...more recent posts
I wasn't expecting the future for a few more years, but Senator Fritz Hollings (Democrat, S.C.) is introducing a bill that makes Richard Stallman's dystopian fantasies seem right on the money. And in case you don't know, that is not a good thing. The bill is called the SSSCA (security systems standards and certification act,) and you can read the staff working draft here. For those less legally inclined, here's the first paragraph (they don't even try to bury the outrageous stuff!):
(a) IN GENERAL.--It is unlawful to manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide or otherwise traffic in any interactive digital device that does not include and utilize certified security technologies that adhere to the security systems standards adopted under section 104.I'm utterly speachless. I've been trying to write something about this for a few days, but I am not able to do it without flying into a fit of rage. The effects of this bill would be so far reaching, and so completely devastating to "humanity" (at least in terms of how I think about "humanity") that it is difficult to sum up. Wes Felter offers this: "Anyway, general purpose devices would be essentially outlawed under SSSCA. Your PC's tamper-resistant TCPA BIOS would only load certified, DRM-laden operating systems." (Here's the entire HTP thread.) But outlawing linux (and most other open source software) is just the tip of the iceburg.
I know that crazy bills get brought before congress all the time, and just because it is a bill does not mean that it will ever become law. Still, I'm finding it hard to rely on the good judgement of others to keep this one from happening. Just who is in control here? I'm beginning to suspect that it is not human, whatever it is.
Here's the wired coverage.
Do you work for a large corporation? Are you sure that's what you should be doing?
Unix time is now 999967032 which represents the number of seconds that have elapsed during the "unix era" or, in other words, since January 1, 1970. Sometime later today it will roll over to 1,000,000,000 seconds. This is like the geek millenium (complete with possible y2k like problems.)
Photos from Sandy Neck Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Labor Day weekend, 2001.
Haven't been posting much lately. Trying to get back on track, but of course there's no point in forcing anything. Something knocked me a bit out of orbit a few weeks ago. Still struggling to regain my normal path. Hopefully things will be picking up soon.
Was I dreaming, or did Thomas Friedman (author of The Lexus and The Olive Tree and frequent NY Times OP ED columnist) say that the Bush whitehouse is filled with "Strangelovian lunatics" on Charlie Rose last night?
Sklyarov indicted.
Paul Boutin (senior editor, wired magazine) is blogging from Burning Man. Next year (when it finally absolutely will for sure no longer be cool) we're definitely going.
Here's a summary of the new Jabber-RPC spec.
Pictures from opening day (last Saturday) at 49 Clinton.
As Janet might say: I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Walked back home on Saturday night from the soft opening party at 49 Clinton. Went right into the bathroom. Dropped my trousers in preparation for sitting down and heard a very loud ker-splash (or was it ker-splunk?) Yes, my digital camera had been in my back pocket. And yes, it was now at the bottom of the toilet. Needless to say, alcohol was involved.
This was so embarassing I didn't even tell anyone for a few days. Last night I spilled the beans at dinner. At least everyone had a good laugh.
Went up to B&H today because I really have to replace it. The press kit for the new place has to be done by tomorrow. Alex needs it for more park photos. Hannah needs it for Staten Island Yankee pictures. I took the micro drive removable storage card up with me because I thought there was a tiny chance that it might still work. Not a good chance, but at least a chance. And it's worth as much as the camera itself. I explained the situation to the guy at the counter. Not surprisingly he got a good laugh too.
"No I didn't drop it in a pool...er...I um..."
He popped the drive into a display camera, fired it up, and it works. All the pictures from Saturday are still on it. "You are lucky" he kept saying. I think about 12 times. Finally I had to say, "Can you please stop saying that?"
"O.K., but you are lucky."
The new camera is a little bit bigger and a little bit better than the last one. It's too big to fit in my pocket, but in light of how I ruined the last one that's probably not a bad idea.
Feel free to get a good laugh too.