Putting the Action in Distraction

2007-09-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

This site is no longer maintained. Please visit me at Cogito, or check out the latest coffee news and roasting tips at Perk-O-Late!

I have moved.

2006-03-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

I have officially moved my blog to jacobmorse.com. I wanted a bit more control and a cleaner, more category-oriented interface. So there you have it.

Thanks to the amazing power of Wordpress, I was able to import all of my entries (and comments!) from this blog, so hop on over and we'll pick up where we left off. It was a fun little ride here at blogger; I was honored to be chosen as a "blog of note", and I will leave this site up for as long as they allow. But, if you have been kind enough to link to me, please update your links!

The new site is a lot more comment-friendly, among other neat features, such as:

• Live Search. Want to find that article you remember from a few weeks ago? Just start typing and a list of results will appear in real-time!

• Asides. I can now post little tidbits that are interesting (to me, at least), but may not be worthy of a full-fledged "post." Cool, eh?

• Live Archives. Simply click to sort my archives by date or category and see the results in real-time, just like the Live Search.

• Finally! Recent Comments. Follow the discussion better than before with one glance at the Recent Comments list.

Those are just a few of the cool new features, so come check it out for yourself. I think you'll be pleased with the clean, easier-to-read layout as well as the powerful search capabilities.

Google Dashboard Widgets for Tiger

2006-02-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

I'm just giving the Blogger dashboard widget a whirl.

Seems to work well! By the way, pardon my recent silence; work has been quite busy, and I'm in the process of launching a new design firm/web site. Check back soon for updates.

Why he published those cartoons...

2006-02-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post has a very interesting article written by Flemming Rose, entitled Why I Published Those Cartoons. Rose is the culture editor of the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten that first published the controversial Mohammed cartoons.

I really recommend reading this. Rose makes some compelling points regarding self-censorship and world religions. Here's an appetizer:

On occasion, Jyllands-Posten has refused to print satirical cartoons of Jesus, but not because it applies a double standard. In fact, the same cartoonist who drew the image of Muhammed with a bomb in his turban drew a cartoon with Jesus on the cross having dollar notes in his eyes and another with the star of David attached to a bomb fuse. There were, however, no embassy burnings or death threats when we published those.

Has Jyllands-Posten insulted and disrespected Islam? It certainly didn't intend to. But what does respect mean? When I visit a mosque, I show my respect by taking off my shoes. I follow the customs, just as I do in a church, synagogue or other holy place. But if a believer demands that I, as a nonbeliever, observe his taboos in the public domain, he is not asking for my respect, but for my submission. And that is incompatible with a secular democracy.

This is exactly why Karl Popper, in his seminal work "The Open Society and Its Enemies," insisted that one should not be tolerant with the intolerant. Nowhere do so many religions coexist peacefully as in a democracy where freedom of expression is a fundamental right. In Saudi Arabia, you can get arrested for wearing a cross or having a Bible in your suitcase, while Muslims in secular Denmark can have their own mosques, cemeteries, schools, TV and radio stations.

I acknowledge that some people have been offended by the publication of the cartoons, and Jyllands-Posten has apologized for that. But we cannot apologize for our right to publish material, even offensive material. You cannot edit a newspaper if you are paralyzed by worries about every possible insult.

Go read the rest.

In the meantime, I'm going to be polishing some responses to the latest discussions from my comments sections. A busy weekend kept me from this, but there are many questions and comments that deserve attention, so please stay tuned!

Come on, people. READ THE BOOK.

2006-02-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

After my recent post about Islam, there was extensive discussion in the comment section. I realized that I should state my position on Islam more clearly, and I'm currently working on an article that does that, as well as comparing Islam to Christianity. Unfortunately, this week has been insanely busy, and I haven't yet had the time to finish it.

In the meantime, I'd like to say a couple of quick things about religion in general. Basically, people need to read the book. I don't think we can say "I'm ok, you're okay" and still assert that there is objective truth. But, I must say that if no one isn't even holding to the fundamentals of their faith, what is the point? This applies to modern, "moderate" Muslims who continue to argue that Islam is a "religion of peace." The fact of the matter is (as I will put forth in my upcoming article), Mohammed was interested in establishing and maintaining an earthly empire. Thus, violence was - and is - necessary to fulfill the commission of Mohammed: expanding and maintaining theological and political power. Those who claim to be Islamic pacifists are plainly contradicting the goals and purpose of their founder. Like Christians who do the same, Muslims who claim to be "OK with other world religions" are compromising their own faith. If other faiths are "just as good" as yours, then what can yours possibly be worth? I'll deal with this concept more soon.

Shifting the focus to Christianity, there are many "progressive theologians" that are creating an entirely new religion but continuing to masquerade as Christians. True followers see this for what it is: apostasy, dishonesty and damnable heresy. But sadly, many are enticed by the concept of "open minded", "non-judgmental" spirituality. It's a free country, and people are entitled to believe what they want to believe. However, it must be said and understood that this is not Christianity. It is not what Jesus taught; it is not what his apostles taught, and it is not what primitive Christians believed and practiced. Sure, "times change", but truth doesn't.

Of course, this is nothing new. Spiritual "leaders" have been adulterating the truth for centuries in one way or another, often with dangerous subtlety. I suppose subtlety is passé, because many so-called "Christian leaders" are now blatantly forsaking articles of faith in order to pursue their own desires. Today on CNN.com I see this headline:

Booze lands gay bishop in rehab

Are you kidding me? That sounds like the start of a bad joke, does it not?

Like Muslims who are willfully ignorant of their own leader's purpose and writings, so-called Christians knowingly forsake theirs. Groups like the Episcopalians, the Unitarians, and the United Church of Christ (to name a very select few) have completely abandoned the Bible and are promoting a product of their own imagination. It is simply not Christianity.

Without fail, I will be called narrow-minded, judgmental, etc.; yet, I am not making judgments according to my own ideas and desires. I am simply pointing to these groups' departure from the book they claim as their guide. Jesus said, "...the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).

These apostate groups would try to justify or explain their behavior. I am sure that they would argue that they are somehow still in accordance with God's will. It just doesn't fly. Here's an example:

A "Homosexual Bishop"

Homosexuality is a hot-button issue in and out of the church, and there are several practical, secular cases against it. However, for the sake of time and space I'd like to deal with it according to the Scriptures solely.

One of the favorite comebacks from so-called Christians who want to justify homosexuality is this: "Jesus never said anything about homosexuality!" This is fallacious to the core, as there are many things Jesus did not directly condemn that we know to be wrong. For example, Jesus did not condemn bestiality or child molestation. Does that mean Christians should be free to pursue those desires? Obviously not. Ultimately, Jesus was not silent on the matter. His specificity concerning what is an acceptable human relationship logically excludes any alternative. Note his words in Matthew 19:4-6:

Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

People are willing to use logic every day, but when it comes to honestly reading scripture it seems they abandon all rationality. Jesus details God's design for a human sexual relationship. This description is specific, and logic tells us that Jesus did not need to spend the next hour detailing what "Male and Female" does NOT include. It's common sense. He also didn't need to call out homosexuality in particular because it had always been wrong and his audience was well aware of this (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). The apostle Paul reiterated this idea in Romans 1:26-17 where he calls homosexuality "shameful" and "against nature."

