According to an article entitled Pentagod Retaliates against GIs who spoke on TV, it is apparently prohibited for people in the military to criticize their elected representatives — a basic right that everyone else enjoys. No wonder their morale is low.
Monthly Archives: July 2003
OfflineIMAP 4.0 is out
I know this is my own software, but what kind of a person would I be if I didn’t mention it here?
I’ve released OfflineIMAP 4.0 today. OfflineIMAP is a program that connects to any standard IMAP mail server and lets you take your mail with you, anywhere (even if you have no net connection), on any number of computers, and read it with virtually any standard mail reader (even if it doesn’t support IMAP). All the while, it keeps all this mail floating around in sync.
I use it a lot, even with mail readers that do support IMAP (because OfflineIMAP is faster and more flexible.) You should too.
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The Right to Break the Law
An Associated Press article discusses a new state law in Kansas that automatically registers men 18-25 for the draft when they apply for or renew a drivers’ license. Some Mennonites in the state are arguing that choosing not to register for the draft for religious reasons is a right that this new law removes. Not registering is illegal, but is rarely prosecuted. Mennonites have strong beliefs in peace.
Online Collaboration Shapes Politics
David Weinberger has an interesting article about the blog for Presidential candidate Howard Dean. Apparently, “Dean’s campaign shows the smart mobs, hive minds, have more benefits, power, energy, vitality and adapability than the single mind of any political advisor.” David goes on to say “they’re viewing the Internet not as a cheap way to reach the masses but as a way to let us talk together.”
Dying Art of Telemarketer Harassment
With the federal do-not-call list getting ready to go live, and many states having already had do-not-call lists on the books, dealing with telemarketers is going to become increasingly rare. Which means that certain people’s lives are going to get a little more boring.
For some reason, telemarketer problems seem to have been top water cooler discussion items for years. I’ve heard a lot of ways people deal with them. But this is definately something new.
New way to find a job: Blogs
It looks like my former employer, Quovix (a great place to work, BTW) decided that they’d try something new and look for applicants by posting a blog entry.
I think the idea is great, especially if the people that read your blog are the same group that you want to hire. Of course, this might not be for everyone — I can imagine whole sectors out there that don’t have people that tend to be into blogging — or even Web surfing, for that matter.
Linux: Twice the Performance, 1/10th the Cost
An interestingInternet Week article discusses the use of Linux at Orbitz, a web-based air reservation company. Apparently, they were able to double performance and save a huge sum of money by switching from Sun machines to Compaq ones running Linux.
New Giant Sea Creature?
According to a CNN article, a giant unknown sea creature has been found on the coast of Chile. It’s sometimes interesting that there’s a lot lurking out there that we don’t know about yet.