Tue, 01 Jul 2003 06:45:29 GMT

The WMD Hunt. THE WMD HUNT….Remember those nuclear plans we found a couple of days ago in the backyard of an Iraqi scientist in Baghdad? The original CNN story included this statement:CNN had this story last week but made a decision to withhold… [CalPundit]

Read the link at Talking Ponts and the CNN article. Not only does our WMD search effort look like some sort of Keystone Kops when it comes to actually finding anything in Iraq, but this story plays like Three Days of the Condor. If the press had not gotten involved, the Iraqi scientist may very well have been screwed by the CIA. It appears that only the transparency of our republic, in the guise of a free press, forced the CIA to do the right thing. I wonder if many other things got screwed up because of a lack of openess?

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 16:26:49 GMT

Elspeth Hyams reports on several recent UK meeting …. Elspeth Hyams reports on several recent UK meetings on open access and asks:

‘What does it mean when the symbolic head of the academic and research world?s bête noire commercial publisher, owner of the copyright in 25 per cent of all high-quality scientific content, says: ?I am not against open access??’ [FOS News]

A very interesting read. The for-profit publishers, such as Elsevier, are having to do a lot of backfilling. They have had a very arrogant view of the industry since they essentially held a monopoly on publishing in certain areas. There are a lot of researchers and universities that would love to see them fall. It is not likely but they are going to have to adapt very rapidly to maintain any sort of business. They are looking at new models. It will all come down to cost and whether most people believe that a healthy profit margin is acceptable in an era of open access.

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 16:17:04 GMT

Voices. So many voices in this most tumultuous of the many tumultuous moments I’ve lived through, in my five years of involvement with the RSS phenomenon. So many people taking time away from friends and family, this weekend, to consider the matters at hand. So tempting to simplify it all as a silly-season little-endian/big-endian tempest in a teapot. So much at stake. Update: So sad the voice that started it all has, for now, gone silent. Further update: And now is back, thankfully.
… [Jon's Radio]

There is a lot of turmoil in the world of developers concerning the future of RSS, newsfeeds, etc. Different personalities, different goals. As a user, I just want to make sure that the tools I use do not get broken because of some obscure pissing war between factions. So far, this battle has been a little more collaborative than some in the past and may actually result in something better. But there are some very strong personalities involved with very strong opinions who can easily rub people the wrong way. My hope is that the collaborative power of news aggregators, weblogs and RSS will prevent a war from erupting. This time the number pf voices that can become part of the conversation is huge. Let’s hope it moves us to a better tool, not just a different one.

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 04:47:35 GMT

Ten Appalling Lies We Were Told About Iraq. It was a systematic campaign to frighten the hell out of us about the threat of Hussein, and almost none of it was true. [AlterNet]

It must be hard to talk about revisionists when you own words come back to haunt you. At least for most people but misleading appears to be one of the real strengths of politicians today. Some day soon, statesmen and true leaders will replace the weak imitations we have today. That is one of America’s strengths.

Calif. Near Financial Disaster

Politics today has gotten so partisan. It is more important to win than to do what is best for the nation or state. California may start its way down a path that will be extremely difficult to exit. Will others begin to follow? What effect will financial disaster in the nations’s largest state have on any sort of recovery? We should see see the answers to these questions shortly.

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 03:19:41 GMT

Rush Limbaugh: Why does Apple put politics first?. For years, Rush Limbaugh, conservative radio commentator who, whether you agree with him or not, revolutionized the radio industry and commands an audience of over 20 million daily listeners, has extolled the benefits of Apple Macintosh, but lamented Apple’s unwillingness to tap his potential to widen the Mac platform’s base.

Limbaugh writes, “The entire EIB radio staff uses Apple computers. That fact draws calls like those from Vince, a graphic artist in Calhoun, Georgia. Vince… [MacDailyNews]

One of the commenters suggested a Rush-Gore commercial. This could be great, demonstrating the humor both have, while emphasizing that political differences do not extend to using the best computer available. It would be a whole lot better to watch than Bob Dole pitching Viagra.

