How Vista plans to steal the christmas

I read an analysis on what Vista does to achieve the goal of content protection, i.e. preventing you from copying e.t.c. of all those movies on Blue-ray and HD-DVD, and I am stumped. Things will go wrong by design. Before you yourself do anything wrong. To make things clear, there is a critical difference between concepts of secure computer and content managed computer. Former is designed to protect our computers from access by an unauthorised party. Later is designed to protect our computer from access by an authorized party. Us. This is of course very hard. How does one achieves it? Analogy to what MS approach comes down to, is filling our every single little pocket with a grenade to "protect" us from reaching into those pockets as long as even one of them might have "managed content".

There are two direct consequences to this. First, managed content becomes a Trojan horse that robes us of control over our own computer, and then benevolently lets us use it's resources, until we reach into one of the pockets and accidentally pull one of the grenade pins. Second, managed content robes us of our security, for it is not hard to imagine what can happen to a person on a crowded street (which is Internet) with pockets filled with grenade pins. Eventually someone will pull one out.

Read all about it here.

Return of the Gas Chambers

Seems like somebody in the Russian city Pskov wants the 1940's back. Some evildoers spread gas during Hanuka celebration dinner inside a Jewish community center. Apparently, the community center is located right next to a technical institution. Students are suspected, as this is not the first act of aggression on their side.
Now this wouldn't be much of a deal on it's own, if not for the fact that this is part of a growing wave of violence against Jews in Europe. I don't give a damn about political correctness, and I will say what needs to be said here loud and clear. In western Europe it is the growing Muslim communities, bundled with the ignorance and self deception of the press and politicians which is bordering on criminal. Incidents, and there are many, are either not reported at all, or made seem like a criminal acts, while in fact they are expression of growing religious intolerance. Mark my word, Christians are next.
In Russia, biggest part of eastern Europe, this has become federal policy, sanctioned on the highest levels (yes, Putin) to keep people's attention away from real problems, and serve political interests. The discrimination against Georgians is the biggest right now, but the undercurrents are growing in many directions.
Think USA is immune? Think twice. Violence happens here as well, and there is more to come. Many people saw Sasha Baron Cohen's stunt when he started singing an antisemitic song in some bar. At least half the people, to my count, were readily singing along "throw the Jew down the well". They only need a good push.

Software and Community in the Early 21st Century