Tuesday, January 04, 2022

Hmmm....Here's part of the last paragraph, ". . .and I still am amazed each day that anyone pays any attention at all, let alone contributes to the discussions we have here. The community -- of which you reading this are a key part -- is integral to what makes Techdirt so much fun for me. You challenge me, make me think, introduce me to new ideas, help me explore impossibly challenging subjects, and just generally push me and the rest of Techdirt to be better.

So thank you, once again, for making Techdirt such a special and wonderful place where we can share and discuss all of these ideas.

I look forward to whatever happens as we enter 2022."

Doing a better job is it?

New Year's Message: The Arc Of The Moral Universe Is A Twisty Path

Techdirt

from the twisty-little-passages,-all-alike dept

Fri, Dec 31st 2021 9:00am — Mike Masnick

"As long term readers of Techdirt know, each year since 2008 my final post of the year has been a kind of reflection on optimism. This tradition started after I had a few people ask how come it seemed that I was so optimistic when I seemed to spend all my time writing about scary threats to innovation, the internet, and civil liberties. And there is an odd contradiction in there, but it's one that shows up among many innovation optimists. I'm reminded of Cory Doctorow's eloquent response to those who called internet dreamers like John Perry Barlow "techno utopians."

You don’t found an organization like the Electronic Frontier Foundation because you are sanguine about the future of the internet: you do so because your hope for an amazing, open future is haunted by terror of a network suborned for the purposes of spying and control.

And to some extent, my own thinking follows along those lines. I can see amazing, astounding opportunities to continue to make the world a better place through the power of the internet and innovation. I also think we have a bit of amnesia about just how much good the internet and innovation have already created for the world. But, that doesn't mean we get to stop thinking about ways in which it might go wrong.

If you'd like to read the past years' New Year's Messages, here's the full list:

2008: On Staying Happy
2009: Creativity, Innovation And Happiness
2010: From Pessimism To Optimism... And The Power Of Innovation
2011: From Optimism And Innovation... To The Power To Make A Difference
2012: Innovation, Optimism And Opportunity: All Coming Together To Make Real Change
2013: Optimism On The Cusp Of Big Changes
2014: Change, Innovation And Optimism, Despite Challenges
2015: Keep Moving Forward
2016: No One Said It Would Be Easy...
2017: Keep On Believing
2018: Do Something Different
2019: Opportunities Come From Unexpected Places
2020: Make The World A Better Place

Just a few months ago in a conversation with some friends in the tech policy world, I had to admit I was kind of surprised at how defeated they sounded. With dozens of laws being proposed (and a few getting passed) around the globe, at the federal level, and at the state level, there was a sense of despair among many internet supporters, that the good parts of the internet were on their last legs. I can understand where this thinking is coming from, and yet... even with all that, I remain optimistic. That's not to say I don't expect any of the bad laws to go into practice and destroy some of the value of the internet. I'm pretty sure a few such laws are likely to happen, and the consequences of them will be bad.

But, perhaps I've reached the age where I recognize that there is no "end of history" and no final state of things. These very bad ideas may come into play, but the internet is amazingly resilient in routing around such nonsense, one way or another, over time. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous quote is that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." A similar kind of thing can be said about innovation. How it plays out may take quite a while, but it tends towards improving the world.

That's not to say that there aren't setbacks and problems and disasters -- because obviously there are. But a key part of innovation is not just the act of creating something new and useful and getting it adopted by the world, but rather having society learn to adapt to it. I'm reminded of Clay Shirky discussing the innovation of the printing press, and how there was about a century of upheaval over that bit of innovation, until society really began to grapple with its power. Obviously, the internet has taken that to an entirely new level, and society is still very much adjusting.

Indeed, as we've noted repeatedly, many of the "problems" that are now blamed on the internet are actually problems that have existed in society for centuries that we just see more now because of the internet. I am still waiting for people to do a better job breaking down which of the problems commonly associated with the internet today are actually just the internet shining a light on existing problems v. exacerbating or creating them (and also weighing those against which societal problems have actually diminished thanks to the internet -- because that's a long list as well).

But, in the end, I have faith that society itself adapts. Not always neatly, and certainly not without many (potentially extremely problematic) mistakes. But society adapts. And the innovation drives it forward: not in a straight line, not without trips and falls, but eventually.

