William Mitchell, the head of the MIT Media Lab media arts and sciences, has written a book, "Me++"

] Me++ describes the move from virtual reality - the old
] 90s idea of the net as a separate, alternative realm - to
] "augmented reality" (AR), in which ubiquitous computing
] and mobile wireless networks are used to reconnect us to
] the real world.
]
] Mitchell muses on how AR will change our sense of our
] selves. Me++ is "a play on C++, the popular programming
] language. Among programmers,++ means incremented or
] extended, so Me++ suggests the computationally extended
] self." He suggests we should no longer think of ourselves
] as "fixed, discrete individuals", but as nodes in a
] network. "I am part of the networks and the networks are
] part of me. I am visible to Google. I link, therefore I
] am."

"I link, therfore I am," has resonance for MemeStreams.

Guardian Unlimited | Online | I link, therefore I am

"It is the central focus of my life. America, under Bush, is a danger to the world. And I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is."

Jeremy said:
The wrinkle in Soros's plan is that none of the major Democratic candidates are a particularly good fit for his foreign policy.

I'll add:
The campaign finance issues here are also interesting. This is the first time that major donations have moved to proxy organizations. What difference does it make?

Soros's Deep Pockets vs. Bush

] The most powerful country on earth cannot afford to be
] consumed by fear. To make the war on terrorism the
] centerpiece of our national strategy is an abdication of
] our responsibility as the leading nation in the world.
] Moreover, by allowing terrorism to become our principal
] preoccupation, we are playing into the terrorists' hands.
] They are setting our priorities.

I agree with Jeremy. George Soros says so much more in 10 pages then Gore did in 50. If you want an intelligent counterpoint to Bush and the Neocons this is one of the strongest I've seen.

The Bubble of American Supremacy

Microsoft may have to fork up big bounty bucks trying to unearth future hackers, particularly when they are light years away on distant worlds.

Add one more worry to the computerized world of the 21st century. Could a signal from the stars broadcast by an alien intelligence also carry harmful information, in the spirit of a computer virus? Could star folk launch a "disinformation" campaign -- one that covers up aspects of their culture? Perhaps they might even mask the "real" intent of dispatching a message to other civilizations scattered throughout the Cosmos.

These are concerns that deserve attention explains Richard Carrigan, Jr., a physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. Those engaged in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), he contends, should think about decontaminating potential SETI signals.

Keeping Watch for Interstellar Computer Viruses

] Like the Segway, Bombardier's Embrio concept--a prototype
] that may or may not make production--uses gyroscope
] technology to balance riders but adds a dash of flair
] absent in the Segway, which we as car nuts find slightly
] nerdy.

leet!!

Canadian Segway

] Former FCC Chair Reed Hundt reads a recent letter from
] FCC Chairman Michael Powell to Senator Ron Wyden to
] indicate that the FCC is speeding towards an unknown set
] of VOIP regulations with as little public comment as
] possible.

FCC to tax VOIP?

] This event features a rare face-to-face meeting of a supporter
] and a critic of the Patriot Act:
]
] Assistant US Attorney Randy Chartash is responsible for
] enforcing the Patriot Act.
]
] Former US Congressman Bob Barr has been an outspoken critic.

IP3: Patriot Act event in Atlanta

mal wrote:
] It was just a matter of time ...
]
] Homeland security wants to decide which college classes get
] funded and they are thinking of excluding classes that teach
] that there even might be dissenting points of view.

I thought I would meme this because it was worth taking a look at. Its interesting. I'm not sure I know exactly what to think of it.

The purpose of federal funding for education is (among other things) to make sure that education conforms to what the public believes education ought to consist of. The idea that you can take public money and use it to tell people not to get jobs in the government because you are opposed to US policy is something that I disagree with. I think its hypocritical. It also crosses the line between exposing students to viewpoints and telling them what to think. I also disagree with school vouchers, for basically the same reasons. I don't want to fund your madrassah, regardless of what nook of the political system you come from. Feel free to teach your kids whatever garbage you want to teach them, and feel free to do it on your own dime.

Furthermore, I'm not convinced that an "advisory board" is really going to be in a position to do anything other then advise. What is wrong with getting a perspective from the intelligence community? I don't see how this equates with eliminating dissenting viewpoints from the educational system. There is a balance that must be maintained. We should expose people to ideas, but they should not have their minds made up for them.

On the other hand, I can certainly imagine this scenario being dangerous in the context where you really did have an intelligence advisory board deciding what things are true and not true. That would be the start of the end as far as I'm concerned. I find myself hard pressed to buy that this is what is going on here. I see the risk but not the reality.

RE: An Advisory Board drawn from Homeland Security will limit university funding.

] The Supreme Court said Monday that it would decide
] whether foreign nationals can use U.S. courts to
] challenge their incarceration at the U.S. military base
] in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the first cases it will hear on
] the Bush administration.

Justices to hear Guantanamo appeals

] Observation this year of Veterans Day comes as about
] 130,000 troops 102,000 active military and 28,000
] reserve — remain on duty in Iraq. As of yesterday,
] according to the Pentagon, 394 have died in the war.
]
] Below are excerpts from among the final letters home of
] some soldiers who died there.

Veterans Day: The Things They Wrote