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Monday, May 31, 2004
Slashdot | Review: Oritron NPD3117 Networked DVD Player
Slashdot | Review: Oritron NPD3117 Networked DVD Player
IT Manager's Journal | Why you might be an unwitting spammer
IT Manager's Journal | Why you might be an unwitting spammer
The New York Times > Magazine > Idea Lab: A Really Open Election
The New York Times > Magazine > Idea Lab: A Really Open Election
A Really Open Election
By CLIVE THOMPSON
Published: May 30, 2004
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Newscom
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his fall, as many as 20 percent of American voters will be able to cast their ballots on A.T.M.-style electronic voting machines. But to put it mildly, these machines -- where you simply touch a screen and a computer registers your vote -- have not inspired much confidence lately. North Carolina officials recently learned that a software glitch destroyed 436 e-ballots in early voting for the 2002 general election. In a Florida state election this past January, 134 votes apparently weren't recorded -- and this was in a race decided by a margin of only 12 votes. Since most of the machines don't leave any paper trail, there's no way to determine what actually happened. Most alarmingly, perhaps, California's secretary of state recently charged that Diebold -- the industry leader -- had installed uncertified voting machines and then misled state officials about it.
Electronic voting has much to offer, but will we ever be able to trust these buggy machines? Yes, we will -- but only if we adopt the techniques of the ''open source'' geeks.
One reason it's difficult to trust the voting software of companies like Diebold is that the source code remains a trade secret. A few federally approved software experts are allowed to examine the code and verify that it works as intended, and in some cases, states are allowed to keep a copy in escrow. But the public has no access, and this is troublesome. When the Diebold source code was accidentally posted online last year, a computer-science professor looked at it and found it was dangerously hackable. Diebold may have fixed its bugs, but since the firm won't share the code publicly, there's no way of knowing. Just trust us, the company says.
But is the counting of votes -- a fundamental of democracy -- something you want to take on faith? No, this problem requires a more definitive solution: ending the secrecy around the machines.
First off, the government should ditch the private-sector software makers. Then it should hire a crack team of programmers to write new code. Then -- and this is the crucial part -- it should put the source code online publicly, where anyone can critique or debug it. This honors the genius of the open-source movement. If you show something to a large enough group of critics, they'll notice (and find a way to remove) almost any possible flaw. If tens of thousands of programmers are scrutinizing the country's voting software, it's highly unlikely a serious bug will go uncaught. The government's programming team would then take the recommendations, incorporate them into an improved code and put that online, too. This is how the famous programmer Linus Torvalds developed his Linux operating system, and that's precisely why it's so rock solid -- while Microsoft's secretly developed operating systems, Linux proponents say, crash far more often and are easier to hack. Already, Australians have used the open-source strategy to build voting software for a state election, and it ran like a well-oiled Chevy. A group of civic-minded programmers known as the Open Voting Consortium has written its own open-source code.
But if our code were open, wouldn't cyberterrorists or other outlaws be able to locate flaws and possibly rig an election? Well, theoretically -- except that it's highly unlikely that they could spot an error that escaped thousands and thousands of scrutineers. Indeed, it may be far easier to infiltrate a private-sector company and tamper with its software. Diebold, after all, kept quiet about the bugs it found in its programs -- including one that subtracted more than 16,000 votes from Al Gore in a single Florida country during the initial vote counting in the 2000 election. Open-source enthusiasts, by contrast, are precisely the sort of people you'd like to see inspecting the voting code; they're often libertarian freaks, nuttily suspicious of centralized power, and they'd scream to the high heavens if they found anything wrong.
From the classification of documents to the refusal to name detainees, the Bush administration's actions show a high regard for secrecy. In essence, it's hiding its code, too. Inside such closed systems, nasty things can happen, as we're learning to our chagrin. Perhaps a blast of open-source candor is exactly what America needs right now.
Clive Thompson writes frequently for the magazine about science and technology.
