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Category: Linux

Saturday links

Yeah. Because nobody needs an AR for personal or home defense. Famous tech institute suppresses student dissent by enforcing non-existent policy. Caught in the act, they then turn around write the restrictive policy after the fact. Cops claim it was okay to murder an innocent man (in a wrong-house raid) because he was an illegal immigrant and therefore had no constitutional rights. Have these guys actually ever read the BoR, and especially its preamble? This Florida orangutan, OTOH, has human rights. (Via Wendy McElroy) The NTSB concludes the Boeing 737-Max wasn’t designed for humans. I consider all airliners (and airports)…

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Thursday links

  • This is potentially big. A federal judge rules that citizens have a right to secretly record public officials even where a state law forbids it. I’d like to see that applied everywhere.
  • You remember the Seattle-area motorcyclist stopped and threatened last year by a road-raging plain-clothes cop? He’s been awarded $65,000 taxpayer dollars. And — oh wonder of wonders — the King County sheriff’s office will henceforth admit that point a gun at an innocent motorist is an act of violence.
  • Earlier this week, Harvard concluded that the infamous gender pay gap is solely driven by personal choices. Now a study conducted at Yale and Princeton finds (unsurprisingly to anybody who’s been paying attention) that white liberals are more likely to act patronizingly toward minorities than white conservatives are. Oh, how these conclusions must pain those Ivy Leaguers. 4 Comments
  • Weekend links

    Chortle. Microsoft finally admits (cluelessly or dishonestly) that its malware-upgrade on Win 10 went just an itty-bitty bit too far. Great illustration, too. And it seems MS is not the only gang of elitists in upper Washington state going a bit too far. Closing freeways so a football team can pass? Gimme a break; even if it were legal, it would be beyond outrageous. One more reason Mr. Policeman is not your friend. And another. And this horrendous court ruling reminds us that not only is Ms or Mr. Policeman not your dog’s friend, but neither are the courts. Are…

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    Thursday links

  • More on the highly instructive government-caused chaos in India. A report from a freedomista on the scene (H/T BillT in comments). And will gold importation, as well as bills, be banned? India’s economy is lurching to a standstill. There is panic, despair, and real danger of death over an arbitrary decision whose consequences any sensible person could have seen. But now, with Modi having “broken Indians’ legs,” the government is helpfully offering a crutch.
  • American life expectancy is falling as Russia’s fell after the Soviet collapse — and for similar reasons. But the fedgov will not take one of the simplest, most rational steps to ease the suffering. 9 Comments
  • Weekend miscellany

    Just past the halfway mark of my six months without home Internet. Not too painful so far, right?

    Its original purpose of lowering monthly payments to clear last year’s home-improvement debts kind of went kablooey when Dave quit paying for the blog. At that point, I emptied savings to clear nearly all that debt, figuring any unnecessary monthly payments would not be a good idea right now.

    Kept a small emergency fund, of course. Always keep a small emergency fund unless you’re living in your car and eating out of Dumpsters.

    My latest foundling

    Meet my latest forest foundling …

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    Friday links

    Guess what the most popular work at the UN library is. A thesis on how to avoid being charged with war crimes. Not how to avoid committing war crimes. Just how to avoid punishment. (H/T jb) Several major car makers are partnering up with Linux. While this is a lot better than the recent features about those partnering with Microsoft, I generally wish they’d all stay the heck out of any automobile I ever own, except for entirely optional, turn-offable devices. (H/T MJR) Another inspiring story about the life-changing power of going debt free. Who says a porno-graphic can’t be…

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    Friday links

    Of the new Omni-bust budget deal Jim Bovard sez: “Republican congressional leaders are like a football coach who believes the secret to winning is to punt early and often.” Rand Paul sez stop the bill — and he has some fairly decent ideas for alternatives. OTOH, Marijuana.com sez there are a couple of decent provisions in the 2,000 page monster sellout. On the other other hand, the USPS announces a completely unsurprising but curiously retro policy on carrying publications that contain — gasp! — ads for the dreaded Demon Weed. One wonders why they couldn’t have just kept their mouths…

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    Survival thumb drives: A reminder from Greylocke

    Last month I blogged about those bootable Knoppix thumb drives containing files of preparedness info. Greylocke, who’s now making the drives (from unopened, buyer-supplied USB sticks), asked me to post a reminder. Seems only a handful of people have so far taken him up on the offer. And it is for a limited time, so if you’re interested, check the instructions, then go for it. He’s hoping somebody else will step up to take the project over from where it was left when his colleague Scott died. He also writes: “I am hoping to bring some more capability to the…

    6 Comments

    Weekend links

    So you still don’t think Google Glass is creepy? Well how ’bout when New York City cops are testing it? (H/T MJR) “The repentant informant.” This article on liberty’s former friend Stacy Litz was published last year. The reporter (whose name really, truly is Jason Nark) interviewed me but forgot to tell me when the story hit, which is why I’m late with the news. I’m not quoted, but he does reference the booklet the Commentariat collaborated on: Rats! So pat yourselves on the back. You’re famous. 🙂 Cops do the usual no-knock dawn raid. On the usual word of…

    9 Comments