:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::

:: 9.30.2003 ::

:: MIT's OpenCourseWare ::

From /.:
500 Courses Now Available

"As promised, MIT has finally released 500 courses worth of lecture notes, syllabi, and exams to provide a 'free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around the world.' Take a look (and maybe a test or two) at MIT's OCW site."

Here is my interview with someone from the MIT OpenCourseWare program.

posted by me

:: 9:43:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: "Justice Dept. Probes Leak of CIA Agent's Identity" ::

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it had opened a criminal investigation into the leak of a CIA official's identity in a case that could revive charges the White House overstated pre-war intelligence on Iraqi weapons.

Justice Department lawyers notified the White House counsel's office on Monday night that they had begun a probe into "possible unauthorized disclosures concerning the identity of an undercover CIA employee," according to a memo sent to White House staff by counsel Alberto Gonzales.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said the Justice Department requested the White House preserve all documents that might be relevant and that a similar request was made of the CIA.

Revealing classified information is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

posted by me

:: 9:29:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Another aohell poll ::

How confident are you Bush can revive the economy?
Not at all 62%
Very 25%
Somewhat 14%

posted by me

:: 9:10:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Furthermore ::

From Wired:

Passage: Elia Kazan, 94
02:00 AM Sep. 29, 2003 PT Director Elia Kazan, whose triumphs included the original Broadway productions of Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire, and the film On the Waterfront, died Sunday. Five of the plays he staged won Pulitzer Prizes for their authors and he received Oscars for directing A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and the film version of Streetcar, East of Eden, and Splendor in the Grass. Kazan's stature was diminished in some people's eyes by his naming of people he said had been members of the Communist Party during the MaCarthy era. When Kazan received a special Academy Award for his life work in 1999, it reopened wounds and touched off a painful controversy.

posted by me

:: 11:05:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: So Weird ::

From Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird:
Science on the Edge

In August, scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division, traveling by boat on a research mission to attach satellite-tracking devices to whales to study their habitats, managed to capture what they believe is a historical first photo: the water pattern that results from the bubble when a huge whale releases flatulence. Said researcher Nick Gales, "We got away from the bow of the ship very quickly. (I)t does stink." [News.com.au (The Australian), 8-14-03]

Scientists working out of the Lawn Hill (Queensland) National Park in Australia announced in June that they had found a male Lavarack's turtle, which was thought to be extinct but has apparently survived relatively unchanged for thousands of years. The turtle's primary distinction is that its sex organs and its breathing apparatus are located in the anus. [The Australian, 6-13- 03]

Awesome: In August, surgeons in Beijing successfully removed a year-old baby's third leg, which was growing in her back and was actually her undeveloped twin's leg. And in June, a 26-year-old woman gave birth to a baby girl with one body and two heads at the Abu al-Reesh hospital in Cairo, Egypt. And in Rensselaer County, N.Y., two unrelated groups of girls out hiking discovered a turtle with two heads (Poestenkill, N.Y., May) and a frog with no eyes (Raymertown, N.Y., July). [St. Petersburg Times-AP, 8-8-03] [South African Press Association-Deutsche-Presse Agentur, 6-13- 03] [Associated Press, 7-22-03]

Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679 or WeirdNews@earthlink.net

posted by me

:: 10:04:00 AM [+] ::
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:: "EBay thief reveals tricks of the trade" ::

‘Kenneth’ and friends claim $2 million stolen from Net users
By Bob Sullivan, MSNBC

He contacted me to brag, this e-mailer named Kenneth. Said he had seen a story I’d done called “True confessions of an eBay criminal,” about a 15-year old who managed to steal a few thousand dollars online. And Kenneth was offended. “He’s an insult to each and every one of us scam artists,” Kenneth wrote. “I could tell you stories.” And so he did. Kenneth claims he’s spent the past two years as one of eBay’s most notorious scammers. Here’s how he does it.

posted by me

:: 9:56:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: "No Fly Zone" ::

From Wired News:
Congress Puts Brakes on CAPPS II
Lawmakers ground plan for an airline passenger-screening system until the General Accounting Office certifies its effectiveness and assures safeguards for innocent passengers. By Ryan Singel.

posted by me

:: 11:22:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: P2P update ::

From CNET News.com:
Librarians to P2P critics: Shhh!
By Declan McCullagh

In a hotly contested lawsuit before a federal appeals court, two peer-to-peer companies are about to gain a vast army of allies: America's librarians.

