Saturday, February 07, 2004

it is not currently lawful to demand fingerprints from all arriving passengers in order to detect the tiny minority of illegal entrants. All actions must be shown to be proportionate. Over the last few years, UK government has extended the powers of its various agencies in the area of biometrics through the passing of new Acts or Parliament: . Immigration Act, 1971 . Immigration and Asylum Act, 1999 . Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, 2002 Traditionally, the House of Lords is resistant to the collection of data on individuals and such highly detailed consideration of biometric identification across multiple Acts of Parliament indicates the expected significance of biometrics in the future. The wording of the latest act does not refer to `biometrics', but rather talks about collecting `external physical characteristics' and makes special mention of the eye, stating that collection of data from the iris and the retina should also be allowed. It is interesting to note that should the government decide they wish to make routine use of other `internal' biometrics such as DNA, further changes in legislation will be necessary. [...]

http://www.afb.org.uk/downloads/CHyp/TwoFingers.pdf
posted by Irdial , 8:19 PM Þ 
posted by Mess Noone , 8:17 PM Þ 

Resistance in the UK

This is the first government legislation since the Poll Tax which will affect everyone.

It will require everyone to register, and which will initially have the most impact on marginal groups (who need benefits, NHS, work on the sly, are criminalised, asylum seekers, activists etc).

Defy-ID is an (emerging!) adhoc network of groups and individuals prepared to actively resist the introduction of a national identity card scheme in the United Kingdom as part of resistance to a Big Brother state.

Tactics of resistance might include

- Non-cooperation

- Sabotage

- Creating support networks for cardless people [...]

http://www.defy-id.org.uk/index.htm
posted by Irdial , 6:47 PM Þ 

Sometimes upgrading to a newer version can be a good thing. Other times, your computer may not be compatible with the new version, the new version is bloated, or all the good options are no longer available. OldVersion.com has been supplying the online community with old versions of various programs since 2001. The service is utilized by thousands of users every day and has been featured in newspapers and magazines as well as on radio and television.

OldVersion.com has several objectives. One is to discourage the use of spyware by software companies. Also known as adware, these hidden programs come bundled with certain applications and secretly transmit user information via the Internet to advertisers. A possible way to avoid spyware is to download an old version of a program. By using OldVersion.com, you can get the clean old versions of programs as well as show the industry your dissatisfaction with these types of business practices.

Another goal is to assist computer users who are unable to continually upgrade their computer. Those who find that their machine is not able to run the latest version of a certain application have no choice but to use to an old version of the program. Unfortunately, the vast majority of software companies do not offer this opportunity to their clients. We are doing our small part to help bridge the digital divide by allowing everyone to enjoy the same software regardless of their hardware. [...]

http://www.oldversion.com/
posted by Irdial , 6:31 PM Þ 



Phil/Fingerprint
Chuck Close

Unfortunately you cannot see each print in this reproduction. The actual size is 93 x 69". The effect, when you stand across the room, is a sharp realistic image. As you move in, the lines become softened, blurry, and the delicate quality of this portrait is revealed. I had originally looked at this work with ideas of the artist's hand, and the reaction to minimalism, but now it takes on a whole other meaning under the context of mandatory fingerprinting. A reminder of humanity, I think.
posted by mary13 , 6:11 PM Þ 

I remember that at school our CDT room had a plotter inked up to a computer running an early drawing program, there were 4 pen holders which you put different thickness/colour pens in. One clever person could get it to do turtle type patterns.

-

Tracktion seems quite cool - but they want dollars.
posted by meau meau , 5:24 PM Þ 

fingeprinting: its not just for criminals anymore
posted by Irdial , 2:21 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 9:44 AM Þ 

His father criticised him for not getting up early in the morning.
He replied that, "the day was long enough to do nohthing".
posted by Irdial , 8:58 AM Þ 
Friday, February 06, 2004

posted by Irdial , 7:38 PM Þ 

The fallout over Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's racy Super Bowl halftime performance continues, as a Tennessee woman has filed suit against the pair as well as halftime show producer MTV, broadcaster CBS and parent company Viacom.

Knoxville native Terri Carlin filed a proposed class action lawsuit in a U.S. District Court on Wednesday, charging the accused with causing her and "millions of others" to "suffer outrage, anger, embarrassment and serious injury." The suit reportedly seeks billions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=19299
posted by Irdial , 7:22 PM Þ 

Fascinating! that link is from The Great Satan's Phamacist; is there a choice being offered to patients in the UK who want to have their children vaccinated? Of particular interest, the Mumps vaccine, mercury free.

Preservatives are used so that these vaccines have a long shelf life; are there any suppliers in the UK of "fresh" vaccines?

In the USA I remember that there were "Chicken Pox Parties" where parents arranged for their children to contract Chicken Pox naturally from contagious children. That way, they could control when they got it and of course, since its the real thing in confers real immunity for life.

That would be the most "fresh" of all.
posted by Irdial , 3:01 PM Þ 

posted by Mess Noone , 2:47 PM Þ 

Vaccine Tradename (Manufacturer)* Thimerosal Status
DTaP Infanrix (GSK) Free
Daptacel (AP)
Tripedia (AP) Trace** (single dose)
Pneumococcal conjugate Prevnar (WL) Free
Inactivated Poliovirus IPOL (AP) Free
Varicella (chicken pox) Varivax (M) Free
Mumps, measles, and rubella M-M-R-II (M) Free
Hepatitis B Recombivax HB (M) Free
Engerix B (GSK) Trace**
Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate (Hib) ActHIB (AP)/OmniHIB (GSK) Free
PedvaxHIB (M) Free
HibTITER (WL) Free (single dose vials)
Hib/Hepatitis B combination Comvax (M) Free


Some info.
posted by Alun , 2:43 PM Þ 

Ya pays ya money, ya takes ya choice.

Ahhh, if only that were true!

The TRUTH is you pay your money, and take what you are given. If we all had a choice in this matter, there would be no problem at all; we would all simply choose to inbible only the thimerosal-free vaccines, and in the combinations that we felt were safe.

Yes, felt.

If YPYM&YTYC were the case, there would be no cause for debate (except amongst diligent researchers) the public would be able to choose what they wanted from a range of options, just like the people who pay for their health care get to choose.
posted by Irdial , 1:47 PM Þ 
posted by meau meau , 1:42 PM Þ 

Sharman/Kazaa offices and homes raided

-

Filesharing progams don't kill the music industry,
the music industry kills the music industry
posted by meau meau , 11:56 AM Þ 

Linkage analysis for autism in a subset families with obsessive–compulsive behaviors: Evidence for an autism susceptibility gene on chromosome 1 and further support for susceptibility genes on chromosome 6 and 19

J D Buxbaum, J Silverman, M Keddache, C J Smith, E Hollander, N Ramoz, J G Reichert
SUMMARY: Although there is considerable evidence for a strong genetic component to idiopathic autism, several genome-wide screens for susceptibility genes have been carried out with...
Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication Immediate Communication


Also in last month's Molecular Psychiatry. And there are at least 6 'association' studies on autism and various physiological and genetic factors published in the past 30 days alone.

Another recent study of real people with autism (as opposed to effects of chemicals on cells in petri dishes) showed, again, no link of thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism.

Meanwhile the clinicians still argue over what is autism.

Ya pays ya money, ya takes ya choice.

(Alternatively, you judge the balance of good in vivo scientific, epidemiological data and draw your own conclusions).
posted by Alun , 11:20 AM Þ 
posted by captain davros , 11:08 AM Þ 

An elegant web-based project management and client extranet tool for creative services firms.

Crazy, I have been thinking about developing something similar for months now. I guess the difference is, they did it whilst I merely thought about it. Mine would have been slightly different though, based around time sheets. The basic job set up would have been something like:

Client -< Projects -< Goals

Each project has a deadline. Each goal also has a micro deadline inside the main projects deadline. (Goals are synonymous with the To Do List). You record how many hours you spent on each project/goal and then either enter the fee or let it work it out based on the time spent. It would then be able to produce a PDF Invoice.

It would have the iCal, vCard and RSS feed integration.

I was going to sort out the basic functionality, get it working for my needs and then put it on Sourceforge so other people could extend it and use it.

Of course, like most of my bright ideas it will never happen.
posted by alex_tea , 5:31 AM Þ 
Thursday, February 05, 2004

Musician Mike Batt had paid a six-figure sum to settle a bizarre dispute over who owns copyright to a silent musical work.

Batt, who had a number of hits in the 70s with UK children's characters The Wombles, was accused of plagiarism by the publishers of the late US composer John Cage, after placing a silent track on his latest album, Classical Graffiti which was credited to himself and Cage.

Cage's own silent composition, 4'33", was originally released in 1952.

Batt has now agreed to pay an undisclosed six-figure sum to the John Cage Trust by way of an out-of-court settlement. [...]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2276621.stm
posted by Irdial , 10:56 PM Þ 
posted by Claus Eggers , 10:24 PM Þ 

An elegant web-based project management and client extranet tool for creative services firms.

Web-based project management the way it should be

* Easy setup — 10 seconds to a new project
* Blog simplicity — Posting project updates couldn't be easier
* Simple scheduling — What's due, when it's due, who's responsible
* To-do lists — Make sure all the little things get done
* Web-based and hosted — No install or IT staff required
* Useful technology — RSS feeds and Apple iCal integration
* Feature focused, not feature laden — All wheat, no chaff


http://www.basecamphq.com/

I like it.
posted by Irdial , 8:21 PM Þ 

I'm envious of your IQ of 37.

Defensive design for the web...I'd LOVE to read this.
posted by Irdial , 8:02 PM Þ 
posted by Ken , 8:01 PM Þ 

Mac Jihadia in full attack mode

Andy said his e-mail inbox quickly filled to capacity, with more than 1,300 messages, and an unknown number bounced. The mail he did receive was full of nice, kind thoughts like death threats, insults and all kinds of colorful invective.

"I hope your PC blows up and leaves your miserable face disfigured forever," read one. "You will surely burn in hell for an eternity for this one."

Another said Andy should be hung by his testicles and set on fire.