Elaine Cassel: The Secrets of Surveillance
Elaine Cassel: The Secrets of Surveillance
Ashcroft, Snoops and Gag Orders
The Secrets of Surveillance
By ELAINE CASSEL
Everyone knows by now (or should) that the Patriot Act allows the FBI to conduct surveillance on Internet and email usage. Using so-called National Security Letters (NSLs), the FBI directs Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide passwords and identifying information that will allow the government to target people who are plotting terrorism or who are otherwise potentially dangerous to national security. I am sure that many of you reading this (and I, likely) have the government in our computers.
The same mechanism of NSLs is used to obtain information from librarians, health care providers, and business records of individuals and entities. The party from whom the government demands information is forbidden from telling the client that the FBI is being provided information. And the target of the investigation won't know about it until or if he or she is arrested for crime or detained without a charge (say, as a material witness).
Until now, we did not know much about how the government goes about this procedure. Now we do. Thanks to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New York in behalf of an unnamed ISP. The government has tried mightily to keep the entire suit under seal, but the federal judge has allowed the ACLU to release some information about the case.
Following is a report on the case, with some interesting heretofore unknown details. Never has the ACLU needed your financial support more. Clearly, it is the only thing standing between us and our fascist government. Read the briefs and supporting documents in the case.
"The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) yesterday released more information about the heavily censored legal challenge it is bringing against the government's use of a controversial provision of the USA PATRIOT Act that allows the FBI to obtain from businesses sensitive personal information about their clients. Among the documents unsealed today is a declaration by the ACLU's anonymous client in the case, the president and sole employee of an unnamed Internet Service Provider (ISP), referred to only as "John Doe." John Doe is prohibited by law from revealing his identity to the public, even as he confronts the federal government over the very section of the Patriot Act that forces him to remain anonymous.
In his statement, Doe explains that his business provides access to the Internet, email accounts and space on the Web where people can post their own sites or store electronic files. He says some of his clients "are individuals and political associations that engage in controversial political speech," and that some "communicate anonymously or pseudonymously," which allows them "to discuss embarrassing, sensitive or controversial subjects without fear of retaliation or reprisal."
Doe and the ACLU are asking the court to deem unconstitutional the government's use of National Security Letters (NSLs), which allow FBI agents to demand, with no judicial oversight, personal information about clients of Internet Service Providers.
"I believe that the government may be abusing its power by targeting people with unpopular views," Doe writes. "I am challenging the constitutionality of the NSL provision in an effort to protect all of my clients' interests."
In a memorandum to the court, the ACLU wrote that the statute allowing the broad use of National Security Letters gives the FBI "unchecked authority" to require businesses to reveal "a broad array of sensitive information, including information about the First Amendment activities of ordinary Americans who are not suspected of any wrongdoing."
The memorandum continues: "The statute does not require the FBI to seek judicial authorization before demanding the disclosure of sensitive information, and it does not specify any means by which a person served with an NSL can challenge the NSLs validity before complying with it. In other words, the FBI issues NSLs without judicial oversight of any kind."
ACLU lawyers and their client are also disputing a section of the law that prohibits an entity that receives a National Security Letter request for information from telling anyone about the request. Ironically, this gag order is the same rule that prohibits the ACLU and John Doe from talking about many aspects of their case.
The ACLU challenge of the National Security Letters and the gag rule has been wrapped in secrecy since it was filed in early April this year. The civil liberties organization has been locked in constant disagreements with the government over how much can be revealed about the case. The group was not even allowed to announce the existence of the suit for over two weeks, and even after negotiating the right to publicize the case, has been subject to numerous restrictions on the kinds of information it can disclose.
Numerous words, sentences and entire sections of the documents related to the suit, which are posted on the group's website, remain blacked out.
Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy Daniel Bryant defended the gag order last week at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, saying it prevents people from interrupting terrorism investigations. But critics say the secrecy rule is designed to keep the public in the dark about the government's invasion into people's constitutionally protected privacy.
"It is particularly troubling," writes ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero in a statement to the court, "that while the ACLU ... [has] been gagged from discussing the NSL power, President Bush and representatives of the FBI and Justice Department are engaged in a public campaign in support of the Patriot Act. The gag provision silences those who are most likely to oppose the Patriot Act. [We] believe we have the right to inform the public of a great deal of the information the gag is suppressing."
