I post this for one reason only. Instead of calling this product a digital rights server, Slashdot is calling it a "digital restrictions server." This is smart. The media industry has made a lot of headway in the jargon space, words like "intellectual property" and "piracy" are extremely misleading, but in common use. Refering to DRM as "digital restrictions management" could help counter act this.

Jargon Watch: Digital Restrictions Management

"In interviews yesterday, U.N. officials and other experts in foreign affairs suggested that by heeding the global cry against a unilateral U.S. invasion, Bush had skillfully maneuvered the world governing body into a position where it had little choice but to sharply increase pressure on the Iraqi dictator. If the U.N. did not act, the experts said, it would appear incapable of enforcing the Gulf War resolutions it passed to control Saddam -- and which Saddam has flouted in recent years. "

Salon.com News | Suddenly, the U.N. backs Bush

I got my first Cafe Press shirt today with the improved image. It looks great.

FYI on Cafe Press Stuff

"America is the head of heresy in our modern world, and it leads an infidel democratic regime that is based upon separation of religion and state and on ruling the people by the people via legislating laws that contradict the way of Allah and permit what Allah has prohibited. This compels the other countries to act in accordance with the same laws in the same ways...and punishes any country [that rebels against these laws] by besieging it, and then by boycotting it. By so doing, [America] seeks to impose on the world a religion that is not Allah'…"

By calling secular democracy a "religion" the speaker closes the listener's mind to the idea that it is possible to separate church and state.

I'm interested in comments like these because there is a perception that "solution" to the problem with conflict between the US and radical Islamic countries is to increase economic interdependence (and therefore communication). I'm not convinced that a long term resolution of this sort of problem is possible without the rise of a secular form of islam which observes the separation of church and state. The reason I beleive this is that when you put God on the throne you eliminate the possibility of questioning the government. If citizens cannot question their government then their government will inevitably become violent and oppressive.

Statement by Al'Qa'ida

In an interview with CBS MarketWatch, 'gonzo' journalist Hunter Thompson talks about how Friday's live TV reports of a Florida highway shutdown because of a suspected terrorist threat shows what's wrong with today's media and political climate.

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:) HUNTER! HUNTER! Nice to hear a voice of sanity cutting through the fray these days. Live long and prosper Mr. Thompson. Two part audio interview available in Real and some other format...

Hunter Thompson is still all-Gonzo

The guy that wrote ownz0red said: "Lots of Robots Two is the best science fiction video I've ever downloaded from the Internet -- an hallucinogenic short film tracing life in a world of mythopoeic, robotic splendour."

Lots of Robots

"Making music out of computer code is helping programmers to catch the bugs that can cause software to go awry."

I am surprised that the results were significant. Very strange... On some levels it makes sense, but it seems so impractical. I'd love to give it a try. I wish they chose a more practical language then pascal.

Making Music from Code

"Researchers have shown that a new combination of techniques for manipulating light can increase the amount of data squeezed through the fibre optic cables laid in cities by more than 100 times "

This article sucks but the tech is great. At the bottom you'll see that they are doing polarisation division multiplexing. Every advance in fiber optics technology means more trouble for the telecom industry.

New Scientist: New fiber optic transmission method

"EFF Music Share-In Festival 2002
Saturday, September 14th, Noon-5pm
Music Concourse Bandshell in Golden Gate Park (near the Japanese Tea Gardens between MLK Drive and JFK Drive) "

If you are in SF, I highly recommend this. Went last year. Sat in the sun in Golden Gate park listening to hippie music. Got a tie-die and traded MP3s with friends over 802.11... This is what San Francisco was supposed to be.

EFF Share-In

A fairly annoying bug in Manage Circles prevented you from seeing your circles if you only had one. Its been there for quite some time, but no one brought it to my attention until tonight. Its fixed. Sorry if there has been any confusion.

Bug fix in Manage Circles