October 2001 - cypherpunks-legacy

An apt lyric for today\'s situation in America
by keyser-soze＠hushmail.com 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

Don't Dream It's Over Written by: Neil Finn Performed by: Crowded House There is freedom within, there is freedom without Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost But you'll never see the end of the road While you're travelling with me Chorus Hey now, hey now Don't dream it's over Hey now, hey now When the world comes in They come, they come To build a wall between us We know they won't win Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof In the paper today tales of war and of waste But you turn right over to the T.V. page Hey now, hey now Don't dream it's over Hey now, hey now When the world comes in They come, they come To build a wall between us We know they won't win Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart Only the shadows ahead barely clearing the roof Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief Hey now, hey now Don't dream it's over Hey now, hey now When the world comes in They come, they come To build a wall between us Don't ever let them win

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Just Say "So?"
by Tim May 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

When confronted with calls to "Do something!" or "We can't just stand by and watch!," I think of one word: "So?" "If we don't intervene in Yakistan, the Pothurden minority will be brutalized!" "So?" "If we don't subsidize the production of ethanol, it will not succeed." "So?" "If we as a nation don't launch a major effort to land a man on Mars, it won't happen!" "So?" "We need to rebuild the World Trade Center, else America will have been defeated by the terrorists." "So?" "If we don't do something about online porn, it will get worse." "So?" Asking "So?" is a powerful antidote to what frequently crops up as a kind of debating error. (It may even have some Latin name, but I don't know it.) This error can be summarized as: Assumes a solution is required. Implies that there is some problem which must be resolved, which agreement must be reached on. Thus, we must solve the problem in Yakistan, or the problem of ethanol cost, or Mars colonization, online porn, etc. Asking "So?" says succinctly that the problem posed is not accepted as a problem which needs collective (or taxpayer-funded) solving. It also causes the other party, at least in some cases, to step back and attempt to explain why the "ethanol problem" or the "pornography problem" needs to be solved, instead of simply assuming it's a problem requiring collective solving with the only argument being how best to solve it. I find it refreshing to think this way. I believe I first heard this point of view articulated in this simple form by Chip Morningstar, but it certainly is consistent with the libertarian points of view of Harry Browne, P.J. O'Rourke, and others. Just Say "So?"

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NYPOST.COM World News: DATA POURING IN FASTER THAN NSA CAN DECIPHER IT By GREG SEIGLE
by Jim Choate 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/5334.htm -- -- ____________________________________________________________________ The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion. Edmund Burke (1784) The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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Re: America needs therapy
by Harmon Seaver 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

Eugene Leitl wrote: > On Mon, 1 Oct 2001, Harmon Seaver wrote: > > > Not true at all. Biodiesel is being marketed in the US today at > > competitive prices, and obviously, like anything else, economies of > > scale would bring down that price. Ethanol is another one. Brazil run > > Biodiesel and bioethanol are horribly inefficient as far as conversion of > solar energy and agricultural area is concerned. Large scale agriculture > is not exactly environmentally neutral. They're extreme niche or gimmick > fuels at best. Where do you get that from? Are you saying that farmers aren't growing canola oil at a profit? Farmers are also growing corn and that corn is turned into ethanol at a profit. http://journeytoforever.org/ethanol.html > Ethanol is a highly efficient fuel. A study by > the Institute of Local Self-Reliance in the > US found that using the best farming and > production methods, "the amount of energy > contained in a gallon of ethanol is more than > twice the energy used to grow the corn and > convert it to ethanol". > > The US Department of Agriculture says > each BTU (British Thermal Unit, an energy > measure) used to produce a BTU of > gasoline could be used to produce 8 BTUs > of ethanol. > > The non-profit American Coalition for > Ethanol says ethanol production is > "extremely energy efficient", with a positive > energy balance of 125%, compared to 85% > for gasoline, making ethanol production "by > far the most efficient method of producing > liquid transportation fuels". > > If you are refering to the paper done by Pimental, that study was seriously flawed (so much so that one might think it was paid for by big oil) and thoroughly debunked. See: http://journeytoforever.org/ethanol_energy.html -- Harmon Seaver, MLIS CyberShamanix Work 920-203-9633 Home 920-233-5820 hseaver(a)cybershamanix.com http://www.cybershamanix.com/resume.html

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Re: Brinworld: citizens with speed-radar
by Nomen Nescio 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

> According to collected data, the average speed in 30 mph zones ranged > from 35.5 to 46 mph. In the 35 mph zones, the average speed was about 43 > mph. The highest speed, clocked by Colonial Estates East Citizens on > Patrol group, was 62 mph in a 30 mph zone. Too bad this wasn't California. According to that states laws, if a survey shows that average driver speeds are substantially higher than the posted speed limit, the speed limit must be raised. It would have been a sweet irony if these busybodies had ended up with 60 MPH posted speed limits on their residential streets.

