Bix dot Blog

Google gets into the act, as well as the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Engineering.

It’s that time of year again. First off, see the Infinite Monkey Protocol Suite, and then brush up on your Internet language skills over at HNN. More to come as the day wears on.

It’s time for the Geek Pride Festival in Boston, MA. Or you can watch or talk during the festival.

According to this New York Times story, the old rule that says a libel suit must be filed within one year of the date of publication applies to the web, despite the plaintif of the suit in question’s assertion that because of the nature of the web, the article is published anew every day.

New as of yesterday, the geek-politics mailing list. See also the accompanying Geek Politics website. We’ll be there.

Ok, now this is scary. Richard Stallman’s “Free Software Song”.

The list of Congressional supporters of a bill to undo the F.C.C.’s legalization of low-power radio continues to grow.

Not to keep linking to the ACLU, but go take their Liberaties at Risk survey.

The flag desecration amendment was defeated in the Senate today. The ACLU has the update.

Astute readers will know I saw this on Slashdot. USA Today is reporting that a federal judge has ruled that so-called “deep hyperlinking” is not in and of itself unfair competition – the claim of Ticketmaster, which filed the lawsuit in question against another website for linking into Ticketmaster’s own.

Displaying the infinite wisdom possessed by network television, NBC has cancelled the great Freaks and Geeks. See the story on Ain’t It Cool News. Best part of the letter to the fans: “But we still have five great episodes that you haven’t seen that we’re desperately trying to get shown somewhere so you can see them and if we can’t, we’ll drop some tapes into the unofficial tape distribution system and let you see them that way.”

But wait, there’s more Congressional antics to be had! According to this New York Times story, Congress is moving to kill the recent F.C.C. decision to allow low-power radio (this coming right at the moment when the Commission has determined the order for accepting low-power applications).

It’s Flag Season in the U.S. Congress once again. As early as tomorrow, the Senate may be voting to amend the Constitution (specifically, to amend the Bill of Rights – even more specifically, to amend the First Amendment) to protect a piece of red, white, and blue cloth. Thanks to the ACLU, however, you can send a free fax to your Senators telling them to oppose this effort. You can also find more information at People For the American Way’s flag amendment website. See also this curious story about the possibility that the Senate will try to outlaw flag desecration through a mere statute.

Deserving of it or not, we will categorize the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decision to not award the Best Song Oscar to “Blame Canada” (from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, the bravest movie Hollywood has produced in years) as an act of moral cowardice, though at least they let “fart” and “that bitch Anne Murray too” past the censors (although not “but now when he sees me he tells me to fuck myself”, which instead was performed as “but now when he sees me he tells me to gasp myself”). What’s more, if they were going to pick one of the more-or-less interchangeable songs, it should have been the one by Aimee Mann, not the one by Phil Collins.

The Global Effort to Eradicate Know-nothings is activating its Irregulars to engage in an important grassroots campaign in the ongoing Culture Wars. Each of you is to buy a copy of Jon Katz’s new book, Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho (or check your local bookstore). Read it. And then make everyone you know (non-negotiable: everyone) buy it and read it for themselves. Do not loan out your copies. Make them purchase their own (the existence of the sales is important). This is the book. Katz has always been the Voice between geek culture and the outside world (and is, of course, the Patron Saint of GEEK Force), but most people don’t want to read pontifications. This is a story, a true one, of two kids (mainly one, Jesse) who, as the title says, rode the Internet out of Idaho. It’s the weapon we haven’t had in the ongoing Culture Wars for too long. And you will for the rest of your life remember having gotten to be part of Jesse’s life through this book. This is not a request. This is an order from GEEK Force HQ.