Igor hooked me into watching the two-day, four-hour season premiere of _24_. I’m debating whether I’ll continue to watch. Slate asks, “How many other cultures have shows on the order of 24 and Sleeper Cell—programs that convert blasts of terror into pops of corn? Does it happen in places where things blow up with some regularity? Do they unwind with such stuff in Tel Aviv or Thailand? Has Penélope Cruz ever slipped into a cat suit to battle Basque separatists? Or can an everyman like Jack exist only in this decadent superpower?“

Today’s _Times_ editorial is really, really good. It gives both needed (legitimate) criticism of the Bush Iraq policy and concrete recommendations for what needs to be done to disengage American peacefully without further destabilizing the Middle East. It also places the burden of history solely on the back of Congress — Bush has done his part, now Congress *must* act. First graf: “It was surreal how disconnected President Bush was the other night, both from Iraq’s horrifying reality and America’s anguish over this unnecessary, mismanaged and now unwinnable war. Indeed, most Americans seem far ahead of the president. They understand that what the country urgently needs is for Mr. Bush to chart a way out of Iraq that also limits the chaos that will be left behind.”

The _New York Times_ runs an excellent piece on Apple’s FairPlay copy protection and how it and other types of “crippleware” restrict consumer rights while promoting vendor lock-in. Seeing an article like this in the _Times_ is an excellent sign in the ongoing DRM war.

US deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs Cully Stimson has called on American companies to boycott law firms that represent suspected terrorists. He also claimed (obliquely) that the firms themselves are being funded by terrorists. This is the guy (and lawyer) we have running our military prisons? Someone who doesn’t believe in one of the core values of American democracy, the right of the accused to have competent representation in a court of law? ( _WaPo_ originally broke the story.)

Another Hex review, but short and to the point, and a bit more fair. Am I a bad person for fast-forwarding through some of the slow bits? Nah.

This morning I heard this cute and funny little story on NPR about technology and social interaction: “When a folder called ‘Anna’s Music’ mysteriously popped up on NPR reporter David Kestenbaum’s computer — with music that he absolutely loved — he followed a trail that led to an awkward encounter at a neighbor’s house.”

A humorous but quasi-earnest attempt to reconcile Star Wars episodes 1-3 with what came before in episodes 4-6.

In Japan, reaction to Apple’s fancy new “iPhone” is muted, because most of the features have been around for a while on phones at a far lower price point (and third generation wireless capability, which offers faster data transfer rates than Apple’s phone). There are various crummy reasons why the US is so behind in mobile technology. I suspect in a few years we’ll get to where Japan is today. And, of course, much can change in three years, in directions one might never expect.

_NYT_: “If the cost of this war is measured in human lives, one block in southeast Baghdad has paid more than its share. On a hot morning two summers ago, 34 children were killed here in a flash of smoke and metal. They were scooping up candy thrown from an American Humvee. The suicide bomber’s truck never slowed down.” The saddest thing I’ve read in a long time.

No secret that I love Costco. I like Whole Foods almost as much. Both companies have good values and good labor practices, and make business decisions that pay off in the long-term. Sad then to see Whole Foods being battered by a short-term-focused market, because their same-store sales are up a _mere_ 8% this year. Daniel Gross in _Slate_, however, things that the company is still a good investment, and if I had any money to put in the stock market I’d go along with his recommendation.

Via Bruce Schneier: “‘It blows my mind that you can’t get 3.5 ounces of toothpaste on a plane,’ he said, ‘yet somebody can sneak on a plane and take a nap.'” Not much more to say. Airport security is great.

_NYTimes_: “Families have always looked after their elderly loved ones. But never has old age lasted so long or been so costly, compromising the retirement of baby boomers who were expecting inheritances rather than the shock of depleted savings.”

How to Tell When a Relationship is Over (in 90 seconds). Aww.

_CS Monitor_: “Some 20 universities and colleges have decided to allow undergraduates of the opposite sex to share an on-campus room. Most quietly made the move in the past five years[.] […A]dvocates for the new arrangements say sexual intimacy rarely plays a role with those who sign up. Instead, for a younger generation it is increasingly common for men and women to just be friends. And some gay and transgendered students welcome the chance to avoid same-sex roommates whom they may not be comfortable around, or who may not accept them.”

From a Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility press release: “In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is ‘no comment.’”

Next time I need hosting I’m going with No Uptime.

Michael Crowley wrote a 2,400 word cover story for the _New Republic_ that was critical of Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton. Crichton responded by portraying Crowley in his newest book as a child rapist. Not quite the same as a letter to the editor. Glad Crowley is taking it in good spirits.

_NYT_ calls the TSA(Transportation Security Administration) airport screening process a “theater of the absurd” and extensively quotes security god Bruce Schneier: “‘It would be wonderful if Osama bin Laden carried a photo ID that listed his occupation of “Evildoer”,’ permitting the authorities to pluck him from a line, Mr. Schneier said. ‘The problem is, we try to pretend that identity maps to intentionality. But it doesn’t.'”

I’m not the only one to wonder why the British have the ridiculous two-tap system in most of their sinks (seperate hot and cold spigots). The _WSJ_ did an investigative report back in 2002 and discovered that a combination of tradition, outmoded building regulations, and just plain stubbornness keeps the Brits from entering the bathroom’s 21st century and moving to the single mixed tap: “Britons don’t understand why foreigners raise a fuss over this issue. ‘The British are quite happy to wash their hands with cold water. Maybe it’s character-building,’ says Simon Kirby, managing director of Thomas Crapper & Co.” And Jess, our correspondant is Scotland, reports that in the vet school’s labs all of the taps are hot, so your only choice for hand washing is “scalding.” Doesn’t that just take the biscuit?

Changing cultural values and market forces have decimated Japan’s 1200 year old kimono industry. Only three artisans remain — all over 80 years old — who can make a kimono from scratch. Most production is now outsourced to China, and rarely is any fabulously expensive Japanese silk used. “All we can do now is keep trying to make kimonos so beautiful that they will no longer be able to resist it,” says a 102 year old artisan with no apprentice, “What choice do we have?”