What a deal!

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Y’know, it’s really a shame I don’t go to Florida State University. Turns out that they’re working on setting up a special deal with Apple…

In an effort to prevent illegal file sharing on campus, Florida State University is on the verge of finalizing a deal with Apple Computer, Inc. — a deal that would provide free iTunes software to students and allow them to download music for 99 cents per song.

I’ve gotta say, that’s one hell of a deal. iTunes for free — and individual songs for just 99 cents!?! Amazing!

\</sarcasm>

iTunes: “Come With Me” by Information Society from the album Hack (1990, 4:22).

Two digits, thousands of votes

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Diebold’s voting machines scare me more and more every time I read about them. The latest bombshell? It’s not bad enough that the individual voting machines aren’t as secure as they should be, but the tabulation machines that tally all the votes from the individual machines can be manipulated by entering two digits.

Issue: Manipulation technique found in the Diebold central tabulator — 1,000 of these systems are in place, and they count up to two million votes at a time.

By entering a 2-digit code in a hidden location, a second set of votes is created. This set of votes can be changed, so that it no longer matches the correct votes. The voting system will then read the totals from the bogus vote set. It takes only seconds to change the votes, and to date not a single location in the U.S. has implemented security measures to fully mitigate the risks.

This program is not “stupidity” or sloppiness. It was designed and tested over a series of a dozen version adjustments.

[…]

The central tabulator is far more vulnerable than the touch screen terminals. Think about it: If you were going to tamper with an election, would you rather tamper with 4,500 individual voting machines, or with just one machine, the central tabulator which receives votes from all the machines? Of course, the central tabulator is the most desirable target.

With voting systems like this installed in key states, it’s frighteningly possible that it won’t matter who anybody votes for.

(via MeFi)

Kevin and Noah

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Kevin and Noah Hanscom

My little brother and my one-month old nephew.

iTunes: “My Dream” by ATB from the album Movin’ Melodies (1999, 7:05).

I’m everywhere!

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With the addition of the new Mac OS X release of Skype, there are now a veritable plethora of ways to get ahold of me online, should anyone be so inclined.

  • Email:
    1. —@speakeasy.net]{.citation cites=”speakeasy.net”}: This address I’ve only given out to family and close friends, in an attempt to keep at least one e-mail account relatively spam-free.
    2. djwudi@myrealbox.com: These days, primarily a spamcatcher, though I’ve still got a few mailing lists going here.
    3. djwudi@mac.com: A general-purpose, publicly available inbox.
    4. michael.hanscom@gmail.com: Just set this up. I’ve sent myself a message, and that’s the most use it’s seen so far.
    5. michael@michaelhanscom.com: These days, my primary public e-mail, and my first choice for most correspondence. If you don’t have another address for me in your inbox already (and want one, for some reason), this is the one to use.
  • Instant Messaging:
    1. iChat: djwudi: My preferred IM client. Supports audio and video in addition to text chat since I’ve got an iSight.
    2. AIM: djwudi@mac.com: iChat co-operates with the AIM network, so AIM users can find me here. In theory, recent versions of AIM support video chat also.
    3. AIM: djwudi: An actual AIM account that I got ages ago, and just started using again recently when one friend for some reason couldn’t see the djwudi@mac.com iChat/AIM account.
    4. Yahoo IM: djwudi or dj_wumlautudi: Mostly used with friends in Alaska that I met during the days when I hung out in the Yahoo chat rooms.
    5. Skype: djwudi: This one, I’ve just signed up for, and haven’t actually done anything with yet. While it works as an IM program, its primary purpose is VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) — essentially, computer-based telephone service. It should allow high-quality voice conversations with other Skype users, and if I give them a little money, than I should be able to place calls to any telephone from my computer. Sounds nifty, and I’m interested in trying it out once I either find other Skype users or pony up the cash to try the computer-to-telephone function.

I think that’s it. Did I miss any?

iTunes: “Inquisition” by Skinny Puppy from the album Nettwerk Decadence (1992, 4:26).

G5 iMac

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The new G5-based iMac is up on Apple’s site. Haven’t spent a ton of time on the site, yet, but first impressions are that it’s a damn impressive piece of engineering, packing all that into such a tiny little space.

