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If any of you have been able to tear your brains away from Left 4 Dead, you might've heard that President-elect Barack Obama is in the process of choosing his cabinet. What you might not have heard is that he's selected two self-avowed "virtual worlds nuts" to chair his Federal Communication Commision (FCC) Transition Team: Kevin Werbach, assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and Susan Crawford, professor of communications and Internet law at the University of Michigan.

This important to me (and should be important to you) for two reasons. The first being that the co-chairs of Obama's FCC Transition Team are both hard-line Net neutrality advocates. The second reason is that Werbach describes himself as a "hardcore" World of Warcraft player, and is a member of two guilds, one of which is "composed primarily of academics and other thinkers who study and write about virtual worlds,” he writes.

Werbach is apparently a Level 70 Tauren Shaman named Supernovan Jenkins, "Jenkins" being something of an honorific for players who have cleared the "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy" achievement. The fact that Werbach is aware of, and embraces, the memetic nature of the Entirewebs certainly can't be a bad thing.

What's more, it seems that people are already trying to de-construct Werbach's online choices:

The fact that he chose [to be a healer] (his build, under the Talents tab, is 0/8/53) means that he enjoys helping people, and being depended on. Again, this is exactly what I'd expect from someone aligned with Obama.

While it's comforting to think that the co-chair of Obama's FCC Transition Team is a nice guy who likes helping people like you and me, it's much more likely that he thinks being a huge f*cking minotaur is just plain cool.

[Via Waltermonkey's livejournal, via Offworld]

Continue: More World of Warcraft stories





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24 comments | showing # 1 to 24

Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 19:21
Dexter345
He's appointing Horde? Blasphemy!
ArrestedDeveloper's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 19:22
ArrestedDeveloper
I knew it, Democrats are the Horde.

OBAMA KILLED LOTHAR!!!!
Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 19:25
Sharpless
Great news.
MechaMonkey's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 20:07
MechaMonkey
Democrats play Horde CONFIRMED!
Stephen57's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 20:19
Stephen57
Motion to form the Demohorde party?
Kia's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 20:53
Kia
Horde FTW!
AnimaLux's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 21:42
AnimaLux
Truely, this is a great day. (:
Pauliwallnuts's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/21/2008 23:25
Pauliwallnuts
FOR THE HORDE!
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 00:12
Chronic Logic
Okay, ENUFF with this Obama gaming stuff! It isn't hip to be playing video games. At first it was cool, but now this is kind of getting ridiculous. Two cabinet members who are "nuts" about virtual worlds? Let's hope they're not too nuts about it that it would leak into the real world. And what's this? A guild that is composed soley of academic folks that write and study virtual worlds? they should be Second Life instead of WoW if that's the case. Also I'm AGAINST net neutrality.
Syn's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 01:27
Syn
@Chronic Logic
From Wiki:

"Network neutrality (equivalently net neutrality, Internet neutrality or simply NN) is a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams."

Why would you be against that?
Drach's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 02:18
Drach
Freakin Sweet! maybe they'll let us say those seven "dirty" words on TV now!
Darkside2984's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 10:05
Darkside2984
Ugh, obama's disasterous choices for his cabinet represent just how many favors it took him to get to the white house. It's like he shoppes forums looking for ideas on who people would enjoy. Also, who gives a fuck what character class he plays? Iran is getting the nuke and the media is selling volcano insurance. I do love me some WoW though...
Veidt's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 10:10
Veidt
@Syn: I've heard so many arguments against it and so many definitions of it, and I remember there was an article about it on here a while back. I read that on Wikipedia and wondered why anyone would be against that. I think either Wikipedia is wrong, which would be absolutely shocking, or maybe we've all been getting mixed signals on the subject and it is a positive thing as that subtly says.
illison's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 10:53
illison
Need to get MORE DOTS on Osama Bin Laden!!
TheShireling's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 11:06
TheShireling
Lvl 70? ..noob
Joseph Leray's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 11:21
Joseph Leray
@Darkside -- people "give a fuck about what character class he plays" because it's interesting and because blogs are serious business.
NobodysDream's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 12:43
NobodysDream
This is just so fucking awesome. People on the FCC that actually understand modern media? Outrageous!
Druid 01's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 13:28
Druid 01
thank god, iv been loving his choices so far just would have preferred bill richardson over Clinton though its a matter of great choice>good choice.

gamers managing FCC for the fucking win
KMCC's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 14:04
KMCC
What NobodysDream said. There's the crux.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 15:24
Im OK
Awesome news. And haters can go suck a fat one.

@Veldt

Yeah, just like with pretty much any other political issue, one side is going to treat it like it's a gift from God and the other side is going to warp it so out of shape and context that it looks like Satan himself must have come up with it, all just to further their own political agendas. The truth usually lies somewhere in between. Nothing new there. In the case of net neutrality, I tend to think it leans more toward the "gift from God" end of the spectrum than the "spawn of Satan" end.
Kieger's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 19:12
Kieger
Hell yes!

Shaman are such a rare breed Horde-side. At least on my server.

I love it.

Truly, this is a new age. An age in which politicians actually relate to us.

But then, who are we but next year's old people?
dprime's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/22/2008 19:17
dprime
Net Neutrality is government regulation of how the private companies that own the infastructure we use the Internet on can sell it. This is never good for any industry.

It looks like deregulation because it's saying the ISPs aren't allowed to choose how much priority certain sites get. But seeing as the ISPs are private companies, taking away their right to do that would actually be regulation, just as if the government said you weren't allowed to decide what to do with your WiFi network when your friends came over.

All the fear mongering about what ISPs will do if Net Neutrality laws aren't passed contradict basic economics. UPS didn't start sucking at regular delivery when it started allowing people to pay more for over night delivery. TV manufacturers are allowed to sell differently sized TVs at different prices.
Harry Adversary's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/24/2008 01:03
Harry Adversary
@dprime
Actually, many regulations are often very good for many industries. Many industries lack competition and innovation without regulations that force companies to focus on innovation of product rather than the manipulation of markets.

This is the exact kind of regulation that "net neutrality" implies. Many companies have inherent and/or vested interests in companies in other sectors doing well or poorly, and if allowed to, will manipulate markets in order to give these interests competitive advantage or disadvantage.

Example: ISP X buys Yahoo, then proceeds to install hardware that limits it's customers internet access to Yahoo as their only search option. ISP X controls a large majority of the ISP share in many markets, and in many regions, is the only provider available. They are able to manipulate the search engine market, therefore stifling competition and innovation. And I don't think anyone but my Grandma thinks that Yahoo is more advanced and innovative than Google, and probably not even her;P (As far as search goes anyway, I think Yahoo has it's place for news and other products.)

This is just one example of how many laisez-faire markets are inherently not free and can be manipulated in order to stifle competition and innovation.

(Also charging higher prices for tiered services can be easily used to manipulate markets through consumer demand. Not to mention the possible threats to the freedom and flow of information, and even Democracy itself. You seem like a smart person, you can come up with many other manipulations yourself if you think about them.)

The point is that just because something is regulated does not necessarily mean it is less free. Often times it increases freedom.

You're right, market regulation does go against what seems like sound policy in basic economics, as it pertains to economists like Smith or Ricardo, but as you further your studies and get into more advanced economics you'll find that many markets are not inherently open and free, and need to be regulated in order to make them more free, open, competitive and to allow for the innovation that market competition creates.
Husky Hog's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/27/2008 16:01
Husky Hog
FOR THE HORDE

also win on the Shaman... and win that he's a resto... although screw the fact he'd be rolling on the same gear as me

You should have gotten a picture of a resto you nub :P

<3
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