"Turning a perfectly good dual G5 into a crappy PC was the ticket that got you to hell," wrote another, citing the common eternal damnation theme. "And if you were in front of me I'd pop a corn-born Teflon bullet from my Glock in your fucking face." [...]

http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,62157,00.html
posted by Irdial , 7:38 PM Þ 
posted by mary13 , 7:27 PM Þ 

Send us a report from there, on everything. Do it one night when you arent having a rock & roll trashed hotel moment!!!!

One thing is for sure; Uncle Sam knows you are coming.
posted by Irdial , 7:19 PM Þ 

Gallery of Computation | generative artifacts

Strange, alex. I spent a good part of yesterday looking at this guy's work. Some of the most stellar flash animation I have ever seen. And all using advanced mathematical concepts: iterative systems, lorenz attractors, mandlebrot sets, recursive systems, &c. Jared Tarbell is his name and he has a site here as well as the one that Alex posted today. Some more, older, but no less mind-beding animations here.
posted by Josh Carr , 7:03 PM Þ 

Thanks for the printer thoughts - more please if you can! I've gone printer mad...
posted by captain davros , 5:51 PM Þ 

I'm going to LA tomorrow. Despite the fact I will in the midst of 'the enemy' (and not just over zealous security measures, but also major label industry DRM scum) it should be fun, or at least, an experience.

I'll report back next week.

I must charge my camera batteries and check I have enough video tapes.

Wish me luck.
posted by alex_tea , 5:37 PM Þ 

Re. Mr. Alun Kirby's last brilliant post:

A perfect declaration of intent.
A meaningful, well put question.
A wish.
A priceless quote.

That my friends is the voice of a REAL MAN.
posted by Irdial , 4:46 PM Þ 

The harmonisation of data protection rules in the EU aims to achieve the free movement of information, including personal data, between Member States whilst at the same time ensuring a high level of protection for any person concerned. The resulting legal framework is found mainly in Directive 95/46/EC ("the Data Protection Directive"), adopted on 24 October 1995, dealing with the protection of individuals in the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data. Member States were required to give effect to the Directive within three years of its adoption. The Directive provides that:

Personal data should be collected only for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes;
The US proposals do not incorporate this,'terrorist threat' is neither specific (so non-specific they want the data for 42 months) nor explicit - travelling to the country is not legitimate.
Oh, did you see what I just wrote?

The persons concerned should be informed about such purposes and the identity of the controller;
The US proposals do not incorporate this, mainly because they have no 'such purposes'

Any person concerned should have a right of access to his/her data and the opportunity to change or delete data which is incorrect andIf something goes wrong, appropriate remedies should be available to put things right, including compensation of damages through the competent national courts.
The US proposals do not incorporate this
posted by meau meau , 4:12 PM Þ 
posted by alex_tea , 4:06 PM Þ 

Yes yes, but what do you THINK about it?

And more to the point, what am I going to DO about it?

Well, I won't be travelling to the US of A. Nor on any airlines who decide to allow unfettered access of US "intelligence" to their computers. Uncle Sam can kiss my tourist dollars goodbye. Which is a shame, because there are many friends and places I'd like to visit there... Depending on immigration procedures in place, one could enter the US from Canada or Mexico by boat/car, but that's not the point is it? It's a stand against ALL the invasive monitoring of personal information done in the name of 'security of the citizens'. I can go elsewhere for holidays.

Then there's what to do about "the weak, milk blooded, weak minded worms" riding the gravy train that is the European Union Commission. Hanging's too good for 'em. What I'd like is for them to say to the US "These are OUR rules. This is what you have access to under OUR terms. If you don't like it you can explain to OUR citizens why you won't let them fly into your country, and to the airlines as to why you're restricting their business, and to your tourist industry as to why it's no longer needed. Stick your isolationist policies up your arse and fuck off. We won't miss you."
I don't understand why there is any need for negotiation with these fools.
But what to do about them... ?

"Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience."
John Locke, 1690.
posted by Alun , 3:19 PM Þ 

Interesting read...

Yes yes, but what do you THINK about it?
posted by Irdial , 2:42 PM Þ 

Do you think the tenuous links between the Data Protection Act and a couple of high profile court cases recently were there to sow the seeds of doubt about the DPA so people would be more willing to accept ID cards / Biometric profiling and less strict controls on who gets to know what?
posted by alex_tea , 2:37 PM Þ 

EU to USA Passenger Name Records data tranfer - a report on what's what.

What the US demanded:
"The European Commission estimates that although there are approximately 2-25 possible fields of PNR data, some of these fields include subsets of information expanding the total to approximately 60 fields and sub-fields.5
The Congressional requirement for PNR has been interpreted very widely by the Bush Administration.
According to an interim rule of June 2002:
• All carriers must not just provide U.S. Customs with PNR data, but actually give the government
direct electronic access to the airlines’ computer systems. Each airline was responsible for ensuring
that its automated reservation system and/or departure control system could interface with the U.S.
Customs Data Center so that U.S. customs agents could log-in and look through files.
• This data must be provided for all flights, not only those destined for the U.S. So long as a carrier is
'engaged in foreign air transportation' to the U.S., U.S. Customs may access PNR information on the
carrier's database. (U.S. Customs claims that it would not require PNR for non-US travel, but
contends that “as a business decision, the airlines opted not to build filters within their reservation
systems to preclude access to travel with no US nexus”.6)
• This data, once 'transferred', may be shared with other federal agencies for the purpose of protecting
national security or as otherwise authorized by law. According to the interim rule, this data will then
be stored by the U.S. Government for 50 years."


What the EU rules stated on Data Protection:
"Under the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive, EU member states must:
• restrict access to data
• limit the purposes for its use, as data may only be used for the purpose it is collected
• minimize the period of retention
• ensure that individuals have access to the data that is held on them
• ensure that individuals have legal recourse
• ensure that the data is protected adequately.
One of the Directive's primary goals was to ensure “not only that personal data should be able to flow freely from one Member State to another, but also that the fundamental rights of individuals should be safeguarded.”

The pdf report lays out what is actually being agreed to by those EU commissionaires (sic) assigned the task of protecting our data rights against external threats such as those of the US. Interesting read...
posted by Alun , 2:21 PM Þ 

He just admitted it! There's no proof. This whole article is based on conjecture.

If it's good enough for the government...

-

Mr Hoon said on the Today programme that WMD in his opinion could mean mortars (if they had bio/chem tips) and there was no controversy about it at the time (no fuss so it was ok to be misleading - nice logic), they later read out a bit of his Hutton evience which totally contradicted what he said - he knew that WMD was thought to mean long range ballistic missiles by the population and between September and May he did nothing to counter this 'impression'. He *obviously* forgot to tell Bliar the distinction either.
posted by meau meau , 2:18 PM Þ 



A concentration camp is a large detention centre for political opponents, specific ethnic or religious groups, or other groups of people. Some concentration camps are designed for the extermination of the interned (extermination camps), or to engage them in forced labor (labor camps), while others are designed merely for confinement. The term is most likely to be applied when those interned are civilians and are selected by their conformance to broad criteria without judicial process, as opposed to their being judged as individuals.

In the English-speaking world, the term "concentration camp" was first used during the Boer War to describe camps in which thousands of Boer civilians, and black workers from their farms, died as a result of diseases due to hunger, thirst, and bad sanitation. The term concentration camp was coined at this time to signify the "concentration" of a large number of people in one place, and was used to describe both the camps in South Africa and those established to support a similar anti-insurgency campaign in Cuba at roughly the same time (see below).

Over the course of the twentieth century, the arbitrary internment of civilians by the authority of the state became more common and reached an horrific climax with the practice of genocide in the death camps of the Nazi regime in Germany and the Gulag of the Stalinist regime of Soviet. As a result of this trend, the term concentration camp carries many of the connotations of extermination camp and is sometimes used synonymously. In technical discussion, however, it is important to understand that a concentration camp is not, by definition, a Nazi- or Soviet-style death camp.

What follows is a brief history of concentration camps established by various countries and regimes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_camp
posted by Irdial , 1:45 PM Þ 

This BBC/Stephen Evans article reminds me of ready the Daily Mail. Sentences like this "It's hard to see how any website could withstand that kind of clever evil." are not there to inform or educate, there are no facts there, just bias. Lynda Lee Potter couldn't have done better herself. Also the lack of any evidence or fact is appalling.

Is he being paid by SCO or M$?

Look at this:

Wrath of the geeks

Wrath gives the whole thing a stupid, almost biblical turn. Geeks is derogatory, you wouldn't see the BBC writing Wrath of the Lezzas would you? Just really childish.

If anyone's anger has no measure, it is the wrath of internet zealots who believe that code should be free to all (open source).

"internet zealouts who believe... free to all" Very Wickerman. Basically 'geeks' are no better than some crazy religious cult. A bit like them Arabs innit.

So, it seems likely that the perpetrators of the MyDoom virus and its variants are internet vandals with a specific grudge.

Or one kid getting mixed up in something he shouldn't, or not in this way. Way to blow something out of proportion anyway. If M$ created secure systems in the first place viruses like this wouldn't have such an impact.

SCO is the big, bad company that violates one of their sacred principles, as they would see it.

Reducing the story to black and white, and using sarcasm is great journalism.

There's no proof, of course, but it must be one of the theories at the top of any investigator's list.

He just admitted it! There's no proof. This whole article is based on conjecture.
posted by alex_tea , 1:20 PM Þ 

Search engine Lycos said the brief flash of flesh had become the most searched for event in its history, even beating searches for 11 September.

"On Monday, Janet Jackson and the half-time show received 60 times as many searches as the Paris Hilton sex tape and 80 times as many searches as Britney Spears," said Aaron Schatz, who compiles a daily list of top search phrases for Lycos.

"Prior to this week, the most-searched event in the history of The Lycos 50 over a one-day period was the September 11 attack on America," he added.

"Jackson's half-time exposure also far surpasses the other top stories we've tracked on The Lycos 50." [...]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3461459.stm
posted by Irdial , 12:52 PM Þ 

Shiny!

