] And let's end the illusion right now that adult voters
] make their decisions based on careful study of the
] candidates and their issues. We all know that's bullshit.
] To pretend that teenagers would vote for the first
] politician who promises to outlaw homework ignores the
] fact that their parents are probably dumb enough to vote
] for a politician who promised to shorten commercial
] breaks and make super-sizing free.
]
]
] People are dumb and lazy. They don't give a shit who wins
] because they don't really understand why voting is
] important. Y'know who does realize how important voting
] is? That's right, kids! While we've mostly forgotten all
] the stuff that we were taught in civics class about "one
] man, one vote" it's still fresh in their minds. Hell,
] this could be one of the only opportunities the kids have
] to actually apply the knowledge they gain in school.
]
]
] So, yeah. I'm strongly in favor of this. In fact, other
] than the last few years, the only other time I was really
] excited about politics was during the 1992 election. I
] actually cared about how the candidates stood on the
] issues and I was pissed that I wasn't considered as
] "mature" as the adults who mostly stayed home on election
] day. If I was old enough at 16 to "rock the vote", are
] 16-year-olds today much different?

A quick retort to opposition against a new bill in California considering a partial vote for 16 and 14 year olds.

The Talent Show: Soccer Moms NASCAR Dads = ?

] The law was drawn up to target professional pirates,
] criminals and counterfeiters who make copies of goods
] such as football shirts or CDs.
]
]
] During the debates, the directive was widened to cover
] any infringement of intellectual property.
]
]
] The directive allows companies to raid homes, seize
] property and ask courts to freeze bank accounts to
] protect trademarks or intellectual property they believe
] are being abused or stolen.

[ new hardcore EU IP laws... ouch. -k]

BBC NEWS | Technology | EU backs tighter rules on piracy

No, officers, we're computer scientists and engineers.

Be sure to check out the photos and video.

Robot Race Is Giant Step for Unmanned Kind

] StarBrite is selling a pPod, a virtual iPod for Pocket
] PCs, that -- given Apple's past tolerance for knockoffs
] -- may not be available for very long.
] ...
] The application fills the Pocket PC's entire screen with
] a faithful facsimile of the iPod, including the player's
] distinctive scroll wheel and four buttons for playing,
] pausing and so on.

[ I have a feeling these people are gonna get an apple branded smackdown in short order. What do people think? Legal issues aside, I think it's pretty tacky, like shiny-plastic fake chrome "rims" on a '94 Corolla. Imitation may be flattery, but it's also lame about 90% of the time.

On to those legal issues, later in the article we read :

] Brian Ferguson, an intellectual property lawyer with
] McDermott, Will & Emery in Washington, D.C., said he
] wasn't familiar with Apple's patent portfolio, but if
] the iPod is patent-protected -- and it likely is --
] the software may well infringe on the patent.
]
] "I'm just speculating, but I'd be surprised if Apple
] didn't patent-protect some of the ideas in the iPod,"
] he said. "If it does infringe on the patents, end of
] story."

Expect total domination. And then whining. -k]

Wired News: Pocket PCs Masquerade as IPods

] The Republican National Committee is warning television
] stations across the country not to run ads from the
] MoveOn.org Voter Fund that criticize President Bush,
] charging that the left-leaning political group is paying
] for them with money raised in violation of the new
] campaign-finance law.

As if the FCC hasn't screwed up enough this administration.

[ yeah, that's some serious shit right there. i'm not gonna claim they're wrong, but it seems pretty sketchy to me. Maybe Soros should just run the ads out of pocket... "Paid for by George Soros" -k]

RNC tells TV stations not to run anti-Bush ads

] So, Mr. Dawson said, he was stunned this week to find
] that his name had been added to a little-known Internet
] database for doctors attacking "litigious behavior." His
] offense: filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against a
] Fort Worth hospital and doctor over the death of his
] 39-year-old wife, whose brain tumor was missed, and
] winning an undisclosed settlement.

[ Some interesting issues brought up here... On the one hand, minimizing the frivolous or excessive lawsuits is a good thing, and benefits everyone, but it seems unethical not to distinguish the cases based on the details and merit of the actions. A balance needs to be struck between maintaining people's ability to punish bad doctors and limiting their ability to make boatloads of money on lesser claims. thoughts from the community? -k]

In Texas, Hire a Lawyer, Forget About a Doctor?

"Once you've pressed 'cast my vote,' that's it. You can't vote again. ... You should have complained before you pressed the button."

[ Jesus... how much more bullshit shenanigans do we need before some action gets taken. Seriously absurd. -k]

Think You Voted in Maryland? Think Again

If you are not listening to Denali, you are not cool. March 16 for those of you in Nashville. Seriously.

[ fuckin-a right. and buy a record from them too... 12 bucks for some top 10 indie rock. -k]

^ DENALI ^

] Its a sad day for Martha Stewart, her family, her company
] and her fans. We are shocked and saddened by the verdict,
] guilty on all counts. But this fight is not over. Martha
] will appeal, and we hope her fans will stand up to the
] tempest in a cuisinart which has now exploded, causing
] enormous collateral damage to her company and it's
] shareholders. Hundreds of jobs are at stake, and Martha's
] life is on the line for a crime that is rarely prosecuted
] in this manner.
]
] Martha Stewart was convicted for being Martha Stewart.
] This trial was death by a thousand papercuts as her
] entire lifestyle was put on trial with thousands of phone
] records, e-mails, expense reports and press clippings.
] While we respect the jury's verdict, we do not agree with
] the outcome. How is it that OJ Simpson was found innocent
] of murder, and Martha Stewart was found guilty of lying
] about a crime she was not even charged with?

[ God, is this the biggest non-issue on the planet right now? For fucks sake, man, i have no animosity towards Martha Stewart, i've watched her show, and she makes some pretty sweet food, you know, so that's cool. But what the fuck, she got convicted, by a jury. So, she'll appeal, and maybe win. Either way, people take this shit all personally... I think she did some great stuff, and i think we're seeing that she did some shady, ruthless stuff too. I just don't see the emotional investment in it... -k]

Save Martha! For Martha Stewart fans

] Chameleon Network, in Concord, Massachusetts, plans to
] replace the stacks of credit, bank and customer-loyalty
] cards burdening modern consumers with a single,
] rewritable Chameleon Card, which works just like an
] ordinary card with a magnetic strip.

[ Huh. Interesting concept. -k]

Wired News: Chameleon Card Changes Stripes