I imagine a purely electronic world inhabited by human minds. In that world, there need be no scarcity, since the human mind has a fixed bandwidth limitation. The cost of "serving" each human mind is approximately the same; whether that mind inhabits a hovel or its very own private simulated planet; whether that mind lives alone or surrounds itself with millions of simulated sycophants.
Yet I have concluded that scarcity would still exist. Not because of a resource limitation, but because of the desires of some minds.
Imagine a Ted Bundy were to live in this world. There is no need for any human woman to suffer for his needs, since there can be endless simulated victims. But such an individual would gain no satisfaction from victimizing simulated women; that kind of satisfaction would only come from victimizing real human minds.
In the same sense, the masters require slaves; the rulers require the ruled; the richer amuse themselves by the struggles of the poorer; criminals require victims; and police require criminals. Even those who can't imagine anything better than a medium house would need a lesser house across the street to satisfy themselves of their personal worth.
In this world I have imagined, there would still be pain, oppression, want, inferiority and evil. Not because of the limitations of the world, but because of the limitations of some human minds.
“Why should they have to do that?” said the administration official. “Why can’t they investigate crimes in the U.K., involving U.K. nationals under their own laws, regardless of the fact that the data happens to be on a server overseas?”
I'm sure the UK authorities frequently ask the same question about the FBI.
The Court found: "No agreement with a foreign nation can confer power on the Congress, or on any other branch of Government, which is free from the restraints of the Constitution."
I think a new strategy needs to be used with respect to FOIA enforcement.
An idea I had was this: Congress sets a minimum compliance level, perhaps 90% of requests completed in 30 days, with , perhaps, responsive documents in 70% of cases.
Fail that for three successive months and the department budget is automatically reduced by 10% until compliance is achieved. With ratchet; if the department remains out of compliance for a complete budget cycle then the 10% becomes permanent and they become subject to another 10% on top of the first 10%.
When lack of compliance is kicking them in their power structure, they'll give in. And if not, well, at least our taxes will go down.
There is security that keeps my information private: encryption, access limits, and legal warrants.
There is security in the "national security" sense, which means exactly the opposite.
The phrase, "...privacy perishes in the absence of security," conflates these. When this is used, the correct thing is to ask, "I need clarification: when you say 'security,' did you mean 'eliminating my encryption, ignoring my access protections and disdaining my legal rights?"
I'm thinking that the easiest way to do this is to paraphrase their response: "Sorry. There were some responsive documents twelve days ago, but those were automatically purged after three years and don't exist anymore, so now there are no responsive documents."
I'm thinking this specific call was a "concerned citizen" protesting the introduction of this bill infringing "free speech rights." I know the very concept of that is surreal to most people, but sociopaths are oblivious to anything but their own desires, even if that's a desire to swat someone.
Cable companies continually innovate ways to increase existing fees, add fabulous new fees, cut back expensive service, reduce costly quality, avoid underprivileged service areas, and eliminate customer choice; all in the service of greater profit.
How can you deny their incredible, awesome, daily innovations?
Barnett is just bowing to his corporatist masters. They will always have "anonymous speech" as expressed through: political action committees, media influence (via talking points, slant, and pseudo-documentaries presented as news), collusive trusts, backdoor lobbying and outright bribery.
None of their "anonymity" will be degraded by this proposed law. It will only prohibit activities of the ordinary citizen, by eliminating the anonymity for individual speech that might dilute corporate influence.
The DNA will not be used for medical purposes, such as checking for genetic markers of disease, which will avoid issues of whether people should be told about their predisposition to possibly serious illnesses. Nor will the DNA database be used for "lineage or genealogical reasons."
Oh, maybe not initially, but we've all seen function creep before.
Also, they neglected to list "ethnic cleansing"--an oversight, no doubt.
You don't suppose...surely it isn't possible...that he asked the teacher how to spell "terraced" in the first place...and the teacher told him "T-E-R-R-O-R-I-S-T".
I wonder if the police wouldn't still have been called if he had correctly written "terraced". He's a Muslim kid, and the word "terraced" sounds an awful lot like "terrorist". It's not hard to imagine a fearful-of-prison teacher saying, "Maybe we just need to be sure?"
When I heard about his search, I immediately wondered if the motive isn't personal. I don't know how long Mr. Brown has been looking for this new planet, but if he was expecting the honor of finding the next planet after Pluto, well...then his honors were being stolen by the discoveries of Eris, Haumea, Quaoar, Salacia, Orcus, 2002 MS₄, Sedna, 2007 OR10₁₀, MakeMake, Varuna, Varda, 2002 UX₂₆ and...*whew*! Not to mention the ones discovered long ago, that were under debate for addition to the list, like Ceres 1.
So it's possible he figured that, if he was going to have the honor of finding the next planet, he had to stop the flood of these new mini-worlds being discovered. That would be petty (and Pluto an innocent bystander) but it wouldn't be the first time something of this type has happened in the astronomical community.
I'm wondering if it would have changed anything if he'd written "terraced house." Here we have a Muslim kid, who obviously meant to write "terrorist" and misspelled it "terraced"...wouldn't the teacher still call the cops?
On the post: Also Turning 20 Years Old Today: John Perry Barlow's Declaration Of The Independence Of Cyberspace
The root of the problem
I imagine a purely electronic world inhabited by human minds. In that world, there need be no scarcity, since the human mind has a fixed bandwidth limitation. The cost of "serving" each human mind is approximately the same; whether that mind inhabits a hovel or its very own private simulated planet; whether that mind lives alone or surrounds itself with millions of simulated sycophants.
