16 Feb 2009
Islamic law to be imposed in parts of NW Pakistan

Just ask the first woman stoned to death under the new code for not dressing correctly if the violence has ended. The violence hasn't ended at all: it's been enshrined into law. So much for the "War on Terror" in northwest Pakistan: we lose, terror wins.

Pakistan (and the people of Swat) need a Patrick Henry: "Is life so dear, is peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!"

Residents celebrate Taleban deal as 'end of violence'

(link) [BBC News]

12:25 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

What Are The Odds?

Ah, the lottery! Powerball just got bigger, says the headline, and overall odds have improved! Sure they have ... read carefully:

Old Odds
Jackpot1:146,107,962
$200,0001:3,565,609
$10,0001:584,432
$1001:14,254
$1001:11,927
$71:291
$71:745
$41:127
$31:69
 
New Odds
Jackpot1:195,249,054
$200,0001:5,138,133
$10,0001:723,145
$1001:19,030
$1001:13,644
$71:359
$71:787
$41:123
$31:62

The overall odds of winning have in fact increased - very, very slightly. However, the only prize categories where the odds actually increased were the $3 and $4 prizes: this was due to decreasing the number of available Powerball picks while increasing the available numbers on the main ticket. The odds of winning a significant prize have decreased substantially. Fun with numbers, indeed!

Lotteries have a history of pulling this, Powerball more so than most: see the WikiPedia page on Powerball for more information.

12:14 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

Rabbit Ears To Stage a Comeback Thanks To DTV

Well, I must say I'd never thought about the DTV transition like this! I've been stuck by it simply because I'm too far out to get any kind of decent reception, like this fellow who just wants his free TV. But I imagine that if you are in a city, there could be some cost savings in going over the air, as opposed to over the wire.

JLike Monty Python's Killer Rabbit, cheap indoor antennas seem harmless to satellite and cable providers. But with the digital TV transition in the US, rabbit ears can suddenly provide digital-perfect pictures, many more channels, and even on-screen program guides. Already feeling pressure as suddenly budget-conscious consumers shed premium channels, providers must now get creative to protect their low-end as well.

(link) [Slashdot]

10:35 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

New Bill Would Repeal NIH Open Access Policy

One of my mother's favorite quips was "He who pays the piper calls the tune!" If we pay for it, we own it. I know of no private company on earth that grants it's employees full rights to products they develop on company time while on the payroll. This is exactly the same situation: and the "Fair Copyright in Research Works Act" should be renamed the "Rip Off Taxpayers Research Monies Act".

The Fair Copyright in Research Works Act has been reintroduced into Congress. The bill will ban open access policies in federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These policies require scientists to provide public access to their work if it has been funded with money from an agency with an open access policy. Such policies ensure that the public has access to read the results of research that it has funded. It appears that Representative John Conyers (D-MI), the author of the bill, is doing the bidding of publishing companies who do not want to lose control of this valuable information that they sell for exorbitant fees thereby restricting access by the general public to an essentially public good.

(link) [Slashdot]

09:26 /Copywrongs | 0 comments | permanent link