Who is going to go there?
The premium positioning is aimed at attracting the large concentration of high disposable income households within the site ís immediate catchment area 1.5 m. people with earnings in excess of ~Ł100k within 30 minutes travelling time.
posted by meau meau , 12:44 PM Þ 

The BBC "journalist" who wrote that trash is a well established idiot/troll. He was a made man by being in the right place at the right time on 911.
posted by Irdial , 12:44 PM Þ 



Battersea powerstation...transformed.
posted by Irdial , 12:29 PM Þ 

So to recap on MyDoom

The Register:

Was the vector some l337 0-day 'sploit? Nope. Was it a complex multi-layer program leveraging several unpatched vulnerabilities? Nope. It was -- wait for it -- an executable attachment in an email. What genius! The author of Novarg (or MyDoom, or whatever you want to call it) really put his noodle to the test when he cooked this one up, huh?

BBC:

It represents a new degree of viciousness in internet warfare: a wickedly ingenious programme persuades thousands of computers to bombard a single website on a particular date.
posted by meau meau , 12:17 PM Þ 

123 words. Not enough. BUT, such a cool post that....
posted by Irdial , 8:45 AM Þ 

Barrie, no TV, even on Mondays?

It's Cold

Pension Plan
posted by mary13 , 7:47 AM Þ 

Linux cyber-battle turns nasty

This is a truly awful article.
It uses lazy stereotypes of childish "computer geeks" and vague but unfounded defense of a company's monetary rights to completely skirt around how important this issue is.
He is right when he writes that it is not about money, but he is wrong wrong wrong when he says it is all about malice. This is simply a foolish assumption! This is about a group of people who will use damaging tactics to promote an alternative way of thinking and doing that does not involve material wealth. I'm sorry but that sounds like POLITICS, not malice. That would make an interesting and useful article, but instead sensationalism is in order!
Juvenile, lazy journalists piss me off.
posted by Barrie , 7:26 AM Þ 

Some of them blog here!
I don't have a TV. I... can't imagine the amount of time that it (I?) would take from my life. It is one of those things that I will never be able to understand. Watch shit, while it robs you of time and dulls your thinking tool. Wow! When I was little I liked to watch science and history programs on tv. Now, no channel offers that (aside from PBS), those that did have devo'ed into reality show trash heaps.
Ok, I didn't intend to write this since this post is already long but: TV doesn't make people stupid, but what it DOES do is condition people to WATCH. And when I say watch, I mean only watch. You do not interact with television. You sit there and take it. Many people, raised by tv, have an apathetic attitude due to things like this. They are taught to WATCH not to ASK QUESTIONS and GET INVOLVED. This is a simple argument for a very complex problem but there you go.

Like any hard ... decision, either choice ... involves trade-offs.
A couple of years ago I came up with the personal mantra of "Life is a series of trade-offs." Compromise is duality. Duality is impossible to avoid.
However, improper trade-offs exist everywhere. For example I would never trade my personal (biometric, if you will) information for "state security." That makes no sense, no sense at all. There is no correlation and anyone who says there is is a complete fool. Like that spy website explains, I have personal rights to my own information and no one has the right to take it from me. No one has the right to take my books or my slippers either. Or the eggs in my fridge. And like my eggs, someone can take my identity against my will and use it in a way I do not see fit. It's the same concept. Faced with an ID card implementation I would simply say "NO." What is the worst that could happen? I would rather be shot. That is IT! That is ALL! Is this getting OUT?

As far as recognition (in this sense, a take on "celebrity") goes, no one who deserves it ever wants it. All they want is to work and do their job. Those who strive for it are hollow shells, barely even human.

What printer(s) do you use? Epson Stylus 860, Epson Stylus 9600
What do you use them for? The small consumer one is for my homework, web research printouts (lots of those), test prints onto art paper (it begrudgingly accepts them after some coercion). I use the large format one at school of course, for proofs and final proofs. The ink is non-water soluble, can print onto thick printing papers and be printed over with any type of ink including intaglio. The 860 is, for what it does, fucking huge. Fully opened it takes up half of my workspace. I almost always print in black and white and would much rather have one of those tiny laptop printers that only do black and white.
What is your favourite printer (including historical ones)? Apple LaserWriter NT. It was a brilliant machine. I also have an old Apple StyleWriter I, which, for a first-gen inkjet, is incredibly versatile!
What is your attitude to refilling them? Paperwise? The 860 is a bitch. It's cranky and even when I put in normal paper it sometimes protests. It does not feed paper evenly ie: will not consistently print on the same part of a piece of paper. Stupid. The 9600 is also cranky and you have to be sure your sheet of paper is dead straight. It can also print off rolls, which is rad. Inkwise? The 860 is fucking expensive for what it does. I rarely ever replace the colour ones of course, since I barely print in colour unless I want a very nice proof. The tech tells me each of the seven ink cartridges in the 9600 cost about 1000 dollars each. So crazy! The black isn't even black enough.

btw blogdial rules okthx
posted by Barrie , 3:26 AM Þ 

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?


It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
posted by Ken , 3:11 AM Þ 
Wednesday, February 04, 2004

1 2 3 a little fool I wanna be
2 3 4 you can give me more
5 6 7 I don?t wanna wait for heaven
9 10 11 going back to seven
7 8 9 kann denn doch noch sein
posted by Claus Eggers , 10:52 PM Þ 

YOU HAVE THREE HOURS LEFT.
WILL YOU FAIL IT?
posted by Irdial , 9:02 PM Þ 
posted by Ken , 7:18 PM Þ 

People who are ready to die for freedom are more likely to object to it being taken away by a beaurocracy run amok. Thats a reasonable assumption I think.
So those who willingly join the British and US armed services are those most likely to protest against ID cards?

mass killing and exodus from the UK has been no effect on the character of the population?
And the mass immigration from the West Indies and Indian sub-continent in the subsequent years, these were only sheeple, with not the potential for a genius among them?

word of mouth, people making speeches in the street and in drinking houses. That is almost unimaginable today.
I contend this is BECAUSE of TV, because of 'home entertainment'. Today's people growing up in the same culture (of the 1910-20 era) would probably do the same things as those people did. Nurture, not nature is the suggestion, I guess.

Recognition we dont care about
I'm sure Claude Shannon has all the recognition he could have wanted, more most likely. Recognition often comes after the fact, and is not usually sought after. Recognition should not be confused with 'fame', something valued too highly by far today.

TV doesnt make people stupid
That's not the argument. TV makes people soporific, isolated, easily satisfied. Why take interest in Newsnight or Question Time when you can see Jordans tits on the other side? Why read Lord of the Rings when you can buy the DVD? Why change your life when it's so easy to sit in front of the box criticising other people's?

Real people cannot be brainwashed by TV, and certainly would not be able to be brainwashed by todays completely dumbed down TV.
I'm afraid they can and they are, whether they realize it or not, and whether we like it or not.

On a lighter note....

posted by Alun , 6:54 PM Þ 

---

To: declan@well.com, gnu@new.toad.com
Subject: AAMVA National ID Forum, Feb 26-29
Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2004 18:33:09 -0800
From: John Gilmore

They call it the "2004 Driver Licensing and Identification Security
Forum". But what it really is about is making "one individual, one
document, one database record" -- in other words, one national ID per
person in the US, that happens to be issued by the US states (and
Canadian provinces and Mexican states).

Join the bureaucrats who are plotting to make this happen, in scenic
Houston, Feb 26-29. (Don't forget to show your ID to travel there,
and also to check in to the Westin Galleria, "of course". That
requirement is why I won't be there; I'm under regional arrest because
I refuse to get, or show, such an ID.) Feb 29th is specially set
aside as "Canada Day" for dealing with how Canadian provinces are
going to issue these coordinated "US National IDs".

http://www.aamva.org/events/mnu_evt2004IDSecuritySummit.asp
(Meeting Contact: Lucia Osterbind, +1 703 522 4200)

This AAMVA project is a multi-year effort that started before 9/11 but
accelerated afterward, in a misguided attempt to categorize and file
every person on the continent so we'll then know all the "good guys"
from the "bad guys" and can merely lock up all the bad guys and then
we'll feel safe. The bills that authorize and enable this cross-state
collaboration are due to be introduced in state legislatures STARTING
NOW, and need active opposition from local privacy groups. But
first, you need information about what they're up to -- so attend.

Privacy activists and journalists should converge on this conference,
to find out what's really happening, and to ask them if they've lost
their minds. Curiously, the scheme is being perpetrated by middle
level bureaucrats in state motor vehicle agencies, who actually think
they are doing good for the world by tracking every citizen from the
cradle to the grave. Privacy activists have been absent from their
deliberations for years. Neither their bosses the Governors, nor
their own legislatures, know what they are up to. (The Feds are in it
up to their armpits, of course, but only as "advisors".)

John Gilmore

_______________________________________________
Politech mailing list
Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)

[...]

"ask them if they've lost their minds." Thats like asking the sun if its hot.

This man is the sort of man that I am talking about; he refuses point blank to cooperate with immoral regulations and legislation, and not only that, he is willing to suffer personally for it. Heroic behaviour of the sort that if 50% of people did it, we would have no problems at all.

Not a single american that I have spoken to about this ID card business has managed to give me a coherent answer about how they are going to confront a world where (theoretically) everyone but them on this planet is biometrically ID'd. Are they going to accept ID cards internally and conform with the rest of the world, OR are they going to allow themselvs to be scanned when tens of millions of them travel to other countries??
posted by Irdial , 6:34 PM Þ 

Ginsberg and Burroughs and Black Dog:
http://www.dogsquad.co.uk/
The best are still the best!
posted by Irdial , 6:05 PM Þ 

Don't forget they have to starve while they are alive as well that's probably the most important thing.

Yes, basically any kind of contentment, complacency or comfort will distort and disrupt the creative flow and so should be avoided.
posted by alex_tea , 5:35 PM Þ 

Artists, writers, thinkers, anyone who is left in isolation and is only discovered posthumously will have had the ability to reach their full potential.

Don't forget they have to starve while they are alive as well that's probably the most important thing.
posted by meau meau , 5:30 PM Þ 

but it would be a pretty awful plateau to find oneself upon

Exactly, this also fits in my stupid theory, but I didn't want to write lots. Basically any kind of criticism harms creativity because it distorts the initial goal of the creativity, which is a purely selfish, self imposed and self influenced aim. Artists, writers, thinkers, anyone who is left in isolation and is only discovered posthumously will have had the ability to reach their full potential. Obviously, there are many other factors in that, and it's all wrong because outside influence can be a great catalyst.

Without other people I would be lost.
posted by alex_tea , 5:18 PM Þ 

Wrong premise.

are you saying that the mass killing and exodus from the UK has been no effect on the character of the population?

