Monthly Archives: December 2002

It’s January 1 here in Japan. May we all have a happy new year. As usual, my final newspaper column of last year looked back, and was headlined “2002 was a rough year for liberty and trust”. My first column … Continue reading →

I’ll be posting infrequently during the next few days. Hope your holiday season is a happy one… Comments

Los Angeles Times: Showtime for theater owners. Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, said that although the population is larger today, this year’s surge is “stunning” because of the choices technology now provides, including VCRs, cable … Continue reading →

Peace on Earth, goodwill toward all. Comments

Chris Gulker has an interesting take on a mindless quote he saw about bloggers. Needless to say I have many thoughts on this, too, but not enough time right now to put them online. Watch this space, but be sure … Continue reading →

Guardian (London): US wrecks cheap drugs deal. Talks at the WTO’s Geneva headquarters collapsed last night after the White House ruled out a deal which would have permitted a full range of life-saving drugs to be imported into Africa, Asia … Continue reading →

Look for a key ruling today in Sun Microsystems’ antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, a Sun PR person has told reporters in an e-mail. Sun wants an injunction requiring Microsoft to bundle current Java code with Windows. If the judge grants … Continue reading →

If your car maker forced you to use the dealership for all service and repairs, and backed that up with electronic locks you couldn’t legally break, you’d be furious. Yet the entertainment and software industries are doing just that kind … Continue reading →

The Head Lemur observes that if you put stuff on the Web and then get mad when people find it, you’re an idiot. Read why. Comments

New York Times: Wall St. Firms to Pay $1.4 Billion in Settlement With Regulators. The agreement is a result of roughly five months of fractious negotiations between the firms and securities regulators. It is intended to force Wall Street to … Continue reading →