Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Scott Adams (Dilbert) is blogging.  From zero to "A" List in one-day. [rexblog: Rex Hammock's Weblog] 9:55:48 PM    comment []

Iran Censorware Again. "Red Herring" magazine has an item on Iran censorware: Iran Tightens Web Filters An Iranian tech company claims it can stop censorship circumvention tools. October 24, 2005 Civil liberties advocates voiced concern Monday over Iran?s plans to tighten its grip on Internet use with new technology that allegedly can get around counter-censorship tools. The country has contracted an Iranian company, Delta Global, to set up a new online censorship system, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders. Delta Global head Rahim Moazemi told the Iranian press that he wanted to end "the anarchy of the Internet Service Providers." ... The rest of the piece quotes some Usual Suspects saying roughly either this can, or can't, be done. Though what caught my eye was see the claim again: "We don't sell any software to any entity in Iran. The ISPs are using it illegally," Mr. Burt said, adding that Secure Computing is now blocking downloads from ISPs in Iran. Value added observation: There's such opportunities for investigation here. I wish someone would probe this more strongly. I don't have the backing or support to do it ("citizen journalism", ha! :-( ). But a person with a voice, with a platform, might be able to find something very interesting in going beyond face value. [Infothought] 9:54:48 PM    comment []

R.I.P., The immovable Rosa Parks. Her individual act against racial segregation blossomed with the support of others. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories] 9:54:08 PM    comment []

Bibliography for Google Print Controversy. Print controvery. The articles start at the Association of American Publishers, with "Google Library Project Raises Serious Questions for Publishers and Authors," and ends with The New York Times, "Google Opens 8 Sites in Europe, Widening Its Book Search Effort." All kinds of viewpoints are here from a variety of different sources. It's not clear if this is going to be updated on a regular basis, or if this is a one-shot. [ResearchBuzz] 9:51:41 PM    comment []

A Guilty Pleasure Shows Its Colors. Candy Corn Season is finally upon its addicts. By JOYCE WADLER. [NYT > Dining and Wine] 9:50:25 PM    comment []

Two from BNA News: US COMPUTER GAME CAUSES PROTEST IN IRAN An American video game called "U.S. attacks Iran" has sparked bitter press comment in Iran and a petition asking that the game be shelved. The game features US special forces darting through Iran's underground nuclear facilities, gunning down Iranians standing between them and centrifuges that must be destroyed. [Washington Post] ICANN REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH VERISIGN OVER SITE FINDER ICANN has tentatively agreed to settle a longstanding dispute with VeriSign over the company's Site Finder service, which critics complained interfered with spam filters and other key Internet tools while giving VeriSign an unfair competitive advantage in search. Among other things, the settlement establishes a formal review process for new services, such as Site Finder, and gives ICANN 90 days to address any security, stability and competitive concerns. 12:05:31 PM    comment []

Kentucky lands grant to protect bingo halls from terrorists (AP). Kentucky has been awarded a federal Homeland Security grant aimed at keeping terrorists from using charitable gaming to raise money. The state Office of Charitable Gaming won the $36,300 grant and will use it to provide five investigators with laptop computers and access to a commercially operated law-enforcement data base, said John Holiday, enforcement director at the Office of Charitable Gaming. The idea is to keep terrorists from playing bingo or running a charitable game to raise large amounts of cash, Holiday said. . . . Holiday, who applied for the grant, said that terrorists do not currently profit from charitable gaming in Kentucky to the best of his knowledge. 9:05:05 AM    comment []