Good grief....

Open a Kensignton Laptop Lock with a roll of toilet paper.... [WMV]

] Even a senior FBI official admitted that
] al-Libbi's "influence and position have been
] overstated".

hrm...

Captured Al-Qaeda kingpin is case of mistaken identity - Sunday Times - Times Online

] My name is Hossein Derakhshan (aka Hoder). I was born in
] Tehran, Iran and I'm now living in Toronto, Canada since
] Dec. 2000.

One of the most interesting moments for me at BlogNashville was when this Iranian Blogger puzzled at why all these Americans care about Internet Anonymity.

This guy's friends risk their lives to blog. Puts things in perspective a bit.

Why do I care about Internet Anonymity? For me. Whatever my reasons are, they aren't very good ones when I put them in context.

Editor: Myself | Hossein Derakhshan's weblog (English)

] This Tuesday, the US Senate is scheduled to vote on the
] implementation of a national ID card system. The Real ID
] Act is nothing less than a Real National ID Act.

Fresh from his somewhat kinda victory in the RFID passport debacle Bill Scannell is at it again on the national ID card.

Now, the interesting thing about this proposal is that it is not vulnerable to the one security related objection I've heard for this, which is that if there is only one ID card you have to fake then all of the resources in the country devoted to faking IDs will be devoted to faking THAT id, and so everyone will be able to fake it very well, where as today people tend to fake a multitude of state IDs poorly. As each state will still have its own ID under this system, it won't create a single focal point for forgers.

As all the state databases will be linked, the first thing that will occur is annoyances. People attempting to drink underage or dodge traffic tickets will find life more difficult. People with out of order paperwork may find themselves in jail, as a friend of mine did recently because his social security card has a different name then his drivers license. (Yes it was their mistake, and no they didn't really think twice about booking him anyway.)

It is inevitable that all the data the government has about you is going to be connected, tied to your banking and medical records, and biometrically identified. Objections of the ACLU and the Conservative Christians aside, we are going to do this. It is only a matter of time. We do not understand why we shouldn't as we expect perfect law compliance. This is a step in that direction.

This will be coupled with increasingly cheap and automated surveillance of public space. Ultimately, the IDs WILL go wireless so that they can easily be scanned by the government without having to approach a suspect. You already have a license plate, right? Ultimately the Supreme Court will concede that its not unconstitutional to require every person to carry such a card. That will be the last straw. I put it 40 years out unless there is another major terrorist attack. I'd be willing to make a long bet on this.

Its easy, its cheap, and it will make you safe. As law enforcement becomes perfect, the fairness of laws becomes vital. Our Mass Media driven government does not produce fair or reasonable law. It produces reactionary, fad and interest driven law.

This is simply going to cause a lot of people a lot of pain, and I feel like complaining about it is pissing against the wind. I really think we're going to learn this the hard way. We ought to know better but we're gunna run right into this wall at full speed.

UnRealID.com

] China's Internet filtering regime is the most
] sophisticated effort of its kind in the world. Compared
] to similar efforts in other states, China's
] filtering regime is pervasive, sophisticated, and
] effective. It comprises multiple levels of legal
] regulation and technical control.

Interesting details on China's internet filtering, with links to information about other countries...

Internet Filtering in China in 2004-2005: A Country Study

] Bloggers - those Internet-based writers without rules -
] are fighting back against criticism that their work is
] unreliable, libelous or just poorly done.

The AP's odd and defensive take on Blog Nashville.

HeraldNet: Bloggers get a few pointers from real journalists

] Members of the small East Waynesville Baptist Church say
] Chandler led an effort to kick out congregants who did
] not support President Bush. Nine members were voted out
] at a Monday church meeting in this mountain town about
] 120 miles west of Charlotte. Forty others in the
] 400-member congregation resigned in protest.
]
] Chandler told WLOS-TV in Asheville on Friday that
] the actions were not politically motivated...

This would be funny if it wasn't true.

N.C. Church Kicks Out Members Who Do Not Support Bush

] Are you sure I need all these licenses?
]
] Yes.

Podcasting Music - The legal implications - CBI

] Podscope is the first search engine that actually allows
] you to search for spoken words within any audio or video
] file. We're starting with podcasts and will be
] adding all types of multimedia in coming months.

Neat! Takes you right to the timestamp in the audio where the thing you are searching for appears.

Podscope

I'm at a conference about citizen journalism and EVERY panel turns into a discussion about how to avoid getting sued and what your "rights" are. We created all of this potential with this technology, and it cannot be met because of the law.