August 2009
39 posts
Blackbird: A Browser for Black People
Yes, it’s true. It’s called Blackbird (powered by Mozilla) and it was designed by African Americans for African Americans (kind of like FUBU). The free browser was developed with these Pew Internet 2004 findings in mind: “(1) there are 20 million African Americans online who need tools to build and foster community now more than ever, (2) 85% of African Americans prefer online news and information...
July 2009
54 posts
“The trade of the petty usurer is hated with most reason: it makes a profit from...”
Look this way for key to time travel
Ewen Callaway, reporter Next time you’re stuck in a never-ending meeting, speed up time - or at least your perception of it - by wearing a pair of glasses that shift your vision to the right. Prismatic glasses that adjust vision 10 degrees to the left experience just the opposite effect, slowing perception of time, claims a new study recently published online in Psychological Science...
A report on YOUR progress
Quote of the Day: “The natural proclivity of democratic governments is to pursue public policies which concentrate benefits on the well-organized and well-informed, and disperse the costs on the unorganized and ill-informed.” — Peter Boettke Subject: A report on YOUR progress We’re making lots of progress. This is YOUR progress, because everything we do depends on you,...
Apple hangs up on Google's phone service
Tom Simonite, online technology editor The
tech blogosphere is preoccupied today with reports that Apple has
blocked an iPhone software app released by Google for users of its
Google Voice telephony service. The service not only lets users
redirect phone numbers to different devices and lines as required, and
on a per-caller basis, but also provides free text messages and
cut-rate...
Oops! AT&T Blackhole Was 4Chan’s Fault
The internet was in an uproar Sunday when AT&T DSL subscribers
around the country found they couldn’t reach the /b/ board on 4chan,
that petri dish of mischief that’s led to many an internet meme and
more than one federal criminal indictment against Anonymous members.
Did those NSA-loving suits at AT&T block the site in a craven
bout of puritanism? How would Anonymous retaliate? The...
URGENT: The Bill We Warned You About
Quote of the Day: “You can make a small fortune in farming - provided you start with a large one” - Anonymous
Subject: The bill we warned you about
THIS IS AN URGENT ACTION ITEM… We’ve been told a vote is likely to occur Wednesday.
When we first launched our Freedom to Farm
campaign back in April, we mentioned that House Energy and Commerce
Chairman Henry Waxman said...
The world's creepiest diamonds?
If Michael Jackson’s fedora or a swan boat
from Neverland don’t properly convey your adulation for the King of
Pop, you may want to consider buying diamonds made from his hair. Yes. Diamonds made from Michael Jackson’s singed hair may soon be available, according to a press release from a firm that specialises in manufacturing the precious stones from the remains of loved ones....
WatchChristian Bale / Oh, GOOD for you.
Censorship comes to America: AT&T blocks 4chan
The global internet censorship debate landed in the home of the free
Sunday with news that AT&T has censored the popular 4chan /b/ image
board.
The censorship was first reported on Reddit,
where users confirmed with AT&T that the site had indeed been
censored, and was not being blocked due to a technical issue. 4chan
owner Moot later confirmed the
news, saying that the /r9k/ was also...
Torture – new claim of secret UK complicity
Alam Ghafoor, back home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Photograph: Christopher Thomond
A
businessman who was held and mistreated in the United Arab Emirates
following the London bombings believes he has evidence that British
consular officials asked permission from the UK’s own security services
to visit him while he was detained. Heavily redacted documents
seen by...
Amsterdam craze: tossing Smart cars into the...
Amsterdam
police is deeply concerned about a new craze in which vandals toss
parked cars from the Smart brand into the city’s canals.
The so-called ‘Smart tossing’ takes place mainly during the weekend, when many youths are out for a night on the town.
Smart car parked alongside Amsterdam canal.
According to locally-published newspaper De Telegraaf
police has not wanted to publicize this form...
