"Across America," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg writes in today's Washington Post, "creative, hardworking people in coffee shops, dorm rooms and garages are creating the next era of growth."

But they don't always have good programming degrees, especially if they're Americans, so Zuckerberg hopes to change the nation's immigration laws so that his company can more easily hire cheaper programmers from other countries. It's a win-win situation, for Zuckerburg and his billionaire pals in Silicon Valley.

Ha ha it is really more complicated than all of that, certainly! But this is the great political movement launched by the Web Billionaire generation: something that directly affects the hiring practices and profits [...]

A series dedicated to explaining Britain's manufactured celebrities to an American audience.

We must begin today, I’m afraid, by sullying our hands with the unsavory subject of brand association, that ineffable pillar of culture responsible for such teachable moments as the Kardashianisation of Christian Louboutin stilettoes (poor Christian must look at Kim’s plastic parts hovering atop his red-soled nude peep-toes and wonder if it’s all worth it) and Abercrombie & Fitch’s callous proposal that our old friend Mike the Situation be paid not to wear A&F clothes. So here’s a tricky philosophical conundrum, a Zen kōan for the 1 percent set, as it were: a famous Russian oligarch [...]

It's not easy to feel bad about Mark Zuckerberg when he's joined 56 other super-rich rich people in pledging at least half his (potential, not currently existing, only on paper) billions to charity rather than to any heirs. This puts him in the odd company of Sandy Weill and… Michael Milken. I've forgotten all about that movie where he comes off like a schnook!

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,

We are writing to express our concern regarding recent changes to the Facebook privacy policy. Providing opt-in mechanisms for information sharing instead of expecting users to go through long and complicated opt-out processes is a critical step towards maintaining clarity and transparency.

Charles Schumer, April 27, 2010.

Do you remember where you were when MySpace lost its spot as the top social network? Where were you when Plastic died? There are early signs today that Facebook, used by many and loved by few, is beginning its inevitable decline. In Britain, where the drunken populace spends an inordinate amount of time staring at their phones, Facebook lost 600,000 users last month. That's not quite 2% of the U.K. user base, but it's also the opposite of "growth."

The data chimes with speculation that Facebook is reaching saturation point among the web user population in its core markets, and that continued growth is increasingly dependent on the [...]

Let's play compare and contrast!

Mark Zuckerberg: "Recently, the US Federal Trade Commission established agreements with Google and Twitter that are helping to shape new privacy standards for our industry. Today, the FTC announced a similar agreement with Facebook."

The government: "The social networking service Facebook has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public. The proposed settlement requires Facebook to take several steps to make sure it lives up to its promises in the future."

Part one of a short series on a new film about Facebook-perhaps you've heard of it?

The Social Network is full of fibs, as everyone knows. The film is based on Ben Mezrich's The Accidental Billionaires, which tells a colorfully embellished version of the story from the point of view of Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, which tale, as it was written, was then adapted into the screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. The resulting account of the founding of Facebook amounts to a Hollywoodized game of Telephone. But the movie's lies aren't limited to those that blame Mark Zuckerberg for his rapacious and unscrupulous ambition (indeed, much of that stuff is [...]

When Prince William and Kate Middleton were married last year, reporters fawned over menu items like quails eggs and Scottish langoustine canapés. The summer before, anticipation about Chelsea Clinton and Mark Mezvinsky's customized $5-million reception hit a fever pitch: would it be vegan? (Answer: no. Beef short ribs were served alongside risotto.)

But at the Zuckerberg–Chan wedding the other weekend, reporters could only note, as did the LA Times, that the food at the reception came from “budget friendly” restaurants like Fuki Sushi and Palo Alto Sol. Well, at least he wasn’t wearing that damn hoodie.

Depending on how you look at it, the Facebook IPO [...]

I have three or four things I want to put together. First is The Social Network which I resisted seeing for a very long time (“You’ll love it. It’s great!” It wasn’t.) And second is The Rite which I’ve wanted to see ever since those previews months back. I finally had my paws on The Rite thanks to Netflix but then I couldn’t find anyone to watch it with me at this artist colony I’ve been at all month and I’m leaving tomorrow. So alone and in the deep of the night I watched The Rite in bed. Third and fourth I think is the current economic crisis in America [...]

Facebook being up and down is so upsetting that even the bloggers of Biggest Blog Ever, the New York Times, are a-blogging about it! (The latest word from their blog: "nobody knows.") It is obvious to me, as a full-time Internet technician, that Facebook is currently in a process we call "birthing." The site is clearly struggling and straining to extrude a giant new product. But what is it? Is it a telephone? Is it a ham radio? Is it a ham sandwich? IS IT A CLONE ARMY? What will Facebook amaze us with next? However will I spend my time waiting to find out?