Adil: How can you defend a country where five percent of the people control ninety-five percent of the wealth? Lisa: I'm defending a country where people can think and act and worship any way they want. Adil: Cannot! Lisa: Can too! Adil: Cannot! Lisa: Can too! Homer: Please, please, kids, stop fighting. Maybe Lisa's right about America being the land of opportunity, and maybe Adil's got a point about the machinery of capitalism being oiled with the blood of the workers.
It was reported that the victim had sex with someone before her death that the police feel is not a suspect but want to interview him (for I guess possible leads or relatives of possible leads). This is a hunt for a sex partner, not a murderer.
As for the town, Truro is no different from any other small New England town. No conspiracies, just a bump in the road on the lower Cape. If someone knows something I'm guessing it's no different from the average crime, maybe a relative or a friend. Secrets this big are normally impossible to keep quiet, especially in a small New England town. While I really, really hope they catch the right person who committed this crime, IMO mass DNA screening and then holding that DNA on file in perpetuity, also using it in wholesale screening of other crimes is going way too far. Also saying that anyone that exercises their right to privacy will be further investigated is also draconian.
In January 2005 the Truro, MA Police Department announced that they wanted to collect DNA samples from 800 men, the vast majority of the town's male population, in hopes of solving a woman's murder who's solution have alluded the local authorities for three years. The recommendation originated with FBI Investigators assisting with the case. The chilling comment came from Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe who said that investigators "will be compelled to look at why people won't" submit a DNA sample.
What happens if mass testing becomes "routine" throughout the US? The fair and proper terms for the disposal of DNA samples of vindicated people is going to become a big, big thing. And please, don't give me "if you're innocent you have nothing to fear". DNA evidence can easily be altered or corrupted within the first few hours of collection. Especially if you have a sample already in hand. A very uncommon thing today but who can say about tomorrow.
We all know the answer to these questions:
Will the DNA sample of a vindicated person be disposed of after the trial, after all appeals or never? Never
Will the refusal to voluntarily give a DNA sample subject you to further scrutiny than a similar person who willingly submits? Yes
Will employers someday within the next ten years require a DNA sample for employment, similar to how most major retail chains require a test for legel and illegal drug use (Like Wal-Mart or Home Depot)? Yes
Will the US Congress do anything to protect the rights of the individual into this intrusion into one's privacy? No
Welcome to the New Amerika. Please leave your quaint notions of personal freedom at the border.
There are some Republicans that have seen the light. Many consider William F. Buckley Jr. at the top of the "intellectual right". Be you from the left or the right IMO you do need to respect the man. He wrote a very good editorial entitled "Free Weeds: The marijuana debate." From the article:
"We're not going to find someone running for president who advocates [the] reform of [marijuana] laws. What is required is a genuine republican groundswell. It is happening, but ever so gradually."
And tax it at atleast $1 per joint. IMO it really is a "big fish" tax. Easy to collect with minimal costs and few would argue it should be tax free. It bugs me that even low level drug dealers are making $100k or more a year and they're pay zero in taxes on that income.
Someday some state will legalize marijuana and they'll win big like Nevada with gambling. The first one in is normally the big winner. With the minor exception of Native American casinos in CT, Nevada won the lion's share of gaming revenues and the state won the taxes. It's going to make some state a ton of tax revenue. Think of it like this: "Fortune favors the bold."
Legalize and tax marijuana instead. Seriously, between the 13 billion the US spends on the prohibition of marijuana every year (1) and the 20 billion in likely tax revenue (2) the US is missing out on a much bigger fish that's much easier to catch. Chasing down people to pay $.05 for an iTunes or ebook purchase is manpower intensive and I suspect has a low rate of return. You might as well pass a "swearing tax" and require people to pay a dollar to the State every time they use one of the seven dirty words. Putting aside the "fairness" issue some taxes are just much easier to collect than others. Marijuana, like alcohol, could be required to be sold with a tax stamp, at say liquor stores, making enforcement and collections rather easy. At a $1 a joint you wouldn't need to waste your time with the nickel and dime stuff. That's over 30 billion a year that could be spent on schools, paying off State debt, returned to the taxpayer or a combination of all of the above while using the existing alcohol tax system for collections.
Besides, taxing interstate transactions is illegal under the "Commerce Clause" of the US Constitution (3) so it'll most likely be placed in within the State "use tax" category which has been very difficult in the past to enforce.
Putting aside the fairness issue taxing ultra low dollar electronic purchases IMO just isn't worth it.