There is no rational case for Homosexuality. The Bible plainly teaches that it is sexual sin; that is that. Yet, CNN tells us that a Homosexual Episcopalian bishop is now in rehab. Is it clear how loony that is?

I originally intended to deal with the concept of "priests" and "laity" as well, but this has become quite long. Briefly, there is absolutely no New Testament authority for a "clergy" of any kind. This concept was an innovation of the Catholic church, who have traditionally held Peter in the highest esteem of all the apostles. It's interesting to note that Peter wrote that all Christians make up the priesthood, with Jesus Christ as High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1; 4:14, etc.).

Much more can be said on these matters, but for the sake of space I'll stop here. The point is, if you desire to be a Christian, you are subject to the tenets of Christianity, namely the New Testament of Christ. If you practice something else, you are something else. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Google copies your hard drive?

2006-02-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

San Francisco - Google today announced a new 'feature' of its Google Desktop software that greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the new 'Search Across Computers' feature will store copies of the user's Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google's own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user's computers. EFF urges consumers not to use this feature, because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who've obtained a user's Google password.

'Coming on the heels of serious consumer concern about government snooping into Google's search logs, it's shocking that Google expects its users to now trust it with the contents of their personal computers,' said EFF Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston. 'Unless you configure Google Desktop very carefully, and few people will, Google will have copies of your tax returns, love letters, business records, financial and medical files, and whatever other text-based documents the Desktop software can index. The government could then demand these personal files with only a subpoena rather than the search warrant it would need to seize the same things from your home or business, and in many cases you wouldn't even be notified in time to challenge it. Other litigants—your spouse, your business partners or rivals, whoever—could also try to cut out the middleman (you) and subpoena Google for your files.'

But who cares about privacy, right?

Islam: Religion of Peace

2006-02-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

From 9/11, to the train attacks in Spain to the London bombings, it is staggering that Muslims still make the claim that Islam is a "religion of peace" and it still garners sympathizers in the media (I'm looking at you CNN, BBC, etc.). Now, with the news of Muslims violently protesting the recent Danish Mohammed cartoons. Let's get this straight: Muslims are "enraged" that the media has published cartoons that depict Mohammed as violent, and they demonstrate their disagreement by violently protesting worldwide. How does this make sense?

CNN published an article today covering the protests. The article details a number of protests which just scream "peace" and "love":

Mihtarlam, Afghanistan: a man fired shots and others threw stones and knives.

Somalia: Stone-throwers stampede, killing a teenager.

Tehran: Demonstrators protested outside the Danish Consulate and the Austrian Embassy. Reuters reported that about 200 people threw fire bombs and rocks.

Paris, France: Soir -- a newspaper that published the cartoons of Mohammed -- was evacuated for nearly three hours Monday after receiving a bomb threat.

Lebanon: The building housing the Danish Consulate was torched. The protest was planned in advance and well publicized, but Lebanese security still took hours to bring it under control.

Kashmir: Demonstrators set flags on fire and threw rocks at passing cars.

Other protests Monday took place in Amman, Tel Aviv, Gaza, and Kut, a city in southern Iraq where about 5,000 people congregated, burned flags and burned an effigy of the Danish prime minister.

Now, clearly the cartoonists (and most level-headed human beings) understood what they were talking about: Islam is a religion which uses violence to spread its message. After outlining these demonstrations of savage behavior, CNN says:

[We have] chosen to not show the cartoons out of respect for Islam. Respect? What respect has this religion earned in its 1300 years of violent existence? Not only that, but what similar respect does the liberal media offer to Christianity, a truly peaceful religion?

If you are a Muslim and claim that Islam is a religion of peace, one of two things is true: 1) You are familiar with the Koran, with the history of Islam and the theological/political views of Mohammed and you are lying. or 2) you are ignorant of the Koran and history and wish that Islam was peaceful so that you can be a member of a tolerated world religion. Unfortunately, both of these cases are based on ignorance or deceit. History is clear. Mohammed was a proponent of violence and the Koran clearly teaches that infidels, as well as any person (or state) that does not adhere to Islamic scripture are to be destroyed. That is simply the truth.

Should Islam be "tolerated"? We must ask this question honestly. Should terrorism be tolerated? Take a look at these verses from the Koran and then decide (Sura references included so you can check the context):

"Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter, fight for the cause of God; whether he dies or triumphs, We shall richly reward him. ... The true believers fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan ..." (4:74,76)

"Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. ... lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way ..." (9:5)

"Those that make war against God and His apostle and spread disorder in the land shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter: except those that repent before you reduce them ..." (5:34,35)

"Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God’s religion shall reign supreme" (8:39)

"Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given ... and do not embrace the true Faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (9:29)

"And slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out, for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter." (2:191)

"Fighting is prescribed for you, and you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not." (2:216)

"Let those fight in the cause of Allah who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter. To him who fights in the cause of Allah, - whether he is slain or gets victory – soon shall We give him a reward of great value." (4:74)

Concerning "unbelievers": "Seize them and slay them wherever you find them: and in any case take no friends or helpers from their ranks." (4:89)

Who are the unbelievers? "From those too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a covenant, but they forgot a good part of the Message that was sent to them: so We estranged them, with enmity and hatred between one and the other, to the Day of Judgment. And soon will Allah show them what they have done." (5:14)

"In blasphemy indeed are those that say that God is Christ the son of Mary." (5:17)

"O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he among you that turns to them for friendship is of them." (5:51)

Concerning the Jews:"When in their insolence they transgressed all prohibitions, We said to them: "Be you apes, despised and rejected." (7:166)

"Remember your Lord inspired the angels with the message: 'I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: you smite them above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.'" (8:12)

"Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah. Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah shall be repaid to you and you shall not be treated unjustly." (8:60)

"…Then fight and slay the Pagans wherever you find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war…" (9:5)

"Allah will send His punishment from Himself or by our hands." (9:52)

I'll stop now for the sake of space, but hopefully you get the idea. These are not quotes from "radical Islam", these are references from the Koran, Islam's fundamental document. The world must examine the facts and take a stand against this violent belief system. Despite the world's CNNs and BBCs, tolerance cannot be extended to terrorism.

UPDATE: There is an interesting article in the WSJ about this whole issue. Here's the money quote:

There is no Quranic injunction against images, whether of Muhammad or anyone else.

Want a free wiki?

2006-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

If you've ever used a wiki, you know how useful (and fun) they can be. My first website was a wiki, and I've been sold on them ever since.

Well, now you can get a free wiki at PBwiki.com, with a choice of templates and everything. Their tagline is "PBwiki makes creating a wiki as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich", and as cheesy as that sounds, it's pretty close to the truth. You can be up and running in about 30 seconds.

That said, you should go check them out (take the tour). Even if you've never used a wiki before, try it, you'll probably like it.

