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Wow are you ever off base. You're comparing apples to water melons. The big thing you are over looking is the difference between one person carrying out this horible act on their own and a group of people condoning it while the legal system shrugs. The man who kills his wife faces the full weight of the criminal justice system. The family that asks a brother/cousin to kill their daughter who happened to get rapped faces no charges and the brother/cousin a lighter sentence (if any) than the crime warrants.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0214/p07s02-wome.htm l
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/18/iraq.hon orkilling/index.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,344374, 00.html
and also
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/world/europe/16t urkey.html?ex=1184040000&en=be57dfd1ac6ad029&ei=50 70

Because I'm quite sure that a significant portion of them *do* have valid issues. Every communications company I've ever had has a firmly established reputation for screwing up billing. Cell phone, television, cable internet, you name it.

And when you call them up, they deny the problem, or they claim to have fixed it, and next bill you discover they haven't.

This really isn't anything to do with Bush,...

From an article in the New York Times:

Judge Batchelder was appointed by President George Bush, Judge Gibbons by President George W. Bush and Judge Gilman by President Bill Clinton. Judge Taylor, the district court judge, was appointed by President Jimmy Carter.

Judge Batchelder (George Bush) wrote the majority opinion, Judge Gibbons (George W. Bush) concurred with the majority, and Judge Gilman (Bill Clinton) dissented. Judge Taylor (Jimmy Carter) was the district court judge who was over-ruled.

only if the dog dies.

Gee, it looks like there will be dueling perpetual motion machine demonstrations tomorrow. Joeseph Newman has been promoting a "Gyro power" machine for decades. I first became aware him while working in the Patent and Trademark Office back around 1980 where his patent application was rejected, the rejection being affirmed on appeal.

Oh, what to do, what to do, London or Phoenix?

... see the movie Sicko.

The parent comment, and others, minimize the issue. The issue is fraud by the medical profession. The medical system in the U.S. is broken.

Okay, this is an exaggeration to try to be funny: If you open your window on a quiet night, you can hear the crying of hundreds of people. Film studio executives in Hollywood are crying because they have to spend $20 million to market a movie that cost $20 million to film, but Michael Moore is invited to sell his movie Sicko from the podium in the U.S. federal government's House of Representatives, and the New York Times publishes a photograph, shown in the NYT article For Filmmaker,`Sicko' Is a Jumping-Off Point for Health Care Change. Quote from the article: "Even the haters agree this film is genius!"

When I last checked Fandango.com, there were 1651 "must see" ratings, 115 "go" ratings, and only 62 lower ratings. Sicko is the highest rated movie ever, apparently.

Complaining about Michael Moore is evidence of ignorance. He does the best he can. Do not demand that your evidence be sugar-coated and delivered on a silver plate. Get it where you can, and cross-check it carefully, or know you are purposely avoiding being part of the solution to the problems.

For those whose real purpose is having a way to act out their anger, while hiding it from themselves, get help. Work on resolving your anger, rather than listening to anger sellers like Rush Limbaugh.

One last thing: If you had educated yourself about what the U.S. government is doing and has done, you would have known that Michael Moore's movie Fahrenheit 451, while faulty in presentation, was entirely based on fact. For example, George W. Bush really does hold hands in an affectionate way with Saudis who control the Saudi government. Osama bin Laden's major complaint was that the U.S. government was supporting a Saudi government he thinks should be replaced. I'm against violence from any source, but certainly a Saudi citizen like bin Laden has a right to object to a regime in his own country that many Saudis say is repressive.

The history of President's using the power to commute and/or pardon people has gone on since the Constitution was written. President Clinton issued pardons to many people who were part of Watergate, a scandal which involved him. You can label that just as "corrupt" as the Libby pardon.

It should also be noted that "the Supreme Court has ruled that the pardon power is granted "[t]o the [president] . . ., and it is granted without limit" (United States v. Klein)." Source: NYTimes

Also, Libby still has to pay his fine ($250,000 if I remember correctly) and still complete his probation. He must serve that portion of his punishment.

I believe that if you look at what Libby was found guilty of, perjury, that's not worthy of a 30 month prison term.

President Bush did the correct thing by commuting the prison sentence, but keeping the fine and probation in place.

