Ultimatum: Paypal will enforce the Cuba embargo in Germany. Nice, how the nonsense from the USA is to be pushed through in Europe, right? It's about time for viable alternatives to PayPal. And it's about time that they finally fall under banking regulation - because their blocking actions often block money that is already there - as was the case recently with WikiLeaks.
usofabsurdity
Patent lawsuit: Google convicted in first instance over Linux servers. Just when we thought patent nonsense couldn't get any worse, here's the latest example of how absurd patents on algorithms and data structures are. Especially when such cases are tried before juries, as if patent infringements were something that could be judged by the "public conscience."
Department of Justice: Twitter must hand over WikiLeaks data to US court. It would be nice if the US would somehow deal with WikiLeaks and the published content in a meaningful way - general suspicions and wild activism beyond any rule of law is much more fun. And don't believe that this would be a purely American problem, our prolethicians are probably already sitting there and considering whether they can do the same. Because such big secrets like the incompetence and arrogance of our Federal Foreign Minister must not under any circumstances become public.
Schneier on Security: All Subversive Organizations Now Must Register in South Carolina - it's reassuring that, with all the nonsense going on here, the USA can still up the ante. Could all subversive elements in South Carolina please report? It only costs $5 ...
Tax-free Internet shopping may be at an end - compared to the chaos in the USA with taxes, the European tax law is quite simple and transparent ...
US Intelligence Agencies: Terrorists Could Use Online Role-Playing Games to Plan Attacks - Ongoing summer doldrums debate in the USA? Don't they have a few banks and insurance companies to worry about? The impact of a collapse at AIG would certainly be much greater than these movie horror scenarios that some self-important people come up with. Unfortunately, such theorists with their contrived nonsense are increasingly found here as well. Instead of dealing with real dangers (when will there finally be a speed limit on highways?), more and more absurd proposals on the topic of surveillance are coming up, which will classically protect us from non-existent problems. And money is then spent on such nonsense ...
The Great Consumer Crash of 2009 - ouch. This reads like a script for a horror movie. And since we in Germany are usually a few years behind the U.S. in all stupid ideas, something similar will certainly hit us here as well (and some of the developments described there can also be observed here - such as living off the credit line).
Pentagon will apparently ignore Guantanamo acquittals - do we need more evidence that the USA has long left the rule of law behind? When will politics in Europe finally wake up and seriously stand up against this madness? If another state - for example, China - did something like this to opponents, the USA would be the first to shout "violation of international law." Of course, now all the US sycophants can scream "anti-Americanism" again - but seriously, can one still be pro-USA when observing this madness?
Court Ruling Will Expose Viewing Habits of YouTube Users - if anyone thinks that only in this country courts make strange decisions regarding the disclosure of private data, take a look at this. Have you watched videos on YouTube? If so, Viacom will now have to be freshly served this information by Google, unless Google finds a way to convince the court of the absurdity of it. Great, isn't it? Just like that, all access data on YouTube handed over to a company in the music industry that is by no means acting selflessly and is, of course, extremely interested in this data.
New law says computer repair guys in Texas must also be licensed private investigators!!! - they're crazy, those Texans. Analysis of damage caused by Trojans or viruses would thus only be allowed for licensed investigators - regardless of whether they know anything about computers. But not for service technicians. This is so stupid, you just have to wait until it's implemented here as well (does anyone remember the approach of only allowing electricians to install computer systems, which the chambers of commerce had at one point?)
White House Refused to Open Pollutants E-Mail - as long as such behavior prevails in e.g. the USA, nothing will change. And unfortunately, it's not just in the USA, here too, some people define their freedom by the (lack of) speed limit on highways ...
9.com patents HTTP-Redirects - once again a nonsense patent that was granted in the USA. And again, a long legal battle will presumably follow before this nonsense is eliminated. Extremely disgusting, but the audacity with which Jeff Bezos likes to stand out with such absurd patents (his One-Click-Buy patent, for example). Of course, the examination at the patent offices is usually worse than bad for Internet patents. But it also takes someone who is so bold to file such garbage as a patent in the first place.
Patent on mobile entertainment device with phone - or something like that. The employees at the US Patent Office seem to be suffering from an acute lack of brainpower at the moment. There was already proven prior art for this patent, which was taken into account in the last application but is now being ignored. Well, it doesn't affect the poor, I think the lawyers from Apple will be happy to take care of the gentleman and his patent.
Evolution Major Vanishes From Approved Federal List - it's things like these that show the alarming extent to which creationist nonsense has taken hold in the USA.
60,000 Dollar fine for DNS query - even in the USA there are judges who have no idea about the Internet. "used Unix systems" - very bad thing, that. However, we should not be too sure - with our current paranoia levels in Berlin, the use of direct DNS queries can quickly become a terrorist offense ...
