26 Miles

How Washington Will Shape The Internet

// July 12th, 2006 // No Comments » // Business & Politics, Technology

MSNBC has an article discussing the bills before Congress that will impact the way, by whom, and how services are delivered over the Internet in the coming years.

From the article:

“After years of benign neglect, the Federal government is finally involved in the Internet – big time. And the decisions being made over the next few months will impact not just the future of the Web, but that of mass media and consumer electronics as well.”

Most interesting to me wasn’t the specifics of any particular piece of legislation, but the fact that Congress (and government in general) is becoming more involved in matters relating to the Internet. As commerce on the Internet grows, governments at all levels are playing catch-up with business when it comes to tapping the new revenue sources it can provide.

The author concludes with this:

“The final impetus for Washington may come when the Internet truly becomes our primary means of commerce, including electronic versions of anonymous cash. At that point, the Internet could become the largest potential tax-avoidance machine ever invented.”

The “Sales Tax” advantage of Internet purchases will soon become an historical relic of it’s early growth, and probably should be. Assuming governments provide additional services and tax relief in other areas, it could be a boon for more localized communities as well.

Michael Young Crowned All-Star MVP

// July 12th, 2006 // No Comments » // Life

The Rangers‘ Michael Young was crowned the All-Star Game MVP after hitting a go-ahead triple in the top of the 9th inning, ultimately giving the AL their 10th consecutive All-Star Game victory. Congratulations Michael and go Rangers!

Multi-Layer Security Platforms

// July 6th, 2006 // No Comments » // Security & Privacy

IT Observer has a good article on the changing face of information security and the new approaches that must be utilized to meet it.

From the article:

“…in recent years a number of factors have conspired to change the security landscape – dramatically and forever. Among others, these drivers include the growing ubiquity of communications services, the proliferation of information technology and applications, the emergence of regulatory compliance, and an escalating arms race with hackers. The result is that providing anything but a comprehensive degree of protection is not an option in today’s business and computing environment, where there is an ever increasing quantity of infrastructure and information to secure and a greater quantity, diversity, and intensity of threats to ward off.”

The author proposes a multi-layered approach as what defines “best-of-breed” among point products is constantly changing.

“…enterprises and managed security service providers alike should be embracing multi-layer security platforms – particularly those exhibiting high degrees of flexibility, performance, and cost effectiveness – as the new best-of-breed solution when it comes to securing enterprise computing environments.”

This article does a good job of describing the multifaceted nature of information security and poses a well-tested avenue of defense.