Monday, March 31, 2003

The embedded front. Poyner: Media Map of Iraq. [The Doc Searls Weblog] 3:03:18 PM    comment []

Declan's also on his way to CFP. Freedom, technology and the Net. CNET News.com's Washington watcher Declan McCullagh explains why technological mechanisms protecting privacy, anonymity and free speech will always trump the whims of politicians, judges and bureaucrats. [CNET News.com] 3:01:20 PM    comment []

the first copyright wars. Thanks to Sean McGrath for sending me this wonderful story about the first copyright wars. The story is told in Ingenious Ireland by Mary Mulvihill, about the 3000 men who died in the "Battle of the Book at Cooldrumman" after copyists refused to return the copies after a court ruled against them. Perspective perhaps, but precedent too? [Lessig Blog] 2:52:21 PM    comment []

Computers, Freedom, Privacy. I'm off to New York for the annual Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference, one of the most important gatherings of... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] 2:50:49 PM    comment []

Supreme Court Rejects Iran Terrorism Case (AP). The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from a man trying to hold Iran accountable for the killing of his daughter in a Middle East terror bombing. The court did not comment in turning down Stephen Flatow, who won a $247.5 million verdict against Iran, but has been unable to collect most of the money. 1:55:58 PM    comment []

Hackers bombard US sites, pasting anti-war messages (IRNA). On Friday alone, a record number of over 2,000 sites were vandalized by little-known hacker groups, taking the total number of sites coming under digital attack to around 30,000 ever since the war began. . . . . . . . The well-known defacement mirror site, zone-h.org, had posted all the defaced sites on seven pages. Generally, the defacement list does not go beyond two or three pages, even when hackers are most active. 10:55:33 AM    comment []

People for the American Way: 3 Myths About Affirmative Action at the Univ. of Michigan Myth #1: "The University of Michigan uses affirmative action to admit unqualified students over qualified students based on race." Truth: Every student admitted to the University is academically qualified according to the same criteria (e.g. test scores, GPA, etc.). Academic achievement is the single largest factor in evaluating applicants. However, white students are sometimes admitted over minority students with higher academic scores and vice versa. This is because the admissions process also considers other factors, such as personal achievement, geography, alumni "legacy" and racial diversity. Myth #2: "The University of Michigan's objective of creating a diverse student body is the same as setting quotas." Truth: The University aspires to admit students from a variety of academic, economic, racial and other backgrounds because the educational benefits to all students of a diverse learning environment are well documented. Even those challenging the affirmative action programs don't dispute these benefits. The University does not have any quotas or set-asides based on race or any of these other criteria, and the percentage of enrolled students from these diverse backgrounds fluctuates considerably. Myth #3: "The University of Michigan could find ways other than affirmative action to meet its diversity goals." Truth: Research in Texas, Florida and California has shown that affirmative action is substantially more effective at ensuring diversity than other initiatives, such as those often touted by President Bush that guarantee admission to the top X% of a high school's class. Furthermore, in order to be effective, these "top X%" programs require that high schools remain as segregated as they are today. This approach also sends the unfortunate message that only a student's GPA matters and that taking more advanced classes and participating in music, sports and other activities are of little consequence. 9:55:27 AM    comment []

Cory notes this coming attraction. Michael Moore's new movie, Farenheit 911: The Temperature at Which Freedom Burns, will trace the economic ties between Bush administration officials and bin Laden, and chronicle the erosion of Consitutional freedoms in America in the wake of the 9-11 attack. 6:16:23 AM    comment []

Military Families Find Closeness Online. Many military spouses and parents are publishing journals on the Web, forming a network that they say has been a source of strength during the war. By David F. Gallagher. [New York Times: Business] 6:11:03 AM    comment []

Why the Supreme Court Needs to Visit Cass High School. A Detroit high school's students may have the most to lose when the Supreme Court hears cases that could end affirmative action at the University of Michigan. By Adam Cohen. [New York Times: Opinion] 6:10:19 AM    comment []

seti. Seti project a dud. [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog] 6:08:52 AM    comment []

Hackers Condemn Arab Site Hack. It's clear that Al-Jazeera's website was hacked. But hackers frown on people misusing their limited computer skills, calling them bullies and identifying them as crackers or script kiddies. By Michelle Delio. [Wired News] 6:08:14 AM    comment []

Ted Rall: My Government Went to Afghanistan and All I Got Was This Stupid Pipeline (2002) 6:07:25 AM    comment []

Big Brother Is Watching You Shop. Commercial databases, such as credit card records, grocery purchases and hotel bills, are the latest pool of information the government says it has a right to collect. Merchants and lenders have been doing it for years. [Wired News] 6:05:49 AM    comment []