(While many states currently do require a State issued drug tax stamp, because of marijuana's current status as illegal under prohibition few people actually purchase them. The "drug tax stamp" law is most commonly used to add the extra charge of tax evasion to a drug dealer and squeeze him for a little extra money and jail time.)
... has to be fuckedcompany and their forums aptly named the "Happy Fun Slander Corner". Although no one is safe for their barbs they did get sued by Ford for the comments "Ford Exploder" for the Explorer and "Ford, where finding a job is job 1".
And might I say their trolls make the typical/. troll look quite kind. It's scary over there. =)
Kinda reminds me of this line from the end of "Alice's Restaurant"
I went over to the sargent, said, "Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm sittin' here on the bench, I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench 'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug?" He looked at me and said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send you fingerprints
off to Washington."
Was Thomas Paine's
Common Sense journalism? Were the "Publius" Papers journalism? Not to the Crown but it was to the Colonists. From the Federalist Papers to Abby Hoffman's early Mimeographed writings in the 1960s to blogging on the Internet today, it's all journalism. Just the medium has changed. The only ones saying it isn't are many of those in the "traditional" media and those that enjoy the fruits of their labors. And this is coming from someone that use to work as a videographer for a Boston tv station and writer for a daily newspaper.
Religion didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of nonreligious books when they started out.
Book publishers didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of newspapers when they started out.
Newspapers didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of broadcast radio when it started out.
Broadcast radio didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of television when it started out. Did you expect something different when it came to blogging?
So long as the message conveyed is independent of it's subject material IMO it's journalism. Which would you consider to have more "journalistic integrity": slashdot or newsmaxx?
Blogging is here to stay and news syndicates, in their current form, will be dead in a twenty or so years. Some people just can't handle change. TFB.
The Sideclip is a great tool. When I found out they cancelled it I bought two extra (for the future). In a way it has been replaced with the Kick and optional clip. A good replacement for a great tool. I still like the simplicity of the Sideclip though. Overall the Sideclip is a great tool for the technically inclined.
GreyedOut is right about the blade. It's almost caught me a few times. Be careful.
Telecommunication services, namely, electronic transmission of streamed and downloadable audio and
video files via computer and other communications networks;
It's seems video has been part of the plan for awhile. I suspect the
iPod photo, with a firmware change, could play videos. Maybe a
composite/s-video connecter could be added to the data port [on the
bottom]. Apple many times has had some cool stuff in their labs for
years before being released. Is any really surprised at the idea of an
iPod playing videos? I just hope they make current tv programs available.
Imagine renting an episode of "South Park" for 30 days at a cost of
$.99USD. Of course the issue of size is still a problem. ~150M for a 22 tv show and ~900M for a full movie?
Personally I stick to buying dvds and DivXing them but it's not the first choice for most people.
The receipt doesn't leave the polling place. It is a human readable printout of who all you have voted for. You look over it, then go stuff it in the ballot box just like the old butterfly ballots.
Great reply. Thanks for information. It clears up some things.
Ok, so the paper receipt stays there. I wonder what happens if the printer jams or runs out of paper. Wouldn't that mess up a recount? What happens if you only alter the electronic tally of the visually impaired (triggered when someone resizes the base font to 72pts). Enough to buy some voters and not tip off anyone. If they can't read a standard ballot I suspect they'd have a problem checking the receipt with 12pt type. Of course someone could just steal or trash the paper receipts making an audit almost impossible.
The "vote buying or bullying" issue you brought up is a good one. I guess a valid reason not to leave with a receipt. I recently heard of vote buying and using a cell phone camera for the proof.
Ultimately "if there's a will there's a way" to hack an election. IMO evoting just adds another layer to the process that can alter an election's outcome.
Thanks again for reply. Deserves a +5, Informative.
One of the "solutions" being pushed by many is a paper receipt of one's vote. If a voting machine has been compromised wouldn't a receipt be useless? I mean if the machine has been hacked what's keeping said hacker from just writing a routine to print out whatever the voter voted for and recording something different? What are the election officials going to do, ask everyone who voted to bring in their receipts? Kinda kills off the whole "secret ballot" thing.
IMO optical mark recognition (aka: bubble sheets), also made by Diebold and others, is the closest thing out there that allows for fairly secure vote protection while allowing for electronic tallying. I know that evoting is also about access to others but at the cost of a honest election?