The point is about a basic philosophical choice, not a physical capability. It also assumes that those killed in WWI would object to ID cards.

People who are ready to die for freedom are more likely to object to it being taken away by a beaurocracy run amok. Thats a reasonable assumption I think.

This may be contested, in that these include, in vast numbers, those willing to die 'for King and country', to follow orders.

These people had a capacity to believe in something; they were the same generation which included the Bolsheviks, not the sheeplike cannon fodder that you describe, but people who had enough imagination to make a revolution happen. This was done without TV, or any sort of mass media programming - word of mouth, people making speeches in the street and in drinking houses. That is almost unimaginable today.

It could be argued that these are exactly the same kind of unquestioning slaughter fodder as those now choosing Sky TV and interactive pop programmes over interactive debate about their civil rights.

No chance. They are the people who today TURN OFF the TV. Some of them blog here!

The suggestion that all the ideas may have died also may be false.

I didnt say that. I said that the Futurists that died took the potential for their new creations with them to the grave. That is a fact.

Of a million men, how many have genius worthy of immortal recognition?

Recognition we dont care about, and all we need is one genius in a million to completely change the world forever. Hardly anyone has heard of Claude Shannon, yet he is the architect of the modern age.

The numbers, whilst sickening, do not destroy a country. In particular, they do not destroy the basis of that country's beliefs and personal values.

A countrys beliefs dont live in its soil; they live in the hearts of men. Take away the people with the capacity to keep an ideal in their hearts, and the nation withers away. Neither does a nations ideals live in a book or a piece of paper. Look how the Americans are dismantleing their country, in spite of a written constitution. Their hearts are as sieves when it comes to ideals. Thats why that country is on its knees.

There are other, more insidious reasons for voter apathy and political withdrawal in the populus. I cite Rupert Murdoch, the pandemic proliferation of soporific television, and the basic ease with which one can slip through modern life un-noticed as principle generating factors of a feeling of a personal 'lack of worth' in current society which results in a general groan of 'why bother'.

I just dont buy this at all. TV doesnt make people stupid; people are born stupid, or are born smart and dont get a good education. Murdoch cannnot be blamed for our current troubles - he sells the papers people want. When public opinion goes against his papers, he changes tack; look at the Frank Bruno affair for an example. Real people cannot be brainwashed by TV, and certainly would not be able to be brainwashed by todays completely dumbed down TV.

Speaking of which, have you watched "Horizon" lately? I tried to the other day, and it was so profoundly dumb that I couldnt watch it. Infantilism to the extreme. Simple ideas explained monosylabically, monotonously, with firework special effects replacing all substance. TV is bollocks. I watch the news to laugh at it. I watch the comedy to cry and look at classic movies to think WTF happened?

TV cant make real people do things. If anyone here has ever bought somehting that they saw on TV, I would be very surprised indeed, for that would mean....

i cant even say the words!
posted by Irdial , 5:02 PM Þ 

Project Barkley Gallery

Archive.org comes up tops for Project Barkley. Very nasty stuff.
posted by alex_tea , 4:38 PM Þ 

Success leads to an inflated ego, and hence, arrogance and complacency, which means the creation never reaches the full potential

Success can also lead to a hungry marketplace which desires more of the same, so an artist's creativity cannot get the chance to continue growing and try something new. Not really a reason not to aspire to success, but it would be a pretty awful plateau to find oneself upon.
posted by captain davros , 4:35 PM Þ 

There used to be a site called "Project Barkley" that had extraordinary "Celebrity Facials". It seems to be offline. They were completely extreme.
posted by Irdial , 4:19 PM Þ 

Mingering Mike

From the Soulstrut.com forums. The thread features images of MM's sleeves and the NYP article.

This story strengthens my (somewhat half baked) theory that the greatest artists and minds in any field are unknown, because they don't care for self promotion. Success leads to an inflated ego, and hence, arrogance and complacency, which means the creation never reaches the full potential.
posted by alex_tea , 4:11 PM Þ 

What printer(s) do you use?
Epson 1200 Stylus Photo (A3+ inkjet - 1440dpi max)
do you use them for?
Er... not as much as I intended it for, CV/portfolio material mainly, useful OEM pages, if I ever get my scanner I'll use it for photomontages. The high quality photo paper prints are excellent, the basic settings and small text are pretty rough, the colour matching is good too.
is your favourite printer (including historical ones)?
n/a
is your attitude to refilling them?
Damn and blast I'm sure they put less and less ink in these refills... why couldn't they have at least gone the separate cartridge route... I buy new cartridges.
posted by meau meau , 3:22 PM Þ 

the males lost tended to be the best; recruiting involved screening out the weak and unfit who were left home.

Wrong premise. The selection above is primarily physical. The point is about a basic philosophical choice, not a physical capability. It also assumes that those killed in WWI would object to ID cards. This may be contested, in that these include, in vast numbers, those willing to die 'for King and country', to follow orders. It could be argued that these are exactly the same kind of unquestioning slaughter fodder as those now choosing Sky TV and interactive pop programmes over interactive debate about their civil rights.

The suggestion that all the ideas may have died also may be false. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon would likely have been also-ran poets had they not had the setting for their particular genius, and their ideas and moralities live on (to what avail). How many were inspired by the horrors? How many were conscientious objectors? How many survived, or were not fit to be drafted, or simply had the good sense to run away? Of a million men, how many have genius worthy of immortal recognition? Of those, how many find the way to express and fully exploit that genius, with or without a war interfering? So there is another side to the argument. The numbers, whilst sickening, do not destroy a country. In particular, they do not destroy the basis of that country's beliefs and personal values.

There are other, more insidious reasons for voter apathy and political withdrawal in the populus. I cite Rupert Murdoch, the pandemic proliferation of soporific television, and the basic ease with which one can slip through modern life un-noticed as principle generating factors of a feeling of a personal 'lack of worth' in current society which results in a general groan of 'why bother'.

Also, women can have ideas now and then. So I've heard.
posted by Alun , 3:14 PM Þ 

posted by Claus Eggers , 3:07 PM Þ 

Query - your responses are appreciated.

What printer(s) do you use?
What do you use them for?
What is your favourite printer (including historical ones)?
What is your attitude to refilling them?

My answers.

Main ones are an HP Laserjet 5L for laser copies (recycled from an office clear out) and a deskjet for color inkjets (free with computer bundle). I also have a superb large Brother dot matrix (another office clearout), two polaroid colorshots (they print to polaroid film), a tandy plotter and a tiny NEC thermal printer.

Letters and mono vector stuff go out as laser copies. The deskjet is pretty hopeless for anything photowise but you can get some interesting effects from it if you stay within certain limitations. Brother is used experimentally for large artworks, polaroid for photos, plotter for divine experiments and the NEC is just 1337.

Fave would be the line printer from uni - it printed from a dos command on huge green lined fan fold paper! We had an interesting dye-sub printer too and a slide writer which was cool.

I keep the laserjet and deskjet on economy/draft mode, as it's negligible in the former and looks better in the latter. I always buy new cartridges but I wish they weren't so expensive - the price really puts me off replacing them until the last minute. I haven't refilled anything yet.
posted by captain davros , 2:50 PM Þ 

hello - long time no blog, but i have to share this with you. it was reported on the fox network and is the most unbeleivable piece of rubbish I have ever seen. send to as many people you know and tell them to write and complain to myword@foxnews.com:

fox news article

for what its worth, here's a transcript of my email - any responses and I'll be sure to let you know:

Hello

I'd just like to say that your myword article about the BBC was extremely disappointing. As a respected news channel I would have hoped that you would have had enough integrity to have fully reported the case, and give a balanced view of the events - that would of course have been that the BBC, on one extremely serious issue, was incorrect and had been guilty of poor editorial decision. But, however, there were worrying parts of the report that were true and as such, require addressing. Note that the report was widely questioned, with most observers feeling that much evidence had been ignored, and that the report was heavily skewed in favour of the government. Note the fact that we are still getting people from within the various security agencies agreeing with what was originally claimed.

Instead, like the BBC, who you so quickly have attacked only in a more comedic and bizarre fashion, you have exaggerated and misinformed to an almost unbelievable level. Why you would wish to try and make your viewers believe that anyone who questions the war as anti-American is beyond me. At such a difficult time in the world inciting race-hate of this kind is both dangerous and unwise.

This isn't a defence of the BBC, whom I feel are guilty of (and have recognised) deep flaws in their editorial process, this is a plea to you to report correctly and not abuse your journalistic position. You have a responsibility to inform viewers of the truth. Some people will believe what you say. To casually throw around accusations of anti-Americanism in order to support a wholly inaccurate journalistic piece of reporting is so irresponsible, it beggars belief that you actually allowed it to go out. Of course, I doubt that anyone will accept that fact within your organisation, let alone apologise or resign. To be honest I'd rather none of things happen if it means you will communicate facts to the public correctly, but I doubt that will happen.

One final point - in your article you claim Gilligan is anti-American and pro-Iraqi. I would of assumed that if you are in support of the war, then you are pro-Iraqi, as it was these people whom it was supposed to help? Or is that just another inconsistency in the report? Or are you anti-Iraqi? Or do you just not care?

Your views would be appreciated

Paul

posted by Paul , 1:23 PM Þ 

This:

数年前、Irdialっていうマリオペイントだけで作った曲をアナログで出したりしてた
かなり頭のおかしそうなエレクトロ?のレーベルがあったんですが
今もまだ健在なんでしょうか?知ってる人いたら教えてください。

「小水月」
自分とこのブースほったらかしても買いに行きたい。。
雪さん。。


Means this:

Several years ago, the Irdial っ て it puts out the tune which was made with just マリオペイント which is said with analog and/or is rather the head strangely so electro-? The label met, it is, but even now still it probably is healthy what? Knowing, when the る person it is please teach. "Small water month" by your this booth you neglecting, we would like to go to buying. . Snow. .

A result from Altavista
posted by Irdial , 12:55 PM Þ 

Hmmm that wildcard on google brings up some really interesting results...went to look at Altavista again, and My word, its Image Search really rocks; looks like it goes into the link tree and pulls the images out...clever.
posted by Irdial , 12:37 PM Þ 

http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=127996&liFlavourID=1

IT Management: Politics & Law
by Bill Goodwin
Tuesday 3 February 2004

Passport Service paves way for ID cards

The government is planning to recruit 10,000 volunteers to have
fingerprint and iris scans to test whether biometric technology will be
an economical option for ID cards...

