This probably shouldn't be funny…

by

The technology is not yet foolproof. The online edition of The New York Post, which is owned by the News Corporation, ran an article last month about a murder in which the victim’s body parts were packed in a suitcase, and Google served up an ad for a luggage dealer.

— from [If You Liked the Web Page, You’ll Love the Ad], in the New York Times

[If You Liked the Web Page, You’ll Love the Ad]: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/04/technology/04ECOM.html?ex=1375416000&en=2ac396ed576ca1b3&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND “If You Liked the Web Page,
You’ll Love the Ad”

Can you say 'smear campaign'? I knew you could!

by

This just seems to be the day for long posts, doesn’t it? Well, bear with me — I’m flaming pissed right now, and I don’t feel like hiding all the reasons behind the ‘extended post’ link.

Earlier today, I linked to a story about how the Episcopal Church looked ready to elect the first openly gay bishop. I should have known that in the real world, this wasn’t likely to happen.

This afternoon, a string of posts was posted on Eschaton pointing out the smear campaign currently being waged against Rev. Gene Robinson that has resulted in the final vote, which was supposed to happen today, being postponed ‘indefinitely.’

First: a link to a Weekly Standard article breaking the news that one could access a porn website through links from the website of Outright a gay youth support website.

THE CONTROVERSIAL gay Episcopal bishop-elect of New Hampshire is a founder of a group called Outright that supports gay, lesbian, or “questioning” young people 22-years-old or younger and gets them together with older gay and lesbian role models. On its website, Outright had a link to a pornographic website–until the link became an issue in the fight at the Episcopal Church’s national convention in Minneapolis over ratifying the election of the bishop-elect, Gene Robinson, by New Hampshire Episcopalians. The link, indeed all links, were removed from the website today.

Eschaton apparently found about about this from a CNN broadcast, which was loosely quoted as such:

If you go to a website, and then make a few more clicks, and then leave the web site, and then make a few more clicks, you can access some erotica if you pay for it.

Go to the website, make a few more clicks, then leave the website, then make a few more clicks, then you’ll find porn if you pay for it.

Next, Atrios came up with the transcript of the CNN report he heard (emphasis mine):

Also, the vote is being postponed, we have learned from church officials, is because another group who initially came to CNN revealed that they suspect that a Web site called outright.org, an organization that counsels gay and lesbian youth under the age of 21, that if you go on to their Web site, there are a few clicks away and leaving their Web site can eventually get you, they say, to a pornographic site.

Next came the revelation that Fred Barnes, the author of the Weekly Standard article, is a board member of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a very conservative organization of Episcopalians. Sure sounds like a possible conflict of interest to me.

Later, another CNN transcript was found, demonstrating just how easy it was to get to porn via Outreach’s site:

First, let’s show you a bit of the Web site. We will not show you all of its entirety but if you go to it and make a few clicks and then leave the Web site using various links and make a few more clicks you discover an erotica, what is described as an erotica site where you can download or view rather some photographs. Of course you have to pay to see additional photographs.

This is nothing more than a blatant smear campaign designed to discredit Rev. Robinson and block his election as a Bishop. Allegations have also surfaced involving possible “improper touching”. According to this CNN transcript (the first one linked to by Eschaton):

…one of [the allegations] has to do with an e-mail that was sent just last night from a man in Manchester, Vermont, by the name of David Lewis, who sent an e-mail to a bishop claiming that — or alleging that — Reverend Robinson had — quote — “touched him inappropriately” a few years ago at a convocation, and he’s asking the bishops to look into this.

In other words, even though Rev. Robinson has been in the news for months, along with word of his upcoming election process, these allegations only surfaced at the very last moment, when it actually looked like he would be elected to his position as Bishop. As I stated above, it looks for all the world to me like this is nothing more than a brutal, vicious smear campaign.

Rev. Robinson may have had the honor of being elected the first gay bishop of the Episcopal Church today. He may not have — having made it through the first two elections is a good indicator, but not a gaurantee, that he would have made it through the third. At this point, though, we may never know.

