No Straw Men

• Goodbye, Passwords. You Aren’t a Good Defense - Randall Stross, New York Times
  The solution urged by the experts is to abandon passwords—and to move to a fundamentally different model, one in which humans play little or no part in logging on.
  (tags: Passwords)
• Organ Failure - Sally Satel, Slate
  Battling for organs against the National Kidney Foundation.
  (tags: Organ_Donation)
• Is Google a Media Company? - Miguel Helft, New York Times
  Google has long insisted that it has no plans to own or create content, and that it is a friend, not a foe, of media companies.
  (tags: Google)
• Flush with Energy - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times
  Denmark, which was so badly hammered by the 1973 Arab oil embargo that it banned all Sunday driving for a while, responded to that crisis in such a sustained, focused and systematic way that today it is energy independent.
  (tags: Energy Denmark)
• Protesting in China - Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times
  Even though the process is a charade, it still represents progress in China, in that the law implicitly acknowledges the legitimacy of protest.
  (tags: China)
• In Loose Style, McCain Leads a Camp Divided - Adam Nagourey and Jim Rutenberg, New York Times
  Throughout his presidential campaign, he has been the overseer of a kingdom of dissenting camps, unclear lines of command and an unsettled atmosphere that keeps aides constantly on edge.
  (tags: John_McCain John_McCain_2008)
• Essays by Jonathan Rick - Jonathan Rick, JonathanRick.com
  (tags: Jonathan_Rick)

• With Security at Risk, a Push to Patch the Web - John Markoff, New York Times
  Dan Kaminsky has been urging companies around the world to fix a potentially dangerous flaw in the basic plumbing of the Internet.
  (tags: Internet_Security)
• Highways Paved with Gold - Daniel Gross, Slate
  You think the government is wasting a few billion a year on mass-transit subsidies. But what about the huge subsidies for cars and trucks?
  (tags: Highways Subsidies Transportation)
• Competent to Face Trial, but Incompetent to Represent Yourself - Cullen Seltzer, Slate
  The Supreme Court says you can be competent enough to understand the proceedings against you, but nevertheless incompetent to represent yourself.
  (tags: Crime Supreme_Court_Verdicts Indiana_v._Edwards)
• Making Capitalism More Creative - Bill Gates, Time
  Under a U.S. law enacted last year, for example, any drug company that develops a new treatment for a neglected disease like malaria can get a priority review from the FDA for another product it has made.
  (tags: Corporate_Social_Responsibility)
• Spray-On Condoms: Still a Hard Sell - Callie Lefevre, Time
  Inspired by the mechanics of a drive-through car wash, the German sexual-health educator designed a custom-fitting male contraceptive using liquid latex and some materials from a hardware store.
  (tags: Condoms)
• Forensic Science Reform - Radley Balko and Roger Koppl, Slate
  Over the years, there have been plenty of hucksters and charlatans happy to take advantage of the ignorance of juries, prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys in very complicated and difficult-to-understand disciplines.
  (tags: Forensic_Science Crime)
• Some Media Companies Choose to Profit From Pirated YouTube Clips - Brian Stelter, New York Times
  Google CEO Eric Schmidt said last month, “I personally do not believe that the perfect ad product for YouTube has been invented yet.”
  (tags: YouTube Google Online_Advertising)
• C-Span and the Conventions - William Beutler, Blog PI
  New Media Strategies will be working through the conventions with C-Span to run their Convention Hub.
  (tags: C-Span Conventions)