Some 2,000 of the volunteers will be selected to provided a
representative sample of the UK population, 1,000 will be taken from
groups representing people with disabilities and 7,000 will be selected
randomly from people near the four test sites.

The booths will be at Newcastle town hall, a DVLA site, a post office
and a passport office. The passport office will also test a mobile
scanner
to record the biometric signatures of elderly or disable people
who may not be able to visit a testing centre[...]


YOU SEE!!!!
posted by Irdial , 12:23 PM Þ 
posted by meau meau , 12:08 PM Þ 

Two world wars

And one world cup...

You're going home in a [*] ambulance
posted by meau meau , 9:47 AM Þ 

ken meier is easily one of the top political scientists in the nation
ken meier is the director for engineering for advanced thermal products
ken meier is the vice president for engineering for advanced thermal products
ken meier is wack in every sense of the word
ken meier is a man of integrity and excellent character
ken meier is keeping a close eye on the debates
posted by alex_tea , 1:33 AM Þ 
posted by alex_tea , 1:32 AM Þ 

How We Are Fighting the War on Terrorism: IDs and the illusion of security

In recent years there has been an increased use of identification checks as a security measure. Airlines always demand photo IDs, and hotels increasingly do so. They're often required for admittance into government buildings, and sometimes even hospitals. Everywhere, it seems, someone is checking IDs. The ostensible reason is that ID checks make us all safer, but that's just not so. In most cases, identification has very little to do with security.

Let's debunk the myths:

First, verifying that someone has a photo ID is a completely useless security measure. All the Sept. 11 terrorists had photo IDs. Some of the IDs were real. Some were fake. Some were real IDs in fake names, bought from a crooked DMV employee in Virginia for $1,000 each. Fake driver's licenses for all 50 states, good enough to fool anyone who isn't paying close attention, are available on the Internet. Or if you don't want to buy IDs online, just ask any teenager where to get a fake ID.

Harder-to-forge IDs only help marginally, because the problem is not making sure the ID is valid. This is the second myth of ID checks: that identification combined with profiling can be an indicator of intention.

Our goal is to somehow identify the few bad guys scattered in the sea of good guys. In an ideal world, what we would want is some kind of ID that denotes intention. We'd want all terrorists to carry a card that says "evildoer" and everyone else to carry a card that said "honest person who won't try to hijack or blow up anything." Then, security would be easy. We would just look at people's IDs and, if they were evildoers, we wouldn't let them on the airplane or into the building.

This is, of course, ridiculous, so we rely on identity as a substitute. In theory, if we know who you are, and if we have enough information about you, we can somehow predict whether you're likely to be an evildoer. This is the basis behind CAPPS-2, the government's new airline passenger profiling system. People are divided into two categories based on various criteria: the traveler's address, credit history and police and tax records; flight origin and destination; whether the ticket was purchased by cash, check or credit card; whether the ticket is one way or round trip; whether the traveler is alone or with a larger party; how frequently the traveler flies; and how long before departure the ticket was purchased.

Profiling has two very dangerous failure modes. The first one is obvious. Profiling's intent is to divide people into two categories: people who may be evildoers and need to be screened more carefully, and people who are less likely to be evildoers and can be screened less carefully.

But any such system will create a third, and very dangerous, category: evildoers who don't fit the profile. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, Washington-area sniper John Allen Muhammed and many of the Sept. 11 terrorists had no previous links to terrorism. The Unabomber taught mathematics at UC Berkeley. The Palestinians have demonstrated that they can recruit suicide bombers with no previous record of anti-Israeli activities. Even the Sept. 11 hijackers went out of their way to establish a normal-looking profile; frequent-flier numbers, a history of first-class travel and so on. Evildoers can also engage in identity theft, and steal the identity -- and profile -- of an honest person. Profiling can result in less security by giving certain people an easy way to skirt security.

There's another, even more dangerous, failure mode for these systems: honest people who fit the evildoer profile. Because evildoers are so rare, almost everyone who fits the profile will turn out to be a false alarm. This not only wastes investigative resources that might be better spent elsewhere, but it causes grave harm to those innocents who fit the profile. Whether it's something as simple as "driving while black" or "flying while Arab," or something more complicated such as taking scuba lessons or protesting the Bush administration, profiling harms society because it causes us all to live in fear...not from the evildoers, but from the police.

Security is a trade-off; we have to weigh the security we get against the price we pay for it. Better trade-offs are to spend money on intelligence and analysis, investigation and making ourselves less of a pariah on the world stage. And to spend money on the other, nonterrorist security issues that affect far more Americans every year.

Identification and profiling don't provide very good security, and they do so at an enormous cost. Dropping ID checks completely, and engaging in random screening where appropriate, is a far better security trade-off. People who know they're being watched, and that their innocent actions can result in police scrutiny, are people who become scared to step out of line. They know that they can be put on a "bad list" at any time. People living in this kind of society are not free, despite any illusionary security they receive. It's contrary to all the ideals that went into founding the United States.

Bruce Schneier, CTO of Counterpane Internet Security in Cupertino, is the author of "Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World" (Copernicus Books, 2003).

SF Gate
posted by Irdial , 1:09 AM Þ 

[...] Note also that the current enthusiasm for profiling, the idea being to identify possible threats from people who aren't known, and have no record, absolutely requires broad data capture, use and retention. Course we've got to compile records on people who're innocent - otherwise, how could we confirm they're innocent?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/35314.html
posted by Irdial , 12:03 AM Þ 

In no less than 200 words:

Who is Ken Meier?

You have 12 hours.
posted by Ken , 12:01 AM Þ 

- the costs of war were staggering:

* in manpower, a large portion of an entire generation of males perished and left a generation of females without mates.

* the males lost tended to be the best; recruiting involved screening out the weak and unfit who were left home. Thus, modern war worked exactly opposite to the theories of the social Darwinists (unfortunately, the Nazis and fascists generally failed to learn that lesson & continued to preach social darwinism in the interwar period). [...]

http://husky1.stmarys.ca/~wmills/course203/11_Impm_WW1.html

You dont have to be a geneticist or an adherent of Eugenics to understand that if you remove one million of your strongest men from a generation, the next generation will be affected. Take the example of the futurists that were killed in WW1; just imagine if they had survived and continued to leave their ideas for us - who knows what they would have been able to come with, and those are just the people that we know about imagine all of the other geniuses, inspired men and all around good guys who were slaughtered, their influence erased from future history forever. Its impossible to say that Great Britian would not be better off had that war not taken place. I am of course, completely ignoring the other effects of not having fought "the war to end all wars".....
posted by Irdial , 12:00 AM Þ 
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
posted by Ken , 10:44 PM Þ 





posted by a hymn in g to nann , 9:52 PM Þ 

MANY people deliberately choose to do the "wrong" thing, just because its wrong.

This isn't necessarily wrong though. The concept of 'Wrong' is subjective I suppose. A bit like variable scope.

What happens when you know what you are doing is wrong, but you don't stop doing it because you are too scared of the consequences of admitting you are wrong. And so, you carry on with this lie, this falsehood through your own cowardice. One day that will consequence will reappear, magnified, and you will have no choice but to deal with it. There will be no more hiding.
posted by alex_tea , 9:02 PM Þ 

Keep violently pruning a population in this way, wtf else is going to be left but a bunch of flower eating Eloi?

Hmmm. Not convinced. Two world wars should harden a nation's resolve rather than soften it, embed a certain resoluteness and pride, not result in indifference and apathy.

I see the change as more recent. Mr Willcock stood up in 1950. James Callaghan was toppled by the Winter of Discontent. Tens of thousands of miners fought for their jobs for nearly 2 years in 1984/5. The Poll Tax riot in 1990 had serious consequences for Mrs Thatcher, despite (or perhaps because of) it's spontaneity and scale.

What's to say something won't happen if ID cards get closer to reality... No, I don't really believe that either.

More later on the decline of the British personality.
posted by Alun , 8:27 PM Þ 

there is no decision

Choice is the act of deciding on one course or another. MANY people deliberately choose to do the "wrong" thing, just because its wrong.

But you know this!
posted by Irdial , 7:14 PM Þ 
posted by Ken , 7:07 PM Þ 

This struck me as very Akin, and kind of OUT maybe....

Like any hard ... decision, either choice ... involves trade-offs. (If there weren?t any trade-offs, and one choice was clearly superior to the others, there is no decision.)

From Daring Fireball
posted by alex_tea , 7:01 PM Þ 

I choose to stand IN with driving on the left side of the road only. (To give an absurd example)
I choose OUT of supporting ID cards.


Yes indeed, but the specific question is would you refuse, point blank, to be issued one and carry one.

Hence, do I object to all government/law/societal pressures as an infringement on my liberty? (OUT here may be living in a cave. Or squatting, and resorting to what IN-ers define as theft, bartering and self-sufficiency to obtain food, clothing etc.)

Once again, you should not have to give up anything at all in order to be O.U.T. and neither should you have to move, quit your job or do anything else to get O.U.T.

Or do I object to aspects, according to my conscience? OUT here may be as little as having no TV, or simply refusing to pay a licence fee, for example.

In the case of the TV licence, you simply do what the man who destroyed ID cards did; get a TV, watch it, and refuse to comply. Its in your house, it belongs to you; "why on earth should you have to pay to recieve programming on it? If the BBC wants people to pay for their programming, they should encrypt it like Sky do." That is the argument.

Ill give you an example of a whole bunch of people in France who need to get O.U.T. The female true believers want to cover their heads in the state schools. The state says and emphatic "Non". "OK, we get O.U.T." Should be the reply. They should go and set up their own schools, and attend them en masse. They should set them up with the money that they used to pay to the revolutionary government of France. THEN we will see how important it is to or to not cover your head in school. Huit Million people all getting O.U.T. and separating themselvs completely from the state, in every way and on every level.

"I dont care what planet you are from; thats gotta hurt"
posted by Irdial , 6:47 PM Þ 

let's hear why

At a wild guess, three hundred years of:

Transportation and then emigration to Australia.
Emigration to America.
World War 1.

