Exactly what way of life are we trying to defend any more in the US "war against terrorism"? From the Washington Post:

Today, at the Justice Department, some laws are more equal than others. One 36-year-old U.S. law can be broken, it seems. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft, who is sworn to enforce all laws, has told federal employees that they can bend -- perhaps even break -- one law, and he will even defend their actions in court. That law is known as the Freedom of Information Act.

Extraordinary. What next? The Miranda Law? Oh yeah, the US Supreme Court, heavy with Reagan and Bush Sr appointees, might throw that one out...: "To see the (U.S.) solicitor general arguing that there's no right to be free from coercive interrogation is pretty aggressive."
9:05:56 PM  #   your two cents []

If true, excellent news: Patent holders on the ropes. Advocates of royalty-free policies in standards are slowly but surely turning the tide against intellectual property owners. [CNET News.com]
8:54:08 PM  #   your two cents []

London Commercial WiFi Hot Spots: Great report on commerical hot spots in London from Tim Woolford, an independent consultant who specializes in wireless, mobile and satellite communications, courtesy of 80211b News.

8:49:20 PM  #   your two cents []

This is just what I need: a child trained with a Kitty Fun Barbie who can come in and perform same service for my two real moggies. As a concept in child leisure toys, this is just too weird. While they're at it, why not a secretary Barbie (oops, I mean PA Barbie) who gets sent out to get little tiny cups of coffee for the guys in the office?
8:47:25 PM  #   your two cents []

What was the most memorable invention of 2001? The talking vodka bottle? The animatronic lover? The artificial nose with enhanced cheese-sniffing abilities? Or the airtight underwear with replaceable charcoal filter? These and more as GMSV's John Paczkowski reprises those memories of yesteryear...: http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/gmsv/2579926.htm
6:00:14 PM  #   your two cents []

Total Info System Totally Touchy. The U.S. government wants to create a massive database of Americans' personal information to help root out terrorists. Privacy advocates cry foul, and some in the industry aren't even sure it's technologically feasible. [Wired News]
2:43:26 PM  #   your two cents []

Stored data, anyone? Lax Security: ID Theft Made Easy. Victims of one of the largest identity theft cases in the United States agree with industry experts that limp security policies at credit bureaus made it easier for the criminals to do their dirty work. [Wired News]
2:42:19 PM  #   your two cents []

BBC: A UK study finds that the main thing users like about broadband is that they don't have to worry about the cost of spending too much time online.  [Werblog]
2:37:40 PM  #   your two cents []

More on data retention: I plan to create a permanent resources section here on issues around digital rights and especially the Irish government's outrageous plan to introduce a bill next spring that allows for the retention of data on all Irish citizens' emails, faxes, phonecalls, mobile calls, and internet use (locator data, not the actual content of same).  For a few years I've been going around giving talks and writing about the desperate need for a dedicated digital rights privacy advocacy group here in Ireland to be able to inform the public and lobby against precisely this kind of eventuality. The Irish branch of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF -- see the mother of all EFFs at www.eff.org) has been pretty much defunct for years. Now would be a good time to revive it or create something similar -- I know there are many informed and committed people out there who understand the importance of these privacy and digital civil rights issues. The time to get active is NOW -- before a bill is a done deal -- so that you influence the outcome; not after, when it's harder to fight for changes. I'll have links up, I hope by this evening, to a range of privacy advocacy groups and resources.

10:12:43 AM  #   your two cents []

New Scientist: "An image composed of over 1000 of bits of information can be stored in the atoms of a single molecule, US researchers have shown."
10:01:11 AM  #   your two cents []

Time to start viewing spectrum as unlimited, rather than as scarce? (link from Tomalak)
9:58:44 AM  #   your two cents []

The trial of Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov -- the first under the auspices of the poorly-executed Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) -- starts this week in San Jose, Calif after Sklyarov and his boss in Russia were granted visas. One to watch, with some far-reaching implications.
9:56:20 AM  #   your two cents []

This is a very good site -- check it out, fun to play around with the services  if you have a blog or are a fan of them: Technorati: How'm I doin'?. Technorati: a suite of services for making sense of your blog's position in the Internetverse, including googlejuice, googleshare, recent inbound links and so on. Link From Boing Boing Blog.
9:51:25 AM  #   your two cents []

What Makes Great Science Fiction? [Slashdot]
9:49:58 AM  #   your two cents []

Speaking Mind to Mind. Back in 1974, Ray Ozzie realized that the computer was a medium that enabled communication with people mind to mind, regardless of their physical well-being. [New York Times: Technology]
9:49:39 AM  #   your two cents []

Microsoft Antitrust Case in Europe Takes New Turn. A top European Commission official has left to join Microsoft, just weeks before he was due to give his opinion on the European antitrust lawsuit against the company.  [New York Times: Technology]
9:48:57 AM  #   your two cents []

A TV Talk Show With a Sales Twist. Scott Blum, one of the most brash of the dot-com entrepreneurs, who founded Buy.com, now has ambitions that extend far beyond running an online bargain bazaar. [New York Times: Technology]
9:48:33 AM  #   your two cents []

Linux future scales out. Opportunities exist as distributed environments unfold [InfoWorld: Top News]
9:48:05 AM  #   your two cents []

Ambrose Bierce. "Calamities are of two kinds: misfortunes to ourselves, and good fortune to others." [Quotes of the Day]
9:47:18 AM  #   your two cents []