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December 27, 2005
Google Ads
So, you may've noticed my Google search bar at the bottom, and the Google ads on the right side.
I think, though, it's a bad sign that the only searches run from the search tool are for "euphemism" -- twice.
Posted by griffjon at 08:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Miami Herald goes after Bush
Fear destroys what bin Laden could not
If, back in 2001, anyone had told me that four years after bin Laden's attack our president would admit that he broke U.S. law against domestic spying and ignored the Constitution -- and then expect the American people to congratulate him for it -- I would have presumed the girders of our very Republic had crumbled.Had anyone said our president would invade a country and kill 30,000 of its people claiming a threat that never, in fact, existed, then admit he would have invaded even if he had known there was no threat -- and expect America to be pleased by this -- I would have thought our nation's sensibilities and honor had been eviscerated.
If I had been informed that our nation's leaders would embrace torture as a legitimate tool of warfare, hold prisoners for years without charges and operate secret prisons overseas -- and call such procedures necessary for the nation's security -- I would have laughed at the folly of protecting human rights by destroying them.
If someone had predicted the president's staff would out a CIA agent as revenge against a critic, defy a law against domestic propaganda by bankrolling supposedly independent journalists and commentators, and ridicule a 37-year Marie Corps veteran for questioning U.S. military policy -- and that the populace would be more interested in whether Angelina is about to make Brad a daddy -- I would have called the prediction an absurd fantasy.
That's no America I know, I would have argued. We're too strong, and we've been through too much, to be led down such a twisted path.
(Via BoingBoing
Posted by griffjon at 09:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 26, 2005
Holidays vs. Xmas
I of course am celebrating Saturnalia this year, but if anyone out there was still wondering who one, "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," I'd like to remind you of the settler of all such fights -- GoogleFight.
Google Fight makes the baby Jesus cry.
Posted by griffjon at 04:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Resolutions tracking
Following
For 2k5 I set these up:
--Grad School: Get in, keep focused, kick ass, try not to go into too deep of debt.
--Geekliness: I need to upgrade my geek cred now that I'm back.
--Activism: I have problems with being in the US, and I want to redirect this frustration into positive activism, both on the warm-fuzzy volunteering for good causes kind, and the sabre-rattling kind of doing protests...
--Travel: Not a likelihood for 2k5, but I want to maintain it as an ideal.
--Live a good life: Especially over the next few months, I need to combine saving money, being good with the job, and living healthily, and simply.
--Figure things out.
Well, I did a decent job of these. I got in and got aid for grad school, and so far have kicked ass. I've been doing a good job at getting deeper into database stuff, though my language of choice continues to be perl. Activism has panned out less. I've maintained a lot of the work-on-the-side for PC/Ja's intranet and some geek help for EsperanzaEnAccion, but I didn't make it to the big protest in DC this year in time, and I haven't gotten involved up there. Yes, I'm in grad school full-time and working part-time, but still. I didn't figure as much out as I'd like.
So, for 2k6....
--Grad School AND THE FUTURE: Over the course of the next year, I need to narrow down my focus and start sniffing out realistic and enjoyable job opportunities.
--Activism: Also, focus down on a few topics/causes for real activism. Give the ACLU and EFF some money, and make this more of a priority than it has been. Of course, continue occasional blog/rants filtering through BBC, DailyKOS and similar.
--DC: If I stick with international dev, DC will probably be a decently important city in my life, so I need to make peace with it and find more things about it that I really and truly like.
--Travel: I also want to get out of the country again, I've been gettin itchy. There are still-nebulous plans to head down to Nica this summer, and I need to work with my job and find a travel grant or two to get that to work out.
--Keep in better contact: a LOT of people have kinda fallen off my radar. Basically everyone not on LJ or IM... I need to be a bit better about staying in touch.
--Fitness: The last month of finals and projects and cold and thanksgiving really didn't do much good for me. I've been good about staying active in DC and walking a lot, but I need to work on eating less and maybe getting some non-walking exercise in.
Posted by griffjon at 09:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Big Holiday Mass-email
I guess it's been kind of a big year, but it began and will end for me in Austin, even though temporarily.
I've mostly adapted to life in the States again after being in Venezuela and Jamaica for most of the previous three years (If you've been under a rock or I've been remiss in keeping in contact, and that's a surprise for ya, check www.griffjon.com/travel), returning last October. I helped my girlfriend from Peace Corps on the last days of the 2004 campaign season a bit (though not much, as going from hot and humid Jamaica to dry and cold New Mexico didn't sit so well), toured some grad schools, and spent December planning the next step and finishing applications.
I ended up in Austin starting in January, living in "Das Blue Haus", a living situation that's been passed through a group of friends there for almost 10 years when I joined in. Unfortunately, this 100-year-old historic home is now an empty lot awaiting high-rent, low-occupancy luxury condos, as the "Drag" and West Campus area near UT goes through another round of saddening gentrification/starbucksification. I worked with some of my former co-workers from eCertain at the technology commercialization office of UT, doing a pleasant assortment of random tech/IT duties. My most fun and hopefully long-lasting and beneficial task was to map out the various ghosts in the machines and create a central and living documentation project in the form of an internal "wiki".
