With Nick Judd

Perhaps at some point in our high-tech future, we'll simply be able to transmit our thought beams to let Congress know just what it is we're thinking on any particular subject. But until then, advocates and technologists are maneuvering to make it as easy and painless as possible for their supporters to register their concerns with their members of Congress.

One of the most exciting emerging fields in technology is online organizing. Lately, I've been calling this Activism 2.0, and by that I'm referring to online organizing powered by tech savvy activists and a series of developing web-based applications that leverage political, map-driven, and user-contributed data in powerful ways. Amidst great defeats, both online organizers and the tools they use continue to innovate rather than abandon their efforts.

Snapshots of lobbying techniques used as Congress gets ready to start writing bills overhauling health care:

Earlier this morning, the New York State Senate launched their new website at NYSenate.gov. On the 14th floor at 250 Broadway, Majority Leader Malcolm Smith introduced the new web portal in front of a giant screen projecting the homepage of the new site.