|
 |
Wednesday, January 8, 2003 |
ZDnet Commentary By Declan McCullagh - News: Gov't spying: What's the real threat?. The biggest problem with criticism of Adm. John Poindexter's massive spy proposal is not in the argument over the system being so darn creepy. Of course it's creepy. This new federal agency deliberately chose the motto "knowledge is power," crafted a logo certain to inspire conspiracy theories, and is itching to assemble a detailed computerized dossier on every American. And that a figure such as Poindexter--disgraced in the Iran-Contra scandal and with a database addiction dating back to at least 1987--is running the show is a detail worthy of a Jonathan Swift satire. No, the biggest problem with the criticism of the Total Information Awareness system is that it's too shortsighted. It's focused on what the Poindexters of the world can do with current database and information-mining technology. That includes weaving together strands of data from various sources--such as travel, credit card, bank, electronic toll and driver's license databases--with the stated purpose of identifying terrorists before they strike. But what could Poindexter and the Bush administration devise in five or 10 years, if they had the money, the power and the will? That's the real question, and therein lies the true threat. Even if all of our current elected representatives, appointed officials and unappointed bureaucrats are entirely trustworthy--and that's a pretty big assumption--what could a corrupt FBI, Secret Service or Homeland Security police force do with advanced technology by the end of the decade? What if there were another terrorist attack that prompted Congress to delete whatever remaining privacy laws shield Americans from surveillance? For a hint at what the future might bring, it's worth reviewing some of the projects already underway at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA), which is the parent agency for Poindexter's Information Awareness Office. Combine that information with the technology trends toward smaller sensors, cheaper hardware and ubiquitous wireless networks, and the possibilities are immensely disquieting. We could face the emergence of unblinking electronic eyes that record where we are and what we do, whenever we interact. [Privacy Digest]
9:47:41 PM 
|
|
 Prediction: At some trade show in three months, at the end, Steve Jobs will say "Oh I almost forgot. I have one more thing." Everyone sucks in their breath. "We know you like our new Web browser, Safari, because there have been 285 million downloads. Did you know it's the most popular browser on the Internet? Well almost every one of the users has requested a tabbed interface, some many times. So we decided, what the heck, let's give them what they want." A virtual curtain opens on screen, says Tabs For Safari. The worldwide audience ejaculates spontaneously. [Scripting News]
9:36:02 PM
|
|
Register: Start-up marries blogs and camera phones. The right way to do this, imho, is to connect the phone-to-weblog software through the MetaWeblog API, that way existing weblog users could participate, and new users would have choice of backend software. Any cellphone service provider that buys into this proposal will have to scrap it in a few months when the general solutions come out. Maybe less than a few months. Mobile blogging, or moblogging is very hot. So is choice for users. [Scripting News]
9:19:10 PM
|
|
If I had a billion dollars I'd pay each of you $10,000 to read this page carefully, think about it, and then get started building a directory for each of three subjects you're passionate about and knowledgable of. All the technology is there. The format is open and brain-dead simple. And the philosophy is right too, imho. It's just waiting for people to decide to make it happen. Someday it will. I'd rather not wait any longer. Thanks for listening. [Scripting News]
9:12:29 PM
|
|
Apple announces support for 802.11g as AirPort Extreme: Apple announced today that they would be offering 54 Mbps 802.11g draft standard support in their new AirPort Extreme products, which include a new card (with a new form factor, thus not working with older Macs) and a new Base Station. Although CEO Steve Jobs said that 802.11g was a standard, as readers of this site know, the IEEE won't ratify 802.11g until fall 2003 at earliest, and the Wi-Fi Alliance's plans to create certification for draft g devices is entirely unknown. Interoperability among different chipmakers and firmware is also an unknown, even though it's likely, and worst case is that incompatible draft g devices talk at 802.11b speeds. [80211b News]
6:18:46 AM
|
|
This is a great tool. You can also check with your local phone company for privacy and security products to reduce the amount of unwanted and solicitation calls.
