I’ve done this once or twice but I want to institutionalize it, every Tuesday I’m going to share a list of links to the stories I’ve read over the last week that I found interesting, thoughtful, provoking, etc… Whatever I feel is worth sharing, and what thoughts, if any, I had while reading them.
So for the first Tuesday Share:
1. After fighting to get it for years the source code of a breathalyzerwere revealed by court order, and it turns out they were junk. This is a basic right that I thought we were all afforded, the right to face our accuser, but this has hit a snag when talking about software and proprietary systems. As we depend on computers and technology more and more for everything in life, including our judicial process it is of the highest importance that we understand how they work and if they’re actually doing the job their creators say they’re.
2. This is one amazing picture of the sun, and the blotches on the picture are more amazing! My hat is off to the photographer for capturing this moment.
3. In the same vein of having open access to how the technology we use works, how about having open access to how our legislator’s act and vote on the floor, where they’re suppose to be representing their constituency? It shouldn’t be a difficult task to look up your, or any, Senator’s voting record.
4. I found this essay on how Jesus of Nazareth fits into an historical context and how that is shown in the gospels a fascinating read. What he is getting at is that Jesus and his apostles make mistakes that were (and are) common for regular people, especially lay-people, but are inconsistent with the belief that Jesus was a perfect being. For those of you who believe that Jesus was the Son of God and Humanity’s savior prepare to be offended by the historical bent of the essay. For believers looking for real challenges to their faith and the underpinnings of it I suggest his other essays as well.
5. It wasn’t that long ago that popular culture here in the United States tended to extol the excesses of Americans, from the lower class all the way up to celebrities and the very wealthy. Our culture seemed to revel in just how much money we could spend. Television shows like cribs, lifestyle of the rich and famous, and reality shows based around the lives of the wealthy, all showed just what money could buy. That trend has ended with the recession, and many of those who’s lives were built on easy credit are now facing a difficult adjustment. This public message with Seth Green about financial responsibility is both educational, humorous, and biting.
6. California’s been in the news recently… For our state’s fine ability to balance its budget… Here are some assorted stories on that. I don’t think anyone is looking forward to solving the mess… Sadly, much of the problem is institutional and requires more reform than I thinktil political leaders, or voters have the stomach for. Speaking of California, more wasteful spending by the State as it tries to take a anti-videogame bill to the Supreme Court, where it’s sure to lose and force the State to pay out legal fees, etc… for creating an law that goes against the 1st Amendment.
7. Finally a nice video that explains the cap & trade proposal regarding carbon outputs.
I found item #3 interesting and did a little search. Apparently the seven senators got things moving. They complained on May 1st. The article you link to was published on May 2nd, and rules were changed on May 5th. Say hello to senate voting records! 🙂 (I like that.)
That is good news and surprisingly fast considering it’s the Senate. Considering how long some of them have been in office… I wonder if crunching data in votes on various bills would show trends in how various Senators have “evolved” or changed in office. I thought you’d have more to say about #1, it makes me think of diebold machines and the average person’s inability to make sound judgments on technology, because they don’t understand it and it’s a closed system that doesn’t allow for auditing.