Today, I’ll step aside and let Joel speak: The first rule of living on the edge is this: You’re in charge. You’re responsible. If something goes wrong, nobody’s going to come and fix it for you. There’s no point grumbling and waiting for the guy with the wrench, because the guy with the wrench is you. That brings things to a very basic and vital level. I used to be consumed with worry over things like who was undermining me at the office, or how badly a customer was going to screw me on draft revisions, or how to deal…
Category: Privacy and self ownership
Owning our own information and telling Big Brother to get lost
26 things that happened this year to restore your faith in humanity. (Hooray for J who dropped this into comments) How Joe Biden (accidentally, of course) helped us all have better email privacy. To everyone’s suprise, V for Vendetta (which never aired in Chinese theaters) suddenly turns up on Chinese state TV. (Tip o’ hat to JB) Officer who slaughtered helpless dog will face criminal charges. “Carpe Media.” And good going, Brian Wilson. Court rules that antiwar activists can sue government agents who spied on them. (H/T D) An unfreakinglybelievable and long overdue development: Cops who terrorized a family are…
I used to nudge people toward encrypting their emails. “Encrypt everything!” I’d burble. “Even your cookie recipes! It protects privacy and drives ‘them’ crazy!” “Quick! Easy!” I continued to burble as I wrote “The Hardyville Beginner’s Guide to Encrypt**n” lo those many years ago (now obsolete, which is why no link). I eventually quit burbling. It’s not that I quit favoring encryption. I just got tired of hearing, “It’s too haaaaaaaaaaard.” I got tired of, “Well, if you want me to encrypt my emails to you, you’ll have to show me how.” Since I might have been the only person…
Don’t know how long this will last, but the Kindle edition of Jackie Clay-Atkinson’s Ask Jackie: Canning Basics book is free right now on Amazon. Can be downloaded to any Kindle device, including free Kindle readers for the PC. (Thanks to B for the tip!) (Ooops. Sorry. Apparently the free offer ended just hours after I set up these links.) Speaking of books, anybody read Two Cheers for Anarchism? If so, what did you think of it? Here’s a review. And an Amazon link. It’s by the James C. Scott, same guy who wrote The Art of Not Being Governed…
The Obamacare future is nigh. (H/T JB) PBS (rather belatedly) asks if we’re safer with all that “suspicious activity” reporting. (Tip o’ hat to RLW) Is there a vampire on the loose? (Or merely a clever tourism scheme?) Did you see anything in the MSM about pennies and nickels being phased out next year? (ADDED: Nevermind. It’s a hoax.) Anybody here ever drink a switchel? I’d never heard of it until I ran into the term in the fascinatingly eccentric little book The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition (thanks for the recommend, JG). Apparently at one time the switchel was…
Why is the U.S. government building a secret underground facility in Israel? And why are U.S. taxpayers funding a project that includes religious symbols at every doorway? The mezzuzah is a charming tradition, but the fedgov funds enough superstitions without secretly forcing us to pay for another one. Memo to robbers: If you want that girly-girl c-store clerk to take you seriously don’t charge in firing your guns into the air. James Bond, Dirty Harry Callahan and what gun is “good enough.” Can’t say I agree with the recommendation, not even one little bit. But the thinking is interesting. (H/T…
Thanks to some last-minute assistance — with “last-minute” actually being several weeks ago — and thanks to the work of many volunteers, Rats!, the anti-snitch book, is now live. Find it at http://rats-nosnitch.com/. Four different formats for reading. One bundle of HTML files for mirroring on your own site. All free. Copy and distribute at will. Spread it around far and wide. Post to your blogs about it. Tweet it. Announce it on your Facebook page, mirror the entire site … whatever. The more this gets into the hands of potential victims of snitchery, the better. —– I apologize. I…
Wow. Promising news for dogs and humans alike. Experimental treatment helps paralyzed dogs walk again by injecting them with cells grown from their own noses. ‘Bout time judges started questioning some of this wholesale data scooping. Another example of how government “help” stinks. Literally, in this case Sigh. Despite Katrina. Despite Sandy. Despite everything. The preparedness message still isn’t reaching Joe Average. (Via The Price of Liberty) Small favor Thanks to you using those Amazon links, I’m on the way to my best-ever Amazon month! And boy, is it welcome! Now, if you’re willing, you can help accomplish one small…
I don’t know Fiona Apple’s music at all. But I expect I’d like her as a person. And I’m not the only one. (Beware: sad dog stories.) Much happier animal (and cop) story. (H/T JG) Texas high school trying to expel student for refusing to wear a spychip. It’s all about money and control, of course. (Tip o’ hat to H) How many more of these stories are we going to see? Anti-gay lawyer arrested for kiddie porn (and more). And here’s another completely unsurprising story: Detroit will run out of money by January. And another non-surprise! Senate bill touted…
Yesterday I linked to Jester Jones, who has updated his page of free, downloadable freedomista stickers. I suggested (ahem) that they might be a good change from Santa and snowman stickers for holiday mailings. Well, Carl-Bear Bussjaeger did me one better. Here are his free stickers, especially designed to go on your Christmas mailings. And he tells me the phone number is real. Copy, print, and apply to packages — to the delight, or perhaps the abject cowering fear — of friends and family. As always in this scary day, use (or not) at your own risk. For informational purposes…