Overuse of technology patents could make things stupid[er]
Oct 08, 2001
Okay, now this worries me. It isn’t quite the same issue as micropayments, but the end result could be the same (or worse, if both were implemented and the cost passed on to the web surfer.)
I would really loathe to go surfing on some web site that used a patented technology, only to be told that I’d have to pay to read their site — not because they were charging for their content, but because they were using patented technology. G-r-e-a-t, just positively great.
Basically, what this says is that creators of new Web technologies would be able to patent their creations and then charge royalties for use of said technologies. That could mean that a complete newbie who only wants to post their family photos on the web to let family and friends share the memories could be setting the visitors up for a shock — depending on how the prices would be passed on and how much patented tech is used, a potentially very rude shock. It could suddenly become very important to know what runs your web site.
Keywords: | technology | patents |
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Myth, fear, and habit: they put people in power, they can take people out
Oct 07, 2001
Yep, the bombs have started falling in Afghanistan.
Everything spirals out of control, and often it seems like whatever we do (unless it’s something really fucking huge and pathetically selfish like flying jumbo jets into crowded office buildings or killing people who dress differently because “I’m a patriot”)
On the one hand, Bush told the Taliban, give up bin Laden. Stop harboring him.
OTOH, the Taliban asked to see evidence that bin Laden was the instigator of the 11 September attacks against the U.S., and that they didn’t want to hand him over without seeing that evidence. (This ties into Muslim codes of conduct, which make a host responsible for the safety of his guest, up to and including not allowing third parties to forcibly remove the guest from the host’s protection — I don’t understand all the nuances, but that’s the basic gist. Asking to see the evidence doesn’t seem all that unreasonable.)
And on to the third hand, the U.S. gave the Taliban — what, two weeks? — and was talking with the Taliban through the Pakistani diplomats.
OTOH, the U.S. did state that they would not negotiate. This seems like a rather bullying stance to take, even in light of the horrific attacks that happened in New York and Maryland.
It seems that the only way that I can be is to keep living my life like the kind of person I want to be: dealing honestly and forthrightly, showing civility and courtesy even towards people that I don’t know, and also towards those that I really personally respect much (and that one isn’t easy, I don’t always live up to my own standards.)
But it seems that being the kind of person that I admire, that trying to lead by example, doesn’t do anything but get me branded unpatriotic, seditious, and an arrogant bitch.
Some days, some hours, there doesn’t seem to be a place in this world for people who want to strive for fairness all around, who want to be honourable in all situations, who want to see the guilty punished but ONLY the guilty, and don’t accept the idea of ‘collateral damage’.
Keywords: | philosophy | nationalism | international policy |
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That'll be $130 for the bottled water.
Sep 25, 2001
Starbuck’s really is getting self-aggrandising. Nasty and unthinking, too — a bit thick between the ears all the way up the corporate chain, it would seem. (Thanks to So Blue It’s Black for the link.)
If you’re in Canada and really need that blended drink, go to Blenz (a Canadian company). If you’re in the states, I don’t know where you can go, but find a substitute.
And I find it interesting that a two decades after Ronald Reagan’s famed “War on Drugs”, there are kiosks on nearly every streetcorner in urban areas, dispensing drugs to all and sundry. Now -=there’s=- irony for you.
And I’m a happy little addict.
Keywords: | public relations | marketing | idiocy |
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Think before you act and speak.
Sep 19, 2001
The events of 11 September in New York have made some people act foolish — ignorant — pathetic. Hate crimes against Arabic-ancestry people in both the US and Canada has peaked sharply. This is how folks respond to terrorism? By turning on their neighbours and attacking like mad dogs? They’re wrapping themselves in the flag, posturing sanctimoniously, and making me outright ashamed to be breathing the same air. I am not and have never been Polly Patriot, but I am proud to be an American (and a nascent Canadian/dual citizen.) But when people throw molotov cocktails at car dealerships, firebomb houses of worship, try and run semis off the road, jeer and belittle people who look like the enemy (chosen by the chief propagandists, remember, there still hasn’t been any hard evidence, only circumstantial)...I begin to wonder if there isn’t some planet somewhere that won’t accept immigration on the basis of sheer disgust.
But the idiocy isn’t everywhere. Lots of people are calling for calm, considered, rational action. Individuals all throughout the world are looking to counter anger with tolerance, respect, and love. Lots of web sites are speaking a common message: find and punish the ones who committed or knowingly allowed this act to be committed, but don’t take part in retaliatory wholesale slaughter and bullying.
The ideals of America — that by which, ostensibly, most citizens live — are tolerance and mutual respect. Using the flag and patriotism to justify hate crimes is as repugnant as radicals using the Quran to justify what happened to the thousands of people killed on 11 September on the east coast of the United States. Letting terrorist attacks destroy your ideals not only takes us further away from that which we aspire to, but it props up the arguments of people who would kill innocents. You’re living down to expectations.
Often during this crisis I have felt that no matter what I do, I can’t make a difference. All my talking about and urging tolerance and careful deliberation in finding the guilty parties doesn’t matter, because people are too angry to listen. AOL-Time Warner has a virtual monopoly on how America (and most of Canada) is seeing the events unfold (they are the parent company of CNN.) But seeing other messages of hope for tolerance makes me feel less isolated.
Speak up. Your messages of tolerance will be heard. They aren’t unseen. They aren’t ignored.
Maybe we can keep people from rushing headlong into madness and hatred after all.
(Side note: if I’m cute when I’m naive, that last statement must have made me look more syrupy-sweet adorable than any big-eyed doll-faced purple-haired anime cartoon heroine.)
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Stop and think; don't just react blindly.
Sep 11, 2001
KEEP IN MIND, people, before we all descend face-first into ravening stupidity, that this action, whomever it was taken by, was not taken with the consent — bloody hell, even with the -=KNOWLEDGE=- — of all members of any ethnic, cultural, or national group.
So save your hatred and vituperation for the folks that actually deserve it. Don’t go alienating people at random.
Otherwise, you’re no better than the dogfuckers who perpetrated this morning’s little surprise. And the Power will spit on your heart and cast you into the realm of everlasting darkness. And I’ll host a party to dance on your grave.
Me? Vituperative? Where did you get that idea?!??
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(and if we did, they'd just erase all references to it anyway)
Aug 18, 2001
Human beings get some crazy ideas into their heads. The one about “If they don’t see it as children, it will never hurt them” is probably The Devil’s personal favourite. Childhood is the period where we learn how to tell right from wrong. We learn by seeing bad as well as good. Otherwise, you end up with a child with a lopsided impression of “what is good” — and the first time they run up against something truly insidious, they may not recognise it and it’ll suck them right in.
...but before I get off on a rant, visit the Banned Books Project. Participate. When Banned Books Week rolls around on 22-29 September, mark the occasion by reading a banned book to a child. Walk through the book with them. Help them get the lessons, the learning, and the enjoyment out of the book. And explain to them why banning books is no good thing.
Another good site to visit is the sardonic-but-serious L.A.C.K. for information about the latest book bannings and challenges going on in your area.
Keywords: | thought control | censorship | books |
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