May 2013
2 posts
9 tags
xBox One = gamechanger
Xbox One will change the face of home computing. As the home entertainment ecosystem grows simultaneously more simple and more complicated, Microsoft is about to release a product that solves lots of the problems that exist in the disaggregated and fragmented world of home entertainment. Apple has it’s work cut out for it at WWDC in June to announce suitable responses to Google’s...
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Why Silicon Valley Is Taking On Immigration Reform...
By Nick Davis
Since Mitt Romney’s defeat in the presidential election last November, immigration reform has come to the relative forefront of American politics. The overwhelming majority of Latinos who voted for Barack Obama has left little doubt among many Republicans that some sort of reform needs to be enacted. The GOP has been looking for ways to reach out to Latinos in an effort to...
April 2013
7 posts
Five Things I Learned During My Senior Year Of...
By Nick Davis
I am three weeks away from graduating college and I could not be more excited. These last few weeks have been a complete struggle. Senioritis has hit me like a brick wall. The good news is that I have my immediate future figured out after graduation. Over the course of these past nine months, I’ve learned a few things about myself as well as about the working world.
Get To...
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Bitcoin and The Future Of Money
By Ian Rosoff
There has been a deluge of posts about the recent Bitcoin currency crash/bubble, but I’ll add on because it’s important to look at the potential future of money from a political prospective. Here at Votifi, we are interested in the mobile (dare I say it) revolution. Our phones will become our new wallets, we don’t see or hold money in the same way we did even a decade ago. The...
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In Trying To Appease Both Sides, Obama’s Budget...
By Nick Davis
President Obama released his 2014 budget a few days before Tax Day, albeit about two months late from his required deadline. In an interesting role reversal, Democrats seem to be tearing into the budget more than their GOP counterparts.
Much of the commotion centers on Obama’s proposal to reduce the rate of growth of Social Security payments. He has suggested that...
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Saudi Arabian Threat To Ban VoIP Services...
By Nick Davis
Skype has yet another security issue to handle. This time, it’s not a demand for more security, but less. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has threatened to ban the service and other Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications, similar to the Blackberry Messenger (BBM) ban of 2010. Saudi Arabia hasn’t explicitly stated the reasoning behind it, but many Saudis and expatriates...
Votifi in 2012 - A year in review [INFOGRAPHIC]
After crunching numbers for the poll questions answered in 2012 we came up with this little summary of what Votifites think and do. Enjoy.
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Advocates and Opponents Of Gay Marriage Have More...
By Nick Davis
The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week with regards to the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8. It seems only fitting that the Court would take up both cases at the same time. The part in question with DOMA is simply whether or not same-sex couples deserve the same tax benefits that heterosexual...
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A New Business Model
I was working on a paper for a history class over spring break and the topic was anarchism. In sunny California there were distractions at every turn, and for somebody from Michigan if I went outside the paper would never get finished. So I tried procrastinating in a less distracting way. There was a Portal video game poster up on the wall of the friend who I was staying with and I’d heard...
March 2013
12 posts
3 tags
1776: The Second Wave of the Internet Revolution
Great interview by Evan Burfield on Bloomberg TV this morning about the DC startup scene and how to harness Washington DCs unique characteristics to promote entrepreneurship. Watch and learn:
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If GOP Allows It, Rand Paul’s Meteoric Rise Could...
By Nick Davis
With each passing presidential election, it seems the cycle starts a little bit earlier every year. The upcoming cycle is no different despite being over three and half years away. Let’s call March of 2013 the unofficial start to the 2016 campaign season. Hillary Clinton came out on video with the Human Rights Campaign in support of gay marriage. And Rand Paul has made it no...
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How the Supreme Court Might rule on Prop 8
If you’re confused about what is going on at the Supreme Court this week regarding California’s Prop 8, see this great infographic courtesy the New York Times.
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The Senate Social Network
Yahoo’s Chris Wilson has created a dynamic representation of voting in (arguably) the worlds greatest deliberative body. Wilson describes the exercise:
“For every member, I calculated which other senators voted the same way at least 75 percent of the time. In effect, this organizes the Senate as a mini-Facebook of 100 users, in which any given pair of senators are friends if they meet...
7 tags
CPAC and The Republican ‘Autopsy’ Highlight Why...
By Nick Davis
It’s no secret lately that the Republicans have a bit of an identity crisis on their hands. Ever since Barack Obama won a second term as President, the GOP has been doing some soul searching, and rightfully so. After losing five out of the last six popular votes, the Republican Party needs to figure out how to keep from becoming a permanent minority that represents the interests...
4 tags
Will Texas turn Blue?
By Ian Rosoff
The state of Texas has a population of a little over 26 million, that’s good enough to garner the Friendship State 34 votes in the Electoral College. For the Republican Party Texas is their most important state. Two Senators and 24 Congressman roam the halls of the Capitol during the week and head back to the ranch on the weekends.
The governor of Texas is probably the best stepping...
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Despite Record Wall Street Profits, Main Street Is...