Keep violently pruning a population in this way, wtf else is going to be left but a bunch of flower eating Eloi?

Didnt take too long did it?!
posted by Irdial , 6:14 PM Þ 
posted by Josh Carr , 5:58 PM Þ 

The power of Google

Using Google?

Looking for images of quaternion fractals?

On the 3rd of February 2004, this page (or rather the page that was here) was swamped by requests and the server subsequentially failed. The reason was traced to Google introducing a fractal looking logo (see below), which when clicked, performed an image search for "julia" and "fractal". The two most interesting resulting images on the top row of the list were on this page (or rather the page that was here).

In order to get this server functional again, the pages that were here have been moved somewhere else. It shouldn't be too hard to find them if you really want to, do a Google search for "Quaternion fractal"..... :-)

Please note that this is not a criticism of Google but rather an interesting dimension to the power they wield. They have hundreds (thousands?) of servers worldwide that distribute their traffic load. If even a small percentage of that traffic is directed to a single server.....what chance does it have?

Question: Should Google ask permission before potentially sending huge traffic loads to a single page/server?
Happy searching!
posted by alex_tea , 5:16 PM Þ 

A lesson in peaceflu protest

Peaceflu: cold caught whilst demonstrating


when it concerns acts of the state against the person
When writing, my thoughts were more tuned to 'society'/government in general, with compulsory ID cards (for example) as just part of this. Hence the conclusion of "the individual nature of the definition of the two states".
I choose to stand IN with driving on the left side of the road only. (To give an absurd example)
I choose OUT of supporting ID cards.

Hence, do I object to all government/law/societal pressures as an infringement on my liberty? (OUT here may be living in a cave. Or squatting, and resorting to what IN-ers define as theft, bartering and self-sufficiency to obtain food, clothing etc.)
Or do I object to aspects, according to my conscience? OUT here may be as little as having no TV, or simply refusing to pay a licence fee, for example.

Pedantics apart (no. explanations of thought processes apart), I agree.

If you've got a few hours, let's hear why the weak, milk blooded, weak minded worms that we have today have become exactly that.
posted by Alun , 4:57 PM Þ 

Now that ive got a minure (yes, MINURE):

Mine, for consideration:
This does not take Crowley's writing literally, although that would be possible.

In current climes, OUT in the world, OUT of my present situation would be, at many destinations, to run from one IN to another which differed only in decor*.

it is unacceptable that you or anyone else should give up your property to live in another jurisdiction simply because your local government has lost all moral authority. You need to stay put AND get what you want, which is what is right.

I do not accept OUT to be a withdrawal from IN, away into solitude, isolation. This is not OUT. This is denial and cowardice.

Agreed, though cowardice is a difficult slur to use. If you know for sure that you are going to be destroyed for standing up and being counted, and that when the count comes the total will be one, are you a coward for saying ?I?m O.U.T. of here?? I think not. There may come a point where all the people left alive are literally worthless, and then the only way O.U.T will be to leave them to their fate, OR if you are immoral, buy some sh(e)ar(e)s.

There are several stages to OUT.
OUT is, firstly, a philosophical step. An understanding, an acceptance even.


True. It's Resignation. Becoming resigned to the inescapable conclusion that you cannot have anything more to do with the irrational, snowballing mess that is democracy.

OUT is, having taken the philosphical step, something which must be defined individually.

True only in that how much you are prepared to take is up to you. You are not O.U.T just because you have made the decision. O.U.T is a verb.

This may depend on how far IN one judges oneself to be, and how far OUT one wishes to get.

There is only "in" and O.U.T. There is no "IN". You can EITHER be in OR O.U.T. Where the line is is up to you, though if you are co-operating you are in, for SURE. You can test this objectively. Read the rules.

Of course, IN and OUT may be regarded as absolutes, but one then suffers an even harder task. One may break down specific aspects of one's life and behaviour into IN and OUT in each case, and work by this method.

We are only talking about one thing basically, which is true across all people in A Bad Country®. There is no avoiding it, no two ways about it:

WILL you or WONT you allow yourself to be forcibly fingerprinted.

For example.

For brevity, and to avoid case studies, I conclude by emphasising the individual nature of the definition of the two states, and by reminding the reader that it is only against one's own conscience and values, and only within one's heart, that IN and OUT are of any value whatsoever.

No.

There IS right and wrong, and it is not individual, especially when it concerns acts of the state against the person.

By all means, you can kill yourself, have someone kill you, do what ever you want with your own property and your own body, but when THE STATE says what you can and cannot do, where you can and cannot go without their permission, a real tangible wrong is committed, and this is specifically what I am talking about, and is what specifically this man took action on by refusing to carry an ID card in his own country. If the UK were populated with men like this, real, red blooded men instead of the weak, milk blooded, weak minded worms that we have today, this proposal would never have even been thought of as a doable idea.
posted by Irdial , 3:32 PM Þ 

terms of service

Use your terms of usage and don't use them.

-

Is it rain or just a chimp with a watering can?
posted by meau meau , 3:31 PM Þ 

orkut - terms of service: orkut.com's proprietary rights

By submitting, posting or displaying any Materials on or through the orkut.com service, you automatically grant to us a worldwide, non-exclusive, sublicenseable, transferable, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right to copy, distribute, create derivative works of, publicly perform and display such Materials.



WTF?!
posted by alex_tea , 3:05 PM Þ 

I have considered VSO posts. I still consider them, MSF and others. While they would be OUT, they are affected by the IN.

You can get O.U.T. whilst staying put. More on this later.

posted by Irdial , 2:49 PM Þ 

Today's Flunkett moment...

"The papers before the court indicate a disturbing inactivity on the part of the Secretary of State," said Lord Justice Scott Baker. ...

posted by Alun , 2:45 PM Þ 

Your opinions/answers would be of interest, as always:

Where/what is OUT?
How does one get OUT?


Mine, for consideration:
This does not take Crowley's writing literally, although that would be possible. In current climes, OUT in the world, OUT of my present situation would be, at many destinations, to run from one IN to another which differed only in decor*.
I do not accept OUT to be a withdrawal from IN, away into solitude, isolation. This is not OUT. This is denial and cowardice.
There are several stages to OUT.
OUT is, firstly, a philosophical step. An understanding, an acceptance even.
OUT is, having taken the philosphical step, something which must be defined individually. This may depend on how far IN one judges oneself to be, and how far OUT one wishes to get. Of course, IN and OUT may be regarded as absolutes, but one then suffers an even harder task. One may break down specific aspects of one's life and behaviour into IN and OUT in each case, and work by this method. For brevity, and to avoid case studies, I conclude by emphasising the individual nature of the definition of the two states, and by reminding the reader that it is only against one's own conscience and values, and only within one's heart, that IN and OUT are of any value whatsoever.


*I have considered VSO posts. I still consider them, MSF and others. While they would be OUT, they are affected by the IN. However, they remain the most obvious and far OUT I could consider.
posted by Alun , 2:22 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 1:36 PM Þ 

My trans dimensional travel chamber is a sucess!

now wait for last year

viva Sofronitsky!
posted by Mess Noone , 1:11 PM Þ 

10. Do ID cards facilitate discrimination?

Yes. The success of ID cards as a means of fighting crime or illegal immigration will depend on a discriminatory checking procedure which will target minorities.

The irony of the ID card option is that it invites discrimination by definition. Discriminatory practices are an inherent part of the function of an ID card. Without this discrimination, police would be required to conduct random checks, which in turn, would be politically unacceptable.

All discrimination is based on one of two conditions : situational or sectoral. Situational discrimination targets people in unusual circumstances. i.e. walking at night, visiting certain areas, attending certain functions or activities, or behaving in an abnormal fashion. Sectoral discrimination targets people having certain characteristics i.e. blacks, youths, skinheads, motor cycle riders or the homeless. ID cards containing religious or ethnic information make it possible to carry this discrimination a step further.

Several developed nations have been accused of conducting discriminatory practices using ID cards. The Government of Japan recently came under fire from the United Nations Human Rights Committee for this practice. The Committee had expressed concern that Japan had passed a law requiring that foreign residents must carry identification cards at all times. The 18-member panel examined human rights issues in Japan in accordance with the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Japan ratified the covenant in 1979. The Alien Registration Law, ``the Committee complained in its report, is not consistent with the covenant''.

Ironically, the Parliaments of several European nations, including France and Holland, have accepted a law introducing the obligation to identify oneself in numerous situations including, for instance, at work, at football stadiums, on public transport an in banks. While the card is voluntary in name, it is in effect a compulsory instrument that will be carried at all times by Dutch citizens. Moreover, foreigners can always be asked to identify themselves to authorities at any moment and in any circumstance.

French police have been accused of overzealous use of the ID card against blacks, and particularly against Algerians. Greek authorities have been accused of using data on religious affiliation on its national card to discriminate against people who are not Greek Orthodox. [...]

http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/idcard/idcard_faq.html


Its amazing; in the UK THERE ARE NO ID CARDS. This means that we dont suffer the mass degradations and violations that all these other countries do. And yet, a blind man wants to subject us all to these scanalous and absurd cards, and no one is saying anything about it!

They will march in the street to stop foxhunting, but not to stop ID cards.
They will throw themselvs in front of 18 wheel trucks to stop the Veal trade...
They will break into laboratories to sabotage experiments.....
They will climb Big Ben to stop oil spills....
They will march to save the people of another country....

But for themselvs...NOTHING.

Thats not very smart people of the UK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Irdial , 12:56 PM Þ 

3. Only individuals own the Copyright to their Biometrics and DNA
We assert that only we, as individuals, have ownership and Copyright (under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act) over any digital or analog copies or extracts of copies of our so called Biometric identifiers, including DNA samples, fingerprints, photographs (using any wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum) of any parts of us, including iris scans, retina scans, facial recognition, gait recognition, voice recognition etc.

Any use of such personally identifiable data requires our explicit permission to be held or processed under the Data Protection Act. [...]

http://www.spy.org.uk/cgi-bin/idcards.pl#central
posted by Irdial , 12:50 PM Þ 

doing the searches

The M|5 ers normal day:

Get on train from suburbia.
Get tube to Vauxhall.
Get into Cake House.
Make tea.
Scrounge internet for dossier to plagarize.
Make tea.
Attend meeting.
Make tea.
Draft draconian legislation for that blind dumbass.
Have lunh (with tea).
Read the Guardian.
Plan holiday with Lastminute.com.
Have tea.
Read emails.
Go to underground.
Get train.
Arrive home.

