links for 2009-07-22

"In short, “community standards” were radically changing. The proof was that, after the ban on “Lady Chatterley” was lifted, the book reached the No. 2 slot on The New York Times best-seller list (topped only by Leon Uris’s “Exodus”) and, within a year, sold two million copies. For many decades, the courts upheld racial segregation; then, suddenly, they didn’t. For many decades, the courts let the Post Office decide which books people could read; then, suddenly, they didn’t. In both cases, and many others that could be cited, the laws hadn’t changed; society did. And the courts responded accordingly."

"In short, “community standards” were radically changing. The proof was that, after the ban on “Lady Chatterley” was lifted, the book reached the No. 2 slot on The New York Times best-seller list (topped only by Leon Uris’s “Exodus”) and, within a year, sold two million copies. For many decades, the courts upheld racial segregation; then, suddenly, they didn’t. For many decades, the courts let the Post Office decide which books people could read; then, suddenly, they didn’t. In both cases, and many others that could be cited, the laws hadn’t changed; society did. And the courts responded accordingly."

"Our strategy with Digg short URLs is to facilitate sharing of Digg content, not to be a conventional redirection service." Digg comes out and says don't use us to shorten your urls. Makes sesne from Digg's point of view but not for the open web.

"An update for Blackberry users in the United Arab Emirates could allow unauthorised access to private information and e-mails." Oops?

"Sean Hannity falsely claimed of the House health care reform bill: "[I]f you don't have private insurance the year that this bill is passed, you can't get that later on from your employer."" Logic and reading a bill is to hard for him.

"The Birthers have been trying to prove Obama is not an American citizen in court ever since Obama declared his candidacy. And each and every time, the courts slap them down on the grounds that they are cartoonishly insane. Birthers put the full court press on electors last year, in a final attempt to stop the Muslim spy from becoming president. Sadly, they failed. All it takes is one lunatic, who is driven insane by the fact that our president is illegitimate, to do some serious damage. The right wing fringe is seriously going over the edge and we need to keep an eye on them."

"Under this provision, if you bounce a check and don’t make it good within five days, you are presumed to have intended to defraud the payee and can be subject to criminal punishment. This presumption is unconscionably broad. If you mistakenly thought that you had enough money in your account and then find that you do not, you can go to jail. I’ve bounced checks by mistake in the past, and this presumption scares the bejabbers out of me." Interesting law Nevada has.

"By going the vague route, Brown allows fans to forget the visceral reality of what he did — assaulting Rihanna until her face was swollen and bruised — and instead focus on all the nice things he says about his mother, his "spiritual advisors," and his commitment to change. By saying he's sorry he didn't "handle the situation better," he casts the beating as a response to a bad "situation" — and instance of poor conflict resolution, not of flying off the handle. And by implying there was something that needed to be "handled" in some way, this statement subtly implicates Rihanna too."

"I don't buy it. I am sure on some level he is sorry, but that is not really the point. This is about what he is saying, accountability for what he did and the quickness with which the American public is willing to take an apology from someone that brutalized his girlfriend to the point of putting her in the hospital. What is most frustrating about this video is that his fans are probably swooning. And the message is clear; beat, bite, punch and strangle your girlfriend, and as long as you apologize, you are a-OK. You might think I am being too harsh, but let's be clear, dominant narratives indicate that when women are victims of violence, the first question people ask is "what did she do wrong?" That was true when the story first broke, message boards everywhere were asking "what she did wrong?" and "it wasn't that bad…" Or let's not forget the headlines that were out and surveys that found young men felt it was Rihanna's fault."

"Half the people on twitter claim to be "social media experts." Where did they all come from and what is the criteria for expertise?" We decide on the experts.

"Disorderly conduct charges against the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. were dropped Tuesday, but Professor Gates said he wanted a personal apology from the Cambridge police officer who arrested him last week on the front porch of his home." Guess there was enough outrage.