• Meet the Staff of Viget Labs - Viget.com
  The best design for a staff Web page I've seen.
  (tags: Web_Design)
• Did Obama Miss the Embassy Bombing Anniversary? - Jim Geraghty, Campaign Spot
  Is it possible that the campaign of the first American presidential candidate with Kenyan heritage missed the ten year anniversary of the al Qaeda attacks on the embassies?
  (tags: Barack_Obama_2008)
• Your Time Magazine Subscriber Money at Work - Ana Marie Cox, Swampland
  This is why there aren't more bloggers on the trail.
  (tags: John_McCain_2008 Bloggers)
• Olympic Inflation - William Saletan, Slate
  A new record means that an athlete using today's equipment outperformed an athlete using yesterday's equipment. If you want to compare today's athletes to yesterday's, the ideal method would be an inflationary formula.
  (tags: Olympics Sports Human_Enhancement)
• McCain's BFF - Melinda Henneberger, Slate
  How Lindsey Graham became John McCain's best friend forever.
  (tags: Lindsey_Graham John_McCain)
• The Poison That Is Jerome Corsi - Jon Henke, Next Right
  This guy does not deserve the platform, he does not deserve the publicity, and he does not deserve to be treated as member-in-good-standing on the right.
  (tags: Jerome_Corsi Republicans)
• Defense Wins the Wimbledon Championships - Daniel Seidel, Slate
  Against any other player, either of Federer's shots might've been good enough; against Nadal, he needed to win the point three times.
  (tags: Tennis Roger_Federer Rafael_Nadal)
• Reclaiming the Morality of Abortion - Linda Hirshman, Slate
  The Democratic platform of 2008 offers an opportunity to put an end to this self-destructive cycle of Safe, Legal, and Rare, otherwise known as regret, depression, and self-denigration.
  (tags: Abortion)
• Olympics Online, With a Hook - John Markoff, New York Times
  In conjunction with NBC, Microsoft is offering thousands of hours of free video direct from the Olympics in Beijing. The catch: To view the videos, you need to download a Microsoft Web browser software component based on a new proprietary technology, Silverlight.
  (tags: Olympics Silverlight Microsoft)
• How McCain Would Govern - John Fortier, Politico.com
  His congressional career has prepared him to govern effectively in an era of divided government.
  (tags: John_McCain)

• Defense Wins the Wimbledon Championships - Daniel Seidel, Slate
  How Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon

(tags: Tennis Roger_Federer Rafael_Nadal )

• Reclaiming the Morality of Abortion - Linda Hirshman, Slate
  The Democratic platform of 2008 offers an opportunity to put an end to this self-destructive cycle of Safe, Legal, and Rare, otherwise known as regret, depression, and self-denigration.

(tags: Abortion )

• Olympics Online, With a Hook - John Markoff, New York Times
  In conjunction with NBC, Microsoft is offering thousands of hours of free video direct from the Olympics in Beijing. The catch: To view the videos, you need to download a Microsoft Web browser software component based on a new proprietary technology, Silverlight.

(tags: Olympics Silverlight Microsoft )

• How Would McCain Govern? - John Fortier, Politico.com
  His congressional career has prepared him to govern effectively in an era of divided government.

(tags: John_McCain )

• Flickr for Libraries - Ed Kohler, Technology Evangelist
  If your goal is to reach a large audience with well-organized and sharable images, then Flickr is hard to beat.

(tags: Flickr Photos )

• How do you see who's replying to your Tweets?
  Why can't Twitter embed this feed on your profile page?

(tags: Twitter )

• Why the Press Corps Should Boycott the Conventions - Jack Shafer, Slate
  If the political press corps were honest, they'd start every convention story with the finding that nothing important happened that day and that your attention is not needed.

(tags: Conventions Media )

• Woman to Woman, Online - Claire Cain Miller, New York Times
  Sites aimed primarily at women, from “mommy blogs” to makeup and fashion sites, grew 35 percent last year—faster than every other category on the Web except politics.

(tags: Women )

• The Case for Juvenile Courts - Editorial Board, New York Times
  Nearly every state now has laws that encourage prosecutors to try minors as adults. The recent studies of this approach should lead legislatures to abandon these counterproductive policies.

