(Note: I am still in Austria. The ten day trip has turned into a two-week plus one. In all that time I have had one day off, yesterday, and one slack day, today. Thus why it took so long to write this follow-up.)

Nearly a week ago I wrote a post about how John Shirley made sense, pointing to a couple of his recent rants where he explained why he ( Read more... )

Bill Walker tells us Why There's No Cure for the Common ColdBill makes a good point, of course, but in the process he ignores one reality: Biotech is potentially more dangerous than computer science. Personally I would argue that this doesn't matter a hell of a lot simply because those people we don't want getting their hands on that kind of tech ( Read more... )

IPac says "Your Senator needs an iPod."

Hey! That's my idea!

The EFF has an account of a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the Broadcast Flag where at least one Senator was asking hard questions of the RIAA representative. Why? Apparently his daughter bought him an iPod:The second revelation, dropped into the later discussion of the RIAA's audio flag, was that Senator Stevens' daughter bought him an iPod ( Read more... )

According to the Mercury News, the Bush administration is asking for a court order to get Google open their database of search records to Federal inspection. The reason given? The government is trying to show a pattern of searches for pornography in an attempt to prove Child Online Protection Act is the only way to protect children from sexual ( Read more... )

Lipidlegging is an F. Paul Wilson story about the natural consequences of making something illegal. Even if it is for the good of all.

Especially when it is 'for the good of all'...

It's the Supremes latest hit and Future Tense has the scoop.

This really does seem like 'Taxation without representation' to me.

(Meta: I thought I should do a 'palate cleanser' after the geekiness of the last few posts.)

Michael Isikoff is reporting on two bills in Congress relaxing the rules on domestic spying:Citing in part the need for "greater latitude" in the war on terror, the Senate Intelligence Committee recently approved broad-ranging legislation that gives the Defense Department a long sought and potentially crucial waiver: it would permit its ( Read more... )

Ex Seattle police chief Norm Stamper says it's time to end the drug war:SOMETIMES PEOPLE in law enforcement will hear it whispered that I'm a former cop who favors decriminalization of marijuana laws, and they'll approach me the way they might a traitor or snitch. So let me set the record straight ( Read more... )

Shikha Dalmia says the era of 'big government is over', is over:The most troubling thing about Bush's post-Katrina programs is that they reverse the trend put in motion by the welfare reform effort of the last decade. And unlike the case nine years ago, when Bill Clinton adopted small government under pressure from a Republican-controlled Congress ( Read more... )