Also, the NYT editorial is pretty close to your position: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/opinion/03tues1. web.html. Their news analysis is saying that Bush is completely off the leash because his numbers are so low that he feels he can do anything he wants. Lower than any president ever it seems. So, how about if congress takes Iran off the table before Independence Day. Surely, the news that Iran is helping to plan and execute attacks against our soldiers is timed in an awkward manner.

US needs to play well against Columbia on July 5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Am%C3%A9rica_200 7#Group_C

Our discussion boils down to two points:

* Cost

If return-on-investment is not a valid measure, what is? $500 billion dollars (more, with stateside spending) has cost >3000 more lives and has not made us any safer. Partly, we are not safer because the US was already very safe; mostly, Iraq has proved to not have any WMDs or sponsorship of terror, and the resulting chaos has fomented Islamic fundamentalism and terror.

* Rights

These are the facts at the federal level:

- Habeas corpus was suspended at a time without civil unrest. It's black letter in the Constitution, and the Supreme Court did grant the writ over the objections over the administration.

- The NSA surveilled US citizens without a warrant. The court ruled that it violated the First and Fourth Amendments; the ruling is stayed pending appeal.

- The US obtained private telecommunications data without a warrant. The court ruled that the relevant section of the PATRIOT act is unconstitutional, again because it violated the First and Fourth Amendments.

- As discussed, Real ID legislation has passed and merely awaits funding; to date, Bush has received funding for all his domestic security initiatives (TSA, DHS, etc.).

And changes at the local and state levels:

- NYC considered a ban on subway photography for reasons of terrorism (read the article). Even though the MTA relented, there have been incidents of MTA cops harassing photographers.

NYC has had filming permit process for 40+ years, however it's not coincidence that Rakesh Sharma was harassed only last year. This is not even counting the Nepali who was thrown in solitary for 3 months for accidentally photographing an FBI office.

- Similar harassment on the CTA.

- More on the harassment of street photographers.

- Last, but not least, the Ohio Patriot Act, which has clear violations of the First and Fifth Amendments.

Our discussion boils down to two points:

* Cost

If return-on-investment is not a valid measure, what is? $500 billion dollars (more, with stateside spending) has cost >3000 more lives and has not made us any safer. Partly, we are not safer because the US was already very safe; mostly, Iraq has proved to not have any WMDs or sponsorship of terror, and the resulting chaos has fomented Islamic fundamentalism and terror.

* Rights

These are the facts at the federal level:

- Habeas corpus was suspended at a time without civil unrest. It's black letter in the Constitution, and the Supreme Court did grant the writ over the objections over the administration.

- The NSA surveilled US citizens without a warrant. The court ruled that it violated the First and Fourth Amendments; the ruling is stayed pending appeal.

- The US obtained private telecommunications data without a warrant. The court ruled that the relevant section of the PATRIOT act is unconstitutional, again because it violated the First and Fourth Amendments.

- As discussed, Real ID legislation has passed and merely awaits funding; to date, Bush has received funding for all his domestic security initiatives (TSA, DHS, etc.).

And changes at the local and state levels:

- NYC considered a ban on subway photography for reasons of terrorism (read the article). Even though the MTA relented, there have been incidents of MTA cops harassing photographers.

NYC has had filming permit process for 40+ years, however it's not coincidence that Rakesh Sharma was harassed only last year. This is not even counting the Nepali who was thrown in solitary for 3 months for accidentally photographing an FBI office.

- Similar harassment on the CTA.

- More on the harassment of street photographers.

- Last, but not least, the Ohio Patriot Act, which has clear violations of the First and Fifth Amendments.

It's not like he got off scott free. He's still got the conviction on his record, and is looking at a $250,000 fine. Oh, and two years' probation, in case he's ever in a position to perjure himself in a Federal investigation again.

I speak this in the same ironic voice that Verbal Kint used in The Usual Suspects : "Well, I do have the weapons charge; I'm looking at six whole months' hard time."

According to the President's statement, the 30-month sentence was too harsh for a first-time offender with a long history of public service. So, instead of reducing it to something he felt more reasonable, he commuted it altogether. The President didn't contest the conviction; he 'respect[ed] the jury's verdict"; he even commended prosecutor Fitzgerald for carrying out his duties professionally. He simply felt that, ah well, Scooter doesn't really need to be punished for covering-up a breach of national security. He's rewarding the fall-guy.