The Times Against Abortion?

2006-01-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

Not quite, but William Saletan says,"It's time for the abortion rights movement to declare war on abortion." [via Kottke]

It's definitely worth a read, but necessitates further commentary. I'll be updating this post with more.

The Making of Copper

2006-01-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

Kazu Kibuishi over at Bolt City has finally published the step-by-step process he takes to create his comic Copper (which, by the way, is amazing).

If you have never seen Kazu's work, you really ought to check this out. He is a one-of-a-kind animator/illustrator who deserves much, much more recognition. The guy is phenomenal.

In other comic news, the Penny Arcade book is finally available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

"Rape of the Marlboro Man"

2006-01-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

I've been intrigued by dynamic "popular" lists for a while now. First it was BlogDex, then came Del.icio.us, and lately I've even been glancing at Technorati's 'Today's Most Popular.

That said, I've noticed that on their popular movies page, Brokeback Mountain has been topping the list by over double the blog mentions for the past few days. I haven't taken the time to discern whether a majority of these blogs are in favor of the movie or if they are recognizing it as propaganda, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents, regardless.

Actually, just about everything I want to say about this movie has been said by David Kupelian in his article 'Brokeback Mountain': Rape of the Marlboro Man. Please read this article in its entirety. In the meantime, here are some important excerpts:

"Brokeback Mountain," the controversial "gay cowboy" film that has garnered seven Golden Globe nominations and breathless media reviews – and has now emerged as a front-runner for the Oscars – is a brilliant propaganda film, reportedly causing viewers to change the way they feel about homosexual relationships and same-sex marriage.

And how do the movie-makers pull off such a dazzling feat? Simple. They do it by raping the "Marlboro Man," that revered American symbol of rugged individualism and masculinity.

We all know the Marlboro Man. In "The Marketing of Evil," I show how the Philip Morris Company made marketing history by taking one of the most positive American images of all time – the cowboy – and attaching it to a negative, death-oriented product – cigarettes.

Hit the pause button for a moment so this idea can completely sink in: Cigarette marketers cleverly attached, in the public's mind, two utterly unrelated things: 1) the American cowboy, with all of the powerful feelings that image evokes in us, of independence, self-confidence, wide-open spaces and authentic Americanism, and 2) cigarettes, a stinky, health-destroying waste of money. This legendary advertising campaign targeting men succeeded in transforming market underdog Marlboro (up until then, sold as a women's cigarette with the slogan "Mild as May") into the world's best-selling cigarette.

It was all part of the modern marketing revolution, which meant that, instead of touting a product's actual benefits, marketers instead would psychologically manipulate the public by associating their product with the fulfillment of people's deepest, unconscious needs and desires. (Want to sell liquor? Put a seductive woman in the ad.) Obviously, the marketers could never actually deliver on that promise – but emotional manipulation sure is an effective way to sell a lot of products.

. . .

Yes, the talents of Hollywood's finest are brought together in a successful attempt at making us experience Ennis's suffering, supposedly inflicted by a homophobic society. Heath Ledger's performance is brilliant and devastating. We do indeed leave the theater feeling Ennis's pain. Mission accomplished.

Lost in all of this, however, are towering, life-and-death realities concerning sex and morality and the sanctity of marriage and the preciousness of children and the direction of our civilization itself. So please, you moviemakers, how about easing off that tight camera shot of Ennis's suffering and doing a slow pan over the massive wreckage all around him? What about the years of silent anguish and loneliness Alma stoically endures for the sake of keeping her family together, or the terrible betrayal, suffering and tears of the children, bereft of a father? None of this merits more than a brief acknowledgment in "Brokeback Mountain."

What is important to the moviemakers, rather, is that the viewer be made to feel, and feel, and feel again as deeply as possible the exquisitely painful loneliness and heartache of the homosexual cowboys – denied their truest happiness because of an ignorant and homophobic society.

Thus are the Judeo-Christian moral values that formed the very foundation and substance of Western culture for the past three millennia all swept away on a delicious tide of manufactured emotion. And believe me, skilled directors and actors can manufacture emotion by the truckload. It's what they do for a living.

Here's something I think we need to truly think about. Masterfully produced propaganda could serve to tie us emotionally to just about any behavior, no matter how deviant or gruesome.

Do we understand that Hollywood could easily produce a similar movie to "Brokeback Mountain," only this time glorifying an incest relationship, or even an adult-child sexual relationship? Like "Brokeback," it too would serve to desensitize us to the immoral and destructive reality of what we're seeing, while fervently coaxing us into embracing that which we once rightly shunned.

All the filmmakers would need to do is skillfully make viewers experience the actors' powerful emotions of loneliness and emptiness – juxtaposed with feelings of joy and fulfillment when the two "lovers" are together – to bring us to a new level of "understanding" for any forbidden "love." Alongside this, of course, they would necessarily portray those opposed to this unorthodox "love" as Nazis or thugs.

It's interesting to consider that even Jake Gyllenhaal was uncomfortable as an actor simulating homosexual sex with Heath Ledger.

I was super uncomfortable … [but] what made me most courageous was that I realized I had to try to let go of that stereotype I had in my mind, that bit of homophobia, and try for a second to be vulnerable and sensitive. It was f---in' hard, man. I succeeded only for milliseconds.

The terms "homophobia" and "stereotype" have been used and overused to mask what's really going on in the majority of American minds. It's the truth, most people are innately uncomfortable with homosexual relationships. Period. Kupelian rightly asks, "Could it be, rather, that his conflict resulted from putting himself in a position, having agreed to do the film, where he was required to violate his own conscience? As so often happens, he was tricked into pushing past invisible internal barriers – crossing a line he wasn't meant to cross. It's called seduction."

It's truly scary to step back and observe how this works. Human beings innately react negatively to an unnatural situation or corrupt behavior. Yet, when such a situation is desirable for some, people must be coaxed into ignoring that natural reacton. How is that accomplished? The definition of what is "natural" is slowly changed, and what is correct is subtley transformed into "evil." Then, opposition is easily painted as ignorance or bigotry or weakness.

As I said at the outset, Hollywood has now raped the Marlboro Man. It has taken a revered symbol of America – the cowboy – with all the powerful emotions and associations that are rooted deep down in the pioneering American soul, and grafted onto it a self-destructive lifestyle it wants to force down Americans' throats. The result is a brazen propaganda vehicle designed to replace the reservations most Americans still have toward homosexuality with powerful feelings of sympathy, guilt over past "homophobia" – and ultimately the complete and utter acceptance of homosexuality as equivalent in every way to heterosexuality.

If and when that day comes, America will have totally abandoned its core biblical principles – as well as the Author of those principles. The radical secularists will have gotten their wish, and this nation – like the traditional cowboy characters corrupted in "Brokeback Mountain" – will have stumbled down a sad, self-destructive and ultimately disastrous road.

Thanks David, you're spot-on.

Who killed Junior?

2006-01-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

An interesting Pro-Life comic book from 1973. It's the earliest known mass-produced handout against abortion. It was produced and distributed by Right To Life (then only 2 months old). Read it. It's the truth most people have since chosen to ignore.

