Openly Eccentric - Open Thread 8/21/2016
Submitted by detroitmechworks on Sun, 08/21/2016 - 4:33amGood Sunday Morning, and here's hoping you get some relief from the heat!
Good Sunday Morning, and here's hoping you get some relief from the heat!
25+ New election links, must reads, videos and posts
8-5-2016 - Politico's 'How to Hack an Election in 7 Minutes' Finally Gets Close to Real Solutions - With Russia already meddling in 2016, a ragtag group of obsessive tech experts is warning that stealing the ultimate prize—victory on Nov. 8—would be child’s play. If this century has shifted our trust from away from our neighbors toward machines, it might be time to switch back again. Eight countries in Europe that once flirted with digital voting have seen six go back to paper; Britain counted its Brexit votes by hand. Even if the vote were never hacked—and it is an exceedingly implausible event—the remotest possibility is an albatross on democracy and a boon for mischief-makers, and not just the cyber attackers. Trump’s most recent jujitsu—pointing out that by virtue of the fact that the election is hackable, it could be rigged against him—illustrates this risk. Technology has amplified not only the threat of hacking, but the threat of a hack.
8-5-2016 - BradBlog - Politico summarizes much of BRAD BLOG's 15 years of e-voting coverage in 8,500 smart words.... - Please read the cover story of Politico Magazine today headlined "How to Hack an Election in 7 Minutes". Ben Wofford's excellent, comprehensive feature summarizes a great deal of almost 15 years of our work here at The BRAD BLOG. The 8,500+ word article is far too detailed to adequately summarize, or even quote from in detail here. So please go pour a tall drink or cup of coffee (you may need several, there's a lot there) and go read about the "parabola of havoc and mismanagement that has been the fifteen-year nightmare of state and local officials", as he accurately describes it, following the horrifically misguided and ill-advised move to computerized voting and tabulation systems following the 2000 election. I suspect we've filed almost as many articles on this topic as Wofford has words in today's piece!
So, I've been a bit absent the last few days from the internet because I've been a tad busy. Building my computer, as documented in my "Hot Rod" Essays. But Now that it's all said and done, I have a few philosophical thoughts.
NPR takes a break!
Good afternoon. Having just eaten lunch and checked my top 10 websites, I decided to share my favorites and ask about yours.
Of course, now that I try not to enter TOP, C99 and the Reddit Kossacks for Sanders pages are almost always open in my browser (personal devices, not my work computer).
Well, this has been a crazy week hasn't it? Last week my OT was the first one after a major server upgrade, and now We've got at least 300 new people since then. Welcome, to all! Come and join the Throng, just help with the washing up afterwords.
gol blast it! It's Wednesday night, isn't it? Well, now I know I should write this thing Monday or Tuesday. But then it wouldn't be topical, would it? I mean, who wants to read about nutballs taking over a backwater wildlife refuge building? Or Saudi Arabia being barbaric? Or Bill planning on campaigning for sHills?
It seems to be a day for skimming the news involving the trans community. What do we discover?
The PP shooter, Robert Lewis Dear, is not transgender, but this won't stop right-wingers from using the claim, or anything else they can grab on to in order to demonize transgender people as threats to public safety.
Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton has been found guilty of choking and then drowning transgender woman Jennifer Laude in Olangapo City, The Philippines.
Man what a rough week.
What it is?