By Nick Davis
The stock market hit yet another all time high Tuesday afternoon as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) just barely moved into the green as the final bell hit. Meanwhile, we found out Monday that the economy added a surprising 236,000 jobs in February to take the national unemployment to a four year low of 7.7%. So, what are we to make of these bits of good news? It might...
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Evolution of SXSW [INFOGRAPHIC]
We like infographics
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10 Things we plan to do at SXSW
Present. Our panel is called “Latinos y Mobile: A Silver Bullet, and it is going to be awesome. Lou Aronson, Brent Wilkes, Kety Esquivel, and Estuardo Rodriguez will be speaking about the impact of the Hispanic voice on technology and, in turn, the impact of technology on the Hispanic voice. 5-6 on Friday! More info here.
Eat tacos. Apparently this is what Austin is known for: they seem...
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What do employers really want from college grads?
Marketplace (my favorite show across TV/radio/Internet) had a great story on college grads and the job market. You can listen to the whole thing here.
Few things that stood out for me and which I plan to share with our team of awesome interns.
In industries across the board, employers viewed an internship as the single most important credential for recent grads – more than where you went...
Sequestration and Education
By Ian Rosoff
Some of the largest sequestration cuts are in education, including $116 million from higher education and $86 million from student financial assistance. As a college student about to graduate, I’m fortunate that the sequestration can’t impact my financial aid that has already been disbursed, but it could impact work-study.
The federal work-study program provides funds for...
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Budget Sequestration A Real Life Experiment For...
By Nick Davis
Welcome to day 1 of sequestration. As President Barack Obama so eloquently put it the day after he signed Obamacare into law, “I looked around to see if there were any asteroids falling, some cracks opening up in the earth… turned out to be a pretty nice day.” That’s right. Unless you’re a public school official, have a child in primary or secondary school, civilian defense...
February 2013
14 posts
1 tag
Graduating Senior Series Part Two: Technology As A...
By Nick Davis
Monday I wrote a reflection about my college experience by summing up a few experiences I had and how they had an impact on me as a person. What kind of habits have I developed? How do I get the news? How do I interact with others? Technology has changed so much in five years; it’s actually quite impressive. It’s allowed me to customize my political interaction so I...
6 tags
Latinos y Mobile at #SXSW
Next week, we are headed back to SXSW in Austin to explore one of our favorite topics: technology and innovation in the Latino community. Press release here.
With fifty-two million Latinos living in the US today and an estimated 50 million Latino voters expected in 2040, this is a community that will have a major say in hat happens in 21st century America.
While a digital divide exists, the...
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What the Media Reaction and Executive Response to...
By Nick Davis
It’s been about a couple weeks since President Obama and the Justice Department released their legal memo with regards to the drone program only because a leaked memo recovered by NBC forced its hand. In fact, the government still doesn’t even acknowledge its existence and speaks in hypotheticals. The issue that first arose back in 2011 when American citizens, Anwar al-Awlaki...
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A Powerful City Finds Its Entrepreneurial Groove
Great article in Entrepreneur Magazine about the #DCTech startup scene. Great job representing us @perrelli, @corbett3000 and others
Things started to perk up again a couple of years ago, says Jonathon Perrelli, a longtime entrepreneur who is managing director of Fortify Ventures, a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm that runs The Fort accelerator. “There’s been a big...
Graduating Senior Series Part One: Reflecting On...
By Nick Davis
After five years of college, I am less than three months away from graduating Iowa State University and it feels very liberating and nerve-wracking all at the same time. It has been without a doubt the most satisfying, rewarding, trying, and of course fun experience of my entire life. I’ve learned so much in the classroom, but even more so through the people I’ve met, the clubs I...
2 tags
Free WiFi For All
By Ian Rosoff
The world is on a trajectory that will make Internet access one of the most important necessities for any American. Access means education, opportunity, and innovation. Right now the Federal Communications Commission licenses the airwaves to companies like AT&T, Verizon, and other private providers. The Washington Post published an article outlining a FCC proposal to create a...
Democrats Will Win If They Wait
By Ian Rosoff
Now Congress has until April 15th to pass a budget, as the debt limit was approved in the Senate. If there is no budget by mid April, then the Senate’s pay will be withheld – as if that will matter to our millionaire statesmen. Perhaps, as my colleague Nick Davis puts it, “John Boehner and his base have learned the art of realistic and transparent negotiation.” I’m less...
6 tags
Latinos y Mobile
Can’t believe that SXSW is around the corner. Just a year ago we were speechless when we found out we made it into the Startup Accelerator Finals. SXSW was a fantastic experience for us personally and professionally. We officially launched Votifi in Austin and the experience contributed to much of the success we had this past year.
We’re looking forward to attending SXSW again,...
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Price tag for 2012 elections: 7 BILLION DOLLARS!
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Six Reasons (Not Related to Football) to Watch...
By Nick Davis
There are more reasons to watch the Super Bowl this year but, the very least of these is the actual game. Yes, we’ll watch the usual hilarious and bizarre commercials. We’ll speculate about the average cost of a thirty second commercial and the songs the performers will sing during halftime. But, this year is different. This year there are so many storylines and drama scenes...