But it’s not nearly as cute as the last generation.

More thoughts later on, most likely.

Update: Actually, no update. No further thoughts. Nice new iMac, not as pretty as the last one. That’s about all I’ve got for this one. Just wanted to say something, since I’d expected I’d have more to say.

iTunes: “Hey Jupiter” by Amos, Tori from the album Boys for Pele (1996, 5:11).

New glasses are on the way

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So I’ve got new eyeglasses on the way. With any luck, they should be here in a little less than two weeks, and I’ll have them in time for my vacation. They look similar to this pair — rimless, fairly small and rectangular, with very thin silver bows, and they come with a set of clip-on shades that match the shape of the lenses exactly. Prairie assures me that they look incredibly good and nearly disappear from my face, not nearly as dominating as my current pair.

Most interesting about the eye exam is that my new pair will actually be a slightly weaker prescription than my current pair — one diopter less (whatever that is) — as my eyesight is actually slightly improving as I age. I had no idea this could happen, so it was a very pleasant surprise. Apparently, my eyes are learning to relax, gradually increasing my near-vision depth of field. According to the optometrist, while I’ll always need glasses for distance vision, I’ll never need reading glasses, and may eventually be more comfortable reading or working on a computer either without glasses, or with bifocals that have little to no adjustment in the lower, near-vision area of the lens. Pretty cool, I’d say.

So now it’s just the waiting game as the glasses are made. Since I’ve got my vacation in two weeks, the clinic is seeing if they can put a rush on the order to ensure that they arrive before I have to leave. It may not happen, but if it does, I’ll be in good shape.

Oh, and should any Seattle-area people be in the need for new glasses, I’d certainly recommend the clinic I went to (Jackson Vision Clinic, 225 12th Ave. South Suite 103, Seattle, WA, 98144, 206.322.6915). I picked them simply because they were just over in the International District within fairly easy walking distance of my apartment, they were open on Saturdays, and they took the insurance I get through work. They were quite nice to work with, though — Dr. Hoang and his staff were quite friendly. While the clinic was pretty slow on Saturday, when I went in a couple weeks ago to make my appointment, they were quite busy, and I had the rather amusing experience of being the only Caucasian and (I believe) only native English speaker in a room full of Vietnamese people. Not an entirely normal thing in my general day-to-day activities, but rather fun, actually — there were a couple families in getting glasses for their kids that day, and kids are kids and fun to watch, no matter what language they speak.

Anyway, a good clinic, good people, and I’ve got some good glasses coming my way. Pics, of course, will be posted as soon as I get the glasses in.

iTunes: “Get A Good Thing” by Jesus Jones from the album Perverse (1993, 3:23).

Rent

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As mentioned briefly last week, Saturday’s evening entertainment was wandering down a couple blocks to the Paramount Theatre to see Rent.

Prairie has been a fan of Rent for a while, and had tried to introduce me to the music a while ago, but I just hadn’t been able to get a good feel for what was going on simply by listening to the soundtrack album. Thinking about it on the way home after the show, I realized that part of that may have been because every other major musical that I’ve seen (Cats, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), I knew the story before picking up the soundtrack album, either through reading the source material or because I’d learned it while singing the songs back when I was in the Alaska Children’s Choir. With Rent, I had no real idea of what the plot was and what was happening, and I couldn’t quite pick it up just by listening to the album.

Now that I’ve seen the show, though, suddenly it all falls into place. “La Vie Boheme” and “Tango: Maureen” were by far my favorite songs, though the entire soundtrack is a blast. I can certainly see why it’s such a popular show.

Our particular performance was quite good, though not perfect. The sound technician was sometimes a little late when activating people’s microphones, so we’d occasionally lose the first couple words of someone’s lines when they appeared. A couple of the performers didn’t have quite as strong a voice as they probably should have (most notably Tallia Brinson as Mimi — while she wasn’t bad by any means, she didn’t quite have the raw power that songs like “Out Tonight” require).