In filings with the court, Both Romero and Doe described the self-censorship they had been forced to engage in when asked by others about the National Security Letters in general or the case in particular.
"The government has now prohibited the disclosure of my name and my company's name in connection with the case," said Doe. "They have provided no further clarification about what I can and cannot say." He says that he has found it difficult to have normal conversations. "[I] used to discuss topics related to politics and current events, but now I feel wary when I communicate ... I have steered clear of numerous topics of conversation as I am afraid.... The gag has put me in a very compromising situation, as I do not want to be dishonest in my communications [words blacked out] but also do not want to violate the gag."
Romero said that not only is the gag order affecting how he and other staff at the ACLU can talk about the case, but it is having an impact on the broader activities of the organization, which has been actively engaged in educating and organizing against the Patriot Act since the law's inception in late 2001.
"[T]he scope of the gag in this case, and the refusal of the government to clarify what is prohibited, is intolerable," he writes. "The gag has severely disrupted our ordinary course of business... More importantly, the public and even members of Congress are denied non-sensitive information essential to public and legislative debate that is at the heart of democratic self-governance."
Elaine Cassel practices law in Virginia and the District of Columbia, teachers law and psychology, and follows the Bush regime's dismantling of the Constitution at Civil Liberties Watch. Her book, The War on Civil Liberties: How Bush and Ashcroft Have Dismantled the Bill of Rights, will be published by Lawrence Hill this summer. She can be reached at: ecassel1@cox.net
TheFeature :: California Gets Cellular Bill of Rights
TheFeature :: California Gets Cellular Bill of Rights
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Rosetta probe passes first tests
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Rosetta probe passes first tests
Slashdot | Programming For Terrified Adults?
Slashdot | Programming For Terrified Adults?: "When life gives you lemons, you CLONE those lemons, and make SUPER-LEMONS. -- Dr. Cinnamon Scudworth, Ph.D in the Mad Sc"
Slashdot | Programming For Terrified Adults?
Slashdot | Programming For Terrified Adults?: "Career move? (Score:5, Funny)
by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 31, @06:10PM (#9298889)
> My mom is getting bored with learning the basics of email
> and has mastered Solitaire.
And you want her to program!? Nonsense. Get her up to speed on
Minesweeper and her MCSE is in the bag!"
AnandTech: Computex 2004 Early Bird Coverage: NV45 in the Flesh, New Chipsets, BTX Boards and more...
AnandTech: Computex 2004 Early Bird Coverage: NV45 in the Flesh, New Chipsets, BTX Boards and more...
AnandTech: Computex 2004 Early Bird Coverage: NV45 in the Flesh, New Chipsets, BTX Boards and more...
AnandTech: Computex 2004 Early Bird Coverage: NV45 in the Flesh, New Chipsets, BTX Boards and more...
