Cut Greenhouse Gases AND Save Money

What?? You can save the planet AND save money??

Where have these guys been for the past 10 years !!

Study: U.S. could cut 28 percent of greenhouse gases | CNET News.com [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Thousands Call for British Teddy Bear Teacher to be Executed

FOXNews.com - Thousands in Sudan Call for British Teddy Bear Teacher's Execution - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

Absolutely absurd. If this were a US citizen, I would call for our government to expel the Sudanese ambassador and suspend all aid. It's absurd to think we can have anything resembling normal relations with a barbaric government (and people) who think this is appropriate "punishment" for what she did. The the people actually want to execute her!!

Where is the UN? Huh? Where is the UN council of human rights? Oh, Sudan is probably on the council!! So they will not do or say anything meaningful (if at all). [This Post Continues after the jump...]

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

"The Secret to Raising Smart Kids"

Our daughter is adopted, so when we say she is SMART, it's not an indirect compliment of ourselves. But she is smart and it's going to be a hard to keep her engaged in learning.

This is good info for any parent though..... [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Raising Taxes on "The Rich"

TaxProf Blog: Democrats Debate Raising Taxes on "The Rich" -- $97,000 Per Year?

I never realized I was "Upper class" and "rich".
Guess I better go trade my 7 year old Honda in for a Beemmer and get some Italian suits or something.

And I was starting to like Obama too.... [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Stem cell politics shifting

Stem cell politics shifting - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com

I fail to understand why people still cling to the position of using human embryos for research even as that research suggests alternatives. I mean it's like the actually HOPE human embryos will always be required to accomplish anything.

I for one, certainly hope we can do all the promised miracle cures WITHOUT the need of killing another person to accomplish the cure, or even to learn about the cure. The difference is what this new development is all about. They say we STILL need to research on embryonic stem cells to learn about them, but then we may be able to use non-embryonic stem cells to actually do the cure for any particular patient. This is great, but still doesn't cut it for me. Killing human embryo is unacceptable to me no matter what benefit it will or possibly will give us. My ethics are based on my ethical and moral beliefs, not some "cost/benefit" analysis. The line that cannot be crossed, still cannot be crossed no matter what I see on the other side. This is certainly all the more true if there is even a hint of a way to get some of the prize without crossing the line.

My line of not killing human embryos is NOT some infinite horizontal line above with we can never go. We can still move upward and improved and progress, we just have to avoid certain obstacles along the way. They may seem unavoidable, and they may seem to stop progress, but my experience is that it just slows us down some but that we can still progress even without selling our souls. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Electric Vehicles Compared

I hope I can hold out to 2010 for the Chev Volt.... and I hope I can afford it.... I would love to have one.. 40 miles will get me to work and back everyday. Plus I suspect that my employer (NASA) will install recharge stations at work to encourage this sort of thing. They already have small electric cars for people to drive around the center with.

I'm sure the first version will be buggy and all, but I'm also hoping for some tax incentives to help out with the higher "total cost of ownership" of these first generation EV/Generator cars.

Six Major Pre-Production Electric Vehicles Compared - DIY Electric Car Blogs [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Thanksgiving is a time of mourning?

FOXNews.com - Seattle Schools' Thanksgiving 'Myths' Stir Controversy - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

So called "Myth" No. 11: "Thanksgiving is a happy time." It was followed by "Fact: For many Indian people, 'Thanksgiving' is a time of mourning ... a bitter reminder of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship."

[This Post Continues after the jump...]

Where Can Sex Offenders Live?

FOXNews.com - Georgia Court Overturns Ban Limiting Where Sex Offenders Can Live - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Well, this is good news... the laws were a good idea, but they are getting out of hand. Especially the "School Bus Stop" which can change from year to year and are everywhere. I support some, even a lot of limits on where registered sex offenders can live, but if they don't need to be locked up in jail, then they need to be allowed to live somewhere.

I also question the effectiveness of restricting where they live. Do they typically do crimes on kids near their home, or do they travel somewhere else? Do they typically do crimes in areas with LOTS of kids (schools and parks) or do they victimize kids in remote areas? There is a certain safety in numbers, isn't there?

Resticting where they live, IS VALID, but it has to be limited meaning it can effectively ban sex offenders from anywhere in a city. And it has to be "value added" in my opinion, meaning the ban has to make since and not just be an attempt to harass them so much that they go elsewhere. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Obama Wants to Slash NASA's Budget

Obama Wants to Slash NASA's Budget | NASA Watch


And I was just starting to like the guy.... merely because he might beat Hillary....
I would vote for him to to keep Hillary out... because I just don't see how any Republican is going to beat her in the general election.

But now he wants us to quit our human space program for 10 years!!! [This Post Continues after the jump...]

High Court to Hear D.C. Gun Ban Case

High Court to Hear D.C. Gun Ban Case - washingtonpost.com


This is interesting. The ban was overturned, so is the Supreme court hearing it so the Ban can be restored? Or are they hearing it to make the decision universal across the whole country and not just an isolated DC case?

