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Sharp made a very nice clamshell Zaurus PDA with VGA resolution that runs Linux. (I have a somewhat earlier model). The used QT for the UI and supported both WiFi and Bluetooth. There apparently wasn't a big enough market for the product so it's been discontinued.

The Sharp Zarus SLC line is still available in Japan. The clamshell form factor is very common here for electronic dictionaries, in fact during my stay in Osaka a few people have mistaken my Z for one.

Doesn't do Bluetooth or WiFi without you adding a CF card; still, way cool. There are a few companies that import them and do the English conversion.

I have a SLC-3000, I use it mostly for writing - often I write my blog entries on it, sitting in a bar or on the train, and upload when I get home.

The 'illegal justice system' in the US is among the best legal systems in the world, its the people running the show AND the front liners that are not educated properly in the laws of the land

You contradict yourself; if the people running the show are not educated properly in the laws, that's a pretty lousy system.

The fact that we have the world's highest prison population, both per-captia and in terms of absolute numbers; that in some cities thousands of arrests without merit are made per year; and that the system is known to have a strong racial bias, all show that the system needs sustantial improvement.

Is the AED training available to the public yet, or will I lose my certification at some point? Anyone?

AED training is available to the general public, indeed that's the whole idea: put them everywhere and make them idiot-proof. (Though they still need to work on that.)

The "medical professional" training I think varies a little bit between the Red Cross and American Heart Association standards, but covers the two-rescuer protocol, plus maybe the use of a ambu bag, and maybe cricoid pressure if that's still in there (wasn't covered in my last training). But it's not like anyone checks your documents if you sign up for the "medical professional" level class.

Your link is broken

Sorry. Blame the Library of Congress for handing out bogus URLs.

and you are wrong anyway. It's 25K per quarter.

Which in the most typical units in which income is expressed is $100k a year. 60 miles an hour is still 60 mph even if you're only driving for 15 minutes.

Also, the problem with the law is much less about the law existing as much as it is about the broad scope that it can cover

The bill covered a very narrow scope of people.

Do you just not give a damn about other's rights as long as they are against the Democrats?

Ars Technica points out that the bill in question was co-sponsored by top Republican Mitch McConnell, and is just an exact re-introduction of a bill put forward last year by Trent Lott - which passed the Republican-controlled Senate. The attempt to paint this as an attempt by those Mean Old Democrats to Silence the Masses may be good truthiness, but it just isn't true.

As for my own opinions, I have been an independent voter since I registered in 1987. In that time I have voted for Greens, Libertarians, Democrats, and yes, even one Republican candidate. I have made more than a few negative comments about Democratic politicians over the years - in fact I have suggested in the past that the party ought to dissolve and make way for real progressives. So, no, I have no desire to silence those who criticize the Democrats.

In any case, do you honestly think that it's lobbyists that make politicians bad?

A fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat. Take away one, no fire.

A crime takes motive, method, and opportunity. Take away one, no crime.

Corruption takes corruptible politicians, money, and people who want favors. The fact that politicians are not angels means we have to be that much more careful about money and lobbyists.

This is why you sue afterwards.

Yeah, good luck with that. Especially if you're the sort of poor black inner-city resident most likely to be the target of police harassment.

In Baltimore City, over 21,000 arrests without charges being filed were made (that figure is just of African-American victims) between April 2004 and April 2005.

But your chances of being oppressed rise when centralization occurs, just as your chances of being shafted rise when one player monopolizes an economic market.

Central versus local is orthogonal to libertarian versus authoritarian. I'll take a limited central government over an overbearing local goverment any day.

Ideally, the central/federal and local governments act as checks on each other. I certainly agree that the balance has tilted too far in the direction of centralism (I wrote a little about that here).

Power-hungry people do not gravitate toward smaller and less significant governments

Sure they do. "All politics is local", after all. The power of a federal government is largely abstract; if you want to rule people's day-to-day lives, become mayor.

Who granted anyone the authority to stop me from carrying out my anti-slavery raid, then?

God.

Heh. Please.

Or the people to whom the land belongs. Take your pick.

Land ownership is a creation of the government that issues the deed; if it's not my government but that of another locality, why should I care?

Yeah, I really profit alot in this world for everyone that I tell the message of Christ....it's a wonderful scam and it makes all of us ordinary Christians so rich!

A lot of victims of MLM marketing schemes don't profit much in reality - it's the promise of a reward to come that draws them on.

The question isn't whether you profit, it's whether you believe you'll profit. If you believe in some sort of "life after death" where you'll reap your reward, same thing. You're the one who said the gatekeeper to paradise demanded that you "spread the word". What, admission to paradise isn't profiting?

Sure...we stole it from...uhhhh...oh yeah, the Jews!

It's well known that early Christians stole themes from Mithraism to build their myth: tweleve apostles, the "virgin birth" thing, the death and resurrection, the bread and wine, a last supper, the "Light of the World", the "savior" gimmick, and the December 25 birthday (even the visits by shepherds and Magi).

