18-Dec-2014

WORKING AS DESIGNED

The smartest take on The Interview debacle I’ve read is in “America didn’t cave. Hollywood didn’t cave. Capitalism caved.” by David Atkins. This is the free market everyone says solves everything. Well, it does, but it doesn’t solve things in ways that have anything to do with “freedom of speech.”: “But in truth, neither “America”…

02-Mar-2014

Freedom and the rule of law: fragile and precious

From Our Comrade The Electron by Maciej Ceglowski: Bad people are using the global surveillance system we built to do something mean! Holy crap! Who could have imagined this? Or when we learn that the American government is reading the email that you send unencrypted to the ad-supported mail service in another country where it…

06-Dec-2010

QOTD: Clay Shirky on Wikileaks and the US Government

Quote of the Day, from Clay Shirky’s Wikileaks and the Long Haul: The key, though, is that democracies have a process for creating such restrictions, and as a citizen it sickens me to see the US trying to take shortcuts. The leaders of Myanmar and Belarus, or Thailand and Russia, can now rightly say to…

24-Aug-2008

What is the proper function of libraries? Uncle Bobby’s Wedding

Brilliantly explicated by a Librarian in response to community objections to a book called Uncle Bobby’s Wedding. That eloquent defense of this books and free thought is America to me. It makes me proud to have worked in a library when I was in my teens.

18-Aug-2008

No On Proposition 8

Fellow Californians, I believe this to be a sensible vote — please vote NO on Proposition 8. Thanks! And yes, as a matter of fact, I do have friends whose marriages would be affected by this. You can read more of the history in the wikipedia article same-sex marriage in California.

30-Sep-2007

Jon Lech Johansen on iPhone Bricking

Thoughtful thinking from DVD Jon who knows about this stuff. Think Closed Has Nokia or Sony Ericsson ever bricked or refused service on an unlocked phone? Not that I’ve heard of, and if they did, they would have been quickly sued in several countries where consumer rights are more strongly protected. Did Sony ever brick…

19-Jun-2007

Freedom trails economic freedom

I love how concise Thomas Barnett can be: Watch Vietnam’s rerun of China’s relationship with U.S.: Vietnam will face all the same pushback China has and continues to receive: yes, you’re turning capitalistic but not democratic at the same time. What should Triet do? Exact same game plan: He will also respond to criticism of…

05-Jan-2004

More Civic Duty: Your Bank Account, Your Liberties

Read this: Your bank account, your liberties We realize that the Fourth Amendment — and the rest of the Bill of Rights — exist for a reason, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. With H.R. 2417, with the USA PATRIOT Act, with its ability to detain American citizens indefinitely without charge or access to attorneys…

09-Mar-2003

Quote of the Day

“You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man’s age-old dream — the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order — or down to the ant heap of…