4 - 2008 | ***Dave Does the Blog

“Too many secrets, Marty …”

Sometimes the government has to keep secrets. There are certain operations of, yes, national security that have to be kept under wraps, at least for a time. But there is…

Sometimes the government has to keep secrets. There are certain operations of, yes, national security that have to be kept under wraps, at least for a time.

But there is nothing so addictive as secrecy, especially when coupled with power, and keeping things secret because otherwise the bad guys will find out too soon all too easily turns into keeping things secret for the public’s own good, which in turn becomes keeping things secret for the good of the secret-makers.

The Bush Administration has time and again used the first excuse, when it’s been all too clear that, at best, they really have #2 in mind, if not #3. Their mantra of “Trust us, or else the Terrorists will win” rang hollow every early on, and now it would be laughable if the consequences were not so grave.

Now the Senate has taken up S.2533, the State Secrets Protection Act, which basically provides judicial oversight when the executive branch seeks to invoke “state secrets” as a reason to suppress information or stop judicial proceedings.

State Secrets Protection Act – Amends the federal judicial code to: (1) require a federal court to determine which filings, motions, and affidavits (or portions) submitted under this Act shall be submitted exparte; (2) allow a federal court to order a party to pr more…ovide a redacted, unclassified, or summary substitute of a filing, motion, or affidavit to other parties; and (3) require a federal court to make decisions under this Act, taking into consideration the interests of justice and national security.
Requires any hearing under this Act to be conducted in camera. Prohibits an in camera hearing, however, based on the assertion of the state secrets privilege, if the court determines that the hearing relates only to a question of law and does not present a risk of revealing state secrets. Allows a federal court to conduct hearings (or portions) ex parte if the court determines, following in camera review of the evidence, that the interests of justice and national security cannot adequately be protected through attorney security clearances, protective orders, sealed opinions or orders, and special masters.
Authorizes the United States to intervene in any civil action in order to protect information that may be subject to the state secrets privilege. Declares, however, that the state secrets privilege shall not constitute grounds for dismissal of a case or claim.
Prescribes procedures for: (1) determining whether evidence is protected from disclosure by the state secrets privilege; and (2) when evidence protected by the state secrets privilege is necessary for adjudication of a claim or counterclaim. Grants courts of appeal jurisdiction of an appeal by any party from any interlocutory decision or order of a U.S. district court.
Requires the Attorney General within 30 days to report in writing to Congress on any case in which the United States invokes the state secrets privilege. Applies this Act to civil cases pending on or after the enactment of this Act.

Makes a lot of sense to me. Or, as Ronald Reagan himself once put it, “Trust, but verify.” Though I’m sure that won’t stop the current President from vetoing any such law.

Doctor Who Series 3 DVD Commentary Track Update

Wow, that’s a clumsy (but descriptive) title. Back in November, I reported that the commentary track for the season finale of Series 3 had been changed from what was…

Wow, that’s a clumsy (but descriptive) title.

Back in November, I reported that the commentary track for the season finale of Series 3 had been changed from what was announced (and what had been included on the UK releases of the DVDs) with different track. Instead of Tennant, Agyeman and Barrowman, the DVDs were released with a previously recorded podcast of the show’s producers (including Russell T Davies). Nothing to sneeze at, certainly, but a disappointment. The BBC said that rights “could not be cleared for the North American DVD,” which was widely believed to mean that reported multiple commissions of singing by John Barrowman had made the lawyers nervous.

Well, the lawyers have apparently been appeased, and the BBC is offering a download of the original commentary track for folks who want to hear it.. Coolness.

Back in business

Got my replacement Curve, so I’ve yanked the SIM chip out of my loaner model and gotten my new one more or less back up and running. Yay! (And…

Got my replacement Curve, so I’ve yanked the SIM chip out of my loaner model and gotten my new one more or less back up and running. Yay!

(And only posting this with a picture of the other phone to Prove That Works. Yay.)

Music … what music?

Imagine if you bought a CD and, a few months or years later, some guy came to the door and said, “Sorry, if you ever move from this house, or…

Imagine if you bought a CD and, a few months or years later, some guy came to the door and said, “Sorry, if you ever move from this house, or buy new stereo equipment, you won’t be able to play that CD any more. Too bad.”

