Tag Archives: rambling
Story of the Rock’n'Roll Train
“The tickets to the show sold out in 11 minutes,” ZZ told me sadly on the phone. “If we really want to see them, we need to travel somewhere else…”
And so the idea was born. When a legend such as AC/DC go on a tour, there’s a good chance that it’s their last one – and one you really don’t want to miss. So the decision was made – it doesn’t matter where in Europe we get the tickets, we go there…
Big Brother’s long fingers
It is perhaps due to my ignorance that I am noticing this now, or maybe I just dismissed it as impossible, but I was pretty shocked by a finding that struck me tonight
Especially after 9/11, it is a common occurrence that Europeans pity citizens of the United States, because their privacy is invaded at every corner, and all that newspeak and fear-mongering really remind us of Orwell’s 1984. My father is even so concerned about his privacy and personal information, that he turned down an opportunity to go to the post-2001 USA several times.
In fact, when I was about to leave for the Land of Freedom to spend a semester there last fall, I even had to pay for being watched and tracked. My visa request would not be granted unless I paid a $100 fee to SEVIS, an organization whose very purpose is to spy on foreign students and visitors.
I always thought that compassion is all that we had to offer in this context, but it turns out I was wrong: Obviously, an agreement between US and EU [NY Times] is about to happen, that will give the US government access to personal data of EU citizens. Am I the only one who feels this is an outrage? Any reason we should trust Team America with this?
Of course, they claim they will only “look for suspicious activity”, but just consider how the FBI abuses the Patriot Act. Do you remember that sweet pot of honey they were feeding everyone prior to the Patriot Act vote? This is a binding agreement, and indeed is a big deal. If the EU will have to turn over any such information US would ask for, I think I have yet another reason to move to Norway.
…find more of “Big Brother’s long fingers” inside
We wanted the best…
…and we got the best! The hottest band in the world, KISS!!
It was with mixed feelings that I’ve decided to pay twelve hundred crowns for a show of a band I hadn’t been quite that huge a fan of… at least until now. But hey, I said to myself, they indeed are a legend, an aging one, actually, and they might not come here again. You better go and see them now that you’ve got the chance. Well, that may just have been my best decision recently. :-D
War on Photography
I’ve been planning to blog about this topic for ages, and now the mighty security guru Bruce Schneier did that for me in a Guardian newspaper essay:
What is it with photographers these days? Are they really all terrorists, or does everyone just think they are?
Since 9/11, there has been an increasing war on photography. Photographers have been harrassed, questioned, detained, arrested or worse, and declared to be unwelcome. We’ve been repeatedly told to watch out for photographers, especially suspicious ones. Clearly any terrorist is going to first photograph his target, so vigilance is required.
Just look at this bastard. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t hesitate to kill a kitten. :-P
Except that it’s nonsense. …find more of “War on Photography” inside
Shut up already!
Slashdot reports: “An editor for the Telegraph, Roger Highfield, recently volunteered to allow a UK researcher to shut off the speech center of his brain with a high-powered magnetic pulse. Regular speech is controlled by a section of the brain called Broca’s area. Once the precise location is determined in the subject, a magnetic pulse can temporarily disrupt speech without impairing other cognitive functions. The link contains a video in which you can watch Highfield stutter and twitch while attempting to recite a nursery rhyme. A later test shows that he’s able to sing the rhyme without difficulty, since singing is controlled in a different part of the brain (as you may remember from Scott Adams’ speech disorder).”
Cool. I wonder who will be the first to commercialize this technology and advertise: Now it costs only $79.99 to save your marriage! ;-)