Eye of the Beholder

VDH's Private Papers::Eye of the Beholder

Awesome article by Victor Hanson. If the news focused on the violence an cost of running California, I'm sure some people would be demanding we withdraw. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

DRM vs. Hackers: Time to Surrender?

DRM vs. Hackers: Time to Surrender?

Let's hope DRM goes quickly.... [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Chastity or Not: The Pressures of Sex Influencing The Quest for Love

FOXNews.com - Chastity or Not: The Pressures of Sex Influencing The Quest for Love - Blogs

I bet this just falls on deaf ears.... no one cares anymore. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Let's say I break into your house ....

I got this from a friend in an email chain, I don't forward these on but I thought I would post it here.. and I've tried to keep all the colorful formatting it came with, but I couldn't copy the funny clipart...

Let's say I break into your house

A lady wrote the best letter in the Editorials in ages!!! It explains things better than all the baloney you hear on TV.

Her point:

Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration.

Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and,
once here, to stay indefinitely.

Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house.
Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave.

But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors.

I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest
(except for when I broke into your house).

According to the protesters:

You are Required to let me stay in your house
You are Required to add me to your family's insurance plan
You are Required to Educate my kids
You are Required to Provide other benefits to me & to my family

(my husband will do all of your yard work because he is also hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).

If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs

that proclaim my RIGHT to be there.

It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm a hard-working and honest, person, except for well,
you know, I did break into your house

And what a deal it is for me!!!

I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of cold,
uncaring, selfish, prejudiced, and bigoted behavior.

Oh yeah, I DEMAND that you to learn MY LANGUAGE!!! so you can communicate with me.

Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?! Only in America .
if you agree, pass it on (in English).
Share it if you see the value of it.

If not blow it off......... along with your future Social Security funds, and a lot of other things.

[This Post Continues after the jump...]

China's Military Growth A Concern

FOXNews.com - Pentagon Report Says China's January Missile Test on Satellite, Other Actions Cause for Concern - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

America is powerful, but we are too dependent on an high-tech edge, and we can be surprised too easily. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

A Great Idea Lives Forever. Should not Its Copyright? ..eh.. NO it shouldn't!

A Great Idea Lives Forever. Shouldn’t Its Copyright? - New York Times

Mark Helprin shows perfectly the fallacy of confusing property (physical property) with the made up term "intellectual property". The two are not the same thing and trying to use the same terms to describe them is wrong and leads to silly notions.

For example, the author talks of an artist "work" as the writing a novel or a song, but the actual "work" is complete once the original manuscript is written. This object (the manuscript) would be his or his heirs forever. But a "copy" of the work, long hand, typewritten, or digitally copied, is the physical labor of someone else. This leads to another "object" which the original author doesn't control under any natural law. An author simply cannot publish a work AND prevent it from being copied at the same time. Thus copyright law is needed and it is very different from laws governing physical property.

Mr. Helprin sees no problem with himself and his heirs getting paid for there creative "work" year after year as long as someone is benefiting from it. But if this concept was applied to physical objects, I would be paying the carpenters that built my house a little every month. No one seems to think that carpenters should continue to be paid for the items they make, so why should authors?

It is absurd to continue to treat "great ideas" physical property, they are not. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Book Excerpt: The Assault on Reason -- By Al Gore -- TIME

Book Excerpt: The Assault on Reason -- by Al Gore -- TIME

A very interesting read. I don't know if this was taken as a whole, or if it was edited, but there are some points that can be made.

He talks about the value of PRINT for getting news, and how TV doesn't work because it is a ONE-WAY medium. It seems to be that PRINT is a ONE-WAY medium too.

The funniest point was when he ended a paragraph talking about the need for the "respect of the rule of reason" then in the next paragraph it complains about how "MoveOn.org" wasn't treated fairly. Using "reason" and "MoveOn.org" that close together was a big mistake.

Many Americans now feel that our government is unresponsive and that no one in power listens to or cares what they think. They feel disconnected from democracy. They feel that one vote makes no difference, and that they, as individuals, have no practical means of participating in America's self-government. Unfortunately, they are not entirely wrong.

This is his best point. But WHY do American's feel powerless? Is it, as Gore suggests, because we don't have a healthy marketplace of ideas, of good public debate? I don't think so, I think it is because the Federal government has too much centralized, bureaucratic, power. Gore sees this so clearly when he talks about the effect media centralization has had, or the fears of centralized control of the internet, but he doesn't see centralized government power as dangerous. Like with media, the POWER of government comes from MONEY. If the federal government's budget was cut, then the Senate would once again be a place or reason debate on policy and direction or the country.

(sorry I gotta run right now)
But seriously, the Federal government hasn't worked the way Gore thinks it should since the Income Tax amendment was passed. This this was moved back to the States, then the federal government would work better, I think. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Climate Momentum Shifting: Prominent Scientists Now Skeptics

.: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works :: Minority Page :.