Or, perhaps, you simply downloaded music from MSN’s Music Store.

Customers who have purchased music from Microsoft’s now-defunct MSN Music store are now facing a decision they never anticipated making: commit to which computers (and OS) they want to authorize forever, or give up access to the music they paid for. Why? Because Microsoft has decided that it’s done supporting the service and will be turning off the MSN Music license servers by the end of this summer.
MSN Entertainment and Video Services general manager Rob Bennett sent out an e-mail this afternoon to customers, advising them to make any and all authorizations or deauthorizations before August 31. “As of August 31, 2008, we will no longer be able to support the retrieval of license keys for the songs you purchased from MSN Music or the authorization of additional computers,” reads the e-mail seen by Ars. “You will need to obtain a license key for each of your songs downloaded from MSN Music on any new computer, and you must do so before August 31, 2008. If you attempt to transfer your songs to additional computers after August 31, 2008, those songs will not successfully play.”
This doesn’t just apply to the five different computers that PlaysForSure allows users to authorize, it also applies to operating systems on the same machine (users need to reauthorize a machine after they upgrade from Windows XP to Windows Vista, for example). Once September rolls around, users are committed to whatever five machines they may have authorized—along with whatever OS they are running.

This is why DRMed (Digital Rights Management) music sucks. Because you don’t really own it if it only works as long as the music servers are maintained online.

It’s as if they actually want us to buy (and rip) CDs instead …

(via Les)

Ow

It is with some measure of pride that I report I have sustained a Sports Injury. Yes, that is sort of akin to saying I was struck by a meteor,…

It is with some measure of pride that I report I have sustained a Sports Injury.

Yes, that is sort of akin to saying I was struck by a meteor, or was pickpocketed aboard the Prince of Monaco’s yacht, or am suffering from a post-abduction alien probing. I am not, in short, someone one would expect would ever suffer from a Sports Injury.

But, I fear, I hyperextended by left elbow doing a snap punch in karate.

I am very proud of myself. And, also, in pain.

A consideration on Doctor Who after watching the 2007 Christmas Special

Which is a more dangerous proposition? Beaming down on a landing party as a red shirt on Star Trek? Or being promised that you’ll be safe/okay/gotten out of danger…

Which is a more dangerous proposition?

Beaming down on a landing party as a red shirt on Star Trek?
Or being promised that you’ll be safe/okay/gotten out of danger by the Doctor?

Because, damn, the Doctor sure says “I’m sorry” a lot …

Mercifully, I’ve never gotten any exactly like these

Tech support calls you don’t want to get from your parents … 11. Your father was looking at porn again and spilled ‘something’ on the keyboard. 10. I want you…

Tech support calls you don’t want to get from your parents …

11. Your father was looking at porn again and spilled ‘something’ on the keyboard.
10. I want you to build me a new computer, but I still want to stick with Windows ME because I’m familiar with it.
9. My cronjob doesn’t work but when I grep the error logs nothing’s there. Do you think it has something to do with the kernel recompile I did last night?
8. The hard drive was squeaking, so I found this site that said you could grease the hard drive bearings, and now it doesn’t work.
7. How long does it usually take for nigerian millionaires to send the money after you send them your bank account information?
6. My hairdresser told me it’s something to do with hardbox memory.
5. Your brother tried to fix it and…
4. It seems to rattle a lot when I shake it really hard.
3. The keys don’t type the proper letters anymore.
2. Your dad set the crackpipe on the keyboard and a few of the keys melted together. Do you think you could pick us up another one?
1. I clicked on the attachment and everything started acting funny.

No, really. My parents are much better than that. Really. Love you guys!

(via BD)

I always thought it looked kinda dorky

The F-117 Nighthawk never won any beauty contests, but the “stealth fighter” broke a lot of technological ground. It’s being retired as of today, replaced with more recent jet…

The F-117 Nighthawk never won any beauty contests, but the “stealth fighter” broke a lot of technological ground. It’s being retired as of today, replaced with more recent jet programs.