American Civil Liberties Union : U.S. Army General Joins the ACLU in Opposing Provisions of the Patriot Act; Calls Current Law a Subversion of America
American Civil Liberties Union: "Patriot Act Provisions Subvert Rights, U.S. Army General Declares
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. (ret.) Evelyn 'Pat' Foote joins with the ACLU and others in opposing the Patriot Act's draconian provisions and supporting measures that will bolster both civil liberties and law enforcement. 'Even in our darkest hours, we can deal with enemies and safeguard our shores without subverting the basic rights of Americans,' said Foote, a Vietnam War veteran who joins Pres. Bush in commemorating the World War II Memorial in Washington this Memorial Day weekend. Read more
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Web-cheat student to sue university | The Register
Web-cheat student to sue university | The Register
The Economics of Faking Orgasm - No, really. By Steven E. Landsburg
The Economics of Faking Orgasm - No, really. By Steven E. Landsburg
Feed the Worms Who Write Worms to the Worms - The economic logic of executing computer hackers. By Steven E. Landsburg
Feed the Worms Who Write Worms to the Worms - The economic logic of executing computer hackers. By Steven E. Landsburg
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Keeping Presidents in the Nuclear Dark (Episode #1: The Case of the Missing
Keeping Presidents in the Nuclear Dark (Episode #1: The Case of the Missing
New Linksys Products Announced at SOCALWUG - The Wireless Weblog - wireless.weblogsinc.com
New Linksys Products Announced at SOCALWUG - The Wireless Weblog - wireless.weblogsinc.com
BBC NEWS | Technology | Robot cleaner hits the shops
BBC NEWS | Technology | Robot cleaner hits the shops
Wine Spectator Online | Daily Wine News | New Technology Makes Scents of Wine Online
Wine Spectator Online | Daily Wine News | New Technology Makes Scents of Wine Online
California Senate votes to restrict Google's Gmail - May. 27, 2004
California Senate votes to restrict Google's Gmail - May. 27, 2004
Yahoo! News - Span of French Millau bridge, world highest, is completed
Yahoo! News - Span of French Millau bridge, world highest, is completed
www.ScaleRCHelis.com -> 23' Wingspan - 8 Turbines - 300lbs - B-52
www.ScaleRCHelis.com -> 23' Wingspan - 8 Turbines - 300lbs - B-52
Wren Turbines are designers and manufacturers of small gas turbines and turbo shaft engines for use in model aircraft
Wren Turbines are designers and manufacturers of small gas turbines and turbo shaft engines for use in model aircraft
Wine Spectator Online | Daily Wine News | Smell While You Surf: Burgundy Web Site Hopes to Offer Virtual Tour With Wine Aromas
Wine Spectator Online | Daily Wine News | Smell While You Surf: Burgundy Web Site Hopes to Offer Virtual Tour With Wine Aromas
Europe sticks up two fingers at ICANN budget | The Register
Europe sticks up two fingers at ICANN budget | The Register
Friday, May 28, 2004
California Senate votes to restrict Google's Gmail - May. 27, 2004
California Senate votes to restrict Google's Gmail - May. 27, 2004
Yahoo! News - Span of French Millau bridge, world highest, is completed
Yahoo! News - Span of French Millau bridge, world highest, is completed
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Reason: Database Nation: The upside of "zero privacy"
Reason: Database Nation: The upside of "zero privacy"
Reason: Database Nation: The upside of "zero privacy"
Reason: Database Nation: The upside of "zero privacy"
Sony to ship portable video, MP3 player next month | The Register
Sony to ship portable video, MP3 player next month | The Register
MySQL Manual | 21.4 MySQL Java Connectivity (JDBC)
MySQL Manual | 21.4 MySQL Java Connectivity (JDBC)
Feed the Worms Who Write Worms to the Worms - The economic logic of executing computer hackers. By Steven E. Landsburg
Feed the Worms Who Write Worms to the Worms - The economic logic of executing computer hackers. By Steven E. Landsburg
Feed the Worms Who Write Worms to the Worms - The economic logic of executing computer hackers. By Steven E. Landsburg
Feed the Worms Who Write Worms to the Worms - The economic logic of executing computer hackers. By Steven E. Landsburg
BBC Creative Archive licensing to be based on Creative Commons - Digital-Lifestyles.info
BBC Creative Archive licensing to be based on Creative Commons - Digital-Lifestyles.info
The Slashdot Effect, An Analysis of Three Internet Publications