I guess we will find out in 6-7 months.

I honestly don't see how people can read it as a "state right" or "collective right" and not an "individual right". I think anyone that reads it that way is being a little dishonest, and just looking to support their belief that certain guns should be banned. The amendment clearly says the "right of the people..." not "the right of the state"

But, if it is a collective right, then it would seem to require states to have a "well regulated Militia" so that people can exercise their collective right. It would be a pointless amendment if people have the "right" to have a gun if they are in a militia, but have no right or opportunity to be in a militia. It would be like writing the first amendment like this: The right of the people to pray to whatever god they believe in, while in church, shall not be infringed. But then outlawing churches. This would be pointless and not actually bestow any real right.

If owning a gun is contingent on being in a militia, then every state MUST be required to have a militia and regulate it as they see fit and can afford. I would actually like this interpretation, as long as the regulation of the militia was really done to make the militia better and more prepared, and not done to make people unwilling to sign up. I would think the cost would keep the regulation reasonable and similar to what some states now require for a concealed weapon permit. Stuff like safety education and actually firing the gun training. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Saudi defends verdict against gang-rape victim

Saudi defends verdict against gang-rape victim | Reuters

This is absurd!
How can we "support" a country and system of government like this? [This Post Continues after the jump...]

How Much Do You Infringe On A Daily Basis?

Techdirt: The Infringement Age: How Much Do You Infringe On A Daily Basis?

Here are some examples...

• Replying to an email with quoted text? Infringement!
• Reply to 20 emails? You're looking at $3 million in statutory damages.
• Doodle a sketch of a building? Unauthorized derivative work.
• Read a poem outloud? Unauthorized performance.
• Forward a photograph that a friend took? Infringement!
• Take a short film of a birthday dinner with some friends and catch some artwork on the wall in the background? Infringement!

and my own....

• Video your child's birthday party with the radio playing in the back-ground. Infringement!
• Copy music from CD's you own to your iPod. Infringement
• Use a song on a DVD showing you childhood photos - Infringement
• Video tape you daughters dance recital - Infringement
• Sing a song in the shower - Unauthorized performance
• Copy a DVD you own to take on vacation with a portable player - Infringement
• My Favorite, post the above list to my blog -- INFRINGEMENT !!

The cost for all of this? (not including my examples)

All told, he has committed at least eighty-three acts of infringement and faces liability in the amount of $12.45 million [plus possible criminal charges]

Here is a link to the Actual Paper. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Eminent Domain Gone Wild

reason.tv - Videos > National City: Eminent Domain Gone Wild

I'm going to have to watch this one, but I'll skip episode 2 .... [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Laughing at the music industry!

Who else is laughing at the music industry? | Crave : The gadget blog:

"Warner, I appreciate your attempt to try to make amends, but actions speak louder than words. Call me when you strip DRM from songs, denounce the RIAA and lose the greed."

This is great!! I LOVE Apple, if only because they are doing to the Music Industry what the Music Industry did (and is doing) to artist (singers, song writers, performers, bands, etc). Apple dictates the rules to the labels the same way the labels dictate the rules to the artist, and Apple takes a cut of the profit the same way. The labels all HATE it, but it's just a taste of their own medicine!!

Of course this means that Apple is as evil and greedy as the labels... but that's beside the point! Eventually even Apple will become a useless middleman too.

UPDATE:
Here's more on what I think is the same speech. [This Post Continues after the jump...]

The Vista Death Watch

The Vista Death Watch - Columns by PC Magazine


I love this... this is so true. Especially the part about all the "versions". I mean Vista Ultimate is really the true Vista, everything else is just crippled. Why? Unlike a car manufacturer which sells a car with two different engines or fancy wheels, there is no real cost different between the different versions of Vista. A smaller engine costs less to make, so the car cost less to the customer. The cheaper versions of Vista cost the same to make, but Microsoft punishes you for not buying the over priced "ultimate". Why? because they can!!

I know I'll never get Vista until something I can't live without just will not run on XP.

Another few things Microsoft can do to increase sells of Vista is.

1 - Free it someone, allow once license to cover a few home PC's.
2 - Free it some more, allow Vista purchased on a new PC to be transfered to a repaired, rebuilt PC
3 - Free the content. Abandon the DRM features of the OS and the "protected video path" (whatever they call it)

I might actually willing upgrade if they did some of these things. (My previous statement is still valid because I know they will never do any of these things...)
[This Post Continues after the jump...]

DVD Ripping Faces Another Test

Argh... why is Hollywood so bent on protecting an encryption scheme that has been cracked already. The cats out of the bag already people!! If you don't support legal means of putting movies on a jukebox or computer, people will just use other means.

