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January 26, 2006

Foreign Leaders Shocked at Hamas Win? Why should anyone be surprised?

by: @ 10:16 am - Click to leave a Comment (0)


Foreign Leaders Shocked at Hamas Win – Yahoo! News

PARIS – World leaders, uneasy at the prospect of a Hamas-led Palestinian government, immediately exerted pressure on the Islamic militants Thursday to recognize Israel and renounce violence as a precondition for support.

That a group listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States won seemingly fair-and-square at the ballot box compounded the dilemma for foreign governments. While they welcomed the smooth running of the Palestinian legislative elections, the militants’ stunning showing also unsettled many and threw Middle East peacemaking into turmoil.

I’m surprised that anyone would be surprised. This has been coming for a long time now. Fatah has long been publicly denounced for its corruption and ineffectiveness at providing for the Palestinians. It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that the Palestinian electorate chose to take another path and give Hamas a chance. The most surprising thing is that it took this long.

It’ll be interesting to see if the White House chooses to keep their word and refuses to work with Hamas.

January 24, 2006

How likely is it for someone to tell you the truth? – Entry for January 23, 2006

by: @ 12:11 am - Click to leave a Comment (0)


Note to researchers: If you want demographic data that is reliable, provide a ‘prefer not to say’ option for sensitive questions, otherwise you may get some very interesting results.

I have a habit of submitting online surveys when I’m given the chance and have time to kill, no matter how lame they are. However when a survey asks for personally identifiable data (pii) or sensitive data, I stop the survey at that point or provide intentionally fake info. I’m sure I’m not the only one who make less than $20,000 and live in zip code 90210. ;)

The following comes from a survey sent to me by a Survey Spot , a research company which sends me email from time-to-time (three times daily). How could I not be tempted to skew their results?

Which of the following best describes your household�s annual income from all sources before taxes? (Please select one answer only)
Less than $20,000
$20,000 – $34,999


$35,000 – $49,999


$50,000 – $74,999


$75,000 – $99,999


$100,000 – $149,999


$150,000 or over

After getting that question, I gave false survey responses throughout the rest of the survey. Now you know who to blame if a company introduces catastrophic insurance covering early termination of cell phone contracts, an On*Star type service for a cell phone (to always know your location in the event of an emergency), or extended warranty for [unknown] computer software.  ;)

January 14, 2006

Create an e-annoyance, go to jail | CNET News.com

by: @ 12:49 pm - Click to leave a Comment (0)


I think this law is intended solely to harass and potentially shut down The Onion, which doesn’t disclose the true identity of its authors.

Create an e-annoyance, go to jail | Perspectives | CNET News.com

“Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.

It’s no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

In other words, it’s OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess.”