The Slashdot Effect, An Analysis of Three Internet Publications
Slashdot effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Slashdot effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Public IP - FREE WiFi Solutions - Open Source Wireless Internet
Public IP - FREE WiFi Solutions - Open Source Wireless Internet
Howstuffworks "How the Toyota PM Concept Car Works"
Howstuffworks "How the Toyota PM Concept Car Works"
Monday, May 24, 2004
Sunday, May 23, 2004
LinuxDevCenter.com: Inside the Homebrew Atari 2600 Scene [May. 20, 2004]
LinuxDevCenter.com: Inside the Homebrew Atari 2600 Scene [May. 20, 2004]
RFC 2915 (rfc2915) - The Naming Authority Pointer (NAPTR) DNS Resource Rec
RFC 2915 (rfc2915) - The Naming Authority Pointer (NAPTR) DNS Resource Rec
Linux.com | First look: Sun Java Desktop System Release 2
Linux.com | First look: Sun Java Desktop System Release 2
O'Reilly Network: Inside the Homebrew Atari 2600 Scene [May. 20, 2004]
O'Reilly Network: Inside the Homebrew Atari 2600 Scene [May. 20, 2004]
O'Reilly Network: Inside the Homebrew Atari 2600 Scene [May. 20, 2004]
O'Reilly Network: Inside the Homebrew Atari 2600 Scene [May. 20, 2004]
Radiation Shield Technologies (RST) - Creators of Demron (TM)
Radiation Shield Technologies (RST) - Creators of Demron (TM)
UK public wants ID cards, and thinks we'll screw up the IT | The Register
UK public wants ID cards, and thinks we'll screw up the IT | The Register
10 years jail for false ID - Blunkett PR deploys rattle of shackles | The Register
10 years jail for false ID - Blunkett PR deploys rattle of shackles | The Register
ID cards to use 'key database' of personal info | The Register
ID cards to use 'key database' of personal info | The Register
Glitches in ID card kit frustrate Blunkett's pod people | The Register
Glitches in ID card kit frustrate Blunkett's pod people | The Register
Everything you never wanted to know about the UK ID card | The Register
Everything you never wanted to know about the UK ID card | The Register
Blunkett risks ID card battle with EU | The Register
Blunkett risks ID card battle with EU | The Register
Big names line up for major UK ID debate - but will Blunkett? | The Register
Big names line up for major UK ID debate - but will Blunkett? | The Register
How to fool ID card system - give a false ID, say UK gov | The Register
How to fool ID card system - give a false ID, say UK gov | The Register
UK fraud laws to get millennium facelift | The Register
UK fraud laws to get millennium facelift | The Register
ID card backlash: is the poll tax effect kicking in? | The Register
ID card backlash: is the poll tax effect kicking in? | The Register
ID card backlash: is the poll tax effect kicking in? | The Register
ID card backlash: is the poll tax effect kicking in? | The Register
BBC NEWS | Scotland | Protest over ID card pilot scheme
BBC NEWS | Scotland | Protest over ID card pilot scheme
Biometric ID card trial kicks off in Glasgow | The Register
Biometric ID card trial kicks off in Glasgow | The Register
BBC NEWS | Americas | Microchips to save Peru's alpacas
BBC NEWS | Americas | Microchips to save Peru's alpacas
Saturday, May 22, 2004
dog or higher: Plus ca change
dog or higher: Plus ca change
In a recent post I reminisced about the early days of CSS, and a few of the people I recall as influential and important in the development of a standards based web.
But usually I am the kind of person who looks to the future. In the last few months Microsoft made a couple of very significant announcements with possibly quite negative implications for the future of a standards based web. Which has me thinking about that future, and wondering whether there even is such future.
Since the release of Netscape and Internet Explorer 4, there has been a steady movement toward the idea of standards based web development. In some respects the innovation both in the underlying standards and their implementation has been quite extraordinary. But as the kids in the back seat are always asking "Are we there yet"?
In a sense, there is no "there". Perhaps plateaus or way stations along the way, but no final destination. Right now it may seem like we are at one of those way stations. A reasonably large subset of CSS2 (soon to become CSS2.1) is quite well supported by most browsers.
CSS and xhtml support are markedly improved since the early parts of this decade.
Edmund Optics - Fresnel Lenses: "FRESNEL LENS 31.0 x 41.0 31.0' x 41.0' 31.0' x 41.0' 39.4 0.08 226 NT46-572 $300."
