Comments for Yourish.com

Comment on Technological enforcement by Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:59:43 +0000

WeCU reminds me a little bit of Bruce Schneier’s saying security by obscurity. Trust us it works and you do not need to know how. Those types of systems are always hacked.

Comment on Technological enforcement by David Charlap

David Charlap — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:56:53 +0000

One of the most interesting government-surveillance scenarios I ever read is in Greg Bear’s novel Queen of Angels.

In it, a government agency, “Public Oversight” has monitoring devices installed everywhere, including places we’d consider private. Freedom is maintained by imposing extreme restrictions on what Public Oversight can do with the data they collect. They release all kinds of information in aggregates, to do what we, today, do with surveys and focus groups. Any specific information, however, is only released on a need-to-know basis, and they decide who needs to know (and almost nobody has such a need).

In the novel, a police officer requests information about a suspect. Public Oversight refuses to disclose the information, but provides some other, seemingly trivial, piece of information, saying that normal police work can produce all the remaining evidence needed to solve the case.

A very interesting system, even though we all know it could never exist in reality without being completely abused by a government that would use it to become a tyranny.

Comment on Technological enforcement by Tatterdemalian

Tatterdemalian — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:51:31 +0000

I wouldn’t mind society being saturated, as long as civilians are allowed to own it too. “Big Brother” happens when the watchers hold themselves above being watched themselves as is sadly the case in the UK, where police-monitored cameras are ubiquitous but civilian-monitored cameras are either illegal or will get your butt kicked by angry cops if they catch you filming them.

Comment on Random music thought by soccer dad

soccer dad — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:07:21 +0000

This is the album I was referring to. And yes it has Mississippi Queen. It also has Dr. Love, and the main reason I got it Radar Love. And would you believe that the lead guitarist of BOC reads Powerline?

Comment on Technological enforcement by Eric J

Eric J — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:41:12 +0000

Is it just me, or does this sound suspiciously like Dr. Baltar’s Cylon Detector?

Don’t let them have any nuclear weapons.

Comment on A woman of valour by physics geek

physics geek — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:58:56 +0000

Funny, isn’t it, how the Nobel Peace Prize goes to thugs like Arafat and smugs like Carter, but not to true heroes of humanity like Irena Sendler?

I’d say predictable and sad, rather than funny.

Comment on Your anti-Israel media bias at work by Tatterdemalian

Tatterdemalian — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:07:59 +0000

No prob, what I posted ought be repeated at every opportunity anyhow, troll or no troll.

Comment on Your anti-Israel media bias at work by Meryl Yourish

Meryl Yourish — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:34:19 +0000

Tat, that comment slipped through and has since been placed in moderation. I doubt I’ll approve it. It violates the No Israel-bashing policy.

Comment on Your anti-Israel media bias at work by Tatterdemalian

Tatterdemalian — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:46:11 +0000

It takes two to make peace, and only one to make war.

Israel is not blaming anyone, but stating a simple fact that should be obvious to anyone with half a brain: as long as acts of war are being carried out against them, there is no peace. As long as there is no peace, anything goes, and the Palestinians should consider themselves lucky that the Israelis are moral enough to try to target the terrorist soldiers, rather than the 80% of the Palestinian civilians that support the terrorists.

Comment on Hamas bombardment continues by Michael Lonie

Michael Lonie — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:51:52 +0000

How normal.

Go into Gaza and kill every Hamas thug the IDF can catch. Then turn the government of the place over to the tribal shiekhs, with the clear and unambiguous understanding that if they allow any attacks on Israel they and everybody else will be shoved out the door to find a new home whereever they can. If they can’t or won’t live at peace with Jewish neighbors they will have to go find neighbors with whom they can live at peace. Since their “Arab Brothers” despise them and treat them like dirt, that might be difficult. The Palis should keep that in mind when tempted to resume any idiotic jihad against the Jews.