Roasting s'mores and bad tech legislation
Plus, our thoughts on leadership in a complex and ever-changing policy landscape, and NEPA's application in space.
Here in D.C., it’s 60 degrees and sunny out — uncharacteristically nice for December. I don’t know about you, but for me, it can feel strange getting in the holiday spirit and doing wintery activities when the weather is telling me it’s already time to bust out my spring pastels! For the time being, sledding is out of the question. But there are still plenty of things to do that allow you to take advantage of the warmth and stay seasonal.
This weekend would be a perfect time to head to an outdoor ice skating rink, like the one in the Sculpture Garden at D.C.’s National Gallery of Art or at Rockefeller Center in New York City. With the weather as beautiful as it is, the ice won’t leave you feeling too frozen. It’s also perfect for roasting s’mores outside. Usually, in the dead of winter, a snack outdoors can leave you shivering, even with the space heaters cranked to the max. So why not do something festive now while you and your friends or family will be more comfortable? If you can’t track down a fire pit at a campsite or backyard near you, Urban Roast in D.C. offers special outdoor tables where you can roast your own customized s’mores!
Innovation. This week we welcomed friend-of-the-show Neil Chilson back to the Tech Policy Podcast. Neil has written a great new book: Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World. He and Corbin discuss the book, complexity, emergent phenomena, effective leadership in a fast-changing world, and the need for epistemic humility in policymaking (and elsewhere). Also covered: fractals, free will, and the risks of taking advice from hermits in caves. For more on complexity — specifically as it relates to antitrust and innovation — check out “Antitrust and the End of the World,” a talk Corbin gave at Washington Legal Foundation in October. (Skip to 23:15 in the video.)
Space. Reason quoted our brief in Viasat v. FCC on whether the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) should force the FCC to conduct a full environmental assessment before amending Starlink’s existing license for its innovative LEO constellation: “Are such projects to flourish, setting in train a virtuous cycle of growing wealth, fresh discovery, greater abundance, and new possibilities? Or are they to starve in their cradles, victims of small-mindedness, petty squabbling, and a status-quo bias?”
Antitrust. Bilal published an opinion piece in the Des Moines Register on the Grassley/Klobuchar bill that would subject certain tech companies, and perhaps others, to significant government regulation of decisions previously left to firms to decide. The piece provides a brief look at our take on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. Bilal followed up with a Twitter thread, which he hopes you will share.