Magablogs

I was excited to hear (thanks Genie, thanks Dave) that MIT's Technology Review now has a weblog, featuring some of its excellent regular columnists as contributors. Fast Company and Ms. took the plunge earlier this year. By now you're already well aware of the kick Elizabeth Spiers has given New York Magazine, and let's not forget Doc's own Linux Journal.

"Turns out the Internet is a spectacular means of selling subscriptions," says Jeff Jarvis in his very worthwhile interview with Chris Lydon. This makes perfect sense to me. Another dead-on observation from Jeff: "The nichification of America that started with the remote control and the VCR now explodes." (And by no means does it stop with America, as the interview's account of Iranian weblogging momentum goes on to illustrate.)

Pongo Mojo

A speedy recovery and heartfelt good wishes to Chuck Hartley, who has just started treatment for prostate cancer.

Mangia, Mangia

Dinner this evening with the Italian American Lawyers Association—not to be confused with the Half Norwegian (on the Mother's Side) American Bar Association (though there is some overlap)—and the Justices of the California Supreme Court.

Today's New Blawg

Dave Fishel is a Washington DC lawyer who writes Braced for Impact [via Ernie Svenson], and has a refreshing perspective not heard all that often in the legal field: "Organizations on the cutting edge shouldn't be using too many tools that are actually out of beta.... connect, connect, connect." Dave's also lending a hand with PDF For Lawyers.

51 Million

That's how many numbers are in the national Do Not Call registry already, which the 10th Circuit has given the go-ahead for enforcement while its constitutionality is further scrutinized. More at How Appealing; the Los Angeles Times.

Some interesting particulars: As the 10th Circuit's order (PDF) points out (p. 17), since 1995 the Telemarketing Sales Rule has "prohibited telemarketers from making sales calls to persons who had previously stated their desire not to receive such calls from that solicitor." 60 Fed. Reg. 43842, 43854-55. This rule applies to a business "organized to carry on business for its own profit or that of its members." Id. at 43843 n.14. Moreover, as the order also observes, under the 2003 legislation authorizing the national Do Not Call registry "consumers are also given some mechanism to block non-commercial solicitations by means of company-specific objections to solicitations by charitable organizations." (Order, p. 22; emphasis added)

It should go without saying, but don't let telemarketers snow you. Even if they are exempt from compliance with the national Do Not Call registry, and/or the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (see Private Citizen's description of its exceptions, or, as they put it, "loopholes that telemarketers can drive a boiler-room through"), they still may have to stop calling if you ask—nicely or not.