Peter Krembs' Scientific Notation

Sunday funny: geology

Courtesy of Marty Fife:

EU autocrats want bloggers silenced; Congress takes the hint

I remember the Board of Control Freaks Supervisors attempting something like this in San Francisco a few years back-- where if you are resident of the city, it would be a criminal act for you to criticize or endorse local candidates on your blog unless you had registered as a "lobbyist".  Ironically, after heavy "lobbying" from their own constituents (and frank advice from the city attorney), they backed off the proposal.

But it looks like the European Union is dispensing with the guise of "electioneering" to cover for their imposition of mind and speech censorship altogether.  In the United States, the same is being done for the noble, pathetic and clichéd cause of "protecting the children", even though the Cyberbullying Prevention Act as written makes no mention of minors per se, which makes it a total red herring that no doubt serves a curveball to advocates of free speech.  What, you're against cyber-bullying?  You're against protecting children?  You're a monster, would be the retort of irresponsible parents who depend on the government and not themselves, to provide for their child's emotional and physical health.

But the politicians behind this legislation have motives that simply cannot be chalked up to stupidity.  At least in the case of the EU legislation, the proposing Socialist MEP stated that bloggers were "polluting cyberspace" with their truck.  It seems to me the goal of these politicians is to offer themselves as fighting fascism (or at least, fascist speech) when in fact it is *they* who are the fascists for attempting to censor not just *dangerous* speech, but any type of speech someone might might not like-- in both cases, the legislation is equally vague on just what type of speech might be objectionable.  Whether the speech in question is fascist, communist, homophobic, anti-Semitic or racist is immaterial.

The point is, once a blogger is cited, detained or arrested under these ill-defined speech codes, the game is up.  The fascists and bullies may well be silenced, but after that it's deuces wild.  To paraphrase two men with insight to rights and responsibilities: "When they took a fascist's rights, I was silent, because I am not a fascist.  When they took a socialist's rights, I was silent, because I am not a socialist.  And when they came for my rights, there was no one left to speak for me."

Find your spine on the 4th of July

The real story of July 4th isn't the Declaration of Independence document itself, rather, the personal courage and fortitude of millions of individuals who made this country.  Two-hundred and thirty-three years ago, this country succeeded in spite of British tyranny.  Two-hundred and thirty-three years later, we're failing because of apathy to international and domestic tyranny.

Fatigued from 8 years of two unsuccessful wars, PATRIOT Acts, federalization/militarization of police, and an an economy circling the toilet, we were looking for a different direction.

But restless voters do not necessarily provide for the redress of their grievances; we elected the opposite of George W. Bush, in name but not in policy.  Obama has not done much of anything meaningful in repealing or retreating from the core Bush policies: signing statements, indefinite arrest and detention, military tribunals, taxpayer bailouts and still floundering in the two wars.  But change is good, mmmkay?  Oh yeah, and even if you don't like it, you'll still be compelled into military or national "service".

And God forbid if you criticize this President or question his efficacy: challenges to Obama are usually met with excuses on a good day, scorn on a bad.  Well, at LEAST Bush isn't our President.  But is he?

Tyranny under another name is still tyranny.  The Bill of Rights is not a partisan issue.  Tyranny is.  Don't you think your brain would appreciate a spine this July 4th or vice-versa?

USGS releases customizable, mashable quadmaps

It only took them 8+ years (since I've been involved in geospatial technologies) and several convoluted websites, but the USGS seems to be on track with its new Digital Map tools.  Basically, it eliminates the need to store your own DRG graphics library on a local server and allows users (even the GIS illiterate) to generate their own USGS quad maps with place names, roads, and aerial photography.

P.S. - I've been playing around with this for about 10 minutes now and the only drawback is that in typical USGS fashion, the website and tools seem a bit convoluted.  Also, apparently, Mac users can go pound sand.

Pluses: can be mashed up with Google Maps and exported to different formats.

San Francisco screws the middle class-- again

I like how the Chronicle sets up a feel-good story of a poor, working class family who has their spirits lifted when their hovel is remodeled through a "land trust".  And then proceeds to refute, through their own photographs, their own set-up to the story.  A large flat screen TV?  Leather sofa?  Varnished oak china cabinet?  Persian rugs?  Most of first-world Euorope doesn't have the standard of living of these "low income" sots.  I wonder what a "moderate income" family would look like to the Chronicle?

But this is commonplace.  I happen to belong to an economic class of Americans who see more than 22% of their paycheck go to federal income taxes, not to mention FICA, SS, State Income Tax, Medicare, County Sales Tax, etc.  I make too much money to apply for, much less benefit from, the plethora of social programs available in San Francisco.  But not enough to utilize the tax shelters of my wealthier peers. 

This isn't a criticism of wealthy people or poor people.  This is a criticism of a political system set up by elites to loot the fruits of a worker's labor and redistribute it so that the individual is kept in a limbo of making enough to support the welfare and police states, but not too much or too little so that s/he can escape them completely or become totally dependent on them.

As one of the commenters said "The rich gets theirs and the poor get theirs, too."  And everyone else in the middle gets screwed.  After all, someone has to pay for it.

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Switcharoo

I've decided to go with Typepad for my blog host.  Not that I had a lot of content on my previous site, as I tend to update Twitter much more regularly.  I'll be using this site as more of a semi-static homepage and, when the mood strikes, a repository for lengthy rants.

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