Passport Chip Criticism

It looks as if more people are raising concerns about the US government's intent to place RFID chips in Passports issued later this year. Wired's article talks once again on the dangers of such a system to the public, and the governments down playing of the problems.

Wired: Passport Chip Criticism Grows

Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up'

Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up'. That is the headline in the Guardian and the BBC.

· Because of human demand for food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel, more land has been claimed for agriculture in the last 60 years than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined.

· An estimated 24% of the Earth's land surface is now cultivated.

· Water withdrawals from lakes and rivers has doubled in the last 40 years. Humans now use between 40% and 50% of all available freshwater running off the land.

· At least a quarter of all fish stocks are over harvested. In some areas, the catch is now less than a hundredth of that before industrial fishing.

· Since 1980, about 35% of mangroves have been lost, 20% of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and another 20% badly degraded.

· Deforestation and other changes could increase the risks of malaria and cholera, and open the way for new and so far unknown disease to emerge.

None of these should be a real surprise a couple of years ago an other report showed that humans have changed 83% of all land.

The Human Footprint

Analysis of the human footprint map indicates that 83% of the land's surface is influenced by one or more of the following factors: human population density greater than 1 person per square kilometer, within 15 km of a road or major river, occupied by urban or agricultural land uses, within 2 km of a settlement or a railway, and/or producing enough light to be visible regularly to a satellite at night. 98% of the areas where it is possible to grow rice, wheat or maize (according to FAO estimates) are similarly influenced.

It's time that the people of the world face the fact that if we want to continue as a species we need to reallocate are resources and look to colonization of space. Because it looks like if we don't. Nature will hit the reset button and we won't be part of the new order.

MGM vs Grokster lawyers on C-span

C-span's Washington Journal had the lawyers in this case give a preview of their oral arguments.

Washington Journal Entire Program
Fred Von Lohmann, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Senior Staff Attorney
Theodore Olson, Representing Recording Industry & Motion Pictures Assn.
Briefs: MGM v Grokster | Grokster Amici
Robert Veatch, Georgetown University, Medical Ethics Professor
3/29/2005: WASHINGTON, DC: : C-SPAN

MGM vs Grokster

The New York Times has a good piece on this case also.

A Supreme Court Showdown for File Sharing

Supreme Court: MGM vs Grokster

Things just got more interesting in this P2P case going to the Supreme Court. Mark Cuban dot com Billionaire and owner of the Mavericks is throwing his support behind the defendents in the MPAA and RIAA lawsuit(MGM vs Grokster). He gives an explanation of his feeling off of his blog that is well worth a look.

Also check out BetaNews:
Supreme Court to Decide P2P Legality

Fallout from Schiavo Vote

Time Magazine Poll

Foxblocker

For those of you, who cannot stand Foxnews. This little gizmo will block it! The Foxblocker, will restore you sense of well being, by not allowing the channel on your TV. Buy now while supplies last. ;.)

Supreme Court Battle over P2P

On Tuesday March 29th a case, that I plan on following, starts in the Supreme Court dealing with the possible future of P2P networks. The real questions seems to be whether the court will reverse it's Betamax decision that created the home video market over the objection of the movie and record industries. At the time they argued pretty much the same thing as now, that these new technologies threaten them with illegal piracy. Like then and at every other point that these industries have faced new challenges, they have jumped to the wrong conclusions. Instead of adapting they are trying to kill it and dragged their feet in adoption, but even if they do win, they loses. By not adapting to what their customers want, and giving them poor substitutes. They are forcing their potential customers to illegal means. The industry has been living in a bubble, thinking that they can force people to their point of view. But this case could once again change what is constituted as "Fair Use".


Article in the Economist

Must have extension for Firefox

I installed the extension Spellbound a a few days ago and love it. For someone like me who is a terrible speller this is great. It will check for spelling errors in text fields in the Firefox browser. And I mush say that if you do alot of typing for blogs and other things live on the web this is a must have.

also see: Essential Firefox extensions at LifeHacker

Tricky Dick is at it again

Cheney Defends Bush Appointments in the Washington Post.

Vice President Cheney said yesterday that the elevation of White House loyalists and supporters of the Iraq war to key diplomatic posts puts the United States in a stronger position to force changes at the United Nations and improve the U.S. image abroad.

Get real. Does he really believe this dribble?

"If we are going to be successful long-term in the war on terror and in the broader objective of promoting freedom and democracy in that part of the world, we have to get the public diplomacy piece of it right," Cheney said. "Up until now, that has been a very weak part of our arsenal."

And appointing John Bolton to the UN and Paul Wolfowitz to the World Bank is showing the world we're serious on the diplomatic front? It's more of a comparison to throwing a live grenade into a room and bolting the doors.

Washington Post article

Water Wars in Asia?

Is this the harbinger of future "Water Wars" in Asia? article

John Edwards has a Podcast?

John Edwards is doing a podcast off of his web site One America Committee with his wife. I got a chuckle out of it for the image of him and his wife siting with the blanket of their 4 year old as a table cloth for their mike. I almost expected them to bring out the child and kiss him for the public! I do give him credit for trying a new medium to reach the public. But please stay away from the folksy imagery.

First podcast