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FTC Taps Ed Felten As First Chief Technologist
An anonymous reader contributes this snippet from Digital Daily: "Looks like the Federal Trade Commission got its first choice of Chief Technologist, because it's hard to think of anyone better to serve in that capacity than Princeton computer science professor Ed Felten, a guy whose CV makes everyone from Microsoft to Diebold shudder in embarrassment."
I always think of it in the magic: the gathering term, as in you're "tapping" them to use their resources.
or like a beer tap on a keg.
take your pick.
Princeton is a private university known for it's research. Just sayin.
Felten showed that Microsoft was lying when they claimed in court that they could not remove Internet Explorer from Windows without disrupting the entire OS. He was also responsible for other discoveries embarrassing for several companies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Felten
Maybe because he believes in fair use?
He was one of the scientists behind the MPAA v. 2600 amicus briefs.
He also went after the RIAA when they threatened to sue him if he commented on encryption in one of his presentations.
Fight Spammers!
#SeigFail!
"The so-called 'intellectuals' still look down with infinite superciliousness on anyone who has not been through the prescribed schools and allowed them to pump the necessary knowledge into him. The question of what a man can do is never asked but rather, what has he learned? 'Educated' people look upon any imbecile who is plastered with a number of academic certificates as superior to the ablest young fellow who lacks these precious documents."
Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf"
The FTC are serious people, and this is a staff job, so he doesn't have to be confirmed by the Senate.
The use of "tap" to select a person for a job probably comes from the use of the word in tapping trees for sap, or the device that you get beer or water from. The analogy might be that you're extracting knowledge, experience, etc. in the same way that you extract sap from a tree or beer from a keg (hopefully without the leaving-them-empty part).
I went to school with Ed Felton. He is not an ivory tower intellectual type, he is just extemely bright and extremely curious.
Oh yes, by the way, you can have a beer with him. I have done so many times.