Swiss protecting the Toilets

Here is an interesting concept in order to keep unwanted people out of common toilets, some Swiss restaurants are putting an access code onto their restrooms, which will only be provided to customers.

"They say that travel broadens the mind, and I have recently discovered a new phenomenon – the Secure Toilet. On a recent trip to Switzerland, I visited a restaurant that secures the toilets with a digital lock. Both the ladies and the gents have a key-pad on the door, and with the right combination you can enter. Now this shouldn’t come as a surprise given our heightened security awareness these days, and that the Swiss are obviously very security conscious, and every restaurant proprietor will tell you that misuse of toilet facilities is an increasing problem – It must be otherwise why secure then with digital locks."

Terrorism Expert Advised City on Searches

I always suspected that those random bag searches on the NYC subway were just a facade and and an effort to make it look like NYC and the MTA, were actually doing something to combat terrorism. After reading this article I feel somewhat justified in my original presumption. Don't get me wrong, if random bag searches turn away one potential bomber, then I am all for it, but it highly amusing that the whole idea was to drive them to another city. It is so brilliant in a demonic kind of way. Well, as long as they don't us again it is ok. What about national cooperation and spirit. The harsh reality is if it does not effect me, it does not matter. True, but sad!!!

Broadcast Networks now charging for content

So the ABC, NBC and CBS are now partnering up to make their content available on demand (Video on Demand) through their respective distribution partners Apple/iPod, DirectTV, and Comcast. This means you can now pay between $.99 and $1.99 to download previously broadcast episode's of Desperate Housewifes, Law & Order, or CSI. You then only have the ability to view that content for a limitied time before it expires. I envision some form of Mission Impossible type tape will self-destruct in 5 seconds.

Now the thing that bothers me the most is that they are including the commercials in these downloads. This is somewhat bothersome to me because if I am paying for this I don't want to watch additional advertisements. I don't like it at the movies, and I especailly don't like it on websites where pop-ups, flash presentations, and extra pages appear on my browser. I suggest an additional premium for no showing commercials, or free downloads if you are willing to sit through extra commercials, and you forfiet the right to fast forward through the commercials. This way the networks could guarantee the number of eyes on the ad, rather than now, when fewer people still actually watch live TV, because of TiVo and DVR's.

I applaud the networks for attempting to expand their business model and try to reach a changing population. They are at least attempting to meet the needs of their consumers, rather than squash every innovation with a lawsuit or going after small companies that eat into their revenues like the record industry. I am not sure that this is the end, but rather the beginning, but clearly they are onto something, since Apple has reported over 1,000,000 downloads of Desperate Housewifes in just over 2 weeks. That is scary that people are so desperate to see this again, that they are willing to pay $1.99 for content they can tape on their VCR or record with their DVR for free and also be able to watch it again and again, whenever they choose.

First Trojan using Sony DRM spotted

Big suprise, the hackers are already using this toolkit to create viruses

How Divided is America

Leave it to the British to summarize what I have been attempting to say.

"After the 2004 election, many were convinced that the USA was more divided than ever. In fact, the problem in US politics is not that it is too divided, but that it isn't divided enough. A recent study by Morris Fiorina, Culture War?, shows that public opinion on many of the culture war issues, like abortion and gay rights, is in the middle, not at the extremes."

Excellent analysis, which seems to beg for a new political party, or at least more political ideaological discussion, rather than discussion on personal agendas and beliefs. I am also wrong in advocating for a Federalist party, but rather should be for a Jeffersonian party that will reduce the size and role of the federal government and give more responsibility for the actions of the public to the individual states, which makes sense since I am a Jeffersonian Libertarian!!