So I passed spring and summer in Austin, enjoying the Austin life and defending my house in front of various historic-preservation and city hall panels until we finally lost a vote. You can read all about the house, its varied history of being home to your Austin-normal gathering of eclectics, musicians and academics at http://www.griffjon.com/dashaus/ .
The grad school acceptances rolled in, but fewer came with any financial support. I chose GWU's International Science and Technology Program in the end, and will continue my focus on IT in development work. Through GWU I can take classes at other DC-area programs, and they gave me by far the best deal.
I moved up to DC in early August as my lease came due and the haus was being torn apart (quite literally from under my feet!). I found a part-time job filling all the IT needs of a non-profit crisis call center in northern Virginia (CrisisLink.org). Grad school (rather, the reading load) has taken up pretty much every available hour outside of work and sleep, even to the point of catching a few pages on each leg of my subway journeys to school and work.
I'm here at the end of my first semester, still generally convinced that grad school is a good idea. Ask me again in a few years when I have to repay my loans...
I'm back in Texas for xmas and the new year, then back to the cold northeast for another round of grad school. Drop me a line, call (202-380-8782), or visit, and I hope you're having a great whatever you like to celebrate. This year I'm claiming to celebrate "Saturnalia," (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia) the original Roman holiday of cut-down trees, parties, and gift exchanges.
So, Io Saturnalia, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Solstice, Happy Kwanzaa, and so on and so forth. If you find anyone complaining about "Holiday Trees" please just remind them that "Christmas trees" are rightfully "Saturnalia Trees" and they should relax and enjoy the syncretism.
Oh, and happy (Western) New Years!
Posted by griffjon at 09:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 19, 2005
Boggle
This Hawaiian news story, mostly from a Fox story, gives a decent rundown of the current insanities regarding spying and Patriot Act.
My favorite part is:
"These senators need to explain why they thought the Patriot Act was a vital tool after the Sept. 11 attacks but now feel it's no longer necessary," Bush said, adding that the filibustering lawmakers "must stop their delaying tactics." "It is inexcusable for the United States Senate to let the Patriot Act expire."
There was a reason why those special priviledges had an expiration date.
I think we should all start calling him King George II, because he obviously believes that he is above the law.
Posted by griffjon at 10:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Domestic spying
A cryptography mailing-list moderator writes a nice little summation of the felony that our president has admitted to:
As you may all be aware, the New York Times has reported, and the administration has admitted, that President of the United States apparently ordered the NSA to conduct surveillance operations against US citizens without prior permission of the secret court known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (the "FISC"). This is in clear contravention of 50 USC 1801 - 50 USC 1811, a portion of the US code that provides for clear criminal penalties for violations. See:http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode50/usc_sup_01_50_10_36_20_I.html
The President claims he has the prerogative to order such surveillance. The law unambiguously disagrees with him.
There are minor exceptions in the law, but they clearly do not apply in this case. They cover only the 15 days after a declaration of war by congress, a period of 72 hours prior to seeking court authorization (which was never sought), and similar exceptions that clearly are not germane.
There is no room for doubt or question about whether the President has the prerogative to order surveillance without asking the FISC -- even if the FISC is a toothless organization that never turns down requests, it is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years imprisonment, to conduct electronic surveillance against US citizens without court authorization.
The FISC may be worthless at defending civil liberties, but in its arrogant disregard for even the fig leaf of the FISC, the administration has actually crossed the line into a crystal clear felony. The government could have legally conducted such wiretaps at any time, but the President chose not to do it legally.
Ours is a government of laws, not of men. That means if the President disagrees with a law or feels that it is insufficient, he still must obey it. Ignoring the law is illegal, even for the President. The President may ask Congress to change the law, but meanwhile he must follow it.
Our President has chosen to declare himself above the law, a dangerous precedent that could do great harm to our country. However, without substantial effort on the part of you, and I mean you, every person reading this, nothing much is going to happen. The rule of law will continue to decay in our country. Future Presidents will claim even greater extralegal authority, and our nation will fall into despotism. I mean that sincerely. For the sake of yourself, your children and your children's children, you cannot allow this to stand.
(Full text at Cryptome.org
Posted by griffjon at 08:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 16, 2005
Death by caffeine...
Calculate how much coffee it would take to kill you. Evidentally, as few as 35 mugs of strong coffee could give me serious problems (such as death). Kinda scary, actually.
Posted by griffjon at 01:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 14, 2005
Educational systems
It blows my mind that universities pay huge money for crap systems like BlackBoard and WebCT when there's a system at least equally capable that's free, open source, and with a vibrant support/development community (moodle).
BTW, blackboard just sucks.
Posted by griffjon at 10:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
More crafty things to help support good causes
CrisisLink.org is selling a cookbook, Comfort Food From CrisisLink. It lives up to it's title -- almost half the cookbook is breads and desserts!
Posted by griffjon at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Xmas gifts that help out
Esperanza En Accion has some great pottery and carvings available, there's a picture set at Flickr. The pottery is done by the ProMujer Cooperative and the carvings by Ramon.
Posted by griffjon at 08:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 13, 2005
Diebold CEO resigns
Slashdot reports that the Diebold CEO is resigning. I wonder what he knows?
Posted by griffjon at 06:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack