Kelly Clarkson may have won the "American Idol" contest, and she may go on to be a huge star, but as this Salon article points out, her career may not be her own. Here is an excerpt from the contract that all American Idol contestants where required to sign.

"... I hereby grant to Producer the unconditional right throughout the universe in perpetuity to use, simulate or portray (and to authorize others to do so) or to refrain from using, simulating or portraying, my name, likeness (whether photographic or otherwise), voice, singing voice, personality, personal identification or personal experiences, my life story, biographical data, incidents, situations and events which heretofore occurred or hereafter occur, including without limitation the right to use, or to authorize others to use any of the foregoing in or in connection with the Series ...

I imagine that if Satan himself where to write a contract, it might sound something like that. I particularly like the phrase "throughout the universe in perpetuity." I will have to find an opportunity to use that phrase in the future.
5:09:49 PM    

And while I'm on the topic of Linux for the desktop, check out the release of Lindows 2.0.0 screenshots [here]. Very impressive to say the least. However, looks aren't everything. Mac OS X looks better than Windows and it still hasn't gained any market share. Windows XP is the ugliest desktop I've seen in a long time. It's even uglier than FVWM straight out-of-the-box. What remains to be seen is can the newbie install software and fix things when they go wrong. I have a feeling these Windows clones built on Linux are still going to be lacking in the ease-of-use department. However, with the release of Mozilla and the help of StarOffice and Gnome/KDE, the Linux desktop has certainly improved.
4:52:32 PM    

GlobalSecurity released satellite images of the U.S. airbase at Al Udeid, Qatar last month. Recently, they have posted new images showing the Tuwaitha nuclear complex south of Bagdad. Wired has an article about how this is affecting global politics. Personally, I think it is great that this type of technology is now in the hands of the general public and not just in the hands of top secret government agencies.

"Putting up this imagery changes the turf upon which the debate over war is being carried," Chris Simpson, an American University communications professor, said. "Now it's possible for ordinary people to have a more sophisticated view of what's taking place. "It makes the whole debate clearer and more factual. It's more specific than Bush saying, 'You have chemical weapons,' and the Iraqis saying, 'No we don't.'"

Overall, this seems like a good idea. When average people have access to this type of information, in principle, it should allow democracy to work more effectively.
10:45:25 AM