But, you know what, in the long run, I'm OK with this. Sure, it's a miscarriage of Justice. Such things happen often enough. Unlike most miscarriages of justice, however, this one won't be forgotten so quickly. It is an extremely revealing demonstration for everyone but the most die-hard Bush fan that this administration feels it is above the law. The deeper that message can be driven into the American People, the better. If the President believes that this will go over well with the populace, or even within the leadership of his own party, he has seriously miscalculated.

"Mr. Libby was sentenced to thirty months of prison, two years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. In making the sentencing decision, the district court rejected the advice of the probation office, which recommended a lesser sentence and the consideration of factors that could have led to a sentence of home confinement or probation. I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."--President Bush.

If Bush is citing the probation office's advice, what was that advice? How long was the lesser sentence? Zero, no jail time at all? If not, then why did Bush let Libby off scot free? What is the jail term Bush thinks is appropriate for perjury and objstruction of justice, and why was Libby not required to serve that term?

And why does Bush say "I respect the jury's verdict," when he patently does not respect the jury's verdict? What could possibly constitute more disrespect than setting the verdict aside?

I agree, and what I don't understand is why the issue of universal/socialized health care is rarely suggested at the state level.

I'm glad the states are taking the lead on this, but I don't think they can succeed alone because there are open borders between states. The needy will simply flock to whichever state has the best health care. The same could be somewhat true on a national level, but only somewhat... you can't be "deported" from Kansas to Arkansas.

Q. There have been some accusations that you've taken liberties with facts in some of your documentaries and in "Rescue Dawn," particularly from the family of Eugene DeBruin. What is your reaction to those accusations?

A. If we are paying attention about facts, we end up as accountants. If you find out that yes, here or there, a fact has been modified or has been imagined, it will be a triumph of the accountants to tell me so. But we are into illumination for the sake of a deeper truth, for an ecstasy of truth, for something we can experience once in a while in great literature and great cinema. I'm imagining and staging and using my fantasies. Only that will illuminate us. Otherwise, if you're purely after facts, please buy yourself the phone directory of Manhattan. It has four million times correct facts. But it doesn't illuminate.

folks: every single word you read, every conversation you hear, anywhere, is biased. everyone is trying to sell you a bill of goods, all the time. furthermore, you yourself are not neutral, and never were. no media ever will be neutral. no media ever was neutral. you go through life with a bullshit meter, or you don't go through life at all

having realized that, we judge moore in a different light: his ability to engage and persuade. on this level, moore is unmitigated success, and an object of jealousy and hate for those on the right of issues. who cares? they have their own successes in the field of persuasion that liberals in turn hate and are jealous of

facts are overrated folks. as werner herzog says, you can cling to them if you wish, but that only makes you an unimportant obscure accountant. persuasion is what matters. because human belief is not about cold hard static facts, it is about your passion for how things SHOULD BE, not how THEY ARE. there are no facts to be had about how things should be. in which case, clinging to the need for "facts" in subject matter like healthcare is at best missing the point, and at worse, naive and stupid

everything you read and hear is full of smears, propaganda, lies, errors, partisanship, etc. a random cacophony of background noise. your average person's healthy critically minded bullshit meter can weed the useful from the unuseful. your bullshit meter should be on red alert all the time: those with an agenda aren't random riff raff, they are dug deep into every media outlet existing, that has ever existed, and will ever exist. some of you need to accept that

some of you lament the increasing bias you see in the media landscape today. ha! you are honestly going to tell me there was some place and some time in the past when things weren't biased? are you trying to tell me you suffer from historical myopia, romantic nostalgia or something? NEVER EXISTED FRIEND. AND NEVER WILL

do you want to blindly trust the m

It's so very convenient that your "enemies" are fucking maniacs. Or maybe it's just the militarist propaganda machine doing its job.

Don't believe the lies

It's not like the Iranian theocracy is fucking happyland, but no need to slaughter every man, woman and child like you're trying to in Iraq (over one million dead as a consequence of the occupation, please try getting some news from some other sources than the elite-controlled US media).

