Bob Mason on why Americans love Buddhism

That Wittgenstein guy. Source: uncyclopedia

That Wittgenstein guy. Source: uncyclopedia

Why do we Americans dig this Zen Buddhism stuff? Are we superficial? Profound? And what does this have to do with that Wittgenstein philosopher guy? Bob has the answers, but they’re not pretty.

[podcast]http://wirevicus.com/bobonbuddhism/bobonbuddhism5sep2009.mp3[/podcast]

Previous Bob Mason on Buddhism podcasts here and here. You can comment on this site, of course, or contact Bob with questions here.

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Blue Dogs Heel!

bluedogsheel1Attended a rally for health care reform in San Francisco today, at which this poster appeared.

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Bob Mason on Buddhism

That Bob Mason guy explains why all that contradictory stuff in Buddhism is actually pretty cool. [podcast]http://wirevicus.com/bobonbuddhism/bobbuddhism29aug2009.mp3[/podcast]

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Some had high hopes, a mural on Clarion Alley

some_jpg The Clarion Alley mural collection resides on said side-passage off Valencia near 17th street. Aaron Noble played an important role in putting this remarkable ensemble together. The murals on the first floor have changed over the years, but this one seems to stay put, and is my favorite.

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Jimi Hendrix on Haight Street

hendrix1_jpgSome genius posted this mural of Jimi Hendrix up on a wall next to a grocery store in the Lower Haight area. I took this photograph about three years ago. The artwork is gone now.

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Bob Mason on Buddhism

[podcast]http://wirevicus.com/bobonbuddhism/bobbuddism22aug2009.mp3[/podcast] In this premier edition of Bob Mason on Buddhism, my Saturday morning breakfast pal and truly good philosopher Bob Mason explains why Buddhism is  a pretty complicated thing and you shouldn’t get any ideas that it’s going to save you just like that.

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The Internet, time, and media regulation

I gave this talk at Cardozo Law School’s conference on the Internet and Openness , held earlier this year. It was lots of fun and I learned a great deal from the other speakers.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak at this event. I should start out by saying that I do not speak for arstechnica.com here, or anywhere else for that matter. I’m just one voice there, working in the status of contributor for the site.

I’m also not going to stand here in the company of these very informed speakers and represent myself as an expert on the Internet. I’m not. What am I then? Well, occasionally I write something on Ars that somebody finds so unacceptable that they devote an entire blog entry to my inadequacies. Last year one of them angrily   denounced me as a “self-appointed FCC watcher,” among other allegedly bad things.

In fairness to this detractor, I have to admit it’s true. That’s what I am: a self-appointed Federal Communications Commission watcher. In my defense, I tried to find an appointment for quite some time, but I’m certainly not going to decline to watch what I’m interested in watching in the absence of one.

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Wired nation term paper

Write an eight paper about an important media regulation decision or policy. Your paper should outline the history of this policy and cite key government or legal documents relating to its origins and development. How did this decision represent a “constitutive choice,” to use Paul Starr’s phrase. How did it impact broadcasting/telecommunications environment? Do you think that the policy served the “interest, convenience, and necessity” of the public?

Here are some term paper topics. Most link to stories I’ve written for arstechnica.com. I’m not interested in you repeating what I’ve written or opined in these stories. I want you to follow the links to documentation and come up with your own conclusions.
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