Navy Wins Exemption From Bush to Continue Sonar Exercises in Calif. - "The White House has exempted the Navy from two major environmental laws in an effort to free the service from a federal court's decision limiting the Navy's use of sonar in training exercises." - die US-Regierung hält von ihren obersten Gerichten und deren Entscheidungen halt genausowenig wie unsere Regierung von unseren obersten Gerichten ...
OLPC Chief Technologist Starts Own Business - "She is starting her own company at the time when the XO will be delivered in large quantities," writes Jepsen on her website. "However, she will continue to provide OLPC with her products at cost price." Jepsen's first OLPC patent application was published on December 13, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. - yes, that's what the typical American charity scam looks like. She could have given the patents to the OLPC project so that it could generate support for the project from potential marketing (or simply use the patents as a guarantee of its own continued existence). But today, only personal profit counts. The fact that many opportunities are only possible through collaboration in a non-profit project, and that she has benefited from this, is certainly easy to ignore ...
A young blonde Icelandic woman's recent experience visiting the US - because Icelandic women are, of course, terribly dangerous terrorists.
Harvey Wasserman on New Ohio Voting Report: "The 2004 Election Was Stolen… Finally We Have Irrefutable Confirmation" - after California, Ohio is now the second state to publish its own investigations into electronic voting machines, describing them as massively problematic. Incidentally, comparable systems were allowed for the state elections in Hesse. Because they are so easy to manipulate?
Creative Commons sues - because a photographer is too stupid to correctly read the CC licenses (which really do have very easy-to-understand descriptions as cover sheets). Stupidity apparently wants to be rewarded in the USA.
We're All Gonna Die - "Will everyone forget about the scandals of June and July 2007 amid these deadly warnings of coming death?" - unfortunately, this also fits our situation far too well. Schäuble's saber-rattling.
Bush on overruling judgements: "I don't believe my role is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own," - George W. Bush on why he signed death warrants for 152 inmates as governor of Texas. (außer natürlich es geht jemanden wie Libby - dann kippt man schnell mal ein Urteil, weil die 30 Monate waren ja viel zu überzogen, im Gegensatz zu Todesstrafen)
The state, it's me - "If President Bush thinks a 30-month sentence for Scooter Libby is excessive, what does he think about 55 years for selling marijuana?"
Dumb, Dumber, Bush? Mooo! - "The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease."
CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described - Torture. Plain and simple torture - especially the "Water Board" method is nothing more than a simulated execution. And this is applied - approved by the government - in a supposedly democratic state that makes such a fuss about its constitution. Because non-Americans are probably subhuman. Or something. Probably I'm just anti-American again. Just like ABC News, which as a well-known anti-American propaganda channel is not trustworthy anyway. Which is why their report on torture by the CIA can simply be ignored.
Non-Terrorist Embarrassment in Boston - Blinkenlights-Panic.
An Iron Curtain is Descending: And Most Americans Don't Know - about the treatment of American political critics by U.S. border police upon exiting to Canada.
US urges scientists to block out sun - instead of reducing CO2 emissions, simply reflect part of the sunlight. Another stupid idea of the Christianist mullahs in the US of Absurdity ...
Valleywag - far right.
FBI: Workers saw prisoner abuse at Guantanamo - "This thorough internal assessment shows the FBI was not involved in these activities in any way," said chief FBI spokesman Richard Kolko. Jaja, sie haben nur zugeguckt und erst später bei Nachfragen darüber berichtet. Was aber faszinierend ist: die Informationen sind auf eine Anfrage auf Basis des Informationsfreiheitsgesetzes veröffentlicht worden - wie würde eine solche Anfrage hier in Deutschland beantwortet? Innere Sicherheit und daher keine Veröffentlichung? Würden wir in einem ähnlichen Fall überhaupt eine Chance haben, die Wahrheit (die ja möglicherweise schon längst intern dokumentiert ist) ans Licht zu holen?
How Old is the Grand Canyon? Park Service Won't Say. - what a load of nonsense. Creationist nonsense prevents park staff from talking about the geological formation of the Grand Canyon? US of Absurdity, my ass.
Fefe's Blog about the endgame fantasies of the US military. Does this all sound damn familiar to anyone?
Teacher Fired Due to Dallas Museum of Art Fieldtrip - the trip was approved by the school administration and the parents had previously signed a waiver. Nevertheless, the teacher is fired due to a piece of art in a museum ...
Final Vote Results for Roll Call 491 - 253 members of parliament trample the Geneva Convention and the American Constitution by confirming the illegal activities of the US administration in places like Guantanamo. Of course, I'm just imagining all of this again and am simply anti-American.
In Tiny Courts of N.Y., Abuses of Law and Power - Part-time judges without adequate education (not just training, but also general knowledge). With the possibility to put others in jail. Not in some banana republic, but in New York State in the USA.
EU will hand over connection data to the USA - because data protection doesn't matter these days in Europe either.