Links of the Day

Obama Signs Guantanamo Bay Closing and Torture Ban Orders - On his second day in office, Obama carried out a campaign promise to close the detention center within a year so sadly it will not be immediate. It’s sad that executive orders are needed for such common sense policies.

Judge: No 1:1 Relation in Pirating - For years now, the RIAA fundamental rule when decrying lost sales and problems with pirating is to assume a one to one relationship. There numbers, there legal briefings, quite literally everything is based on the assumption that a pirated copy equals one lost sale. This of course makes absolutely no sense logically speaking and finally a federal judge realized this in USA vs. Dove decision. This doesn't immediately effect current cases but could effect the RIAA's attempt at restitution and maybe (but doubtfully) help educate reporters who breathlessly repeat RIAA sponsored studies to "prove" what the poor innocent victims they are, rather then having an effect business model.

Inauguration Day Satellite Images - Click the link, with Zoom features to see a satellite view of Washington, DC area during Inauguration Day. Thanks to the crowd, it’s pretty spectacular to see.

Palin Whines Some More - Once again, the quest for special treatment while pretending she isn't asking for it, Sarah Palin complains that the press is being mean to her kids. The source this time is news that her daughter and husband to be dropped out of high school. Palin's reply is a) its none of our business and b) they are in correspondence school. For a) Palin has not problem trotting her family in front of the cameras and bring them to interviews when it appears to help her. If you don't want the scrutiny don't put them in front of the cameras to begin with. Also, her family views, no abortion, no sex before marriage, abstinence only education makes her daughter situation relevant considering her child is an excellent example of why those beliefs are naive at best. As for b) it is pretty clear those kids dropped out and are getting GEDs, another sign that Palin's politics are not based in reality.

Alba vs. O'Reilly - The lovely Jessica Alba handled O'Reilly attack team with grace with she just laid it out like it is. That Bill O'Reilly is an a-hole.


81st Oscar Nominations -The nominations are out; Benjamin Button got most and will win most. Heath Ledger is a lock for post mortem Oscar in the Supporting Actor Nomination. Wall-E will win best animated movie. I am sure there will be a single surprise over a see of predictability but frankly I just don't care.