I've been reading a lot more since I got the smartphone and an InstaPaper account. Surprisingly, a significant fraction of this reading is on paper; I think being able to read anywhere and anywhen has me thinking about reading more, and makes books seem more reasonable ( Read more... )

Below is a letter I wrote to Dr. Jerry Holmberg, the Executive Secretary of the Advisory Committee tasked with the FDA's re-evaluation of the ruling that men who have had sex with men (even once) since 1977 may not donate blood. More information here.I'm straight, male, and have never had sex with a man. I currently donate blood every eight weeks ( Read more... )

This post has more advanced considerations than the ones in my last post, but still things I think everyone* should read. Computer security isn't his job in the airforce; he's just found things out by reading a lot and paying attention.

"Building Peace: It's a dangerous cyberworld out thereFor more advanced reading, the discussion and comments ( Read more... )

I think A fair bit of what Glyph has to say makes sense. You don't have to be afraid of the Internet, or spend a lot of time or money, just to feel like you can get along reasonably safely.

• My Threat Model - he asserts that the lock and key are a terrible metaphor for computer security, and introduces the notion of a Threat Model.
• Threat 1: ( Read more... )

Let's play The Apparent Randomness Game! I'll tell you two things that are related in my mind. You find the connection ( Read more... )

Higher immigration in a community may lead to less violent crime ( Read more... )

So on Thursday, anami and I got up early and drove to Salt Lake City. It was about a thirteen hour trip, mostly crossing desert. It was ok. We got in pretty late and went straight to bed. The next day, we hung around gentoopingie's house and drank tea and messed with computers until she got out of school (teaching), and then we all drove up to Ogden. Anami's ( Read more... )

I sent this email this morning, and then realized I wanted more people to see it.
Hi Travis,

Apropos of our conversation the other day about dedication to a goal fierce enough to enable you to imagine the transformation (or death) of
the object of your dedication, I want to point out James P Carse's "Finite and Infinite GamesIt's abstract and ( Read more... )

Today I set out from the Harvard Center for Astrophysics in the afternoon, hoping to get back in time for the last talk of the day. I didn't make it. I got a little bit lost, and the second-to-last speaker bailed. I had a good time exploring town though, and seeing the sights around Cambridge ( Read more... )

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