aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South
Monday, April 09, 2007
Concept Genesis: a new beginning
It looks like Hyundai is vying to be the Samsung of the automotive world. The South Korean auto maker showed that it is gearing up to take on the high-end Japanese (and German) competition with the unveiling of its Concept Genesis luxury sport sedan at this week’s New York auto show. The rear-wheel drive Genesis, which will be put into production for the 2008 model year, is driven by an all-new 4.6-liter “Tau” engine, mated to a ZF 6-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai says that the car will produce “well over 300 horsepower”, and that it will go from 0-60mph in “well under 6 seconds”.
We couldn’t get inside the model on display in New York to check out the cabin tech, but expect it to come armed to the teeth with in-car gadgetry when it arrives: Harman’s Infinity has been commissioned to design a 5.1 discrete surround-sound audio system for the production model, which will also come with the option of HD radio. The ‘08 Genesis will also come with Bluetooth hands-free calling, a GPS navigation system, a backup camera, and a push-buttons start.
We can harm free speech by doing nothing
So says Larry Lessig* in his wonderfully articulated 17 minute argument below. In a discussion of how to protect children from objectionable content while preserving the rights of adults to view it, he explains that, in the absence of law, we will get have already gotten bad code.
And that bad code has resulted in “censorware” technology products that block access to speech. These products block much more speech than is necessary to address the motivating concern, and result in the de facto censorship that is spreading fast now.
Lessig’s proposal is a law requiring a tag, [h2m], “harmful to minors.” The tag solves the “Scarlet Letter Problem” inherent to the recently rejected .xxx option, for example, but won’t likely earn porn producers’ the adult industry’s acceptance.
Click the links. Watch the video.
Another Philadelphia court has struck another effort by Congress to regulate “harmful to minors” speech. (ACLU v. Gonzales). No surprise. Though it has taken almost a decade, it is the right answer given the flaws in the statute.
The core of the court’s rationale was the effectiveness of filters. We should remember the ACLU’s own warnings about a world filled with private filters. They were right then; the warnings are more valid now.
As it happens, I have just completed the third of my legislative recommendations to Congress. As it happens, it is about regulating “harmful to minors” material. My friends won’t like it. My not-friends don’t like me. But here it is anyway. You can download it here. Or you can watch it on Google Video below:
* The permalink is not working at this time.
RELATED - More on .XXX: USA Today reports on ICANN rejecting it. Susaan Crawford, Why I voted for XXX. CNet Tech Politics, Why XXX still doesn’t mark the spot.
Tax tips for gays
[G]ay couples who receive domestic partner benefits will find themselves paying more taxes than if they were married. Couples who own a home together must decide who gets to deduct the interest paid on their mortgage. Couples who are both legal parents to their children must figure out who should claim the kids as their dependents, and there are myriad other issues.
Read them and weep.
Maybe Tim Gill should buy WorldNetDaily
When she turned the Atlanta-area black gay and lesbian magazine Venus into an ex-gay publication, Charlene Cothran offended loyal subscribers and advertisers with antigay and antiwhite rhetoric that was written with the help of spiritual mentor, Venus blog editor, and ex-gay activist D.L. Foster.
Late last month, Venus got a boost — from an ex-gay contributor to Christianity Today and from an antigay activist in Illinois.
Antigay activist Peter LaBarbera, whose ties to the Constitution Party have raised alarm at Ex-Gay Watch in the past, printed a promotion for Venus magazine to his national religious-right readership. [...]
Meanwhile, at Christianity Today, ex-gay activist Amy Tracy wrote up an interview with Cothran that avoids direct discussion of Cothran’s orientation.
[Question:] How do you view your sexuality now?
[Answer:] I view myself as celibate.
The interview focuses instead on Cothran’s perception of herself as a victim of rejection by those friends whom she now preaches against.
RELATED: Gill profiled in Time last week.
Bulging batteries
Just a friendly reminder from your pals concerned for battery-safety: if you’ve got a 17-inch MacBook Pro (or any other laptop for that matter) and you’re noticing swollen battery cells, stop using it immediately and contact Apple. We think everyone can all well agree that at least some users are definitely experiencing this issue, and if you’re one of them, you need to seriously consider battery safety—even if your laptop still works as it bobbles around the table.