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Brinworld: citizens with speed-radar
by Khoder bin Hakkin 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

http://web.star-telegram.com/content/fortworth/2001/10/01/arlnews/fw010408-… ARLINGTON - Alice Pelfrey has taken aim at speeders in her neighborhood, and her efforts have really slowed them down. Armed with a police radar gun and a clipboard, Pelfrey and other Plaza Heights Citizens on Patrol members have been tracking violators as part of an Arlington Police Department pilot program designed to reduce speeding violations in neighborhoods. "As long as we were doing it, they were slowed down and they stayed slowed down for a while," Pelfrey said. "If we keep it up, they're going to get the idea that we're set up and that somebody is going to be watching." The East Arlington Police Station test program involving Plaza Heights, Colonial Estates and Valley View Citizens on Patrol groups ended this month. Modeled after an Arlington County, Va., program, resident groups are loaned radar guns and trained to log the speeds and license plate numbers of violators in their neighborhoods. The data helps the Police Department determine where more patrol officers or speed limit signs are needed, Lt. Carolyn Allen said. The program is expected to become citywide next year, she said. "The citizens have told us their concerns about traffic and speeding," Allen said. "This is a way for them to get involved in their own neighborhoods and do something about it." The groups, clearly identified as speed monitors with signs and jackets, set up in areas approved by the department. The information collected is turned in to the Police Department, which then mails warning letters to those caught stating the speed, date and location of the violations. During the six neighborhood monitoring operations, the department notified 125 people. "More than likely, once they get a letter they're going to think twice about coming down this street speeding because they're not going to know whether we're there or not," Pelfrey said. Although violators in the test program received only warnings, Allen said she plans to station plainclothes police officers with the groups so that speeding violators can be stopped and issued citations. According to collected data, the average speed in 30 mph zones ranged from 35.5 to 46 mph. In the 35 mph zones, the average speed was about 43 mph. The highest speed, clocked by Colonial Estates East Citizens on Patrol group, was 62 mph in a 30 mph zone. "People came up and said they were really glad to see us," said Linda White, a Colonial Estates group coordinator. "In the beginning, we expected people to be negative, and that really hasn't happened." Pelfrey said her group only had one negative experience - when a person drove by and gave members an obscene hand gesture. But most of the feedback was positive, she said. "We had a lot of people in the neighborhood that waved and honked their horn," Pelfrey said. "A lot of people said 'Go for it. Set up in our yard if you want to.' "

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I have 100 epsons 777 left in stock for 55$ each new retail box warranty 1 yr.
by Juan Carlos 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

I have 100 epsons 777 left in stock for 55$ each new retail box warranty 1 yr.

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Re: Lesson from WTC: Question Authority
by mmotyka＠lsil.com 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

On 9-11 I was awake at 5:30 AM PST reading the paper and watching CNN. Predictably I was glued to the news until past noon. When I finally made it into work I was here about an hour or two when I was told that someone had phoned in a bomb threat. The official advice from the PD was essentially "you can stay in the building if you want to." I stayed just long enough to let everyone know. The consensus was exactly this - "fuck it, we're outta here." I couldn't think of a single reason to take a chance even if it was most likely just some goofball over at the insurance company who felt he should have the day off like everyone in the WTC. I think everyone is so used to a nice, safe, cushy existence that crises are not recognized and urgency is seen as foolish. Mike

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A giganetstore.com festeja o...
by info＠giganetstore.com 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

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Re: [FREE] stratfor (fwd)
by Subcommander Bob 01 Oct '01

01 Oct '01

At 04:08 PM 9/30/01 -0700, Karsten M. Self wrote: >> >> This is IMHO naive. Have you ever been in a brawl? > >Have you ever been in a brawl where one side (or both) has friends? > Balkans, just before WWI. Poison gas followed that one (too).

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