One part I found particularly interesting was Page 21 which lists a few facts about abortion. One of the most significant (and one that has been largely ignored or denied) is that "more than one-third of mothers who have aborted babies have mental problems later." In the 1970s this was based on Japanese research that showed that 59% of women who had abortions were "seriously troubled" or were in "less than good health" following the procedure. Even recent research affirms the same:

New Research Links Abortion With Depression, Other Mental Health Problems

A New Zealand researcher who identifies himself as "pro-choice," an atheist and a rationalist has published a study linking abortion with an increased risk for mental health problems and he criticized the American Psychological Association for its absolutist stance claiming no link between abortion and mental health.

Dr. David M. Fergusson's study, published in the widely respected Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that compared to women who had never been pregnant and women who had been pregnant but never had an abortion, women who had abortions were at a higher risk for suicide, major depression, anxiety disorder and drug dependence.

In an interview on Australian radio Fergusson said he is pro-abortion but thinks it is important to have as much information about the effects of abortion as possible. "My view is I'm pro-choice, and I believe that women do have the right to have a choice to abortion. So I don't see these results as being against that position, but it does show, as with any surgical procedure, or any procedure of any form, that there are risks and benefits that need to be taken into account and to be weighed up very carefully."

Fergusson said he conducted the research because he did not think there had been enough study on the subject. "The whole topic has been remarkably under-researched . . . there's been a lot of debate about whether abortion does or does not have harmful effects, but the amount of research into the harms of abortion, or its benefits for that matter, has been very limited."

The report examined a group of more than 500 girls who have been studied from birth to age 25. While it has long been acknowledged that women who have had abortions have higher rates of depression and other mental health problems, there has been dispute over whether or not this was because abortion caused mental health problems or because women with mental health problems were more likely to have abortions. By studying such a large cohort of women over such a long period of time, Fergusson said he was able to take into account and eliminate factors like socio-economic background, family life and previous history

Fergusson noted that his findings were at odds with many in the mainstream of psychology who have steadfastly rejected a link between abortion and depression. "In particular, in its 2005 statement on abortion, the American Psychological Association concluded that ‘well designed studies of psychological responses following abortion have consistently shown that risk of psychological harm is low . . . the percentage of women who experience clinically relevant distress is small and appears to be no greater than in general samples of women of reproductive age’ . . . This relatively strong conclusion about the absence of harm from abortion was based on a relatively small number of studies which had one or more of the following limitations: a) absence of comprehensive assessment of mental disorders; b) lack of comparison groups; and c) limited statistical controls. Furthermore, the statement appears to disregard the findings of a number of studies that had claimed to show negative effects for abortion."

Copyright 2005 --- Culture of Life Foundation. Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.

The CIFA: The Other Big Brother?

2006-01-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

Though I typically can't stand Newsweek for their obvious bias and often sloppy journalism, they have a decent story up right now about the U.S. Government's top-secret Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA). Newsweek calls it The Other Big Brother.

Created three years ago by the Defense Department, CIFA's role is "force protection"—tracking threats and terrorist plots against military installations and personnel inside the United States. In May 2003, Paul Wolfowitz, then deputy Defense secretary, authorized a fact-gathering operation code-named TALON—short for Threat and Local Observation Notice—that would collect "raw information" about "suspicious incidents." The data would be fed to CIFA to help the Pentagon's "terrorism threat warning process," according to an internal Pentagon memo.

I'm going to do a little more personal research on the organization, but this article certainly undergirds what I keep saying about personal privacy.

It isn't clear how many groups and individuals were snagged by CIFA's dragnet. Details about the program, including its size and budget, are classified. In December, NBC News obtained a 400-page compilation of reports that detailed a portion of TALON's surveillance efforts. It showed the unit had collected information on nearly four dozen antiwar meetings or protests, including one at a Quaker meetinghouse in Lake Worth, Fla., and a Students Against War demonstration at a military recruiting fair at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Granted, it's all about what you share with whom, but the fact of the matter is (particularly with social networking websites), young people are using the Internet as a tool to organize political protests and share controversial political ideas. I think this is great; it's what our country is all about. That's also why I'm concerned that the government is examining this information and using it to pursue certain groups and activities. Don't tell me that privacy isn't important.

An internal CIFA PowerPoint slide presentation recently obtained by William Arkin, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst who writes widely about military affairs, gives some idea how the group operated. The presentation, which Arkin provided to NEWSWEEK, shows that CIFA analysts had access to law-enforcement reports and sensitive military and U.S. intelligence documents. (The group's motto appears at the bottom of each PowerPoint slide: "Counterintelligence 'to the Edge'.") But the organization also gleaned data from "open source Internet monitoring." In other words, they surfed the Web.

No big deal? Read on:

Arkin says a close reading of internal CIFA documents suggests the agency may be expanding its Internet monitoring, and wants to be as surreptitious as possible. CIFA has contracted to buy "identity masking" software that would allow the agency to create phony Web identities and let them appear to be located in foreign countries, according to a copy of the contract with Computer Sciences Corp.

In trademark Orwellian style, Cheney told the Manhattan Institute (a conservative think tank), "Either we are serious about fighting this war on terror or not." In other words, if you oppose such spying, then you must be tolerant of terrorism.

"This is a significant Pandora's box [Pentagon officials] don't want opened," says Arkin. "What we're looking at is hints of what they're doing." That's what I've been concerned about from the get-go. That is, if certain tactics are making it to the surface enough to be apparent to observant citizens, then we must assume that we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg. As Newsweek wrapped it up: "As far as the Pentagon is concerned, that means we've already seen too much."

Don't try anything sneaky...

2006-01-20T15:04:00.000-08:00

I really didn't consider privacy that big of an issue until I first started researching social networking. Now that my eyes have been opened a bit, I am seeing serious threats to privacy everywhere. Not only that, but violating privacy is apparently a lucrative business. Companies like the UK's World Tracker plan to make a pretty penny by revealing your exact location to any interested party with your phone number.

For just 16 pounds ($28), World Tracker will allow you to view the location of just about any GSM cellphone. Just enter the number you want to track into the service's Google Maps-based interface, and you'll be able to zoom in on the device's location, with accuracy somewhere between 50 and 500 meters.

Thankfully it's not (yet) full-on spying; a text message is sent to the party being tracked, who must then respond in order to enable the service. That's a relief - but then again - this technology is clearly available to anyone, these folks are just charging for it. Currently the service is only available in the UK, but they plan to expand to Germany, Spain, Norway and the US.

Government Requests User Data From Google

2006-01-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

From the The Mercury News:

The Bush administration on Wednesday asked a federal judge to order Google to turn over a broad range of material from its closely guarded databases.

The move is part of a government effort to revive an Internet child protection law struck down two years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court. The law was meant to punish online pornography sites that make their content accessible to minors. The government contends it needs the Google data to determine how often pornography shows up in online searches.

Scary, eh? There is hope, however. Nicole Wong, an associate general counsel for Google, said the company will fight the government's effort "vigorously."

