Good Riddance Kim Jong Il
There are more than a few utterly despicable tyrants who has spent time wandering this Earth. Most of them eventually have to suffer the wrath of those they have harmed. Sadly, Kim Jong Il was not one of them.
Kim was blessed with dominion over a hill no foreign leader cared enough to conquer, and he did such an exemplary job of keeping his people in the dark that the overwhelming majority of them have no idea what the world beyond their town looks like, let alone realize how obscenely oppressed they are. There is no better example of the dangers of excessive government than that of North Korea. It’s like the people of North Korea are living in the Matrix. They are slaves, and they don’t have any idea just how thoroughly they have been subjugated.
One day the people of North Korea will have to wake up, and I do not envy the pain and anger they will feel when they realize how extensively they have been harmed by their dictators. I have my doubts that Kim’s death will bring about that change, but I hope it comes sooner than later for them. No one deserves to live in mental and physical slavery.
Good riddance Kim. Even if your death doesn’t improve the lives of your people, the world is a better place without you in it.
The Police Disappoint Again
I just witnessed a nasty accident.
Off in the distance, I saw a minivan slam into a bicyclist. I wasn’t close enough to see the details, but when I drove up I truly thought that the bicyclist was dead. The only other people on the scene were witnesses who saw the whole thing, and were freaking out on the phone with 911, and the distraught man who crashed into the cyclist.
I got out of my car to try to help the guy on the asphalt. I checked to make sure he was breathing; wasn’t bleeding too badly; and started talking to him as he slowly regained consciousness. Then I just kept him talking until the cops showed up.
The cops are what I’m writing about.
Over the years I’ve had a number of interactions with the police (none where I’ve done something wrong). Every time I deal with the cops I think, “there is no way they are going to be assholes to me this time.” And every time I’m disappointed. I’m not looking for them to be pleasant, I’m just looking for them to not be assholes. I set low standards, and they always fail to meet them.
These cops seemed completely indifferent, uncaring, and unhelpful towards the victim. They were also very mean to the witnesses. It’s totally fucking unnecessary.
I’m so damn tired of police treating people poorly. They are supposed to serve and protect. Citizens aren’t the enemy; especially those of us who actually try to help in bad situations.
I’m not looking for a medal, or even a thank you. It’s not about that. I just don’t want the police treating me like shit when I try to help a person in need.
The next time I hear an off-duty cop bitch about how “they spend all day seeing the worst of humanity,” I’m going to tell them to open their eyes and pay attention and be thankful when they happen upon someone doing the right thing when they didn’t have to. People do it all the time, but if you’re so jaded, you will never notice.
Thoughts on Arrington vs Huffington
Michael Arrington and Arianna Huffington are stuck in a showdown where both of them will lose. The difference between the two is that Arrington won’t give a shit.
The idea that Arrington, one of the biggest names in tech writing is going to start a venture capital fund to essentially funnel money into companies that he is hyping so he can profit on both fronts is at the very least ethically questionable. The fact that the guy is shocked that the PR backlash has forced Huffington to put the screws to him is insane.
As Dan Primack pointed out, Huffington is in a lose-lose situation. She either wasn’t paying attention to Arrington’s not-so-secret, secret plans, or she knew and didn’t take the time to think about the implications for her organization. Both conclusions make her look foolish.
Arrington has once again confirmed that he’s unethical.; no shock there. However, I never had him pegged for an idiot. The guy sold his website to AOL. Even if this VC debacle never happened, he was inevitably going to lose control of TechCrunch simply because HE SOLD IT TO AOL!!! AOL’s only great strength is compromising things. They wrecked Engadget.
Anyone who followed the TechCrunch sale to AOL knew that it wouldn’t end well. Near as I can tell it means that Arrington either thought he could:
- Cash-in and out-muscle AOL over the long-haul (Delusional)
- Live with AOL (Also delusional)
- Ride out his contract and start something new like Joshua Topolsky (This is way too reasonable and level for Arrington)
- He was planning on leaving in a PR inferno because he’s an attention whore, and this is a good way to draw attention to his next project (Evil mastermind)
- He has no self-control and is throwing a tantrum because he has to live by someone else’s rules (Giant baby)
I don’t know what he was thinking, but I’m tired of him. I look forward to the day when he is merely a footnote in the history of the Internet.
Obama & Social Media
Obama joined Foursquare this week! OMG, this is like totally news!
I can’t bring myself to care about the President’s presence in social media. It’s nothing personal, but he isn’t really on Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook, some low level staffer is on Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook as Obama.
If I thought the President’s accounts were really him, I might follow him, but it’s just PR.
Can we stop treating this stuff like it’s news?
Know Your Digital Rights
Police are becoming digitally bold, and asking to search the phones of citizens during traffic stops. As with anything, it’s important to know your rights. The EFF put together a one page card detailing the rights of American citizens as they pertain to your digital devices.
EFF – Tips for Talking to the Police
Knockoff Apple Stores in China
Here’s a bizarre story for you.
China is notorious for knockoffs. They produce fake apparel, accessories, electronics… Now you can add Apple Stores to the list.
BirdAbroad writes about her visit to a fake Apple Store in China. This is one of the strangest things I’ve read in a while.
Stuxnet: A Weaponized Computer Virus
Stuxnet is a super-virus that debilitated Iranian nuclear enrichment by destroying their centrifuges. The virus accomplished this by making the centrifuges spin out of control while telling the monitoring systems that everything was functioning properly. It was genius, and it worked, but that’s just the middle of the story.
The beginning is a total mystery. We have no clue who actually made the Stuxnet. The US, Israel, China, Russia, a company, some other organization, or some combination of forces are all plausible as many groups have an interest in keeping Iran nuke-free.
The end of the story is unwritten. What will become of Stuxnet is anyone’s guess.
This short video by Patrick Clair brilliantly breaks down the most relevant information about the Stuxnet story.
Our media organizations and governments are freaking-out about hacktivists, leaked passwords, and web-vandalism, but I promise you that Stuxnet is far more interesting and dangerous.
Stuxnet accomplished a good thing in delaying Iranian nuclear enrichment, but I suspect that the longterm ramifications will be much more grey.
