“Radical” changes in Washington always have this Charlie Brown/Lucy-like character (remember Lucy holding the football?): it doesn’t take long before you realize how little really ever changes in DC. The latest example is the Dems and IP issues as they affect the Net. Message to the Net from the newly Democratic House? Go to hell.

This is a followon to Lessig's talk at 23C3 which I haven't found time to watch yet. His apparent anger suggests surprise. I'm not surprised. In this country there is no such thing as the individual as a political force. Political force only happens in numbers. Those numbers can be grass roots "special interest/single issue" voters who are organized and have communicated to representatives that they will vote on their specific issue, or they can be dollars and cents that said representatives can use to market themselves to everyone who isn't an organized special interest voter. The future, with regards to the intellectual renaissance we have the potential to create with our recent advances in communications technology, has neither money nor organized voters, and so it is politically non-existant, regardless of what really smart people might have to say about it. The establishment media industry, on the other hand, has a lot of money. Glenn Reynolds wrote a sharp analysis of their interests here.

On the whole the Republicans aren't better than the Democrats on these issues, but they have a different set of interests they serve, and so they tend to do different kinds of damage. The march toward tyranny has both left and right steps. The shoe is now on the other foot. Don't expect that foot to hurt any less when it is stepping on you.

Dems to the Net: Go to hell

One audience member asked, "Is there a clear distinction in cryptography where national security ends and commercial applications begin?" He basically wanted to know the difference between commercial and government class cryptography. Diffie responded that there has been a recognition that "the strength of cryptography is not the place to separate the two." He said that the most important development of the last several years has been the adoption by NSA of Suite B, which is a public set of standard cryptographic algorithms that are approved for unclassified and classified government data.

If you follow cryptography most of the contents of this article may be old hat, but there are a few minor data points that I found interesting, such as this one, and the NSA's perspective on the resilience of AES to quantum computer based cryptanalysis.

PKC anniversary event provided insights into the past, present, and future of cryptography

Like looking to see if a rifle is loaded by peering down the barrel, your screen can turn from a breathtaking visage of insight into a Gatling Gun of mind-scarring infinity-pain within the literal blink of an eye.

Or, as they say: ONCE YOU CLICK, YOU CANNOT UNCLICK.

This is a very entertaining and well written adventure.

Jason Scott Goatses MySpace

RSnake is a fucking genius. Using a file:/// URL pointed at the manual PDF installed with Acrobat, you can execute JavaScript in the local zone. Oh yeah, local file access, program execution, completely uncrippled XmlHttpRequest.

This is not good.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Internet has left the building...

Acidus wrote:
There is a flaw in Abode’s Acrobat reader plugin which allows JavaScript to execute. This flaws means ever website that contains a PDF file has a de facto Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability.

Acidus does a good job of putting this latest PDF vuln in perspective.

RE: Adobe flaw #$%&s everyone

After 9/11, Vice President Richard Cheney seized the initiative. He pushed to expand executive power, transform America's intelligence agencies and bring the war on terror to Iraq. But first he had to take on George Tenet's CIA for control over intelligence.
[...]
Amid revelations about faulty prewar intelligence and a scandal surrounding the indictment of the vice president's chief of staff and presidential adviser, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to investigate the internal war that was waged between the intelligence community and Richard Bruce Cheney, the most powerful vice president in the nation's history.

This sounds interesting. I'm a big Frontline fan... Where is that Tivo remote...

Frontline: The Dark Side | PBS

The blog linked here has a constant stream of hacks for the wiimote. In other wii news, apparently the Japanese versions comes with silly safety graphics and someone decided to create a few of their own. Furthermore, the inevitable has occured:

Wiibrator is a small Python application that interfaces the Wii’s Wiimote and the PS2’s Trancevibrator. Hours of fun for the kids!

LOL! Alas I do not yet have one and I see no chance to get one in sight. Maybe I should just get one of the controllers and hook it up to my computer...

LiquidIce's Nintendo Wii Hacks

Larry's talk is on Google Video. Definitely worth watching. Standing ovation. There are some new ideas that I'd love people's feedback on.

The Chaos Computer Club's 23rd Conference had some heavy hitters speaking this year. This link follows through to Larry Lessig's speech on why the law is out of sync with technology. Joi Ito also spoke on management skills learned playing MMORPGS. Turns out those people who you've lost to WoW addiction may end up being your boss someday. If only crack had similar benefits.

Joi Ito's Web: Larry's awesome 23C3 talk

This year, I expect the Holiday Retail season could very well end up being the “canary in the coal mine” -- for the economy, as well as the stock market.

A weak consumer spending season bodes poorly for the start of 2007.

Hrm...

The Big Picture | Canary in the Coal Mine

The Iraqi government launched an inquiry on Monday into how guards filmed and taunted Saddam Hussein on the gallows, turning his execution into a televised spectacle that has inflamed sectarian anger.

Good. I agree with the statement Rattle quoted:

Executions are generally expected to be solemn affairs –- certainly not opportunities for thugs to score some final sectarian points before the “enemy” is disposed of.

SignOnSanDiego.com -- Iraq govt to probe filming of Saddam hanging