Thursday, August 21, 2003

Boy do I know about flashing my headlights!  Back in April, I not only got a ticket but 2 court appearances!  What a debacle and a lesson in keeping my mouth shut. This article http://wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=9953 is a must read for anyone who thinks that free speech via headlights will not go unpunished. And it's why I'm writing. You see, I thought flashing my lights was our inalienable right.  But no, it's just a signal to the oncoming police car to PULL ME OVER!  And to think that I thought it was fair to give a warning to a pod of cars coming my direction that they should watch their speed.  No, that's not legal!  You see, one of those cars was an unmarked police car.  Well, I thought something was fishy when this unmarked police car hung a U and sat behind me at the light. After the green light turned it was 1/2 second before he hit the lights. ARE YOU KIDDING???  Really I was amazed that there was such a law. The officer informed me that yes, there is such a law but after visiting his vehicle for a long session on the radio, seemed was a bit surprised too when it turned out that it required a court appearance.  No $25 ticket for me today. Well, not to let an opportunity go to waste, I opened my big fat mouth to the judge explaining that it was my headlights, not any extraneous lights flashing on my car.  You see, I had read the state law but didn't bother to read the city statute.  I was digging a hole.  To this he said, "your next appearance will be on May 19" or something like that.  Realizing my complete lack of control over this situation, I tried to plead no contest urgently but he just looked at me and said "take a seat in the jury box".  ARGH Ok, well now I get another court appearance and the joy of engaging my attorney for the sole purpose of helping me keep my mouth shut, coaching me to say "yes, your honor".  Well, I was thrown to the mercy of the court and they dismissed it thankfully.  However, it still cost me a whole lot more than if I had just said "I'm SO GUILTY"! I've learned to pick my fights... but it's still a dirty little law. 6:37:51 PM

Sobig F BBC: "Sobig F had been written by a spammer looking for ways to get past spam filters." [Scripting News] How does Sobig work?  http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/geekroom/2003/08/19#a45 12:15:20 PM

Mail Servers The Sobig virus is affecting mail servers across the board today.  You'll likely have periods of downtime as administrators are dealing with prevention issues. 12:11:17 PM