The Amazing Loss that Proves the Concept
Quote of the Day: “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.” — Robert Frost(1874-1963) American poet
Subject: A Defeated Bill Proves the Downsize DC Strategic Concept
The Senate defeated a bill that would have made
life easier for those Americans licensed to carry a concealed handgun.
But in this defeat one can still see the awesome power...
Put Them on the Spot
Quote of the Day: “Ironically,
as we’re moving toward having our government completely control health
care, countries with government-run health care are moving in the
opposite direction. Almost every European country has introduced market
reforms to reduce health costs and increase the availability and
quality of care.” — David Gibberman, writing in “American...
“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof...”
– Herbert Spencer
The Dirty Little Secret
Quote of the Day:
“Yesterday Democrats in the House introduced a 1,000-page national
health-care plan. To make sure at least some people read it, they named
it ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Pound Proposal.’” - Conan O’Brien
Subject: The Dirty Little Secret
During the Presidential campaign, Barack Obama
promised he’d do something Congress wouldn’t, post...
Tell the Media about Read the Bills
Quote of the Day: “Senators and representatives who vote on bills they haven’t read and don’t understand betray their constituents’ trust.
It is no excuse to say that Congress would get much less done if every
member took the time to read every bill. Fewer and shorter laws more
carefully thought through would be a vast improvement over today’s
massive bills, which are...
Selling design software Autodesk Architetural...
I no longer use the program and someone probably has a better use for it. The item contains the 3 original discs as well as the original program key. It’s hardly been used and it’s in great condition. The program is a CAD commercial design tool for drafting and design by Autodesk. I realize it’s a few years old which is why I’m selling it and for a lowered price. If...
Legal immunity set for swine flu vaccine makers
The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign
against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they
suffered side effects from the shots. This time, the government has
already taken steps to head that off. Vaccine makers and federal
officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine
flu vaccine, under a document signed by Secretary of Health and...
We were overwhelmed yesterday
Quote of the Day: “At the end of the day, we’ll have significant cost controls,” — presidential adviser David Axelrod
Subject: We were overwhelmed yesterday
When we tell DC Downsizers something is urgent,
you folks really respond! Our site was overwhelmed yesterday. For a few
hours many Downsizers found it almost impossible to load the site to
send a letter to Congress. Others hit a...
Right to Refuse Pandemic Vaccine Without Going to...
WHO
has declared a Level 6 Pandemic and issued vaccination guidance which
is legally binding on 194 nations declaring vaccination is necessary.
We believe accepting the untested, unnecessary and unsafe vaccine OR
running the risk of incarceration is unacceptable. The third option,
Self Shielding in your own home, is a far better option for free men,
women and...
Spiraling down with the scrobbler
If anyone knows any good alternatives to Audioscrobbler/Last.fm please comment with a suggestion. I can’t stand the downtimes occuring every single week to random users sometimes lasting days with no warning. Ever since CBS bought them out, they’ve bitten off more than they can chew and they are failing at maintaining a reliable service from their rapid expansion into other mediums for...
URGENT Correction!
Quote of the Day: “If every
member pledged to not vote for it (the health care bill) if they hadn’t
read it in its entirety, I think we would have very few votes.” — Senator Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader
Subject: URGENT correction
Yesterday we told you it appeared unlikely
Congress would pass a health care bill before the August recess. Things
have changed in the last 24...
Lesson one - popular kids grow up to be rich
If you were jealous of the most popular boy or girl in your class, you were
right to be so . Researchers have found that the more friends a child has at
school, the more earning power they will enjoy later in life.
A study by Essex University indicates that for each extra friend a pupil had
at school, their salary 35 years later was 2% higher. The research adds to
growing evidencethatsocial...
Visa dings teen for $23-quadrillion restaurant...
Visa says a technical glitch is responsible for a rash of notices warning customers their accounts are overdrawn to the tune of $23 quadrillion.
An anonymous Reg reader tipped us to one emailed statement, which claimed the accountof the tipster’s son was on hold because of a charge made to an Applebee’s restaurant for $23,148,855,308,184,500.00. The tipster continued:
...
