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Category: Computers & Technology

Midweek links

  • Is there a “second Snowden” at the NSA? James Bamford, who knows as much as anybody else outside the fedgov’s blackbox of spies, believes there is.
  • In any case, we’re all in the NSA’s big, happy social network, whether we want to be or not. Not to mention the increasing number of people being forced onto Microsoft’s anti-social social network.
  • In Louisiana, nimble, willing private help for flood victims went far beyond the Cajun Navy. (Interesting use of technology, too. Could make me rethink the evils of F*c*b**k. And this is a case where phone-based geolocation may have saved lives.)
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  • Garage sale tech coup

    I love it when I find a garage-sale find. Here’s the latest. A fancy-schmancy, new-in-box, dual-band Linksys WRT AC1200 “smart router.” Price on Amazon $133.99 (depending on the day of the week, your browser, the casting of the I-Ching, your astrological chart, and Jeff Bezos’ mood; you might find it for as little at $99.99, thanks to Amazon’s recent habit of mucking around with prices). Receipt in the shiny new box said the seller paid over $160 for it at Best Buy or somesuch place a few months back. Dunno why he never used it. It was marked $45, which…

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    Midweek links

  • Okay, in the great debate over victim disarmament, this is trivial. But still: “Get out of gun control, Apple.”
  • Uh oh. All those Loompanicsy books and articles about hiding stuff in your walls just got even more obsolete than they already were. Nifty app for home remodelers, though. (H/T MJR)
  • What a beautiful and unusual piece. Wendy McElroy talks about her experiences as a homeless teenager in “Try a Little Tenderness.”
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  • Tuesday links

  • David Codrea writes the last word on Mike Vanderboegh.
  • Clearly, though, we haven’t heard the last word from Mike’s son Matt, who has just proposed a monkeywrenching use for all that hacked DNC contact info. May not be the best use of time, but it’s still interesting thinking.
  • Man, now there’s a headline for you: “The SEC has questions about a company with no revenue, $1,000 in the bank, and a $35 billion market cap.”
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  • Good news, bad news, inside upside downside dizzy

    Well, the great good news is that we made goal on the blog-foundation fundraiser! Even better news, there’s still at least a little more on the way. You’ve already ensured that the blog keeps going for at least two years and that new beyond-the-blog features will be added. I’ll keep the donation button and thermometer graphic up until the end of this month. You can still contribute if you want to. (Far be it from me to deny you the pleasure of giving. 😉 ) And remember, anybody who gives $20 or more is eligible for membership when the membership…

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    The stars aligning

    Um … some of you have noticed my email going haywire in the last 24 hours. Sorry ’bout that. But this bad thing is actually a good thing. It signals that, behind the scenes, where the geeks and gremlins dwell, I (and more importantly, my expert helper, who may prefer to be known as He Who Fakes It Well) am moving toward having a dedicated website for the Living Freedom blog and eventually other features. Do not ask me about technical details of what’s gone wrong. Not if you value your own sanity or mine. Just know that the Internet…

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    Tuesday links

    Well, at least you might have some recourse if Microsoft sneak-upgrades your computer to its Windows 10 malware. This one’s for you who live within the New Madrid fault zone — or anybody who’s a follower of megaquakes and their lore. Britain is a part of Europe and will remain so, says Boris Johnson, former mayor of London, prominent figure of the “Leave” campaign, and possible successor to David Cameron. One of the few relatively dispassionate looks at key issues behind the Brexit. It wasn’t all just “hate!” and “racism!” on one side and “we know what’s good for you”…

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    Weekend links

    I owe hat tips for several of these items, but I’ve fogotton to whomm I owe them all, so please accept much general hat tipping. Preferring to avoid negative campaigning is one thing. Libertarian candidates sucking up to Hillary on media demand is another. Don’t care about the Brexit that’s consuming the world’s media right now? Well, how ’bout a Texit — a Texas exit? (I’m amused at those “constitutional scholars” who say a U.S. state can’t secede from the union. The constitution neither said nor implied that; only overwhelming military force said that. Doesn’t take any scholar to see…

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