Bush Evades Congress, Possibly Broke the Law (Again)
Showing his usually disregard for Congress, the American people, and rules, Bush named an ambassador in a way that circumvented Congressional oversight.
The appointment, made while lawmakers were out of town on spring break, prompted angry rebukes from Democrats, who said Bush's action may even be illegal. HYMN Utility – iTunes Music DRM Stripper
How very interesting. This project was designed to strip the DRM from iTunes music so you can play them on any player or in any program you wish (as you are entitled to under fair use laws).
.... [Click here to read the rest of this post]Tags: DRM, Your RightsRFID Shield in the Works
This is cool. Some people took an offhand comment from the world's leading RFID privacy expert, Katherine Albrecht, and is trying to make it a reality. Some Dutch researchers are working on a portable RFID shield. I wonder about their ability to actually block the RFID transmission of a target chip rather than just interfere with the transmission.
.... [Click here to read the rest of this post]Tags: Privacy Defense, RFIDGoogle’s Free 411 Service is data brokering
I love Google and almost all they do, but they've got to stop with the data brokering. Of course, of all data brokering companies, I trust them more since they keep they will actually fight to protect your privacy unlike some other companies.
.... [Click here to read the rest of this post]Tags: Don't be Evil, GoogleHouse Committee Bans the “War on Terror” Catchphrase
The "War on Terror" is political spin initiated by President Bush to justify using "wartime" powers indefinitely. Just like the "War on Drugs", the war on terror will never end.
Nobody disagrees to giving a little leeway to our commander in chief during a clear and present need, but that's the point: a war on terror that lasts .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: George Bush, Market Lies, Terrorism, War on TerrorBest Buy Kills Mail-in Rebates
In a trend that we hope continues, Best Buy Canada has killed mail in rebates. Companies have been ripping off customers for years with rebates so it's nice to see the trend finally reversing.
.... [Click here to read the rest of this post]Tags: Best Buy, RebatesA Good Article About Data Brokering
Data Brokering (what I refer to as data brokering) is the practice of buying and assembling personal information and then reselling it. As opposed to credit reporting companies, these people collect everything they can about you. Companies like Facebook and Choicepoint for example.
James Derrell White, 41, who happens to live in Alpharetta, .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]Aardman Studios Signs with Sony
Apparently, Aardman studios had a falling out with Dreamworks going their separate ways after only 3 films out of a 5 picture deal. They have now signed with Sony to make more films and the world rejoices. Why? Because Aardman is brilliant!
Chicken Run was very well done, Curse of the Wererabbit was fun, and Flushed .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: Aardman, AnimationDNA Stalkers?
Apparently, some genealogy freaks have begun cataloging their relatives' DNA without their knowledge.
Unlike paper records, which can be hard to come by and harder to verify, a genetic test can quickly and definitively tell if someone is a relative.
...
Some funeral homes now offer post-mortem DNA collection. But Linda Jonas saw no need for .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]Beating the Four-Square Shakedown When Buying a Car
Maybe not beating, but at least not falling for it. The Consumerist hosted a fantastic expose on how dealers use a four square piece of paper to rip people off right in front of their eyes. I have actually seen this before and don't remember what the result was, but I'm pretty sure we walked away thinking we had "won" when .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: Car Sales, Scams - Ripoffs - Dirty Tricks