Ironically, the map most used to claim that "OMG! Russia wants it all!" is the one from the BBC (http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42433000/gi f/_42433630_arctic_ice_map416_3.gif) which shows their supposedly outrageous claim based on the sea-floor ridge argument. If one compares that to the more sedate, reasonable NYT analysis here: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/10/09/inter national/20051010_ARCTIC_GRAPHIC_2.html... they are almost the same.

This news has been all over the last couple of days and almost every story lays out the issue as "Russia claims Entire North Pole!!!" (or something similar), when in fact they have done no such thing.

Ironically, the map most used to claim that "OMG! Russia wants it all!" is the one from the BBC (http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42433000/gi f/_42433630_arctic_ice_map416_3.gif) which shows their supposedly outrageous claim based on the sea-floor ridge argument. If one compares that to the more sedate, reasonable NYT analysis here: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/10/09/inter national/20051010_ARCTIC_GRAPHIC_2.html... they are almost the same.

Both of the "rational" divisions of the territory in the NYT story approximate the exact same area of the "outrageous" division that everyone is upset about. In fact they go a bit further in that they extend Russian territory all the way to the pole. Also, speaking as a Canadian, there is no way that the Russians would be able to claim "all of the arctic" in any event. Canada would fight before that happened (seriously).

It's also interesting that as recently as last year, the US was trying to claim that territory on the Canadian side of the pole was actually all theirs, but because this would be unlikely to anger anyone in the US, it was no big controversy about it in the media. Only in Canada did the idea of the US annexing territory at the North Pole that clearly belongs to Canada get any media play at all. It seems to me that this is really a non-story that is only getting media attention because it's those evil "Ruskies" doing it.

...the url: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/whats- the-russian-for-santas-workshop/

Roughly, "zavod Santi."

Glad to help.

The deal Apple made with Xerox? That must of been some deal. Maybe someone should have told Xerox there was a deal before Xerox sued Apple for stealing that technology.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950 DE7DE1E39F936A25751C1A96F948260
I can only assume you do not work for Xerox.

One should acknowledge that the decision does not allow a price floor to be set amongst competitors in the same market. From the article, the decision allows prices floors to be set as part of the agreement between manufacturers and distributors. The impact may be visible in scenarios where a manufacturer sells its wares though its own direct sales channel and a retail channel. Prices for a specific product will reach parity amoungst all possible sellers. A retailer like Newegg may have to sell some of its wares at higher prices. However, those prices are still regulated by market pressures. If the price floor is above the equilibrium price, the manufacturer stocks are going to go up. In addition, the decision does allow the lower courts to hear complaints about price flooring on a case by case basis. So, the decision is not as damaging as it might seem at first.

I am a little uncomfortable with government policy leaning too pro business especially in the courts. Even the decision on campaign finance reform is a little disconcerting. That couple with the Republican block on pro labor laws shows a conservative disregard of the majority will in favor of businesses.

Well, the question has been answered by Pogue:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/technology/circu its/28pogue.html?ex=1340683200&en=6db6ecaa7a2c97d0 &ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

so no, at least not until Apple updates their software.

According to david pogue, it doesn't do tethering:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/technology/circu its/28pogue.html?ex=1340769600&en=02ed70ebcedd4043 &ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Pogue conviently left this out of his original article: "Can you type with two thumbs? I've seen Apple employees flail away with two thumbs as though on a BlackBerry, but it takes loads of practice. After two weeks, I'm still tapping with one index finger." From the NYT.

Here's a new one: "Can you type with two thumbs? I've seen Apple employees flail away with two thumbs as though on a BlackBerry, but it takes loads of practice. After two weeks, I'm still tapping with one index finger." From the NYT.

Here's a new one: "Can you type with two thumbs? I've seen Apple employees flail away with two thumbs as though on a BlackBerry, but it takes loads of practice. After two weeks, I'm still tapping with one index finger." From the NYT.

Right now the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Eurasia and Asia are jockeying for who will be the next big power, the next Pax Romanum of the modern world.

It's clear to everyone but Americans that the USA will become a cross between Brazil, Mexico and Russia, e.g. dysfunctional, within the next 25 years, and so a successor is needed.

No one wants to acknowledge this little war of ours on earth, but we're getting ready with spying, infowar and infoterror units, military hacking units and of course virtual realities.

