If this is the wave of the future, it makes nonsense of just about all the conventional wisdom on reducing inequality. Better education won’t do much to reduce inequality if the big rewards simply go to those with the most assets. Creating an “opportunity society”, or whatever it is the likes of Paul Ryan etc. are selling this week, won’t do much if the most important asset you can have in life is, well, lots of assets inherited from your parents.
How Corruption Is Strangling U.S. Innovation - James Allworth - Harvard Business Review
Topic: Miscellaneous
11:30 am EST, Dec 10, 2012
One of the prime drivers of economic growth inside America over the past century has been disruptive innovation; yet the phenomenon that Lessig describes is increasingly being used by large incumbent firms as a mechanism to stave off the process. Given how hard it can be to survive a disruptive challenge, and how effective lobbying has proven in stopping it, it's no wonder that incumbent firms take this route so often.
Caffeine: Is it dehydrating or not? - MayoClinic.com
Topic: Miscellaneous
11:12 am EST, Dec 10, 2012
NO, coca-cola does not dehydrate you.
Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day.
Staffer axed by Republican group over retracted copyright-reform memo | Ars Technica
Topic: Miscellaneous
8:36 am EST, Dec 8, 2012
The Republican Study Committee, a caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives, has told staffer Derek Khanna that he will be out of a job when Congress re-convenes in January. The incoming chairman of the RSC, Steve Scalise (R-LA) was approached by several Republican members of Congress who were upset about a memo Khanna wrote advocating reform of copyright law. They asked that Khanna not be retained, and Scalise agreed to their request.
David Brooks:
Since Nov. 6, the G.O.P. has experienced an epidemic of open-mindedness. The party may evolve quickly. If so, it’ll be powerfully influenced by people with names like... Derek Khanna.
NASA - NASA-NOAA Satellite Reveals New Views of Earth at Night
Topic: Miscellaneous
8:56 am EST, Dec 6, 2012
Scientists unveiled today an unprecedented new look at our planet at night. A global composite image, constructed using cloud-free night images from a new NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite, shows the glow of natural and human-built phenomena across the planet in greater detail than ever before.
The "Priest" They Called Him - William S. Burroughs & Kurt Cobain - YouTube
Topic: Miscellaneous
10:25 pm EST, Dec 5, 2012
The "Priest" They Called Him (1992) is a collaboration between William S. Burroughs and Kurt Cobain. Cobain provides dissonant guitar backing based on "Silent Night" and "To Anacreon in Heaven" to Burroughs' deadpan reading. Originally released as a limited edition 10-inch EP picture disc on Tim/Kerr Records in 1993, it was subsequently re-released on CD and 10-inch vinyl. Kurt Cobain's friend and bandmate Krist Novoselic is featured on the cover as the Priest.
Laptop seizures by US government highlight 9/11-era climate of fear | Glenn Greenwald | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
Topic: Miscellaneous
5:27 pm EST, Dec 4, 2012
This is Greenwald's take on the border search phenomenon.
In essence, the bargain offered by the state is as follows: if you meaningfully challenge what we're doing, then we will subject you to harsh recriminations. But if you passively comply with what we want, refrain from challenging us, and acquiesce to our prevailing order, then you are "free" and will be left alone. The genius is that those who accept this bargain are easily convinced that repression does not exist in the US, that it only takes place in those Other Bad countries, because, as a reward for their compliant posture, they are not subjected to it.
What makes this tactic particularly effective is that it will not affect those who have no interest in engaging in real dissent against the government. If you're not a filmmaker who challenges the prevailing government narrative (Poitras), or a scholar trying to understand rather than demonize currents in the Muslim world (Abidor), or a lawyer involved in groups suing the US government for unconstitutional behavior (Wayne), or an activist advocating for WikiLeaks and working to protect online anonymity and thus thwart government spying and control of the internet (Jacob Appelbaum), or someone who supports Bradley Manning's legal defense (David House), then you're not going to be subjected to this sort of intimidation and rights-invasions, and it's thus easy for you to simply assume that it does not exist.
Although this sounds shrill, where the rubber meets the road with this concern regards the use of TSA, rather than CBP. Jacob Appelbaum has reported publicly that he is subjected to additional scrutiny by TSA whenever he boards an airplane. I've heard similar reports from others.
The constitutional context for the authorization of TSA searches is protection of the security of flights. The TSA only has a legal authority to search people's effects without probable cause insofar as the purpose of those searches is to protect the security of flights and is narrowly tailored to that purpose. It is unconstitutional for the TSA to perform searches for other law enforcement purposes without meeting the Fourth Amendment's warrant and probable cause requirements. The TSA cannot, for example, perform searches for the purpose of locating illegal drugs. That is absolutely unconstitutional, no matter what you might have heard to the contrary.
It is not clear that the list of dissidents and activists Greenwald mentions present a risk to the security of flights. No matter what you think of Jacob Appelbaum, the idea that he represents a risk to the security of flights is dubious. Therefore, if the TSA is monitoring Jacob Appelbaum and subjecting him to additional scrutiny every time he flies, that scrutiny may violate his Constitutional rights. Whatever the rationale for the scrutiny, if it isn't related to the security of flights, it is not legitimate.
Court Cases Challenge Border Searches of Laptops and Phones - NYTimes.com
Topic: Miscellaneous
12:01 pm EST, Dec 4, 2012
This News York Times piece provides an update regarding the laptop border search debate. There isn't much new information here other than some statistics about how many electronic devices are being searched - about 5,000 a year.
However, its notable that the New York Times makes an important error in reporting on the issue.
Courts have long held that Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches do not apply at the border, based on the government’s interest in combating crime and terrorism.
That is not true. No court has held that the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searchers do not apply at the border. What they have held, is that in depth, suspicionless searches at the border are not "unreasonable."
