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Props to Darren Barefoot and Shelley Powers at Burningbird for finding the real problem with the criticisms of Microsoft with regard to their policy of censoring certain words on the Chinese verion of MSN Spaces.

Ethan, we condemn Microsoft for making a monetary decision, but we’re not willing to examine our own buying habits, and what these help promote.

Yet Microsoft’s actions cause less harm than buying an iPod from Apple, when one doesn’t know exactly what are the circumstances under which it is built.

We have a lot of ties to the existing state of affairs with China. Wal-Mart wouldn’t exist without the state of affairs in China. If we feel right to condemn one such tie, while still maintaining the others, doesn’t this make our self-rightousness a little suspect?

I sincerely wish that there was no censorship of these words in China. Or that our manufacturers wouldn’t need to be sending censoring software and hardware to that country.

I also wish that women weren’t treated as property in Saudi Arabia, but I still buy gas…

Indeed

Link to Darren’s post

Link to Shelley’s comment (also the post’s thread)

Jason Calacanis was detailing his new regimine for weight loss and mentioned Chana Dal. He linked to Bob’s Red Mill (which makes the best Wheat Bran) where you can order this stuff. Anyone ever had this?

I’ll probably try this anyway, but I’m curious since I’m guessing Kroger or Meijer’s doesn’t carry this particular Bob’s product.

Because this country can’t be distracted enough, the Terri Schiavo autopsy is big news today. Apparently, baffling dozens of experts and hundreds of pundits, Shiavo’s brain was found to be half the size as normal for a woman her age. She was also blind. There was also no morphine in her system, which her parents contend she was administered in an attempt to hasten her death. In fact, every, single conclusion backs up the husbands story. How could they possibly have to come to such a conclusion?

The autopsy included 274 external and internal body images and an exhaustive review of Terri Schiavo’s medical records, police reports and social services agency records.

Uhm, ok. I guess they did their homework. But what of those who are convinced she could have been saved?

In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the autopsy did nothing to change President Bush’s position that Schiavo’s feeding tube should not have been disconnected

At least we can get rid of that pesky science and stick to our guns. I can’t wait until this topic comes up at the next family get together. (Checks calendar.) Oh good, looks like Saturday will be fun.

Link

Hat tip to Stupid Evil Bastard for this one. Seems Rep Steny H Hoyer (D-MD) introduced this bill, calling for Congress to repeal the 22nd Amendment (that would be the 2-term limits for Presidents). The comments when he introduced the bill are even better

[Quoting Alexander Hamilton] We do not have to rely on rigid constitutional standards to hold our Presidents accountable. Sufficient power resides in the Congress and the Judiciary to protect our country from tyranny.

Wow, Democrats really think they have a good shot when Bush is done. Visions of FDR floating through someone’s head? Not to mention the complete reversal on a few years of rhetoric; does the President have to live within “rigid constitutional standards”, or is it ok if he twists some facts to enable a war? Hmm?

Too bad this bill seems to languishing in Subcommittee. It could be an interesting debate if it gets some legs.

Bill H.J.RES.24, if you’re interested.

This more a link for myself, but Boing Boing posted this today and some of these are pretty cool. Need to get some heavier paper and then try it out. Always need something cool for the ole desk.

Link

I missed the New York Times article on the Kwame Kilpatrick/Steve Wilson drama, so this is a few days old. The article rehashes the basic row that Kwame and Wilson have had to this point, covering the collusion between the city of Warren and the CIty of Detroit to basically silence a critic in the press. Granted, Wilson has it in for Kwame, but he hasn’t lied about anything. You know, like a Lincoln Navigator.

But buried in the article is this little gem.

“Why don’t they accuse somebody visiting Las Vegas of this?” said [Warren’s deputy mayor, Mike] Greiner, who plans to challenge WXYZ-TV’s license renewal this year. [Jamaine Dickens, executive producer for the cable commission] said Detroit was considering joining the challenge. [Emphasis mine]

That’s right. If they can’t fight Wilson’s reports with the truth, they’ll just shut down his voice (along with the voices of all the people who work at Channel 7). Nice strategy. If this was happening to someone on CNN, the server with the story wouldn’t be able to handle the outraged comments. You may not like Steve Wilson, you don’t have to oppose Kwame, but this is bordering on state-sponsored censorship. If the City of Detroit and the Mayor’s office have facts they want to present to counter the reports on one television station, let’s hear them. Otherwise, stop running that craptacular piece of faux documentary on the access channel and fix the damn budget. Detroit is close to bankruptcy; Kilpatrick has more important things to do than swat flies.

Unless, of course, the flies are telling the truth.

Link to NYT article (get it before it goes behind the pay-wall)

The Beeb is giving away Beethoven’s symphonies as MP3 downloads. Get while they’re hot.

Link

On our weekend trip to J–‘s parents, I was bold enough to ask about a camera we found while turning the basement upside-down. I consequently inherited a Minolta X-700, about which I know nothing. My primary camera for the past 4.5 years has been an HP C618 digital, which has since been eclipsed by digital cameras they give away as mid-level Bingo prizes.

So, if anyone is so inclined, is this camera worth tracking down a) a battery to replace the dead one that currently inhabits the base and b) worth investing time and money into film/classes/emotional ties into, or is this the equivalent of trying to learn guitar on a Yamaha electric with modified pickups. (Note, I tried that once at I still hate the thought of trying to learn the damned guitar.)

Advice? Pointers? Help.

So, over on the right side of this site (for those of you not using Bloglines) is a link to a Auchtoon, my friend John Auchter’s website. John’s a cartoonist (and a damn good one, too) who has a regular gig doing Op/Ed panels for the Grand Rapids Business Journal. His latest is related to a post of mine about the wine distribution decision. He didn’t actually say that I was the inspiration for this comic, but come on, it’s in between the lines, right?

You know what, it doesn’t matter. Go check out John’s cartoon, it’s a good one.

Link

I couldn’t care less if chips for Apple computers were made by Peruvian children in a dark cave, but the zealots in the Apple camp are sure coming out with some interesting arguments about what could happen with the impending “switch to Intel”. One of favorite quotes is from Jason Kottke:

but when you look at how Apple protects their hardware business, it’s hard to imagine that they’d let any old cheap x86-based computer run OS X

Oh God no! We can’t have OS X running on *gasp* any old cheap x86-based computer! I mean, then the masses could have the experience of running OS X on a computer *gasp* that they built! Proles with OS X? Not in my lifetime!

Guess I’ll just have to get BSD myself an run it on my cheap ole’ x86 and not pay the Apple tax to run the OS.

If Apple was smart, they’d realize that hardware, while cute and all, is hardly the bulk of a computing experience. And since much of the focus of late has been on OS X (the software), maybe making that software run universally would be a Good Thing. The zealots can still go buy their $3000 G5 to run OS X, but I can dump it on my (calculating) sub-$1500 AMD64 homebrew and get the benefits of a “secure OS”. Either that, or the argument that we should buy Macs for the “secure OS” needs to be retired.