EMBARRASSING REVELATIONS:

The American Civil Liberties Union is using sophisticated technology to collect a wide variety of information about its members and donors in a fund-raising effort that has ignited a bitter debate over its leaders’ commitment to privacy rights.

Some board members say the extensive data collection makes a mockery of the organization’s frequent criticism of banks, corporations and government agencies for their practice of accumulating data on people for marketing and other purposes. . . .

The group’s new data collection practices were implemented without the board’s approval or knowledge, and were in violation of the A.C.L.U.’s privacy policy at the time, said Michael Meyers, vice president of the organization and a frequent and strident internal critic. Mr. Meyers said he learned about the new research by accident Nov. 7 in a meeting of the committee that is organizing the group’s Biennial Conference in July.

He objected to the practices, and the next day, the privacy policy on the group’s Web site was changed. “They took out all the language that would show that they were violating their own policy,” he said. “In doing so, they sanctified their procedure while still keeping it secret.”

With nonprofits, just as with for-profits, it’s usually about the benjamins.

DANIEL HENNINGER:

We see where a curator at France’s Pompidou Center says his museum is opening a branch in Hong Kong, because “U.S. culture is too strong” there, and “we need to have a presence in Asia to counterbalance the American influence.” With the Pompidou Center?

“American influence” is the great white whale of the 21st century, and Jacques Chirac is the Ahab chasing her with a three-masted schooner. Along for the ride is a crew that includes Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il, Kofi Annan, the Saudi royal family, Robert Mugabe, the state committee of Communist China and various others who have ordained themselves leaders for life. At night, seated around the rum keg, they talk about how they have to stop American political power, the Marines or Hollywood.

The world is lucky these despots and demagogues are breaking their harpoons on this hopeless quest. Because all around them their own populations are grabbing the one American export no one can stop: raw technology. Communications technologies, most of them developed in American laboratories (often by engineers who voted for John Kerry), have finally begun to effect an historic shift in the relationship between governments and the governed. The governed are starting to win.

Not that long ago, in 1989, the world watched demonstrators sit passively in Tiananmen Square and fight the authorities with little more than a papier-mâché Statue of Liberty. Poland’s Solidarity movement had to print protest material with homemade ink made from oil because the Communist government confiscated all the printers’ ink.

In 2004, in Ukraine’s Independence Square, they had cell phones.

Read the whole thing.

OVER AT ASYMMETRICAL INFORMATION, I’m accused of Nikon-centrism, and Mindles H. Dreck writes about the joys of the Canon EOS 20D digital camera.

Actually, I have blogged on that before.

JAMES LILEKS:

Maybe it’s just me. Perhaps I’m overly sensitive. But when I wish a store clerk “Merry Christmas!” they often appear stunned and flummoxed for a moment, as if I’ve just blabbed the plans for the underground’s sabotage of the train tracks in front of the secret police. I’ve said something highly inappropriate for the public square, and I almost expect a security guard to take me aside on the way out. . . .

I don’t get it. There’s this peculiar fear of Christmas that seems to get stronger every year, as if it’s the season that dare not speak its name. Check out the U.S. Postal Service Web site: two different stamps for Kwanzaa. One for Eid, two for Hanukkah. Two for non-sectarian “Holiday,” with pictures of Santa, reindeer, ornaments, that sort of thing. One for the Chinese New Year. One for those religiously inclined — it features a Madonna and Child. But the Web site calls it “Holiday Traditional.” The word “Christmas” doesn’t appear on the site’s description of the stamps. Eid, yes. Hanukkah, yes. Kwanzaa, yes. Christmas? No. It’s Holiday Traditional.

I’ve noticed the same thing.

JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS: There’s no better stocking stuffer for that special someone anywhere!

ANOTHER RESPONSE TO MICHAEL KINSLEY: They’re everywhere!

THIS SEEMS LIKE GOOD NEWS:

Surgeons have used stem cells from fat to help repair skull damage in a 7-year-old girl in Germany, in what’s apparently the first time such fat-derived cells have been exploited to grow bone in a human. . . .

Roy C. Ogle of the University of Virginia, an expert in skull reconstructive surgery who has been studying bone regeneration from fat-derived cells, said he considered the new report to be the first indicating that any kind of stem cell had been used to grow bone in a human.

“It is a very big deal,” said Ogle, who called the study a landmark.

These are “adult,” not embryonic, stem cells.

NASA READER ROGER MITCHELL EMAILS:

Since you write often digital cameras, I just thought I’d throw a bit more information out for you.

Last week, I had the Fuji Government representative down here at JSC to look at our photo lab (yes, that’s where I work) and he also brought with him the new FinePix S3 PRO camera.