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Debt Ceiling and Immigration: How Republicans Can...
By Nick Davis
It’s no secret lately that Republicans are in the public doghouse with regards to the fiscal negotiations that have taken place these past couple of years. It all began in the summer of 2011. Tea party conservatism, after scoring major victories in the 2010 mid term elections, shamelessly threatened to take the federal government into default. The uncertainty, created by this...
January 2013
18 posts
To get a degree...or not to get a degree, that is...
Courtesy of: Online Degrees
4 tags
Web, mobile and TV audiences (INFOGRAPHIC)
Courtesy of @apptentive
Real-time, on-the-fly fact checking
In a move that can only be seen as a direct challenge to Politifact’s dominance in the fact-checking space, Washington Post just announced its Truth Teller app
The app parses video for political facts and then determines if the facts are true or false. Some examples are shown in the video above.
You can play around with the app at TruthTeller.washingtonpost.com
The app was built with a...
Obama, Declare War on the GOP!
By Ian Rosoff
Second term presidents tend to show their true colors. George Bush used his second term to push through conservative legislation. He used executive orders and aggressively crafted foreign policy that showed little regard for his own popularity. President Obama is now faced with a few key political choices. Will he try and go after guns or tackle immigration? Will he be progressive...
4 tags
Compromise Is The Best Way Forward For Obama and...
By Nick Davis
What do you hear most when you’re having a discussion about the political culture of America? I know, I am just one person but I frequently hear, “I wish Republicans and Democrats, the President and Congress, could just get along!” Amen! And honestly, who doesn’t support such sentiment? I find it extremely hard to believe that either party has all the right answers for solving...
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On MLK Day, Obama Outlines New Progressive Vision...
By Nick Davis
Barack Obama’s ceremonial second term inauguration went off without a hitch Monday as an estimated one million people filled the National Mall, exceeding initial predictions.
As usual, depending on whom you asked, the 19-minute speech was either one of two extremes. On the left, it was spot on; setting the stage for progressivism to come to the forefront of American politics while...
7 tags
Three Things that the President Should Include in...
By Hasan Ali
With President Obama’s second inauguration less than a week away, I figured now is as good a time as any to put together a laundry list of the things that I think the President should include in his address..
Much of the specific policy objectives of the 2nd term will be laid out in greater detail in the State of the Union Address slated for February 12. But it would be remiss if he...
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AIG Misses Prime Opportunity to Change Public...
By Nick Davis
American International Group decided to drop their potential lawsuit against the United States government over the terms of their bailout this week. Just the thought of legal action drew immense criticism from both liberals and conservatives; a rare demonstration of bipartisanship
AIG is the recipient of the largest bailout of a private company in American history. Just like...
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Whoever Wins the Battle of Emotions Will Win the...
Both sides of the gun debate appeal to your emotions rather than the facts, despite the likelihood the legislation won’t reach the President’s desk.
By Nick Davis
Barack Obama and Joe Biden laid out their proposal for curbing gun violence in America yesterday. As expected, the President suggested a renewed assault rifles ban, universal background checks on gun purchases, a limit to ten rounds on...
2 tags
Update: White House Answers Ridiculous Petitions
By Nick Davis
Last week I wrote about some of the most ridiculous White House petitions that have been submitted. Let me be first person to acknowledge that I was wrong and should eat my words. It turns out that a couple of them were serious enough to get a response. Yesterday, Obama agreed to put Washington D.C.’s ‘Taxation Without Representation’ plate on presidential vehicles. In addition, the...
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Fiscal cliff redux
By Nick Davis
This month Congress averted the fiscal cliffmageddontastrophe by a 11th hour and 59th minute passage of a makeshift bill to avert massive tax increases and spending cuts.
With all of these big numbers and terms like ‘sequestration’ flying around, it can be difficult for many people to wrap their head around all of it; 800 hundred million billion, anyone?
What we do know is that...
foreverjake asked: The infographic you just posted, do you have a higher resolution one, or a link to such? Thanks!
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Sleeping with cell phones
As more and more Americans purchase cell phones, more and more data is showing how core human behaviors are changing as a result of this invention. This infographic covers how phones are affecting our sleep.
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The Future Of Energy: The Clean Cloud
By Ian Rosoff
Last month I wrote about Google and the Future Of Energy, and talked about tech companies getting into the alternative energy game. I’d like to continue that discussion because the energy cost of cloud computing and information technology in general is currently 2% of global CO2 emissions, and that number is expected to double by 2020. Internet traffic is rapidly growing and as data...
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The 16 Most Ridiculous White House Petitions
By Nick Davis
What’s more American than exercising your constitutional right to petition your government? Below in bold are 16 hilariously ridiculous, yet totally legitimate, White House petitions in all their glory. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to hear a formal response from the President on any of these. Don’t hurt yourself laughing.
Authorize the Production of a Recurring...