(tags: Juvenile_Courts Crime )

• Flickr for Libraries - Ed Kohler, Technology Evangelist
  If your goal is to reach a large audience with well-organized and sharable images, then Flickr is hard to beat.
  (tags: Flickr Photos)
• How do you see who's replying to your Tweets?
  Why can't Twitter embed this feed on your profile page?
  (tags: Twitter)
• Why the Press Corps Should Boycott the Conventions - Jack Shafer, Slate
  If the political press corps were honest, they'd start every convention story with the finding that nothing important happened that day and that your attention is not needed.
  (tags: Conventions Media)
• Woman to Woman, Online - Claire Cain Miller, New York Times
  Sites aimed primarily at women, from “mommy blogs” to makeup and fashion sites, grew 35 percent last year—faster than every other category on the Web except politics.
  (tags: Women)
• The Case for Juvenile Courts - Editorial Board, New York Times
  Nearly every state now has laws that encourage prosecutors to try minors as adults. The recent studies of this approach should lead legislatures to abandon these counterproductive policies.
  (tags: Juvenile_Courts Crime)
• Many Fail to See the Humor in "I Am Rich" for the iPhone - Eric A. Taub, New York Times
  Last week saw the release of an iPhone application called “I Am Rich.” The program promised to do nothing except signal to the world that its buyer was wealthy enough to have spent $1,000 to download an image of a multifaceted ruby.
  (tags: iPhone)
• 2000 McCain Would Be Ashamed of 2008 McCain - Joe Klein, Swampland
  John McCain has made a fateful decision: He has personally impugned Obama's patriotism and allows his surrogates to continue to do that. By doing so, he has allied himself with those who smeared him, his wife, his daughter Bridget, in 2000.
  (tags: John_McCain Mudslinging)

• Many Fail to See the Humor in "I Am Rich" for the iPhone - Eric A. Taub, New York Times
  Last week, an application turned the iPhone into a megaphone to proclaim: “I Am Rich.” That is the name of a downloadable program that promised to do nothing except signal to the world that its buyer was wealthy enough to have spent $1,000 to download an image of a multifaceted ruby.

(tags: iPhone )

• 2000 McCain Would Be Ashamed of 2008 McCain - Joe Klein, Swampland
  John McCain has made a fateful decision: He has personally impugned Obama's patriotism and allows his surrogates to continue to do that. By doing so, he has allied himself with those who smeared him, his wife, his daughter Bridget, in 2000.

(tags: John_McCain Mudslinging )

• McCain Girl and the Enchanted Republican Forest - Barely Political, YouTube

(tags: Humor Barely_Political )

• Elections Video Search - Google.com
  Find out what the candidates said. Search through hundreds of YouTube political videos for what was spoken and watch the snippet where your query term was mentioned, using state-of-the-art Google speech-to-text technology.

(tags: YouTube Speech_to_Text )

• Barack Roll - hmatkin, YouTube

(tags: Barack_Obama YouTube Humor )

• Free Gas Video Contest - American Solutions
  We turn to you—the creative American—to demonstrate in a short video why we must adopt a "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less” approach. The winner will receive free gasoline for an entire year.

(tags: YouTube Energy American_Solutions )

• McCain Girl and the Enchanted Republican Forest - Barely Political, YouTube
  (tags: Humor Barely_Political)
• Elections Video Search - Google.com
  Find out what the candidates said. Search through hundreds of YouTube political videos for what was spoken and watch the snippet where your query term was mentioned, using state-of-the-art Google speech-to-text technology.
  (tags: YouTube Speech_to_Text)
• Barack Roll - hmatkin, YouTube
  (tags: Barack_Obama YouTube Humor)
• Free Gas Video Contest - American Solutions
  We turn to you—the creative American—to demonstrate in a short video why we must adopt a "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less” approach. The winner will receive free gasoline for an entire year.
  (tags: YouTube Energy American_Solutions)
• The Front-Runner’s Fall - Joshua Green, The Atlantic
  Hillary Clinton’s campaign was undone by a clash of personalities more toxic than anyone imagined. E-mails and memos—published here for the first time—reveal the backstabbing and conflicting strategies that produced an epic meltdown.
  (tags: HIllary_Clinton Hillary_Clinton_2008)
• Dressing for Success at Work - Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder.com
  In a new CareerBuilder.com survey, 41 percent of employers said that people who dress better or more professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in their organization.
  (tags: Career Fashion)

