Some Slashdot commenters were up-in-arms about LulzSec "liberating" gaming and bank passwords etc. Their arguments were of two types: (1) the exploits were so simple that LulzSec members are, at best, simpletons and (2) the exploits are threatening the openness of the Internet by inviting the US gov't to create absurdly restrictive laws to stop similar adventures. Regarding #1, Bruce Schneier held up the exploits' simplicity as proof of corporate laziness. If troublemaking scriptkiddies weren't grabbing headlines, no one outside of the tech community would realize just how vulnerable their data is. If simpletons can do it for fun, you know that thieves are doing it for profit. Regarding #2, I'm shocked that anyone would hold up "fear of the government taking away your freedoms" as reason to stop doing something. I'm doubly shocked that such a reason would dominate Slashdot threads. We should blame irrational and reactive politics on those politicians acting that way. The problem isn't what act triggers their reaction, it's the poor logic that informs it.
It's been entertaining following the growth of the SlutWalks around the world. Background: cop talking to university students about crime prevention tells women not to dress like sluts.
Hilarity ensues. Within a few months, women in cities all over are demonstrating against the idea that they should live in fear of having broken some arbitrary dress code and that, having broken said code, they were "asking for it." We should blame irrational and reactive social behavior on those individuals acting that way. The problem isn't what act triggers their reaction, it's the poor logic that informs it.
I found this book based on a recommendation during the Infinite Summer book club almost two years ago. This is why you should buy books even if you don't plan on reading them immediately: they provide options when your queue's empty. Around 50 pages in. I like the prose style but am suspecting I may have gotten myself into a Jesus allegory. I picked up a hefty used hardback stamped "Newport News Public Library System, West Avenue Branch, West Avenue and 30th Street." I haven't read it during my commute yet, but I already miss my Kindle.
Continue reading "The Last Western; Thomas S. Klise"My run last Saturday ended with me passed out on the wrong floor of our condo building (but in front of the right door) and with my mouth covered in blood. Apparently, I didn't hydrate enough that morning and although I've run in the heat before, I seldom run in the middle of the day. After eight hours in the emergency room and four liters of saline, I was right as rain. Back jogging Tuesday and Thursday and, except for feeling a little gun-shy, all is normal.
Picked up some bluetooth headphones for $35 and an arm band for my phone and have started jogging with that instead of my MP3 player. Internet radio plus a GPS jogging app. The radio has been getting pretty good coverage, Grooveshark drops a lot for some reason though, and the jogging app is more annoying than useful. I always forget to stop my route at the end.