What with the cascading chaos of IRS-gate, Snoop-on-the-media-gate, Benghazi-gate, and now the whopper of them all, NSA-gate, perhaps you were worried that Your Beloved Leaders might be too distracted to function. But never fear, Dear Citizens! Your Public Servants remain fully dedicated, on the job, and as always, Devoted to their Sacred Responsibilities to We the People. And lest you have any lingering doubt about that …* —– * Anyone with lingering doubts about government can be expected to be discovered by the ever-helpful algorithms of the NSA and aided toward a better future by the FBI, DHS, ATF, and…
Category: Privacy and self ownership
Owning our own information and telling Big Brother to get lost
Just in case you were wondering — you know, for future use and all — at least two publications have recently weighed in on the best places to seek asylum from the U.S. government. Business Insider has a list. But then, they would. They’re a bit (a bit!) sensationalistic and love to come up with pictorial twists on things in the news. Really surprised me, though when the staid old National Geographic came up with such a list. Some crossover, some differences, in their choices. Did you ever think you’d see the day when seeking asylum or “defecting” from the…
We must ban those deadly stiletto assault heels NOW! Well, that’s a different look at Snowden and the NSA … Medical marijuana. For our pets. (H/T. L) Hm. This is the first thing I’ve heard that makes me think a smartphone could be a great idea. (I’m sure there are other things; just none that grabbed me.) Double hm. What exactly is Governor Sandoval of Nevada up to? Might be worth the 15 seconds it takes, especially if it ticks off Bloomberg. While I disagree with her lumping us with “we,” whistleblower Sibel Edmonds has a point. (Heard on NPR…
Twenty open tabs in three browsers on two computers. I read and think about last week’s shocking-but-utterly-unsurprising revelations about NSA snoopery. A thousand thoughts run through my head but not a single word makes its way into electrons. No, it’s no surprise at all that a government agency that was created in secret and is still called “No Such Agency” now reigns so powerful — and will continue to dominate presidents and congresses, no matter who elects them or what letters they have after their names. It’s also no surprise that not a single MSM news source mentions the Fourth…
“…and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Somehow, “everybody who uses Verizon” just doesn’t seem all that “particularly described,” does it? Especially when you have to assume every other phone company is obeying similar secret orders.
It was sunny yesterday, O wonder of wonders. I spent the day painting the back porch. It’s a tiny porch, but has four different colors and a couple different wall textures and it kept my body occupied for hours. But my mind had better other things it wanted to do. —– I found myself thinking about Amy Fischer, the “Long Island Lolita” and her main squeeze with the perfect tabloid name, Joey Buttafuoco. Why the heck would I be there in the sunshine thinking about some long-eclipsed “crime of the century”? I have no idea. That’s so 1992. —– I…
Yesterday I sighed about what we might as well call the “self-surveillance state”* — the growing culture of cool-tech that seduces people into adopting (and paying for!) the very technology that the Big Brother state and Little Brother corporations use to spy on them. The first comment on that post came from David, who also sighed: “There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle … and the sort of societal shift that would include protecting privacy of any sort seems increasingly unlikely.” He nailed it on the genie and bottle. And we’re certainly undergoing a tech-driven societal shift toward…
Sorry for the couple of days non-posting. This may make no sense, but it’s been a combination of having nothing to say and having too much to say. I’ve wanted to go back to that Memorial Day post to explain myself better and maybe answer a few commentors. But I didn’t think I should poke a stick in that hornet’s nest again. So I’ll just say thanks to those who commented thoughtfully (whether agreeing or disagreeing), thanks to those who offered new insights, thanks to those who defended me, and a much more ironic thanks to people who proved my…
A friend and I got to talking about the deeper implications of Cody Wilson’s “alarming” achievement (which, naturally, has already been trumped and will soon be trump-trump-trump-trumped ad infinitum). My friend said that the real achievements will be in 3D-printed firing mechanisms and make-at-home-and-throw-away magazines. (Perhaps he’ll come here and give a more thorough explanation than I just did.) As far as firearms go, that may be correct. But he got me thinking about the broader, long-term implications of 3D printing. Cory Doctorow speculated about that clear back in 2006 in his short story “Printcrime.” (Amazing foresight there, CD.) So…
Lessons from the singing spaceman (and a reminder of how only NASA could ever have made outer space so darned dull). Beretta says bye-bye Maryland. The Lulz Liberator. This one was made on a cheaper printer, fired multiple shots, and has a rifled barrel. Nope, you really can’t stop the signal. “We’ve comforted ourselves in all of this with the belief that, while government might potentially have all of this power, it would rarely use it or that, when it did, its use would be well-intentioned and circumscribed. Plus we had rules and systems to stop any abuse: The Bill…