At the demonstration later that afternoon, I must say that I was impressed! This camera has such a wide dynamic range that it really does rival film. It does this by using two pixels in tandem, one for highlight detail and one for shadow. Comparing images side by side shot at the same ISO, aperture and shutter using a D2H, D100 and the S3 you can definitly see the difference. More highlight and shadow detail in the image. Also, they had a 30×40 enlargement (inkjet) that was fairly outstanding coming from a digital (we print digital camera files that large all of the time, but you can see some artifacts of the digital image when you look close – of course, most are from the Kodak DCS760 we still use onboard the station).

It’s advertised as a 12MP camera, but this is because it counts all of the pixels, although it can output a full 12MB image (uses both pixels to fill in the dynamic range for each other). Also, for those of us out here with a big investment in Nikon glass, it uses all Nikon lenses and flash units (alas, no iTTL support – yet). At a street price about $2K, it is more pricey than a D100 or D70, but it does pack some pretty nice picture taking capability.

Still too pricey for me — it shows at $2,499 at Amazon, and that’s allegedly an 11% discount. But it does sound cool — and the nice thing is that cameras this good will be a lot cheaper, soon. And when you compare it to $2000 for a Nikon D2H, I guess the price isn’t bad. This just illustrates what I’ve said before about the quality of digital cameras going up, even as prices drop or stay stable. And as I’ve also noted, that’s actually a reason for a working pro with a lot of film cameras to hold off on buying digital.

MICHAEL MALONE has some interesting thoughts on the future of the blogosphere, but I think he gets this bit wrong:

You see, the real problem of the blogosphere is not its content, but its structure. That is, it has yet to develop a viable business model. It is essentially a vast global movement of volunteers, most of whom are hoping for some kind of eventual payoff for their noble labors.

By “payoff” he means financial payoff. I don’t think most bloggers are blogging away in the expectation of getting rich. Some will, and some larger (but still small) number will be comfortably well off, or at least make enough money to pay the hosting fees. But people blog so that they can express themselves — to be producers, not consumers — and we see this impulse across the world of new and alternative media. But it’s not really new. Lots of musicians play music in spite of the fact that most of them won’t get rich. (Most won’t even do as well as my touring rock-musician brother, and believe me, he isn’t rich). They do it because they like to play, and they want their music heard. I think the same kind of thing drives most bloggers, too. It’s certainly what’s driven me. And while some people will drop out after a while (heck, most people will drop out after a while) the blogosphere will remain.

MORE CRUSHING OF DISSENT IN JOHN ASHKKKROFT’S AMERICA PHIL BREDESEN’S TENNESSEE:

A 29-year-old Nashville Scene employee, Nels Noseworthy, was handcuffed, arrested and hastily escorted without notice from his job at this alt-weekly newspaper today on charges that he accepted payment for advertisements in the Scene that police say were purchased to promote prostitution. . . . Police say the indictment stems from a yearlong investigation precipitated in part by complaints from citizens about ads in this newspaper’s “Personal Adult Services” section. Police say that indictments stem in part from conversations between Noseworthy and undercover officers posing as advertisers.

Okay, Bredesen undoubtedly had nothing to do with this. But, then, John Ashcroft often got blamed for things he had nothing to do with, too. And how can anyone expect an alt-weekly to stay in business without sex ads?

WHERE WOULD THEY HAVE GOTTEN THIS IDEA?

Former “Golden Girls” showrunnershowrunner Mort Nathan and producer Brad Johnson are hoping to do for Iraq what “MASH” did for Korea.
As part of a busy development slate, Nathan is penning “Spirit of America,” a half-hour comedy about staffers at a fledgling American-run TV network in Baghdad that’s trying to bring Western-style programming to the locals.

I hope the MASH analogy isn’t quite right, though.

REPORTING FROM BUENOS AIRES, Ron Bailey says that the Kyoto Protocol is dead.

I LINKED TO MOST OF THEM individually before, but here’s a page with links and information on all the short web films that Amazon has released. I hope that they’ll keep this up, and branch out into more indie stuff.

MICKEY KAUS on lowering the journalistic bar:

Somwhere, Jeffrey Toobin is turning over in his grave. Toobin argued absurdly that a politician’s sex life is off limits to journalists’ because it “tells you absolutely nothing about their performance in office”. But Kerik wasn’t even going to perform in office! He was out. … The Times, a principled organization, will presumably apply the Kerik precedent in years to come when Democratic figures are involved. I especially look forward to the paper’s multiple-reporter investigation of Hillary Clinton’s erotic life when she runs for Senate in 2006. All of her housekeepers need to be produced, of course, and if she has any lovers other than her faithful husband we’ll find that out too! … P.S.: Plus, following the Kerik precedent, it will be enough if “someone who spoke to” Hillary about any relationship can vouch for it. Hearsay evidence about sex is good enough for the Times!

I think the Star has stricter sourcing rules. . . . But so does the Times, where stories about Democrats are concerned.

DON’T MISS THIS WEEK’S CARNIVAL OF THE RECIPES, full of mouth-watering bloggy goodness.