With the recent writings I've been doing on Internet use and privacy, I've been surprised by the number of commenters who say "so what?" to this matter. Privacy is an extremely important part of this (and any) free country.

This is exactly the kind of case that privacy advocates have long feared,'' said Ray Everett-Church, a South Bay privacy consultant. ``The idea that these massive databases are being thrown open to anyone with a court document is the worst-case scenario. If they lose this fight, consumers will think twice about letting Google deep into their lives.

I do have high hopes for Google and their "Don't be evil" mantra. According to the news story, other search engines have agreed to release search records, but Google still refuses. That's 46% of U.S. searches that they continue to guard. Let's hope they can hold their ground.

Update: Almost a $40 drop in one day (Friday). That stinks.

Mobile phones not linked to brain cancer

2006-01-19T10:35:00.000-08:00

New Study: Mobile phones not linked to brain cancer:

British researchers say they have found no evidence to support fears that mobile phones cause brain cancer.

The new study, published online on Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), covers mobile phone use by 966 Britons aged 18-69 who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2004 with glioma, a rare but highly malignant brain tumour.

The researchers compared these results with similar interviews conducted among 1,700 healthy people, AFP reports.

The probe found that there was no additional risk from mobile phones, as determined by the number of years the phone had been in use; the age at which it was first used; the number of calls made; and the number of hours a person spent talking on it.

The team did note that there was a significant tendency for a brain tumour to occur on the same side of the head where the user said he had usually placed the phone.

But, they suggest, this figure could be 'recall bias' -- cancer patients, aware of the scare about mobile phones, may have been prompted to attribute their tumour to the gadget.

The study only covers use of mobile phones for up to 10 years. It does not apply to longer-term use.

However, some individual studies have suggested there could be a cancer risk from using mobile phones in rural areas, where electromagnetic signals are stronger in order to compensate for the greater distance between relay stations, and from using older-generation analogue phones.

Via Drudge.

Lee laments Hollywood 'stars

2006-01-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

This is London:

Veteran actor Christopher Lee has criticised the new wave of young Hollywood stars, claiming they are chosen for their looks rather than their talent.

This is so refreshing to hear, and I completely agree. Not only do I think this cricitism is spot-on with regard to Hollywood, but it's sadly true for the Music industry as well. All of the great singer/songwriters of our generation (Rufus Wainwright, Chris Stills, etc.) are relegated to the "indie" scene because mainstream audiences are being sold a pretty, studio-engineered package that is far from what it should be about: talent. I hadn't thought about the same ringing true for Hollywood, but I must say I agree.

Lee does take the time to praise one of the great young actors of our generation:

The number one actor in the world as far as I'm concerned is Johnny Depp. He's not afraid of a challenge, he's not afraid of anything.

Once again, I agree. Read the whole article. It's good.

Give me some feedback: Who do you feel like the most talented and under-appreciated artists are in music and film? I'm particularly interested to hear what musicians you love and wish more people knew about.

Google Robot FAQ

2006-01-18T12:50:00.000-08:00

Google Blogoscoped has an interesting Google spoof up. It's The Google Robot FAQ (Last updated November 1st, 2030), and it's humorous, fascinating, exciting and scary all at the same time.

What are Google Robots?

Google Robots are our human-like machines that walk the earth to record information. They do no harm, and they do not invade your privacy. ...

So what about the My Public Life™ program?

The My Public Life™ program is still in Beta. It enables subscribers to earn money through our AdSense for Life program. If you agree to make your personal talks with friends, your diary entries, your living room and such public, you can in return earn a percentage of the money we make by putting ads onto this information on our public websites. Google Robots at all time know who is a subsriber to the My Public Life™ program, and who isn't. Consequently, they will only follow those humans who are. ...

How many languages do Google Robots speak?

At the moment, Google Robots – thanks to our machine translation efforts – speak 95 different languages fluently, including English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and many more. We are updating our Google Robots with new "street lingo" every 1-2 weeks. ...

I want to talk to a Google Robot and tell him of my problems and more. May I?

Yes! We appreciate it if you share information with a Google Robot. Please note that anything you directly tell to a Google Robot will be automatically indexed in our Google Life search program and be made publicly available. ...

Is a Google Robot stronger than a human?

Technically, no. E.g., a Google Robot cannot lift very heavy objects at this time. However, if a Google Robot is ever forced to fight a human – which only happens when the Google Robot's self-defense program is activated by malicious use – the Google Robot would easily win by activating its self-defense devices. Please understand that for security reasons, we do not list these self-defense devices in detail here. ...

I still feel like a Google Robot invaded my privacy or breached a copyright. Where do I go to?

You can send privacy or copyright complaints to the following address:

Google, Inc.
Attn: Google Legal Support, DMCA Complaints
220 Far Earth District
Moonlake, Moon 105

Please include the Google Robot serial number (a Google Robot will always tell you his 16-digit serial number upon being asked), and if possible, the time when this happened. It is not necessary to give us further details about the location or setting, as naturally our Google Robot already recorded this information. ...

Under the Patriot Act IV, are you forced to share information crawled by Google Robots with agencies such as the CIA or NSA?

We are sorry, but at this moment we cannot comment on government relationships. We hope you understand. Note that as part of our company motto, "Don't be too evil," we take your privacy concerns very seriously.

Facebook Responds

2006-01-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

It's been right at one month since I posted the article What would Orwell do?. It was a sort of investigative exposé (and conspiracy theory) regarding the VCs who are currently funding Facebook.

I knew that the article would garner some attention; after all, Facebook has over 8 million users (and is growing by the day). After it was linked to by Andy Baio and briefly showed up on del.icio.us/popular, I realized that it might garner a bit more attention than I had originally thought. Traffic has been steadily rising, and about a week ago Blogger threw my name up there as a "Blog of Note", bringing in thousands and thousands of international readers a day. A lot more attention than I'm used to. I knew it was only a matter of time before the actual subjects of the article caught wind of it (if they hadn't already). I just wasn't sure who would respond - Facebook? its investors? I even wondered if a black suburban was going to show up at my office to make me "disappear."

Well, today I finally heard something from Facebook. I got an e-mail from Chris Hughes, Facebook's spokesman. He said:

I ran across your blog today and I’m contacting you to clarify some of your claims.

Firstly, the clause you reference in the privacy agreement is leftover from an outdated version of the privacy policy which is currently being updated. We used to have a couple features on the site that aren’t still there, such as collecting users’ away messages from AIM (if they said they wanted it) and displaying mentions of their names in campus newspapers (again, upon request). That clause will not be included in the upcoming version of the privacy policy which will be released in the next couple of weeks.

Secondly, quite simply put, we have absolutely no relationship with any government agency. Contrary to these rumors, we are not harvesting data for the CIA or any other group.

I really appreciate the candor of his response (I suppose that's his job), and it's encouraging to hear these clarifications. I think the most imporant part of what he has to say is that the creepy privacy clauses were for features that no longer exist and that the features could be enabled and disabled by users. I'm anxious to see the new policy, and I'm sure I'll put something up about it.

