Thursday, July 12, 2007

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3449 Diggs, is a link to a pro-marijuana legalization site. I'm all for the legalization of drugs, finding drug use itself an activity that government has no business policing. Making the buying and selling of drugs has also created a hardened criminal culture, and I believe that some large percentage of those incarcerated were convicted of drug-related crimes.

So, except for the part about taxation (I hate when people bring up the tax value of something, since our tax system is so corrupt already), here's a Digged story in which I actually find a modicum of value.

New Commodore PCs

I know the connection's primarily just in the name, but it still gives a thrill that a company named Commodore is releasing a series of PCs.

China Silences Supporters

China's so repressive, it silences its supporters.

Breaking News: President Asks Employee to be Political

Surprise, surprise. A member of a President's administration is directed on how to do his job. For political ends, no less!

And, of course Bush is the first US President to ever engage in such efforts to guide public policy for political purposes. This story doesn't seem to say that, specifically, but I think the overwhelming number of such stories implies it.

Once Again, a Weakness is Publicized

Given the massive bureaucracy of the US military, security breaches are not surprising. They're still of concern, of course, as are their publication. I scanned the linked story and didn't find the actual URL, which is better, but I still believe that some things are better left unpublicized. People who may not have thought to look for such things are given ideas, and this story does provide some brief instructions on how to find information via FTP rather than HTTP (although, granted, this is relatively common knowledge).

Somehow, I just don't see our enemies publicizing their particular weaknesses via the newswires.

Earliest Stars Glimpsed

I don't pretend to understand how the Universe was formed, with all the attendant questions that tend to give me the willies. This story is fascinating, about astronomers on Hawaii apparently glimpsing some of the first stars ever formed. That's a look back in time of 13 billion years, when the Universe was about 500 million years old.

One day, we'll see the Big Bang itself. And that's when my poor little head will explode.

Radar - Phone Tracking for Children

If this were available for a phone that I'd give my daughter, I'd sign up for it in a second. Being able to monitor calls from strangers would help me sleep just a little better each night.