The five major U.S. library associations are planning to file a legal brief Friday siding with Streamcast Networks and Grokster in the California suit, brought by the major record labels and Hollywood studios. The development could complicate the Recording Industry Association of America's efforts to portray file-swapping services as rife with spam and illegal pornography.

According to an attorney who has seen the document, the brief argues that Streamcast--distributor of the Morpheus software--and Grokster should not be shut down. It asks the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the April decision by a Los Angeles judge that dismissed much of the entertainment industry's suit against the two peer-to-peer companies.

ALSO fro CNET News.com...
The latest in the SPAM wars:
Attacks prompt shutdown of antispam lists
A Reuters report

Three Web sites that provide spam-blocking lists have been forced offline as a result of crippling Internet attacks in what experts say is an escalation in the war between spammers and opponents of unsolicited e-mails.

Antispam experts said Thursday that they believe spammers are behind the attacks, although they have no way of proving it.

The technological war comes as Congress considers a federal antispam law and California adopts what is widely considered to be the toughest such law in the country. The California law, signed Tuesday, allows people to sue spammers for $1,000 per unsolicited e-mail and up to $1 million for a spam campaign.

"This definitely marks an escalation in the spam wars," Andrew Barrett, executive director of the Spamcon Foundation, a spam watchdog group, said of the recent Internet attacks on lists used to block spam. "Before, it was a guerrilla war...This is the first time we've seen (spammers) employ such brazen tactics."

posted by me

:: 11:14:00 AM [+] ::
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:: "Maryland: E-Voting Passes Muster" ::

From Wired:
A new report says the Diebold electronic voting system is "at high risk of compromise," but state officials are confident the machines will be ready for next year's elections. By Kim Zetter.

ALSO from Wired:
Pentagon Spy Office to Close

A joint congressional panel will shut down the Pentagon office that was developing a vast terrorism surveillance system and prohibit the spying tools to be used against Americans on U.S. soil. Other agencies can use the tech for foreign intelligence.

Toward a Weblogging Empire

Jason Calacanis was last seen as the editor of the Silicon Alley Reporter. Now he's resurfacing as the would-be czar of a weblogging clearinghouse. But is there any money in it? By Daniel Terdiman.

The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Saying that the music industry is ripping off its file-sharing software to track down music pirates, Kazaa is suing for copyright infringement.

posted by me

:: 12:42:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: e-Waste ::

From CNET NEWS.com:
Calif. governor to sign bill
By Jonathan Skillings

California Gov. Gray Davis on Thursday plans to sign a bill that would impose fees on computer monitors and television sets to fund recycling efforts, a first in the United States.

The Electronic Waste Recycling Act, a second go-round by State Sen. Byron Sher (D-Stanford), addresses the presence of certain chemicals used in devices such as computer monitors and television sets. Substances including mercury, lead and brominated flame retardants, though not harmful while the device is in use, are thought to be hazardous to individuals and the environment if the gear is improperly disposed of.

The bill, which imposes a point-of-sale fee of $6 to $10 per device, is set to go into effect July 1, 2004. The size and nature of such fees has been a major sticking point in discussions among manufacturers, environmental groups and government agencies over the last several years.

posted by me

:: 12:22:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Quote for the moment ::

(Before the American Revolution,)"there was a king named George who had forgotten his own people in favor of special interests." -Howard Dean in comments at Boston's Copley Square, from a NY Times report.

"What's at stake in this election is democracy itself," he said. "James Madison and Thomas Jefferson spoke of the fear that economic power would one day seize political power. That fear has been realized in this administration."

ALSO: Dr. Dean used the language of the Constitution's preamble to condemn the president's record on court appointments, race, education, domestic security and the war on terrorism. "This democracy and the flag of the United States," he then said, "do not belong to Rush Limbaugh and Jerry Falwell and Tom DeLay and John Ashcroft and Dick Cheney."

posted by me

:: 9:50:00 AM [+] ::
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:: The Lies About Iraq ::

BBC was determined not to buckle over Iraq report
By Katherine Baldwin, MSNBC
LONDON, Sept. 24 — The chairman of the BBC told on Wednesday of his determination not to succumb to pressure from the British government to retract a disputed report on Iraq during a Titanic struggle that led to the suicide of a weapons expert.

Gavyn Davies, chairman of the BBC's governors, said he urged his fellow board members to stand by the report -- which questioned the case Prime Minister Tony Blair made for the Iraq war -- on the basis that BBC executives trusted their reporter's story to be correct.