Sounds like a CLIMATE CHANGE in Global Warming doctrine. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

"Attempted" copyright infringement

Tech news blog - Gonzales proposes new crime: "Attempted" copyright infringement | CNET News.com

Just how do you attempted to violate copyright, but fail? [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Run, Newt, Run....

ABC News: Gingrich: 'Great Possibility' of '08 Bid

Unfortunately I don't think Gingrich can win the general election. I wish he was, and if he's a candidate, I would support him. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Favors for Muslim students?

Editorial: No favors for Muslim students - Examiner.com

Why is this happening? According to Instapundit...

THE ANSWER TO THE EXAMINER’S QUESTION IS SIMPLE: It’s because people are afraid they’ll blow things up.

Sooner or later, you know, fundamentalist Christians are going to pick up on this lesson, engage in similar behavior, and make similar demands. Because, apparently, it works fine.

But what about the 2nd part? Will other religious follow suit, or will Muslims stop getting special treatment?

While I agree with Mr. Reynolds that somewhere, someone claiming to be a "Christian" will do violence if they don't get their way, I don't think it will catch on. See To InstaPundit: No, they won’t [This Post Continues after the jump...]

The Mercury 13: setting the story straight

The Space Review: The Mercury 13: setting the story straight

Funny, I heard this correction to the story before I even heard the original story. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Microsoft takes on the Free World

Microsoft claims software like Linux violates its patents - May 28, 2007

I honestly don't see how one should be able to patent "WHAT" a computer does. The whole idea of a programmable computer is that it can be programed to do ANYTHING. To say that I can't program my own computer to do "task A" because you have patented the concept "task A" is silly.

It's like saying I can't use my own typewriter to type a "detective mystery novel" because you have patented the IDEA of the mystery novel. This is very different from copyrighting a specific Sherlock Holmes novel, because patenting it would prevent me from writing any book about a really smart detective and his friend that solve mysteries in 18th century London.

Back to software, at most a software patent could only patent a "specific technique" for doing "task A" and not "task A" itself. But this too can be silly. If task A is calculating the area of a rectantgle, then there is ONLY one way to do that, and it's an open source mathematic formula. To try to patent "multiply height by width" is just silly.

But can you patent something like a "drop down menu bar"? Have you invented anything? Should I not be able to write a different program that does similar things? If my menu is at the bottom of the screen and "pops up" instead of "drop down" have I violated your patent? If you patent both, but only use one in your program, should your 2nd patent be valid, when its purpose isn't to protect what you're actually selling, but just to stop competition?

Finally, if software patents are to be allowed, they're length should be very short and match the speed of change in the software world. If you do patent something, you should have a short window to make some money off of it before it becomes public domain. Nothing about the DOS or Windows 3.1 user interface should still be protected by a patent. This is stuff Jr High kids are playing with now, while learning programming, keeping it patented will stifle their innovation. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Professor seek balance in global warming debate

News - newsjournalonline.com
"I fear that attempts are being made to purposefully subvert the public understanding of the nature of science in order to achieve political goals," he wrote in an e-mail. "Science is not about consensus, and to invoke this raises the hackles of scientists such as myself. The lure of politics and publicity is no doubt seductive, but it nevertheless amazes me that so many scientists have jumped on the bandwagon of consensus science, apparently forgetting or ignoring the sad history of consensus science."

"The atmosphere is incredibly complicated, and we know very little about it," he said. "We are studying a system which is so big . . . we don't know what all the variables are."

When Al Gore and his friends say they know this all for sure and that we "MUST" act on it, I get suspicious. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

NASA unveils Hubble's successor: James Webb Space Telescopy

BBC NEWS | Americas | Nasa unveils Hubble's successor:

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is intended to replace the aging Hubble telescope.


Photo from Gizmodo [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Pope to Excommunicate Abortion Advocates

FOXNews.com - Pope Heads to Latin America Bearing Tough Messages - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

This is great. I see no reason to have an authority structure in a Church unless you are going to enforce doctrine. There should be serious consequences for advocating something a serious as abortion.

I don't know if this will change anything in Mexico, or lower the influence of the Church, but some things are worth fighting for, even if it means going down swinging. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Reid Bryson: A Faithful Heretic of Global Warming

WECN May 2007

Reid Bryson qualifies as “the father of the science of modern climatology.” Almost 40 years ago, Bryson stood before the American Association for the Advancement of Science and presented a paper saying human activity could alter climate. He was laughed off the stage. He still believes that today, but not about CO2.

Well let me give you one fact first. In the first 30 feet of the atmosphere, on the average, outward radiation from the Earth, which is what CO2 is supposed to affect, [80 percent]of the reflected energy is absorbed by water vapor. In the first 30 feet, 80 percent...

....And how much is absorbed by carbon dioxide? Eight hundredths of one percent. One one-thousandth as important as water vapor. You can go outside and spit and have the same effect as doubling carbon dioxide.

