[csail-related] GSB Tonight: Depression

[jamoozy at csail.mit.edu (Andrew "Jamoozy" Correa)]

I'm depressed.

I started reading the news pretty regularly a few years ago with an eye 
toward goings-on in tech-related areas.  This includes everything from 
what companies are releasing to what new laws the government is making. 
  In retrospect, I think that was a mistake ...

"So why are you depressed?" you might ask.  I'll tell you.  From what 
I've seen, it appears to me that society is slowing reversing all of the 
progress it's[1] made by passing law after law that 1) ensures that 
large companies with power, influence, and/or property get more power, 
influence, and/or property and small companies without any power, 
influence, and/or property need to pay the large companies for some of 
their power, influence, and/or property; and b) [2] making it 
increasingly okay for the government (or select government agencies) to 
confiscate or otherwise grant themselves the freedom to search through 
your property [3] [4] [5].  Then, on top of everything else, 
misinformation is being spread about the health effects of our digital 
devices by otherwise relatively well-established news agencies [6].

So I'm depressed.

On the bright side, I have the option to just move to Europe when I'm 
done with this whole "MIT" thing.  I'm sure they have problems, too, but 
I've gotta say: my faith in the US government is dwindling [7].

On the bright side, America's powerhouses are reaping what they sewed 
and feeling the legal burnnnnn [8].

So instead of talking about all these heavy topics, let's talk about 
fluffy white bunnies (aren't they great?) at this week's:

           +-                                                  -+
              girl scout benefit -+-  5:30 pm  -+- 32-G9 lounge
           +-                                                  -+

               For those coming from elsewhere: Building 32 is
                <http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=32>
           Once you are in 32, just take the G-elevator to the 9th
       floor and we will be in the lounge that you will be looking at
                     <http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb>


[1] I can contract "it" and "has" like this, right?
[2] It's ridiculous to make a list in this fashion with a mere 2 
entries, so I figured I'd make it more ridiculous by labeling the 
entries "1" and "b".  Why not uppercase?  Because screw uppercase; 
that's why.
[3] I know that it's okay for the government to confiscate any laptops 
entering the country without a warrant or grounds for doing so [5]; and 
it seems that it is currently okay to subpoena (sans warrant) any data 
you've kept on a server (not belonging to you) for over 6 months [4]. 
WTF?  Illegal search and seizure, anyone?  What happened to the 
constitution?  Am I completely misunderstanding these things I'm reading?
[4] http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/04/fourth-amendment-email-2/
[5] 
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215554/U.S._can_conduct_offsite_searches_of_computers_seized_at_borders_court_rules
[6] 
http://www.denofgeek.com/games/842120/the_great_nintendo_3ds_headache_saga.html
[7] ... because the Obama administration---the administration I 
previously thought to contain "the good guys", i.e., "the guys I was so 
sure would protect my freedoms and lead the nation forward and had only 
my best interests at heart"---is advising against reforming the current 
law to protect our sever-bound data (see [4]).
[8] I'll let you search for the stories on this yourself.