Google has launched a site that allows you to do searches on keywords for graphs of their usage, as well as the top cities, regions, and languages involved. This is the right way to expose this kind of data. This type of statistical data is useful, but does not infringe in anyone privacy. This will be useful for trend spotting and interest gauging.

Strangely, there seem to be some strange things missing. For instance, take these two Google queries: "aol search database" and "quicksilver mac". For both, MemeStreams has similar result ranking on Google, either second or third term. I can pull up trend data for "quicksilver mac", but not "aol search database", even though queries for the AOL database are about 5 times more prevalent.

This could just be because the AOL related searches are more current.. However, that's the situation where this might be most useful. I would very much like to be able to gauge interest level associated with issues over the first week or two of their inception. That would be _very_ useful, especially considering that links are provided to news stories that include the term.

Google needs to turn the knob up to 11 on this one. Anything that sends a few dozen referrals to sites from unique users should get included in this.

Google Trends

“Consequently, the court finds defendants’ arguments that they cannot defend this case without the use of classified information to be disingenuous and without merit,” she wrote.

NYT article linked for brevity. Full decision here.

Federal Judge Orders End to Warrantless Wiretapping - New York Times

The Army is considering a proposal to allow a private developer to build a military-themed park that would include Cobra Gunship rides and bars including a "1st Division Lounge."

"You can command the latest M-1 tank, feel the rush of a paratrooper freefall, fly a Cobra Gunship or defend your B-17 as a waist gunner," according to the proposal, which was obtained by The Washington Post.

County officials have no authority over the Army's decision because the site is federal property. County Supervisor T. Dana Kauffman said he thought the entertainment concept died last year and said he had no interest in turning a military museum into "Disney on Rolling Road."

Sounds like a blast.

CNN.com - C'mon kids, let's go to Army World! - Aug 8, 2006

I flew into SFO (San Francisco) from Asia in May 2006.

I went straight to the customs agent as I had no luggage.

The agent asked to go through my only bag.

I gave him my bag.

The agent took out my laptop and turned it on.

He then asked for my password

He said that he wanted to verify that I had no illegal content on my hard drive...

While operating my laptop he said that we was tasked with preventing illegal pornographic material from entering the United States

Travis Kalanick
Red Swoosh, Inc.
Founder, CEO

Yes they ARE doing random laptop searches at borders

Learn to Poop. You know you guys need this.

YouTube - How to poop - Japanese potty training video

Philip R. Zimmermann wants to protect online privacy. Who could object to that?

He has found out once already. Trained as a computer scientist, he developed a program in 1991 called Pretty Good Privacy, or PGP, for scrambling and unscrambling e-mail messages. It won a following among privacy rights advocates and human rights groups working overseas — and a three-year federal criminal investigation into whether he had violated export restrictions on cryptographic software. The case was dropped in 1996, and Mr. Zimmermann, who lives in Menlo Park, Calif., started PGP Inc. to sell his software commercially.

Key Escrow was settled in the 90s by the simple fact that it pgp was too hard to use so noone used it.

Voice Encryption May Draw U.S. Scrutiny

Letters written to god by kids.

dear god letters

It has taken almost three years—by some counts, more than 6 years—but ICANN’s domain name policy making organization has finally taken a stand on Whois and privacy. And the results were a decisive defeat for the copyright and trademark interests and the US government, and a stunning victory for advocates of the rights of individual domain name registrants.

In Historic Vote on WHOIS Purpose, Reformers Win by 2/3 Majority

Decius wrote:
YouTube has taken down the videos [of Colbert's performance], citing copyright infringement.

If the news can't be used for discourse, what good is it?

RE: Boing Boing: Why was Colbert press corps video removed from YouTube?

Ummm... why does everyone keep comparing the U.S. to their house? Your house is a piece of property where you and whoever you select live together. A country is... oh wait, I'm not a fourth grade social studies teacher. We all know what a country is, right? And this country is a "democracy."

A democracy made up of citizens. You can't choose who's born here as you can't choose your family... But you can choose who crosses the border the same way you can the threshold of your families house. We can make our democracy stronger if we pick and choose than if we let just anybody in.

Additionally, why do people keep comparing homeless people to immigrants? "The bottom of the barrel?" How about the people who were brave and bold enough to cross an extremely inhospitable border, move to a new country with a new culture, language, and system, and find a job. Have you ever moved to a new CITY? Its rough, man. I wouldn't say that those peope are the 'bottom of the barrel'.

I'd rather import someone who might have a better chance of curing cancer, than someone to wash my dishes. We have more than enough people to do dishes already, we have a bottom of the barrel and it's sort of crowded there. If they've decided to cross over in some inhospitable method it's a damn shame they didn't think they'd make the grade if we were to make the choice of accepting them or not. They should save the hard work and show us why we should choose them rather than the person next to them. If they wish to come here and be a house cleaner, good for them, but it's less useful than someone who can come and teach a college course. Not a grade of humanity, but some people are more useful than others. Why should we encourage malaise?

I also believe that you will find many individuals of great intelectual worth who come here legally and illegally. Some refer to it as "the brain drain."

Great... a genius has crossed the border illegally... Now he can go home and learn to follow rules. Sorry, but if you fuck up at the threshold, you can't sleep over... I don't care how smart you think you are, you are not welcome in my family's house.

RE: How can Illegal Immigration help our Homeless situation?