Who's going to win? Whoever can stop playing pussyfoot and acknowledge the goal first, of course. My money is on the Chinese or Europeans.

If you insert a pin or an unfolded paper clip into the pinhole and push hard, the preinstalled SIM card tray pops up. Any recent AT&T SIM card should work, although only after iPhone activation in the iTunes software.

"After walking around with the iPhone unprotected for 2 weeks, no marks on it. Glass smudges are easily wiped off." [...] "The glass gets smudgy -- a sleeve wipes it clean"

David Pogue, New York Times

- "so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese."
- After walking around with the iPhone unprotected for 2 weeks, no marks on it. Glass smudges are easily wiped off.
- 700 megabytes is occupied by the phone's software
- Making calls can be a 6 step process if phone is off.
- Web, Email is superior
- Battery Life Test: 5 hours video, 23 hours audio. Note: did not turn off Wi-Fi and other features as Apple suggests.
- Typing was OK. Difficult at first, but learned to "trust" the keyboard. "The BlackBerry won't be going away anytime soon."
- Cites AT&T network as iPhone's biggest downfall. Cites Consumer Reports survey which ranks AT&T network as last or second to last in 19 out of 20 major US cities.
- AT&T's EDGE cellular network: "excruciatingly slow"
- Slideshow of photos taken with iPhone
- Video Review

Steven Levy, Newsweek

- bottom line is that the iPhone is a significant leap
- The iPhone is the rare convergence device where things actually converge.
- e-mail looks more like you're working on a computer than a clunky phone
- YouTube videos work great on Wi-Fi, but can display in a lower quality when you're not at a hotspot and are using AT&T's EDGE network
- unless I did a lot of video watching or Web browsing, [the battery] could generally last the day
- I've been jamming it in my pocket with keyrings, coins and pens, and so far it's nearly as good as new.

Edward Baig, USA Today

- Apple's iPhone isn't perfect, but it's worthy of the hype
- The revelation is that it's also comfortable to hold and touch.
- I expected to miss the tactile feel that a physical keyboard provides. I didn't.
- You can hold a conference call with up to five people.
- No voice recognition or voice dialing
- halfway decent internal speakers for listening if you set the thing down
- iPod games are not compatible with iPhone
- our company tech department raised questions about the security settings Apple required with our Microsoft Exchange servers.
- Battery life didn't prove to be a big problem in my unscientific tests

Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal (the submitted article's highlights):

- Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.
- largest, highest resolution screen of any smart phone they've seen, most internal memory
- Impressive battery life and thin
- Feels solid
- Regarding the touch keyboard: "After five days of use, Walt -- who did most of the testing for this review -- was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years."
- Can't use T-Mobile SIM cards
- Wi-Fi capability doesn't fully make up for the lack of a fast cellular data capability
- Multitouch: "effective, practical and fun"
- No way to copy/paste text
- Microsoft's Exchange system support
- Voice call quality was good, but not great
- Can't record video
- No Adobe Flash support
- Songs can't be set as ringtones
- Apple says it plans to add fea

David Pogue, New York Times

- "so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese."
- After walking around with the iPhone unprotected for 2 weeks, no marks on it. Glass smudges are easily wiped off.
- 700 megabytes is occupied by the phone's software
- Making calls can be a 6 step process if phone is off.
- Web, Email is superior
- Battery Life Test: 5 hours video, 23 hours audio. Note: did not turn off Wi-Fi and other features as Apple suggests.
- Typing was OK. Difficult at first, but learned to "trust" the keyboard. "The BlackBerry won't be going away anytime soon."
- Cites AT&T network as iPhone's biggest downfall. Cites Consumer Reports survey which ranks AT&T network as last or second to last in 19 out of 20 major US cities.
- AT&T's EDGE cellular network: "excruciatingly slow"
- Slideshow of photos taken with iPhone
- Video Review

Steven Levy, Newsweek

- bottom line is that the iPhone is a significant leap
- The iPhone is the rare convergence device where things actually converge.
- e-mail looks more like you're working on a computer than a clunky phone
- YouTube videos work great on Wi-Fi, but can display in a lower quality when you're not at a hotspot and are using AT&T's EDGE network
- unless I did a lot of video watching or Web browsing, [the battery] could generally last the day
- I've been jamming it in my pocket with keyrings, coins and pens, and so far it's nearly as good as new.