Teacher Accidentally Gave Self-Made Sex Tape to...
ELK GROVE, California A class of fifth graders in California
got a shocking crash course on the birds and the bees courtesy of their
teacher and an x-rated home video she accidently included in a DVD of
classroom memories.
The error was not caught until after the DVDs were distributed to the students and their families. Parents tell CBS 13 Sacramento that the woman is a good teacher that made an...
The Real Deal
MEDIA ALERT: DownsizeDC.org President Jim Babka will be a guest on Free Talk Live TONIGHT beginning at 7:06 pm Eastern. You can listen at http://freetalklive.com/tunein.php
Quote of the Day: “If a bill for
which there is no copy were to actually pass this body, could the bill
without a copy be sent to the Senate for its consideration?” — Rep. Joe Barton
Subject: The Real...
US deficit surges past $1 trillion
The
US federal deficit has ballooned past the $1 trillion mark for the
first time and could grow to nearly $2 trillion by the end of the
budget year.
Massive government spending to help ease the recession combined with
a sharp decline in tax revenues and the cost of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan have caused the deficit to skyrocket.
...
The Response Was Great
Quote of the Day: “Today, the
animating principles of the American idea are entirely absent from
public discourse. To the new Administration, American exceptionalism
means an exceptional effort to harness an exceptionally big government
in the cause of exceptionally massive spending. The can-do spirit means
… A high-school student in Dillon, South Carolina (writing) to the
President to...
Laughing all the way to the bank
Roll up. Roll up. Roll up.
Wall Street and the City of London - the world’s two major financial
centres - declare it is “business as usual” again… They are hiring,
poaching each other’s staff and their profits are soaring.
“Even the Bank of America’s investment banking arm, which includes
the once very sick Merrill Lynch, is expected to make good money...
Selling a working Mac Powerbook G3
If you’re one to tinker with old technology, want to work on a project on the side, or just really in need of owning a classic laptop, here’s your chance.
Powerbook G3 series- running Mac OS 9.2
14.1 color screen
233Mhz PowerPC processor
96MB RAM
2GB HDD
4MB video adapter
Includes a CD-ROM drive, ethernet/modem ports. S-video and VGA connector. Speaker/Lineout plugs, an SCSI connector, an...
Supreme Court Invites Us To Make Our Case
Quote of the Day: “But does ‘the
press’ mean the media….? You think in 1791 there were … people
running around with fedoras that had … little press tickets in
(them)? Is that what ‘press’ means? Doesn’t it cover the Xerox machine?
Doesn’t it cover the … right of any individual to … write, to
publish?” — Justice...
Don't let them pass the PASS Act
Quote of the Day: “Security is mostly superstition.” — Helen Keller
Subject: Don’t let them pass the PASS Act
The American people have rejected the REAL ID
Act, and the national ID card it would create. The politicians claim
they can fix REAL ID by replacing it with something called the PASS ID,
to be enacted by the PASS Act, S. 1261.
The PASS Act is a fraud. PASS ID is...
World’s strongest vagina breaks own record lifting...
A Russian woman has set a new world record, lifting a 14-kg. glass ball with her vagina muscles. Tatiata Kozhevnikova of Novosibirsk»,
aged 42, has been exercising her intimate muscles for fifteen years,
and has already made her entrance into the Guinness Book of Records as
the possessor of the world’s strongest vagina, she proudly told Life.ru.
“After I had a child, my intimate...
WatchKen Robinson: How our schools kill creativity
Robert McNamara dead at 93
Robert S. McNamara, who died on Monday
at 93, will be remembered for the war in Vietnam. He is less recalled
as the father of the Ford Falcon compact, introduced 50 years ago this
fall. He was not only the defense secretary during the Kennedy and
Johnson administrations, but a key executive at the Ford Motor Company.
Mr. McNamara famously drew up the specs for the Falcon on the back
of a church...