• The Front-Runner’s Fall - Joshua Green, The Atlantic
  Hillary Clinton’s campaign was undone by a clash of personalities more toxic than anyone imagined. E-mails and memos—published here for the first time—reveal the backstabbing and conflicting strategies that produced an epic meltdown.

(tags: HIllary_Clinton Hillary_Clinton_2008 )

• Dressing for Success at Work - Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder.com
  In a new CareerBuilder.com survey, 41 percent of employers said that people who dress better or more professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in their organization.

(tags: Career Fashion )

• Why Twitter Hasn’t Failed: The Power of Audience - Gregor Hochmuth, TechCrunch
  No matter how long the outage du jour, Twitter users continue to stay attached to the service despite an ever-changing backdrop of alternatives.

(tags: Twitter )

• America's Racial Progress - George Will, RealClearPolitics
  The siege of the jail, the rioting, the lynching and mutilating all occurred within walking distance of where, in 2007, Barack Obama announced his presidential candidacy.

(tags: Racism )

• It's Official: DC Gets Its Own Reality Show - Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin, Yeas & Nays
  Casting hasn't been finalized, according to one source, but the primary characters—local socialites/hotties/20-somethings Katherine Kennedy, Krista Johnson and Sophie Pyle—remain on board.

(tags: Washington_DC )

• A Last Chance to Reform Debate Format - Barry Casselman and Newt Gingrich, RealClearPolitics
  Senator McCain has made the "town hall" format his trademark, and Senator Obama has repeatedly said he favors a "Lincoln-Douglas debate" format.

(tags: Debates )

• Al Qaeda at 20 - Daniel Byman, Slate
  It is hard to dispute al Qaeda's operational successes.

(tags: Al_Qaeda Osama_bin_Laden )

• Life Sentence - Sarah Blustain, New Republic
  Stop kidding yourself: John McCain is a pro-life zealot.

(tags: John_McCain Abortion )

• Will McCain Announce His VP Online? - Patrick Ruffini, Next Right
  Candidates can use a Big Moments Strategy to aggregate supporters on their Web site, collecting e-mail addresses and the prospect of future money. Announcing the VP pick online is the next logical step in this progression.

(tags: John_McCain_2008 SMS )

• What's Next for the NYTimes Online? Widgets, iPhone Apps, APIs, and More - Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider
  We asked Marc Frons, who's been chief technology officer of the Times' digital operations for two years.

(tags: NYTimes.com Media )

• Ten News and Information Twitter Feeds You Should Follow - Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider
  While Twitter is alternately known as a way for pals to keep in touch, or as a tool for self-promoters (nothing wrong with that), it has plenty of more practical uses, too.

(tags: Twitter )

• Pictures from the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

(tags: Olympics Pictures )

• National Enquirer Can Put Mainstream Media to Shame - Howard Kurtz, Washington Post
  The Enquirer's standards aren't my standards, and I still believe that paying sources, as it did in the Edwards case, taints a story. But the paper knows how to conduct an investigation for certain kinds of stories.

(tags: Media_Bias National_Enquirer )

• Obama to Announce VP Pick Via Text Message and E-mail - Patrick Gavin, FishbowllDC
  Barack Obama announced today—via Twitter—that he would announce "the VP candidate sometime between now & the Convention by txt msg & e-mail."

