this is a very good article. it's refreshing to see someone, a contracted developer no less, who gets it, understands the issues and feels strongly about transparency in the process. I wish every american would read this.

Wired News: Aussies Do It Right: E-Voting

] I signed up for the premium service and poked through the
] library. I was listening to Lucinda Williams' album Car
] Wheels on a Gravel Road when I ran into a glitch. I could
] hear all of "Lake Charles," but only 30 seconds of "I
] Lost It," a song from the same album. It turns out "I
] Lost It" was only available if I opted for the a la carte
] feature. I either had to buy the track for 99 cents or be
] content hearing just 30 seconds of it. What a pain.

napster 2.0. what a load of crap. i can only hope that the complexity of licencing and availability built into these non-iTunes services will be their downfall. who wants to fuck with all that.

and also, is streaming media something people want, or are they just willing to take it because it's what's offered. I think it's pretty much crap. I like web "radio" ok, but for a la carte stuff that i'm choosing, thank you, i'll take the tracks permanently.

Wired News: New Napster Off to a Solid Start

] Doubts about the trustworthiness of electronic voting
] machines are growing among election officials and
] computer scientists, complicating efforts to safeguard
] elections after the presidential stalemate of 2000.

is this the first time this has been in CNN? at least, it's nice that it's seeing broader exposure.

CNN.com - Worries grow over new voting machines' reliability, security - Oct. 30, 2003

] Then, in an interview with the Des Moines Register, Dean
] mentioned the Confederate flag. "I still want to be the
] candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup
] trucks," he told the Register. "We can't beat George Bush
] unless we appeal to a broad cross section of Democrats."
]
] That brought a new series of condemnations yesterday.

can't say i blame the other dems. they may be opportunistic in making this the top story right now, but they're not wrong. first major tick against Dean in my book. I don't care what he *meant*, because he said it in a way that charges the statement with unwelcome elements.

Dean Is Criticized Over Remark on Confederate Flag (washingtonpost.com)

] Friends of the Horn Lake, Miss., woman said she "snapped"
] under recent stress but they did not believe the incident
] was politically motivated.

news of the wierd, man.

Bush-Motorcade, 4th Writethru

] Stanford University researchers seeking better-looking
] DNA have created XDNA, extra-large DNA molecules that
] glow.

Wired News: DNA, Now in XXX-Large

] PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- A man described
] by authorities as a known sexual predator was chased
] through the streets of South Philadelphia by an angry
] crowd of Catholic high school girls, who kicked and
] punched him after he was tackled by neighbors, police
] said Friday.

KICK ASS!!!!

Girls pummel man who exposed himself

Thought this one was particularly apropo for this group.

WorkingForChange-This Modern World: Something Truly Terrifying

] We, as a nation, need to ask ourselves some pretty hard
] questions about this incident.
]
]
] The sad fact is that local officials were not acting in a
] manner much different from the way in which many of our
] national leaders have been acting in the two years since
] Sept. 11, 2001. I speak primarily of the rampant,
] institutionalized violations of privacy by our
] government, and the sky-is-falling mentality of fear that
] continues to grip our nation and colors much of what
] passes for national policy these days.

indeed. good article by Bob Barr...

it's getting to the point where being an unhappy kid, or maybe even just a creative one, is indicative of radical mental disease and maladjustment. god forbid that the youth of america should express themselves...

Creative Loafing Atlanta | NEWS & VIEWS | THE TERROR OF A TEENAGER'S DIARY

] A man described by authorities as a known sexual predator
] was chased through the streets of South Philadelphia by
] an angry crowd of Catholic high school girls, who kicked
] and punched him after he was tackled by neighbors, police
] said Friday.

now that's the greatest story opener i've read in a long time.

CNN.com - Girls pummel man who exposed himself - Oct. 31, 2003