Friday, May 21, 2004
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Monday, May 17, 2004
LinuxWorld Exclusive: Linus Torvalds Makes Startling Admission, Discloses *Real* Fathers of Linux (LinuxWorld)
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Saturday, May 15, 2004
ioCombo.com: Tyan Thunder K8SR (S2881) -Tyan Thunder K8SR (S2881G2NR), AMD 8000 Dual Socket940 Athlon64 FX Max. 16GB DDR400 W/ 2PCI-X(64bit)/ SATA/ ATA133/ RAID/ Video/ Dual GB LAN/ USB1.1/ SSI EEB 3.0 Motherboard - Cyber Outlet for Bluetooth, External Drive, Accessories, PC Cases, Cooling/Fan, Small Form Factor, Mini PC, Notebooks, PDA, Refurbished Products, Software and Toys
InfoWorld: FCC proposes that unused TV spectrum goes to wireless: May 14, 2004: By : NETWORKING : STANDARDS : WIRELESS
InfoWorld: FCC proposes that unused TV spectrum goes to wireless: May 14, 2004: By : NETWORKING : STANDARDS : WIRELESS
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
DevMaster.net - Advanced Graphics Algorithms: "1. Introduction
Graphics representation of reality - or at least virtual reality - in games, simulations, movies, commercial and military applications have become increasingly convincing and immersed a growing audience in disbelieve - and at times even utter belief. This process has, in part at least, been facilitated by exponentially growing processing speeds and in more recent years the advent of hardware acceleration of graphics rendering."
hymn -- Hear Your Music aNywhere: "The purpose of hymn is to allow you to exercise your fair-use rights under copyright law. It allows you to free your iTunes Music Store purchases from their DRM restrictions with no sound quality loss. These songs can then be played outside of the iTunes environment, even on operating systems not supported by iTunes. It works on Mac OS X, many unix(-ish) variants and on Windows.
The Mac OS X version includes a drag-'n'-drop graphical user interface (GUI). The other platforms have only a command-line interface (CLI) at this time. Prebuilt binaries are available for both Mac OS X and Windows, and the source code is available for all platforms.
This program is protected by the GNU General Public License.
'The primary objective of copyright is not to reward the labor of authors, but [t]o promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.' 'To this end, copyright assures authors the right to their original expression, but encourages others to build freely upon the ideas and information conveyed by a work. This result is neither unfair nor unfortunate. It is the means by which copyright advances the progress of science and art.'
-- US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor"
Doom9's Forum - Jon Johansen releases DeDRMS: "Thanks for the info Jon
http://developers.videolan.org/cgi-...vsroot=VideoLAN
For those who are curious, like me, as to what has changed...
-Nic"
Monday, May 10, 2004
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Daily Wireless: Wireless Industry News, Research, Insight, and Analysis - New Gas Plasma Antenna Technology Could Help Wi-Fi Security
Monday, May 03, 2004
Rebel Yell: "'Rebel Yell'
Last night a little dancer came dancin' to my door
Last night a little angel Came pumpin cross my floor
She said 'Come on baby I got a licence for love
And if it expires pray help from above'
In the midnight hour she cried- 'more, more, more'
With a rebel yell she cried- 'more, more, more'
In the midniight hour babe- 'more, more, more'
With a rebel yell- 'more, more, more'
More, more, more.
She don't like slavery, she won't sit and beg
But when I'm tired and lonely she sees me to bed
What set you free and brought you to be me babe
What set you free I need you hear by me
Because
In the midnight hour she cried- 'more, more, more'
With a rebel yell she cried- 'more, more, more'
In the midnight hour babe- 'more, more, more'
With a rebel yell- 'more, more, more'
He lives in his own heaven
Collects it to go from the seven eleven
Well he's out all night to collect a fare
Just so long, just so long it don't mess up his hair.
I walked the ward with you, babe
A thousand miles with you
I dried your tears of pain, babe
A million times for you
I'd sell my soul for you babe
For money to burn with you
I'd give you all, and have none, babe
Just, just, justa, justa to have you here by me
Because
In the midnight hour she cried- 'more, more, more'
With a rebel yell she cried- 'more, more, more'
In the midnight hour babe- 'more, more, more'
With a rebel yell she cried 'more, more, more'
More, more, more.
Oh yeah little baby
she want more
More, more, more, more, more.
Oh yeah little baby
she want more
More, more, more, more."
