Recent Comments
RSS feed
Slashdot: Do You Like Online Privacy? You May Be a Terrorist!
February 3, 2012 — xanthippaHere is another example of the Western governments’ war on its citizens.
Yes, war.
It sickens me that governments are now openly saying that if you shield your screen from the view of others, this makes you a terrorism suspect!
This creates precisely the type of environment where hacker-vigilaties will be not just tolerated, but positively embraced by a population that feels increasingly under attack by the very institutions created to ensure their individual rights.
Let’s not make any mistakes about it: it is not Twitter and Google who are increasingly censoring us, the members of online communities. Even though they facilitate access to the virtual world of the web, they are themselves physical corporations which exist in the real world, very much subject to the whims of real-world governments.
As such, they are subject to the arbitrary rules which various governments impose on corporations operating within their physical boundaries.
It is unreasonable for us to expect that these corporations will put the freedom on the internet above their ability to physically survive…
So, you may blame them for buckling – but don’t blame them for imposing the censorship itself: the blame lies directly with our governments, our regulating bodies, and us, the citizens, who permit this encroachment!
The solution?
We must all fight to prevent all governments from usurping jurisdiction over the internet, the way they have been doing!
How?
I don’t know. Yes, I have been thinking about this for a long time, but there simply is no clear answer.
The easiest solution I suspect would be to continue the efforts to create alternatives to the ‘pipelines’ that ISPs use to deliver internet connections, but the more people try to solve this, the more actual attempts there are to make the web truly uncontrollable and impossible to be regulated by anyone or anything anywhere, the better chance there is of success.
So – keep your elective representatives responsible – and keep hacking!
Great news for the environment: plastic is now biodegradable!
February 3, 2012 — xanthippaPlastic is one of the most beneficial inventions in human history: its impact on improving human health alone is quite amazing.
The problem with this amazing material was that it did not naturally decompose, so that it would fill garbage heaps and create a set of difficulties all of its own. This has lead to countless lobyists vilifying plastic and trying to limit its use. Taxes on shopping bags are just one small real-life result of the anti-plastic propaganda.
According to PCWorld, these worries are now a thing of the past!
‘This is the first fungus species, identified by the Yale researchers as Pestalotiopsis microspore, which exclusively subsists on polyurethane. It can also grow in an anaerobic (air-less) environment, which will hopefully allow it to take root in the deepest regions of our trash heaps. ‘
Yes: PESTALOTIOPSIS!
Making plastic a biodegradable material.
So, stop feeling guilty over this aspect of improving the human condition!
Is Canada in for a cabinet shuffle?
February 3, 2012 — xanthippaWill this scandal remove James Moore from the Ministry of Heritage?
It just might…
John Albert Dietsch – saying goodbye to a Canadian hero
February 2, 2012 — xanthippaOn November 9th, 2009, two Canadian veterans had collected money for their local legion through the red poppy campaign when they were confronted by an armed robber. Rather than submit, they stood up to him!
One of these two brave men was John Albert Dietsch – then 84 years strong. During WWII, Mr. Dietsch served as a stoker on a corvette in the North Atlantic.
Today, I received the following comment:
‘Thought I would post this about my Uncles death because of the nice comments you made about the story a few years ago. He was quite the guy and will be missed by many.
John Albert Dietsch
DIETSCH, John Albert – Passed peacefully at Toronto East General Hospital after a brief illness on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 in his 87th year. Proud Meritorious Life member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 73 for 66 years. Beloved husband of Verna (Phipps). Loving father of Dianne (Bill), Gail (Doug), Linda, Robin, and Carol (Terry). Predeceased by son Johnny. Dear brother of Marie, Joan and Helen. Predeceased by brother George and sister Bernice. Dear grandfather of Eddie, Ronda, Kristine, Kyle, Chad and Tyler and great-grandfather of Erin, Emma, Brooklynn and Mia Bella. Friends may call at the SHERRIN FUNERAL HOME CREMATION AND TRIBUTE CENTRE, 873 Kingston Road (west of Victoria Park), 416-698-2861, on Thursday, February 2, 2012 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. with a Legion Service at 7:30 p.m. Funeral service to be held in the chapel on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. Interment at Pine Hills Cemetery. Reception to follow at RCL Branch 73, 2 Robinson Avenue, Scarborough. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory can be made to RCL Branch 73 Poppy Trust Fund. Online condolences may be made at http://www.sherrinfuneral.ca‘
My condolances to the Dietsch family: this world is a better place because of Mr. John Dietsch!
UPDATE: More from Mr. Dietsch’s family:
‘John Albert Dietsch was my Step-Dad. Although we didn’t share the same DNA, he was
my Dad in every sense of the word. Daily, he lived his life with integrity, honest and kindness and was the most honourable man I have ever met. It is my privilege to have had him in my life
and I will miss him for eternity.
Carol’
What do you get when you cross a border collie with a rabbit?
February 1, 2012 — xanthippaNOT literally!!!
Oh, I can so see this…
Pirate Bay founders cannot appeal, change domain name from .org to .se
February 1, 2012 — xanthippaTwo related stories from TorrentFreak update us on what has been happening in Sweden in the Pirate Bay saga.
First, the founders have not been permitted to appeal their case, so their conviction stands. (This should put fear into all of us, because what they were doing was legal under Swedish law – they were only charged and prosecuted because of pressure from the US movie industry.)
Second, now that their court case is concluded, they have changed their domain from .org to .se in order to prevent seisure.
If you don’t know the back story, perhaps you should ‘Steal This Film’:
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 