Indeed, despite the mess of the last few years -- and especially "the narrative" that "everyone hates the internet" -- I've been seeing more and more recognition that there are opportunities to return to an optimism about tech. Over the summer, I wrote about the concept of the Eternal October, bringing back an optimistic view of how tech and innovation can be good, but with the humility and wisdom gleaned from the mistakes of the past couple of decades.

History doesn't end. It just teaches us more lessons. The question is what do we do with those lessons.

I've spent the past few months exploring these concepts more and more, and in the New Year expect to see a lot more writing on this. I've been talking to lots of people who are legitimately exploring ways to turn today's innovation into something a lot more promising than it is, and it has me more excited than I've been in a while. And that's even with all of the nonsense happening among policy makers and regulators around the world. Even as they do whatever it is that they do, actual innovators are heads down working on creating a better world.

More specific to what's been happening here at Techdirt and the Copia Institute, we've been engaged in a number of different policy discussions to try to prevent governments from making things worse. The Copia Institute officially launched our Copia Gaming initiative (and we've been really busy on that front so stay tuned for a bunch of exciting announcements). We've also got some fun changes for Techdirt itself in store -- including a big one that has been over two years in the making, but where we finally see some light at the end of a tunnel.

This year, we also took all third-party ads off the site as well as all Google tracking (at some point next week, we'll do our annual stats review -- but for the first time without using Google Analytics, since that's gone). Of course, that also means that we're more reliant than ever on having our community support us, so please consider supporting the work we do if you can. A few months back, we finally moved on from our own homemade "Insider Chat" and launched the Techdirt Insider Discord, which has been tremendous fun -- and we've got more planned for that too.

Siegel: Nothing in the Bond Market Is Attractive

Monday, January 03, 2022

$PORT$ BU$INE$$ ARIZONA: Phoenix Suns Sharp-Shooter Devon Booker Sets His Sights on Being A Billionaire Investor

Profile in Forbes

Where -- "The 25-year-old has picked up stakes in seven startups since signing a five-year, $158 million contract extension with the Phoenix Suns in 2018, including deals last year with sports video companies Overtime and Buzzer and convenience store delivery app GoPuff.

Most recently, Booker, who is making $31.7 million in salary this season and another $8 million annually from endorsement deals with brands like Nike and video game Call of Duty, participated in a funding round for luxury watch marketplace WatchBox, announced in November.

The shooting guard, named to Forbes’ 2022 30 Under 30 list in the sports category, has already shown he can be a quick study.

Daily Cover|

Jan 2, 2022,06:30am EST|Devin Booker, Already An NBA Star, Is Heating Up As An Investor

Devin Booker, Already An NBA Star, Is Heating Up As An Investor

The Phoenix Suns guard has turned his basketball career into a crash course on business.

Now comes the fun part.

Brett Knight Forbes Staff Sports Money | the business of sports

Forbes | 2022-01-02

"When Devin Booker was joining the Global Ambassador hotel project in Phoenix last year, he was invited onto a call to go over the business plan. It was his first commercial real estate investment, but as an NBA All-Star and one of the city’s most famous faces, he wasn’t expected to do much more than offer a quick hello.

As the discussion of legal minutiae stretched past an hour—then two, then three—he certainly would have been forgiven if he’d left his manager or lawyer to mop up. Booker, though, stayed on. And stayed on. And stayed on—even while taking a Covid-19 test and then for at least another 30 minutes in his car as he waited to head into practice.

“His desire to be a businessman and learn about business and investments at that young an age was something I had not heard before, not seen before,” says Jim Reynolds, Booker’s advisor and business partner. “Not like that.”

Now, having invested his time learning about business, Booker is starting to invest his dollars...Starting with virtually zero financial knowledge, Booker knew that he would have to work just as hard off the court. Almost from the moment he turned pro, he has asked his older teammates for business advice. He sought out Reynolds, the CEO and chairman of Chicago-based investment banking firm Loop Capital. . .

[...] Johnson says Booker was a “sponge.” And he is starting to act on the advice, with a particular interest in playing a hands-on role in his investments. Reynolds lays out the template going forward: “Every company that he buys he will have a significant stake in. He will fully be integrated into the finance and operations and leadership of that company. He’ll sit on the board of directors, if not be chairman of the board of directors.”