Now I've got no problem with that; we Neopagans steal from any source that doesn't run away fast enough. All writers steal; a good story is a good story, and the founders of the Jeshua cult knew their stuff.

Problem is when you steal a story and then pretend you were completely original - indeed, that your story is the only one that matters. And it does kind of make me sad for the real Jeshua ben Jospeh, who (from the glimpes that show though) seemed like a decent guy.

Tell you what, when you want to learn a little bit about Christianity let me know. Oh, you wouldn't dare ask anyone that actually is one.

Was raised Catholic, thanks, know plenty about Christianity.

BTW, I have a new rule. Whenever someone makes a big deal out of their Christianity, I challenge them to recite, from memory, the Beatitudes - the heart of Jeshua ben Jospeh's teaching. Can you? Just asking. (I do vaguely recall something in there about the meek being blessed...certainly Christianity would have a better rep if more who claim the label listened to that advice.)

"Sounds let eavesdroppers determine what you're typing" plus "cellphone companies can remotely install software to activate the microphone when the user is not making a call" equals "a creepy feeling up and down my spine".

My phone is sitting right next to my keyboard now...so let me just say hi to my fans in domestic surveillance who might be listening to me typing this...

Vegans eat shoes? yuck.

Presuming you're just ignorant and not trolling...

Veganism is, in the broadest sense, a lifestyle which attempts to minimize suffering caused to sentient beings. It therefore includes finding alternatives to leather in clothing (list is in dire need of updating), as well as using consumer products that are not tested on animals and that do not contain animal-derived ingredients.

I don't know many people that know about neopaganism

You probably know more Pagans than you think. Many are in the "broom closet", since in less cosmopolitan areas of the US, admiting to being Pagan or displaying a pentacle makes people think you worship Satan.

Vegetarians are usually quite happy to wear leather shoes, belts and coats etc. After all, the defitition of a vegitarian is just someone who doesn't eat meat.

Most ethical vegetarians (people who are vegetarian for ethical reasons, not vegetarians with ethics - as opposed to people who avoid meat for health or ecological reasons) avoid the use of leather. There are many in this category who are not vegan. (I need a Venn diagram here...) I was one for about seven years, before I learned about the factory farm conditions under which eggs and dairy products are produced. Indeed, because it was a slow process for me (this was the early 80s, there was much less information available then and I was all of twelve) I stopped using leather while I was still eating fish.

So seeing that the girl in the story called herself a vegitarian, such an observation would be perfectly valid.

Her speech made it clear that she was an ethical vegetarian. If she were were wearing leather, either:

• she doesn't understand the inconsistency
• she's not aware of the plentiful alternatives
• she's newly "converted" and is using old leather items until they wear out (quite common)
• they're not leather but synthetic

Vegetarians are usually quite happy to wear leather shoes, belts and coats etc. After all, the defitition of a vegitarian is just someone who doesn't eat meat.

Most ethical vegetarians (people who are vegetarian for ethical reasons, not vegetarians with ethics - as opposed to people who avoid meat for health or ecological reasons) avoid the use of leather. There are many in this category who are not vegan. (I need a Venn diagram here...) I was one for about seven years, before I learned about the factory farm conditions under which eggs and dairy products are produced. Indeed, because it was a slow process for me (this was the early 80s, there was much less information available then and I was all of twelve) I stopped using leather while I was still eating fish.

So seeing that the girl in the story called herself a vegitarian, such an observation would be perfectly valid.

Her speech made it clear that she was an ethical vegetarian. If she were were wearing leather, either:

• she doesn't understand the inconsistency
• she's not aware of the plentiful alternatives
• she's newly "converted" and is using old leather items until they wear out (quite common)
• they're not leather but synthetic

When was tobacco illegal?

In the 1600s, some European nations had the death penalty for tobacco possession.

In 1921, cigarettes were illegal in 14 states.

More drug prohibition history here.

But when it comes to super addictive stuff like cocain and nicotine, I say ban it and enforce it, because this indulgent culture can't stay away from it.

Cigarettes have been banned before. In 17th century Russia, and the Ottoman Empire, tobacco possession was punishable by death. In the U.S. in 1921, cigarettes were illegal in fourteen states.

PROHIBITION DOES NOT WORK.

Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | http://www.infamous.net/

I have some stuff up at my unreasonable.org site; feel free to copy or link if you'd like to join the ranks of thought criminals.

Here's the disclaimer I put on the "how-to" stuff:

The following files contain information about the extraction, preparation and consumption of certain drugs. This information is for educational purposes ONLY!

Some of the activities described may be illegal, dangerous, or both.

I'm going to repeat that, because it's important:

Some of the activities described may be illegal, dangerous, or both.

I disclaim any liability for any use of the information found here.

