Dispatches from the Culture Wars

Oh yeah, yesterday, the US became even less likely to throw me in jail because there is even less chance of me crossing their border.

Fun with RFIDs and your identity.

Emergent Chaos: New Passports More Secure than Wet Paper Bags (Barely). Remember, your passport data is perfectly safe as long as you don't try to leave the country.

Remember the US Government plan to put a radio chip in your passport? The one whose security has never been seriously studied, whose justification seemed to boil down to a hope that it would speed processing, but even that was wrong? The one whose security gets worse every time anyone competent looks at it? Well, someone else just looked at it.

Fine! I'll spread your meme. But don't expect me to like it.

Actually, I won't. The Blonde joke is better. But click on the link in case you feel like indulging in a little shameless groupthink.

Schneier on Security: Another No-Fly List Victim

And this is why I do not want to ever even enter US airspace.

Concurring Opinions: Best blond joke ever?

It is unusual for Concurring Opinions (a law blog) to post humourous articles, but here they have The Best Blond Joke Ever? Although Feministe prefers

Q: What do you call a blonde who flies a plane?
A: A pilot, you fucking misogynist.

which is also pretty damned funny. Although not as funny as the one about why the feminst crossed the road.

Oda-lesque

Ahh! It's alive!

Terry McBride is so dreamy

I knew there was a reason I like Nettwerk Records besides Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, BT, Delerium, Gob, Sarah McLachlan, Trespassers William (I have no idea about their music, but I love the name) and Skinny Puppy and moev used to be on Nettwerk too. Their CEO Terry McBride is involving himself in an RIAA lawsuit down in Texas. Money quote:

Suing music fans is not the solution, it's the problem. Litigation is not 'artist development.' Litigation is a deterrent to creativity and passion and it is hurting the business I love. The current actions of the RIAA are not in my artists' best interests.

WorldChanging - When green meets green.

Environmentalists believe what they believe for moral reasons. If they want others to agree and participate, they need to offer economic incentives. Luckily, these are often available.

In the credit where credit is due department (Wilson)

In which a heroine is refused credit until she offers to do a media piece on the situation after which she gets credit FedExed to her. Now this is the bad old days, as long ago as 1977. I am sure that Lucky will have something witty to say. Or maybe just a shrug and a sigh. We've still got a long way to go, baby!

Kittens & Hammers, Oh My!

A satirical view of the republican mindset. My president, right or wrong.

MPAA mulls plan to sue itself

This is rich. The MPAA made illegal copies of a movie that was submitted to them for rating. The movie is This Film Is Not Rated.

[The MPAA] justified the action by saying Dick and his crew may have violated the privacy of MPAA movie raters. That particular loophole is not mentioned on the MPAA Web site, where it states: "Manufacturing, selling, distributing or making copies of motion pictures without the consent of the copyright owners is illegal. Movie pirates are thieves, plain and simple. ... ALL forms of piracy are illegal and carry serious legal consequences."

Tank Man

I think that in the wake of all the controversy that has blown up around Google and China lately, it is always good to remember Tank Man.

In fact, controversy or not, it is always good to remember Tank Man

CBC News: Canadians 'liberal and hedonistic' but can change, U.S. right-winger says

Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation waxes philosophical:

The pessimistic view was that Harper, lacking a parliamentary majority, can do little to make Canadians 'adopt a more reasonable view of the United States' and abandon Marxist principles 'such as same-sex marriage and abortion on demand,' Weyrich says.
He does not say how these things are linked in his mind to Marxism, a doctrine better known for concepts of class warfare.

Boing Boing: Senators figure out the Broadcast Flag, curse it as an abomination!

2 US Senators, one of whom knows whereof he speaks, curse the broadcastflag as an abomination!
OK, maybe they don't although Sen. Stevens is, as I said. all over the abomination issue.

CBC - Canada Votes 2006 - Candidates and Ridings

Oh no, Ms. Bulte, I expect you to dielose your re-election campaign. Props out to Michael and Cory who brought attention to this example of reprehensible democracy.