Geek t-shirts

by
  • Life ain’t nothin but bitches, money, and root.
  • I need a girl who’s name doesn’t end with .JPG
  • I rooted your girlfriend’s box, and I didn’t use a trojan
  • Computer security is like sex. Once your penetrated, you’re pretty much f*cked.
  • Chicks dig guys that write recursive algorithms
  • Save a filesystem — Mount a sysadmin
  • When you’re caught, we’re splitting up your warez
  • My other computer is your linux box
  • Trinity is a script kiddie
  • There’s no place like 127.0.0.1

— seen on /.

We are all suspects

by

Last month, John Gilmore was booked on a flight from San Francisco to London via British airways. Unfortunately, displaying his political views caused a bit of a stir…

My sweetheart Annie and I tried to fly to London today (Friday) on British Airways. We started at SFO, showed our passports and got through all the rigamarole, and were seated on the plane while it taxied out toward takeoff. Suddenly a flight steward, Cabin Service Director Khaleel Miyan, loomed in front of me and demanded that I remove a small 1\” button pinned to my left lapel. I declined, saying that it was a political statement and that he had no right to censor passengers’ political speech. The button, which was created by political activist Emi Koyama, says “Suspected Terrorist”. Large images of the button and I appear in the cover story of Reason Magazine this month, and the story is entitled “Suspected Terrorist”.

The steward returned with Capt. Peter Hughes. The captain requested, and then demanded, that I remove the button (they called it a “badge”). He said that I would endanger the aircraft and commit a federal crime if I did not take it off. I told him that it was a political statement and declined to remove it.

They turned the plane around and brought it back to the gate, delaying 300 passengers on a full flight.

His story was noted by Lawrence Lessig, and posted to his weblog. Much commenting ensued.

Saturday, Lessig posted John’s reply to the comment thread, and he raises some excellent points in his response.

The button is not a joke. It’s a serious statement which one may agree or disagree with. The point that people seem to be missing is that a “suspected terrorist” is not the same as a “terrorist”. Yet, that’s exactly the conflation that has occurred: treat every citizen like a suspect, and every suspect like a terrorist.

[…]

Let me also say in my defense that I seldom fly these days, so I am not used to life in a gulag. I had zero expectation that my refusal to doff a button would result in the captain returning the plane to the gate. But even if I did fly often, my response would be the same: to constantly push back against the rules that turn a free people into the slaves of a totalitarian regime. I push back using the rights granted me by the constitutional structure of the country, plus my own intelligence and resources. Way too many of you readers are like the Poles who, under orders from swaggering bullies, built the brick wall around their own ghetto, as shown in the award-winning movie “The Pianist” (which I watched on the Virgin Atlantic flight). The US is currently filling the swaggering bully role at home, in Iraq, and in the rest of the world. (Come out to free countries and ask around, if you disagree.)

John also included a list of other, related incidents which really should be looked at.

This is all very real, very scary stuff, going on as we speak in our “freedom loving” country. Don’t assume that “it can’t happen to me” — it can, and if this continues unchecked, sooner or later, it will.

Boston Globe Online / City & Region / Teen arrested at Logan for alleged bomb threat in his bag

by

Looks like it’s time to add profane, sarcastic notes to the list of things you shouldn’t fly with these days.

A Paxton teenager was arraigned on a felony charge yesterday morning after he and his family were removed from a plane bound for Hawaii following the discovery of a profanity-filled note referencing a bomb in his luggage examined at Logan International Airport.

[…]

Socha was arrested by State Police and his mother, father, and sister, were ordered off United Airlines Flight 171 to Honolulu via San Francisco, which was set to depart at 7:07 a.m.

According to the police report, the note, which was placed on top of clothes in a black gym bag read: ”[Expletive] you. Stay the [expletive] out of my bag you [expletive] sucker. Have you found a [expletive] bomb yet? No, just clothes. Am I right? Yea, so [expletive] you.”

This was not a bomb threat, nor a danger to the flight. This was a 17 year old kid leaving a juvenile note in his bag. Nothing more.

(via Cory)

Two down, one to go

by

The Episcopal Church continues to make progress in becoming more inclusive, as openly gay Bishop-elect Rev. V. Gene Robinson has successfully passed two of the three votes before being elected, and a possible compromise has been reached for a ceremony celebrating same-sex unions. This is wonderful news.