Edward Baig, USA Today

- Apple's iPhone isn't perfect, but it's worthy of the hype
- The revelation is that it's also comfortable to hold and touch.
- I expected to miss the tactile feel that a physical keyboard provides. I didn't.
- You can hold a conference call with up to five people.
- No voice recognition or voice dialing
- halfway decent internal speakers for listening if you set the thing down
- iPod games are not compatible with iPhone
- our company tech department raised questions about the security settings Apple required with our Microsoft Exchange servers.
- Battery life didn't prove to be a big problem in my unscientific tests

Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal (the submitted article's highlights):

- Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.
- largest, highest resolution screen of any smart phone they've seen, most internal memory
- Impressive battery life and thin
- Feels solid
- Regarding the touch keyboard: "After five days of use, Walt -- who did most of the testing for this review -- was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years."
- Can't use T-Mobile SIM cards
- Wi-Fi capability doesn't fully make up for the lack of a fast cellular data capability
- Multitouch: "effective, practical and fun"
- No way to copy/paste text
- Microsoft's Exchange system support
- Voice call quality was good, but not great
- Can't record video
- No Adobe Flash support
- Songs can't be set as ringtones
- Apple says it plans to add fea

David Pogue, New York Times

- "so sleek and thin, it makes Treos and BlackBerrys look obese."
- After walking around with the iPhone unprotected for 2 weeks, no marks on it. Glass smudges are easily wiped off.
- 700 megabytes is occupied by the phone's software
- Making calls can be a 6 step process if phone is off.
- Web, Email is superior
- Battery Life Test: 5 hours video, 23 hours audio. Note: did not turn off Wi-Fi and other features as Apple suggests.
- Typing was OK. Difficult at first, but learned to "trust" the keyboard. "The BlackBerry won't be going away anytime soon."
- Cites AT&T network as iPhone's biggest downfall. Cites Consumer Reports survey which ranks AT&T network as last or second to last in 19 out of 20 major US cities.
- AT&T's EDGE cellular network: "excruciatingly slow"
- Slideshow of photos taken with iPhone
- Video Review

Steven Levy, Newsweek

- bottom line is that the iPhone is a significant leap
- The iPhone is the rare convergence device where things actually converge.
- e-mail looks more like you're working on a computer than a clunky phone
- YouTube videos work great on Wi-Fi, but can display in a lower quality when you're not at a hotspot and are using AT&T's EDGE network
- unless I did a lot of video watching or Web browsing, [the battery] could generally last the day
- I've been jamming it in my pocket with keyrings, coins and pens, and so far it's nearly as good as new.

Edward Baig, USA Today

- Apple's iPhone isn't perfect, but it's worthy of the hype
- The revelation is that it's also comfortable to hold and touch.
- I expected to miss the tactile feel that a physical keyboard provides. I didn't.
- You can hold a conference call with up to five people.
- No voice recognition or voice dialing
- halfway decent internal speakers for listening if you set the thing down
- iPod games are not compatible with iPhone
- our company tech department raised questions about the security settings Apple required with our Microsoft Exchange servers.
- Battery life didn't prove to be a big problem in my unscientific tests

Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal (the submitted article's highlights):

- Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.
- largest, highest resolution screen of any smart phone they've seen, most internal memory
- Impressive battery life and thin
- Feels solid
- Regarding the touch keyboard: "After five days of use, Walt -- who did most of the testing for this review -- was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years."
- Can't use T-Mobile SIM cards
- Wi-Fi capability doesn't fully make up for the lack of a fast cellular data capability
- Multitouch: "effective, practical and fun"
- No way to copy/paste text
- Microsoft's Exchange system support
- Voice call quality was good, but not great
- Can't record video
- No Adobe Flash support
- Songs can't be set as ringtones
- Apple says it plans to add fea

Errr. Perhaps you can explain yourself.

US law has very limited application outside the US, whether the US government likes it or not. See Jon Johansen as an example of a failed attempt to do so. Other examples are the fact that Canadians can legally download copyrighted works from P2P file sharing networks for their own private use, something that would be illegal in the US.

