CMoore.com

The 4th Amendment: RIP

Other people weighing in on the appeals court demolishing the wall between espionage and domestic investigations.

Really critical hole in Microsoft Web software

“There is an unchecked buffer in Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) prior to version 2.7, the company said. MDAC is a “ubiquitous” technology used in Internet Explorer and the IIS web server. The buffer can be overrun with a malformed HTTP request, allowing arbitrary code to be executed on the target machine.”

MS' solution? Reinstall the ActiveX control. Problem? The bad old one and the new one were both digitally signed (verified) by MS. So malicious sites can use the old one and you'd never know when you installed it. MS' further solution? Get this, don't trust controls frim MS. Hee!

This so would not be a problem in the FOSS world.

DMCA, Black Friday – Big Retailers using DMCA as a cudgel

You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. They are using the flippin DMCA to stop sites from publishing sale prices?!? They're facts! More to the point, they're free advertising so it's not even in the companies' best interests to stop this stuff. Here's a list of the cretins:

• Wal*Mart
• Target
• Best Buy
• Staples

Ye gods.

Experimental Vaccine Appears to Prevent Cervical Cancer

If true, that's really, really cool.

MP (India) opens windows to Linux

Schweet. And I quote:

“For us it is not a question of Microsoft versus Linux. It is just a matter of choosing between a free software and a monopoly. We feel that when we are putting public information out in the open, then it should not be through a proprietary software,”

Jacko baby stunt stuns fans

The guy's 44 years old! He should know better! Nevermind the megalomania of naming your kids “Prince Michael” … “Paris” (what, no Princess Michaela?) … and, get this, “Prince Michael II”. You ahve got to be kidding me with those names, right? Oh, and not that it's a knock on the kid or anything, but II? Yeah, he's adopted. Unless MJ's sperm is carying “no, I'm really white” genes, that is.

Anyway, if there's not a child endangerment charge coming out of this, then the world is unjust. Ye gods.

Religious right ratchets up anti-abortion pressure

I quote:

“Some Christian conservative leaders are already warning supporters to make sure lawmakers and the administration don't backtrack. Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, said a proposal circulated last year that would have prohibited partial-birth abortions except when the mother's life is in danger was “bogus.”

Brown said lawmakers will have to remove the mother's life “loophole” or “this well-intentioned effort will not even save a single baby's life.”

Soooooo…. let me get this straight. The american life league wants more women to die in childbirth?

Nvidia outs GeForce FX

mmmm… new vid card. not that it matters, i can't get the damn good nvidia drivers to compile on debian without redoing the kernel anyway. and that's not really something i want to do. next distro. anyway, ati may have caught up/surpassed, but still… mmmm… gear.

A Real Battle is Brewing in the World of Everquest

Now that is a hack (packet sniffer gives overhead view of EQ world and knows positions of baddies). … and I just happen to have like 5 computers here. Too bad I don't play EQ. Social contract, EULAs, blah blah blah.

Johnson takes parting shot at Marlins

Oh, wah. CJ had one, count 'em, one good season. EVER. OK, arguably two, but it's a steep drop from 1-2 and the second would be merely “above average” in my book. He just happened to time his one good season with the the year in which his contract was up he became a free agent (Shout out to Boonie, yo). Now he says that platooning him was “unprofessional”? Fuck you, you pampered crybaby. He was platooned because he was ineffectual in the extreme. Want to see his line for 2002, when he was platooned? 217/301/369. No, that's not a misprint. Dan Wilson actually outhit him. Feh.

Enjoy Colorado, CJ. It'll boost your stats. Just remember, you're a catcher. And a sharp decline in your baseball skills after 1000 games of catching is not unprecedented, or unusual. It's not your fault. It's the norm. Now go hug your family and take a day at the park.

Deal would send Walker to Diamondbacks

OK, this is one of the stupidest deals ever, if true. Walker hits like a stud, earns his pay, and shows no signs of slowing down. So, you want to trade him for 3 nobodies and Durazo… who plays a position where you already have an excellent hitter? If true, and I'm sure this link will change in the future, O'Dowd should be fired. I'm all for trying different strategies to succeed within your environment, bur flailing away with a new year-new paradigm pattern is wasteful.

Alabama Judge Rules That Ten Commandments Monument Must Go

Nice. You can generally rely on the fed judges to be rational and apply the Constitution evenhandedly. Obvious violation of the Separation Clause. So, to the people in AL who are red-faced over this? Stuff it, Potsy.

Want to know what the WA state Constitution's preamble says? I quote:
We, the people of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this constitution.

Supreme Ruler of the Universe?! I love it! Am I the only one who gets images of some superhero-supervillian cartoon network showdown reading that?

Atkins diet beats low-fat fare

Interesting. Don't do it long-term, though. Your kidneys'll thank you. There have been no long-term studies of which I'm aware, but all-protein all the time = more/different work for your system.

Ashcroft's Shadowy Disciple

in the article, that would be Gov. Pataki.

Appeals Panel Reverses Limits Placed on Justice Dept. Wiretaps

In case you don't want to read the ruling, here's the NYTimes article.