Sep/090
All the Better to Control the Message With, My Dear…
Post Obama Speech Change – Jamie Dupree on wsbradio.com
With apologies to Little Red Riding Hood’s wolf.
Sep/090
Now This Really Is Bait And Switch
First, there was this from Rocklin & Roseville Today (tip of hat to David Codrea), titled “Report: Gun Shows leading source of guns used in gun crimes” and announcing
UC Davis report finds gun shows as leading source of guns used in crimesWhat:
The UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program will announce the results of a comprehensive, undercover study (emphasis mine) entitled Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everybody Thinks Nobody’s Looking.
However, a KTXL/FOX 40 News story Gun Show Report Critical of Sales following the press conference suggests the “study” was not as comprehensive as we were led to expect:
Another UC Davis researcher who attended the press conference hoping to see scientific data linking gun show sales and crime was disappointed.
“None of that was presented,” said Jesse Bengson.
Instead, he said he saw anecdotal inferences and personal opinion. He said you can’t condemn flea markets for bad things that happen in them and that individuals are responsible for how guns are used.
Wintemute conceded that the data isn’t there.
“It’sjust as a matter of logic that private party sales are more likely to result in criminal use of firearms, but it’s an inference at this point,” he said. \
But Wintemute defended his report saying it was not meant to be a scientific study. Instead, he said he wanted people to see what happens at gun shows to encourage a closer examination of gun policy.
I read a number of other stories regarding this event, but this was the only one that bothered to mention anything challenging the veracity of the study.
The report, in mutiple pdf format, can be found here.
Aug/090
But He Probably Feels Safe in France – Right??
My comments to Frommer May Boycott Arizona Over Guns – The Lede Blog – NYTimes.com
There is no more reason to fear a person with a legally carried weapon than there is to fear law enforcement.
The so-called “assault rifle” is representative of one of the more popular sporting rifles in use today. All of the features that allegedly make it menacing are actually features that make it safer to operate, thus reducing the potential for accident.
If you choose to be fearful of privately owned weapons in public I submit that the person carrying openly presents you with the option to be aware of its presence and to adjust your actions accordingly.
The notion that the armed individuals had a “chilling effect” on any debate is absurd. Their numbers were not sufficient to chill anything.
Regarding Mr. Frommer, I have to wonder at the authority of a travel writer making such a significant decision based on the picture of 1000 words or the demonstrably slanted reporting from the style of MSNBC.
— ChuckAtPodunkOutpost
Awaiting moderation indeed…
Jul/090
Is it Really Bait and Switch?
While perusing Instapundit I found the following link topic:
IT’S NOT A GREAT DEAL: Netbooks tied to wireless data plans.
In the article AT&T to Sell Netbooks Linked to Data Plans at End User, Tom Milnes writes
So, how do you know when a trend has really made it? When it hits the mainstream, hits it hard hoping to make a quick buck before consumers realize that they are being ripped off.
He goes on to say
This may sound a bit dramatic and I suppose it is since Verizon and Sprint are doing more or less the same thing, but the fact of the matter is that buying into the bait and switch built into the sale of Netbooks in this way will get you ripped off. In the case of AT&T the three models will all sell for $200, which is a little over a $100 savings on what you would pay via standard retail, but just as with a cellphone plan you must also buy into a two-year data contract. The two on offer will run you either $40/mon for 200MB/mon of bandwidth, or $60/mon for 5GB/mon.
And finishes with
If you need to be online all the time whwn away from home, do what you will, but if not do yourself a favor. If you are in the market for a Netbook, pay the best retail price possible and hit the plethora of hotspots available everywhere. You’ll be glad you did and perhaps the lack of dollars flowing into the coffers of the wireless carriers will force them to offer customers decent options instead of going for the quick buck.
First, my disclaimer: I have a family member that works for Verizon Wireless, and I am a longtime subscriber.
At a macro level, I agree with Tom. I would love to see better deals in the arena of wireless broadband data services. But this is not bait and switch. The contract term and the rates he quotes for the monthly services are on par with what any data subscriber would pay, regardless of whether a Netbook was purchased or not. I am inclined to believe that someone shopping at a carrier’s brick and mortar store is there as much for the service as any offer on a computing device.
Using public wifi facilities is a great option for the casual user, but saturation is still not sufficient for someone who needs portable/mobile Internet access for business purposes (even in Atlanta). Who knows what effect the economy will have on that availibility.
Jul/090
Etch A Sketch School of Blogging
For anyone who might actually be coming here, I have once again shaken the little box of magnetic sand and am starting fresh.