Davison online
The life and times of the world’s
most self-deluded online superstar
News & Commentary
Vizio now leading the way
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/02/06/these-smart-tvs-were-apparently-spying-on-their-owners/?utm_term=.f9651e9e7429“Today, the FTC has made clear that all smart-TV makers should get people’s consent before collecting and sharing television viewing information, and Vizio now is leading the way,†Vizio's general counsel, Jerry...
Climate change
http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/%E2%80%98beyond-the-extreme%E2%80%99-scientists-marvel-at-%E2%80%98increasingly-non-natural%E2%80%99-arctic-warmth/ar-AAmvwVZ?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp&pfr=1What happens next in the Arctic is anyone’s guess. But Penn State’s Titley, who said we are “headed into a new unknown†is concerned:...
It’s a problem
https://lawfareblog.com/thoughts-strange-day%E2%80%94and-very-strange-presidential-tweetThis is not how the White House is supposed to work. Whole aparatuses are supposed to be there to protect the President from sending out unvetted executive orders, tweeting attacks on federal judges that hurt the government's chances of prevailing in court, and yes,...
Required reading
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/opinion/from-protests-past-lessons-in-what-works.html?smid=tw-nytopinion&smtyp=cur&_r=0
Ich bin ein Berliner
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-1133177-amp.htmlIt is literally painful to write this sentence, but the president of the United States is a pathological liar. The president of the U.S. is a racist (it also hurts to write this). He is attempting a coup from the top; he wants to establish an illiberal democracy, or worse; he wants to undermine...
Immigrants commit more crimes?
https://qz.com/901076/what-effect-did-the-record-influx-of-refugees-have-on-jobs-and-crime-in-germany-not-much/Not in Germany. (Trump wrong again.)
The honeymoon that wasn’t
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2017/02/after-2-weeks-voters-yearn-for-obama.htmlLess than 2 weeks into Donald Trump's tenure as President, 40% of voters already want to impeach him. That's up from 35% of voters who wanted to impeach him a week ago. Only 48% of voters say that they would be opposed to Trump's impeachment.I'm not in the 40% which,...
Trump as Commander-in-Chief
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-commando-idUSKBN15G5RXU.S. military officials told Reuters that Trump approved his first covert counterterrorism operation without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.As a result, three officials said, the attacking SEAL team found itself dropping onto a reinforced al Qaeda...
Trump supporters skeptical of border wall
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/politics/border-series-texas/index.htmlThe US-Mexico border spans 1,933 miles. It runs from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.In short, if you do any thinking about it whatsoever you will realize it's a completely impractical and unworkable idea. That we might actually...
Trump’s immigration ban
Unless you’re a native American, you’re an immigrant or have an ancestor who was. This nation has long celebrated and honored those who come to join us in this democratic experiment. Part of the greatness of the country is a belief that in our freedoms lies the opportunity to live better lives, individually and collectively, than were heretofore...
Essays
What a Surprise
You couldn't write a novel that would be any more tawdry than what Bill Clinton has foisted upon America's 6 o'clock news. You wouldn't want to. Recommendation: Call your local HazMat team, this is a presidential chemical spill of epic proportions. President Clinton gave his version of an apology Monday night, finally admitting what the rest of America already knew: That he'd had an affair with a subordinate—an action that were he a business executive would get him fired...
Good Times, Bad Times on the Internet
A mea culpa regarding my computer virus rants over the years. I wasn't really that wrong since the latest represents an innovation in virus technology, but you can listen to me grovel anyway. Includes "bonus rant" on the First Amendment and free speech on the Internet. Good Times Ever since the "Good Times" e-mail virus hoax of a few years back, I've been telling everyone who needs telling that e-mail simply doesn't work that way. Even if somebody sent you a virus in an...
Getting Down with Titanic
James and the giant metallic peach. Hope floats? Not hardly, and neither do big broken ships. From good to bad in the time it takes to freeze an ice cube. WARNING: This review may include spoilers! The $200 million Titanic that Writer/Director/Producer/Editor/Egotist James Cameron brought to the big screen is the most lavish, beautiful picture I have ever seen. It's also—and this will come as no surprise for those of you who know me—the most depressing, topping even...
Dear Mom & Dad: Get an iMac
What can I say? I think it worked. July 28, 1998 Dear Mom & Dad: Get an iMac. I can't communicate it any more plainly than that, but if you force me to, I am willing to try Esperanto, mime, or semaphore. You've had what I'll politely term a "marginally successful" relationship with your current and first computer, a Compaq 486 SX, and I can only hope that the trials you've endured with that machine haven't ruined your enthusiasm toward computers in general. If it's ruined...