] In order to make RFID technology safer, the State
] Department claims to be planning two things. First, they
] say will put a metallic lining inside RFID passport
] covers -- a tinfoil hat, so to speak -- to prevent the
] passport from being snooped when closed. In addition,
] they claim the RFID chip itself will be encrypted so that
] it cannot be read when the passport is open: the chip
] will only broadcast your personal information once it's
] been swiped through an optical reader.

[ They did exactly what we all thought of. This site is pretty sensational, but still, more than anything this whole debacle is fucking pointless. Even if storing electronic data is necessary, why aren't we using smartcard contact chips again? Oh, yeah, lobbies. Crap. -k]

State Dep't is all 'Oh, yeah, good point.'

[ All I can say is this : FUCK YEAH. Firefly was the best SciFi show ever. Period. This may be appeasement by the evil overlords at Fox, for cancelling everything good, but I'll take what I can get. It looks pretty shit hot to me. -k]

Apple - Trailers - Serenity - index

] The distractions of constant emails, text and phone
] messages are a greater threat to IQ and concentration
] than taking cannabis, according to a survey of befuddled
] volunteers.

[ No surprise here. -k]

Emails 'pose threat to IQ'

Craigs list Google map surfer. I'd heard about this, but now that I've played with it it actually seems pretty useful.

[ Yeah, I like it. -k]

Housing

[ Interesting interview with Richard Florida on "The Flight of the Creative Class" regarding the imperative to structure our cities in ways that attract and retain this creative class, which apparently consists primarily of relatively young, progressive, and often foreign workers. -k]

Salon.com Books | The gay/hipster index

] We've barely moved forward since those days of word
] processors and spreadsheets. Since 1988, the only major
] new software categories that have been created are email,
] IM, browsers and blogging tools. For all the flack, noise
] and supposed development -- we have barely innovated
] the initial concept of what a tool is.

The New Paradigm of Tools

] He said that while the U.S. economy was "doing well," the
] danger was that deficits would keep rising as a
] percentage of total national output.
]
]
] "Unless that trend is reversed, at some point these
] deficits would cause the economy to stagnate or worse."

Thanks for the update Alan, I think there is a long list of people who have been saying this for decades.

Greenspan Warns Deficits Endanger Economy

] The Ambient Office Dashboard is one of those desktop
] gadgets you didn't know you needed.

I really like this. Its three analog dials that are controlled by the pager network. I hope they release an SDK.

[ Meh. This has been floating around for eternity. I thought meh the first time i heard it too. It's got a retro chic aspect due to being analog, and it's all very artistic, but I'm not sure there are 3 things so important, above all others, that I need instant access to them (but only when I'm at my desk). In the world of SMS, RSS, and nearly ubiquitous net access, it seems kinda pointless.

But I guess maybe that's the point, actually... just another option among many. The article sums up my disinterest perfectly, if unknowingly : "How neat to have a needle tell us it’s sunny out!" Indeed... panes of glass are so yesterday, and don't get me started on weather.com, yahoo stocks, and outlook... pish. -k]

First Look at Ambient Devices Office Dashboard - The Wireless Weblog - wireless.weblogsinc.com _

] "We've got Justice Kennedy writing decisions based upon
] international law, not the Constitution of the United
] States. That's just outrageous, and not only that, he
] said in session that he does his own research on the
] Internet. That is just incredibly outrageous," DeLay said
] in the interview.

Tom Delay death spiral watch. This is Fox news. Fox news closed with a quote from a Democrat saying that they need to get Delay out of the public sphere for a little while and let him cool off. Fox news.

How dare judges attempt to research questions that are presented to them! Delay's position is that judges shouldn't be interested in the truth, per say. They shouldn't seek out objective perspectives on matters they need to consider. Rather they should be beholden to the power and money that drives the "democratic" government.

Delay wants to use the "good behavior" text in Article III Section I to bring all federal judges under fine grained political control.

He seems to be operating under the perception that the American people don't realize that the legislature is corrupt, or that politicians are bought and sold, or that people think that judges ought to live in a bubble. He is wrong on all counts, and he is starting to sound like a fool.

[ Starting? -k]

FOXNews.com - Politics - DeLay Calls Justice Kennedy 'Outrageous'

] Initially, police will place six cameras in the Cleveland
] Park area of east Nashville and also downtown in the
] tourist-heavy Second Avenue and Broadway district.
]
] If the system works out, the department plans to buy more
] cameras and build a more expansive network throughout the
] city.

There were planning to record audio as well, but apparently they couldn't defend that politically. Soon everywhere you go outside the police will be watching you. Better be carefull about loitering in a parking lot. Especially if you look like you might be young or not sufficiently white or otherwise undesirable. I wonder if they'll start following people from bars back to their cars and radio dispatch to pull them over?

This isn't going on in Nashville because it is particularly needed in Nashville. Its going on in Nashville because people in Nashville aren't willing to resist it.

Nashville Police to install city wide video surveillance system.