May 05, 2005

Put THAT in your lockbox!

Gore to get lifetime award for Internet

By ANICK JESDANUN

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Al Gore may have been lampooned for taking credit in the Internet's development, but organizers of the Webby Awards for online achievements don't find it funny at all.

In part to "set the record straight," they will give Gore a lifetime achievement award for three decades of contributions to the Internet, said Tiffany Shlain, the awards' founder and chairwoman.

"It's just one of those instances someone did amazing work for three decades as congressman, senator and vice president and it got spun around into this political mess," Shlain said. [...]

Oh, give it a rest, Tif. It got spun around because Mr. Excitement said something stupid and got called on it, and didn't have the ability to do damage control.

And whatever he did to promote funding for Internet research is all fine and good, but let's remember--IT WAS MY MONEY! Nothing irks me more than to see politicians rifle my pockets for small change, then crow about the wonderful coin collection they have assembled.

Anyway, for the real straight-setting of the record, this September, 2000 article from Snopes.com does a much better job of setting out what Electric Al did or didn't do.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at May 5, 2005 08:45 AM
Comments

Just someone as brain dead as Al Bore...move along peeples nothing here.

Posted by: toni at May 5, 2005 12:36 PM

I found it interesting that Al, after inventing the internet and getting young people connected with that media, now wants to pull them away from getting their news online and instead pull them back to the tv with his new network.

Seems he wants it both ways. Or he doesn't get it either way.

Posted by: Nate at May 6, 2005 11:03 AM

It does seem as though he should be exploring something along the lines of Rocketboom. But, you know, some people are cut out for different things.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at May 6, 2005 11:20 AM