Good morning tech

Good morning!

Biden to unveil new analysis of Recovery Act innovation spending. Vice President Joe Biden will host an event at the White House Tuesday morning with Secretary of Energy Steven Chu to highlight the Recovery Act. He is expected to release a report that provides a new analysis of stimulus dollars devoted to innovation. The Recovery Act contained a $100 billion investment in science, technology and innovation. Highlighting how the investments make technologies more affordable, Biden will also argue that building the nation’s infrastructure paves the way for economic growth and job creation. The event is part of the administration's summer-long push to highlight jobs created by the stimulus.

Meanwhile, Intel exec not so impressed. Intel chief executive Paul Otellini did not seem to hold back in a speech at a Technology Policy Institute forum on Monday in Aspen. The administration, Otellini said, is bewildered that its "experiment in Keynesian economics" is not working. He also said Washington does not understand what kinds of policies create jobs. Remedies? Otellini stressed tax reform and urged a watchful eye on taxes that are too tough on corporations. Beware of policies that discourage investment, he said. 

Carly Fiorina has some thoughts on that, too. Tech job losses are far too high, she argues. Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina (Calif.) said from Aspen that the United States has to be careful not to fall behind in a century where economic leadership is defined by technology and innovation. "Technology has suffered and technology jobs have suffered along with the rest of the economy," she said. Citing a 12.3 percent unemployment rate in California, she added, "That is important to note because California has been a technology capital for a long time." 

Fiorina counts the tech jobs that have disappeared. In the last year, she said, the United States has lost about 20,000 technology jobs. And 145,000 technology jobs in the last two years. What to do: "Focus on what does it take to be the leader in innovation and the leader in attracting and keeping the best brain power, because while we have much to work with we face challenges now in tough economic times … there are troubling signs we are losing the race in the century of innovation and brainpower." More Fiorina below. 

Tauke: Goog-Vz proposal would fulfill Obama's campaign promise. Verizon's Tom Tauke said in an Aspen speech that adopting a net-neutrality policy proposal drafted by Google and Verizon would allow President Obama to meet a promise he made to voters on the campaign trail. "It fulfills the President's campaign promise of non-discrimination and transparency on the Internet," he said in a speech at a Technology Policy Institute forum in Aspen on Monday. "We believe the proposal is rational, addresses the issues of concern at the time," said Tauke, who serves as executive vice president for public affairs for the telecom giant. Tauke also criticized media accounts of the Google-Verizon proposal. Read more in The Hill: http://bit.ly/9LKJkq

Fiorina lists WikiLeaks among democratizing technologies. "Information technology puts a whole new spotlight on the need for transparency and accountability," Fiorina said. "I remember giving a speech a few years ago right at the time of the formation of WikiLeaks, and saying to a group of leaders that whatever we think of WikiLeaks.org, it changes forever the pressure to proactively be transparent about the activities of an organization. When a site is founded purely for the purposes of disseminating information that is designed to be kept private, that changes power structures in really profound ways." Fiorina praised technologies that have helped make more apparent abuses by oppressive regimes, citing Iran as an example. "How wonderful it is that the world knows that a woman is about to be stoned to death," she said. 

Net-neutrality group challenged by ties to MoveOn.Org, ACORN. A nonpartisan coalition in favor of net neutrality has lost a key conservative supporter amid signs that the issue is becoming more divisive. The Gun Owners of America (GOA) severed ties with the net-neutrality coalition Save the Internet after a conservative blog questioned the association with liberal organizations such as ACORN and the ACLU. http://bit.ly/cG0wTa

CAN'T MISS NEWS

Hill notes

Tech groups lobby against mandating FM receivers on cell phones. Six technology trade groups wrote to lawmakers on Monday to oppose a deal that could end a decades-long standoff between broadcasters and the recording industry. The tech groups said the possible deal-— which would mandate an FM receiver on every cell phone — would have collateral effects on another industry: cell phone makers. http://bit.ly/9ijD2R

But supporters say the FM receiver idea would have public safety benefits. "Day in and day out, local radio stations serve as a reliable lifeline in times of crisis and weather emergencies," said National Association of Broadcasters executive vice president for communications Dennis Wharton. "In an increasingly mobile society, it would be unfortunate if telco gatekeepers blocked access to public safety information offered by free and local radio." http://bit.ly/9ijD2R

Executive notes

OMB scaling back big IT projects. Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra unveiled a list of high-priority IT projects Monday that will be scrutinized by the administration in an attempt to save money and improve the government's management of large-scale IT projects, an area in which the government has historically struggled. Kundra said the goal is not to kill the projects, though work has stopped on some, including the costly FBI case management system Sentinel. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is meeting with agencies individually to discuss the best path forward for each of the 26 projects. http://bit.ly/9xGl4u

Industry notes

Dell to up bid for 3PAR. Dell is expected to raise its bid for the data storage firm 3PAR in response to reports of a higher bid from HP on Monday, according to a report from Bloomberg. Dell appeared to have closed a deal to purchase the cloud storage provider last week, only to see Hewlett-Packard swoop in with a cash offer of $1.6 billion, more than 33 percent higher than Dell's bid of $1.15 billion. The latest offer is expected in the coming days. http://bit.ly/btTF25

Gates orders coordinated cyberspace policy. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered a new policy on cyberspace information sharing designed to identify military personnel who pose a threat similar to the shooter at Fort Hood, Texas, last November. Internal reports show the Army was aware of the shooter's emerging radicalism as early as 2005 but failed to identify him as a threat. The new policy uses e-mail and other cyberspace counterintelligence techniques to identify military personnel who could pose a threat before they take action. http://bit.ly/by6rfH

WATERCOOLER 

STILL NOT SURE — From the most recent episode of "Mad Men": Young account exec Pete Campbell scrunches up his face and asks, "Who the hell is Dr. Lyle Evans?" Don Draper gives a puzzled look. In 1965, the best recourse was to glance down the table to the ever-informed Joanie for clarification, but to no avail: "I have no idea," she says. In 2010, however, no need to stay puzzled. After the show aired, "Dr. Lyle Evans" lit up the search engines, with Google declaring it a "spicy" search query by its official rating system. Look at the spike in searches here: http://bit.ly/ctNYzI. As for who is Dr. Lyle Evans, ask him yourself on Twitter: http://bit.ly/bPIijs