Potpourri on a TGIF

STUFF TO MAKE YOU GRUMBLE

1. Britain will make foreigners carry RFID identity cards… – Cory Doctorow on the slow but steady transmutation of Britain into a controlled society.
2. Countdown to Suspension of U.S. Constitution – And, on a related note, the first army division deployed for internal use in the US since … well, the Civil War. Ostensibly to help in cases of natural disasters and terrorist attacks and the like (um, wasn’t that the National Guard’s job?). 
3. Obsession DVD Distributors: Would We Try To Influence the Election?… – Margie and I got two (!) copies of the DVD in the mail (in case, you know, our big Obsession-watching party spilled into the basement). Now, all we need is an intro where Rush Limbaugh claims that Obama is an Arab and a crypto-Muslim, and it will all be perfect.

STUFF TO MAKE YOU NOD

1. Open source could fix e-voting flaws, California secretary of state says – LinuxWorld – Proprietary voting machine companies play on security fears (even while denying they are insecure). But the best way to know something is secure (and safe) is for many eyes to be able to see into it, not to try to hide it away, which makes open source not only economically superior, but better. Besides which, as we’ve seen, controlling physical access to voting machines is more useful than trying to keep their innards secret.
2. OhPleaseOhPleaseOh – Conservative preachers planning on going toe-to-toe with the IRS by openly advocating for a particular candidate from the pulpit. They are certainly welcome to do so — if they don’t mind losing their non-profit status.
3. Old Growth Forest Must No Longer Be Ignored In Carbon… – Given the tremendous carbon sinks of old growth forests, future carbon treaties should count securing of those forest lands in their calculatoins.
4. Science, PR, and Human Nature [Built on Facts] – I want my robot car!

STUFF TO MAKE YOU SMILE

1. New European Record Efficiency For Solar Cells Achieved:… – Excellent. Solar cell efficiency continues to make breakthrough improvements, which can only be a good thing.
2. Has Anyone Noticed the Current Issue of NATURE?? [Living… – Ha! Yes, that is amusing.
3. Donate to Planned Parenthood, send a thank you note to Sarah Pallin… – Any donation to PP done “in tribute” to Sarah Palin will get a nice, hand-written thank you note sent to McCain Campaign Headquarters.