Link

Adactio: Journal—Battle for the planet of the APIs.

This is a great exposition on the beauty an utility of RSS. The open web is being shunned by most large consumer-oriented “public” spaces these days so that the can control the user experience and try to capture the benefits of network affects. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can build a great service and also provide open access. The reasons for not doing so may make business sense in the short run but in the long run you’re only alienating your business from the rest of the web and the opportunities for larger network effects.

The open web isn’t going away. Developers should embrace it, not shun it.

Link

Blowing a Whistle – NYTimes.com.

This post by Friedman perfectly sums up the wrong-headed argument that some people use to justify extensive government intrusion into the personal lives of U.S. citizens and the secrecy with which such programs are run. Fear should never be the arbiter of policy. Certainly fear can inform an area that needs attention, but the type of actions taken should be based on rational observation and discussion of the issue. Hiding your head in the sand and asking others to do whatever it takes is not a reasonable or rational response. This is exactly what Friedman is suggesting, because the nature of these programs is unknown to the general public, resulting in an inability to hold rational discussion.

Link

Washington Post.

It’s really not that hard to address the problems with the government programs. But fear, not rational and intelligent analysis, are driving decisions about our national security apparatus.

I have no idea where this picture was taken. Possibly a butt-shot. Or, more likely, a randomly corrupted photo. I get them every now and then. Regardless, if I am unable to recover it’s always fun to see what a little auto-levels does. There’s always some kind of data in there, so you never know what you’re going to get.

Before

IMG_1445

AfterIMG_1445_auto