This is great stuff.. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

In Turkey, a Looming Battle Over Islam

A very good read.. very informative.

Makes we wonder why I ever thought we could bring democracy for Iraq or the Middle east. Not that the middle east cannot be democratic, just that it has to come from within, it has to grow in the hearts and minds of the people.

I've read other things on Turkey recently and the secular nature of the government is too much for me. Banning head scarfs in government building (like France recently did in schools) seems like it would make religious people not want to participate in their own government.

But, on the other hand, groups like the Taliban can rule through social restrictions as much as through law. It can be hard to "break" a social taboo without a law requiring it. This is why it has to come from within. People have to want freedom enough to break the truly restrictive elements of Islamic law. Whether a mere head scarf is truly restrictive or not, is up the the person themselves.

In Afghanistan, some women continue to wear the burkas even though they are not required to anymore. Should we (or the Afghan government) "outlaw" burkas? I don't think so. My gut says "no", but maybe it would be necessary for a period to break the social hold the Taliban still has.

It makes one think...

In Turkey, a Looming Battle Over Islam - washingtonpost.com [This Post Continues after the jump...]

DVD-HD and some hex starting with 0x09f9...

OK, its time I weighed in on this. To me a "Secret" is not able to be copyrighted or patented. The whole idea of these protections is that it protects information that is PUBLISHED, not "secret" information. So I think I'm safe on copyright issues.

But what about "trade secret" issues? I really don't know. But I think its up to the owner to keep a secret a secret and not up the the US criminal system to punishing people that spread someone else's secret. Since I did not break the code myself, nor used it for any illegal purpose (decoding a DVD-HD disk), I don't think I'm breaking the law.

But what about "civil" courts? Again, I really don't know, but this information is already "out" and me putting it here is not going to add to their "financial loss" in any real way.

And there is a good reason to publish it. It lets people know that AACS days are numbered. If AACS can keep anyone from proving they have found a weakness, or a certain key, then they can lie to their customers and say the system isn't broken, or isn't vulnerable.

Finally, I have not put the "key" in this message, but only a link to the DIGG post. I can't refer to the Digg Blog post without using its hyperlink, and the link IS the keycode. So again, what have I don't that is "wrong"?

I guess I find out... with millions of others...

------ from DIGG ---------
Digg won't go down without a fight. Thanks Kev for changing your mind and amplifying the voices of many! Let freedom ring, or at least go out with a bang!

read more | digg story
-------------------------- [This Post Continues after the jump...]

House passes thought crimes bill

House passes hate crimes bill - Yahoo! News

Just the name "Hate Crimes" (or "thought crimes") makes my skin crawl. Making "hate" a crime is no different than making "love" a crime, and gay right activists are always saying that "love" should not be legislated, morality should not be legislated. But they forget those principles when it's convenient to.

Plus, liberals show their true colors when they refuse to add "military service" to the list. I know Vietnam vets were targets of "hate" crimes after then came home, I bet some peaceniks will target Iraq vets too. But NO!! They don't get any special protection like gays. Why not?

I'll tell you why, because even libs realize that protecting EVERY special group is no different than protecting NO special group. And we would be back to normal laws against violent crimes (regardless of the "hate" of the criminal) as we should be. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

More Bogus Kyoto History

Instapundit.com has a blurb about how Reuters is RE-writing history. I swear, environmentalist would do their cause a world of good if they would quit making up false reasons for bad treaties like Kyoto.

They also make it sound as if the US has done nothing to curb our emissions while China gets credit for reducing their population growth by forced abortions, and East Europe gets credit by using Soviet era pollution as a baseline. But no credit for the US, but no data showing if the US emissions are more or less than estimates. This lack of data is very telling.

email the author of the Reuters story to share you opinion
alister.doyle@reuters.com [This Post Continues after the jump...]

NASA Rethinking Death, Sex for Long Space Trips

An interesting mix (Sex and Death) to say the least...

FOXNews.com - NASA Rethinking Death, Sex for Long Space Trips - Science News | Current Articles [This Post Continues after the jump...]

St. Lucia Opens Ties With Taiwan

"The Mouse That Roared" !!!

If only the US would do this also. We went to war in Iraq partially to make it a free democracy, but we don't officially recognize Taiwan which is an established and strong democracy. I don' get it. Now I realize we "unofficially" do a lot for Taiwan, and I think we are required by law to come to Taiwan's aid if they are attacked. But there is a lot of meaning and power in officially recognizing the fact that they are free and independent from China.

FOXNews.com - St. Lucia Denounced by China for Diplomatic Ties With Taiwan - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Russia sees moon plot for helium-3 in NASA plans

Shhhhhh don't tell anyone.....
ummmm... helium-3 ... yummmmmmm

And its ALL OURS... whahhhahahahahaha

Russia sees moon plot in Nasa plans | International News | News | Telegraph [This Post Continues after the jump...]