Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

The Modem Died

Posted on September 14, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

The DSL modem on my home network died yesterday evening.

No postings until it gets replaced.

Posted in Discourse.net | Comments Off on The Modem Died

Penny Dreadful

Posted on September 13, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

I know we don't expect much from spammers, even the pump & dump crowd, but surely this email I got today is a new low?

09/11/2007 – Traded over 4 million shares with a 100% INCREASE
09/12/2007 – Traded over 6 million shares with another HUGE INCREASE

TOMORROW THIS STOCK IS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE WHAT IT HAS DONE IN THE PAST 2 DAYS! GET IN ON IT NOW WHILE THE PRICE IS LOW! FRESHLY RELEASED PRESS RELEASE!

Current: $.02
Expected: $.57

Kinda self-defeating, isn't it? Or can you really have listed prices above zero but under one cent?

Posted in Econ & Money | 6 Comments

Word Watch

Posted on September 13, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

This was a new one on me, but I like it. In an uncharacteristically grouchy recent post the The Phantom Professor mentions “trustafarians”.

Interestingly, definitions of “trustafarian” vary. I would have guessed a meaning like this one from False Positives:

Trustafarians : trust fund babies who live supported solely by the trust fund income (i.e. they don't work for a living): Paris Hilton, various members of the Kennedy clan, the characters of The Talented Mr. Ripley, or Hugh Grant's character in About a Boy come to mind. Down market Trustafarians would be those with a bohemian lifestyle, but with hipper accessories, living off he money of parents. (ski bums who don't have to wash dishes.)

But apparently, there's other somewhat different meanings about, as seen from these proposed definitions in the Urban Dictionary,

1. trustafarian

a. a spoiled rich white kid who smokes pot.

b. a person who, in an act of rebellion has taken to smoking pot, pan-handling, and following grateful dead rip-off bands during the week, and then returning to his or her parent's cozy home in the suburbs during the weekend.

c. one who lives with poorer people in an attempt to gain credibility, or street-cred, while disguising the trust fund they actually live off

Don't let that guy smoke any of your stash, he's a trustafarian, and never has his own to share.

2. trustafarian

priviliged white kids who subsribe to the hippie lifestyle (because they can) since they have no worries about money, a job etc. They can then devote their lives to eating organic, following Phish, and wearing dreadlocks (no need for job interviews).

Sarah is a trustafarian. It's totally evidenced by the combination of her brand new car and nice digs with her “earthy” clothes and dreadlocks.

Posted in Readings | 4 Comments

Faulty Intelligence

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

This error about FISA wasn't a little trivial slip of the tongue, but rather a fact going to the very heart of the political debate over whether our pre-existing FISA regime sufficed to fight terrorism.

Think Progress » DNI McConnell: I Lied To The Senate Earlier this week, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell claimed the new expansive FISA legislation passed by Congress prior to the August recess — the so-called Protect America Act — had helped to thwart a an alleged terror plot in Germany.

A government official later told the New York Times that McConnell was wrong, and that the intelligence had been collected under the old FISA law which required warrants. A chorus of House Democrats immediately raised concerns about McConnell’s claims.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) demanded McConnell back up his sworn statement. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) said the Protect America Act “played no role in uncovering the recent German terrorist plot.” House Intelligence Committee chairman Silvestre Reyes urge McConnell “to issue a public statement immediately” correcting his remarks.

In a statement released today, McConnell unapologetically acknowledged he lied to the Senate:

Either Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell lied to the Senate or he believed what he said when he said it.

So either we have a liar or a dunce running our national intelligence service. No wonder he fits in with Bush, Rove and Gonzales.

Posted in National Security | Comments Off on Faulty Intelligence

Ladies & Gentlemen – The Nation’s First Radioactive Deanship

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

The rumors that have been flying around the internet all day appear to be true: Chemerinsky says UC Irvine rescinds offer to become law school dean. Why would a startup school treat a major Cosntitutional scholar like this? It seems that, notwithstanding his 20 year publication record, they discovered this week that he's a — wait for it — liberal. Apparently a major donor freaked or something.

Not only is this sort of behavior unheard of, unprincipled, but it's also very stupid. Who would take the job now, after this display of political interference and intolerance?

But meanwhile, hey Erwin, we need a Dean here next year!

Posted in Law School | 6 Comments

Rev. Yearwood Talks About His Arrest

Posted on September 12, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

Rev. Yearwood talks about his arrest. He certainly has a way of sounding very reasonable. It would be nice to hear the other side, if there is one. Have the Capitol Police (or the Speaker and Majority Leader's Offices to whom I believe they report?) said anything about the incident?

Posted in Civil Liberties | 4 Comments