Free Republic

NET NEUTRALITY (sic) "This is how poisonous it's gotten in Washington," says consulting lobbyist for a broadcast network. "You have Republicans taking money from companies and firms working to end their control of Congress, and even worse, working with outfits like MoveOn.org. And they are taking this money to not only help groups dedicated to defeating Republicans, but also for legislation that would regulate the Internet." The highest profile Republican among those the lobbyist is referring to is Vin Weber, former House member and close ally to both former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Americans for Tax Reform leader Grover...

A funny thing happens if you Google the name of one of America's leading conservative magazines: a warning comes up stating, "This site may harm your computer." Think I'm kidding? A screen-capture of the first page of Google web search results for "American Spectator" follows, although readers are strongly encouraged to investigate for themselves (image is blurry due to space constraints): If you click on the link "This site may harm your computer [1]," the following explanation appears: Why do some of my search results say "This site may harm your computer?" We want our users to feel safe when...

People, when assembled in large groups, can be disastrously evil. People allowed to act as individuals can have scary thoughts, but they are usually harmless. So what happens when you collect large amounts of data from individuals and assemble behavioral dynamics for the masses?The latest trend in the interactive industry consolidation is a turf war to make the consuming public's life easier and more enjoyable. Centering around this activity of course, is the mountain of revenue in collecting fees for the once scoffed at search engine advertising links. Isn't simplicity beautiful? Advertising is going to become relevant and user controlled....

Go to Google and you will find candy canes and bows adorning the website's logo. Go to China Daily and behold glad tidings of a Merry Christmas wish. Merry Christmas to All!

[see graphic on Google front page]

Google's tastes in alternative energy run the gamut from proven technologies to ideas that haven't left the lab. Two ideas the company already is exploring: Solar thermal One of the companies Google touted Tuesday, eSolar of Pasadena, develops solar power plants large enough to light a small city. The basic idea is simple enough. An array of mirrors focuses sunlight on a tower, generating intense heat. That heat, carried by a liquid flowing through the tower, is used to generate steam. The steam turns a turbine and produces electricity. ... But interest in the technology languished for years when electricity...

(11-27) 13:27 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc. says it will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to develop renewable energy as part of an ambitious plan to clean the environment and reduce the company's own power bill. The Mountain View company said Tuesday that it will open its deep pockets to foster innovation in solar, wind and geothermal technology in the hopes of making green energy cheaper than power produced by burning coal. To start the initiative, Google said that it will invest tens of millions of dollars in renewable power, spread over research and development and related investments,...

The New York Times will stop charging for access to parts of its Web site, effective at midnight Tuesday night. The move comes two years to the day after The Times began the subscription program, TimesSelect, which has charged $49.95 a year, or $7.95 a month, for online access to the work of its columnists and to the newspaper’s archives. TimesSelect has been free to print subscribers to The Times and to some students and educators. In addition to opening the entire site to all readers, The Times will also make available its archives from 1987 to the present without...

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)