...more recent posts
I always cringe when someone uses the "free speach doesn't give you the right to shout fire in a crowded theatre" argument. Someone used this today on Metafilter, and as I clicked through to the comments I was hoping someone would have already set the record straight. Score one for the bloggers:
That quote was from an opinion (Schenck v. U.S.) by Jusice Oliver Wendell Holmes. (Holmes later backpedaled from this idea, creating the "marketplace of ideas" concept in his equally-famous dissent in Abrams v. U.S.)
The "fire in a crowded theater" test, also known as the "clear and present danger" test, was used to justify the conviction, under the Espionage Act, of a socialist protester for distributing leaflets protesting the draft for Americans in the first World War. The leaflet allegedly endangered the war effort.
I think it's pretty clear today that the ideas contained in that leaflet fall squarely within the bounds of First Amendment protection. But even though Holmes later changed his mind, hindsight shows that the government was clearly wrong, the "fire" quote is used to justify all sorts of restrictions on speech today.
posted by mikewas at 8:34 AM PST on August 1
I had an interesting business meeting last night. I don't think I had realized before that I've been waiting to meet a certain kind of person. My skill set is so lopsided. I guess this is true of most people. Still, it's hard to see until you meet someone who seems to be good at what you are not. And when such a meeting produces genuine enthusiasm it's a really great feeling. Go team.
More to hopefully follow.
Blogger now has advertising. If people have to do it I hope they follow Ev's lead. Took me a few seconds to even recognize where it was. Very subtle (but not in a tricky subtle way.)
Scoble: "Starting August 15, 2001, I will be the Director of Marketing for Userland Software."
There's something nice about being able to hold your business meetings in a bar. "Can't talk now, I'm late for a meeting!"
Random bad bar jokes:
A termite walks into a bar and asks "where's the bar tender?"
A horse walks into a bar and the bartender asks "Why the long face?"
A man walks into a bar and says "ouch."
The floor is going in at 49 Clinton.
Absolutely perfect weather in NYC.
images.google.com is fun.
Paul Ford has an essay on what happened in Genoa (and what is happening all over the world) called I must not think bad thoughts. Word.
Some far out discussion on the FoRK mailing list about post humanity, and the possiblity that this world is just an elaborate simulation. This went back and forth a few times between people, and then someone offered the predictable "what, are you guys on drugs?" response to all the wild speculation. This lame joke (put down?) was met immediately with the obvious Matrix comeback of:
> Did you guys forget to take your meds again?Which is O.K., as far as comebacks to lame comments go, but then someone else chimed in with this one:
I forget. Red or blue?
> Did you guys forget to take your meds again?Now that's a good comeback! It's like a whole sci-fi story in one sentence.
Very possibly. And then as a result, we were placed in this simulation to "spin back up" to full posthumanity as our medications get slowly reintroduced!