will be born.

I accept as given that more Democrats want a more balanced, reality-based, news program than people from the Other Party, indeed like something that challenges them from time to time. But that can't be true of all Democrats — just as the opposite isn't close to true of all Republicans. But even so, that should leave a big narrowcasting market of red-meat Democrats.

Note that this is an argument against interest: I can't stand Air America any more than Air Fox.

Posted in The Media | 9 Comments