Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Jar Jar Kucinich et al

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Not written by a nine year old (cf.): best of craigslist : Star Wars Guide to the Candidates.

Posted in Politics: US: 2008 Elections | Comments Off on Jar Jar Kucinich et al

This Wubi Thing Looks Seriously Cool

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

This looks good: Wubi – The Easiest Way to Linux.

From the Wubi FAQ:

How does Wubi work?

Wubi adds an entry to the Windows boot menu which allows you to run Linux. Ubuntu is installed within a file in the windows file system (c:\wubi\disks\system.virtual.disk), this file is seen by Linux as a real hard disk.

Is this running Ubuntu within a virtual environment or something similar?

No. This is a real installation, the only difference is that Ubuntu is installed within a file as opposed to being installed within its own partition. Thus we spare you the trouble to create a free partition for Ubuntu. And we spare you the trouble to have to burn a CD-Rom.

Dare I try this at work?

Posted in Software | 5 Comments

Perils of Databases

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

I spend a fair amount of time these days thinking about 'threat models' for national databses and national ID cards.

Today's New York Times has an article that encapsulates one of the major worries, what we sometimes call the “usual suspect bit”. Read Odyssey of State Capitols and State Suspicion. Now imagine someone informs on you…

Posted in ID Cards and Identification | 2 Comments

Rangel Remains the Establishment Man

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Anyone who read machine-pol-and-proud-of-it Rep. Charles B. Rangel's autobiography (see Charlie Rangel's “And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since”) would have predicted that Rangel Remains in Clinton's Camp in Her Battle With Obama.

Posted in Politics: US: 2008 Elections | Comments Off on Rangel Remains the Establishment Man

Spot the Outlier

Posted on January 21, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

Group News Blog: Legions of Imperial America:


The United States of America spends 56% of total government military spending on Planet Earth, with a published FY2008 military budget of $623 billion* (in 2008 dollars). China is a distant second at 6% with an estimated 2004 military budget of $65 billion. The entire “Axis of Evil” (with Pakistan thrown in for good measure) spends barely 1% at less than $15 billion.

Posted in National Security | Comments Off on Spot the Outlier

Dubbed Into Chinese

Posted on January 21, 2008 by Michael Froomkin

I was interviewed by the Voice of America Chinese News service the other day, and there's now a web page to prove it: VOA News – 边界电脑æ�œæŸ¥ä»¥å�Šä¸ªäººéš�ç§�æ�ƒ.

Posted in The Media | Comments Off on Dubbed Into Chinese