(tags: Barack_Obama_2008 SMS )

• Pelosi: Save the Planet, Let Someone Else Drill - Charles Krauthammer, RealClearPolitics
  Outsourcing U.S. oil production does nothing to lessen worldwide environmental despoliation. It simply exports it to more corrupt, less efficient, more unstable parts of the world—thereby increasing net planetary damage.

(tags: Energy )

• A GOP Choice: Tom Coburn or Ted Stevens - John Fund, Wall Street Journal
  The Republican Party is facing what Ronald Reagan called "a time for choosing." A real argument is raging over how much it should turn its back on the bad habits that cost it control of Congress in 2006.

(tags: Conservatism Ted_Stevens Tom_Coburn )

• Group Plans Campaign Against G.O.P. Donors - Michael Luo, New York Times
  Nearly 10,000 of the biggest GOP donors will receive a foreboding letter next week, warning that their donations will prompt liberal watchdog groups to dig through their lives.

(tags: Opposition_Research )

• Drill and Conserve - Charles Krauthammer, RealClearPolitics
  Why must there be a choice between encouraging conservation and increasing supply? The logical answer is obvious: Do both.

(tags: Energy )

• Commission on Presidential Debates Boldly Goes to Web 0.2, Launches a Dud - Michah L. Sifry
  What they're offering us here is little more than live video streaming, which is like, so, year 2000.

(tags: MySpace Political_Debates )

• Edwards Admits Affair; Denies Child - Pete Yost, Associated Press
  John Edwards, who won nationwide praise and sympathy as he campaigned side by side with his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, admitted in shame that he had had an affair with a woman who produced videos as he prepared to launch his presidential campaign.

(tags: John_Edwards )

• Edwards: I Was "99% Honest"! - Mickey Kaus, Slate
  John Edwards claims in his just-released statement that he's learned, in the context of his dismissal of the Enquirer, that "being 99% honest is no longer enough."

(tags: John_Edwards )

• Pawlenty Looks to National Stage - Monica Davey, New York Times
  Asked at a press luncheon in Washington what the most important quality of a running mate would be, Mr. Pawlenty responded, “Discretion,” and walked away from the microphone.

(tags: John_McCain_Campaign Tim_Pawlenty )

In keeping with both my indecisiveness and need to research an issue before making a decision, I’m still dithering on which photo-sharing program I should use: Flickr or Picasa?

To answer this question, I created a chart:

Conclusion: The only thing Flickr has going for it is its embeddable slideshows. Otherwise, Picasa seems far superior.

If anyone wonders why I talk so much about Wyatt, my mother’s miniature schnauzer, perhaps these pictures will explain. If not, maybe this essay I wrote in high school will do the trick.

Addendum: My tech friends Leslie Bradshaw, David All, Rob Bluey, Jesse Thomas and Patrick Ruffini all use Flickr instead of Picasa. Maybe I should too? Which do you recommend?

Please update your RSS reader. Thanks!

• The Story of a Snitch - Jeremy Kahn, The Atlantic
  Across our inner cities, the code of omerta has spread from organized crime to ordinary citizens. “Stop snitching” has become a motto to live—or die—by, as John Dowery Jr. discovered.
  (tags: Informants)
• Dating Diaries: We Want to Know About Your Dating Life! - Kelly DiNardo, Capital Comment Blog
  If you’re willing to dish about your dates on a regular basis (and maybe take some dating challenges along the way!) we want to hear from you.
  (tags: Washington_DC Dating)
• As a Professor, Obama Enthralled Students and Puzzled Faculty - Jodi Kantor, New York Times
  Obama spent 12 years at the University of Chicago Law School. Standing in his favorite classroom in the austere main building, sharp-witted students looming above him, he refined his public speaking style, his debating abilities, his beliefs.
  (tags: Barack_Obama)

