Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

That’s Odd

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

For years this site has had a Google pagerank of six or seven. All of a sudden it's down to one.

I know I've been boring, and posting less too, but that seems a bit abrupt?

Posted in Discourse.net | 3 Comments

There’s a Fork in My TACO

Posted on July 5, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

I was a happy user of Firefox Privacy extension TACO ever since I met its author, Christopher Soghoian, at a privacy conference. It did one thing really well – block tracking cookies. Regular cookie managers do a bad job of this, because their approach is to delete cookies, when in fact often what one needs to do is locate (often not easy) and then preserve opt-out cookies.

The other day, however, TACO — which stands for Targeted Advertising Cookie Opt-Out — got 'upgraded' and now pops up and offers many optional and proprietary modules by a company I never heard of called Abine. The modules do…stuff…some of which may want to be paid for or might do stuff I didn't want or didn't understand. This all looked more complicated than I wanted. So I'm delighted to learn that someone has forked TACO, putting it back like it was only better. The retro-TACO is available for your enjoyment as Beef Taco.

Note that I'm not saying that the new improved TACO 3.0 is evil, or the proprietary stuff is bad, just that I can't be bothered right now. For more on all this see Forking TACO 2.0 by Beef TACO author John Hobbs, which pretty much captures my feelings and includes a very gracious response by one Rob Shavel from Abine. There's even more at Slashdot.

(Post date corrected)

Posted in Software | Comments Off on There’s a Fork in My TACO

Miami-Dade Metrorail Illegally Bans Photographers

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

Trying (ostentatiously, to make a point) to photograph the Miami-Dade MetroRail Stretch Ledford and Carlos Miller encounter some law on the ground, which happens to bear no relation to the law on the books.

So far the score is Uniforms 1, Photographers 0.

And that's why we have courts, dear Miami-Dade Metrorail….

Congratulations to Professor Sam Terilli of the School of Communications for first inspiring and empowering his student to undertake this project, and then for supporting him.

Posted in Law: Constitutional Law | 11 Comments

Jessica Morris Elected Amnesty International USA Vice-Chair

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

jessica-morris1.jpgCongratulations to Jessica Carvalho Morris, UM Law's very dynamic and stylish Director of International Graduate Law Programs, who has just been elected Vice Chair of Amnesty International USA.

Here's a striking portion of the press release,

Carvalho Morris’s father was tortured while serving as a U.S. missionary in Brazil during the military dictatorship. He was kidnapped by the Brazilian military and subjected to electric shocks, beatings, and food and sleep deprivation. After 17 days, he was expelled from Brazil even though official charges were never brought against him. As a result of her father’s experience, Carvalho Morris has dedicated her life to ending torture and other kinds of human rights violations in the world.

Posted in Law: International Law, Miami | 2 Comments

Get This

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

All hail EFF's new Encrypt the Web with the HTTPS Everywhere Firefox Extension.

Posted in Software | 2 Comments

Catnip for Legisprudes

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Michael Froomkin

Paul Gowder argues that an “amendment” which didn't state the actual language amended, but only the result it sought to accomplish, would be valid. See Uncommon Priors » Lex posterior derogat priori and the elusive performative.. This is in response to an argument saying it would not.

My knee appears to be making a spasmodic movement suggesting that, in the absence of a firm rule to the contrary in the relevant jurisdiction, Gowder is correct.

How, after all, is this different from passage of a law that says (as they so often do), “notwithstanding any prior provision to the contrary…”? Does the difference turn on the use of the term “amendment”? And if so, why should one give the term such weight?

Posted in Legal Philosophy | Comments Off on Catnip for Legisprudes