Archive for March, 2007
March 9, 2007 at · Filed under books, middle east, politics
last time i was in israel i picked up a few books in hebrew. mostly centered around israel's recent history.
the first one i read was "good arabs" by hillel cohen. it is based on documents from the israeli police and shin-bet services that were only recently declassified.
the picture the book paints is not one that will be easy to read for many israelis. while i personally give little credit to government agencies and don't buy the israeli myths around our superior moral standards, it was still surprising to learn how corrupt and immoral the israeli government was at the time.
one of the most disturbing revelations as far as i am concerned was the involvement of the israeli security services in trying to control the arab vote and direct it to the party in power (map"ai).
but more than anything it made me realize how inadequate are the history lessons that i got in school. now it looks to me as if i was subjected to propaganda. what you learn in school in israel is very one sided, trying to present the heroic efforts of the jews versus the heartless and barbaric arabs.
i think it will go a long way in making peace process and peace itself feasible if the history taught in schools was more objective, spending as much time on the way things looked to the arab population and the systematic mistreatment from the government.
the arabs are no saints, far from it. and even today their governments, religious leaders, media and general public are operating based on a moral code that is lagging several generations behind the west (yes, i do think there is such thing as moral and less moral cultures. don't buy the relativism approach).
this book is narrowly focused. i wish the school programs will teach some of its findings, but more importantly provide the true history of the early years of israel, the good and the bad.
March 9, 2007 at · Filed under internet, movies
this is an excerpt from the FAQ page from TiVo regarding their new partnership with Amazon.
What is the "Pay-TV Blackout Window"?
Due to restrictions from the video rights holders, most newly released movies will occasionally become temporarily unavailable for re-download from Your Media Library—even after they’ve already been purchased.
During this "Pay-TV Blackout Window" certain programs will be temporarily unavailable from the Unbox catalog and Your Media Library. This happens during the program’s run on a pay-cable channel.
The video will be automatically replaced and made available to you through Your Media Library once the "Pay-TV Blackout Window" has ended.
if i get it right what they are saying in this cryptic explanation is that lets say i bought a movie and kept it in the Media Library i may suddenly find out that i can't watch it because there is some sort of blackout?!
i am sure this was not the idea of anyone at either TiVo or Amazon, but rather some twisted minds (probably a lawyer) in the media industry. it is amazing that they still don't get it. trying to find new (and clearly stupid) ways to make it hard for people to get their content.
i am quite sure that people trying to watch a movie they already paid for who will get the bizarre error message will go to bittorrent for good, never looking back.
insane.
March 7, 2007 at · Filed under general
the terrorists are winning. at least in the impact they have on my life. i am talking about airport security and immigration. since i am traveling quite a bit this is a major impact…
just went through the security thing in heathrow, london. these guys have clearly lost it. they now have a one bag policy. no more taking a small trolley plus a laptop bag. now you have to fit the laptop bag into the trolley if you don't want to check in luggage. and they reduced the size of what you can carry, so even my 20" bag (pretty small, something most man can use on a working week trip, and most women can use for an overnight) does not fit it.
there is probably an idiot a committee of bureaucrats that is responsible for coming up with airport security regulations. i wonder what ideas they decide not to implement.. their logic was probably that if people will carry one bag instead of two that will reduce the chances of someone sneaking in a bomb by 50%. great win for our security.
another great feature of heathrow's security apparatus is that they have a separate line for examining people shoes. another machine to buy, more personnel to do the screening, more lines for people to stand in. amazing idea.
a great reprieve when it comes to liquids. a big screen with the title "BREAKING NEWS" tells people that now they can buy booze and bring it on the plane. i am sure every bottle is being examined by experts, and that it has nothing to do with the commercial interests of the businesses that are making their profits from people who spend hours in the airport because they now have to check-in 3 hours in advance without nothing to do but shop…
the situation in the US is not much better. and there is no consistency:
everyone need to take of their shoes / some / no one
liquids in nylon bag inside the suitcase / liquids must be in a bag outside the suitcase
etc.
the real security value generated by all this mess. i think very minimal, if any. the masterminds behind the regulations will probably use a cheney-like argument "the best proof our security measures are working is that there was not another 9/11". a great argument, could be used to justify any action by the government. no need to prove that something works, it is enough to show that it's not not working.
this will end up with people boarding planes in their underwear holding the boarding ticket. could be a great boost for the diet and hair removal industries. i am sure some lobbyist is already working out the details of the proposal and the impact on the revenue for the drug industry.
