Back in 2007, author Mark Helprin wrote a New York Times op-ed in which he bemoaned the lack of a permanent copyright. I responded to it, as did rather a lot of other people. In my response, I called part of his argument "pure nonsense, bordering on outright lies." Apparently, many other people used far harsher language, because Helprin later wrote a book (Digital Barbarism: A … [Read more...] about We’ve Always Been Here
Avatar – A Review, or Maybe a Metareview
I saw Avatar yesterday, and it was a pretty darned good movie. If you think you might like this kind of thing, just go see it. As with James Cameron's earlier film Titanic, the star of this film is the magnificent setting and the way it is presented. The lush world of Pandora is beautiful, the CGI that creates the aliens is every bit as good as everyone else says, and the 3D … [Read more...] about Avatar – A Review, or Maybe a Metareview
Merry Bloggy Christmas
In the spirit of a holiday named after a wise Jew from the (middle) east, I think it's only fair to direct you to Simple Justice, where Scott Greenfield has posted a heartfelt thanks for all his fellow blawgers: Blawgers give of their time, their thoughts, their talents to write. In return, they are told how ignorant and stupid they are by people they don't … [Read more...] about Merry Bloggy Christmas
How to Stop a Stalker – Thoughts and Observations
I've been reading How to Stop a Stalker by Mike Proctor, a former detective in Westminster, California. I'm fascinated by some aspects of forensic psychology, so I was hoping the book would discuss the psychology of stalkers and how to discourage them. However, Proctor's book is more about how stalking is defined as a crime and how police handle it. There are several … [Read more...] about How to Stop a Stalker – Thoughts and Observations
Fuck Ed Jagels
Radley Balko bids farewell to Kern County California D.A. Ed Jagels: You'd be hard pressed to find a law enforcement official anywhere in the country who better embodies the worst excesses of America's sharp turn toward law-and-order crime policy over last 30 years. From expanding the death penalty to eroding the rights of the accused to jacking up prison populations to … [Read more...] about Fuck Ed Jagels