http://n0cgi.distributed.net/cgi/planarc.cgi?user=bovine&plan=2009-11-29.06:15

Our keymaster is now back to normal operations and OGR-NG is sending
and receiving work again. We don't think very many results, if any,
were lost as a result of the outage. The cause of the power failure
is still being investigated. Keep on crunching! ]:8)

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/28/808695/-Want-better-Dems-Capuano-over-Coakley.

I was going to unveil my new rule ...

"New Rule of dKos: If you are giving up on voting and campaigning, then you can't criticize Palin for quitting the governorship."

It was meant to be my contribution to the "Hey, Obama has done plenty, but he needs some allies in Congress" discussion going on today.

Oh, and read this: http://www.politifact.com/...

Really read it.

Anyway, I had a whole nice argument about how if you campaign to get a third party Progressive in Congress, then you're really being effective, but that you have to realize that you'll have to work twice as hard, and that failure by working half that hard is not an option.

Change is hard, blah blah blah ... but then I realized ... we have a really good Democrat trying to replace Ted Kennedy, and he needs everyone's support.  

That's right.  A Dem.  A real Dem.  A real replacement for Teddy the K.

And he'd have the whole Democratic apparatus behind him in the election against Scott Brown, the Tea Bagger Republican, so long as he wins the Primary on Dec 8.

That Dem is Mike Capuano.

http://n0cgi.distributed.net/cgi/planarc.cgi?user=bovine&plan=2009-11-28.19:48

There was a UPS or related power failure at our keymaster that caused
some data inconsistency in our OGR-NG database. As a result, the
project was automatically suspended until manual validation of the
database can be completed.

We hope to be able to bring OGR-NG back online within a day if
everything goes well. Unfortunately, some OGR-NG results that were
returned during this inconsistent period may have been lost.
Meanwhile, RC5-72 is continuing to run and is unaffected. Thanks for
your patience and support!

http://gary-kramlich.livejournal.com/10776.html

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RandyCassinghamsBlog/~3/dII3KqCzBoc/blog-dell_hell_and_dumb_people.html

http://www.thisistrue.com/blog-dell_hell_and_dumb_people.html

I know This is True is about people doing dumb things, but it still amazes me when people do dumb things to me. (But no, this is not about a dumb reader.)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/1127092mugs1.html?link=rssfeed

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/1127092mugs1.html

There's vodka in my new freezer, must mean we're on the way to moving in.

Of course, it's the _only_ thing in the new fridge right now... but we're getting there.

(there's also mac n' cheese on the counter and vinegar in the cupboard. Must count for something).

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/1127091contest1.html?link=rssfeed

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/1127091contest1.html

ONTD posted an interview I did for Fandomania. Amusing comments. A lesbian thinks I'm hot. Sorry, Peter Vadala.

Apparently McDonald's is closed today. Thanksgiving McNuggetini: DENIED.

(Previously.)

I think I've almost managed to get the DNA Lounge popup webcast window to resize the video when you resize the window. (Unsurprisingly, the only way that worked portably was to use tables.) Does it work for you? This seems to resize properly in both Firefox and Safari. It mostly works in Opera: it resizes properly, but there's a scrollbar and the bottom text is off the bottom of the screen. I'm not sure how to fix that.

What does it do in IE? Does the video resize, and is there a green box around it?

Previously.

http://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2009/11/26.html

Here's a longer article about SFPD's apparent new policy of seizing any laptops they can find -- even ones that are turned off, and tucked away inside a backpack -- any time they bust up a private house party (mentioned previously):

Police seize DJs' laptops: New police chief apparently condones policy that critics call illegal and punitive

While SFPD officials deny the laptop seizures is a new policy, they admit it has been condoned by Police Chief George Gascón, who took over in August and last month told the Guardian's editorial board he wants to make the SFPD more transparent and accountable to the public.

"The police chief is aware that officers are being proactive in gathering evidence," Sgt. Lyn Tomioka told the Guardian when asked about a string of laptop seizures by undercover cops over the last 10 months, most of them in cases in which the DJs weren't even charged with a crime. [...]

Tomioka said it's a judgment call for officers to seize laptops as evidence of an illegal party, but San Francisco Entertainment Commission member Terrance Alan said the tactic is a punitive measure that proves nothing: "Taking laptops [is] not necessary to prove the underlying crime, and in many cases damages people's ability to earn a living."

Ladies and Gentlemen, San Francisco's Finest, Officer Larry Bertrand, SFPD badge #414:

But Miller said it didn't stop there. One of the undercover officers approached her and asked if she had a laptop. She said she did. "I was a little confused at this point because I didn't know what my laptop had to do with anything. I was playing CDs." She said she pulled her computer out from underneath a table and unzipped it from a case. The officer then "grabbed it from me."

The undercover police officer -- later identified by witnesses and the evidence receipt as Larry Bertrand -- instructed Miller to follow him down to the street to get a property receipt for her laptop.

At this point there were uniformed officers on the scene as well. Miller started to cry. "I begged him. I said, 'This is my livelihood. You're taking my laptop. This is my livelihood. I hope you realize that.' He said, 'This is how you're going to learn then, I guess.'"

Miller said Bertrand (who did not return Guardian calls for comment) then told her he was "going to take it upon himself to shut down every illegal party in San Francisco."

She said he then opened the trunk of his car, revealing several other laptops. A person at the party pointed out that one of the laptops belonged to a friend of his, and asked if he could get the property receipt for the laptop. Miller said Bertrand turned to the inquiring person and said, "You will never see this laptop again."

She continued: "He then looked at me and said, 'I'm going to make sure your paperwork gets so tied up that maybe you won't see this laptop until December, January, February, who knows when.' I felt so violated."

Jennifer Granick, a civil liberties lawyer with EFF, said most people haven't heard about this because few of these DJs, if any, ever get convicted of a crime. [...] Granick argued it is illegal for police to seize property without issuing citations or arrests. She also said there are serious privacy issues at stake. "If we were to find out that the police were doing something else with the laptops, like searching through them or copying the data, we would definitely go to court," she said.

Jennifer Granick of EFF is representing some of the victims in a hearing on Tue, Dec 1 at 9AM in Department 18 at 850 Bryant. She says:

"The most probable outcome is that the Court orders our clients' laptops returned and that's that. However, I've filed papers asking for an accounting and injuction, in hopes of having evidentiary hearing where I will put on witnesses to try to show the Court and the public that there is a bigger problem here that merely returning our stuff won't fix. [...] If you'd like to show up and watch the hearing, it would be great to have you."

It's not even clear that any these parties where laptops were being stolen were illegal. They were invitation-only parties in people's homes.

Many of you are having people over today for Thanksgiving. Did you get a permit?

DNA Lounge update, wherein the War on Fun gets some more press.

Is it just me, or does Jessi Combs sound a lot like Marz Gurl?

we moved to raleigh. it's super nice and calm and there are tons of crafters and things. but it seems like the same thing as rochester. everyone likes nice things, but no one wants to buy them. we'll see how it is in a few more years. perhaps then i'll reopen.

know anything fun to do down here?