Google unveiled its new privacy policy a week ago, and it has raised quite the commotion on the intertubes. Some people say that Google has gone too far. Members of Congress have sent letters to Google demanding answers. Some wonder if the FTC will get involved. Me? I’m worried in general about privacy, and I… Continue reading Google and Privacy
Month: January 2012
Amendments A-plenty
I get the feeling that Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature know that their majority will not last very long. Why else would they put forward amendment after amendment to the state constitution, trying to ensconce their beliefs into permanence while at the same time avoiding the veto pen of Governor Dayton? Their creativity when it… Continue reading Amendments A-plenty
Class Bubbles
Charles Murray, one of the authors of the infamous book The Bell Curve, has come out with a new book, this one about classism and “White America”. Given his history, it’s no surprise that people are lining up to trash the thing, and with good reason: his quiz for how thick your “upper-class bubble” is… Continue reading Class Bubbles
Windows 7 UTC Time Issue
I’ve had a problem with my computer lately with the clock being consistently slow, even though it is set to sync to an internet time server every day. Whenever I would manually sync it to an internet time server, the time would be correct for an hour or so, then suddenly lose time. Before, it… Continue reading Windows 7 UTC Time Issue
Get A Job
A few days ago, the New York Times had a story about who really makes up the 1%. It’s a wide variety of people, making a wide variety of incomes depending on where exactly they live (unsurprisingly, the top 1% in Connecticut looks a bit different than the top 1% in Alabama). Of course, not… Continue reading Get A Job
Zappos Data Breach
Zappos.com recently had a data breach. As data breaches go, it was not nearly as bad as it could has been: no full credit card numbers leaked, nor any plaintext passwords. What makes it special, then? It’s somewhat special to me, since it is, to my knowledge, the first time that I have been part… Continue reading Zappos Data Breach
The misappropriation of morality
It’s been pretty fun to watch the GOP presidential race and all of the non-Mitt-on-Mitt violence going on, as you may imagine. However, never did I expect to hear people like Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry attack Mitt Romney using language that sounds like it would be more at home coming out of the Occupy… Continue reading The misappropriation of morality
Regulating Banks
Now that the CFPB has somebody in charge despite Republican efforts to the contrary, it can actually start getting into the business of what it was created to do: protect consumers by regulating financial products. And it just so happens that some news I read today provides a handy example for thinking about what exactly… Continue reading Regulating Banks
Obama Reaps the McConnell-wind
President Obama made a recess appointment today to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which caused Republicans to absolutely flip out (A Fox News blog screamed that he “mocks the Constitution”, which I have to say gave me quite the chuckle). Is Obama a dictator? Is he wielding absolute powers? Does Fox News distort the truth?… Continue reading Obama Reaps the McConnell-wind
The reality of debt
It may be the night of the Iowa caucuses, but I don’t feel like commenting on the hilarity therein: if you want to read about how Michele Bachmann thinks one of the most important issues facing the U.S. is light bulbs, how Rick Santorum wants to allow states to outlaw birth control, or how Herman… Continue reading The reality of debt