> They have put that plan into practice as co-owners of coconut-water sports drink COCO5, with Booker making a seven-figure commitment as one of the lead investors in a deal that closed over the summer. They immediately moved the startup’s headquarters from Chicago to Arizona, to be closer to Booker, and he has stayed busy interacting with local retailers and weighing in on marketing campaigns and a packaging redesign, in addition to promoting the company on social media and in stores. He will also play a part interviewing and hiring the new leadership at the company, which Reynolds says projects to grow rapidly from less than $5 million in revenue in 2021.

> Booker tracked down Sam Fox, an 11-time James Beard Award semifinalist for outstanding restaurateur who has major street cred in Phoenix, when he learned he was developing the Global Ambassador, a 141-room food-focused hotel that is on track to open in late 2023. Fox hopes to attract visiting NBA players and baseball players in town for spring training as guests and has solicited Booker’s input about tailoring rooms to athletes, including the size of the beds and the height of the shower heads and doorways. Booker, who signed on in the spring with a seven-figure investment, has also shared feedback from his travels on the elements of a successful private members’ club. Best of all for Booker, the hotel is being built next door to the Suns’ practice complex, so he can check on his investment every day.

Even with his more traditional endorsements, Booker wants to roll up his sleeves.

“You get approached by all these companies that try to, I’d say, control the narrative or push out what they want to,” he says.

> That led him to launch a creative studio, Book Projects, in October to route his brand collaborations through and ensure the products that bear his name maintain a consistent design aesthetic. The first project was a couple of basketball courts he renovated in his hometown, Moss Point, Mississippi, with the backing of 2K Foundations, and he’s now working on his fourth, a collaboration with SCUF, which makes high-end gaming controllers.

Booker says he’s always aspired to be an entrepreneur, and to avoid being labeled a “dumb jock.” . .“He really wants to make sure that his money lives as long as he does,” Reynolds says, adding, “What he’s learning and where he’s starting, there is no doubt in my mind he’ll be a billionaire.”

Booker isn’t setting his sights quite so high—not yet, anyway—but he is thinking seriously about his future.

“I want to play for a very long time,” he says. But, he adds, “I’m worried about life after basketball and building businesses that will be here once the ball stops bouncing.”

IT HAPPENED! Elon Musk & NASA FINALLY Reveal New Light Speed Engine 2022

KISS-AND-DO TELL: Both Sides Now for Arizona Senator Sinema | Blog for Arizona

Intro: A report by Larry Bovine doing a switch-up from the lavender-haired fashionista persona to a more mainstream image adopted for a year-end review... Spoiler Alert: She's no John McCain!

Image change for public consumption

Senator Sinema Takes Credit for Biden Accomplishments, Most of Which She Blocked

By Larry Bodine|2022-01-01T17:13:36-07:00January 2nd, 2022|AZ Politics|

In a galling year-end video, Senator Kyrsten Sinema recounts her accomplishments in 2021, taking credit for the Biden Build Back Better agenda, which she actively sabotaged.

Sinema is noticeably dressed-up for a grown-up audience, abandoning purple hair, skin-tight dresses, and “fuck off” ring.

She takes credit for Katie Hobbs’ work as Arizona Secretary of State, who certified Arizona’s election results.
She takes credit for President Biden’s work promoting vaccines.
In a slap to Biden and a nod to Republicans, she says she wants “to help solve this crisis on our border and hold the administration accountable.” Last May, she had the nerve to say she wanted “Biden to ‘actually address’ the ‘Border Crisis.'”
She wrapped herself in John McCain’s “big legacy,” saying she introduced the Rio Reimagined project, to improve water systems and connect Arizona river communities.
Remember when 5 Veterans Quit Kyrsten Sinema’s Advisory Council in disgust? They were appalled at Sinema’s kowtowing to corporate donors instead of ordinary Arizonans. In the video, Sinema has the audacity to talk up her support for providing telehealth to veterans.

To be sure, she helped pass the historic infrastructure law, but only after blocking the rest of the Biden agenda while kissing up to Republicans.

She does not mention supporting the Senate filibuster, which has stymied the Build Back Better agenda. She ignores the protestors who charge that she catered to fossil fuel executives and undermined the reconciliation package to combat the climate emergency. She says nothing about how she used the filibuster to block the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

Sinema is no John McCain. instead, she is a right-wing Democrat who has betrayed what Arizonans want for the country.

Excuse me while I throw up."

MesaZona > Table of Contents : Here's The Menu. Enjoy