“God is not on a learning curve,” Robinson said. “We, on the other hand, are on the learning curve. God has taught us a lot of things about the full inclusion of people of color, of women, and now of gay and lesbian folk.”

(via D)

Jane says…

by

Jane’s Addiction rocks.

Jane’s Addiction has a new album out.

Jane’s Addiction’s new CD appears to be copy-protected (at least, the single from the new album had a prominently displayed ‘copy protection’ logo on it. I didn’t see one on the album itself, but if the single had it, there’s at least a good chance that the album will too, and I don’t know what the labeling requirements are for the new copy protection technology).

Jane’s Addiction just lost a sale.

If anyone can verify that the new album is not copy protected, then I’ll buy it. But I refuse to purchase a CD that likely will not play in my computer, but may not play in my normal CD player either. Besides, I listen to most of my music these days by legally copying it to my iPod. If I can’t do that, I’m not nearly as likely to listen to it, so why buy it? Grrrrrr.

Hit the showers, Harry!

by

From iChat tonight:

D: Oh, to find Harry in some real hot water

I’m up to page 500 in book five. Maybe there’s a cleansing wash at the end but by now we’ve had five volumes, almost 2500 pages, and more than two dozen references to Harry’s morning and bedtime routines with no shower, bath or even wash included.

Michael Hanscom: must’ve been a slow news day

D: LOL
D: funny, though

Michael Hanscom: yeah
Michael Hanscom: though i’m not sure what the reaction would be if she started including shower scenes in the Potter books

D: LOL

Michael Hanscom: “Harry woke up, stumbled naked into the Gryffendor community lavatory, and sleepily started soaping himself up.”
Michael Hanscom: “‘Do you really need that much lather down there, Harry?’ Hermione asked as she stepped into the shower and dropped her towel.”
Michael Hanscom: Somehow, I don’t think the parents would approve.

D: hahahaha

Of course, now I’m going to start showing up in searches for all sorts of disturbing Harry Potter slash fanfic. Joy.

This weekend…

by

…had a great weekend out running around in the sun. Spent Saturday with Prairie and her sisters H and K, and Sunday Prairie and I went out to the Woodland Park Zoo.

Swinging is fun!

This swing is great. Suspended from a pulley on a wire, it’s got about thirty feet of wire to build up speed before the pulley hits the tire and you go flying up into the air. I may have turned 30 a few months ago, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re never too old to go play on a swing on a sunny day.

How not to catch a frisbee

This is not a recommended method for frisbee catching. ;) However, if instead of a hard plastic frisbee, you’re using a “flippy flier” (a cloth circle lightly weighted down around the edges with sand…works great as a frisbee, and can be wadded up and stuffed into a pocket), it’s worth trying once or twice just for the amusement value.

Two butterflies

Two butterflies, at the Woodland Park Zoo butterfly house. I’d only been in something like this once before, and this one was definitely the better of the two. Hundreds of butterflies all over the place, and all sorts of different varieties and patterns.

Another butterfly

Even slightly out of focus, the coloring on this one was gorgeous.

Three turtles

These three turtles were just sitting on a branch, right under the water level in this display, watching everyone go by outside. I took the shot on a whim, putting the lens of my camera right up against the glass, just under the waterline, and more or less guessing at the right point to aim at — looks to me like I guessed right.

Toucan

This was the first zoo I’d been to that I can remember seeing a toucan at, and this one was just a few feet away from the front of the display. The chain-link fence made getting a good shot a little tricky, but I was able to aim through one of the openings and only catch the tinest bit of fencing in the corners. I’m not sure what the bird thought of the experiment, though — he seems to be eyeing me somewhat warily.

I’ve got to say, I was really impressed by the Woodland Park Zoo. While it’s not the largest zoo I’ve been to, the exhibits were by far better than any I’d seen elsewhere. They’ve done a great job of creating “natural habitats” for most of the animals — the glaring exception was the penguin exhibit, and it was so shoddy in comparison to the rest that I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it’s just waiting to get upgraded. Easily my favorite of the exhibits, though, was the nocturnal animals exhibit. The entire thing is extremely dimly lit, in order to let the animals exist in their normal lighting, and you really have to take your time to quietly watch the exhibits before you’ll start to see the animals moving around.

Anyway, that was my weekend. Now, back to my usual mix of who-knows-what…