We're off to a roaring start
Quote of the Day: “The ground of liberty must be gained by inches.” — Thomas Jefferson (Source: cover of “Liberty” magazine, March 1998)
Subject: We’re off to a roaring start
We grew from 24,000 DC Downsizers to 25,000 in
176 days. Then we grew from 25,000 to 26,000 in just 59 days. Now, in
just 8 days, part of which covers a holiday weekend, we’re...
Fellow students smell your exam fear
STUDENTS facing exams this month, take heart: your companions can smell your fear, and they empathise. That’s the implication of a study by Bettina Pause at the University of Dusseldorf, Germany, and colleagues. They put absorbent pads under the armpits of 49 university students an hour before they took their...
'Exorcism on teenager': policeman stood down
A South Australian police officer has been charged with trying to perform an exorcism on a teenager at a church youth camp.
The
28-year-old off-duty senior constable and two other adults have been
charged following a camp run by the Lutheran church in the Barossa
Valley in April, Adelaide’s The Advertiser reports on Tuesday.
It’s
alleged the three restrained...
Boffins guess social security numbers via public...
Predicting a person’s social security number is a lot easier than previously thought, according to new scientific research that has important implications for identity theft. Armed with publicly available information about where and when an individual was born, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University were able to guess the first five digits of a SSN on the first try for 44 percent of...
CompuServe signs off
CompuServe, the first commercially successful online and email provider in America, has been shut down by AOL after 30 years of service.
The original CompuServe — later renamed CompuServe Classic — was laid to rest July 1, 2009. In a message sent to its remaining subscribers, AOL urged customers sticking with cheap dial-up to move on to the company’s surviving sub-brand ISP, CompuServe...
When bureaucrats re-write the law
Quote of the Day: “Bureaucracy, the rule of no one, has become the modern form of despotism” - Mary McCarthy
Subject: When bureaucrats rewrite the law
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs) has
proposed a ruling that would re-define “switchblade” to include all
pocket knives that can be opened with one hand. In doing so, they are
arbitrarily reversing their own previous...
Electric Six frontman Dick Valentine wants you to...
Costa Rica is world's greenest, happiest country
A rainbow over San Jose in Costa Rica. Photograph: Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters
Costa Rica
is the greenest and happiest country in the world, according to a new
list that ranks nations by combining measures of their ecological
footprint with the happiness of their citizens. Britain is only halfway up the Happy Planet Index (HPI), calculated by the New Economics Foundation
(NEF),...
Are Cell Phone Numbers Going Public next month?
You may get a chain letter with the following entry in it:
——
“REMINDER…. all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sale calls.. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS, even if the message is saved on your phone, you will be charged for the minutes to listen to it. To prevent this, call the following number from your...
WatchDay man Fighter of the Night man Champion of the sun You’re a master of karate and friendship…for everyone Day man, day man Uhh ahhahh Fighter of the Night man Uhh ahhahh Champion of the sun Uhh ahhahh Master of karate and friendship…for everyone Day man, day man Uhh ahhahh Fighter of the Night man Champion of the sun
Hackintosh maker rises from the dead
Okay. First off, who here thinks this is a real market phenomenon? I believe Apple wants this to occur. What better way to test the trendy waters of desktop computing! Anyway, this is entirely speculative unless there’s a huge demand for cheaper Mac desktops, a concept Apple does not dismiss so freely and is actively exploring.
___
Psystar, the Florida-based Hackintosher that’s been...
Declare YOUR Independence
Quote of the Day: “It is my
living sentiment, and by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying
sentiment. Independence now, and independence forever.” - Daniel
Webster, in an August 2, 1826 eulogy to Thomas Jefferson and John
Adams; both had died on July 4th.
Subject: Does the government have your consent on this July 4th?
Every Election Day tens of millions of Americans
consent to...
Israel 'wantonly destroyed Gaza'
Israel
inflicted “wanton destruction” in the Gaza Strip during its 22-day war
on the coastal enclave in December and January, Amnesty International,
the London-based human rights group has said.
In a 117-page report released on Thursday, Amnesty cited evidence
that Israeli troops put children and other civilians in harm’s way...