Alan Cheslow

Because of 9/11 the government restricted our freedom from unreasonable searches, our right to a speedy and public trial, our freedom of association, our right to legal representation, our freedom of speech, and our right to liberty.

Because of the economic collapse the government will further restrict the free market and our economic freedoms.

I predict that next the Internet will be either the target or a major component of a national catastrophe, resulting in new government regulations that severely restrict our access to information on the Internet.

I hope I’m wrong.

I really really want to upgrade to the new iPhone 3G, assuming that my employer (Microsoft) will allow it to connect to our Exchange email servers. But the costs just keep adding up when I compare it to my current Blackjack II Windows Mobile phone.

 I’m not including text messaging since it’s not clear to me whether that is included in the data plan or not, and I’m not including the cost of new iPhone accessories. Given that, the iPhone 3G costs $849 more than my Windows Mobile phone over the 2-year contract. Sure it’s nicer in many respects, but it doesn’t have MMS, A2DP (stereo bluetooth audio), video recording, or a real QWERTY keyboard. Is it really worth the premium?

[Update: It looks like SMS messages are not going to be included in the iPhone 3G plans, so that is another additional cost.]

Open discussion:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut9-hgFbJWs]
YouTube - The Henry Rollins Show - America Is Under Attack

Taser, iRobot team up to arm robots - Yahoo! News
By adding Tasers to robots it already makes for the military, iRobot Corp. says it hopes to give soldiers and law enforcement a defensive, non-lethal tool.

But some observers fear such developments could ultimately lead to robots capable of deciding on their own when to shoot and kill.

EFF: DeepLinks
Tanya Andersen, a disabled single mother who was sued in 2005 by the RIAA, went to court to fight the accusations. Forensic researchers were unable to find any trace of illegal downloading on her computer, and both parties have now agreed to a dismissal.

Andersen was essentially exonerated of any wrongdoing and can now ask the court to make the RIAA cover her attorneys’ fees. Meanwhile, she has filed a countersuit against the record industry.

New software can identify you from your online habits - tech - 16 May 2007 - New Scientist Tech
Microsoft is developing software that could accurately guess your name, age, gender and potentially even your location, by analyzing telltale patterns in your web browsing history.

Boy, am I glad that my office isn’t painted in those ugly shades of gray. Here in Redmond our walls are brown, light brown, and dark brown.

In order to “cut congestion”, the British government is planning a widespread surveillance system consisting of static cameras to capture license plate details, electronic tags in vehicles that would be read by roadside monitoring stations and global positioning system satellites to read on-board transponders, despite protests by 1.8 million petitions against the proposal.

Link.

Why this shirt is illegal.