According to the Wikipedia page, the plane was also known as the “Wobblin’ Goblin” (because of low-speed handling problems in early models) and the “Cockroach” (because it only came out at night and hid from the sun — and Soviet satellites — during development).

Corn!

One of the “sleeper” stories of the past few years — and probably the next — is how the government-subsidized shift in corn production (and, indirectly, other agricultural production) from food to biofuel is causing increasing ripples in the world food supply and the problem of world hunger.

Alas, farm subsidies tend to be among the most sacrosanct things in the budget, once established.

Meat!

I enjoy eating meat. No question about it. I’ll confess to some discomfort about animal treatment at modern factory farms, and about the carbon footprint and other pollution factors…

I enjoy eating meat. No question about it.

I’ll confess to some discomfort about animal treatment at modern factory farms, and about the carbon footprint and other pollution factors involved in raising cattle, pigs, poultry, etc., but, bottom line is, I’m not so uncomfortable that it’s going to keep me from eating a steak, or veal chop, or bacon. Or even a burger.

But, he — if PETA can develop (or reward the development of) decent vat-grown meat — more power to them, and I’ll be more than happy to switch.

Actually, the story is as much interesting for the divisions within PETA over the issue.

A founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, said she had been hoping to get the organization involved in advancing in vitro meat technology for at least a decade. But, Ms. Newkirk said, the decision to sponsor a prize caused “a near civil war in our office,” since so many PETA members are repulsed by the thought of eating animal tissue, even if no animals are killed.
Lisa Lange, a vice president of the organization, said she was part of the heated exchange. “My main concern is, as the largest animal rights organization in the world, it’s our job to introduce the philosophy and hammer it home that animals are not ours to eat.” Ms. Lange added, “I remember saying I would be much more comfortable promoting eating roadkill.”
Ms. Newkirk said the disagreement was natural, adding, “We will have members leave us over this.”
“People say animal rights people can’t agree,” she said. “Well, human beings can’t agree. In any social cause community, there are people who strive for purity.” Her goal, she said, was more pragmatic. “We don’t mind taking uncomfortable positions if it means that fewer animals suffer.” In that way, she said, “in vitro meat is a godsend.”

On Location

I agree with the article — I’d have a lot of interest in a camera that had a built-in GPS, and so could flag (in EXIF data) the location of…

I agree with the article — I’d have a lot of interest in a camera that had a built-in GPS, and so could flag (in EXIF data) the location of the snapshot. Sure, that would have some interesting Law & Order type moments (“You claim that’s a picture of your wife’s breast? Then why was it taken at the Motel 6 in Scranton, where you were checked in as Mr and Mrs Whoopie?”), but it would be nice to be able to look at, um, non-incriminating photos and determine, “Hey, yeah, that was at the Met, now I remember that.”

Or, better yet, have a photo library program automatically offer to tag the photos as being at a given locale (city, state, park, museum, etc.) based on the coordinates.

GPS stuff is one of those technologies that’s going to revolutionize a lot of things.

Talking Heads

Interesting NY Times article about all those retired military serving as “media analysts” for the various networks, and the conflicts of interest that the networks ignore (or at least don’t…

Interesting NY Times article about all those retired military serving as “media analysts” for the various networks, and the conflicts of interest that the networks ignore (or at least don’t mention) when they bring them on the air.

The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.
Those business relationships are hardly ever disclosed to the viewers, and sometimes not even to the networks themselves. But collectively, the men on the plane and several dozen other military analysts represent more than 150 military contractors either as lobbyists, senior executives, board members or consultants. The companies include defense heavyweights, but also scores of smaller companies, all part of a vast assemblage of contractors scrambling for hundreds of billions in military business generated by the administration’s war on terror. It is a furious competition, one in which inside information and easy access to senior officials are highly prized.

So hardly unbiased, objective, uninvolved observers of what’s going on. But that financial interest has further ramifications.

Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.
Analysts have been wooed in hundreds of private briefings with senior military leaders, including officials with significant influence over contracting and budget matters, records show. They have been taken on tours of Iraq and given access to classified intelligence. They have been briefed by officials from the White House, State Department and Justice Department, including Mr. Cheney, Alberto R. Gonzales and Stephen J. Hadley.
In turn, members of this group have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected the information was false or inflated. Some analysts acknowledge they suppressed doubts because they feared jeopardizing their access.

And the networks, interested in getting “scoops” and “trusted figures” to expound on the day’s news, are more than happy to put these folks on the air, gliding along with their own “don’t ask, don’t tell” kind of attitude.

It’s a long article, but worth reading.

Potpourri on a Monday morning

Time to clear out the various tabs … At what point do fanfic and fan websites cross the line from fair use to infringement. A new Harry Potter case may…

Time to clear out the various tabs …

At what point do fanfic and fan websites cross the line from fair use to infringement. A new Harry Potter case may help pin that down.
What actually kills you in a crucifixion?
Not quite sure what Six Apart’s new ad network is supposed to give me that simply including Google Ads doesn’t do. Not that Google Ads have netted me any big bucks.
Recreating childhood photos.
Dora the Carefully-Tailored-by-Committee Explorer. Bruce mentioned this article the other evening. I thought we were past Dora, but since Kaylee loves it, Katherine’s gotten back into it, too. And, worse, Go, Diego, Go.
Worst baby names. It’s almost impossible to come with a name that some kid, somewhere, isn’t going to poke fun at, but it’s nice to at least make the ffort.
How to terminate a Terminator.

Ampersand

I love the ampersand. Here’s a great article (from Adobe) about it. And another from Wikipedia. I think it’s cool that the “&” has gained new uses in programming languages…

I love the ampersand. Here’s a great article (from Adobe) about it. And another from Wikipedia. I think it’s cool that the “&” has gained new uses in programming languages and the like, just as the dwindling-toward-extinction “@” (the “asperand“) has become reborn as an addressing “at” symbol on the Web.

At least they ate well

The First Class dinner menu aboard the Titanic the night she went down. Each of the 10 courses was served with a special accompanying wine. Following the tenth course, fresh…

The First Class dinner menu aboard the Titanic the night she went down.

Each of the 10 courses was served with a special accompanying wine. Following the tenth course, fresh fruits and cheeses were available followed by coffee and cigars accompanied by port and, if desired, distilled spirits.

A condemned man’s last meal …

The other classes weren’t quite as well off, of course.

(via kottke)

Volunteerism

So I think I ended up volunteering for something new down at the church — which is probably the last thing I need to be doing, given the “busy” and…

So I think I ended up volunteering for something new down at the church — which is probably the last thing I need to be doing, given the “busy” and all that. But it should be relatively quick, not too fraught with politics, and a fun bit of community-building: creating a Cafepress page for the parish.

Of course, I’m sure there will be as-yet-unresolved conflicts between the “new logo” people and the “old logo” people. The old logo was a stylized sheep next to running waters. The new logo shows our church steeple in front of the mountains (which is a particularly nice view we get of it driving down Dry Creek). The new logo came about with our new web page, stationary, etc., and has much to advise it as a logo and all that good thing. That said, the old logo has a lot of nostalgia with it, and many of the old-timers seem to prefer it.

Nobody’s actually brought the two groups into conflict as yet — but I’m sure if we end up with a just-new-logo web page, someone will raise the question. And if we do two connected stores, then there will be those who wonder why we’re watering down the “brand” with both, and whether it promotes divisions within the congregation …

When given the opportunity to argue about stuff, Episcopalians seem to be great leaders.

Hmmmm …

On the other hand, doing a Cafepress thang would be fun (contention over logos aside), and, once set up, minimum effort to keep up. Just the sort of volunteering I like to do! And, honestly, if we can get over the (probably hyperbolized) conflicty bits, I think people will really like it. And we can make a small amount of money to be used for good things, too.

Busy

Busy busy busy. Busy….

Busy busy busy.

Busy.

Book review: Adventures in the Dream Trade, by Neil Gaimam

This is an odd little volume — odd in ways not the way you’d normally think of as a Gaiman book being odd — but quite enjoyable and eminently suited…

This is an odd little volume — odd in ways not the way you’d normally think of as a Gaiman book being odd — but quite enjoyable and eminently suited to small blocks of reading time.

