jarmin.com

katlalog

011129 23:26 Internet

Good ! According to this BBC story, they've finally figured out what the Internet was always meant to be and will eventually survive as: a library.

A major survey of internet habits [...] found that main reason people started to use the internet was the desire for information, rather than entertainment. But there was bad news for e-businesses, with little sign of growth in the number of people shopping online.

011129 22:37 Civil liberties

Today on Slashdot: Path of Least Surveillance.

alewando writes: "iSee is a service provided by the Institute for Applied Autonomy and is intended to allow New York City pedestrians to map out routes in Manhattan that avoid as many surveillance cameras as possible..."

011126 10:56 Politics

Continuing a long tradition of targeting propaganda at kids: Topps Enduring Freedom Picture Cards.

Kids need to understand that the President (and his team) will keep them safe and that evil-doers will be punished. Our cards deliver the details in a medium with which they are familiar and comfortable.

011122 22:02 Politics

Harper's Index November 2001:

Chance that a foreign-born U.S. resident's country of origin has undergone U.S. occupation or attack since 1945 : 1 in 6

011120 11:55 Media

Wired reports that the WTC Tourist Guy is Hungarian, exposing the Brazilian's claim to fame as false. What struck me about the story was a small paragraph revealing much about the world of media and advertising:

It turns out Volkswagen had already withdrawn its offer to put Penteado on TV. The company decided that being associated with the destruction of the WTC wasn't the image it was looking for, Penteado said.

011119 17:32 Civil liberties

Patriotism / flag-waving: the fine line between "I love my country" and "I hate all others". [via library geek]

I realized I shared a concern with our librarian--that the flag's interpretation had been co-opted to symbolize vengeance or solidarity against an enemy more so than solidarity in defense of freedom.

011119 16:41 Browsers

Got Mozilla or Netscape 6? (If not, why not?)
Type "about:mozilla" in the location bar. [thanks to a clever evolter]

011119 10:54 Civil liberties

How much do Americans need to know?
A whole lot more, as has become obvious after recent events. The government doesn't think so, however. They'd like their people to know even less and distroy historical records in the process. As the Freedom of Information Act slips into oblivion, it becomes clear who is really attacking freedom and democracy in this world.

011114 11:39 Civil liberties

Bush accussed of seizing dictatorial powers (NYTimes, free reg req.)

Proponents of Bush's kangaroo court say: Don't you soft-on-terror, due-process types know there's a war on? Have you forgotten our 5,000 civilian dead? In an emergency like this, aren't extraordinary security measures needed to save citizens' lives? If we step on a few toes, we can apologize to the civil libertarians later.

Or should we ask: Is this a great opportunity to regain control over the increasingly unhappy and rebellious populace?

011110 20:00 Borg

Aaaah, Microsoft! Always a good laugh! This time they take credit for open-source. (politech)

011105 16:48 Comix

America's way out of the crisis. We are confident that we will have learned nothing.

011102 11:32 Society

Underreported (for obvious reasons) story in Adbusters Nov./Dec. 2001 issue: Violence in the media and real-life violence are linked:

...the correlation between media violence and real-life aggression is stronger than that between calcium intake and bone mass, for example, or condom use and sexually transmitted HIV, or even homework and academic achievement.

[current]
[archive]