Maybe they should pass a bill soon?
A clip from the Thursday 2/5 daily show concerning the currently debated stimulus bill:
Here is friday’s related news:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/06/news/economy/jobs_january/index.htm?postversion=2009020610
Update:
Here’s a graph from the speaker of the House that compare the current job losses to the last couple of recessions:
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1683
SNL does the VP debate
Finally got around to watching SNL’s very funny take on the VP debate:
McCain camp takes a pot shot at Dungeon & Dragons Players
Huh?!? Well that was my first reaction, too. Apparently McCain dislikes the New York Times, especially some of the articles that have been recently written about him. His campaign has decided to start comparing the Times’ editors to Dungeon & Dragon players who apparently all live in their mom’s basement. Shouldn’t they be talking about issues of substance, not having a pissing contest about a story told by McCain at an event that bears a strkingly similar resemblance to a story from an autobiography of a Soviet POW?
Several Roundups:
Wired
Las Vegas Sun
BoingBoing
MPAA wants to control your TV, and stereo, and DVR
MPAA’s SOC or Selectable Output Control permanent waiver request is complicated and probbably best described with pretty pictures like this video:
Here are some nice write-ups:
Public Knowledge
EFF
Need a Holiday? Petition for one…
The guys & gals at Guinness would like your help in making St. Patrick’s Day a U.S. Federal Holiday. They need 1 million petition signers by midnight on March 16th. I think it’s not a bad idea to support any measure that may help give us more free time:
Time flies
Well I’ve been out of the country, busy, and sick so ye olde blog here has not been getting much attention.
Here are a couple of shiny things I have come across though.
A fair(y) use tale – A fair-use copyright primer made mostly out of disney clips:
As Yoda would say – “Begun the Microsoft-Linux Fud wars have” :
You can find the latest here on Infoworld. For the long drawn out discussion concerning the current MS vs Open Source issues and their mutually assured destruction if one would litigate after the other please check out groklaw or perhaps slashdot.
APC interview with the CEO of Mozilla on the future of Firefox.
Teaching kids in grammar school how to program using scratch, a language developed by MIT for kids.
And what my wife and I have to look forward to when we take the little one to the happiest place on earth. (very funny)
Enjoy!
A little Radio, A little NFL
Seems like the new law that effectively makes internet radio stations pay more than their terrestrial counterparts for music has also had an ill effect on National Public Radio. NPR has now “released the hounds”:
NPR fights back, seeks rehearing on Internet radio royalty increases
The NFL seems to have gone a little DCMA happy, and seem to have violated the DCMA themselves:
NFL fumbles DMCA takedown battle, could face sanctions
Musharraf on Daily Show
Here is Pakistani President Musharraf in a interview on the Daily Show. Pay special attention to Jon Stewart’s first and last questions.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
The memoir Musharraf was plugging :
From the reviews I have read, the contents of the book seem a little sensational and a little more fiction that fact at points, but it should be interesting to see if there is resulting fallout in the US or Pakistan especially if any the sensational portions turn out to be true.
Update 2/12/07 : Updating Video using comedycentral embedded links
Etc : July 6 – 13
It’s been a little hectic at work. But here are some snippets from around the “net”.
HeatSeek (link to the TechCrunch article)
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there is now a secure browser (IE based) whose sole purpose it to enable you to handle porn easier. It also encrypts everything which makes it harder for junior to stumble upon (or deliberately find) the material on a shared computer. I guess it is what it is.
Windows Legacy
Microsoft ended support for Windows 98 this week, prompting several articles about how this will cause a steep rise of linux on these older boxes. Of course MS isn’t big on losing on any front, even legacy boxes, so they have announced Windows Fundamentals.
Congress & The Internet
Congress seems to be in a rush to do all kinds of things to the internet this week. Please check out the EFF Action Site.
Case in point, check out how Senator Ted Stevens (Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee) views the issue, with special “Daily Show” coverage :
Net Neutrality : God Save the Internet
SaveTheInternet.com has officially introduced us to “The BroadBand” a group of 3 singer/songwriters who have composed a song which is titled “God Save the Internet”. So head on over listen and download the song, and then take a few minutes to look through the site and tell your congressman your views on this issue.
Recent Net Neutrality News :
MarketWatch
CNET News.com
EFF : The Corruptibles
The EFF has put together a nice little video that shows the potential effects of the RIAA & MPAA backed legislation worming its way through congress. Take a look :
Then write your congressman about it :
Audio Flag & Perform Legislation
TV Broadcast Flag
Analog Hole Legislation
Speak English if you want a cheesesteak
Apparently at Geno’s in Philly, there is now a sign that reads “This is America – when ordering, speak English.” On the one hand I respect the owner’s right to put up such a sign in his own restaurant, on the other, I hope they respect my right not to buy from them while it is up.
Bummer, they do make great cheesesteaks, but I guess I’ll have to get my cheesesteak elsewhere on my trip to Philly.
Here is the Reuter’s article :
Philadelphia ‘English-only’ eatery to face probe
Now Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
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The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Book 4) by Robert Jordan
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A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) by George R.R. Martin
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1776 by David McCullough
Recent books:
- Lamb by Christopher Moore
- The Demonata #6: Demon Apocalypse (Demonata) by Darren Shan
- A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2) by George R.R. Martin
- The Demonata #5: Blood Beast (Demonata) by Darren Shan
- Demonata #4, The: Bec: Book 4 in the Demonata series (Demonata) by Darren Shan
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