Comments for I Believe Two Things http://blog.benjaminfenster.com A Blog of Musings and Mockery Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:11:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 Comment on It Was Like a 23109 of the Mind by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/07/03/it-was-like-a-23109-of-the-mind/#comment-129 just pixels Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:28:32 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/07/03/it-was-like-a-23109-of-the-mind/#comment-129 Were you wearing a shirt? Every man (and some women) in the back of the car on COPS is shirtless. As to your alleged "demo". Was it... ... how to sneak on the Green Line train? ... how to sell cocaine? ... how to access the university info system? Yesterday I went on a tour of my building which included the print shop. They had four color offset printers, binding machines, cutters, collators and stuff I couldn't name. It was like being in an episode of "Modern Marvels" -- "Printing: Guttenberg to lasers". However I didn't get arrested, even when I suggested all that equipment could be put to better use making $100 bills. Were you wearing a shirt? Every man (and some women) in the back of the car on COPS is shirtless.

As to your alleged “demo”. Was it…
… how to sneak on the Green Line train?
… how to sell cocaine?
… how to access the university info system?

Yesterday I went on a tour of my building which included the print shop. They had four color offset printers, binding machines, cutters, collators and stuff I couldn’t name. It was like being in an episode of “Modern Marvels” — “Printing: Guttenberg to lasers”. However I didn’t get arrested, even when I suggested all that equipment could be put to better use making $100 bills.

]]> Comment on It’s Like a Bleg, But Without the Interactivity by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/29/its-like-a-bleg-but-without-the-interactivity/#comment-124 just pixels Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:15:19 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/29/its-like-a-bleg-but-without-the-interactivity/#comment-124 So <i>do</i> you know what's a blog? So do you know what’s a blog?

]]> Comment on Hot Dog Soup by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/28/hot-dog-soup/#comment-122 just pixels Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:57:53 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/28/hot-dog-soup/#comment-122 mmmm ... hot dog soup, made the traditional Korean way. mmmm … hot dog soup, made the traditional Korean way.

]]> Comment on Maybe Someday You’ll Have Eyes Too by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/28/maybe-someday-youll-have-eyes-too/#comment-121 just pixels Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:56:27 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/28/maybe-someday-youll-have-eyes-too/#comment-121 What could be more fitting that to celebrate the freedom of speech on the 4th of July? I'm referring, of course, to people griping about other Americans. What could be more fitting that to celebrate the freedom of speech on the 4th of July? I’m referring, of course, to people griping about other Americans.

]]> Comment on I Knew I Shouldn’t Have Worn That Ski Mask by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/27/i-knew-i-shouldnt-have-worn-that-ski-mask/#comment-119 just pixels Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:27:46 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/27/i-knew-i-shouldnt-have-worn-that-ski-mask/#comment-119 And then... <b>You:</b> Why no, I don't. <b>Teller:</b> How much money would you like? <b>You:</b> <i>(with pinky to lips)</i> One million dollars! And then…

You: Why no, I don’t.
Teller: How much money would you like?
You: (with pinky to lips) One million dollars!

]]> Comment on Speaking of Public Key Cryptography… by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/26/speaking-of-public-key-cryptography/#comment-118 just pixels Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:25:43 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/26/speaking-of-public-key-cryptography/#comment-118 I've decrypted your post as follows: <i>How to make a nuclear bomb. First get 12.7kg of plutonium, fashion into a 2.75cm sphere, surround with 32kg compound C4 explosive, connect 18 xenon-linked igniters model 3245/M.23 detonators. To explode, enter password: "We threw out the pants and got new ones.”.</i> Ah, public key encryption. Is there anything you can't do? I’ve decrypted your post as follows:

How to make a nuclear bomb. First get 12.7kg of plutonium, fashion into a 2.75cm sphere, surround with 32kg compound C4 explosive, connect 18 xenon-linked igniters model 3245/M.23 detonators. To explode, enter password: “We threw out the pants and got new ones.”.

Ah, public key encryption. Is there anything you can’t do?