However, we cannot have a meaningful discussion of drug policy if we do not have basic information such as how easy it is to grow cannabis; or the relationship between cocaine, freebase cocaine, and "crack"; or how psychedelic drugs can be obtained from common ornamental flowers. It is also my hope that the information on growing and consuming cannabis may be of use to those using it out of medical necessity.

Do you really think that the NSA or whatever is actually interested in what you do? Of course not, they want to get to the people who actually do real things, not the latest kernel patch to an OS of no interest to them.

Maybe, maybe not. To produce a chilling effect on freedom, it's not necessary that Big Brother actually be watching all the time, only that citizens have the impression that he might be - its the idea behind the panopticon.

Why Big Brother might be watching me:

• I've had family, friends, and co-workers apply for high-level security clearances; it's conceivable that I've been investigated as part of that process.
• I've worked on ARPA and NSA funded contracts, which may have brought my name up for attention.
• I know that my name is flagged for special attention in the national database used for criminal background checks of firearms owners - when I purchased a rifle last year, the check took days, instead of minutes. My paranoid side had great fun with that, while my reasonable side figures it's because my brother (who has the same last name and similar SSN) had a little trouble with the law.
• I've been spouting my mouth off on the net for years, taking state-unfriendly positions (such as that police ought to be disarmed and citizens armed), spreading information about currently illegal drugs, arguing pro-animal rights and pro-environmental positions (which in some peoples' eyes makes me a terrorist sympathizer, if you can beleive it) and generally stirring up trouble; it's certainly conceivable that some domestic surveillance guy put my name on a list for "special attention" after reading a post where I said, for example, that shooting cops who break into your house executing "no-knock" search warrants might be justified.

All it really takes is the suspicion of surveillance.

(And I know "Little Brother" is watching me - my credit card purchases, my long-distance calling patterens, my web surfing habits, et cetera, are all of great interest to marketers and salesmen.)

Do you really think that the NSA or whatever is actually interested in what you do? Of course not, they want to get to the people who actually do real things, not the latest kernel patch to an OS of no interest to them.

Maybe, maybe not. To produce a chilling effect on freedom, it's not necessary that Big Brother actually be watching all the time, only that citizens have the impression that he might be - its the idea behind the panopticon.

Why Big Brother might be watching me:

• I've had family, friends, and co-workers apply for high-level security clearances; it's conceivable that I've been investigated as part of that process.
• I've worked on ARPA and NSA funded contracts, which may have brought my name up for attention.
• I know that my name is flagged for special attention in the national database used for criminal background checks of firearms owners - when I purchased a rifle last year, the check took days, instead of minutes. My paranoid side had great fun with that, while my reasonable side figures it's because my brother (who has the same last name and similar SSN) had a little trouble with the law.
• I've been spouting my mouth off on the net for years, taking state-unfriendly positions (such as that police ought to be disarmed and citizens armed), spreading information about currently illegal drugs, arguing pro-animal rights and pro-environmental positions (which in some peoples' eyes makes me a terrorist sympathizer, if you can beleive it) and generally stirring up trouble; it's certainly conceivable that some domestic surveillance guy put my name on a list for "special attention" after reading a post where I said, for example, that shooting cops who break into your house executing "no-knock" search warrants might be justified.

All it really takes is the suspicion of surveillance.

(And I know "Little Brother" is watching me - my credit card purchases, my long-distance calling patterens, my web surfing habits, et cetera, are all of great interest to marketers and salesmen.)

My idea was to have a single site that would centralize "geek conscience" issues such as the DVD boycott, the Amazon boycott, the etoy/eToys debacle, etc, etc.

But I haven't come up with the copious spare time to do much with it. (Although I'll probably use the PHP discussion code I've been developing for my unreasonable.org site, so maybe in the big picture there is some progress.)

Don't forget how gun owners are being treated in this country!

Er... better than anywhere else in the world apart from major war zones?

One might think that lawmakers would observe that those states with fewer restrictions on citizens ability to defend themselves tend to suffer less violent crime, and remove such restrictions in their own states; but this would be assuming that politicians are capable of rational thought based on factual observation. Ha.

(I direct readers interested in the subject to my recent piece "Disarm the police. Arm the citizens." Stop by, have a read, leave a comment, help bang on the weblog system I'm hacking together.)

In the UK owning most kinds of gun is illegal, full stop.

At ArsDigita, instead of trying to keep up with the latest in fashionable languages, we spend our time worrying about "What data models and workflow structures would we need to run the entire MIT Sloan School from a Web-based system?"

I've been amusing myself lately by creating a discussion system at my unreasonable.org website. The interesting part wasn't so much coding it up (in PHP with PostgreSQL and a little Perl), but in figuring out the process - who's doing what to whom, and who might be doing other whats to someone else as I expand the system. I'll probably hack on it for a few months and then do a rewrite to clean up - but the data model shouldn't have to change.