You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Remember Data.gov? The President does, and he has issued an executive order that should give the information portal a shot in the arm. Starting this week, new and modernized Government information systems should use open and machine readable formats by default, adhering to the guidelines of a new Open Data Policy. The policy requires agencies to use open, machine readable formats that are non-proprietary, publicly available and unrestricted, and aims to put useful data in the hands of US companies while increasing privacy and security.
According to the White House blog, this means new data will be served in CSV, XML, JSON and other machine readable formats, and will even be accessible via API in some situations. The White House hopes the new policy will help foster innovation. “There are private companies using open data to fight credit card fraud; consumers using open data to save on their energy bills; families leveraging open data to compare health care options; and a host of new apps and tools in areas ranging from public safety, to financial planning, to education, and more,” the blog explains. “We are very excited about the path ahead and can’t wait to see what new ideas and yet to be imagined innovations can be unlocked by increased access to open data.” Head past the break to read the executive order for yourself, and check out the source PDF for a peek at the new Open Data Policy.
Source: White House (1), (2), PDF (3)
Not that there was much doubt after yesterday, but President Obama has just officially nominated Tom Wheeler to be the next Chairman of the FCC. In a statement, outgoing Chairman Julius Genachowski says that he has known Wheeler personally and professionally for almost 20 years, and says that with his “deep policy expertise and his first-hand experience as a technology investor, he is a superb choice to advance the FCC’s mission of promoting innovation, investment, competition, and consumer protection.” Much of that experience comes from Wheeler’s role as a venture capitalist and lobbyist, which has up until now included spots on the boards of companies like Roundbox, UpdateLogic, Twisted Pair Solutions, EarthLink and TNS — plus previous tenures at both the NCTA and CTIA. He’s also been publicly commenting on a range of issues on his Mobile Musings blog, which saw its last entry in December of last year. As expected, current FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as interim Chair pending Wheeler’s confirmation.
Filed under: Misc
Woo, boy. You know those National Security Letters that the FBI has been issuing at its own discretion — the ones Google has been doing its best to track? Judge Susan Illston of Federal District Court in San Francisco just found ’em unconstitutional. As the story goes, NSLs arrive from the factory with a gag order on the recipient, and as Illston sees it, forbidding the recipient from “disclosing that they had received such an order.” So, she’s suggesting that the whole thing should be banned under the First Amendment.
Moreover, she’s ordering the US government to stop enforcing the gag provision in any lingering cases, though she reportedly “stayed her order for 90 days to give the government a chance to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.” Needless to say, the move comes as a blow to the existing administration’s surveillance practices, but something tells us this isn’t the last word we’ll be hearing on the matter. Hit up the links below for a look at the decision.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The New York Times
Source: Wired
President Obama lashed at the Patent Trolls during his Google+ Hangout and said that his administration’s attempts at patent reforms had only gone about half way of where they should have been. In response to an entrepreneur, who raised concerns about her friends being afraid of starting new businesses because of patent trolls, President Obama said “They don’t actually produce anything themselves. They are essentially trying to leverage and hijack somebody else’s idea and see if they can extort some money out of them.” (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Acrylicize Walls Up With LEGO Minifigs, Nikon Lenses Major Rebate Plan For Announced,
Before President Barack Obama gave his State of the Union and shouted out 3D printing, he signed a new cybersecurity executive order with the goal of preventing cyber attacks by allowing companies and the government to share information they have on cyber threats. More »
It’s not quite as traditional as baseball and apple pie, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Following last year’s success, Google is once again hosting a Presidential Google+ chat days after the State of the Union address, on February 14th at 4:50PM Eastern. The Fireside Hangout will see President Obama answer the most voted-for questions from Americans live, with a seasoned panel joining him for the discussion. It’s arguably one of our better chances at getting answers about policies that we wouldn’t get from a formal speech — as such, those who can put aside nostalgia for old-fashioned Fireside Chats will likely get their fill at the source link.
Source: Google Official Blog
There are a number of amazing gigapixel inaugortation images kicking around the web, but this one is by far our favorite—because it lets you tag anyone you recognize via Facebook. More »
It ain’t easy being the leader of the free world. This is true on the face of the President of the United States of America Barack Obama and all the previous Presidents as well. Once you land the gig of head American honcho, the hair starts going gray, the wrinkles start getting deeper and life looks like it has squashed itself on your once GQ-worthy face. More »
Barack Obama is our president sequel, but more importantly, this photo. Duck face. Frog case. First place. Space race. Make haste. More »
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