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| "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind... War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today." -- John F. Kennedy |
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| Topic: Science |
9:08 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
Scientific evidence about why certain people who are stressed turn to alcohol. Alcohol and Stress |
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William F. Buckley Jr. on Mideast & Sharon on National Review Online |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
9:04 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
[Originally recommended by Tom and I don't agree with some of the end of the article, but interesting to read that William F. Buckley Jr. thinks it's a huge mistake. --Randy] "Sharon's policy is scorched-earth. Under his command, the Israeli army has engaged not in isolating the infrastructure of the suicide terrorists. What he is engaged in is wanton damage. " Even William F. Buckley thinks Isreal has crossed the line... William F. Buckley Jr. on Mideast & Sharon on National Review Online |
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Lawrence Lessig: The Thought Leader Interview |
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| Topic: Intellectual Property |
9:00 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
The Stanford University law professor and cyberadvocate redefines the parameters of the Internet. A Q&A with Larry Lessig on his vision for a future of competition that will realize the NetÂ’s full potential as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. Stewart Brand: "Lawrence Lessig is a James Madison of our time, crafting the lineaments of a well-tempered cyberspace. Like Madison, Lessig is a model of balance, judgment, ingenuity, and persuasive argument." A brief Q&A with Lessig. Free registration required. (Use login "cypherpunks@foo.foo" with password "cypherpunks") Lawrence Lessig: The Thought Leader Interview |
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Only Some Will Survive the Telecom Shakeout |
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| Topic: Economics |
8:20 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
How do you tell the difference between the companies that are going to survive the shakeout among telecommunications service providers and those that will go belly-up? Every CEO running a phone company has studied the problem. When some number of customers stops buying, a company's remaining customers often come looking for discounts. It's exactly this double whammy of falling demand and falling prices that has hit telecommunications providers. ... Verizon will survive; Qwest is a definite maybe; WorldCom is on the ropes. ... Falling prices: $3,000 for an OC-3. A little over $12,000 for an OC-48. And dropping fast. I read an article earlier this week that mentioned a price of $2,000 for an OC-3. Cheap, cheap, cheap! It wasn't too long ago that all you could get for ~ $2k was a T-1. Only Some Will Survive the Telecom Shakeout |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
8:19 pm EDT, May 2, 2002 |
Coming soon in a bookstore, video store or newsstand near you: a close-up recording of your examination of a girlie magazine or lusty movie, a left-wing weekly or a right-wing book. Your reactions go in the marketers' dossier on you, available for a fee to advertisers, telemarketers or political opposition researchers. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson: "You never did have federal privacy rights." How would Bush like to have "observational research" in the Oval Office? William Safire on postmodern privacy. The Intrusion Explosion |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
2:49 am EDT, May 1, 2002 |
Wow. A definite must read. Especially for those who tend to be turned off by my own particular viewpoint. I think it clarifies the regular mis-conceptions that strongly left people condoned the September 11th attacks. READ! Towards a Decent Left |
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_World Without Secrets: Business, Crime and Privacy in the Age of Ubiquitous Computing_ |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
12:14 am EDT, Apr 30, 2002 |
A new book from Richard Hunter, VP of security research at Gartner, published by John Wiley & Sons, available now. ISBN 0471218162. 304 pages. Hunter asks: "Is the convenience of being known everywhere worth the risk of being known everywhere?" Rapid technological innovation is moving us towards a world of ubiquitous computing-a world in which we are surrounded by smart machines that are always on, always aware, and always monitoring us. These developments will create a world virtually without secrets in which information is widely available and analyzable worldwide. This environment will certainly affect business, government, and the individual alike, dramatically affecting the way organizations and individuals interact. This book explores the implications of the coming world and suggests and explores policy options that can protect individuals and organizations from exploitation and safeguard the implicit contract between employees, businesses, and society itself. World Without Secrets casts an unflinching eye on a future we may not necessarily desire, but will experience. Worth a look, although Publishers Weekly laments, "very little is resolved" by the end of the book. Amazon.com offers up the first chapter of the book (available at the logged URL). [Are you worried? Try http://www.evidence-eliminator.com/ . I just tried their product and it seems comprehensive! --Randy] _World Without Secrets: Business, Crime and Privacy in the Age of Ubiquitous Computing_ |
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Technologists Question I.B.M. Move | John Markoff in NYT |
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| Topic: Economics |
12:11 am EDT, Apr 30, 2002 |
There are people who believe Silicon Valley is a misnomer. ... Iron Ferrite Valley would be a more appropriate name, although the case has been harder to make since IBM decided to sell its business in magnetic disk data storage to Hitachi. A half-century ago, IBM began research that would lead to the first disk drive. Almaden Research Center has long been considered one of IBM's crown jewels ... Now, part of it will become a joint venture to be 70% owned by Hitachi. So there was some quiet grumbling ... as many technologists wondered whether the computer maker was not mortgaging its future. Does IBM actually have a grand strategy in data storage [or is it about improving the short-term bottom line]? It may take a peculiar kind of company to stay alive in [the rapidly consolidating storage industry.] The technology is changing even faster. Execution of each new generation of technology has to be flawless or else market share can collapse overnight. For decades, critics have been predicting the imminent obsolescence of hard-disk drives. IBM may have finally decided that the writing is indeed on the wall. Garnter: "IBM is abdicating the next 10 years and betting on the future." If he's right, IBM might be telegraphing a new data storage world that will open vistas even more remarkable than an Iron Ferrite Valley. What is interesting about this is that IBM has recently led a huge resurgence in this field. They were first with many new drive technologies and I ran many of their drives (not the infamous 75GXP) and was very impressed with their stability and speed. Technologists Question I.B.M. Move | John Markoff in NYT |
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ZDNet |UK| - News - Story - 3Com puts firewall on an NIC |
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| Topic: Computer Security |
10:22 pm EDT, Apr 25, 2002 |
This is not as unexpected as slashdot.org paints it. Actually, the industry has been moving this way for 2 years or so. I remember talking to WatchGuard about their plans to build specialized ASICS processors that could be OEM'ed. We will see more and more of this in the future. ZDNet |UK| - News - Story - 3Com puts firewall on an NIC |
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