Boston Globe Online / Business / Over 140,000 join list to block telemarketers. Anne L. Collins, deputy director of the state's office of consumer affairs, said about 20,000 Massachusetts residents signed up in the days leading up to the official opening of the list on New Year's Day. On Wednesday and yesterday, she said, another 140,000 signed up. ''These are pretty dramatic numbers,'' Collins said, noting the state is expecting about 1 million people to sign on by the end of January. Registrations are easy and can be completed by mail, by phone (866-231-2255), or online at www.mass.gov/donotcall. There have been some delays in pulling up the Web site, but state officials attribute the problems to heavy volume. [Privacy Digest]
6:16:24 AM
|
|
Wireless Is Star Again at CES. This year's Consumer and Electronics Show in Las Vegas will unveil a host of new products for the home and office, but the focus is pretty much the same as in 2002. Wireless technology continues to grab most of the attention. By Elisa Batista. [Wired News]
5:32:12 AM
|
|
Welcome To The Browser Jungle, Safari : Apple Computer's Safari browser offers little challenge to Microsoft's browser dominance, analysts said Tuesday, but the Mac maker could benefit enormously if it can wean itself from Internet Explorer. (CNET News.com via MyAppleMenu) [MyAppleMenu]
5:30:12 AM
|
|
Another Incredible Website. Ever wished your PDA had more memory? Maybe a new, longer lasting battery? A new screen? It's all possible now, thanks to Pocket PC Techs. Their website is incredible! It's complete with upgrades, do-it-yourself kits, and more. Hey, for $500, they'll upgrade your PDA to 256 MB RAM! That's pretty... [Lockergnome's Bits and Bytes]
5:27:50 AM
|
|
Instant Messaging Milestone. 100 Million Text Messages Sent on New Year's Day
"More than 100 million text messages were sent in the UK on New Year's Day as people greeted friends and relatives.
It is the first time the number of text messages in one day has topped the 100 million mark, according to Mobile Data Association research.
The total number of chargeable person-to-person text messages sent across the four UK network operators between midnight on December 31 and midnight on January 1 was 102 million.
It marked a 59% increase on the same period in 2002 and more than twice the 2002 daily average, MDA added." [Ananova, via Lockergnome's Bits and Bytes]
Do you really doubt this is going to eventually hit big in the U.S.? Libraries need to start preparing for an instant messaging future. [The Shifted Librarian]
5:24:35 AM
|
|
Not Plugged Directly Into Your Body Quite Yet. Amp Your iPod
 "And the last tidbit from Macworld today: the Burton Amp, a jacket from Apple and Burton Snowboards that comes with built-in iPod controls on the sleeve. Just make sure not land on the volume button when you wipe out." [Gizmodo]
This is great, because whenever I show this slide during my presentations, I usually get disbelieving laughter. If I had an iPod, I'd get one of these just to be able to wear it and show folks that intelligent clothing is closer than we think. [The Shifted Librarian]
5:22:58 AM
|
|
And You Think Students Are Distracted By Wi-Fi Surfing!. Quick Nokia 7650 Thoughts
"There was a problem with the GPRS - but it wasn't the phone, Telefonica is having computer problems this morning so it's not set up yet. The phone store is across the street from my office, so I went back over to see what the problem was. While waiting for my salesperson to finish up with another customer, I whipped out the Nokia and started playing some games. Full color arcade games in my hand! WOW! The experience was the same as if I pulled out my Gameboy. Seriously. I was so absorbed I didn't notice that the guy was done and the customer behind me had to point out that it was my turn. DOH! This mobile game stuff is going TO ROCK THE EARTH." [Russell Beattie Notebook, via Scripting News]
This is sooooo going to be me someday. [The Shifted Librarian]
5:21:14 AM
|
|
Checky 0.5.1 for Mozilla and Netscape
"The Checky plug-in is an simple Interface for Web content and resource developers to free and commercial online Validator and Checker services.
With Checky you can now easy setup, combine and use 18 different online Validator and Checker services. Simple choose your services with Checky-Agent than browse to a web resource and press F10 to display the results of the selected services in a new browser tab or window.
Service-Interfaces available for HTML, XHTML, CSS, RDF, RSS, XML, SGML, WAI, 508, various viewer, valets and purifiers.[per thou]
Whoo, boy! Mozilla has one-upped 'em other browsers!" [meryl's notes] [The Shifted Librarian]
5:19:59 AM
|
|
© Copyright 2003 Paul W. Swansen.
|
|
|