I was also confused for a while about Angel’s character — I knew that the character was supposed to be a drag queen from when Prairie had first tried to introduce me to the music, but Damien DeShaun Smith had such an incredibly feminine voice that I really wasn’t sure if it was a male or female playing Angel until I checked the program during intermission. It made for a slightly confusing first act (as a female Angel would greatly change the dynamic of the relationship with Tom Collins)…of course, on the bright side, if Damien really is a drag queen (off-stage, that is), he’s sure to do a spectacular job! ;)

All in all, though, while not a perfect performance, it was extremely good, and I’ve got a new musical to eventually commit to memory.

iTunes: “La Vie Boheme” by Original Broadway Cast from the album Rent (1996, 8:00).

Former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes on George W. Bush

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Atrios points to a that’s worth seeing — or if you can’t see it, the transcript is worth reading.

: http://69.59.167.160/ “Greater Democracy”

Josh Marshall reports that this is in fact Barnes in the video. The beginning and end show Barnes speaking at a rally, Marshall says this was recorded 6/8/04. The middle portion has Barnes seated, speaking as though in an interview.

Transcribed myself watching the video:

Speaking to an audience:

“Let’s talk a minute about John Kerry and George Bush, and I know them both. And I’m not name dropping, saying I know them both. See I got…I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard when I was the Lt. Governor of Texas, and I’m not necessarily proud of that. (audience laughs) But, But I did it, and I got a lot of other people into the National Guard because I thought that’s what people should do when you’re in office and you helped a lot of rich people. And I walked to the Vietnam Memorial wall the other day and I looked at the names of the people that died in Vietnam, and I became more ashamed of myself than I’ve ever been because it’s the worst thing I did was help a lot of wealthy supporters, and a lot of people who had family names of importance get into the National Guard. And I’m very sorry about that, and I’m ashamed. And I apologize to you, the voters of Texas. (Applause)”

Cut to Interview:

“John Kerry volunteered to go to Vietnam. And that was a pretty courageous thing, because John Kerry could have gone on and gotten another degree. He was in a position where he didn’t have to go to Vietnam. I admired that so much, that he went. But I admired even more the fact that he came back talking about Vietnam and what a mistake it was. A matter of fact he talked about it so much that he got the FBI looking at him and got on Richard Nixon’s list. And that took, that takes a lot of courage of a young man who particularly has an interest in politics and that wants to serve this county to go get on the President’s black list. And I know a little bit about that because I got on Richard Nixon’s black list also, and that’s a story for another time. But it’s, it’s incredible that John Kerry, uhh, had the courage to go do that. And, you know, I think he deserves to be in Profiles of Courage for his service in Vietnam. But I also think, and I’m not upset with him at all that he came back and, and, talked about Vietnam and said that we were wrong. And I think he deserves equally as much credit for that as he does fighting. We should not look upon anyone that disagreed with our Vietnam policy as being unpatriotic. As we should not look upon anyone today that disagrees with our policy, or our lack of policy in Iraq. I am very unhappy with Republicans that want to make anyone that questions this administration’s policy in Iraq is, is not being a freedom loving American.”

Cut back to him speaking to the audience:

“And I tell you, for the Republicans to jump on John Kerry and say that he’s not a patriot, after he went to Vietnam and was shot at and fought for our freedom and came back here and protested against the war -“he’s a flip flopper.\” Let me tell you, John Kerry is 100 times a better patriot than George Bush or Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld.\”

(via Atrios)

The Seattle Times: Kerry for President

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The Seattle Times has officially endorsed Kerry for President.

Four years ago, this page endorsed George W. Bush for president. We cannot do so again — because of an ill-conceived war and its aftermath, undisciplined spending, a shrinkage of constitutional rights and an intrusive social agenda.

The Bush presidency is not what we had in mind. Our endorsement of John Kerry is not without reservations, but he is head and shoulders above the incumbent.

iTunes: “You’re So Physical (Live)” by Nine Inch Nails from the album Solid Gold Hell (1991, 4:58).

Happy Anniversary!

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Today is the 37th anniversary of the marriage of John Hanscom and Roberta Ward — also known quite fondly by me as Mom and Dad (though not respectively…I have an odd family, but not that odd).

Happy anniversary, and much love and congratulations to you both.

iTunes: “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by Brown, James from the album 40th Anniversary Collection (1965, 2:48).