Unless it goes class action then it's like one person (ok, not a person, a lawyer) shooting 100k.22 rounds at Godzilla at one time. Then the legal staff will feed on it's rotting carcass.
I have a feeling that this was a baseless threat - if he tried to pull off something like that, the resultant outcry would have caused Congress to pass an exception to the copyright laws, just for Microsoft software.
While such a law could be passed it would most likely would be repealed as a bill of attainder, a legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.
IMO Gates would really have to be at the end of his rope to do something like this to the end user. It is the act of a company in it's last breaths, something MS is clearly not. That said they did "basicly" pull the Windows NT 3.x source code license of a CT company (Bristol Technology) that was legally porting MS DLLs to Unix (yes, the proper Unix and not Un*x). It pretty much killed them.
While MS is not the best example to use there have been other companies that have used EULAs to mass revoke licenses people paid for.
Somehow I don't think that's the effect Gates would've had in mind.
What Gates has in his mind is a true mystery and something to be warry of.
Why are we always breaking software into open and proprietary?
Because there is a solid break when comparing most proprietary software to FOSS. Proprietary software companies design their software so you can't easily switch to anything else. FOSS doesn't "lock the exit door" on you with software patents or proprietary data formats. You want to leave a FOSS program? Fine, leave and take your data elsewhere. Want to leave Microsoft? While it's possible to extract your data they purposely make it very difficult. In many cases even though a proprietary software program is more "refined" the long term costs of required licenses and updates greatly diminish it's value.
Imagine if your driver's license only allowed you to drive Ford cars since that's what you were driving when you took your driver's test. Most people would find this an unreasonable restriction. Don't get me wrong, Ford makes nice cars (I own a Focus ZTW) but what if I want something else? Why should I have to get another driver's license just to buy and drive a Honda, Toyoto or VW? The answer is I shouldn't have to. This is one of the arguments supporting FOSS over proprietary programs: the freedom to switch with minimal hassle when it's best.
The business model for most proprietary software companies is not to build great software (IMO except companies like Google) but how to bleed the customer dry and never let them go. Instead of improving their product they just tie the data in a proprietary format so you can't easily switch. Most proprietary software is also covered by EULAs which allow the company to demand you stop using their program upon demand, unlike FOSS. While this clause is rarely used Bill Gates once said he'd terminate all MS Windows licenses if the US Govt broke them apart. While a quick retraction followed, the point was he could legally do this. Imagine waking up this morning, booting up XP and getting a window that says "Microsoft has decided to terminate your license. If you wish to continue using this product please purchase a new license". You agreed to the EULA so you're stuck. I can say that I have no concerns of Linus or the people at Gentoo doing this to me. =)
Why can't people just create a prioritized list of requirements and then use it to pick the software that fits the best for them?
This is a reasonable question. If a proprietary software program works better than anything else, has an open data format and a reasonable amount of time (maybe two or so years) of no cost bug fixes then it's worth looking at. But how many proprietary programs pass this test? Some, but not many.
While your comment makes sense to us, most proprietary software companies aren't listening unlike many FOSS projects who are. Is all proprietary software evil and all FOSS good? Of course not. As you said "pick the best" and I agree. I just think that the rights that are included in FOSS many times outweigh most anything the proprietary world can offer.
Thanks for your comment. I suspect it's one that has people thinking.
From the Apple online store. I wonder if the $599 is just for a school's inhouse use only and not an individual's purchase. Someone mentioned that the $599 price can only be had at an on campus computer store.
A good, knowledgeable host that can clearly state the material presented so most of the viewers can absorb what is being said is rare and can really "make or break" a show. IMO David Suzuki, PhD and his series "The Nature of Things" does just that. He, again IMO, is the best thing ever to hit science tv. Sadly "The Nature of Things" not available in the US anymore (which pisses me off). He's done some very good stuff with pbs but it's not the same.
Want more people in the US to watch science related shows? Get David Suzuki back on the air in the US.
Back in high school in the '70s I had this hard core right wing, two terms in Vietnam, history teacher. He hated the USSR and everything it stood for.
He told us this story (BTW, I have no idea if it is true.) about how all photocopiers in the USSR had a serial number etched on the glass so the copies it made could be traced. Much easier to track down papers proclaiming the joys of Liberty I guess.
Well, that teacher has past on but I really wonder what he'd think of all this? All kidding aside is the US starting to look a little like the old USSR?
Slashdot Mirror
Damn Small Linux does this and does it quite well. I like the small cd idea. Do you really need a full distro like Knoppix for online banking?
Dinnertime at the Simpsons.
As for the town, Truro is no different from any other small New England town. No conspiracies, just a bump in the road on the lower Cape. If someone knows something I'm guessing it's no different from the average crime, maybe a relative or a friend. Secrets this big are normally impossible to keep quiet, especially in a small New England town. While I really, really hope they catch the right person who committed this crime, IMO mass DNA screening and then holding that DNA on file in perpetuity, also using it in wholesale screening of other crimes is going way too far. Also saying that anyone that exercises their right to privacy will be further investigated is also draconian.
What happens if mass testing becomes "routine" throughout the US? The fair and proper terms for the disposal of DNA samples of vindicated people is going to become a big, big thing. And please, don't give me "if you're innocent you have nothing to fear". DNA evidence can easily be altered or corrupted within the first few hours of collection. Especially if you have a sample already in hand. A very uncommon thing today but who can say about tomorrow.
We all know the answer to these questions:
Will the DNA sample of a vindicated person be disposed of after the trial, after all appeals or never? Never
Will the refusal to voluntarily give a DNA sample subject you to further scrutiny than a similar person who willingly submits? Yes
Will employers someday within the next ten years require a DNA sample for employment, similar to how most major retail chains require a test for legel and illegal drug use (Like Wal-Mart or Home Depot)? Yes
Will the US Congress do anything to protect the rights of the individual into this intrusion into one's privacy? No
Welcome to the New Amerika. Please leave your quaint notions of personal freedom at the border.
Here and Now : Truro DNA Case - 1/12/2005
Boston.com / News / Local / DNA testing troubles some in Truro
CBS News ACLU Slams Mass DNA Collection
USATODAY.com - ACLU seeks end to Mass. DNA collections
Cape Cod Times article: "New England town abuzz over DNA dragnet"
Someday some state will legalize marijuana and they'll win big like Nevada with gambling. The first one in is normally the big winner. With the minor exception of Native American casinos in CT, Nevada won the lion's share of gaming revenues and the state won the taxes. It's going to make some state a ton of tax revenue. Think of it like this: "Fortune favors the bold."
Thanks for your post. Good stuff.
Besides, taxing interstate transactions is illegal under the "Commerce Clause" of the US Constitution (3) so it'll most likely be placed in within the State "use tax" category which has been very difficult in the past to enforce.
Putting aside the fairness issue taxing ultra low dollar electronic purchases IMO just isn't worth it.
(While many states currently do require a State issued drug tax stamp, because of marijuana's current status as illegal under prohibition few people actually purchase them. The "drug tax stamp" law is most commonly used to add the extra charge of tax evasion to a drug dealer and squeeze him for a little extra money and jail time.)
1. Marijuana prohibition facts
2. Thinking about Drug Legalization
3. Interstate Taxation and the Commerce Clause
And might I say their trolls make the typical /. troll look quite kind. It's scary over there. =)
... of having the right D&D player as a solider is that he'll only take half damage if he's shot!
Religion didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of nonreligious books when they started out.
Book publishers didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of newspapers when they started out.
Newspapers didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of broadcast radio when it started out.
Broadcast radio didn't or wouldn't recognize the value of television when it started out.
Did you expect something different when it came to blogging?
So long as the message conveyed is independent of it's subject material IMO it's journalism. Which would you consider to have more "journalistic integrity": slashdot or newsmaxx?
Blogging is here to stay and news syndicates, in their current form, will be dead in a twenty or so years. Some people just can't handle change. TFB.
GreyedOut is right about the blade. It's almost caught me a few times. Be careful.
Personally I stick to buying dvds and DivXing them but it's not the first choice for most people.
FYI, the trademark serial number is 78314810.
Great reply. Thanks for information. It clears up some things.
Ok, so the paper receipt stays there. I wonder what happens if the printer jams or runs out of paper. Wouldn't that mess up a recount? What happens if you only alter the electronic tally of the visually impaired (triggered when someone resizes the base font to 72pts). Enough to buy some voters and not tip off anyone. If they can't read a standard ballot I suspect they'd have a problem checking the receipt with 12pt type. Of course someone could just steal or trash the paper receipts making an audit almost impossible.
The "vote buying or bullying" issue you brought up is a good one. I guess a valid reason not to leave with a receipt. I recently heard of vote buying and using a cell phone camera for the proof.
Ultimately "if there's a will there's a way" to hack an election. IMO evoting just adds another layer to the process that can alter an election's outcome.
Thanks again for reply. Deserves a +5, Informative.
IMO optical mark recognition (aka: bubble sheets), also made by Diebold and others, is the closest thing out there that allows for fairly secure vote protection while allowing for electronic tallying. I know that evoting is also about access to others but at the cost of a honest election?
Since Canada is bigger and on top if this was prison the USA would be our bitch.
Unless it goes class action then it's like one person (ok, not a person, a lawyer) shooting 100k .22 rounds at Godzilla at one time. Then the legal staff will feed on it's rotting carcass.
While such a law could be passed it would most likely would be repealed as a bill of attainder, a legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.
IMO Gates would really have to be at the end of his rope to do something like this to the end user. It is the act of a company in it's last breaths, something MS is clearly not. That said they did "basicly" pull the Windows NT 3.x source code license of a CT company (Bristol Technology) that was legally porting MS DLLs to Unix (yes, the proper Unix and not Un*x). It pretty much killed them.
While MS is not the best example to use there have been other companies that have used EULAs to mass revoke licenses people paid for.
Somehow I don't think that's the effect Gates would've had in mind.
What Gates has in his mind is a true mystery and something to be warry of.
Because there is a solid break when comparing most proprietary software to FOSS. Proprietary software companies design their software so you can't easily switch to anything else. FOSS doesn't "lock the exit door" on you with software patents or proprietary data formats. You want to leave a FOSS program? Fine, leave and take your data elsewhere. Want to leave Microsoft? While it's possible to extract your data they purposely make it very difficult. In many cases even though a proprietary software program is more "refined" the long term costs of required licenses and updates greatly diminish it's value.
Imagine if your driver's license only allowed you to drive Ford cars since that's what you were driving when you took your driver's test. Most people would find this an unreasonable restriction. Don't get me wrong, Ford makes nice cars (I own a Focus ZTW) but what if I want something else? Why should I have to get another driver's license just to buy and drive a Honda, Toyoto or VW? The answer is I shouldn't have to. This is one of the arguments supporting FOSS over proprietary programs: the freedom to switch with minimal hassle when it's best.
The business model for most proprietary software companies is not to build great software (IMO except companies like Google) but how to bleed the customer dry and never let them go. Instead of improving their product they just tie the data in a proprietary format so you can't easily switch. Most proprietary software is also covered by EULAs which allow the company to demand you stop using their program upon demand, unlike FOSS. While this clause is rarely used Bill Gates once said he'd terminate all MS Windows licenses if the US Govt broke them apart. While a quick retraction followed, the point was he could legally do this. Imagine waking up this morning, booting up XP and getting a window that says "Microsoft has decided to terminate your license. If you wish to continue using this product please purchase a new license". You agreed to the EULA so you're stuck. I can say that I have no concerns of Linus or the people at Gentoo doing this to me. =)
Why can't people just create a prioritized list of requirements and then use it to pick the software that fits the best for them?
This is a reasonable question. If a proprietary software program works better than anything else, has an open data format and a reasonable amount of time (maybe two or so years) of no cost bug fixes then it's worth looking at. But how many proprietary programs pass this test? Some, but not many.
While your comment makes sense to us, most proprietary software companies aren't listening unlike many FOSS projects who are. Is all proprietary software evil and all FOSS good? Of course not. As you said "pick the best" and I agree. I just think that the rights that are included in FOSS many times outweigh most anything the proprietary world can offer.
Thanks for your comment. I suspect it's one that has people thinking.
1. RFID all US passports.
2. ???
3. Win the war against terror!
Someone in the US Govt needs to put the crack pipe down for just a second and think about this.
From the Apple online store. I wonder if the $599 is just for a school's inhouse use only and not an individual's purchase. Someone mentioned that the $599 price can only be had at an on campus computer store.
Use protection. Microsoft has some nasty infections.
Want more people in the US to watch science related shows? Get David Suzuki back on the air in the US.
I'm thinking "Clockwork Orange".
An answer befitting a reboot/reformat monkey.
From all those people that have struggled with your crappy software over the years I say a hardy "fuck you and fix your shitty products".
He told us this story (BTW, I have no idea if it is true.) about how all photocopiers in the USSR had a serial number etched on the glass so the copies it made could be traced. Much easier to track down papers proclaiming the joys of Liberty I guess.
Well, that teacher has past on but I really wonder what he'd think of all this? All kidding aside is the US starting to look a little like the old USSR?