Media Criticism, Philosophy, Popular Culture, Social Commentary, Technology and Society

Everything That Can Be Customized

6 Comments

…must be.

This is where I differ with Lileks (and Virginia Postrel). I have no desire to customize anything. To me it’s pointless work. Perhaps because I have absolutely no artistic talent (at least visually) or even that much aesthetic sensibility. My computer screen has the same background that was installed with the OS. I did put an effect on my phone when I first got it, because I was playing around with it to see how it all worked, but I’ve never downloaded, let alone paid for, a ring tone. Or a fancy case. I really just don’t care.

Education, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

A Federally Required Presumption Of Guilt

4 Comments

The latest anti-rights insanity coming from the Obama administration. It’s becoming child abuse to send a kid to public schools, or a son to college.

[Update a couple minutes later]

“If your boyfriend likes the First Amendment, be careful!”

This is how fascists think.

[Update a minute or so later]

“Law enforcement must take the lead in campus sexual assault cases.”

What a concept.

[Update another minute or so later]

“Illegals [immigrants] at the border have more rights than college students accused of rape.”

[Late-morning update]

No, one in five women on campus have not been raped.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary

Transparency

4 Comments

Amazingly, a frequent commenter actually posted this (presumably with a straight face):

Obama set a standard for his administration that no other president has even tried to meet, and fell short of it, while still offering more transparency than any previous administration.

Josh Earnest (I still can’t believe that hired someone with that name for the job of presidential spokesman) repeated it.

But really, as Glenn notes, picking the biggest whopper of the Obama era is a tough task. I guess they’re operating on Goebbels’ Big Lie theory.

Mathematics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Social Commentary

Mann Suit Update

1 Comment

I didn’t mention it last week, because I’ve been busy dealing with life, but both we and National Review submitted our brief in the case to the DC Court of Appeals last Monday. I’m not sure if the CEI brief has been discussed anywhere, but here’s a discussion of National Review’s. We requested that the lower-court ruling to refuse dismissal be overturned and the case dismissed (implicitly) with prejudice. That means that if the appeals court agrees, we can go after Mann for legal costs.

Anyway, the reason I mention it now is that Alliance Defending Freedom has filed an amicus brief today on our behalf. I’ve got the filing, but haven’t seen any links to it yet. We also have one from Reason, Cato, Goldwater Institute, and the Individual Rights Foundation.

[Late evening update]

OK, we’ve got a couple more. One is from Newsmax Media, Inc., Free Beacon,LLC, The Foundation for Cultural Review, The Daily Caller, LLC, PJ Media, LLC, and The Electronic Frontier Foundation. The other is from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and twenty six other media organization, which I won’t list here.

Also, as with the last time, the District of Columbia has filed an amicus on our behalf to defend its anti-SLAPP law.

I’m guessing that a lot more media organizations are filing this time because they they were shocked at the ruling the last time, and wanted to make their views clear to the appellate court.

[Wednesday-morning update]

CEI has links to all the legal filings in the case to date, including Monday’s amici.

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!