Laying a broad basis for possible future prescriptions, the President's Council on Bioethics yesterday issued an analysis of how biotechnology could lead toward unintended and destructive ends.

I must express some suspicion of this given that we already understand what the administration's perspective of this is. Is this a search for answers, or a hammer looking for a nail?

Some of the NYT's quotes reveal a mixed bag:

For example, this makes sense to me:
"By medicalizing key elements of our life through biotechnical interventions," the report says, "we may weaken our sense of responsibility and agency."

We already do this in many different ways.

On the other hand, I cannot imagine a more foolish luddism then this statement:

It concludes that "the human body and mind, highly complex and delicately balanced as a result of eons of gradual and exacting evolution, are almost certainly at risk from any ill-considered attempt at `improvement.' "

While the wording here is carefully chosen, the message is clear. Obviously there are risks. Everything has risks. It is important to understand risks and avoid them. But by waxing about the perfection of the human being and placing the word improvement in quotes, the author is not really referring to risk management. He stops short of arguing that all activity in this space would be counterproductive only because he can't prove that. He is saying that biotechnology is bad.

What this perspective ignores is that every single technological development in the history of man, from the first wooden spear to the space shuttle, has been an attempt to escape the boundaries of what nature has given us. That is, in fact, fundamentally what makes us human and what differs us from most other animals. We invent technologies which help us adapt to environmental pressures that other species cannot adapt to because they adapt at random and without will.

To claim that we have no reason to continue to expand the boundaries of our capabilities is the same sort of narcissistic bullshit that lead Fukuyama, who made large contributions to this paper, to conclude that we are at the end of political history. This perspective is absolutely ignorant of human nature.

Bush's Advisers on Biotechnology Express Concern on Its Use

] Journalism traditionally assumes that democracy is what we
] have, information is what we seek. Whereas in the weblog
] world, information is what we have - it's all
] around us - and democracy is what we seek.

PressThink: What's Radical About the Weblog Form in Journalism?

] I am writing to voice my opposition to any FCC-mandated
] adoption of "broadcast flag" technology for digital
] television. As a consumer and citizen, I feel strongly
] that such a policy would be bad for innovation, consumer
] rights, and the ultimate adoption of DTV.

EFF - Take action on the broadcast flag

Hollywood frets that if top-quality copies of shows can be snared online, producers won't be able to sell them in syndication or overseas.

"Syndication" is broken. There is no "fix." Move on.

Rules would require recorders to encrypt TV shows

]
] On October 16, 2003, VeriSign announced the sale of its
] Network Solutions (NSI) business unit three years after
] its purchase from SAIC. This is a report on the
] historical snapshot of Network Solutions and a collection
] of commentaries made in response to this event.

Some good comments here.

Reaction to VeriSign-NSI Break Up

] freenode exists to provide an interactive environment for
] coordination and support of peer-directed projects,
] including those relating to free software and open
] source. Our network is currently implemented using
] Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Our aim is to help improve the
] communicative and collaborative skills of our
] participants and to maintain a friendly, efficient
] environment for project coordination and technical
] support.

We have been meaning to colonize an IRC channel for awhile now. We couldn't make our mind up about which which network. Freenode is great. Its the perfect network for us.

irc.freenode.net, #meme ... Colonize it.

For more information on Freenode, click thru and check out the FAQ & Philosophy pages.

MemeStreams IRC Channel

Seems a strange thing to put in Taipei, and I can't exactly explain why. Seems too pretentious for them. However, I've always been fascinated with tall buildings. I think I was brainwashed with pictures of the CN tower when I was a kid.

Taipei 101, Taipei

] They have raised alleged technical concerns. We have
] asked them half a dozen times to present us with some
] data, and as late as [Wednesday] afternoon, we were told
] again they have no data. It really is quite a bit of
] rumor and innuendo being fed by technical and political
] zealots.

Q&A: Security needs to be proactive, says Verisign CEO Stratton Sclavos - Computerworld

] Caffrey claimed the evidence against him was planted on
] his machine by attackers who used an unspecified Trojan
] to gain control of his PC and launch the assault.
]
] Neil Barrett, an expert witness for the prosecution, said
] that Caffrey's machine showed no trace of the tell-tale
] signs that would be left by such an attack but today's
] verdict, shows that this did not persuade the jury.

This is actually the right decision, but I'll bet it will send the computer forensics industry for a loop. Computer log file "evidence" cannot be trusted. You need something else. There is always reasonable doubt that the computer records have been tampered with. There are no "telltale" signs.

The Register - Jury says computer records not enough to convict

] Would today's tykes tolerate the classic games you grew
] up with? Kids do say the darndest things in this uncut
] version of an EGM article—now with a bonus game not
] included in the original story!

] Kirk: I'm sure everyone who made this game is dead by now

Kids Play - Proof that you are OLD