Orbital + David Gray = warmth in an alien world

Soundtrack in my head: Orbital, "Illuminate" I never followed Orbital's career that closely. The electronic dance music band, consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnell, have put together quite an extensive catalog of music over the last quarter century. I have a  compilation of their releases called Orbital 20.  Their music is sometimes harsh and … Continue reading Orbital + David Gray = warmth in an alien world

ef2 tornado strikes madison, ef3 tornado strikes verona

Soundtrack in my head: Game Theory, "Crash Into June" Tornado warning (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Around midnight Tuesday morning, a number of us discovered that our mobile phones were producing sounds that we'd never before heard.  They sounded either like the horn on an ambulance, or a high-pitched noise accompanying a TV test pattern.  The tone … Continue reading ef2 tornado strikes madison, ef3 tornado strikes verona

take back your online privacy without asking

Today, on the first anniversary of the first article about NSA mass spying, a number of organizations and Internet companies are promoting ways to take back your online privacy *now,* without asking the government.  The idea--many security tools exist to limit and frustrate the ability of the NSA to collect your personal information.  More details … Continue reading take back your online privacy without asking

Lyft and Uber: 20% tech, 80% talk, and 100% invasive species

Soundtrack in my head: They Might Be Giants, "Don't Let's Start" vainodesositis / Pixabay How would you feel if a new company set up shop in your town and immediately proceeded to start breaking the city's laws? And when threatened with enforcement of such laws declared that your laws were outdated and needed to be … Continue reading Lyft and Uber: 20% tech, 80% talk, and 100% invasive species