In his comment, he also invited any more questions "about Facebook or the way [they] manage information." This is interesting and encouraging. I'm considering sending him some questions about Facebook and exactly how they manage all the data they've got. Not only that, but I'm just really interested to know about the future of the service. It's growth over these short 2 years is really remarkable (which is why the information I discovered was so disconcerting).

What questions would you ask Facebook? What would you like to know more about if I were to conduct an interview? Feel free to comment with your thoughts and ideas, or e-mail me if you prefer.

Once again, thanks to Chris Hughes for responding. As I told him in an e-mail response:

This is the clarification I was hoping for. I was hoping to hear it from someone like you in clear terms like these. I am not typically a rumor mill, and my intentions were not to cause any trouble. On the other hand, I do feel like any free service which is made more usable by its users should be able to withstand such inquiry and remain transparent without fear.

Check back for more information about Facebook, its policies and its future.

Chuck Norris Responds...

2006-01-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

I suppose it was bound to happen. Chuck Norris has finally issued a response to all of the off-the-wall "facts" about him circulating on the web. From his website:

IN RESPONSE TO THE "RANDOM FACTS" THAT ARE BEING GENERATED ON THE INTERNET

I'm aware of the made up declarations about me that have recently begun to appear on the Internet and in emails as "Chuck Norris facts." I've seen some of them. Some are funny. Some are pretty far out. Being more a student of the Wild West than the wild world of the Internet, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's quite surprising. I do know that boys will be boys, and I neither take offense nor take these things too seriously. Who knows, maybe these made up one-liners will prompt young people to seek out the real facts as found in my recent autobiographical book, "Against All Odds?" They may even be interested enough to check out my novels set in the Old West, "The Justice Riders," released this month. I'm very proud of these literary efforts. ~ Chuck Norris

[via waxy]

BBC's 'Power of Nightmares'

2006-01-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

I was just browsing the documentaries on Netflix, and I found a title that seems to suit my new-found penchant for conspiracy theorizing. It's the BBC's Power of Nightmares Series, and unfortunately, it's one of the few documentaries on Netflix for which there's a waiting list.

But wait! Ben Metcalf, Project Lead for backstage.bbc.co.uk (and a kind chap, for recently linking to me) points to the fact that these 3 films are available for viewing (or if you're sneaky, downloading) on Google Video. Not sure where they came from, but have at it.

Part I: Baby It’s Cold Outside | (Details)

Part II: The Phantom Victory | (Details)

Part III: The Shadows In The Cave | (Details)

Get 'em while they're hot!

That said, I would like to point out that I don't necessarily agree with these documentaries. I feel like - to a certain extent - our fears are exploited by the government and the media. However, the statistics are clear, history is clear that fundamental Islam (including Muslim scripture) is the source of a majority of terrorism? Why? Because Mohammed himself encouraged it, and the Qu'ran does the same. Not only that, but the BBC is blatantly pro-Muslim, anti-Christian. That's more than clear. I'll be discussing this in more detail (with references and statistics) in the future. In the meantime, get what you can out of these documentaries, even if it is just a glimpse at the BBC's allegiance(s).

UPDATE: Below are links to direct downloads.

Before you download, keep in mind that these are over 200 MB each. Then, right-click > "save link as" > change the file extension to .flv. Enjoy.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Oh, ok.

2006-01-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

My friend Anderson pointed out that my posts are kind of depressing. He asked, "Why can't you just post something about bunny rabbits? Touché.

[via Cute Overload]

Love that new car smell? It may be deadly.

2006-01-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

According to a press release yesterday by the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, PBDEs, used as fire retardants, and phthalates, used primarily to soften PVC plastics (partly responsible for "new car smell"), were found in dangerous amounts in dust and windshield film samples.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants added in large amounts to many products such as fabrics, plastics, furniture, mattresses, electronics, automobiles, and computers. These groups of chemicals have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and early puberty in laboratory animals, among other serious health problems.

According to the PBDE Factsheet (.doc):

PBDE’s are not chemically bound to plastic or fabric, so they are released as dust or vapors over the lifetime of the product. There is strong scientific evidence that levels of PBDEs are rising rapidly in the environment, in the food chain and in human bodies. They are highly toxic even at low levels in laboratory animals.

The study found that concentrations of PBDEs in dust and windshield film samples were up to five times higher than those found in homes and offices in previous studies. Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in their car every day breathing in these chemicals, the inside of a car is a significant source of indoor air pollution. According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is currently one of the top five environmental risks to public health.

Man. I love that smell.

Photos from Japan

2006-01-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

Jeremy, a good friend of mine (and talented photographer), just came back from Japan with some nice photos.

You should go check them out. Keep checking, I'm sure he'll be adding more soon.

Chuck Norris Facts

2006-01-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

Many of you probably know why I put Chuck Norris on my blog header. Even if you don't know, you may have laughed because hey, something about Chuck Norris is funny.

Whatever it is, Chuck Norris has developed a true (and bizarre) cult following. If you are unfamiliar, this Washington Post Article will serve as a primer. Once you're primed, you're ready for this new little gem:

Quite a nice collection of facts about our favorite super-human.

I'm feeling noteworthy...

2006-01-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

I looked at my site stats this morning, and continued clicking refresh through lunchtime absolutely baffled as to why my traffic had increased so much. Typically I would just look at my referrer log and that would answer the question; however, today it was a long list of visitors referred from:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http%3A%2F%2Fjacobmorse.blogspot.com.

I thought, surely, there aren't thousands of people typing my address directly into Google to get here, so I was left confused.

I posted an entry a short while ago asking "where are you all coming from?!" and two kind readers said "You're a Blogger.com Blog of Note!" Oh. That explains it. Thanks Blogger, and thanks for stopping by!

The most popular article on this blog - by far - is What Would Orwell Do?, an investigative essay about Facebook and its investor's ties to the CIA.

Also, check out my other blog, VIA CRUCIS.

Data Mining is so hot right now.

2006-01-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

Man, have I been on a conspiracy kick lately. Timing is strange. I published my exposé on Facebook, then it broke that the NSA was spying with no balance of power. Since then it has been one thing after another, making my first few entries on this blog all about possible conspiracies.

Well, today a couple of interesting tid-bits hit the web.

1. Data Mining 101: Finding Subversives with Amazon Wishlists:

Amazon wishlists lets anyone bookmark books for later purchase. By default these lists are public and available to anybody who searches by name. If the wishlist creator specifies a shipping address, someone else can even purchase the book on Amazon and have it shipped directly as a gift. The wishlist creator's city and state are made public on the wishlist, but the street address remains private. Amazon's popularity has created a vast database of wishlists. No index of all wishlists is available, but it remains possible to view all wishlists by people of a particular first name. A recent search for people named Mark returned 124,887 publicly viewable wishlists.

For an all inclusive search by name, you could compile a comprehensive list of first names and nicknames from the baby names databases available on the internet. Armed with this list, and by recording the search results for each first name, it is possible for you to retrieve the vast majority of public wishlists on Amazon.

