https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/ mikeg's blog - en Serendipity 2.4.0 - http://www.s9y.org/ mikeg@bsd-box.net Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:24:04 GMT https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/templates/2k11/img/s9y_banner_small.png https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/ 100 21 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/33-Apple-Eye-Phone.html#c839 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/33-Apple-Eye-Phone.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=33 nospam@example.com (Florance Markland) Next time you want to wake up your iPhone when it’s lying on a flat surface, simply tap the screen once and the lock screen will pop up. Mon, 22 Oct 2018 00:21:06 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/33-guid.html#c839 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/148-Lets-talk-about-that-xkcd-voting-machines-comic.html#c827 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/148-Lets-talk-about-that-xkcd-voting-machines-comic.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=148 nospam@example.com (Neal McBurnett) Lots of good points. But in addition, it is important to note that voting is far more difficult to do securely than other common tasks, because of the highly unusual requirements for both anonymity and security. As Ron Rivest writes: "voting systems have a unique requirement: the voter must not be given a "receipt" that would allow them to prove how they voted to someone else -- otherwise the voter could be coerced or bribed into voting a certain way. This lack of receipts makes the design of secure voting system much more challenging than, say, the security of banking systems (where receipts are the norm)." As voting cyber expert Ben Adida notes, "voting is a totally different threat model" https://twitter.com/benadida/status/1027251693400944640" If XKCD could somehow convey that issue also, it would be even better. Mon, 13 Aug 2018 20:56:00 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/148-guid.html#c827 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#c576 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=120 nospam@example.com (mikeg) Thanks for pointing that out - I've edited it into the main entry for new readers as it deserves just as much consideration as VioletBlue's side of things. I do want to be clear that I don't generally stick Ada Initiative in the "Faux-Feminists" box (I'm only peripherally familiar with them and am not really qualified to pass judgment - They do seem a little huggy-feely-PC for my personal taste, but they also seem more interested in Real Solutions than hand-wringing). What I do take issue with in this particular case is how the Ada Initiative folks handled their concerns. In their post on the issue they say _We aren’t sure what we should have done differently to have a better outcome._ -- my suggestion is simple: _They could have contacted the person giving the talk and determined if the content of the talk was truly offensive._ Even from their description, what happened here was judging a book by its cover (a talk by its title in this case). None of us can know for sure, but my gut tells me that if Valerie and VioletBlue had communicated directly this whole thing would have turned out differently and nobody would be talking about it... Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:45:09 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-guid.html#c576 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#c575 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=120 nospam@example.com (mikeg) Regarding the term "rape culture", I certainly don't want to give the impression that I'm discounting the existence of a *Rape Problem* (a term I infinitely prefer) - I take issue with the term "Rape Culture" (and with the people who promulgate that term) because to my ears it's drama-inducing hyperbole, and the folks who I see using the term most frequently are also the ones who seem inclined to use the Rape Problem as a platform as opposed to looking for real solutions. As for avoiding things we find unpleasant versus confronting them and engaging with them constructively, I will freely admit these are contradictory statements on the surface. The way I reconcile them is in *how* you engage with those you disagree with. Those who elect to promote censorship are not being constructive in my opinion - If the only thing they have to say about speech they don't like is that it shouldn't exist that's a perfectly valid opinion and they can deny it existence in their little world (by avoidance). Those who engage constructively with the folks they disagree with *avoid* the echo chamber problem you describe by forcing people to think about their ideas, and *that* is how you effect a change in the world. (Of course there are some people who are simply intractable - you're not going to convince Hitler to stop hating the Jews - at some point you just say "This person is an intractable asshole, and I refuse to associate with them", and explain to those you do associate with *why* you made that decision.) Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:22:41 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-guid.html#c575 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#c574 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=120 nospam@example.com (Rob) Of note: Ada Iniative's response to Violet Blue's post. http://adainitiative.org/2013/03/clarification-on-the-ada-initiatives-role-in-the-cancellation-of-violet-blues-bsides-sf-talk/ Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:08:44 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-guid.html#c574 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#c573 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-Political-Correctness,-Sensitivity,-and-Censorship-in-the-Information-Age.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=120 nospam@example.com (Stephen Belcher) I can feel where you're coming from, and the indignation that results from this talk being silenced. It's primarily so frustrating because, as you and @violetblue pointed out, suppressing the talk hurt exactly the people their program was designed to protect/promote. The hypocrisy and short-sightedness are less than endearing, even when made with the best intentions. The road to hell and all that. I will take issue with one of your points, however; and it seems you would too, if you laid out two of your arguments side-by-side: that, if you don't like something, you should just ignore it and go somewhere else to avoid it. The problem is that, as time and familiarity and ease with something "bad" goes on, the line between talk and action becomes more and more narrow. And in an echo chamber where the idea that those things *are* bad is never even brought up - when everyone who hates it has left - it just gets worse. And you say, in your final point, if your friends do something awful, then challenge them on why they think it's ok. You yourself, in not so few words, say not to avoid things just for discomfort. Also, I lied. Sort of. I have a little bit of an issue with another point: the