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 02:51:17 GMT

An editorial, Scientific publishing picks up speed …. An editorial, Scientific publishing picks up speed, in the June 24 issue of CMAJ, is mainly about fast-tracked publication of articles about SARS, but it also includes some positive comments about open-access electronic archives. An excerpt: “Perhaps we need 2 tracks to publication, in the model of, say, physics and computer science, where the fast lane is for preprint publication on individual or open-access servers and the slow lane is reserved for publication in print-based journals. Other than possible damage to existing journal revenue streams, we see few disadvantages in keeping the fast lane open”. [FOS News]

Open access publishing for science articles will be a major path for the rapid dissemination of information. You can see it happening.

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 15:37:05 GMT

A prime example of the ridiculous Mac vs. PC war. School district rejects $43,000 of Macs in favor of used Windows machines… [Mac Net Journal]

I just love it when a school district simply forgoes a $43,000 grant. The least creative people seem to be the ones running our school districts, something that I know is not a surprise to my mother. Instead of getting new Macs, they will get to use donated, okder PCs. Thinking like that is probably one reason Tukwila is not one of theplaces people move to for the school system.

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 15:29:27 GMT

Group Stacks Deck Against War Profiteers… (Chip Johnson). Group Stacks Deck Against War Profiteers… (Chip Johnson) [Common Dreams]

Civil disobedience as satire. Sounds like a great fundraising tool.

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 15:21:22 GMT

Cheney And The CIA: Not Business As Usual… (Ray McGovern). Cheney And The CIA: Not Business As Usual… (Ray McGovern) [Common Dreams]

Excellent article written by a man who wroked for the CIA from 1964 to 1990 and provided the President’s Daily Brief from 1981 to 1985. The possible manipulation of the CIA is a worry. Unfortunately, I am pretty sure that Cheney is smart enough to make sure that there is nothing to link him directly. They learned a lot with Iran-Contra.

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 15:10:11 GMT

Keep them telemarketers away. FCC: “Consumers can register on-line for the national do-not-call registry beginning June 27, 2003.” [Werblog]

This could be great news if it actually works.

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 06:22:08 GMT

On the Plain, Wily Buffalo Outfox Indians. A herd of 32 bison, abandoned by a rancher in trouble with the law, are running wild in Oregon, and frustrating efforts to trap them. By Sarah Kershaw. [New York Times: Science]

Well, they are only outfoxing the Indians because they Indians are trying to capture ALL the buffalo humanely, rather than just shooting them all. They should be praised for taking a lot of time and expending a lot of effort instead of taking the easiest route.

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 05:59:30 GMT

Our Lapdog Media. OUR LAPDOG MEDIA….Patrick Nielsen Hayden has a good post about the difference between the American media and the British media when it comes to interviewing politicians. Short version: their reporters insist that politicians actually answer their questions, ours just accept… [CalPundit]

And Patrick Nielsen Hayden also provides this comment, that I believe is right on target:

I think Claude Munsey nails it: The British system requires ministers, including the Prime Minister, to regularly and publicly face hostile questioning from the opposition. As a result, the ability to handle one’s self under such a barrage isn’t just desirable; it’s something that ambitious politicians go out of their way to flaunt. When Tony Blair goes on TV to be grilled by a Dimbleby, he isn’t saying ‘I recognize that I owe a debt of accountability to the citizenry.’ (Indeed, accountability isn’t really one of Blair’s strong suits.) Rather, what he’s saying is ‘I am now going to remind all of you that I am one tough son of a bitch.’

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 05:57:35 GMT

No More Torture. NO MORE TORTURE….The Bush administration has officially renounced the use of torture:”All interrogations, wherever they may occur,” must be conducted without the use of cruel and inhuman tactics, the Pentagon’s senior lawyer wrote after members of Congress and human rights… [CalPundit]

I am glad that we are finally going the final mile and offcially renouncing torture. I would not want to live in a country that used torture as an approved government policy.

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 05:27:28 GMT

“”revisionist history”" [Daypop Top 40]

Internet fact-checking. But the major media never put this sort of thing on. Embarassing the Speaker of the House is not a good career move.