• TechRepublican Event: Modern Mojitos - David All, TechRepublican
  Following up on the success of our first TechRepublican event, “Welcome to the Modern World,” we’re pleased to announce our next event, “Modern Mojitos,” on Wednesday, July 30.
  (tags: Washington_DC)
• Too Big to Fail, or to Survive - William Poole, New York Times
  To permit Fannie and Freddie to default would set off a worldwide crisis. But we can decide what should become of Freddie and Fannie after this crisis. The best option is one getting little mention in Washington: Get rid of them.
  (tags: Fannie_Mae Freddie_Mac)
• R.N.C. Creates Facebook Parody Site for Obama - Michael Falcone, The Caucus
  Here’s an entry you would not expect to see on Barack Obama’s official profile on the social networking site Facebook: “Barack Obama is now friends with Tony Rezko.” But that’s the first item on Obama’s FriendFeed on BarackBook.com.
  (tags: Satire Barack_Obama RNC)
• Interesting Facts About McCain and Obama’s E-Campaigns - Emily Cadel, CQPolitics.com
  The software and technology for BarackObama.com were designed by Blue State Digital, which charges a monthly contract fee for hosting the entire suite of tools and the Web platform the campaign employs. The cost, through June: $1.4 million.
  (tags: Online_Activism John_McCain_Campaign Barack_Obama_Campaign)

• Road Trip! Young Republicans Blog and Twitter Their Way Across the U.S. - Sarah Lai Stirland, Threat Level
  A quarter of college Republicans have set off across the country in a rented Ford Explorer to remind America that not all young people are Barack Obama supporters, and that it’s still possible to drive 2,500 miles without once crossing a Democratic distri
  (tags: Online_Activism)
• Things Younger Than Republican Presidential Candidate (Oh, and Did I Forget to Mention War Hero?) John McCain
  Am I being “age-ist”? Maybe. But maybe not. The world is a pretty complicated place right now and I’m thinking that it’s not such a great time to elect our oldest President ever.
  (tags: John_McCain)

• Those Who Oppose Democracy - John Fund, Wall Street Journal
  Representative government will remain the enduring feature of American democracy, but direct democracy is a valuable safety valve.
  (tags: Democracy Referenda)
• Obama.com: Not What You Think - Chris Wilson, Trailhead
  Thousands of people every month are visiting Obama.com expecting to find Barack Obama’s campaign Web site. Instead, they find a Japanese site full of links for loans and hair transplants.
• Why Are Iraqi Athletes Being Excluded from the Olympics? - Bobby Ghosh, Time
  The International Olympic Committee’s protestations that it had no choice but to impose its rules are plainly disingenuous. For one thing, Iraq is hardly the only country where politicians meddle with sport. The Games are, after all, being held in China!
  (tags: Olympics)
• Texas to Tel Aviv - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times
  Two of the most interesting new clean electron wildcatters are T. Boone Pickens and Shai Agassi.
  (tags: Energy T_Boone_Pickens Shai_Agassi)
• Devils’ Advocates - James Kirchick, New Republic
  Despots and the lobbyists who love them.
  (tags: Lobbying)
• Does Obama’s College Thesis Matter? - Matthew Yglesias, TheAtlantic.com
  An old college paper is just an old college paper.
• Three Ways to Lower Gas Prices - Newt Gingrich, YouTube
  Newt Gingrich sure is persuasive.
  (tags: Energy)
• Senate’s “Dr. No” Spurs Showdown Over Spending - Paul Kane, Washington Post
  Instead of a keepsake photo of a political hero or his family, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has a large framed picture next to his desk that serves as a constant reminder of his political ideology. Inside the frame and matting is a single word: “No.”
  (tags: Tom_Coburn)

Back in December, I began the process of moving my blog from http://nostrawmen.blogspot.com to its rightful URL, here at JonathanRick.com. For a variety of reasons, this process is still, um, in process.

Nonetheless, I’d like to note one source of satisfaction. I’ve finally ascertained a way to convert my essays into blog posts: Simply upload the original Word documents to Google Docs, and then embed each Google Doc within a blog post via an iframe.

Here are two examples of the results.