dismissive attitude that people who mention "rape culture" should just get over themselves. It may be that I've unjustly tied your feelings of the term itself, or the people who say it, to your feelings about the idea, but it feels like you discount the possibility that such a thing even exists. There's power in words and in ideas that can worm its way into the roots of a person's psyche. If you think there's not, just ask the average Republican what percentage of the country doesn't work and simply collects welfare cause they love free rides on us rich folks. Then, ask an average man how often women cry "rape" just for attention or to screw over a guy just to be a bitch. At some point, we've got to approach the idea that, perhaps, we *are* in fact somehow responsible for thinning that line between talk and action through being part of the echo chamber, and not that there are just some men born rapists and there's nothing *you* can ever do about it cause it'd mean censoring yourself (and that's terrible). I believe we should be able to say whatever we choose, even if someone else thinks it heinous. But I think *what* we choose to say, and be okay with other people saying, is not just a right but an important responsibility. Sometimes people asking you to tone down your language is just being a Deputy Downer, but sometimes it's just reminding you that you have a human responsibility to those around you whenever you choose one verbal idiom over another. The line's waiting. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:02:11 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/120-guid.html#c573 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/110-Dear-ImageMagick-FUCK-YOU..html#c572 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/110-Dear-ImageMagick-FUCK-YOU..html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=110 nospam@example.com (Justin Dearing) I'm glad that there is an alternative to ImageMagic that doesn't suck. I've been using FreeImage on windows because that't not a memory leaky pile of crap. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:11:04 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/110-guid.html#c572 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/107-Apple-is-killing-the-XServe.html#c570 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/107-Apple-is-killing-the-XServe.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=107 nospam@example.com (Justin Dearing) This makes no sense whatsoever. Apple could position OSX server as the OS that bridges the gap between windows and Mac, if they marketed it right. Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:36:56 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/107-guid.html#c570 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/106-Free-LOLs-courtesy-of-the-media.html#c569 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/106-Free-LOLs-courtesy-of-the-media.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=106 nospam@example.com (Rob) I'm laughing and crying at the same time. Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:48:25 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/106-guid.html#c569 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#c568 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=105 nospam@example.com (Justin Dearing) Think of your phone as curvier. Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:02:17 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-guid.html#c568 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#c567 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=105 nospam@example.com (mikeg) Your phone is thinner than mine - BASTARD! Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:52:58 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-guid.html#c567 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#c566 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=105 nospam@example.com (Justin Dearing) In Chucks defense, at least he didn't dedicate one of his Sunday "look at me" press conferences, and I'm sure a staffer actually wrote it. Of course I agree the free market will settle this. I just want to point out the specifics of the reality of the stupidity. Also, perhaps Chuck is not aware that AT&T is no longer "the phone company" and the monopolies of questionable necessity exist at the baby bell level. Anyway, I like my Nexus One. Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:33:55 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-guid.html#c566 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#c564 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-Dear-Senator-Schumer....html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=105 nospam@example.com (Stephen Belcher) Thumbs up! I hate stupid senators and their inability to focus on shit that matters. Apple buggered something up, so what? The hell kind of business is it of the Government's that this is a problem? I'm not sure how many people have ever TRIED to return an iPhone (cause they usually love the damn things so much they'd overlook if it had a laser drill that bored out their brains through their ears), but I'm guessing there's some sort of mechanism for doing so, at least in the first few days. If not, well, sucks for them being such gigantic morons who just couldn't wait to fork over another giant heap of their money to a locked-down company run by a tightass with a fetish for mock turtlenecks and the word "magical." How about some focus on important issues that only the government can address? Is that seriously too much to ask of our elected officials in this day and age? Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:27:03 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/105-guid.html#c564 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/103-Wikileaks,-Lamo-Manning-Oh-My!.html#c563 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/103-Wikileaks,-Lamo-Manning-Oh-My!.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=103 nospam@example.com (mikeg) Oh there is certainly a factual basis, but that fact would be the paragraph quoted in the diagram & through other secondary sources. To the best of my knowledge everything in that diagram is accurate in the sense that it has been said, and I have a reasonable belief that it is true (i.e. nobody on the diagram has said I got it wrong - corrections always welcome). I didn't go do extensive fact-checking or anything though. Like I said I did it more out of boredom than news-making :) Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:45:28 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/103-guid.html#c563 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/103-Wikileaks,-Lamo-Manning-Oh-My!.html#c562 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/103-Wikileaks,-Lamo-Manning-Oh-My!.html#comments https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/wfwcomment.php?cid=103 nospam@example.com (dissident) 1 of these DailyTech articles uses that graph of yours... So you're saying there's no factual basis in them? Darn... Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:15:05 +0000 https://bsd-box.net/~mikeg/blog/index.php?/archives/103-guid.html#c562