Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Surreal Indeed

Posted on April 15, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Salvador Dali on the 60s (?) game show “What's My Line”

Posted in Kultcha | Comments Off on Surreal Indeed

A Voice from the Field

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Siva Vaidhyanathan writes, SIVACRACY.NET: Why Clinton should quit:

I just got back from a few days in Central Pennsylvania. I went there excited that this fervent and energetic contest between two leading lights of the Democratic Party was energizing people in all corners of the country. …

Now I have changed my mind. I want Sen. Clinton to quit running for president and get back to the project of helping New York.

In recent weeks she has disappointed me deeply.

What I did not know — what I could not have known had I not spent some time in Pennsylvania — was just how low, nasty, and unethical the Clinton campaign has become. I worked in and covered enough campaigns in big states to know that you can't really tell what a campaign is up to from the speeches, television ads, and debates. You have to follow the direct mail, push polls, and the radio — especially the radio.

In Pennsylvania last week radio was full of ads for both candidates. It was as if all other forms of commerce were suspended.

The Obama ads I heard were optimistic and uplifting. They treat listeners and voters with respect. They treat the party and country with dignity.

The Clinton ads were mean, demeaning, and full of lies. The contrast was stark.

Posted in Politics: US: 2008 Elections | 6 Comments

Privacy Work-Around

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

From PogoWasRight.org:

In 2003, the chief librarian of the city of Santa Cruz, Calif., was able to warn her patrons about whether the FBI had served a National Security Letter (NSL) demanding information about who was reading what books. She managed that task despite specific provisions in the USA Patriot Act at the time that prohibited librarians or booksellers from revealing to anyone that they'd been issued an NSL.

So, how did the librarian get the word out? By regularly reporting to the library board that no NSL had been issued to any of the city's 10 branches, which was perfectly legal. Everyone knew that if the chief librarian failed to report that nothing had happened, then indeed an NSL had been served.

I like it. Better yet, it would be hard to legislate around this workaround…

Posted in Law: Privacy | 4 Comments

April 15 Approaches

Posted on April 12, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

tax woesI've been doing my taxes today. And undoubtedly tomorrow.

I believe that taxes are the price of civilization, but did they have to make TurboTax even less fun to use than it was last year?

I suppose I could offload the hassle to an accountant, but given that I'm fairly careful about claiming what I can claim — but don't believe in pushing the envelope — I can't believe one would save me enough money to justify the expense unless they went too far.

Posted in Econ & Money, Software | 2 Comments

But I Don’t Have Any Dumb Friends

Posted on April 11, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Scholars and Rogues, How to win the Iraq war debate against your dumb friends.

Recently I was arguing with one of my dumber friends about the Iraq war. He loves Bush and thinks bigger bombs is the answer in Iraq. I wasn’t gaining any ground in the argument until I used a simple analogy. I said, “Your solution is like shattering an expensive vase and then saying, ‘We need to keep smashing it until it’s fixed.’”

I stumped him. He was silent. So here’s a brief list of other analogies you can use on your dumb friends. And the truth is, I’ve seen similar ones work on some of the smartest political pundits.

Actually, I'm not sure if I know anyone who supports the war any more, although I know people with varying views about how one extricates from it. If they do support it, they're awful quiet about it. Statistically, you'd expect there would be a number in the student body, but then I don't spend that much time talking politics with students. Maybe I should?

Posted in Iraq | 4 Comments

Running the Tables

Posted on April 11, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

This may be the World's Most Amazing Trick Shot! at pool, although myself I had no idea that you could use giant dominoes and ramps, not to mention multiple tables. (Warning to Francophones: the effect is somewhat spoiled by the inane and sexist commentary).

(spotted via boing-boing)

Posted in Completely Different | Comments Off on Running the Tables