bush's own advisers condem global warming plan
http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,12374,903609,00.html
posted by geoff on 2/27/2003 12:23:54 AM
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stupid politicos freak out about p2p at universities
http://news.com.com/2100-1028-986143.html
Key politicians chided universities on Wednesday for not doing enough to limit peer-to-peer piracy, calling unauthorized copying a federal crime that should be punished appropriately.
Members of the House of Representtives subcommittee that oversees copyright law said at a hearing that peer-to-peer piracy was a crime under a 1997 federal law, but universities continued to treat file-swapping as a minor infraction of campus disciplinary codes.
"If on your campus you had an assault and battery or a murder, you'd go down to the district attorney's office and deal with it that way," said Rep. William Jenkins, R-Tenn.
...
i think it's unconscionable to compare music/software piracy, with violent crime. studies have shown that music downloading has had a negligible effect on record sales, and software piracy by college students isn't really the cause of the software industries woes (look instead to profit minded pirates overseas). we need to reevaluate our laws when property (and ridiculous electronic intellectual property at that) is valued just as highly as human life.
posted by geoff on 2/27/2003 12:13:16 AM
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war of words 2 article: Poll: More disapprove of Bush on economy
http://www.salon.com/politics/wire/2003/02/25/poll/index.html
posted by geoff on 2/25/2003 10:17:28 PM
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today was pretty standard. managed to work a little bit at least to try to get ahead of all the expenses that inexplicably keep piling up. classes were ok, and despite the early morning i was able to stay mostly awake. i even got the next day's homework taken care of early.
the best part of the day was band practice although it was pretty stressful since it was the first full band practice in a week or so. some stuff sounded real good, other stuff sounded sort of flat. personally, i had to deal with banging my head against the wall of my own utter lack of natural musical ability. at least by the time we got to total turri (a hardcore band made up of defiance, ohio - bz + chad on vocals playing songs only about jimmy turri) i was having a lot of fun.
posted by geoff on 2/25/2003 12:30:49 AM
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driving back from the show was different. cutting across the snowy ohio countryside, the eight of us huddled together for warmth. heads rested on shoulders, bodies draped loosely in unzipped sleeping bags squeezed into the bench seats, arms and legs sprawled comfortably over other arms and legs. our bodies rested against one another in silent, peaceful support, our entagled limbs a child's game of pickup sticks where one dare not disturb even the smallest piece of the simple balance of the structure lest it come crashing down.
posted by geoff on 2/24/2003 07:48:48 AM
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i had planned for this weekend to be a quiet simple one where i could watch some videos and catch up on homework. however, ryan's return to town and a general return to the hectic business as usual put an end to all that. it wasn't a bad thing. it was a fun weekend all in all - just not very relaxing. i spent the afternoon going down to the 'natti with ryan and chad to check out the red square film show. i was a little disappointed with the videos that were shown, but i thought it was a neat event nonetheless. afterwords, we ate some decent indian food and i got to see ryan in his old element and talk a bit with matt, who helped us out with a cinci show on the first defiance, ohio tour, who i think is a nice and interesting guy.
on the drive back, chad dozed and ryan and i had another one of or typical on the road discussions, though it was a bit less antagonistic than usual. we talked a little bit about some of the somewhat disturbing things that had filtered their way down the gossip grapevine. it's not that they're neccessarily bad, it's just that i don't understand them, and i'm uncomfortable talking to those involved with it directly, and i'm not sure how to talk about things so that they work out for the best for everyone involved. i want to be supportive of my friends, but it's hard when you're not sure if they're doing what they really want to be doing.
last night we did more filming for the rap video. things went smoother than last time. the third rapper was there, and he was pretty down to business in an almost too serious sort of way. there were more people, and no fights, all in all, the atmosphere was much more festive. we got a lot more good looking shots, and i think that we'll be able to come up with something that makes everyone happy. there weren't any moments that i'd define as scary this week, but it was still a fairly wild party. high points included:
- mac, a mother of 6 who also might be the most sexually charged individual i've ever met, calling colin her "baby daddy" and making reference to wanting to make "mixed babies" with him
- ryan, a little drunk trying desperately to explain to rapper "man" how digital video was great because it meant that more of the production funding for a project could go to support your friends and people you believe in who are involved in the project
- eric luck's modest, but totally amazing break-dancing footwork. we're not talking lame frat boy style, this boy's got rythm!
- johnny handsome showing up still wearing his suit from a wedding earlier in the day and all the women at the party loving it. when we took some still photos to document the night, johnny had a good handful of girls trying to get on his lap during his shot.
unfortunately, shooting the rap video meant that we once again missed derek's comedy show, which sucks because he's a funny person and i really want to see the act, and because he's always been really supportive of band stuff. hopefully i'll get another chance to see his show soon.
posted by geoff on 2/24/2003 07:48:13 AM
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technology's role in the recent anti-war protests
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/23/weekinreview/23JLEE.html
WASHINGTON Before the global protests against war in Iraq last weekend,
organizers were already making conference calls and passing out fliers for
their next set of demonstrations, including one scheduled for next Saturday,
outside the White House.
But then, the worldwide protests drew millions of people onto the streets,
from San Francisco to London, and the Bush administration hit some diplomatic
roadblocks. Sensing delay in White House momentum, the organizers themselves
paused and decided to make a strategic move, delaying the demonstrations from
March 1 until March 15. They spread the news the old-fashioned way, through
alternative radio stations and word of mouth, and the instantaneous way,
through Web sites and e-mail messages.
...
posted by geoff on 2/23/2003 09:38:46 PM
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