derivative work

yes i am

LQ — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:20:13 +0000

still on hiatus

what, still on hiatus?

LQ — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:13:53 +0000

yes.

happy new year.

hiatus … monthly update

LQ — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:12:44 +0000

still on hiatus!

take 5 minutes — Congressmember hilariously questioned on Constitution

LQ — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:18:21 +0000

Yesterday Rep. Alan Grayson questioned Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia on the meaning of Bills of Attainder, in regards to one of the anti-ACORN bills / amendments floating through Congress. Delightful. I’m linking to it through Glenn Greenwald’s blog, who brought it to my attention, because Greenwald is almost always worth reading.

libel and science

LQ — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:33:34 +0000

Olivia Judd’s science blog in the NYT today is about the effect of libel on science writing — very interesting.

… still on hiatus

LQ — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:33:55 +0000

on hiatus, but not dead.

Sotomayor, Al Franken, the First Amendment, and information law

LQ — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:50:18 +0000

Some interesting commentary on Sotomayor and the First Amendment from Paul Levinson:
* http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/search/label/Sonia%20Sotomayor
* http://paullev.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=497539
* http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/search/label/Sonia%20Sotomayor

I haven’t had time yet to dig into Sotomayor on intellectual property, telecomm, and other information law issues, but this is discouraging.

Franken of course I have hopes for: After Fox News sued him for trademark infringement for putting its logo “Fair and Balanced” on the cover of his book (Lies and the Lying Liars Who tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right) Franken ought to have a good sense of why trademark fair use, at least, is important.

resurrecting my old abortion rights button

LQ — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:01:14 +0000

“I’m pro-choice and I shoot back.”

It’s not strictly true since I don’t own a gun.

I love how Bill O’Reilly freely tosses around incendiary rhetoric (arguably, “inciting violence”) but is so incapable of taking responsibility or acknowledging his own words. Why is he a frickin’ pundit talking head if he thinks his words are so meaningless? Other than his ginormous ego? War Room has relevant excerpts and links to O’Reilly’s non-apology.

update: More informative is Rachel Maddow’s review of anti-abortion violence.

patented tail holes: patent reform

LQ — Sat, 30 May 2009 03:42:07 +0000

God we so need patent reform. What happened to the non-obviousness requirement? Can someone please explain to me how a cat / dog diaper can have a “patented tail hole”???? What else would a pet diaper have except for a tail hole? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is the knowledge economy: the patenting of tail holes.

Available at PlanetUrine.com. See also http://www.dog-diapers.net/catdiapers.html. I just love the URLs.

Description at http://pickyguide.com/pet_supplies/cat_diapers_guide.html:

Cat diapers are worn by cats for trapping waste or urine. They are made like disposable baby diapers, only they are specifically designed for feline use. They are commonly used by cats with bladder or bowel problems or those who have undergone surgery.

This paragraph is a masterpiece of stating the obvious.

My partner notes, “My grandmother made really nice looking pants that were better looking than any of these, I’ll have you know. They were really good looking. … Can’t we just use some of Ada’s little newborn diapers, do you think?”

a telling moment for the Catholic Church

LQ — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:00:39 +0000

The poor anti-same-sex-marriage crowd feels “outgunned and underfinanced” in their fight to prevent state recognition of same-sex couples. In New York, for instance, the Catholic Church has been absent from the struggle. Why?

The state’s Roman Catholic bishops have been somewhat distracted, too, having focused their lobbying energies this session on defeating a bill that would extend the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse to bring civil claims, and have appeared unprepared for the battle over marriage.NYT 5/20

Yeah, I think that pretty much sums up their values these days.