ARTHUR CHRENKOFF NOTES that Osama is sounding familiar. “bin Laden is moving one step further along the path of the great ideological – or at least rhetorical – convergence between the angry left and the angry Islamofascism . . . And thus Osama becomes yet another billionaire complaining about the growing gap between the rich and the poor, a sort of George Soros with a Closed Society Institute.”

SPEAKING OF ALTERNATE HISTORY:

PARIS (Routers) Long-time critics of the Roosevelt administration declared themselves vindicated today, as the Germans began a renewed offensive yesterday in the Ardennes Forest, opening a huge hole in the “Allied” lines and throwing back troops for miles, with previously unimaginable US casualties.

Fire Secretary Marshall er, Stimson!

EARLIER, I LINKED A STORY about an ROTC comeback in the Ivy League. Advocates for ROTC is a group that’s trying to help that process along.

MATT YGLESIAS FISKS DAVID SIROTA, but my favorite line is from the comments: “We Dems have bigger fish to fry now than each other.”

JON HENKE NOTES A BIN LADEN FLIPFLOP:

One year ago, Al Qaeda believed they should work against the United States, rather than working to destabilize the Arab regimes. One year ago, Al Qaeda was focusing outward, rather than inward. One year ago, Al Qaeda believed in coexistence with the House of Saud.

One year ago, Al Qaeda believed the Caliphate could best be established by detente with the House of Saud, and War against the United States.

Today, Al Qaeda seeks detente with the US, and war against the House of Saud.

That’s because they’re losing.

OKAY, THIS STILL ISN’T GIZMODO, but in light of last week’s post on photo printers, it’s worth noting this BBC story saying that photos printed on home photo printers can be higher quality, and longer lasting, than those from professional photo labs.

THIS ISN’T GIZMODO, but judging from my email some people would like it to be. Reader Matt Lierman emails:

Since you’re an expert of everything tech, what would you recommend for a good notbook PC. Something light, portable and just basic. Let’s face it, irrespective of all the additional hardware thrown in, most people just use them for word processing and spreadsheets, maybe some websurfing via wifi. Just your basic notebook PC for word and excel….

Yeah, my ideal laptop would have a huge battery, wifi, and relatively few other bells and whistles. That pretty much describes my old NEC Daylite Versa 120, which had a huge secondary battery that let it run for 8 or 9 hours. Unfortunately, the built-in charger for the secondary battery died, and it would have cost over $500 to fix (on a computer for which I paid only $995). So I put up a post with some thoughts, and wound up buying a Dell Inspiron 700m that also offers long battery life (I get about 6 hours with the big battery, which isn’t bad considering its bright, clear display). It was more expensive, but a reader turned me on to the $750-off Dell coupon code that was floating around one day and I ordered it for a song. I’ve been quite happy with it, and it has a better display and a CD/DVD burner built in. If you’re looking, I’d recommend looking through the reviews at CNET, as well as the Amazon customer reviews.

I’m not an expert on everything tech, though. I’m just a geek with a lot of readers he can ask.

UPDATE: Reader Chris Greer emails:

When people are asking for laptop recommendations, you should also mention the Apple PowerBook lineup. The PowerBooks are heralded on slashdot and other serious technology sites, they are light, very thin, have DVD burners, industry-leading displays, and the tremendously stable OSX. I switched to a PowerBook from my Dell and have never looked back. Maybe your iPod will also turn you on to the superior quality of Apple products.

Yeah, they’re swell computers though I don’t use one. (I guess I could run WordPerfect under VirtualPC, but I hear it’s kind of slow). Still the Apples are great, and nowadays they’re even more reasonably priced than they used to be.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Meanwhile, it’s a gadgetfest here.

I KNOW LANCE FRIZZELL mostly through his work playing guitar for Audra and the Antidote. (Audra interview here). But he’s now on active duty with the 278th Armored Cavalry in Iraq. He’s also blogging from Iraq now, and his latest entry slams Trent Lott, something that this blog has been doing for years.

MICKEY KAUS: “When exactly did support for gay marriage become an essential Democratic party principle akin to racial equality? Was it when Anthony Lewis’ wife decided to impose it on Massachusetts? Seems like only a few years ago the concept was an entry on the New Republic‘s ‘to be assigned’ list. (Sullivan got the job.) Now we must embrace it or leave the party? Isn’t that rushing things a bit?”

GETTING BLUER: Publicola reports that San Francisco wants a complete ban on handgun possession. I hope that the Federal government will step in to protect San Franciscans’ civil rights.

UPDATE: Eugene Volokh explains why this isn’t just a local issue:

I take it that abortion rights activists in California wouldn’t be persuaded by anti-abortion activists’ arguments that “Oh, don’t worry, we won’t ban abortions in California, since obviously we wouldn’t have the votes; we’re just trying to ban them in Texas.” Presumably the abortion rights activists would say that they care about what they see as the fundamental rights of people all over the country. Likewise, I would think, with gun rights activists.

Indeed.