2. Trent Lapinksi's 'MySpace Report', a culmination of various research he's been doing to answer the question "Who is running MySpace?". See also, The Truth about MySpace and Why Doesn't Anyone Ask Who Actually Runs MySpace?. Apparently Trent has been threatened with legal action in response to his snooping.

I know the site was bought by Fox, but Fox didn't start the site, plus much of the original staff still appears to be employed. For reasons unknown, no one seems to ask who Tom Anderson is, and most of all no one asks who Chris DeWolfe is (MySpace's CEO). When I looked into who these guys pasts I found a web of issues ranging from rumors of running porn websites to possible connections to investment fraud. When I simply asked MySpace about these allegations they threatened to sue me.

MySpace is now just over 2 years old and is one of the biggest websites on the internet yet no one knows where or how it came to be. Isn't it of millions of people's concern to know who runs the website they confide so much in? Why hasn't the media or blogosphere asked this question?

This brings me full circle to the problem I see with Facebook and its eerie "privacy" policy. People sign up for things because they are fun and free and never think twice to read the fine print. At best, you're providing information that can be sold and you might run into a spam problem. Worse, you're voluntarily indexing your interests and contacts for the easy perusal of security agencies (or, anyone else that is interested).

On that note, I have had a lot of comments and e-mails saying "Who cares?" or "Facebook is just your favorite music!" That simply isn't true. Facebook has already been used to arrest students for questionable behavior at some colleges. Perhaps most useful to security agencies are the "Party" and "Event" planning features in Facebook. This keeps a calendar of events, linked to all students who have RSVP'd. Many of these events are political in nature (click here for an example).

That said, government spying and data mining will ultimately only affect those who are "up to no good." But is that the point? How free are we if we are constantly being watched? Not only that, but once we accept surveillance as normal, where will the slippery slope carry us?

The Internet and Intelligence

2005-12-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I garnered quite a bit of traffic from my post about Facebook and its possible CIA ties. Thanks to everyone who linked, particularly Andy over at Waxy.org!

I just recently started thinking about the Internet, its conception and its future, and it really is a bit of a conundrum. As reader Kenneth pointed out:

It's like anything that you have large quantities of information for, whether it be baseball (Moneyball), the weather or Google. It is being recorded and it will both benefit us as a society (Fun tools like the Facebook and easy access to information like Google) and hurt us (Release of Privacy - What we search for in private).

I don't know whether Facbook's "connections" to the CIA are relevant. As many bloggers pointed out, the CIA could spider these databases if they wanted to, regardless of any monetary investment. What I do know - and the overall purpose for the article - is that we are at a critical point in history. We have the technological facility to index all known information, and this ability provides us with unprecedented convenience. What we must think long and hard about is the cost of that convenience. Where is the balance? How transparent do we want our personal lives to be in exchange for networking, indexing and searchability? I don't know the answers, but we are the generation(s) that must come to terms with this issue and make some decisions.

That said, there have been some very interesting links in the past few days that correspond with my concerns. Here's a quick "round-up":

1. Apparently President Bush authorized the NSA to do some domestic spying without warrants following the September 11 attacks. (Google News - Forbes)

The New York Times quotes government sources as saying a presidential order signed in 2002 allowed the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity -- without court-approved warrants. Perhaps thousands of international telephone calls and e-mails were monitored, the Times said.

The Times said the decision to conduct surveillance without a court order within the United States represented a major shift in domestic intelligence gathering.

2. On a humorous (but in the context, ominous) note, heres an interview with Google's Larry Page in 2038.

Q: I would like to talk a bit about Google Real World Texts Search, the former Google Books Search. When did you decide it wasn’t enough to just scan books?

A: Well, just look at our mission statement. You’ve heard it a million times, “Google’s mission is to organize the universe’s information ... “ etc. After we finished scanning the last book, we were sort of like: “Wow. We did it. Everyone thought it’d be impossible.” But we’re not here to tap each other’s backs and sip champaign. For us it’s more like, so where’s the missing data? And really, we think there’s a lot of text outside of books. On product packaging, comic books, magazines, school papers, and so on. Even when you’re doing a phone scribble, that has the potential to contain valuable information to some. So really, it was only a matter of getting this right, technically, ... we knew very soon we just had to do it.

Q: The phone scribble scanning raised some privacy issues.

A: Yes. And we don’t take those lightly. Internally, we repeat our mantra, discuss it... “Do no evil”. But really, people can easily exclude their trash from being indexed. Our Googlebots will not scan any house, trash can, letter, postcard, magazine or anything else marked with the “no index” sticker. This is really important to us, that people get the chance to opt-out if they’re concerned with privacy.

The rest is worth a read.

My Del.icio.us added

2005-12-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

You may have already noticed, but I've added my Del.icio.us linkroll the sidebar. These will be links I find particularly interesting or amusing, hand-picked for this blog. You can always see my complete bookmarks at del.icio.us/cogito. Enjoy!

What would Orwell do?

2005-12-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

Mirrored from jacobmorse.com.

If you are an active Internet user and under the age of 25 (or 30), you probably fit in one of two categories; either [1] You have tried social networking, but didn't really get what the buzz was about, or [2] you get it, you dig it, and you sit for hours scouring, posting comments and photos, and clicking refresh obsessively.

Everyone has heard of Facebook. At almost 2 years old, it's growth is staggering.

Take a look at the Repeat Usage statistics, in particular and tell me that this isn't a craze bordering on obsession. 70 percent of users return on a daily basis to a site that really isn't all that dynamic. There are no blogs; just personal info, a place to post blurbs on users' "wall", and now pictures. With websites like Facebook and MySpace gaining an almost-disturbing amount of popularity, it seems that our desire for networking has trumped our sound-thinking, skepticism and desire for privacy.

I started thinking about this issue recently, and the question just keeps popping up: Why do we place so much trust in the creators of these websites? Since the emergence of "Web 2.0", it seems that with a simple "We're not evil, try our Beta" everyone is falling over themselves to shell out as much information as it takes.

Stop and think about Facebook for one minute. A 21-year-old Harvard student starts a networking site for college students, and now there are over 5 million users, many of which have probably never looked at the Privacy Policy. After all, Facebook is fun, so they freely post their name, address, school, concentration, political affiliation, friends, plans and even photos in which faces are linked to profiles. Comforted by the idea that this info isn't crawled by search engines, the fact remains that membership is only limited by the ownership of an ".edu" e-mail address (the Wall Street Journal expressed concerns about this, in fact).

What about the Privacy Policy? In the Help Section of Facebook it says, "Facebook respects your privacy. We don't distribute your user information to third parties" followed by "Read more about our Privacy Policy." Click the link and it says oh yeah, one more thing: we just might share your info, and it "may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies." This is a pretty typical policy, actually. It's in the section entitled "The Information We Collect" that it gets a little disconcerting.

When you visit the Web Site you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected by us and Web Site use information collected by us on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web Site.