Davies' evidence, given to the inquiry into the expert's death, comes after the explicit diaries of Blair's media chief Alastair Campbell revealed this week the government's fury over the BBC report and its obsession with discrediting it by outing the source, Iraq weapons expert David Kelly.

Kelly killed himself shortly after being named as the source for the report, which claimed the government had ''sexed up'' evidence of Iraq's banned weapons to justify war to a sceptical public. His death, the inquiry and the failure to find any such weapons in Iraq has plunged Blair into the worst political crisis of his six-year tenure.

Lord Hutton, chairing the inquiry, has said no one will be immune from criticism in his final report. The inquiry, to which Blair has given evidence, has put the government's case for war under intense scrutiny and raised questions over its handling of Kelly.

posted by me

:: 9:37:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: RE George ::

From The Guardian UK:
What the papers say
Press reaction to George Bush's speech at the United Nations general assembly

Steven R Weisman, New York Times (9.23.03)
The audience of world leaders seemed to perceive an American president weakened by plunging approval ratings at home, facing a tough security situation in Iraq where American soldiers are dying every week, and confronted by the beginnings of a revolt against the American timetable for self-rule by several Iraqi leaders installed by the United States. Nor did they seem eager to help. If anything, they appeared more sceptical than ever of Mr Bush's assertions. Audience Unmoved During Bush's Address at the UN

posted by me

:: 9:28:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Chuck's "Guts" ::

Chuck Palahniuk Knocks 'Em Out Without a Punch
by Bridget Kinsella, PW Daily for Booksellers -- 9/11/2003

There are stories that make you cry. Others that leave you breathless. Some might even give you nightmares. But the short story Chuck Palahniuk is reading aloud on tour to promote his latest novel, Diary (Doubleday), is making people faint. That's right, people literally have been rendered unconscious by the mere power of words.

ALSO:
Palahniuk reads story, people faint
By JONATHAN CHECK

The mood quickly changed from giddy excitement to collective shock, as Palahniuk launched into the unpublished short story "Guts." As he read his tale of masturbation, intestines and pool filters (use your imagination) in an unwavering voice, audience members groaned, squirmed and laughed nervously at the subject matter.

At least four people fainted.

posted by me

:: 10:45:00 PM [+] ::
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:: So Weird ::

From Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird:

Making History Pay Off
Egyptian law scholar Nabel Hilmi told a weekly newspaper in Cairo in August that he and other Switzerland-based expatriates are preparing a lawsuit against "all the Jews in the world" for the "trillions of tons" of gold and jewelry that Jews swiped during their exodus from Egypt in the time of the Pharoahs. Also in August, a 14th-generation descendant of Montezuma asked the Mexican government to reinstate the long-dormant pensions the king of Spain agreed in 1550 to pay the descendants for the appropriation of Aztecs' land. [The Forward-Al-ahram Al-Arabi, 8-9-03] [BBC News, 8-22-03]

Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679 or WeirdNews@earthlink.net

posted by me

:: 10:40:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "Media Notes" ::

Swept Away by the Hype
By Howard Kurtz
The Washington Post

Why do they do it?

I'm sitting here, perfectly dry in my study, watching otherwise smart and rational journalists standing in the pouring rain and hurricane-strength winds to bring us the latest "news."

Whether it's Brian Williams or Ashleigh Banfield or hordes of local reporters being buffeted by the elements, you have to wonder whether there isn't a circus element to this storm coverage. Whether television couldn't impart the same information from climate-controlled studios or even from behind the windows of a safe building in North Carolina or Virginia.

posted by me

:: 10:42:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Your tales of Isabel ::

From BBC News:
Hurricane Isabel: Your experiences

Tens of thousands of people have been leaving their homes along a large expanse of the US east coast as Hurricane Isabel closes in.

The storm, at one point a rare maximum Category Five hurricane, has weakened, but its top wind speeds are gusting at around 168 kilometres per hour (105 mph).

A state of emergency has been declared in Maryland and Virginia, as well as in North Carolina - where Isabel is forecast to make landfall on Thursday.

The storm is expected to track north heading straight for Washington DC and on into New England, bringing heavy rains in its wake.

Are you in the path of the hurricane? Have you ever experienced a hurricane before? Tell us your stories.

posted by me

:: 11:19:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Praise for the phage ::

"(Bacteriophages) eat drug-resistant bacteria for breakfast."

