Monday, December 19, 2011


Biggest story of the day. It has little to do with my favorite topics, but North Korea has been a place to watch for many years...
Kim’s Death Inspires Worries and Anxiety
… The uncertain response was colored by the secretive nature of the regime in Pyongyang which has groomed Mr. Kim’s youngest son, King Jong-un, [Interesting Freudian slip? Calling it like they see it? Bob] as the heir-apparent, but allowed little of substance to be known about him. The trepidation deepened when the South Korean news agency reported that, before the announcement of Mr. Kim’s death, North Korea tested an unspecified number of short-range missiles on Monday morning.
… A statement from the Chinese authorities — whose reaction to potential turmoil in North Korea could dominate the regional response — offered “deep condolences” and suggested a degree of alarm in Beijing.
In South Korea, facing North Korea’s vast, nuclear-armed military, the armed forces went on high alert as President Lee Myung-bak called for calm and urged residents to pursue their normal lives, news reports said.
… In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference: “We hope this sudden event does not have an adverse effect on the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula,”

(Related)
North Korea's "Dear Leader" Dies
… His death was announced Monday by state television two days after he died. North Korea's news agency reported that he had died at 8:30 a.m. Saturday after having a heart attack on a train, adding that he had been treated for cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases for a long time


So, it is a Federal Crime, but it's unenforcable?
Orin Kerr: Thoughts on the Oral Arguments in United States v. Nosal
December 19, 2011 by Dissent
Orin Kerr offers a few thoughts on oral argument in United States v. Nosal, a Ninth Circuit case that was heard en banc last week. I’ve mentioned Nosal number of times on this blog because the government’s interpretation of the federal law known as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) puts anyone who’s ever violated a site’s Terms of Service or used their boss’s computer for non-approved purposes at risk of criminal prosecution. Nosal was intended to be an anti-hacking statute, and its overbroad interpretation and application by the Department of Justice is cause for concern.
Read Orin’s commentary on The Volokh Conspiracy. Orin has been one of the most influential proponents of a narrow interpretation of the law, and I hope the Ninth Circuit sees this one the way he does.
[From the article:
In her argument for the United States, DOJ lawyer Jenny Ellickson argued that intentionally violating a Term of Service on Facebook or Match.com was in fact a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(2)(C). She stated that DOJ would never prosecute such a case, however, and that the big practical problem was proof: DOJ would need proof that the defendant actually knew of the Term of Service violated

(Related) In this case, are the kids or their parents criminals? “Big Google Brother” will read your mail to find out?
"The Washington Post's Elizabeth Flock managed to hold Google's feet to the fire and get an explanation of sorts for why it's making kids cry by disabling their Gmail accounts after years of use. Giving 12-year-olds access to Gmail — unless they are using Google Apps for Education accounts through their school — is proving to be as formidable a task for Google as making renewable energy cheaper than coal. But what about that viral 'Dear Sophie' commercial, asked Flock, in which a father creates a Gmail account for his baby daughter and uses it to send her photos, videos, and messages that chronicle her growing up? 'The implied understanding,' replied a Google spokesman, 'is that the girl in the story does not have access to the account, but that she will have access to it "someday."'"
[From the article:
A Google Support page provides some answers, writing that accounts can get disabled if a child enters a birthday indicating they are not old enough to use Gmail. Warren’s daughter may have filled in that information if she joined Google+.


I make big money by refraining from endorsing products.
Federal court won’t toss lawsuit against Facebook over right to publicity
December 18, 2011 by Dissent
Joseph Menn reports that although the FTC may have settled with Facebook over some privacy issues, Facebook is not off the legal hook in California. The court declined to dismiss a lawsuit that claims Facebook’s practice of showing people that friends “like” specific products violates California law on right to publicity or use of their names and images for advertising purposes.
Read more on FT.com


… two countries separated by a common language.
"Australia's telecommunications regulator has ruled that one of the country's largest broadcasters, Channel 7, did not breach the industry code of conduct by lifting photos of deceased persons and minors from social networking site Facebook. Significantly, the regulator noted that it doesn't have the legal authority to crack down on broadcasters that lift material tagged as 'private,' looking to the Attorney General to provide some legal clarity."


We teach programming and we teach ethics. Teaching Ethical Programming should be a snap!
"Last month, philosopher Patrick Lin delivered this briefing about the ethics of drones at an event hosted by In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture-capital arm. It's a thorough and unnerving survey of what it might mean for the intelligence service to deploy different kinds of robots. This story is very definitely not like Asimov's robotic laws! As fine a mind as Isaac Asimov had, his Robot stories seem a bit naive, in view of where we are headed with robotics."


Don't have time to read? Spend even more time trying to understand your computer's voice. (I guess you could listen to my Blog...)
… If you cannot read, you can listen to news and your favorite blogs on your PC, Android, iPhone and iPad using a service known as Vocalyse.
… To create your own custom playlist, just click on My Playlists, select the category and it will show you all the blogs listed under that category.
Similar tools: BlogRadio and SpokenText.


Today's history...
Dec. 19, 1974: Build Your Own Computer at Home!
The Altair 8800 microcomputer goes on sale.
… At its heart was the Intel 8080 microprocessor, with the remarkable capacity of 8 bits, or 1 byte.
… The kit offered a 256-byte memory, just about enough to contain one sentence of text.


Free is good!
Gmail users in the US and Canada who have been enjoying Google’s free calls deal over the last year will be pleased to know the offer has been extended into 2012.
With Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype not so long ago, Google is surely trying to hold on to its VoIP userbase before Microsoft begins to further integrate Skype into existing and new products.
Callers from outside the US are still able to dial North American numbers for a low rate of 1 cent per minute, and Google’s full list of international calling rates can be found here.


It must be that time of year for Top Ten, Best & Worst, and other lists... And I love lists...
The IBM 5 in 5: Our Forecast of Five Innovations That Will Alter the Tech Landscape Within Five Years
Every year IBM predicts the future of technology via the IBM 5 in 5 initiative–our forecast of five innovations that will help transform aspects of modern life, making the planet smarter, within the next five years. We assess not just the availability of a new technology but also the likelihood of its large-scale adoption.
This year’s predictions:

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