Every now and then, government politely gives us a lesson in one of the many ways to do things that really aren’t government’s business. It is good to watch for these. After all, the United States of America exists, in part, because Mother England kept trying to do things that really weren’t any government’s business.

The 01.Aug.2008 issue of the Houston Chronicle carries this story
“State loses attempt to argue anew for sex toy ban”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5919987.html 

I wonder how many of my tax dollars we spent trying to protect me.

In the comments of that article, I was alerted to a film entitled “Dildo Diaries”. It’s for sale. It is 63 minutes long. But an 11 minute excerpt is available for free on You Tube here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYXUUsDGxkU

I have tracked this for some time. It is a sad day.

I’m rarely short on opinions.

One of my opinions is that the law “No Child Left Behind” is really about “No Child Gets Ahead”.

For me, the law seeks to repeal with the brush of a pen the fact of the bell curve.

That said, I truly like this presentation.

(Depending on your browser security settings, may need to click twice to start the video. If you are receiving this via email, or want to open the TED site with the video, just click here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66)

Bio of Sir Ken Robinson
http://www.ted.com/speakers/view/id/69

More of my posts about TED
http://www.myephemerae.com/category/ted

For some time I’ve ranted that “Identity Theft” is not theft at all … it is fraud.

I believe that financial institutions and credit bureaus love the term “identity theft” because it seems to make the victim responsible.

But identity thieves didn’t steal your identity. Rather they committed what a new working paper from Harvard Business School — An Empirical Approach to Understanding Privacy Valuation — calls “impersonation fraud”.

The paper refers to a great article — Mitigating Identity Theft by Bruce Scheiner — that goes into this in more detail.

It is not identity theft. And, as Schiener points out, we should not expect individuals to solve the problem.

The very term “identity theft” is an oxymoron. Identity is not a possession that can be acquired or lost; it’s not a thing at all. Someone’s identity is the one thing about a person that cannot be stolen.

The real crime here is fraud; more specifically, impersonation leading to fraud. Impersonation is an ancient crime, but the rise of information-based credentials gives it a modern spin.

Scheiner has a monthly newsletter, Crypto-Gram and a great blog as well.

Email from colleagues passed me this video on You Tube. I found it humorous, and, unfortunately too close to the truth (at least as it relates to the problems).

(Depending on your browser security settings, may need to click twice to start the video. If you are receiving this via email, or want to open the YouTube page with the video, just click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNuCfD5bICQ)

Links from this posting
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org

Think your house is small?

Bet this one is smaller.

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While clicking around the TED website (TED.com) looking for information on the brain, another presentation I found was by Helen Fisher. Helen is an anthropologist who studies love. She looks at how it evolved, the underlying brain biochemistry and what it means to human society.

(PS: I’ve written before about TED.)

In this presentation, …

She outlines the three stages of love (lust, infatuation and long-term attachment), shedding light on eternal questions like why we love, and why we cheat. She also discusses the natural talents of women, and their new significance in the modern world. She ends with a warning about the widespread use of antidepressants — and a truly hilarious story of romantic pursuit.

This New Year’s eve, please be careful. Every year, all around the globe, people drink and drive. They injure and kill themselves and others. 

We all know better. Don’t do something you, your family and your friends will regret for the rest of your life. 

Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

(Depending on your browser security settings, may need to click twice to start the video. If you are receiving this via email, or want to open the YouTube page with the video, just click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a98QbYbhkSs)

One of the blogs I monitor is Garr Reynold’s Presentation Zen (www.presentationzen.com).

He just sent out a link to a Flash video of the original Drifters 50’s classic: White Christmas.

badaboo.free.fr/merryxmas.swf

Watch it, smile and have a very, merry Christmas.

Cheryl Wise (starttoweb.com) has alerted me that the Nielsen Norman Group is making their $124 accessibility report, “Beyond ALT Text: Making the Web Easy to Use for Users With Disabilities”, available for free. This report has 75 best practice tips for increasing the usability and accessibility of your website.I do not know how long this will last.

www.nngroup.com/reports/accessibility