There are better ways we could spend $1.5 billion dollars than subsidizing consumer electronic devices. I would feel exactly the same if I actually watched television.
Television is not a right. I just don't understand where this attitude of entitlement and indignation comes from about TV. It's a system used to deliver advertisements, propaganda and entertainment. Why should the government subsidize that system?
There used to be an arguement about federal election debate coverage, etc. But now that the Presidential debates are shown on pay for play TV networks such as MSNBC, that arguement is gone. It's all corporate owned and controlled infotainment now.
No, I do not agree with any government subsidy for the HDTV switch.
As a musician and pioneering turnable player-improviser, Christian Marclay has recorded with such collaborators as the Kronos Quartet, Sonic Youth and John Zorn. He has built "unplayable" musical instruments — including a 25-foot-long accordion — and created such signature works as "Video Quartet" and "Crossfire," film clip remixes powering mind-bending interactions among images, soundscapes and music.
Marclay's new photography book, "Shuffle," packaged as an oversize deck of cards, is an invitation to play along with his view of aural and visual potentialities.
RE: Armed autonomous robots cause concern - tech - 07 July 2007 - New Scientist Tech
Topic: Technology
4:14 pm EDT, Jul 9, 2007
Decius wrote:
A MOVE to arm police robots with stun guns has been condemned by weapons researchers.
On 28 June, Taser International of Arizona announced plans to equip robots with stun guns. The US military already uses PackBot, made by iRobot of Massachusetts, to carry lethal weapons, but the new stun-capable robots could be used against civilians.
"The victim would have to receive shocks for longer, or repeatedly, to give police time to reach the scene and restrain them, which carries greater risk to their health," warns non-lethal weapons researcher Neil Davison, of the University of Bradford, UK.
"If someone is severely punished by an autonomous robot, who are you going to take to a tribunal?" asks Steve Wright, a security expert at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK.
HP joins security convergence trend with SPI Dynamics buy
Topic: Business
3:43 pm EDT, Jun 19, 2007
On the heels of IBM's acquisition of Watchfire, HP today announced it was buying SPI Dynamics, another application security bellwether, for an undisclosed amount.
The move signifies the growing convergence of the information security marketplace, especially in light of IBM’s pickup of Watchfire, which was SPI’s main competitor, analysts said today.
"We wanted to stake a claim in the fast-growing security space, and the best way to do that is to acquire a leader," Jonathan Rende, vice presidents of products at Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP, said today on a conference call.
...
I liked the name SPI Dynamics a lot better. So, how's it feel to (soon) work for HP Billy? :)
RE: Feds Corner Hmoe of Ed and Elaine Brown Over Tax Issue
Topic: Society
1:34 pm EDT, Jun 15, 2007
skullaria wrote:
I don't know if that is true or not, but why can't someone very publically show them a law?
What do people mean when they say this? I'm curious. I've watched Aaron Russo's "Freedom To Fascism" and basically this is what I gathered he believes:
* The 16th amendment wasn't properly ratified! * Show me the law!
The problem with that logic is that the 16th amendment was properly ratified. That's the law!
Seems like they start with a flawed premise and just run with that straw man arguement after that.
Forty years ago this week, I was asked to investigate the heaviest attack on an American ship since World War II. As senior legal counsel to the Navy Court of Inquiry, it was my job to help uncover the truth regarding Israel's June 8, 1967, bombing of the Navy intelligence ship Liberty.
On that sunny, clear day 40 years ago, Israel's combined air and naval forces attacked the Liberty for two hours, inflicting 70 percent casualties. Thirty-four American sailors died, and 172 were injured. The Liberty remained afloat only by the crew's heroic efforts.
Israel claimed it was an accident. Yet I know from personal conversations with the late Adm. Isaac C. Kidd – president of the Court of Inquiry – that President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered him to conclude that the attack was a case of “mistaken identity.”
The ensuing cover-up has haunted us for 40 years. What does it imply for our national security, not to mention our ability to honestly broker peace in the Middle East, when we cannot question Israel's actions – even when they kill Americans?
...
I am certain the Israeli pilots and commanders who had ordered the attack knew the ship was American. I saw the bullet-riddled American flag that had been raised by the crew after their first flag had been shot down completely. I heard testimony that made it clear the Israelis intended there be no survivors. Not only did they attack with napalm, gunfire and missiles, Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned at close range three life rafts that had been launched in an attempt to save the most seriously wounded.
I am outraged at the efforts of Israel's apologists to claim this attack was a case of “mistaken identity.”
...
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Israel's attack on the USS Liberty.
