08.16.07
Eye exam
This will probably interest family the most. Pressure 14 and 14—the ophthalmologist said that it was like a teen-ager’s eye pressure. Small cataract still small. New glasses needed, and I order two bifocals: computer plus reading, and distance plus reading. I used the frame I already had for the distance, and got a new frame for the computer. About two weeks. Fortunately I have a spare pair from Lenscrafters—who, let it be known, are terrible: more expensive than needed, poor service, and bad fit. I’m just sayin’.
My retina is fine—absolutely no sign of diabetic damage to date. Six months and a quick checkup.
The courts are starting to wake up
Yesterday, a federal appeals court “appeared skeptical of and sometimes hostile” towards the Bush administration’s argument that legal challenges to the NSA’s surveillance programs should be dismissed on “state secrets” and national security grounds, with one judge saying the government’s argument was tantamount to “the king can do no wrong.”
“The bottom line” of the administration’s argument “is the government declares something is a state secret, that’s the end of it. No cases,” said Judge Judge Harry Pregerson. “The king can do no wrong.”
The two cases argued yesterday — the first to reach the court out of fifty lawsuits consolidated before the 9th Circuit court — concern two separate, but related secret programs:
1) A program where AT&T allegedly provides “the NSA its customers’ phone and Internet communications for a vast data-mining operation,” in a program that “the government has not acknowledged,” but plaintiff’s lawyers call a “content dragnet.”
2) A program disclosed by The New York Times in December 2005, which the administration calls the Terrorist Surveillance Program,” where the NSA bypasses “court warrants in monitoring international communications involving people in the United States.”
Federal lawyers argued that “almost nothing about the substance of the government’s conduct could be talked about in court,” but that the judges must give executive branch claims of state secrets the “utmost deference.”
The three judges on the court were unsatisfied with the argument, offering various stinging comments and rebuttals:
- “Is it the government’s position that when our country is engaged in a war that the power of the executive when it comes to wiretapping is unchecked?” asked Pregerson.
- “This seems to put us in the ‘trust us’ category. ‘We don’t do it. Trust us. And don’t ask us about it,’” said Judge M. Margaret McKeown.
- “Every ampersand, every comma is top-secret?” queried Judge Michael Daly Hawkins about a withheld document.
- “”Are you saying the courts are to rubber-stamp the determination of the executive of what’s a state secret? What’s our job?” asked Pregerson.
- “I feel like I’m in Alice and Wonderland,” observed McKeown.
When Deputy Solicitor General Greg Garre argued that “other avenues” than the court system were the proper forum for complaints about government surveillance, Pregerson shot back: “What is that? Impeachment?”
Wired liveblogged the hearing here.
Google maps
Google Maps is cool. You have a tab “directions,” and after you enter start and destination, it draws a route. Using the while on your mouse, you can zoom in or out, and with click and drag you can move the map around (much nicer than scroll bars). It shows you the time the route will take, and you can click and drag the route to other highways, and it shows you the time for that route. The Wife was working on a trip, and the route Google Maps initially suggested was 4 hr 44 min. She kept tinkering with it, dragging the route here and there, and got it down to 3 hr 15 min. Sometimes in dragging the route it goes kablooey, so you have to use the back button and redo it.
UPDATE: The times as you play with the route are totally misleading. More work showed that the initial route was the best, and it’s 4.5 hours. So it goes. The map is not the territory.
Kitchen toys
Who does not love kitchen toys? We all—at least those of us who cook—love our cutlery, pots, pans, measuring cups, and all that stuff. And here’s a great source, from Slashfood this morning: a restaurant supply store.
Chia seed arrives
Breaking: The morning mail bought the 1.5 lbs of chia seed that I ordered (from Arizona Chia, Inc.). I’ll eat some today. Watch for report.
Like jazz? Like good anecdotes? I have a book for you.
Jazz Anecdotes, by Bill Crow, is a fabulous and high-readable collection of anecdotes from the world of jazz. And for $1, how can you go wrong? His autobiography, From Birdland to Broadway is also fascinating.
For audio geeks
I have used this, but in the shaving forum a guy gave it an enthusiastic recommendation: the DAC1 USB 2-channel 24-bit 192kHz D/A converter, which produces vinyl-quality sound (they say) from digital (CD, presumably) input. Rip your CDs with FLAC, then plug this into your computer, your headphones into this, and enjoy great music once more. It says here.
Animated maps of war
Maps of War has some excellent and informative animations of maps showing events over a timeline—for example, History of Religion, US presidents and their wars, and several maps showing aspects of the Iraq War.
Rose shaving cream
I seem to have run out of Rose soaps, so today I began the shaving creams with Truefitt & Hill (a great brand, soap or cream) Rose shaving cream, applied with a brush I increasingly like, the Edwin Jagger Medium Silvertip. The link is to the one with a handle of faux ivory, but they offer other handles in the Silvertip line, as well as other grades of badger.
Worked up a fine lather quickly, then used the Vision 2000 with an Astra Superior Platinum blade (second shave with that blade, I believe). Excellent shave, and finished with alum block and Geo. F. Trumper Spanish Leather aftershave.