Changing the CCA license will

- do NOTHING to stop piracy.
- put an innovative company out of business.
- give the people that pay for DVD's less choices.
- prove that Hollywood believes there is (or should be) no such thing as "fair use"


It's ridiculous


- DVD Ripping Faces Another Test - News and Analysis by PC Magazine [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Forbidding Smoking In Private Lives

I don't see how a company can enforce their policy on people's private lives. Smoking is very unpopular right now, so this might be allowed, and strangely might be viewed as a "good idea".

But where does it stop? What other legal activities can an employer ban you from ever doing?

I hope someone stops this before it gets out of hand.


Fla. Companies Forbidding Smoking In Private Lives - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando [This Post Continues after the jump...]

$3 DVDs in China

Paramount and Warner Bros. market $3 DVDs in China:

Well, all I can say is THANK YOU pirates. This proves that piracy is a GOOD thing for us customers.
DVD's are too expensive, why do they cost $15-$20 here in the US if $3 still makes a profit? It's pure profiteering by the movie studios an makes there ridiculous claims of loosing "millions of dollars" to pirate all the more silly.

Now if they would just wise up and lower US prices too!! [This Post Continues after the jump...]

MLB Fans Who Bought DRM Videos Get Hosed

When will people learn.

If you buy something with DRM, you're not really "buying "it no matter what the price, or official "terms".
You are essentially "renting" it and they can "evict" you at any time, for any reason.

Slashdot | MLB Fans Who Bought DRM Videos Get Hosed

also at ..Baseball's DRM change strikes

Last year, the US Copyright Office considered—and then rejected—an exception to the DMCA that would give consumers in this sort of predicament some recourse. Under the proposed exception, those stuck with busted DRM schemes would have had the right to bypass the DRM. As it stands instead, paying customers are at the whims of content providers and whatever DRM clearinghouse they happen to be using at the time. It's no wonder so many sports fan turn to BitTorrent for game footage.

[This Post Continues after the jump...]

P2P Downloaders Buy More Music

Michael Geist - Gov't Commissioned Study Finds P2P Downloaders Buy More Music

If you real about the case the RIAA won recently (RIAA Wins Key Victory) , you'll see that the person they sued for offering 20 songs online, also bought a lot of CDs.

This really is a case of the RIAA suing it's BEST customers.... when will they learn? [This Post Continues after the jump...]

Hollywood writers near strike

Hollywood writers near strike over royalties on new technology | CNET News.com

I'm sorry, but just why do these writers think they should get paid continuously for work done once? I mean do the designers at Ford get paid for every car sold? Do most people get paid repeatedly for work they do once? I sure don't.

The whole "royalty" concept is going to hurt us if we don't control it. I don't see why there "artists" think they are different from the rest of us workers. Why should their "x days of labor" drive repeated income while my day's labor earns just a day's salary. I guess it's good work if you can get it, but it's ridiculous.

But in a way I don't blame them, movies and TV shows are way over priced and the money really should go to the "talent" and not to executives at media companies. But that's a different issue. The price all trickles down to us consumers.

Luckily things are changing -- because there are other ways to distribute TV shows now and the "networks" and "media" companies are becoming less and less important.

But it still sounds greedy to me. They want to be paid over and over for writing a funny joke once, where as I get paid once of anything I write at work. Doesn't seem fair to me...

More after the Jump....


Updated 11/3
I've been thinking about this more and more. Running a camera certainly takes talent and skill, and some might even call it an art. But I wonder if the camera operators get a cut of every DVD they sold? I doubt it.

Again I ask, WHY are the writers different?

[This Post Continues after the jump...]

Post-Scarcity

Wow, now I have a NAME for what I've been trying to say all along. You simply cannot apply the same concepts of "ownership" and "control" to a commodity that is not scarce. the "Digital" world changes everything. People still say that illegal downloading is "stealing" but it's nonsense. I think people are starting to see this now.

The music "industry" has already lost its customers, because it treats them like crap, and now it's loosing its artists too. I honestly don't see how a middle man industry can survive without the support of the people on both sides of them, or at least the support of one side. The RIAA has neither!!

Rock stars following in open-source developers' footsteps | Crave : The gadget blog

Data is a post-scarcity commodity. Post-scarcity, as the name suggests, is the successor of scarcity, upon which our current economic systems are built. When you consume scarce goods - eat a chocolate bar, or buy a CD - there is one less of that commodity in the marketplace. But when you consume a post-scarce item - download an application, or an mp3 - you copy it. Meaning there is now one more of that commodity out there, not less. This is how the success of a post-scarce product is measured, by the number of times it has been reproduced.

And this is of course very similar to how the music industry works. Or how it would work if you were to take the record companies out of the picture. In a crowded marketplace the greatest issue for a new band is being heard, getting their music to as many ears as possible, not maximising the profit on shifting units. There are a hundred thousand people with the talent to write a great song, but there are only a select few who can attract a wide audience with it. This initial recognition has nothing to do with the pricing mechanisms of CDs, it is to do with reputation. Kudos is the main commodity of agalmic economics.

[This Post Continues after the jump...]