How Soviet Viruses May Save Us
Wanton use of antibiotics has led to new generations of superbugs, and doctors are losing the war against runaway drug-resistant bacteria. The new secret weapon: phages. By Richard Martin of Wired magazine.

posted by me

:: 11:00:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Online Music updates ::

From Wired News:

Senator Takes a Swing at RIAA
By Katie Dean

A Kansas senator introduced legislation Tuesday that could deal a blow to the music industry in its ongoing battle with file-sharing fans.

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) introduced the Consumers, Schools, and Libraries Digital Rights Management Awareness Act of 2003, a bill that addresses two hot topics in the digital realm: privacy and digital rights management.

The legislation would require owners of digital media to file a John Doe lawsuit to obtain the identifying information of an Internet user, rather than simply requesting a subpoena.

Currently, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act permits copyright holders to subpoena an Internet service provider for the name and address of a person they believe is violating a copyright. The one-page subpoena request can be issued by a court clerk and doesn't require a judge's signature.

ALSO:
RIAA Tactics Under Scrutiny
Is forcing an Internet service provider to turn over the names of suspected music pirates constitutional? An appeals court is challenging the RIAA to demonstrate that it is.

posted by me

:: 11:24:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Dubya's resume ::

[Sent to me in an e-mail from my friend Dale.]

>George W. Bush

>The White House, USA

>Past Work Experience

>I ran for U.S. Congress and lost.

>I produced a Hollywood slasher B movie.

>I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas; the company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

>I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.

>With my father's help and name, I was elected Governor of Texas.

>Accomplishments as Governor

>I changed pollution laws in favor of the power and oil companies and made Texas the most polluted state in the Union.

>I replaced Los Angeles with Houston as the most smog-ridden city in America.

>I cut taxes and bankrupted Texas government to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

>I set the record for the most executions by any Governor in American history.

>I became U.S. President after losing the popular vote by over 500,000 votes with the help of major Enron money and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court.

>Accomplishments as President

>I attacked and overtook two countries.

>I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

>I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

>I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

>I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.

>My record for environmental issues is the least of my concerns.

>I am the first president in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

>I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one year period.

>After taking-off the entire month of August, I then presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

>I am supporting development of a "Tactical Bunker Buster" nuke, a WMD.

>I am getting our troops killed, under the lie of Saddam's procurement of Yellow Cake Nuke WMD components, then blaming the lie on our British friends.

>I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S.

>president.

>In my first year in office over 2-million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

>I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

>I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any president in U.S. history.

>I set the record for least amount of press conferences than any president since the advent of television.

>I signed more laws and executive orders effectively amending or ignoring the Constitution than any president in history.

>I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

>I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history and refused to use national reserves as past presidents have done.

>I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families -- in war time.

>I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people) shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.

>I've dissolved more international treaties than any president in U.S. history.

>I've made my presidency the most secretive and unaccountable of any in U.S. history.

>I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history.

>My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

>I am the first president in U.S. history to have almost all 50 states of the Union simultaneously suffer massive financial crisis.

>I presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud of any market in any country in history.

>I am the first president in U.S. history to order a pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation, and I did so against the will of the United Nations and the world community.

>I created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States.

>I set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any president in history.

>I am the first president in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

>I am the first president in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Elections Monitoring Board.

>I removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in U.S. history.


>I rendered the entire United Nations viewpoints irrelevant.

>I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

>I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. "prisoners of war"

(detainees) and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

>I am the first president in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).

>I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

>My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of Enron Corporation) presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. history. My political party used the Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

>I have spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in U.S. history.

>I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most resented country in the world, possibly the largest failure of diplomacy in World history.

>I am actively working on a policy of "disengagement" creating the most hostile of Israel-Palestine relations in at least 30 years.

>I am first president in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

>I am the first U.S. president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the U.S. than by their immediate neighbor, North Korea.

>I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

>I set an all-time record for the number of administration appointees who violated U.S. law by not selling their huge personal investments in corporations bidding for U.S. contracts.

>I failed to fulfill my pledge to capture Osama Bin Laden, dead or alive.
>I failed to capture the anthrax killer who tried to murder the leaders of our country at the U.S. Capitol Building. Even after 18 months I have no leads and no credible suspects.

>In the past 18 months following the World Trade Center attack I have successfully prevented any public investigation into the biggest security failure in the history of the United States.

>I removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any president in U.S. history.