Yet I have concluded that scarcity would still exist. Not because of a resource limitation, but because of the desires of some minds.
Imagine a Ted Bundy were to live in this world. There is no need for any human woman to suffer for his needs, since there can be endless simulated victims. But such an individual would gain no satisfaction from victimizing simulated women; that kind of satisfaction would only come from victimizing real human minds.
In the same sense, the masters require slaves; the rulers require the ruled; the richer amuse themselves by the struggles of the poorer; criminals require victims; and police require criminals. Even those who can't imagine anything better than a medium house would need a lesser house across the street to satisfy themselves of their personal worth.
In this world I have imagined, there would still be pain, oppression, want, inferiority and evil. Not because of the limitations of the world, but because of the limitations of some human minds.
On the post: Documents Show Chicago Cops Routinely Disabling Recording Equipment
Human surveillance
We should test the humans at the NSA, to see if this effect can be reproduced.
On the post: UK Investigative Agencies Want To Be Able To Send Warrants To US Companies
What goes around, comes around
I'm sure the UK authorities frequently ask the same question about the FBI.
On the post: Countries Sign The TPP... Whatever Happened To The 'Debate' We Were Promised Before Signing?
Re: Unconstitutional?
On the post: Congress Might Actually Be Moving Forward On Fixing Outdated Email Privacy Law!
Cynic in me
On the post: Software Company Asks Users For Input On DRM; Goes Ahead And Institutes It Anyway Over Their Objections
Simple explanation
On the post: Federal Judge Says The FBI Needs To Stop Playing Keepaway With Requested FOIA Processing Documents
Minimum compliance strategy
An idea I had was this: Congress sets a minimum compliance level, perhaps 90% of requests completed in 30 days, with , perhaps, responsive documents in 70% of cases.
Fail that for three successive months and the department budget is automatically reduced by 10% until compliance is achieved. With ratchet; if the department remains out of compliance for a complete budget cycle then the 10% becomes permanent and they become subject to another 10% on top of the first 10%.
When lack of compliance is kicking them in their power structure, they'll give in. And if not, well, at least our taxes will go down.
On the post: Former DHS Boss Puts University Of California Employees Under Secret Surveillance
Privacy perishes in the absence of security.
There is security in the "national security" sense, which means exactly the opposite.
The phrase, "...privacy perishes in the absence of security," conflates these. When this is used, the correct thing is to ask, "I need clarification: when you say 'security,' did you mean 'eliminating my encryption, ignoring my access protections and disdaining my legal rights?"
On the post: DOJ Lies To 'FOIA Terrorist' Jason Leopold; Claim They Have No Documents On Aaron Swartz
The timing is interesting
On the post: Congressional Rep Who Introduced Anti-Swatting Bill... Victim Of Attempted Swatting
Protest
On the post: The Cable Industry Is Absolutely Terrified Of Set Top Box Competition
"Incredibly, awesomely innovative"
How can you deny their incredible, awesome, daily innovations?
On the post: DHS Official Thinks People Should Have To Give Up Their Anonymity To Use The Internet
It's about influence
None of their "anonymity" will be degraded by this proposed law. It will only prohibit activities of the ordinary citizen, by eliminating the anonymity for individual speech that might dilute corporate influence.
On the post: Former FTC CTO Ashkan Soltani Denied Security Clearance, Perhaps Because He Helped In Reporting On Snowden Docs
Revenge
Just ask them.
On the post: Kuwait Creating Mandatory DNA Database Of All Citizens, Residents -- And Visitors
Function creep
Oh, maybe not initially, but we've all seen function creep before.
Also, they neglected to list "ethnic cleansing"--an oversight, no doubt.
On the post: UK Police Deny Misspelling Led To Investigation, Say It Was Other Schoolwork Instead
Re: Re: "I live in a terraced house."
On the post: NSA's First Post-USA Freedom Act Report Shows It Can Still Turn Transparency Into Opacity
That "one hop" relationship
Two, "They both live on Earth, but otherwise...I don't see anything..."
One, "But if they both live on Earth, that's one hop, right?"
On the post: UK Police Deny Misspelling Led To Investigation, Say It Was Other Schoolwork Instead
"I live in a terraced house."
On the post: DailyDirt: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine...
Stop the flood!
When I heard about his search, I immediately wondered if the motive isn't personal. I don't know how long Mr. Brown has been looking for this new planet, but if he was expecting the honor of finding the next planet after Pluto, well...then his honors were being stolen by the discoveries of Eris, Haumea, Quaoar, Salacia, Orcus, 2002 MS₄, Sedna, 2007 OR10₁₀, MakeMake, Varuna, Varda, 2002 UX₂₆ and...*whew*! Not to mention the ones discovered long ago, that were under debate for addition to the list, like Ceres 1.
So it's possible he figured that, if he was going to have the honor of finding the next planet, he had to stop the flood of these new mini-worlds being discovered. That would be petty (and Pluto an innocent bystander) but it wouldn't be the first time something of this type has happened in the astronomical community.
On the post: How The UK's Counter-Terrorism And Security Act Has Made Law Enforcement Into The Literal Grammar Police
"Terraced" kid
On the post: DEA So Forfeiture-Focused It Hired A TSA Screener To Check Travelers And Baggage For 'Guilty' Cash
TSA con man
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