EARNINGS OF TV DADS
CNN/Money has a fun
look at what some famous TV dads would make in 2005 money. It's interesting to me that Homer Simpson would make more money as a Nuclear Safety Inspector than Ricky Ricardo as a bandleader.
(hat tip: The Corner)
SPYWARE
If your computer has been hit by spyware, you should read this interesting
story in the WSJ about a company called Omniture that has been placing 3'rd party cookies on computers all over the world. Omniture has been doing this on behalf of it's clients who include some large companies like Walmart.
The controversy over the 2o7.net cookies highlights the tension that exists between marketing companies like Omniture and Web users who are increasingly aware of, and adverse to, files that are automatically placed on their computers when they surf the Internet. At a time when PCs are under assault by viruses and other nefarious software like never before, users are employing a range of software tools and tactics to protect themselves. Many users don't distinguish between cookies, which are small bits of text commonly used by Web sites to identify users, and malicious software that can steal personal information or change PC settings. That has put marketers on the defensive, as they try to get users to spare cookies when wiping computers clean of potential threats.
Read the whole thing.
BOTW 5'th BIRTHDAY
The WSJ’s Best of The Web has a nice column celebrating their 5 year anniversary. A highlight is the story on a hoax about monkeyfishing.
PASSENGER BAG CHECKS
Since this blog is named after a train line I felt the need to comment on the recent decision by NJ and NY officials to search the bags of rail passengers. My take on it is that the cost in human life and to society of the recent bombings in Spain, London and Egypt is too much to bear, and officials like Mayor Bloomberg were forced to act. This is more than a feel-good decision, good security demands deterrence. There have been some groups like the NYCLU that have publicly challenged the decisions but most commuters, and even the NY Times have accepted them. It remains to be seen whether they will be challenged and then upheld by the courts. Some people have called for some kind of profiling to be used, this is tempting on some level but racial profiling would increase the likelihood of a successful court challenge, reduce public support, and could be of limited effectiveness in a polyglot city like New York.
NJ SMOKING BAN IN CARS ?
A NJ legislator wants to
ban smoking in cars. I can't believe that a state that does not ban smoking in bars or restaurants, would propose such a thing. Let's see what is more important, taxes, crime, or traffic, no it's people smoking in cars ! I think we should start giving stupidity awards to politicians like them.
MORE ON MULTICULTURALISM
Mark Steyn has a good follow up on multiculturalism
here. Here's the key quote:
Usually it's the hostage who gets Stockholm Syndrome, but the newly liberated Wood must occasionally reflect that in this instance the entire culture seems to have caught a dose. And, in a sense, we have: multiculturalism is a kind of societal Stockholm Syndrome.
Read the whole thing.
TERM LIMITS FOR JUDGES
Jund Fund has a column in the WSJ that makes a persuasive case for an 18 year limit for Supreme Court justices.
A major reason for justices doggedly hanging on to their seats is, simply put, power. The Framers of the Constitution never envisioned a judiciary as powerful as today's courts. But with that unaccountable power has come an erosion of the court's legitimacy. Many people increasingly question if elderly justices with thought patterns set a half-century ago can fully comprehend court cases that encompass the globalization of the world economy or file-sharing on the Internet.
I actually think that 18 years is a bit too long as well. I would propose having 15 year limit for all Federal judges who could then get reappointed if the judge was getting a promotion i.e. getting appointed to a higher court. This would ensure more accountability in the entire judiciary as well as ensuring higher quality judges.
WEB FADS
CNET has a list of their top 10 web fads
here. I know most of them but a few like Mahir's web site I had never heard of. I can't believe that they left Napster off the list. Napster had tens of millions of people using them at their peak. It's fun reminising about the early days of the Web.
TV REVIEW
I'm enjoying
Himalaya with Michael Palin very much. It explores an area of the world that does not get much news here in the US. A highlight so far was the interview with the Dalai Lama, who comes across very well. It is on mondays on the
Travel Channel.
NEW JERSEY BLOGGERS
This weeks
Carnival of New Jersey Bloggers is up.
WHY THEY HATE US
Oliver Roy has a
column in todays NY Times that is a rebuttal to all of those who blame Iraq for the recent terror bombings.
The Western-based Islamic terrorists are not the militant vanguard of the Muslim community; they are a lost generation, unmoored from traditional societies and cultures, frustrated by a Western society that does not meet their expectations. And their vision of a global ummah is both a mirror of and a form of revenge against the globalization that has made them what they are.
I think his analysis is spot-on.
CROSSWORD CONNECTION
On Sunday, the crossword puzzle for both the New York Times and Washington Post magazine had the same answer for 23 across: pirates of the Caribbean. The clue in the Post was: "Disneyland ride that spawned a Depp movie”. An amazing coincidence, it probably happens frequently for smaller words. I wonder how you would calculate the odds for something like that ?
MULTICULURALISM BACKLASH
There has been a well deserved backlash against multiculturalism since the 7/7 bombings in London. Even some liberals are questioning their faith. Mark Steyn, one of the best, has a scorching column here.
Professor Bainbridge has a column on the subject here.
Diana West gives us her take here.
FLIP-FLOPS AT THE WHITE HOUSE
Here in Belmar, I have noticed many people wearing flip-flops this year, even in colder weather. Here is a story about some young women who wore them to the White House.
Update: Some of the women plan to sell their flip-flops to raise money for a 10-year-old girl with a brain tumor.
NEW JERSEY BLOGGERS
This weeks Carnival of
New Jersey Bloggers is up.
OPEN SOURCE BEER
Open source is not just for software anymore. This story at wired.com talks about a group of students at the University of Copenhagen that have created the first open-source beer.
ESPY's
I watched the ESPY's last night in the Boathouse, unfortunately I could not hear much of what was being said, but here is a great story about 2 athletes who won an award for helping disabled people in Ghana. Another highlight was a parody on the movie Hoosiers, with Mathew Perry coaching a bunch of senior athletes and getting some action too!
PANDERING
I went out last night to the Boathouse, probably the best bar in the state, and there was a bachelorette party who all were wearing shirts that said “Brides against Bush”. I didn’t like what the shirts said but I did find it funny that they were wearing them. I later went up to one of the cute ones and told her that I liked her shirt. Was I pandering or selling out just to get a date ?
ROSE RUIZ
Decided to run in a 5K yesterday, for the first time in a number a years. I have been running on the treadmill in the gym 2x a week since January. I didn't look at the course map before I ran it and it turns out the course was a little confusing. I found myself alone for a while, then just with the fast runners. I must have made a wrong turn somwhere. I just decided to finish up and I finished 33rd although I did not hand in my card to place in the race. I probably ran about 2 miles total
