Monkeywrench

This WikiLeaks business is bringing out the stupid on all sides. Start with all the folks who have been applying the Secret classification to all these diplomatic messages. From what I'm reading, most of latest batch of documents is utterly routine and pretty boring. The U.S. government produces classified documents at an insane rate, and with a few exceptions--ongoing military … [Read more...] about On the WikiLeaks Mess

What happens when a bunch of students at Danvers High School in Massachusetts have fun at school by saying "Meep" like Beaker on The Muppet Show? Principal Thomas Murray bans it and threatens them with suspension. Then, when a smart-ass lawyer sends an email to school officials saying, in its entirety, Meep. Sincerely,Theodora Michaels ...what happens then? Assistant Principal … [Read more...] about Meep

There's been a lot of buzz in the blogosphere about the upcoming execution of Tookie Wiliams, founder of the Crips street gang, for murdering four people back in 1979. Of particular interest is Williams' nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-gang work while in prison. I've got nothing personal against Tookie—I hope he gets whetever justice he … [Read more...] about Tookie’s Nobel Prize Nomination

Glenn Reynolds has been tracking worried comments by Susanna Cornett and Kim du Toit about the privacy hazards of supermarket discount cards. However, sometimes hi-tech problems have low-tech solutions. My friend Ken teaches information technology for MBA's, and in his security classes he shows them a stupidly simple way to avoid nearly all the privacy risks of supermarket … [Read more...] about Safe Supermarket Discounting