Friday, June 29, 2012


Health tax. Matches (unfortunately) the retirement tax. (See, government is trying to become a social network, no matter the cost.)
I think Roberts did something smart for the long term. I see this decision as a huge billboard saying: Congress tried to hide this tax by calling it something else, but they did no better at that than they did writing this really stupid law. Unfortunately, “stupid” is not unconstitutional.
Best illustration of how bad even 2700 pages can be? NPR had the example of youngsters who would find the $1500 tax cheaper than health insurance until they are diagnosed with something serious, at which time they can buy health insurance. Remember, they can't be turned down or charged extra for a preexisting condition. This suggests a couple of things: 1) Insurance companies will set their rates high enough to cover this. 2) The government will have to raise this tax to “drive” younger/smarter citizens into buying insurance.
By the way, what happens to that $1500? Does it go to insurance companies or to organizations that provide care to the uninsured?


Cheap. Even the Class Action Lawyers won't get much – more than a e-Book, but still...
Hacking settlement to cost Stratfor $1.75 million
Stratfor has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit filed against the global intelligence firm after hackers affiliated with Anonymous stole subscriber data from its computers last year, Reuters reported today.
The settlement -- which calls for Stratfor to offer subscribers one month of free access to its service, a digital version of a book, and credit-monitoring service, in addition to paying attorney fees -- is expected to cost the company about $1.75 million, according to the settlement given preliminary approval by Judge Denis Hurley in U.S. federal court in New York.


They are probably not worth a Maverick missile each. Perhaps a pound or two of plastique?
"Anti-drug squads are now using Brazilian spy drones to sniff out drug labs that dot Bolivia in increasing numbers. Felipe Caceras, Bolivia's top anti-drug official, claims that some 240 drug labs have been busted in Santa Cruz, an eastern lowlands state bordering Brazil, this month alone, all thanks to Brazil's drones."


Info on cookies two days in a row? Curious.
June 28, 2012
UK Info Commissioner: Cookies - advice for members of the public
"What are cookies? - A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that is downloaded on to your computer when you visit a website. Cookies are used by many websites and can do a number of things eg remembering your preferences, recording what you have put in your shopping basket, and counting the number of people looking at a website. The rules on cookies are covered by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. The Regulations also cover similar technologies for storing information, eg Flash cookies. The Regulations were revised in 2011, and the ICO is responsible for enforcing these new rules... Where to find information about controlling cookies:


Dilbert shows what happens when an IP Lawyer retires...

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