>In a little over two years, I created the most divided country in

>decades, possibly the most divided since the Civil War.

>I entered my office with the strongest economy in U.S. history and have turned every single economic category downward -- all in less than two years.

>Records and References:

>I have at least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine. My Texas driving record has been erased and is not available.

>I was AWOL from the National Guard

>I refuse to take a drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.

>All records of my tenure as Governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed, and unavailable for public view.

>All records of SEC investigations into insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

>All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

>~ Please consider my experience when voting in 2004. ~

>Send this to every voter you know.

>

> ...And Clinton was a bad president because?

> posted by me

:: 1:18:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: FYC (for your consideration) ::

WHY DON'T WE HAVE ANSWERS TO THESE 9/11 QUESTIONS?
By WILLIAM BUNCH
(bunchw@phillynews.com)

NO EVENT IN recent history has been written about, talked about, or watched and rewatched as much as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 - two years ago today.

Not only was it the deadliest terrorist strike inside America, but the hijackings and attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington were also a seminal event for an information-soaked media age of Internet access and 24- hour news.

So, why after 730 days do we know so little about what really happened that day?

posted by me

:: 1:12:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: /. ::

Justice Dept. Proud of Patriot Act Slippery Slope

"Yahoo News is reporting that the DoJ has been using its increased powers under the US PATRIOT Act to pursue common criminals. DoJ Officials have been holding seminars on how to use increased wiretap powers against (non-terrorist) money launderers and drug dealers. One example in the article is the guy running a meth lab who's now up for a life sentence for 'manufacturing chemical weapons' instead of the much shorter sentence he would have been facing under the current drug laws. Wonderful, huh? Who didn't see this coming? Of course, you're a law-abiding citizen, so you have nothing to worry about, right?" Patriot Act II will allow any Federal agent to demand records from anyone who interacts with you, with no judicial oversight whatsoever.

posted by me

:: 11:44:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: So Weird ::

KY Police Call In Ghostbusters
An AP Report

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. - Stymied by mysterious sights and sounds in their own headquarters, cops in Shelbyville called in the ghostbusters.

In the still of night, doors rattled and stairwells creaked in the city's police department. In the light of day, a secretary's desk drawer opened on its own. A city worker who toured the building late one night even reported feeling something grab her leg.

So the police took the probe to another dimension.

``The way I treat it is not that there is a ghost, there's just things that I can't explain,'' said Officer John Wilson, who contacted the Scientific Investigative Ghost Hunting Team, based in Louisville.

The team of professional paranormal investigators gave the brick building a preliminary review and will return this fall for a thorough probe. The group will set up cameras and tape recorders as well as infrared thermometers to capture any temperature variations.

The goal is to try to prove the strange occurrences aren't caused by paranormal forces, said Kay Owen, vice president of the nonprofit ghost hunting team, which doesn't charge for its services.

``We'll go in and try to recreate everything that they are experiencing,'' she said. ``If they can recreate it, it's not paranormal. It can be explained. It's a process of elimination.''

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.

posted by me

:: 11:32:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Barry Gets After the Telemarketers! Yes! ::

Ask not what telemarketers can do to you
By DAVE BARRY

Excerpt:
I'm just thinking out loud here. I'm sure you have a better idea for how we can resolve our differences with the telemarketing industry. If you do, call me. No, wait, I have a better idea: Call the American Teleservices Association, toll-free, at 1-877-779-3974, and tell them what you think. I'm sure they'd love to hear your constitutionally protected views! Be sure to wipe your mouthpiece afterward.

UPDATE:
Barry's column made the news!
Here's an AP report:

Tables Turned on Telemarketers

MIAMI (Sept. 12) - Telemarketers are now screening their calls, instead of the other way around.

The American Teleservices Association isn't laughing at Dave Barry, not after the Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for The Miami Herald listed the group's telephone number in his Aug. 31 column and sparked a flood of phone calls to the group's offices.

Barry told his readers to call and ''tell them what you think.''

''I'm sure they'd love to hear your constitutionally protected views! Be sure to wipe your mouthpiece afterward,'' Barry wrote.

Thousands of Barry's readers have done as they were told, forcing the association to stop answering its phones. Callers now hear a recording, which says that because of ''overwhelming positive response to recent media events, we are unable to take your call at this time.''

''It's difficult not to see some malice in Mr. Barry's intent,'' said Tim Searcy, executive director of the ATA, who said the added calls will be costly to his group because of toll charges and staffing issues.