"The leader of President Obama’s automotive task force warned members of Congress on Tuesday that reversing or stopping the closing of thousands of General Motors and Chrysler dealerships could threaten the automakers’ turnarounds and keep them from repaying billions in government loans. The official, Ron Bloom, also said the government no longer needed to guarantee the warranties on G.M. and Chrysler vehicles, now that the companies had emerged from bankruptcy protection. Mr. Bloom said the $641 million given to the guarantee program had been repaid, with interest. No claims were made under the program."

"Windows 7 will be in retail stores and shipping on new PCs starting October 22nd. If you pre-ordered Windows 7, it should be delivered sometime around the October 22nd timeframe (depends on the retailer)."

"Expect the phrase "other shoe" to be used a lot today. And mostly, for it to be used mistakenly. The scandal only meets two of the five planks of the EMPSCAT, and I don't see a great deal of direct political fallout from this unless there are further revelations. Instead, it will more likely become another piece in the proxy war that is constantly being fought on Sarah Palin and will probably continue to be fought until she leaves the national scene." Nate Silver argues that the Palin controversy isn't worth much politically.

" The Obama administration on Tuesday proposed setting disclosure requirements and limits on credit-rating companies, aiming to reduce conflicts of interest and provide more information about investment products. Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service are among the firms that would be barred by the Treasury’s proposal from consulting with any company they rate." Makes a lot of sense that credit agencies should not be able to do business with companies whose credit they rate.

"This scene is a reason for worry, for optimism and for questioning everything we are doing in Afghanistan. It is worrying because between the surges in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are grinding down our military. I don’t know how these people and their families put up with it. Never have so many asked so much of so few. The reason for optimism? All those deployments have left us with a deep cadre of officers with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, now running both wars — from generals to captains. They know every mistake that has been made, been told every lie, saw their own soldiers killed by stupidity, figured out solutions and built relationships with insurgents, sheikhs and imams on the ground that have given the best of them a granular understanding of the “real” Middle East that would rival any Middle East studies professor." Friendman on Afghanistan and the ability of the US to rebuild there.

What happens in your threesome?

"Thus, Drudge and Limbaugh have effectively criticized Obama not for expressing a lack of familiarity with a provision actually in the bill, but for expressing a lack of familiarity with a false talking point advanced by the bill's opponents."

"In an instance of high school stupidity and oversensitivity, this Boise-area high school shut down the men's wrestling team's attempt to out-do the cheerleaders across the street by donning bikini tops of their own, something they've been doing for three years. But when a single caller phoned in to complain — "Boys are dressing like girls, it's the apocalypse!" — the team was forced to disrobe. Instead, they're wearing tees with bikini tops drawn on them." Pretty stupid.

"MP3s players were great, just as CD players and tape players were great before them. But ultimately, technology and expectations evolve. Soon, carrying around a device that just plays music will seem pointless. Everyone’s phone will do that. And if someone doesn’t want to (or can’t) carry around a phone for whatever reason, iPod touch-like devices that not only play music, but play movies, take pictures, run applications, and, most importantly, access the web, will be everywhere."

"The US Senate has voted to end funding for the F-22 fighter jet programme. The vote was welcomed by US President Barack Obama, who had made cutting the programme the centrepiece of his defence budget." May be a small victory, but it's a big politically.

"US technology giant Apple has seen quarterly results beat forecasts, thanks to strong iPhone sales. Net profits hit $1.23bn (£953m), or $1.35 a share, in the fiscal third quarter to 27 June, from $1.07bn, or $1.19 a share, a year earlier. Apple sold more than 5.2 million iPhones in the quarter, seven times greater than the same period a year, before, boosted by a new iPhone model." Good for Apple.

You know what let's just make up quotes to argue for religion, that sounds so Christian like.

"When Apple announced that it would start selling the iPhone 3G for $99 at this year’s WWDC conference, the room buzzed about the possibility. Finally, there would really be an iPhone for under $100. And so not surprisingly, everyone wants to know how it’s selling. But don’t bother asking Apple about it, because you’ll get nothing from them, as we learned on the company’s earnings conference call today." I want to know.