Digg Report: No Digg report today, because at this moment (which is, of course, the pseudo-random moment that I've selected, which can't be changed) Digg isn't responding. Probably got burned by the iPhone--a phenomenon that I don't really understand, but that demonstrates Apple's incredible marketing savvy.

2nd UK Car Bomb Discovered

Another car bomb found in the UK. The scariest part: these were most likely set to go off at a specific time, probably coordinated. How many others are there? It's impossible to know, and incredibly lucky that this second one was found.

Update: Via Little Green Footballs, apparently UK officials have a picture of the man who drove one of the car bombs into place. He's Muslim, and he might have been released after being held for a previous plot. Wonderful.

Sci-Fi Author Blog List

For sci-fi fans, here's a list of authors' blogs. Bookmark it, and pick out some feeds that look interesting. I know I will.

John Mackey and Whole Foods Hearts Ayn Rand

Apparently John Mackey of Whole Foods is a good guy. That's good to know.

"Indirect Tactics"?

I might be wrong, but I'm not sure that this story defines what "indirect tactics" would mean for American special forces. Maybe someone can read the article and enlighten me.

Iraqi Surge Causes More Casualties - MSM Clueless

Once again, the mainstream media has demonstrated its ignorance of the simple fact that when one goes on the offensive in war, one tends to suffer more casualties. Again, that's just War 101.

Iraqi Surge Causes More

Once again, the mainstream press seems to misunderstand that the more one goes on the offensive in war, the more casualties one suffers.

UK Terrorist Attack Averted

I don't think anyone knows much more about this yet, but it's good news nonetheless. It also demonstrates that the threat remains real.

Rolling Stone Mag is Smoking Something

I think it's the height of naivete to believe that music piracy would have ended if only the music labels had struck a deal with the original Napster. I'm not sure why it's so difficult for some people (cough, Boing Boing, cough) to believe that millions of people want music for free--because they're cheap, because they're dishonest, because they simply don't believe that they should have to pay for music.

Had such a deal been struck, it would be no different than it is today with numerous paid music sites. Other pirate services would have sprouted up, and the situation would have been no different. Did the labels lose some money by not getting paid for downloads earlier? Maybe. But they've lost billions through piracy, and that wouldn't have changed.

Putin: Russia Owns North Pole

I'm sure Santa's going to be a bit upset, although he always did seem to have some Communist tendencies. I'm not sure how Putin thinks Russia would secure such a claim, which tends to lend some weight to the "Putin as a buffoon" theory.

It's interesting to note, though, that there's twice as much oil up there than is in Saudi Arabia. That could become a real point of contention sometime in the near future.

Germany to Fund Wikipedia Propaganda

This is truly bizarre: Germany is going to pay people to post "accurate" articles on Wikipedia. I guess they just can't get propaganda out of their system.

Bruce Willis on O'Reilly

Celebrity Report: I can't stand O'Reilly, but every now and then Bruce Willis says some decent stuff. I think he's a generally patriotic guy, and should be supported for it. I'll go see the new Die Hard flick.

Putin: Genius or Buffoon?

Putin continues to outflank American and European leadership on important issues. This one's energy.

Again, the question looms: is Putin a genius or a buffoon?

Blogging Success a Daunting Reality

I can only dream of this sort of blogging success. It's inspirational. I don't think it will last, but that's another story entirely.

Cox and Forkum on Poor Leadership

As usual, Cox and Forkum captures the essence of the inherent weakness of our leadership when it comes to the war against radical Islam.

Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 6111 Diggs, is a story about an airline complaint. It's humorous, yes, but, as with so much in Digg, I wonder at the veracity. Even if true, I wonder at the collective mindset* of Digg that pushes such an ultra-important question to the front page.

*Sardonic humor.

Politics, Columbian-Style

And I complain about American politics...

Best of Times, Worst of Times

It's either a really good time to be starting a freelance writing career, or a really bad time. I suppose it depends: companies tend to ramp up spending on sales (if not marketing), which often requires sales copy writing, and so that could be good. Or, they'll just tighten their budgets and all work will dry up.

So, any suggestions of what a struggling writer with IT, business, sales, and marketing skills can do to supplement an income without giving up and taking another in a line of lame full-time positions?

FTC Says No To Net Neutrality

This is good news. We need competition, not the government, deciding how the Internet plays out. Yegads, but it's barely a decade old. Things like this take care longer to mature.

Senate Wants NSA Wiretapping Info

And, of course, I believe that this has nothing to do with politics. If important national security information is revealed, then that will do nothing but further demonstrate the tragedy of contemporary politics.