Another example of a failed attempt to apply US law outside the US is the Helms-Burton Act wherein non-US companies were forbidden to trade with Cuba. The EU promptly passed a law binding in all its member countries declaring the act unenforceable within the EU. The UK passed similar measures. Canada passed the Foreign Extra-territorial Measures Act, forbidding Canadians or Canadian companies from complying with "extra-territorial measures of the United States"; it further requires under penalty of fine that any attempt to enforce such a measure in Canada be reported to the Attorney General of Canada. Further, a measure was passed stating that any loss/damages suffered by Canadians, even those residing in the US, could be recovered under Canadian law. Mexico passed a similar law.

One of the few times US law is applicable outside the US, is when it's applied to US citizens. A US citizen who commits murder in another country may end up (under certain circumstances) being extradited back to the US to face charges under the US justice system. But even in some such cases US law turns out to be, for all practical purposes, unenforceable -- see the Cuban Pyjama Crisis, wherein Wal-Mart Canada, although it is a Canadian subsidiary of a US-headquartered firm ended up putting Cuban goods back on its shelves

This is a trend in the making as I've seen several other instances where this is being attempted. For example, the NY Times had an article on a CRM that was designed with "gaming" in mind and incorproates many elements without it compromising the primary mission of the tool, making "gaming elements" obvious and other important distinctions (article now requires login, though http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/business/yourmon ey/20proto.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)

My point is there is something to be said for incorporating some of the same engaging elements game producers use into library systems. I'm not talking about an actual game rather elements. It sounds silly and off the cuff but what if there was a social media aspect to it where you could decide to make your library profile public and people could see the last few books you read? Maybe you could also comment on them? Compare the time it took for you to read a book against your peers? You could have some fun with this, dramatically increase involvement and still accomplish the library's primary mission.

NY Times just put out an article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/science/26devo.h tml?th&emc=th

"In order to make your stay in our city more enjoyable, we are going to charge you a congestion fee every time you drive in."

If you're referring to NYC, Bloomberg's proposal is not a surcharge.

From the New York Times: The fee would be deducted from the tolls commuters already pay to come into Manhattan via the bridges or tunnels.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/nyregion/23mayor cnd.html?ex=1182916800&en=5054c296e5acd65f&ei=5070

But Bloomberg represents local NYC, so he can't be vocal about the fact that he's not taxing commuters. All this really amounts to is putting a toll booth on the Queensboro Bridge during the day.

Read the editorial in today's NYT. They've already downsized. Most of the people working there aren't government employees anymore. A majority are government contractors. This, my friend, is the triumph of Republican-lead privatization.

There is always someone who doesn't get the word:

New installments of the gory "Saw" and "Hostel" franchises have performed poorly at the box office, fueling worries that the genre was fading. Healthy receipts for [Stephen King's] "1408," could signal that audiences were simply shifting away from the gruesome disembowelment stories that have dominated in recent years. "Two "Mightys" Disappoint at the Box Office

Reds under the Bed.

It worked for McCarthy, it must work for the FBI again.

http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/12/12/reviews/9912 12.12hambyt.html

Good point, except that... Google *has* disabled email in China, hasn't it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/technology/25goo gle.html?ex=1295845200&en=2678138bc51a41b6&ei=5090 &partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Ok, you've got many PCs most of which run Windows XP. They've been crashing every Exploit Wednesday since October. Every one has a license that was paid for three times (six times under Software Assurance). You have seventeen core apps. Some of them are paid for several times. Some have a licensing server so that some people can use them when other people aren't, and come with a utility so that priority users can kick off nonpriority users. A couple of them are free. Four of them are nagware that came with your PCs or that you thought were a good idea at the time. One is an in-house app that only runs in a DOS box and accesses dBase files stored on your server. Every month a couple get pwned for no detectable reason.

Even if they don't run Windows you've paid over and over. You have to because they've made it happen what "enforcement" will happen if you don't.

Every software vendor you buy from makes it clear the software you bought is being split into "basic" versions that include most of the features you use, and an "Enterprise" version that includes must have features you can't live without. Both new versions will be annual subscriptions instead of purchases. Naturally, the Premium version you require will cost many times what you already paid and the cost will be annual rather than once each. Of course they're entitled to this conversion of your purchase into a "revenue stream" because they've upgraded their product from an application to a "platform framework" that "optimizes" your "TCO".