Adventures in the Dream Trade by Neil Gaiman (2002)

Overall		Writing
Re-Readability		Info

This book is a collection of odds and ends. The first half or so is a collection of book introductions and afterwords and magazine articles written by Gaiman — all of which are entertaining, and all of which contain some interesting tidbit or twelve of info. Made me add a lot of books to my wish list.

That’s followed by some poetry and song lyrics, then the contents of Gaiman’s blog back when it was first started (2/9 – 9/27/2001) as a “here’s what life’s like waiting for American Gods to get published, and what sorts of things writers get/have to do besides just write.” It’s a fascinating look at book tours, signings, cover selections, galley proofs, differences between US and UK publishing, etc., and is worth the price of admission for anyone getting into the writing biz.

That’s followed by three ultra-short stories, and a small collection of “About the Author” blurbs, some (all?) of them written by Gaiman himself.

In short, it’s nothing like most of Gaiman’s works, but it remains a very personal work. And, as I said, one that’s very easy to put down and pick up again when one must/can.

NYC – Good Eats!

Places we ate while down in the city … Manhattan Diner Overall Food Service Ambience Prices Located across the street from the Hotel Belleclaire (for which it does room…

Places we ate while down in the city …

Manhattan Diner

Overall
Food		Service
Ambience		Prices

Located across the street from the Hotel Belleclaire (for which it does room service), this is quick, good breakfast at its finest. It’s open 24 hours — we only ate breakfast there (twice). The service is brisk but very fast and very efficient. The food (I had scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast) and coffee and fresh-squeeze OJ were excellent. The lunch and dinner menus looked similarly comforting.

Isabella’s

Overall
Food		Service
Ambience		Prices

A rather chi-chi eatery (with inside and outside seating) on the Upper West Side, a few blocks west of the Natural History Museum, Isabella’s food is exquisite (I had a nummy ducky ragout, and we both had amazing desserts). A very enjoyable meal — that we definitely paid for, as the menu’s on the pricy side.

Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse

Overall
Food		Service
Ambience		Prices

It’s a steakhouse. It’s a steakhouse that’s been in the Theater District since 1926 (when it was a speakeasy). And though the menu’s changed (according to the 1939 sample on the wall), it’s a place that’s clearly (and justifiably) comfortable with what it serves (lots of seafood appetizers, some good salads, lots of steaks, and several kinds of potatoes). The staff has been there, apparently, forever. We had a T-bone for two, which our waiter carved for us. Exquisite. Excellent wine list, too. It won’t win any awards for elegant decor (the dining room is boxy and cramped), but that’s not why you go to some place like this. You go for slabs of meat and potatoes. And they serve it up well.

(We went to the 45th Street restaurant; there’s also one on West 37th, and up in Rye.)

Pizza place at LaGuardia, Concourse B

Overall
Food		Service
Ambience		Prices

For whatever reason, we never grabbed any pizza while in town. I’m not a huge NY-style pizza guy, but I was happy there was a good non-Domino’s pizza place at LaGuardia for a our supper. Good (and large) pizza by the clice, good strombolis, good garlic knots, fun staff. A nice way to wrap up the trip — if only I could remember its name!

Re-tethered

Got a substitute Blackberry while my Curve is being replaced — expect it some time Tuesday or so. The new one is an older, clunkier model, and I don’t know…

Got a substitute Blackberry while my Curve is being replaced — expect it some time Tuesday or so. The new one is an older, clunkier model, and I don’t know if all the BB bits will work — but at least I’ll have a cell phone on me.

UPDATE: It appears at least the standard Outlook integration stuff is in place. Some of the extra bits aren’t — I’ll have to see what I want to actually tailor on a temporary system.

Down side — looks more like it will be Friday before the replacement Curve gets here.

Another downside — changing from using the Curve pearl/trackball to using the traditional trackwheel and button. (And then, of course, changing back.)

But upside — I can make (and receive) cell calls. Yay!