Dropsafe

[www.schneier.com] The Security Threat of Unchecked Presidential Power This past Thursday, the New York Times exposed the most significant violation of federal surveillance law in the post-Watergate era. President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to engage in domestic spying, wiretapping thousands of Americans and bypassing the legal procedures regulating this activity. This isn’t…

Sometime in late 2002 I took-up my camcorder to shoot a short security training video, inspired by my experience running around as an interviewee for a security-themed BBC/Open University TV programme. It was the first time I’d tried anything like this, and I had no idea about script, about style, about lighting, and about editing.…

We’ve had Long Way Round and The Motorcycle Diaries, and it looks like Hollywood has identified a taste for bikes and adventure and is capitalising with The World’s Fastest Indian: IMDB: In `60s New Zealand, at the bottom of the world, Burt Munro takes a 1920 Indian motorcycle and, delightfully without resources other than his…

Yay! By this evening, winter will be half-over and the days will begin to lengthen in the northern hemisphere once more! Biking weather is coming back!

[www.channelregister.co.uk] EU slaps import duty on large LCD screens Puts squeeze on 19 inches plus The EU plans to impose a 14 per cent import duty on imports of larger LCD screens, leading pundits to forecast a huge hike in sticker prices. Dutch trade organisation ICT Office believes the tariff will cost its members “millions”.…

I just got a call from Eileen. Pete Anderson – neighbour, friend, biker, trials-rider and Yorkshireman – died from a second heart-attack, consequent to one that occured two weeks previous. 8-(

Some years ago I vaguely remember reading an article by some member or other of the Blognoscenti, making the stunningly obvious observation that web-pages can be indexed by URL, or that they might be accessed/reteived by embedding some utterly unique word which appears only on that page (and its replicas) and could/can be indexed by…

…may I offer as evidence [www.howmotorwayswork.co.uk] ? Driver type: Rep, Permatan types Mentality: Late for a meeting Speed: 120mph Vehicle: 318i, Mondeo, Vectra, 75, mk4 Golf I-spy guide: Blouse hanging up in the back “Get out of my way I’m a rep don’t you know, out of my way, out of my way! Curse you…

Really great photography by Douglas Salteri

[www.aclu.org] When the angry phone calls and emails started arriving at the office, I knew the holiday season was upon us. A typical message shouted that we at the American Civil Liberties Union are “horrible” and “we should be ashamed of ourselves,” and then concluded with an incongruous and agitated “Merry Christmas.” We get this…

[www.plainenglishawards.com] Welsh First Minister, Rhodri Morgan AM, has won Plain English Campaign’s Foot in Mouth’ award for the second time in eight years. During a debate on policing, he was quoted as saying: “The only thing which isn’t up for grabs is no change and I think it’s fair to say it’s all to play…

Fascinating. Correct? [janpeters.net]