]]> Comment on Maybe We Should Just All Stick to Salads by Ben http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/25/maybe-we-should-just-all-stick-to-salads/#comment-117 Ben Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:26:22 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/25/maybe-we-should-just-all-stick-to-salads/#comment-117 There's a difference between restricting free speech and refusing to sponsor it. A passenger can stand next to me on the T and spend the entire 30 minute commute justifying his position that women should never be allowed to hold jobs or vote (or defending the Nazis, if it's time to bring out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law" rel="nofollow">Godwin's Law</a>). He can even (gasp) say the conductor looks a little fishy. The first amendment has fallen when that becomes punishable. But even a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbta" rel="nofollow">body politic and corporate, and political subdivision</a> doesn't need to sponsor a particular viewpoint by hosting its ads. There may be no legal precedent yet, but there should be. There’s a difference between restricting free speech and refusing to sponsor it.

A passenger can stand next to me on the T and spend the entire 30 minute commute justifying his position that women should never be allowed to hold jobs or vote (or defending the Nazis, if it’s time to bring out Godwin’s Law). He can even (gasp) say the conductor looks a little fishy. The first amendment has fallen when that becomes punishable.

But even a body politic and corporate, and political subdivision doesn’t need to sponsor a particular viewpoint by hosting its ads.

There may be no legal precedent yet, but there should be.

]]> Comment on Maybe We Should Just All Stick to Salads by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/25/maybe-we-should-just-all-stick-to-salads/#comment-116 just pixels Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:58:48 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/25/maybe-we-should-just-all-stick-to-salads/#comment-116 Sorry. The first amendment says the <i>government</i> can't restrict speech. The MBTA is an arm of the government. Therefore MBTA can't arbitrarily limit speech. That said, commercial speech (aka ads) is subject to lots of government regulation. I suppose MBTA could refuse the ads on "truth in advertising" grounds, arguing that the conductors do not actually look like halibuts. Then Legal Sea Foods could present evidence that the conductors do look like halibuts. "Your honor, exhibit A: Henry Limpet." (By the way, how do the human conductors know the ads don't refer to the electric conductors that power the train?) Legal Sea Foods' equating the conductor to a halibut works in both directions. If the conductor looks like a halibut, doesn't Legal's halibut dinner special look like a conductor? That may not help sell meals. And maybe Legal should be sending Charlie passes to the halibuts to keep <i>them</i> happy too. Sorry. The first amendment says the government can’t restrict speech. The MBTA is an arm of the government. Therefore MBTA can’t arbitrarily limit speech.

That said, commercial speech (aka ads) is subject to lots of government regulation. I suppose MBTA could refuse the ads on “truth in advertising” grounds, arguing that the conductors do not actually look like halibuts. Then Legal Sea Foods could present evidence that the conductors do look like halibuts. “Your honor, exhibit A: Henry Limpet.”

(By the way, how do the human conductors know the ads don’t refer to the electric conductors that power the train?)

Legal Sea Foods’ equating the conductor to a halibut works in both directions. If the conductor looks like a halibut, doesn’t Legal’s halibut dinner special look like a conductor? That may not help sell meals. And maybe Legal should be sending Charlie passes to the halibuts to keep them happy too.

]]> Comment on And the Rain Crashed Down by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/24/and-the-rain-crashed-down/#comment-112 just pixels Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:04:12 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/24/and-the-rain-crashed-down/#comment-112 Was it raining McCain? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaP9eiWuX3s Was it raining McCain?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaP9eiWuX3s

]]> Comment on A Truth by Any Other Name by just pixels http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/24/a-truth-by-any-other-name/#comment-111 just pixels Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:29:50 +0000 http://blog.benjaminfenster.com/2008/06/24/a-truth-by-any-other-name/#comment-111 It's like when people say "how ya doin'?" in the hallway. The correct answer is "OK" because no one wants to hear about the mysterious pain in your knee, or how your kid keeps setting fire to his toys. Or about the voices in your head, for that matter. It’s like when people say “how ya doin’?” in the hallway. The correct answer is “OK” because no one wants to hear about the mysterious pain in your knee, or how your kid keeps setting fire to his toys. Or about the voices in your head, for that matter.

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