November, 2015 archive
Dialectic 0
The EFF points out the inherent contradictions in governments’ efforts to weaken encryption (in this case, the United States FBI, but the same thing has been happening in the UK and other countries which call themselves “democratic”).
A snippet (emphasis in the original):
In related news, Italy decides to eavesdrop on gamers.
You may worry about the gamers’ privacy. I used to hear Second Son chat with other gamers while playing on his XBox Three. I worry about the eavesdroppers’ sanity.
Both Sides Not 0
The Booman takes down Kathleen Parker’s latest foray into both-siderism.
Baby Elephant Walk 0
Aside:
No Republican will ever admit that the Republican Party created the conditions from whence sprang Donald Trump. But it did.
Via Michael in Norfolk.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Don’t waffle on politeness.
An enraged Waffle House customer shot and killed a waitress early Friday who asked him not to smoke.
Facebook Frolics 0
The farcical War on Christmas goes international.
No Place To Hide 0
Computer security is always an afterthought when there’s money to be made.
(snip)
. . . US security researcher Matt Jakubowski discovered that when connected to Wi-Fi the doll was vulnerable to hacking, allowing him easy access to the doll’s system information, account information, stored audio files and direct access to the microphone.
Play it safe. Give your kid a Raggedy-Ann, not a Mata Hari Barbie.
Details at the link.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Guns and safety go together.
According to police, the teen pulled the trigger thinking the gun had an external safety that would prevent the gun from firing. However, the gun had a trigger assembly safety and went off when the he pulled the trigger.
EPD says the woman was shot in the back.
If the lady had also had a gun, no doubt this would not have happened.
QMMP 0
I have a new podcast at Hacker Public Radio about Qmmp, the Qt-based MultiMedia Player.
Qmmp was inspired by Winamp, the venerable but now defunct Windows player, and XMMS, a similarly venerable and defunct Linux media player. It runs on Linux, BSD, and Windows; I’ve tested it on all three.
If you are an old Winamp and XMMS user, as I am, you can use your legacy Winamp and XMMS skins with it. You can also easily make your own skins with skinamp for Windows.
Qmmp is a nice job of work; I use it daily to listen to streaming audio and OTR (though it can be quirky with URLs that have unusual characters, such as parentheses, in them).
If you’re a Linux or BSD user, it’s in your repos, and, if you are a Slackware user, there’s a Slackbuild. If you’re a Windows user, you can get the install program at the Qmmp website.
You too can podcast at HPR; all are welcome. Contribute a show and join the community.
“Pay Up of Die” 0
The Pharma Bro continues to hold sick persons hostage in his quest for even more money.
Instead, the small biotech company is reducing what it charges hospitals, by up to 50 percent, for its parasitic infection treatment, Daraprim. Most patients’ copayments will be capped at $10 or less a month. But insurers will be stuck with the bulk of the $750 tab. That drives up future treatment and insurance costs.
Freedom from Fear, at Last* 0
Meet the people that Republicans demonize and remind yourself that a refugee is one who seeks refuge.
___________________
Unquestioning Loyalty 0
At Above the Law, Elie Mystal muses on why cops get away with killing black people for being. A snippet (emphasis added):
(snip)
The best spin I can put on the pro-police faction in this country is that they kind of can’t BELIEVE that the cops are as racist and as violent as black people know they are.
Read it.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Let nothing take a back seat to politeness.
Detectives believe the shooting happened in the 5000 block of Florida Street as the teenage boy, who was sitting in the rear seat of the Camry, accidently fired the handgun.
“No Religious Test” 0
Oh, wait. Funny or Die has gotten hold of the Republican Party’s proposed religious test for immigrants.
Follow the link to find out whether you would pass.