Now.

Maybe if these people got off of their asses and TRACKED THE "BAD GUYS" DIRECTLY they wouldnt have to destroy everyones liberty in a perpetual nationwide fishing expidition; honestly, they really need to get out of Stella Rimingtons Cake House by the Thames and do some on the ground tracking of individual bad guys, and NOT create these Orwellian control systems that hurt the people that they are sworn to protect.

Protecting the liberties of the citizen against the state makes sense, if only on a selfish level. To track hundreds of bad guys abroad they will need to increase their infrastructure by an order of magnitude. This means more jobs, more burocracy, more of everything that gives these people an orgasm; and the innocent public gets to stay free, in the sort of United Kingdom that, despite its problems, is one of the better places to live on this planet.

This is precisely the job that the security services used to do, and do well. Track "problem individuals" on a case by basis, whilst the ordinary citizen remains at liberty to live out her life responsibly and free from surveillance. The only reason why these insane systems are being brought in is because the companies that sell the software and hardware are corrupting every branch of Government. All of the measures that are being introduced are simply not needed. The false need is being manufactured in order to sell the systems; a cause is being found. If they go through with it, the real people will get O.U.T.
posted by Irdial , 12:45 PM Þ 
posted by meau meau , 11:58 AM Þ 

Bush:
We feel our intelligence was wrong we shall have an inquiry.
Blair:
We are going to have an inquiry to see if our intelligence was wrong, so guys don't ask me that question again 'coz I wouldn't want to prejudge their decision, like y'know right.
posted by meau meau , 11:32 AM Þ 

Which one is it? Is DOWNLOADING Communism, or is DRM Communism??!?!?



http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/35291.html
posted by Irdial , 11:31 AM Þ 

Henry Kissinger
posted by meau meau , 11:30 AM Þ 
posted by alex_tea , 11:19 AM Þ 

That mingering mike story is well cool.
posted by captain davros , 11:13 AM Þ 

Featured Resources

Cornelius Cardew, "Stockhausen Serves Imperialism and other articles" (1974)

Pablo Picasso, "A Picasso Sampler: excerpts from The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, & Other Poems" (1935-59)

Salvador Dali, "Conversations with Dali" (1965)

Dial-A-Poem Poets: "Sugar, Alcohol, & Meat" (1980)

Robert Whitman: Cellphone Piece (2002)

Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner - BBC Radio Works 1998-2002

Philip Guston's "Poor Richard"

Fluxus Anthology - 30th Anniversary 1962-92 (MP3)

The UbuWeb Anthology of Conceptual Writing

[...]

http://www.ubu.com/

OMG IT WORKED!!!!!!

My trans dimensional travel chamber is a sucess!

The text above proves that there are indeed an infinite number of multiverses that are almost identical to (y)our own universe, down to the atomic level.

This universe is slighty different to my universe; all it would take to create this difference is a single atom being in a different place billions of years ago to produce very subtle yet profound dissimilarities. It's rather like the butterfly effect, where the smallest perturbation can cause a tornado via a cumulative effect.

Now, I shall return to my own universe, where this blog post does'nt exist, but where there is another BLOGDIAL waiting for me to exclaim my sucess.

Your universe is very curious, and I would dearly love to stay here and explore it, but.... I have a Nobel Prize to collect!
posted by Irdial , 11:12 AM Þ 

The format is based on Microsoft's Windows Media 9 Series and uses Unicast proprietary pre-cached technology.

Does this mean they won't work on Mac or Linux? Does this mean we'll download a 2mb file we don't need/can't see against our will? Is it possible to recharge the bandwidth to the advertisers as I never asked for it?
posted by alex_tea , 10:32 AM Þ 
posted by Mess Noone , 8:58 AM Þ 
Monday, February 02, 2004



He took advantage of a flaw in the lab's authentication system and used the company's network bandwidth to download and store hundreds of gigabytes of copyrighted film and music files. [...]

OMG/BBC
posted by Irdial , 11:51 PM Þ 
posted by Josh Carr , 6:46 PM Þ 

The Home Secretary has become ridiculous.

Become? Did he not start ridiculous. Everything has become ridiculous, I'm not sure what is parody and what is factual these days.
posted by alex_tea , 6:07 PM Þ 

Big Blunkett
found via this page

which says:

BLOGDIAL
When the going gets tough, the smart dissapear upwards, into another dimension.

-

So will bush and blair outdo britney and madonna at the ceremony?
posted by meau meau , 5:39 PM Þ 
posted by Claus Eggers , 5:06 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 3:50 PM Þ 
posted by Ken , 3:38 PM Þ 

Not only mmeeaauu's "Blunkett-of-the-day", but a double whammy for Monday!

This time, our favourite be-guide-dogged, bearded, Home Secretary decides that 'Innocent until Proven guilty' is too good for the likes of... well, anyone he doesn't like really.

He proposes that 'terrorists' are so darn tricksy that he can reduce 'beyond all reasonable doubt' to just 'on the balance of probability' in criminal cases for the first time ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!!!!

I feel safer just thinking about that, don't you?

Already we've got 15 of the blighters rotting away in Belmarsh jail and as soon as this comes in we can try 'em and lock 'em up legally! Just be suggesting they probably did something, or were going to. Probably.


Mr Blunkett believes the nature of the "new global suicide terrorism" means it may now be necessary to keep evidence in a terrorism case secret even from British defendants and their lawyers in order to protect intelligence sources.
It's a cracker!
He added: "That is really a very big challenge and it is not one that I am prepared to duck. I will publish a paper to enable this to happen, to address these issues more widely, which is why I was raising them here in India."
It's the way he tells 'em!
posted by Alun , 12:03 PM Þ 

The man who was running the parody BBC page has taken it down, leaving a messae: "Hello, If you were looking for the spoof BBC page, it has had to be taken down for legal reasons."

"MEME deletion... a sad hour. :'-(" is the title of the page.

Hmmmm Parody is protected speech, so thats no excuse. Maybe he was getting so hammered that it was costing him a fortune?

What is for sure, is that if anyone wrote him a cease and desist letter, he should not have immediately taken it down, but rather should have reported the event to Chilling Effects. to see what the true position is.
posted by Irdial , 10:53 AM Þ 

On that Metamute site, there is the following attribution: Adaptation by PutPut.
posted by Irdial , 10:28 AM Þ 

new mute - in shops now

David Blunkett continues to be a disgrace to the nation [yes another inciting 'proposal'], he has no business acting this way in a parliament [emphasis on the first paragraph] let alone being home secretary.
posted by meau meau , 9:51 AM Þ 

"There were only two options. Either I stopped using computers or I help everybody to escape. I chose the latter,'' he said.

File under "why we love Richard Stallman"

http://www.hindu.com/2004/02/01/stories/2004020104231000.htm
posted by Irdial , 9:01 AM Þ 

One of these brats has synesthesia.

It would be interesting to see if these journalists could come up with an article like this that wasnt spoon fed to them by a PR trying to sell a movie.
posted by Irdial , 8:33 AM Þ 

http://www.tokidoki.it/pages/main.html?left=71&top=67

http://thomasbarwick.com/

uh oh, looks like someone has been overwhelmingly inspired by Mr. Thomas Barwick, and he isnt as good an artist as TB, thats for sure.
posted by Irdial , 8:22 AM Þ 

Thom Yorke's article is Number 20 at Daypop and rising.
See the misery spread.
Spread misery spread!

You know the rest!
posted by Irdial , 8:05 AM Þ 

Because Scoble's right. If you buy Apple Music or if you buy Microsoft Music, you're screwed if you want to do something with that music that Apple or Microsoft doesn't like.

Copyright law has never said that the guy who makes the records gets to tell you what kind of record player you can use. If Scoble and his employer want to offer a product with "features" that their customers want, those features should reflect what their customers want: No Windows user rolled out of bed this morning and said, "I wish there was a way that I could get Microsoft to deliver me tools that allow me to do less with the music I buy." [...]

Mr Boing Boing has a lucid moment.
posted by Irdial , 8:01 AM Þ 

Canada first, defence panel urges
Military focus should be on domestic security to protect country from terrorist threats

WHAT?!!! WHY?!!! How did these idiots get into my government? Where is this threat they speak of? Quite frankly I think our greatest internal threats are from idiots like these and their friends in America!!

--
"Their plan, described with forceful and urgent language, calls for the United States to overthrow the government of Iran, abandon support of a Palestinian state, blockade North Korea, use strong-arm tactics with Syria and China, disregard much of Europe as allies, and sever ties with Saudi Arabia. Domestically, the authors say, several federal agencies need to be overhauled, a national ID card system needs to be put in place, and the government and its citizens need to realize the gravity of the terrorist threat and step up the effort, as the title indicates, to end evil."
The End of Evil - hilarious! Read the review that is currently at the bottom of the page, by David Ellis... very good. I first saw this book on thursday when I went to pick up "Empire" and was quite appalled.
posted by Barrie , 3:06 AM Þ 
Sunday, February 01, 2004

Tune Recycler

With the Tune Recycler, you can send us your unwanted iTunes bottlecap codes and we'll use them to support independent music. Easy for you, and good for musicians.

What did you really win under that cap?
Pepsi is giving away 100 million iTunes songs under Pepsi bottlecaps. For some people, winning an "iTune" when they open their Pepsi might be exhilarating. But if you aren't one of those excitable few, we understand-- you didn't exactly win the lottery. Most people who drink Pepsi don't use iTunes, so winning a single song means you won a chance to spend 20 minutes downloading, installing, and signing up for a music service that will cost a lot more than your Pepsi habit. USA Today reported that Pepsi expects only 10-20% of all caps to be redeemed. That means 80-90 million of them will end up in the trash.

An Opportunity for Independent Music

A winning Pepsi cap isn't just a song, it's a chance to send Pepsi's 99 cents somewhere good. When a cap is redeemed, Pepsi pays Apple 99 cents for the song, and Apple passes along 65 cents to a record label. Unfortunately, most of the music on iTunes is put out by one of the 5 major record labels, and their business practices are highly suspect. When you buy an iTunes song from a major label, there's a good chance the artist won't see a penny, because they're still recouping. If the artist does get a cut, it's only about 10 cents from the 99 cents you paid. But we can do better!

