One of the more interesting things about new information sources is how they are influenced by a global market in commodity communication devices. Al Jazeera, for example, is one of the top-rated sources of news at the top of the “popular” news application lists for the Symbian mobile operating system. It offers 24-hour live english Al Jazeera television with a stunningly clear picture quality. In addition, when I turn on the Internet radio player bundled for free into a Nokia E72 I see top ranked stations from Asia, the Middle-East…and all over Europe. Scrolling through the stations is like taking a tour of the world’s languages.

This was one of the reasons I was surprised when I discarded all of my nicely packaged but fragile and expensive Apple devices. Without the iPhone I found more freedom — I suddenly had far more information available on my mobile from many more sources yet it was also easier. It is from this perspective that I find the SFGate post on Al Jazeera a bit puzzling.

You can watch Al Jazeera on TV almost anywhere in the world – except in the United States. How is this possible in our nation where freedom of the press is a basic constitutional tenet? Just what do cable and satellite carriers fear?

Al Jazeera English has received nearly universal raves as one of the best sources of news about events in Egypt. Mainstream journalists wrote reviews praising its coverage. Bloggers blogged about being glued to their computers or mobile devices to watch Al Jazeera.

The Cable and Satellite carriers probably just do not see the competition on the wall. The iPhone is similar. Apple executives lagged behind due to their limited definition of success — an American distribution model and market. I am certain even Apple has started to catch up a little since it obviously can see the stats and comments from iUsers who iDownload iJazeera from iTunes.

Why can’t our American networks provide 24×7 live streaming coverage for our phones? Oh, that’s right – they’re too busy thinking how they can squeeze every bit of profit out of the viewership instead of finding better/innovative ways of keeping people informed.

Anyways, the app/streaming just works. Period. A novel concept these days.

This is what freedom of information looks like.

So I have a hard time agreeing with the point that access is lacking in the United States just because the major networks offer disappointing coverage. I watched the BBC struggle to find an audience in America for more than a decade, with little impact outside of radio, yet I still read, listened and watched it all the same using German and Japanese-made electronics. I do not see Al Jazeera as any more welcome or any less viewable with the new generation of communications equipment.

It seems more accurate to say TV executives see little need to serve quality content and local and diverse news on TV because they do no see it as their market. They aim low; FOX shows this time and again by claiming success with their vapid analysis and empty news. Another example is the recent attempt by conservative extremists to ban public broadcasting in America.

…there’s a huge flaw in this notion of budgetary justice. The ax is raised to penalize the left, but it’s going to fall squarely on the center. […] Unlike stations in urban areas, which have more options and deep-pocketed benefactors to recover from the proposed cuts, stations such as High Plains would be faced with doing without, if they could continue to operate at all. They would lose the ability to air some national news programs, and their local news and information programming would take a huge hit.

We mention High Plains because it embodies the very notion of public broadcasting — to serve those who would not otherwise be served.

With consumers shifting to mobile content on commodity communication devices, a US policy-shift towards a shutdown (politically-motivated cleansing by the government) of quality domestic broadcasting is likely to benefit competing foreign news sources the most.

The Al Jazeera English global footprint continues to grow, broadcasting to more than 220 million households in more than 100 countries. […] Al Jazeera is the most watched news channel on You Tube, receiving 2.5 million views per month. Launched on April 16, 2007, the Al Jazeera English YouTube site has more than 10,000 videos currently live on the English channel.

Al Jazeera quickly has become popular despite little or no US network coverage and already has proven what delivering content looks like to those who would not otherwise be served.

It seems a team of scientists have set out to determine why animals hesitate in the face of risk.

Dogs and cats, even birds, hesitate and I was certain this had to do with uncertainty. A presentation yesterday gives new data on the matter and apparently proves, without a doubt, that at least monkeys and dolphins can have doubts.

Humans have feelings of doubt and confidence, and of certainty and uncertainty. You know if you do not know or remember — a perfect example of this is when something is on the tip of your tongue. This ability to evaluate and predict one’s own mental performance is known as metacognition. It is one of our most sophisticated cognitive capacities and has even been thought to be uniquely human. Metacognition rivals language and tool use in its potential to reveal similarities and differences between human and animal minds. This session presents this rapidly developing area and is convened by the European Science Foundation. It will explore how newly devised experimental paradigms, testing metacognition in dolphins and monkeys, show that it is not a uniquely human talent.

Are you sure I can trust you not to eat me?

A few of the tracks at RSA discussed employee use of social media, the security risks it may cause, and employees’ rights and advice for employers. A recent settlement highlights some of the issues.

A Connecticut American Medical Response (AMR) employee was fired for making negative comments on her Facebook account about her boss. According the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the complaint alleged that the discharge violated federal labor law because the employee was engaged in protected or concerted activity when she posted the comments about her supervisor, and responded to further comments from her co-workers. Additionally, the company maintained overly-broad rules in its employee handbook regarding blogging, Internet posting, and communications between employees.

Under the National Labor Relations Act, employees may discuss the terms and conditions of their employment with co-workers and others. “Concerted activity” includes any activity by individual employees united in pursuit of a common goal. The activity must be in concert with or on the authority of other employees, and not solely by and on behalf of the employee himself. (Meyers Industries, 281 NLRB 882 (1986)).

There are also potential First Amendment issues when an employer attempts to limit employees’ speech on social media. Consider including in any company policy a provision on the use of social media by employees. Social media can potentially mean huge security risks for employers. Any policy should be clear, concise and understood by employees. It is also highly recommended an attorney review any policy.