Mini-Microsoft: “A well prepared blogger, even a crusty spider-web covered 99.9%-retired one like me, would have at least had a post ready to go for this glorious circumstance, like how most news organizations have obituaries written up and ready to publish. I had no such optimism that this would be happening before 2017.”
Emphasis mine. It sounds like the troops have wanted this for a while. It also makes me wonder if the theory that Steven Sinofsky is Mini is credible?
The Guardian: “But they obviously had zero suspicion that David was associated with a terrorist organization or involved in any terrorist plot. Instead, they spent their time interrogating him about the NSA reporting which Laura Poitras, the Guardian and I are doing, as well the content of the electronic products he was carrying. They completely abused their own terrorism law for reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism: a potent reminder of how often governments lie when they claim that they need powers to stop “the terrorists”, and how dangerous it is to vest unchecked power with political officials in its name.”
So, it looks like UK agencies are now working with the NSA to intimidate reporters.
It’s getting pretty disgusting.
Our once great nation needs a new name. I’m thinking The United States of Terror.
Clearly the terrorists have won. Our own country is no better than the creeps we’re trying to stop.
I would not be surprised, in the least, to see acts of domestic terrorism rise. People hate being mistreated and crap like this is enough to push rational people to the breaking point.
If it does happen it’ll be our own darned fault.
Engadget: “App developers can now ask for permission to use Path’s sharing API, which they’ll get if Path sees such apps as a logical fit. To get the ball rolling, the social network has already granted access to 13 partners that include WordPress…”
I’ve enabled posting to Path, lets see if this works.
Hunter Walk: “But why? Instead of driving people like me away from the theater, why not just segregate us into environments which meet our needs. I’d love to watch Pacific Rim in a theater with a bit more light, wifi, electricity outlets and a second screen experience. Don’t tell me I’d miss major plot points while scrolling on my ipad – it’s a movie about robots vs monsters. I can follow along just fine.”
I love movies. I have since I was a boy. I remember seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey with my parents and thinking “why are these monkey’s freaking out over that black thing.” I was into it even though I was a little boy. The theater was dark and quiet. It was awesome. My parents were on either side of me, but I was alone, immersed in the film.
That’s the experience I love.
The experience you’re talking about is definitely not something I’d ever choose to participate in. It’s just not my thing.
But, and there’s always a but, I would be fine with a theater setting aside one, or two, screens for just such an experience as long as they don’t allow it to bleed into the other screens. Having a strict no talking, no text messaging, no annoying, policy in the others would be fantastic.
My wife and I love to visit a theater that caters to adults. They have two screens set aside for people over 21. They serve wine and beer and the theater seats are larger and more comfortable than a “normal” theater seat. I love it. It was clearly built for the kind of movie going experience I appreciate.
Hunter’s idea doesn’t appeal to me. I want to escape for a couple hours and enjoy a movie.
[redacted],
As much as I love the idea of this, I’m just not the right guy for the job. I just don’t have the energy to stand in front of a whiteboard an answer code questions for eight hours straight.
I love [redacted], I really do, and I wish you all the best in your search for a developer to fill this position.
Rob
The Atlantic: “The problem for the companies, it’s worth emphasizing, is not that they were so unduly eager to cooperate with U.S. government surveillance. Many seem to have done what they could to resist. The problem is what the U.S. government — first under Bush and Cheney, now under Obama and Biden — asked them to do. As long as they operate in U.S. territory and under U.S. laws, companies like Google or Facebook had no choice but to comply. But people around the world who have a choice about where to store their data, may understandably choose to avoid leaving it with companies subject to the way America now defines its security interests.”
Makes me wonder if any large technology company would have the guts to leave the United States? Of the bigs cooperating with the US Government, Google seems like the only one different enough to pull it off. Then again, even they’ve become more like the typical American corporation.
I worked for an oil and gas company for nine months, or so. They were one of those slimy companies that had their headquarters in another country to avoid paying certain types of taxes, but when your government forces you to become a scumbag you might as well go the whole hog and leave the country.
I know a company that has recently moved from using Google Docs to using another service because of security concerns. Makes you go hmmmmm.
Maybe Google, given Larry Page’s desire to create Google Island, could lead the pack in moving the Silicon Valley to Silicon Land and start a new country?
Could you blame them?
Michele Catalano: “This is where we are at. Where you have no expectation of privacy. Where trying to learn how to cook some lentils could possibly land you on a watch list. Where you have to watch every little thing you do because someone else is watching every little thing you do.”
It’s really quite sad we’ve come to this. In days long since past people would’ve started wars over things like this. Not today. Today we move along, more worried about our followers or likes than our own elected officials watching every little move we make.
Big brother. Yes, indeed.