Barry hardly sounded apologetic.

''I feel just terrible, especially if they were eating or anything,'' he said. ''They have phones like the rest of us have phones. Their attitude seems to be if you have a phone, people are allowed to call you.''

ATA officials have said about 2 million of the 6.5 million people working at telemarketing call centers across the nation will lose their jobs because of the rules that established the nationwide ''Do Not Call'' list.

Barry also attacked that logic in the same column.

''Of course, you could use pretty much the same reasoning to argue that laws against mugging cause unemployment among muggers,'' he wrote. ''But that would be unfair. Muggers rarely intrude into your home.''

Barry's column is syndicated to about 500 newspapers across the country.
AP-NY-09-11-03 1321EDT. Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.

posted by me, Dave's fan =)

:: 4:30:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: "Why Ecstasy Researcher Is Smiling" ::

From Wired:
Johns Hopkins scientists have retracted their research on the dangers of ecstasy. That could prove helpful to a rival researcher eager to study the drug's therapeutic effects. By Kristen Philipkoski.

posted by me

:: 4:05:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Another aohell poll ::

How would you describe your health care costs?

OUTRAGEOUS: 71% (463,235)
ACCEPTABLE: 21% (138,082)
A GOOD VALUE: 7% (648,379)

posted by me

:: 8:54:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: FYC (For your consideration) ::

Technology and media ownership
CNET News.com's Declan McCullagh talks with FCC Commissioner Michael Powell about how new technologies are changing current assumptions about federal rules governing the media.

posted by me

:: 12:11:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Online music update ::

From CNET News.com:
RIAA sues 261 file swappers
By John Borland

The Recording Industry Association of America said it has filed 261 lawsuits against alleged file swappers Monday, charging the computer users with "egregious" copyright infringement potentially worth millions of dollars.

posted by me

:: 12:08:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: News of the Penguin ::

From vnuet.com:
Users set to ignore SCO's Linux threat
By Peter Williams

Linux users are refusing to bow to continued pressure from SCO to buy a UnixWare licence, despite its unpopular decision to bill 1,000 companies in the next two months.

SCO says it will begin legal action against those that do not pay, but most industry watchers think it unlikely the company will carry through its threat. They believe users will largely ignore SCO's claims completely, or at least wait until the IBM dispute is settled.

posted by me

:: 11:37:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: On the run ::

'Homeless hacker' may surrender to FBI
By Declan McCullagh
CNET News.com
Adrian Lamo, the so-called homeless hacker who claims responsibility for a series of high-profile electronic intrusions over the last two years, is negotiating with the FBI to surrender over criminal charges.

(In an incident confirmed by New York Times Digital), Lamo was able to view employee records, including Social Security numbers. He was also able to access the contact information for the paper's sources and columnists, including such well-known contributors as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former Marine Col. Oliver North and hip-hop artist Queen Latifah.

Lamo also claims to be responsible for intrusions into systems at MCI WorldCom in December 2001, Microsoft in October 2001, Yahoo in September 2001, and Excite@Home in May 2001. When he entered Yahoo's system, Lamo found he was able to alter news articles on the company's site.

Many, if not all, of these intrusions appear to violate the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which calls for punishment of anyone who "intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access" with fines and between one and five years in prison, depending on the charges.

In addition to these intrusions, Lamo is known for his homeless-hacker lifestyle. He has no fixed address, and instead wanders around the United States on Greyhound buses, sleeping on friends' couches and, when necessary, staying in vacant or derelict buildings. Especially now that he knows the FBI is after him, Lamo said: "I'm in constant motion. Like Saddam Hussein, no two nights in one place."

posted by me

:: 11:30:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Bush bashing: Tis the season! ::

From an aohell poll, 9.5.03 @ 6:23pm EST

How would you rate Bush & the economy?

Good: 23%
Fair: 26%
Poor: 50%

Every once in a while, tis nice to be in the majority!

posted by me

:: 5:33:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "Quote Marks" ::

From Wired:
"Air travel was always an ordeal, but now 'gate-rape' is part of the American air traveler's lexicon."
— Computer security consultant Richard Forno gripes about increasing electronic surveillance and data mining of Americans.

posted by me

:: 11:23:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Online music update ::

From vnunet.com:
Google sucked into RIAA/P2P fight
By Dinah Greek
Search firm removes links to certain P2P sites following complaint from Kazaa creators

posted by me

:: 11:20:00 AM [+] ::
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