It goes on to explain cookies, etc., but then ends with this vague third mode of data collection:

I'm not sure what that means, but I do remember something about AOL's updated terms of service.

I'm not usually big on conspiracy theories, but I point out Facebook's privacy policy to highlight some other interesting aspects of this company. It has been just a few months since Accel Partners announced a $13 million investment in Facebook. That may seem like no surprise that a VC is interested; Facebook's numbers are impressive. However, there are some significant details that cannot be overlooked.
1. Other VCs weren't very interested.
The concept isn't a new one, and according to Private Equity Week:

It is also an enormous gamble for the firm, which typically invests in networking and software and is betting its status on Thefacebook. Not only has Accel shied away from Internet-related investments in recent years, but also it is veering into territory that has not been too kind to VCs.

Several top-tier funds have bets on various social networking sites that had enjoyed flashy launches, but have been quiet since the startups were announced.

[...]

“They're operating on a wing and a prayer,” says one VC who met with Thefacebook, but didn't invest. “They don't have any valuable [intellectual property]. Those kids got lucky, but I don't know that [their business] will prove any better an investment than the other social networking sites we've seen.”

The fact of the matter is, regardless of Facebook's success, a $13 million investment is huge at this stage of the social networking game. That leads one to wonder about Accel's motivation.

2. The VCs that ARE Interested have strange connections

Take, for example, Jim Breyer, manager of Accel's Investment Team, and the guy working most closely with Facebook. Breyer is the former chair of the National Venture Capital Association (NVAC), where he served with Gilman Louie, CEO of In-Q-Tel. In-Q-Tel is a venture capital firm established by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1999. This firm works in various aspects of information technology and intelligence, particularly in "tools for the rapid deployment of distributed, economical data collection networks. Systems that are self-organizing or that provide tools for the aggregation and management of data from large numbers..." and other items "of interest to the CIA."

Breyer has also served on the board of BBN Technologies, a research and development firm also closely tied to In-Q-Tel. In fact BBN shared board members with In-Q-Tel, such as Anita Jones, former Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the U.S. Department of Defense. Her responsibilities included serving as an advisor to the Secretary of Defense and overseeing the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

In a 2002 NY Times article entitled, "Many Tools of Big Brother Are Already Up and Running", John Markoff shed light on DARPA as well as it's cousin, the Information Awareness Office, whose purpose was described as

[gathering] as much information as possible about everyone, in a centralized location, for easy perusal by the United States government, including (though not limited to) Internet activity, credit card purchase histories, airline ticket purchases, car rentals, medical records, educational transcripts, driver's licenses, utility bills, tax returns, and any other available data.

That almost sounds like a description of social networking itself. It's interesting to note that the IOA's original mission statement, "Total Information Awareness (TIA)" was adapted in 2003 to "Terrorist Information Awareness (TIA)." That was convenient. Following a Congressional investigation, the IAO "disappeared", though it's difficult to say if it ceased to exist. The Department of Defense and the CIA have their legal limitations; what better way to usurp those than to seek commercial products that do the job for them?

Proponent articles for Total Information awareness appeared in National Review and The Weekly Standard. It is interesting to note that Peter Thiel, who is also a significant investor to Facebook sits on the board of the VanguardPAC, and likely holds similar views.

I'll say this one more time; I'm not a crackpot, and I don't go around sniffing for conspiracies. There are simply so many strange connections back to the CIA and intelligence-hungry organizations that it truly has me concerned. Worst case scenario: we could be voluntarily handing over personal information to the government in a clean, searchable format. If there is something to these connections, we have - on our own accord - created an extensive network that Orwell's Big Brother could have only dreamed of.

Update: Over at The Sounds of Crickets Chirping there are some interesting points made on this topic...

Another Update: Trent Lapinski (AppleXnet.com) details some interesting information about MySpace.

Xbox 360: False Advertisement?

2005-12-13T23:02:00.000-08:00

Xbox customer service: "Orient your console horizontally. The Xbox 360 isn’t designed to play games vertically."

There are reportedly no stabilizers to allow for vertical play, or to stop discs from scratching when the console is vertical. Many of Matt’s discs got scratched despite the fact that he never moved his console while it was on. The kicker of the story is that Microsoft will not fix his Xbox to play games in the vertical position! Apparently there are no plans to add stabilizers to the DVD drive.

[via 360 Insider]

UPDATE: Llama.com has a DIY Fix for the 360 drive: stick a piece of rubber in there. (Thanks to Justin for the pointer).

Honda announces new robot

2005-12-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Today in Japan Honda debuted a new ASIMO humanoid robot...

...which features the ability to pursue key tasks in a real-life environment such as an office and an advanced level of physical capabilities. Compared to the previous model, the new ASIMO achieves the enhanced ability to act in sync with people – for example, walking with a person while holding hands. A new function to carry objects using a cart was also added. Further, the development of a “total control system” enables ASIMO to automatically perform the tasks of a receptionist or information guide and carry out delivery service. In addition, the running capability is dramatically improved, with ASIMO now capable of running at a speed of 6km/hour and of running in a circular pattern.

According to the press release, "delivery service" includes tasks as precise as serving cups of tea on a tray, thanks to the coordinated use of its "eye camera" and the "kinesthetic sensor" on its wrists.

Through proactive control of ASIMO’s posture while both feet are off the ground, the running speed was doubled from the previous 3km/hour to 6km/hour. One particularly interesting innovation is the ASIMO's ability to run almost as fast in a circle; the robot actually shifts its center of gravity inward to according to the amount of centrifugal force.

For me, these giant steps in robotic technology are as alarming as they are exciting. Notice the introduction over at Digital World Tokyo:

Honda’s smug ASIMO robot is incredibly annoying — here in Japan it’s hard to get through a single day without being subjected to his capering antics on TV and in magazines. Which makes it all the more disturbing that Honda has bestowed the bungling ‘bot with even greater powers. (emphasis mine)

From America, I have heard of this robot, but only from an episode of some tech shows from time to time. In other words, it's perceived here in the U.S. as a kind of "far off" technology (in my circles, at least). It's kind of scary that in Japan they are being bombarded with images of this thing. Particularly if the images are of "capering antics." Is Honda getting everyone used to the "personality" of this robot? Seems like some kind of preemptive marketing to make the integration of robots into our daily lives a little easier to swallow. They've certainly got the controversy in mind if they named the machine ASIMO.

I'm anxious to see where this ends up...

Another day, another blog.

2005-12-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

I've a really difficult time managing my writing. I have a variety of issues that interest me, but I have kind of pigeonholed my writing by creating very specific blogs. So, I am going to reserve via crucis for religious and philosophical articles, and leave this one open for just about everything else that interests me: news, politics, technology, design, and cross-over philosophical subjects, including the evolution/intelligent design debate.

I have set up my del.icio.us account to post daily links as entries, so regardless of my writing schedule, there should be something of some interest on here each day. I'm actually in the process of writing my final paper for the semester, so writing should pick up soon (both here and over on via crucis).

I'm trying to finish up an article - sort of an exposé - about the social networking craze and privacy issues. Check back soon.