Don't throw away that cap, recycle it!
When you submit a winning Pepsi code to the Tune Recycler, we'll redeem it for music from honest, independent labels. There are a few great independent labels in the iTunes store that give their musicians up to 40-50 cents, right from the first sale. When you use the Tune Recycler, you know that no money is going to support price fixing, payola, or lawsuits against families with children--and most importantly, the money goes to a musician. That way, you don't have to sign up with iTunes to get one song, but you can still put that cap to use. [...]

http://tunerecycler.com/

Buy sugared water to give away access to drm sucking record labels. Its all sticky, syrupy and disgusting! However, these people are cool:


"I thought you guys didn’t like iTunes. Why are you doing this project?
Downhill Battle is not a big fan of the iTunes Music Store, as you may know if you’ve seen our web page, iTunes iSbogus. Our biggest problem with the store is that it helps perpetuate the major record labels’ domination of the music business, which is bad for musicians, fans, and music. The internet has enormous potential to cut out the middleman and get more money to artists. iTunes fails to live up to that potential. [...]


And there are some cool links on this site:


What is RIAA Radar?
The RIAA Radar is a tool that music consumers can use to easily and instantly distinguish whether an album was released by a member of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
http://www.magnetbox.com/riaa/

and:

RIAA Radar: RIAA Family Tree
The index of record label ownership and connections (including aliases found in Amazon.com's data.) Please send any corrections or additions to [...]
http://www.magnetbox.com/riaa/tree.asp


**********************************


Now these people are an example of what I mean when I talk about seeing a problem, thinking about it and then DOING SOMETHING. In this case, we have some very creative people using the greatest tool ever made to its maximum potential. They are awesome. By putting together this site, you can make sure that all your purchases are free from RIAA contamination. What would be a brilliant addition to this is a Konfabulator widget that checks your iTunes purchase against their database so that when people want to buy from iTunes, and there are many of these sadly, they can at least make a clean(er) purchase.

Now, I have spoken before about the power that the RIAA has as a lobbying force, and how a powerful counter force could be created by gathering the other 80% of copyrights that are not represented by them, under a new democratic umbrella organization that collects and distributes royalties via the internet. It is people like this who will create this colossal project and make it work. These people will effect change, not the impotent loosers who lobby congress with cap in hand crying about the RIAA. They know who they are.
posted by Irdial , 6:02 PM Þ 

"... the country houses will be turned into holiday camps, the Eton and Harrow match will be forgotten, but England will still be England, an everlasting animal stretching into the future and into the past and, like all living things, having the power to change out of all recognition and yet remain the same... "
George Orwell, Englad, Your England, 1941

Sunday, January is over, and there is sunshine.
Digitalising our holiday, and listening to -

Wilco
John Parrish
Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown
Plush
Swervedriver
James Brown At The Apollo
Vilayat Khan
Edith Piaf

- so far.

Jnuary's end was celebrated last night with Toad in the Hole, Onion Gravy, Mash, meaty red wines and Polish special bitters vodka. For the digestion, of course.
posted by Alun , 1:08 PM Þ 

Gulf War II
Invasion
Liberation
Removal of a dictator
Search for weapons of mass destruction
Neutralising a rogue state
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Preemptive strike
Just war
Oil rape
Creating democracy
US Imperialism
Justice for Iraq
Moral crusade
Daddy's unfinished business
...

Last March the US & UK armies attacked Iraq without a UN mandate

Call it what you like but don't call it legal.

-

Flunk-it is okay with securing release of a convicted arms dealer in India (Guardian) but is still unwilling to have the uncharged X-ray detainees sent back (despite many reports that the US is willing to release most of the UK detainees).
posted by meau meau , 11:44 AM Þ 

That article by Thom Yorke is symptomatic of what is wrong with Great Britain. Tom Yorke (the singer of Radiohead) wants to live in a country where the BBC and the government can be implicitly trusted to do the right thing; where when someone gets caught violating international law for invading a country they get up and apologise...and then resign. Well I’m sorry to report Tom, that country hasn’t existed since before you were born, in fact it never existed at all.

His article is a lollypop item. Its something that the people in control can use to show that the media is open, that anyone can say anything, that democracy and freedom of speech are alive and well in the UK and "shouldn’t you be glad that you live in a democracy like this". Well that’s bullshit. The BBC has just taken a kosh over the head, for reporting something. Writing articles like Thom Yorke's only serve the purposes of warmongers. More on that another time.

The most irksome problem with this article is that it is literally simian in character. Monkeys can use tools. They have a culture, yet when it rains, they sit still and get wet instead of moving to the shelter of trees just a few feet away.

This "simian thinking" is what Thom Yorke has demonstrated with his article, which will be read by millions of people. Asking questions about this absurd and irrelevant report will change nothing and it is change, on a profound level, that is needed now more than ever, not childish question asking, "boo hooo why did the BBC bosses have to resign mommy? It’s not FAIR!!!".

Ben Cohen of Ben & Gerry’s ice cream is an example of a real human being taking the sort of action that is required to fix problems. He has intelligently thought about the problem that he wants to address, laid out a plan, and is now gathering people to make it happen.

Thom Yorke on the other hand is an example of a monkey. "Why is it raining on my head, and why is my fur now all wet?" is the question he has just asked. What he has failed to do, is ask the most fundamental and simple of questions, "what are we going to do about this". The answer being in the case of rain, "Lets take shelter before we get soaked boys!"

From the article:
"It has left everybody I know shaking their heads in disbelief and anger. Such a performance should make us all deeply nervous about the future of Britain."

You and everyone you know are a part of the problem if that is all you feel about the illegal invasion of Iraq. What you feel about this report is meaningless, both to great Britain and to the people of Iraq. If you dont ask the first question, "what are we going to do?" then you cannot take the first step to solving the problem.

Allow me to instruct you.

You and all the people you know need to stop wasting your time being angry, and start planning to do something that will fix this problem of your out of control government once and for all. If you are not thinking like this, if you are not planning some action, if you are not taking action once the solution has been presented to you, you are literally contributing to the problem.

Now, there are some people (many of them artists) that thrive on misery and negativity. Solving problems is against their nature, since they use that negative muse to inform and fuel their art. Perhaps you DON’T want to solve these problems so that you can continue to come up with titles for your CDs? Yes, that was a low blow.

Let’s assume that this is not the case and that you are indeed, honest. You need to think hard about the whole process of war, from its beginning to its execution. You and your "rock group" are in that process, on a profound level. If you remove yourselves from that process, the war machine collapses completely. I have spoken about this before; until you and everyone you know are willing to remove yourself from sham democracy, war and all the despicable lies surrounding it will continue forever, and you will have no one but yourselves to blame for it.

You say that this country is "godforsaken" that’s just a blasphemous lie. Its been forsaken by people like you, who cannot put a string of logical thought together that is long enough to tie down and solve a simple problem.

You were given an article in The Guardian to write about this mess. You completely wasted an opportunity to put a powerful meme into the consciousness of millions of people; an idea of how the war machine can be put to death. What do we get instead? A useless cry-baby screed that ends with a link to your own website. This country has been forsaken by the thinkers and the doers and the intelligent action takers. If this country had 10 people like Ben Cohen there would at the very least be a large voice taking pure common sense and logic. Instead we have to suffer whining singers, sellers of makeup calling for yet more absolutely useless public inquiries and a sheep like public that is more than happy to fuel the war machine ad infinitum, whilst being absolutely disenchanted with government, and democracy itself.

The public is ripe for fundamental and permanent change, so that they get the benefit of their own work and world. They understand that the invasion of Iraq was illegal wrong and immoral. All they need are the instructions telling them what to do so that it won’t ever happen again. Your article could have been the spark that set it into motion. You failed miserably.

These three things are true:

You wasted this opportunity.
You play in the country that is under a boycott for warmongering.
You and your "rock Group" are a part of the problem.
posted by Irdial , 11:08 AM Þ 

The most famous man from Vancover at the time in the danish papers

Famous? No the most famous person from Vancouver is Sarah MacLaughlin. (sarcasm) The man you are speaking of is vile and horrid. I did not think him worthy of a Blogdial post. And it is those examples that make me think that capital punishment should be practised. They found another one a few weeks ago. I am frightened that there are more.

What a neighbourhood! Mary have you been there? is it really like in this article??
What can I tell you? Yes, it is like that. Yes, I have been there. I ride my bike through there to get downtown. I was at an art gallery there a few weeks ago. I used to go to school there. I have friends that live in the neighbourhood. Some streets are worse than others. It is terribly sad. Heroin is a huge problem in Vancouver. The city recently opened a safe injection site, one part of a plan, but the funding for the other parts (detox centers, education, etc) has not materialized. So you can shoot up, but you can't get immediate help if you want to get clean. Advocates for the women in the sex trade tried to get a law passed so the women could legally work from their homes, which would at least get them off the streets, and people freaked out. They couldn't deal with the implications, so the women are still on the streets. At least the police don't attend overdose calls anymore, only the paramedics go, so the idea that addiction is a crime is slowly being changed. COPE was elected into municipal government, and much of their mandate is to work on the issues with the people of the lower east side, instead of pushing them off the streets and into another area of town. It is going to take a long time to bring some kind of balance back.

But I have never heard it called Low Track before. I was quite appalled by the tone of that article.
posted by mary13 , 7:01 AM Þ 

Campbell himself chose to become the story, using his indignation at such a slur on the government's "integrity", and so avoiding the substance of the accusation itself.

He now claims the BBC, from the top down, did not tell the truth. In what way? It didn't check out the story? It seems, sir, your little story about WMD didn't check out either. Are we supposed to feel sorry for him after this sustained attack on his integrity? Nobody cares about his integrity; they just want to know why we went to war against international law on weak single-source intelligence. [...]

Guardian, this article surprised me (mainly because of the author).

But what else should anyone expect from a Lord? This case should have been handled in a public court, not by an appointed aristocrat. There was no process for anyone to see. We all waited a couple of months and then Hutton shat out a report full of lies. This should not have happened in the first place. Where did the accountability go?
posted by Barrie , 1:12 AM Þ 
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