Blogging will continue. I have been on vacation in Central America but blogging will resume shortly.
Archive for 2008
I’m back!
Monday, December 15th, 2008Gettin’ Up Into The I-phone
Monday, December 1st, 2008As album sales decline, music artists continue to look for new sources of income. Mobile phones have become a standard source of income with singles sales transitioning into sales of ring tones.
Musical artists realize ring tone sales are not enough. The new world of mobile phone profits for mobile phones is applications. Q-Tip has entered the world of mobile application licensing by licensing Gettin’ Up off of his new album The Renaissance. Q-Tip has authorized “Gettin’ Up” to be used in the iPhone game app “Tap Tap.”
I would embed a Q-Tip video here but the thugs at Universal don’t want me to promote their artists fully.
DMCA Blog Takedown
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008Blogger took down this post because someone accused it of being in violation of the DMCA. Blogger did not tell me who accused it of violating the DMCA act. The post just vanished without me even suggesting that my use of the content would qualify as fair use.
My guess is that it is because I embedded video of a performance of Digable Planets appearing on In Living Color. I guess the corporate powers that be would rather people not get excited about In Living Color or Digable Planets.
I would suggest for those of you concerned about DMCA to get involved with EFF, the ELectronic Frontier Foundation to try and roll back the excesses of the DMCA.
Barack Obama
Thursday, November 6th, 2008Barack Obama has now won the 2008 Presidential election. I did not vote for Barack Obama but I wish him well. I hope Barack Obama brings home the troops and closes the prison on Guantanamo Bay as well as realizes there is no longer the financial incentive to continue the war on drugs.
Election Day
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008I voted in Pound Ridge, New York this morning where turnout appeared to be higher than previous years. I voted for Bob Barr for President because I believe voting for Bob Barr shows a clear message in favor of small government.
Update: Here is a video of George Carlin arguing against voting and democracy.
Voting Is Scary
Thursday, October 30th, 2008Voting isn’t really scary in the United States unless something goes extremely wrong. Choosing candidates to vote for now that is the scary part. Reason Magazine has a survey of its writers and contributors and who they plan to vote for President.
My answers are down below:
1. Who are you voting for in November? Bob Barr. He is not a perfect candidate but who is. Voting for Bob Barr gives the clearest signal to the world that I side with libertarians. I’m not going to vote for John McCain because he strikes me as crazy and believes that national greatness can be brought to the country by the government. Barack Obama is a liberal who wants to spend more than most of the other candidates running and would make George W. Bush look like a fiscal conservative. So I am voting for a former member of Congress who has recently lobbied on behalf of the MPP and opposed the bailout of the banks.
2. Who did you vote for in 2004 and 2000? In 2004: I voted for Badnarik and was a candidate for the electoral college for Badnarik in New York. Badnarik was a loon who could not drive himself anywhere because he refused to give the DMV in Texas his Social Security number. But Badnarik was not Bush or Kerry and he talked and believed in smaller government. In 2000: I voted for Harry Browne. I thought about voting for George W. Bush because he said he was against nation building but I am sure glad I did not make that mistake.
3. Is this the most important election in your lifetime? I’m not sure. Looking back the 2000 Presidential Election was a big deal. I don’t think we would have gone into Iraq after 9/11 if Al Gore had been President.
4. What will you miss about the Bush administration? Laura Bush. Laura Bush has been a very gracious first lady who has had very little involvement in policy which I admire in a first lady.
5. Leaving George W. Bush out of consideration, what former U.S. president would you most like to have waterboarded and why? I’m tempted to agree with what Grover Norquist told Reason that it should be Dick Cheney for poetic justice reasons. I guess it would have to be one of the warmongering Presidents like Polk, Jackson, Wilson or Johnson.
Obama and the Fairness Doctrine
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008The fairness doctrine is an old idea which liberals propose every so often and right wing talk show hosts bring up to scare their listeners. The fairness doctrine would force broadcast media to give equal time to equal sides. Both John McCain and Barack Obama oppose reinstating the fairness doctrine. This does not stop Mark Steyn at National Review from basely bringing up the idea that Barack Obama wants to bring back the fairness doctrine as a given. There is enough to dislike about Barack Obama without having to make things up.
Pimp My Walker.
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008Reason TV has an animated cartoon at their site called “Pimp My Walker” explaining the generational income shift that occurs with Social Security. A simplistic but accurate description of how Social Security works.
Ron Paul had the best fair way to deal with Social Security which is to allow people to choose to opt out of security.
Update: Below is part 2 of a Five Part series at reason TV:
Rap Is The Russian CNN
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008Everyone knows that Chuck D has called rap the CNN of the ghetto well you can take this analogy to include poor condition all around the world including places like Russia. A Russian Army Lieutenant made a rap video called “A letter to the minister of defence” which he posted on RuTube. “A Letter to the Minister of Defense” features the Lieutenant rapping and showing the poor conditions of the barracks in which Russian soldiers live.
According to BBC analyst Steven Eke, the Lieutenant had a point in pointing out the Russian military’s deplorable conditions:
BBC Europe analyst, Steven Eke, says that the message in the video was a serious one.Russia wants to build modern, professional armed forces. Yet wretched conditions – especially for conscripts – are one of the reasons for the hundreds of suicides and desertions every year that plague the Russian army.
For pointing out these horrid conditions the Russian Lieutenant was transfered to Ussuriysk, a coal-mining town which is nine hours by air from Moscow. Russia will hinder progress if they continue to punish people critical of the Russian government.
Whining About Pelosi
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted down the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry. The bailout happened because constituents were overwhelmingly calling their congressmen complaining about the legislation in addition many members were opposed ideologically to the idea of the bailout.
Right before the speech Nancy Pelosi made a silly partisan speech blaming small government ideology and the Bush administration for the current financial mess. The vote failed and Republicans like Eric Cantor blamed Pelosi’s speech. Stop your whining! You would think people would take a $700 billion expenditure more seriously.
Update 1:
