TODAY: SCOTUS private Conference on Hamdan/Khadr; Commission Charges Referred

Today the Supreme Court holds a private conference on the Hamdan and Khadr cases to determine whether to grant cert in those cases. The Khadr reply brief may be found here; it consists of some dense legal argument detailing just why habeas corpus historically did not apply only to citizens of the sovereign. [...]

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GiSTEQ PhotoTracker / GPS Phototagger: $99

If you, like me, take tons of pictures, and wish you could automatically record the location of each picture taken, this might just be the solution. GiSTEQ is introducing the $99 PhotoTracker, about the size of a key fob, which you manually sync with your camera’s internal clock, toss in your camera bag or [...]

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Sheryl Crow, Laurie David, and Hypocracy

As you know, I’m a die-hard environmentalist. I also believe that Thomas Jefferson spake the truth when he said “all Men are created equal.  And I also believe it’s true that ol’ TJ owned slaves around that same time.
No lingering cognitive dissonance there, most of us have worked through these historical demons of American [...]

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Halo 2 for Windows Vista

Should you be considering Halo 2 for Vista, PlayFeed has a great rundown of the improvements over Halo 2 for the Xbox. They are many, but you can read’em after you gaze lovingly at the new Halo 2 Achievements list which, alas, unless Bungie revises their game plan, won’t appear on your 360 (unless, [...]

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Spinal Tap Reunited: Warmer Than Hell!!!

Your and my favorite band is reuniting for the first time since 1992 in a 15-minute film directed by Rob Reiner and focusing on global warming. They’ll be playing Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled on July 7, 2007.
One new song is featured: “Warmer Than Hell.” For [...]

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$2,499, 52-inch Westinghouse 1080p LCD

Those of you who know me know that in 2006, I picked up a 42″ 1080p Westinghouse LCD for $1499 from Best Buy, had a minor techincal difficulty with it that wasn’t promptly fixed to my satisfaction. After some calls back and forth to Customer Service to ensure the problem was fixed, and after [...]

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China passes U.S. as top greenhouse gas emitter in 2007

Or so Shai Oster of the Wall Street Journal writes today, citing comments by the International Energy Agency’s chief economist, Fatih Birol. Previously China had been expected to surpass the U.S. in emissions in 2010, but China’s burgeoning economy (increasing at more than 10% a year for the past four years) has required a [...]

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Microsoft’s upcoming "Multi-Component Gaming System”: Xbox 360 + Zune/360 Handheld + Live Anywhere?

April 19, 2007, Microsoft filed a new patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a “Multi-Component Gaming System.” Here’s the pertinent language from the summary paragraph:
Gaming components can be combined wirelessly, by wired connections (e.g., via a docking station), or a combination thereof. The processing capabilities and functionality of each [...]

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John Edwards primping

I’m not saying one way or another whether I like John Edwards, but this video of Mr. Edwards preening and primping is priceless. Take a look:

It’s also interesting that Mr. Edwards has been known to have received at least two $400.00 haircuts. I’d imagine, given the above video, that that price includes the [...]

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NYT reports on Russian Press/News media

If you follow news of Russia, you’ll know that the Kremlin has engaged over recent years in an ongoing exertion of control over media outlets. All three national television networks, for example, are directly controlled by the state. The Moscow Times in 2006 reported that one newspaper that frequently published anti-Kremlin stories was [...]

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Hilarious Onion "This American Life” Spoof

I went to high school and college with types like this. In fact, I probably was a type like this. I may still be. You know, the throngs of “bespectacled cynics prone to neuroses who are actually doing just fine”? Anyone who either enjoys, or enjoys making fun of Ira Glass’ [...]

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"One high-fat meal a day gets the doctor to stay”

The proposition might seem hyperbolic, but a new study published in Journal of Nutrition supports the proposition that a high fat meal has the opposite effect as does the proverbial “an apple a day.”
The study, conducted by, among others, the Penn State Vascular Health Interventions Lab, found that “[t]he consumption of a single high-fat meal [...]

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Badass Halo/Masterchief Movie

This has gotta be one of the best Halo user movies I’ve seen. I enjoy Red vs. Blue, but this is just plain wacky. Plus, the fellow that made this is fantastic at putting together CGI movies. Kudos.
I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s Halo vs. Metroid and worth watching to [...]

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Breaking News: The 1984 Logan Act Conviction vs. the “No indictments in 200 years” falsehood

This is a much-belated blog on a topic that is probably of interest only to those interested in the most arcane of the arcane — the Logan Act, 18 U.S.C. § 953. It’s been talked-up most recently because of allegations by some that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi potentially violated the Logan Act by visiting [...]

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You Damaged My Marriage: United States v. Taylor

The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (C.A.A.F.), the highest military court in the United States’ military justice system, recently ruled on a privileges issue that has widespread implications for military appellants. In United States v. Taylor, No. 06-0319 (C.A.A.F., 5 April 2007), the Court ruled that during a criminal prosecution [...]

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