I just read this article that was linked from digg. Think IE sucks? So does Microsoft! Check out this quote:

There is a 0 day exploit of another Microsoft file format that makes your Windows XP system wide-open for hackers if you made some bad decisions. On top of those is still using Microsoft Internet Explorer to surf the Internet – what in the world are you thinking? How many times do you have to stab yourself to bleed to death? If you know the answer to that please download Firefox today and say goodbye to IE-borne online threats.

I wish I could get that same message through to so many people I know who insist on using IE. Here’s some quotes I’ve heard: “I don’t see what is so special about tabs.” “I tried Firefox once. It was more trouble than it was worth.” “Firefox doesn’t work with (random website). When they (the Firefox team) fix that I’ll switch.”

The level of ignorance is amazing. It is no wonder Linux adoption is taking so long.

Every year around this time I write some predictions down. Last year I didn’t bother to put them in my blog, but you can read them here and here (search for “riskable” on the page—for some reason the comments lost all their formatting, sorry about the lack of paragraphs).

I was wrong about a great many things in 2005, but I was right about a lot more. In this entry I’ll detail where I went right and wrong in 2005 as well as detail my predictions for 2006!

Here’s a great quote from this thread on Slashdot regarding what we can do to fix our civil court system:

1. Have court-appointed attorneys, just like in criminal cases.


2. Make it so loser automagically pays winner’s legal fees.


3. Change the burden of proof to be GUILTY BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT rather than a preponderance of the evidence.


4. Allow a person in a civil trial to plead the 5th without negative inferences.

I’ve long held that our current civil court system is heavily weighed in favor of the person with the most money. If you’re sued for any reason whatsoever, a cheap lawyer costs tens of thousands of dollars. When a mere accusation can destroy a person’s life and liberty, you do not have a justice system; you have a tyranny system.

I’m not sure how I would handle #2. If the RIAA sues you for file sharing and you lose in court, would you be expected to pay the $millions that they paid their lawyers? Also, if I sue Mega Corp because I feel I’ve been wronged, would I have to pay $millions if I lose? The only individuals in the court system would be those who have nothing to lose.

My favorite item listed above (which I’ve been evangelizing for a long time) is #3. I don’t see why the burden of proof should be any less in a civil case. Often times the stakes are higher… You may not get the death penalty in civil court, but you sure can have your life and liberty taken away.

I just started reading the comments on Slashdot related to this story and was instantly bedazzled by some of them.

This thread is for my purposes to make a note of, and archive these comments, but feel free to comment.

This is the type of news that makes me shudder. It also doesn’t surprise me.

Bush ‘backed spying on Americans’

It seems that he ordered the NSA to illegally search ~500 American citizens right after the 9/11 attacks. This news comes only one day after the Bush administration finally gave up on fighting John McCain’s bill that bans the U.S. from using torture as an interrogation method. Why the hell was he fighting it in the first place? So he could continue to kidnap and torture people in secret CIA prisons.

Update: The Volokh Conspiracy has an excellent article/discussion regarding this news.
Update: Bush confirms he authorized spying on Americans domestically

Last week there was some buzz about Wikipedia containing inaccurate information. It was reported by the news media in a sensational way and it seems that some people took it very seriously. A website was created just for people who want to bitch and moan in the most ludicrous way possible: a class action lawsuit.

It is easy to understand why inaccuracies end up in Wikipedia but complaining about it solves nothing. Not only is it pointless and annoying, but trying to shut the site down by means a class-action lawsuit is like throwing a rock through your own car window because someone wrote, “wash me” on it with their finger. People who complain about inaccuracies in Wikipedia have only themselves to blame.

It takes more time and effort to complain about an error in Wikipedia than it does to correct it.

I discovered a feature in my random quote plug-in: The ability to dump the whole quotes database into any page I so desire. The quotes—updated dynamically as I add more—are contained within this post. Feel free to copy them at will and I can provide them in CSV or SQL format if you ask nicely =)

On Wednesday, November 16th I received a call from my wife stating that she rescued a stray dog wandering on the highway. Two weeks later he was gone from this world, but not from our hearts. This is his story.