You're thinking about investigating this multicore thing that people are talking about, but it seems impossible to reconcile the software licenses with multiple "cores" on one or more CPUs. You want to do server consolidation, but every server app has to be evaluated both by a professional enginner and by a hideously expensive team of lawyers who also want to audit every piece of software you've purchased since 1974. Your CPA wants to know why you licensed the same software 3-6 times for each PC, and why you're buying licenses for software that won't run on the PCs they're purchased for. And what's this entry for "SCO Linux licenses"? You live in dread of being audited by jack-booted thugs, not because you're pirating but because the danger of a paperwork snafu that destroys your budget is nearly certain and the slightest discrepancy is going to get you canned.

I have one question: What the hell are you thinking? Get off the train to crazy town. The free stuff isn't just good, it's better. So much better that you're not going to believe you put up with this crap. If it's truly free you don't have to account for each copy/user/use/year/processor/incidence. It's not free because it's less worthy: it's free because you're not the first person to be disgusted by the experience you're having. Pay for support. Nobody ever got sued for terminating their support contract. Figure it out. The world has changed. The future is open.

See? This doesn't have anything to do with the police and everything to do with the other people. If you watch any of the police video shows you will always see the "perp" with his face pixelated so they aren't identifiable. Do you think amature videographers are going to do this before uploading their clip to YouTube?

That's a fine argument, but not really applicable to this case. What's at issue is your right to record how the police treat you. Cameras are one was to equalize the power imbalance between the police and the citizenry without putting deadly weapons in everyone's hands. It's already proven effective, with 400 people released after the 2004 Republican National Convention because of amateur video evidence (granted, not their own videotape). Even if the police are recording what goes on, they can't necessarily be trusted.

From the NY Times article:

Last week, he discovered that there were two versions of the same police tape: the one that was to be used as evidence in his trial had been edited at two spots, removing images that showed Mr. Dunlop behaving peacefully. When a volunteer film archivist found a more complete version of the tape and gave it to Mr. Dunlop's lawyer, prosecutors immediately dropped the charges and said that a technician had cut the material by mistake.

[...]

That was a problem in the case of Mr. Dunlop, who learned that his tape had been altered only after Ms. Clancy found another version of the same tape. Mr. Dunlop had been accused of pushing his bicycle into a line of police officers on the Lower East Side and of resisting arrest, but the deleted parts of the tape show him calmly approaching the police line, and later submitting to arrest without apparent incident.

A spokeswoman for the district attorney, Barbara Thompson, said the material had been cut by a technician in the prosecutor's office. "It was our mistake," she said. "The assistant district attorney wanted to include that portion" because she initially believed that it supported the charges against Mr. Dunlop. Later, however, the arresting officer, who does not appear on the video, was no longer sure of the specifics in the complaint against Mr. Dunlop.

The defendant in TFA was a passenger in the vehicle that was pulled over, not some random passer-by. Similarly, a man in New Hampshire was arrested a year ago for wiretapping when he recorded police coming to his door and treating him "rudely". When he brought the tape the police dept. to complain, they arrested him on the charge, which was later dropped, just like in this case.

There are many studies that demonstrate that environment has a huge impact on how people score. An example study show how much environment can overwhelm any form of natural aptitude.

The biggest challenge is defining intelligence, any kind, which is not nearly as simple as some would make it out to be.

via the nytimes

"You could go and if you were in the club, arrange a time and a place when online you could view a child being raped and brutalized in real time." 700 Pedophile Suspects Identified as Global [Web] Ring Is Broken Up

It isn't skulking about unnoticed and it doesn't deserve another forum:

700 Pedophile Suspects Identified as Global Ring Is Broken Up [June 18]

A team of international investigators infiltrated an Internet chat room used by pedophiles who streamed live videos of children being raped, rescuing 31 children and identifying more than 700 suspects worldwide.
The chat room, which was called "Kids the Light of Our Lives," featured images, including live videos, of children -- some only months old -- being subjected to horrific sexual abuse, said Jim Gamble, chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center in Britain.
"You could go and if you were in the club, arrange a time and a place when online you could view a child being raped and brutalized in real time."

So the question is not whether the Roberts court will overturn more precedents, but how often, by what standard and in what terms.