Sunday, February 03, 2013

“We're the Feds. We can do anything we want, laws or no laws.” And they are probably doing whatever they want in states that do not have similar laws.
By Dissent, February 2, 2013 5:15 pm
Ooh. I missed this important post by Nathan Freed Wessler of the ACLU last week:
The Drug Enforcement Administration is trying to access private prescription records of patients in Oregon without a warrant, despite a state law forbidding it from doing so. The ACLU and its Oregon affiliate are challenging this practice in a new case that raises the question of whether the Fourth Amendment allows federal law enforcement agents to obtain confidential prescription records without a judge’s prior approval. It should not.
Read more on the ACLU’s site.
[From the article:
In 2009, the Oregon legislature created the Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), which tracks prescriptions for certain drugs dispensed by Oregon pharmacies, including all of the medications listed above. The program was intended to help physicians prevent drug overdoses by their patients and more easily recognize signs of drug abuse. Because the medical information revealed by these prescription records is highly sensitive, the legislature created robust privacy and security protections for the PDMP, including a requirement that law enforcement must obtain a warrant before requesting records for use in an investigation. But despite those protections, the DEA has been requesting prescription records from the PDMP using administrative subpoenas which, unlike warrants, do not involve demonstrating probable cause to a neutral judge.


A book to request from my local library. (They let me request books they haven't purchased yet)
Google’s Schmidt: ‘Twitter Can No More Produce Analysis Than A Monkey Can Type Out A Work of Shakespeare’
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt’s upcoming book, The New Digital Age, isn’t pulling any punches. From the “irrelevance” of anonymity to some juicy thoughts on Twitter, the Wall Street Journal published some thought-provoking quotes from the book slated to be released in April.
...Twitter can no more produce analysis than a monkey can type out a work of Shakespeare.
...Within search results, information tied to verified online profiles will be ranked higher than content without such verification, which will result in most users naturally clicking on the top (verified) results. The true cost of remaining anonymous, then, might be irrelevance.
...“It’s fair to say we’re already living in an age of state-led cyber war, even if most of us aren’t aware of it.


May we conclude that liability exceeds revenue?
"U-T San Diego reports that the city has become 'the latest in a cadre of California cities turning their backs on red-light cameras — aloof intersection sentries that have prompted $490 tickets to be mailed to 20,000 motorists per year' there. 'Mayor Bob Filner announced his decision to take down the city's 21 cameras at a news conference set at the most prolific intersection for the tickets, North Harbor Drive and West Grape Street, near San Diego International Airport. A crew went to work immediately taking down "photo enforced" signs throughout the city. "Seems to me that such a program can only be justified if there are demonstrable facts that prove that they raise the safety awareness and decrease accidents in our city," Filner said of the cameras. "The data, in fact, does not really prove it."' I have to say I'm a bit surprised that my city is voluntarily shedding potentially $9.8M in revenue after objectively evaluating a program.


It is always thus. We grant monopolies to ensure services at reasonable prices with no real understanding of the price structure.
"After the school computer lab and public library close for the night in many communities, the local McDonald's is often the only place to turn for students without internet access at home. 'Cheap smartphones and tablets have put Web-ready technology into more hands than ever,' reports the WSJ's Anton Troianovski. 'But the price of Internet connectivity hasn't come down nearly as quickly. And in many rural areas, high-speed Internet through traditional phone lines simply isn't available at any price. The result is a divide between families that have broadband constantly available on their home computers and phones, and those that have to plan their days around visits to free sources of Internet access.' The FCC says it can make broadband available to all Americans by spending $45 billion over 10 years, but until then the U.S. will have to rely on Mickey D's, Starbucks, and others to help address its digital divide. Time to update that iconic McDonald's sign?"

(Related) Once you are a monopoly, you can do whatever you want...
"Joel Runyon recounts a tale that will be familiar to many people who have bought secondhand smartphones. After his old dumbphone died a few months ago, Runyon picked up a used iPhone. He just needed it for basic phone capabilities, and used it as such, turning data off. However, AT&T eventually figured out he was making calls from a smartphone, and they decided he needed a data plan, even if he wasn't going to use it. They went ahead and opted him into a plan that cost an extra $30 a month. Quoting: 'According to AT&T: They can opt me into a contract that I didn't agree to because I was using a phone that I didn't buy from them because it had the ability to use data that I wasn't using (and was turned off). To top it all off, they got the privilege of charging me for it because I bought a differently categorized device – even though the actual usage of their network did not change at all and I never reconstituted a new agreement with them.'"


For my students, because we are a “Technical” university...
10 Learnist Boards For The Tech-Savvy Teacher
.. There is a conversation ensuing between educators, policy makers, and industry leaders about the importance of teaching students coding and web design to prepare them for 21st century careers and entrepreneurship. Some are saying this is part of the Common Core Standards in technology, while others insist it’s actually another literacy, and should be treated as such.


For my students. I don't mind being Wile E. Coyote to your Road Runner, but if you cast me as Porky Pig, "Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-... That's an “F,” folks."
Animations are a fun way to convey your message to other people. If you are looking for a way to create animations online, then you will find a number of options to choose from. But few websites offer the speed and features offered by Miniclip’s Sketch Star.
Similar tool: SwarmSketch.

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