It is time, dear readers, for a review of the year in technology. And what a year it was. Yes, indeed, information technology in 2015 had its share of strange and notable people, events, and ideas! Who deserves awards? Below you will find a dozen winners. How are these awards chosen? On what criteria? Be …
Twenty Years of the Commercial Internet (Part 2)
How did the deployment and uptake of the Internet bring about growth in the US economy? That is a fundamental economic question that still resonates today, because many of these events yielded lessons that we can take to the present. The topic is hard to address because many participants experienced these events in different ways. …
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Twenty years of the Commercial Internet
In August 1995, Netscape held its initial public offering and caught the attention of every participant in computing and communications. It was a catalytic event for the commercial Internet, and it started the beginning of a long boom in investment by private firms, households, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. With the 20th anniversary approaching, it’s time …
Behind the Buzz of Behavioral Data
What is the economic value of online behavioral data? It is a seemingly simple question. Define the terms. Behavioral data refers to information produced as a result of actions, typically commercial behavior using a range of devices connected to the Internet, such as a PC, tablet, or smartphone. Behavioral data tracks the sites visited, the …
Baking the Data Layer
The cookie turned 20 just the other day. More than a tasty morsel of technology, two decades of experimentation have created considerable value around its use. The cookie originated with the ninth employee of Netscape, Lou Montulli. Fresh out of college in June 1994, Montulli sought to embed a user’s history in a browser’s functions. …
The Fault Lines Along Fast Lanes
Until recently, a fast lane from a broadband ISP was a remote possibility in the US. ISPs had to give data equal treatment, regardless of the source, and could not offer faster delivery for a higher price while giving slower service as a default. Although fast lanes were allowed by regulators a few years ago …
The Irony of Public Funding
Misunderstandings and misstatements perennially pervade any debate about public funding of research and development. That must be so for any topic involving public money, almost by definition, but arguments about funding for scientific research and development contain a unique and special irony. Well-working government funding is, by definition, difficult to assess, because of two criteria …
How Much Apache?
Almost with inexorable momentum, the Internet hurls itself into new territory. Some time ago, more than two billion humans had adopted at least one Internet-enabled device in some form, and nobody doubts that another two billion will accrue soon. New webpages increasingly find ways to inform readers, as more information in a variety of formats …
Credit Where Credit’s Due
Most of the year I work on digital topics. But I spend some time each year around the holidays – including this post - thinking about the economics of gift giving. For folks who traffic in ideas, it’s good to be known for something. So I guess I shouldn’t complain about the attention I get …
Digital Public Goods
Precisely how does the online world provide public goods? That is the question for this column. Public goods in the digital world contain some of the same features as those in the offline world. Yet, there are some key differences in the boundaries between public and private, and that shapes what arises and what does …
Digitopoly 