] Does Europe Hate Us? Thomas L. Friedman Reporting re-airs
] on Discovery Times on Monday, April 11, at 9 p.m. ET.

Discovery Channel :: Spotlight: Does Europe Hate Us?

] Many provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act will expire at the
] end of 2005. This forum is devoted to civil and informed
] debate about these provisions and whether they should be
] renewed, as well as a few other issues that are likely to
] be part of the renewal debate in 2005. We have an
] all-star cast of contributors, each of whom has agreed to
] an exchange of at least four comments on each provision.

This is absolutely the most informed and balanced site on the patriot act that I have seen.

Patriot Debates

] MTV has begun beta testing a new content delivery system
] based on instant access to anything and everything
] entertainment related. Initially delivering six
] specialized "channels" to its Web-based platform.

Its possible that I might actually be able to get music videos in my house again for the first time in a decade. Unfortunately I am almost positive that MTV is going to fuck this up. Why can't I just stream MTV2?

BetaNews | MTV Takes to the Web with 'Overdrive'

] Millions of Americans will be required to show passports
] when they reenter the United States from Canada, Mexico
] and the Caribbean by 2008 under new rules announced
] yesterday by the State and Homeland Security departments.

U.S. closes borders.

U.S. Will Tighten Passport Rules (washingtonpost.com)

] The Department of Homeland Security's privacy board chose
] as its chairman Paul Rosenzweig, a conservative lawyer
] best known in technology circles for his defense of the
] Pentagon's Total Information Awareness project.

The new "privacy" board at DHS continues to sign up people with dubious credentials as privacy advocates. Lisa Sotto has an analysis of RFID in healthcare that seems to think implanting verichips in people is A-OK as long as you make them sign a "consent form" (without which you won't treat them). She seems to have missed the fact that I can use that 16bit identifier to track your movements regardless of whether or not I have access to the data.

It seems the new profession of "privacy adviser" is a little like tax accountant. Minimize the clients liability while enabling him to do as much as possible. Find loopholes. DHS seems to be hiring some of the best.

Their privacy board isn't about how they can respect privacy. Its about how they can violate it as much as possible without getting in trouble.

Homeland Security panel picks controversial chief | CNET News.com

] The Atlanta Time Machine website is dedicated to
] examining the history of Atlanta, Georgia by comparing
] vintage photographs of Atlanta with much more
] contemporary images shot, more or less, from the same
] perspective of the original photographer.

Atlanta Time Machine

] The biggest equity impacts so far has been twofold: it
] has put a damper on sales at retailers of the most price
] sensitive consumers -- Tthat means the bigger discounters
] (Wal-Mart,Target, Kmart, Kohls, etc.).
]
] Second, sales of the largest and most profitible SUVs are
] slowing. This has a disproportionate impact on GM and
] Ford. I'm not sure what the net net is on an individual
] (consumer) level; if you own a large SUV, I expect you
] will be disappointed at what you can sell it for, as long
] as gas stays near $2.50 per/gallon. Now consider all of
] the SUVs which have been leased over the past 3 years:
] Dealers will soon have a glut of them on their lots, if
] they don't already, as lease renewal/extensions and trade
] ups slow.

The Big Picture: Gasoline Prices (Adjusted for Inflation)

Interesting context piece about folksomy systems.

Picking Up Where Search Leaves Off

] The Federal Communications Commission announced Friday
] that states cannot require regional phone companies to
] sell high-speed Internet service as a stand-alone
] product.

Voip development has been held back for a few years. This makes the market dull, which makes you poorer.

FCC: Phone companies don't have to sell DSL as a stand-alone product - 03/27/05

] Congress returns next week to escalating pressure from
] the left and the right over a Republican proposal to
] change Senate rules that allow the Democratic minority to
] filibuster judicial nominees, a battle the two sides say
] reflects anticipation of a Supreme Court vacancy perhaps
] as soon as the court's term ends in June.

The New York Times - Lobbying Heats Up on Filibuster Rule Change