Via cnet

On Thursday, we had some severe weather here in Southwestern Ontario. A tornado touched down in Durham and killed a [...]]]> I used to work in the town of Durham and I lived in the country about 5 km outside town. I was up there for more than five years and I really liked it up there.

On Thursday, we had some severe weather here in Southwestern Ontario. A tornado touched down in Durham and killed a child as well as causing a lot of other damage. This article in the Owen Sound Sun Times quotes one of the people I knew when I lived there, Philly Markowitz. It sounds like their barn was damaged but no one was hurt. I hope the other people I knew there are okay and life gets back to normal quickly for the whole town.

These three were my favourites where you are the shoe thrower:

http://www.kroma.no/2008/bushgame/ http://www.sockandawe.com/ [Sock and [...]]]> Dale pointed out the speed with which a game based on this incident appeared. However, I found the object of that game to be unsatisfying. Shooting down the shoes before they hit the potus? C’mon. You can do better than that.

These three were my favourites where you are the shoe thrower:

http://www.kroma.no/2008/bushgame/
http://www.sockandawe.com/ [Sock and Awe! Get it?]
http://bushbash.flashgressive.de/

I also really enjoyed this one:

Preventing customs agents from searching laptops “would open a vulnerability in our border by providing criminals and terrorists with a means to smuggle child pornography or other dangerous and illegal computer files into the country,” Cunningham said.

There’s [...]]]> I thought that US Homeland Stupidity’s new laptop seizure abilities were outrageous enough, but this quote takes the cake:

Preventing customs agents from searching laptops “would open a vulnerability in our border by providing criminals and terrorists with a means to smuggle child pornography or other dangerous and illegal computer files into the country,” Cunningham said.

There’s this thing called the internet, you should check it out. I shudder to think that at some point back in time, I might have been related to this brain dead.

An even more interesting thing has started to happen: unofficial, but sanctioned television show leaks on BitTorrent. Broadcasters aren’t posting their shows directly on PirateBay yet, but they are talking informally and giving copies of shows to a friend [...]]]> Interesting article on the benefits of piracy to content producers. In particular, I found this quote noteworthy:

An even more interesting thing has started to happen: unofficial, but sanctioned television show leaks on BitTorrent. Broadcasters aren’t posting their shows directly on PirateBay yet, but they are talking informally and giving copies of shows to a friend of a friend who is unaffiliated with the company to make a torrent. Why? Well, it’s partially an experiment, but the hope is that distribution of content this way will lead to new viewers who wouldn’t have been reached through traditional marketing means. Early signs indicate that these experiments are working.

Is it possible the tv networks actually have a clue compared to the music and movie industries?

On a related note, it looks like Canada may try to follow the US down the road to moronically restrictive copyright law. The last attempt to do this failed and hopefully this one will too.

Apple made clear the upgrade path for Leopard and both Sid Fishes and jamEs were right: there will be an upgrade coupon for new imac purchasers but with less than a 30 day window. I still think that’s pretty chintzy of [...]]]> A couple operating system announcements this week, and neither of them involve Microsoft!

Apple made clear the upgrade path for Leopard and both Sid Fishes and jamEs were right: there will be an upgrade coupon for new imac purchasers but with less than a 30 day window. I still think that’s pretty chintzy of Apple.

Also, there’s a new version of Ubuntu Linux: Gutsy Gibbon. It adds some nice new features, most notably the ability to write to ntfs partitions. I’ll definitely be giving the live cd a spin and considering setting up dual boot on my laptop.

The Associated Press September 19, 2007

LEWISTON — A Lewiston woman who is upset at the content of an acclaimed sex education book published 14 years ago has checked out copies from two libraries and refused to give them [...]]]> Offended library patron seizes sex-ed book
A Lewiston woman won’t return two copies of ‘It’s Perfectly Normal,’ which she calls ‘abnormal.’

The Associated Press September 19, 2007

LEWISTON — A Lewiston woman who is upset at the
content of an acclaimed sex education book published 14 years
ago has checked out copies from two libraries and refused to
give them back.

“Since I have been sufficiently horrified of the illustrations and
the sexually graphic, amoral abnormal contents, I will not be
returning the books,” JoAn Karkos wrote to the Lewiston and
Auburn public libraries last month.

Each letter was accompanied by a check for $20.95 to cover the
cost of the book, “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies,
Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health.”

“This has never happened before,” said Rick Speer, director of
the Lewiston Public Library. “It is clearly theft.”

Speer returned the check, along with a form that Karkos could
use to request that the book be removed from library shelves.
He said he may seek help from police if she doesn’t return what
she borrowed.

“That’s really what we want,” Speer said. “We want the book
back.”

Written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley,
the book features frank but cartoon-like illustrations of naked
people in chapters on topics that include abstinence,
masturbation and sexually transmitted diseases.

The publisher, Massachusetts-based Candlewick Press, said “It’s
Perfectly Normal” has been sold in 25 countries and translated
into 21 languages.

Championed by Planned Parenthood, the book has come under
fire from conservative groups such as Concerned Women for
America and the anti-abortion American Life League. It was the
American Library Association’s most challenged book in 2005,
topping a list that included books by J.D. Salinger, Toni Morrison
and Judy Blume.

Karkos, 64, said that she first heard of the book from the
American Life League, an anti-abortion group.

She felt compelled to act after she checked out the book and
found it to be “pornographic” and worse than she originally
feared.

“Hopefully, this will harness enough people to be sufficiently
horrified and want to speak out, to say it’s gone too far,” Karkos
said, adding that she was aware that drawing attention to the
book might raise people’s interest in it.

Rosemary Waltos, director of the Auburn Public Library, said
Karkos’ decision not to return the book was “an inappropriate
act” that will likely prove fruitless.

“If somebody wants a copy, they can get one,” she said, noting
that at least three dozen Maine libraries have copies available for
interlibrary loan.

Both libraries have ordered replacements for the books that
Karkos took.

Speers ordered two more copies because of an increase in
requests for the book.

Copyright © 2007 Blethen Maine Newspapers