Aliens have taken over Sony's brains.

Seriously, that's the only explanation for this. Aliens. Decline the EULA, Sony spyware installs anyway. Decline the EULA twice, it installs permanently.

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/28/sony_cd_spyware_inst.html

Sony CD spyware installs and can run permanently, even if you click "Decline"

Many Sony CDs install a piece of spyware on listeners' PCs. The program, called MediaMax, from SunComm, has received less attention than the rootkit that made headlines on Hallowe'en, but it is even sneakier, in some ways, than the rootkit was.

Previously, Princeton researchers revealed that the MediaMax software installed itself even if you declined the EULA (the pop-up license agreement). However, the researchers concluded that if you declined the EULA, the software was only active until you restarted Windows.

Now Princeton's Alex Halderman reports that if you insert another MediaMax-infected CD (or the same CD again) and decline the EULA a second time, the software can activate itself permanently.

I'm so glad they're getting so very very sued. They can't be sued enough.

In other news, September 2005 was the fourth straight month of a negative US savings rate.

I've finally hammered out a c.v. that's small enough for UW's admissions form. It's hard, cutting out fun stuff, but, well, time to stop whinging and get it done, and I did. Yay!

Sunday's miles: 2.1
Monday's miles: 2.2
Miles out of Hobbiton: 527
Miles out of Rivendell: 67.2
Miles to Lothlórien: 399.2

And another, less common feature:

Pedestrian:Car counts, Goat Trail Road (the walk to the shops), between the "no through traffic" barriers:

Sunday, to shops: 5:4 ** FIRST case of pedestrians outnumbering cars!
Sunday, from shops: 4:4 ** First tie! First positive tip net, too.
Monday, to shops: 2:0 ** zomg again!
Monday, from shops: 4:5 (close!)

This is a big swing, and it's during the winter on top of everything else. I've also noticed that the drivers seem a little bit more used to seeing people walking it, but that's highly subjective. The ratio has usually been twice as many cars as pedestrians - 1:2, 2:4, and such. I honestly don't know what's caused the shift.

I know, no Monday politics. Sorry, I was lame. It's coming. Meanwhile, have a leafpic:


Holdout

Today's Cultural Warfare Update

Creationists sue California over University website set up to help biology teachers teach evolutionary theory - AP can't bother to do a google search to discover that when they claim they aren't supporters of "intelligent design," what they're actually saying is that they are Creationists active in Creationist politics, and founders of the Creationist "Quality Science Eduction for All";

The wikipedia entry on the nonprofit they founded with the purpose of fighting the teaching of evolutionary theory in schools, "Quality Science Education for All";

Focus on the Family/Morality in Media call for more Federal control over "indecent" television content;

Macy's changes out "Holiday" signs for "Christmas" signs in windows; Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM urges letters of thanks;

Dennis Hastert gets Capital Hill tree renamed Christmas tree; this is not the White House Christmas Tree, is the one the president lights; in 1995 the Republican-controlled congress had started calling it a Holiday tree - ACTION ITEM to thank Hastert;

Lowe's removes "Holiday tree" signs and replaces them with "Christmas tree" signs - AFA takes credit, FotF has an ACTION ITEM to thank Lowe's;

Missouri's so-called "partial birth abortion" bill overturned because it has no exemption for the life or health of the mother; fundamentalist groups outraged, say that the courts need to be changed so that they can have exactly that ban back, health of the mother be damned;

Focus on the Family asks readers to "Share [their] Stories about the War on Christmas";

Jewish Anti-Defamation League says fundamentalists are working against church-state separation (which they only deny when it makes them look bad, which is kind of funny) and "Christianise" America;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to support Alito's nomination for Supreme Court, accusing Colorado senator Salazar of "crossing the line" by saying that America "deserves better" than Samuel Alito;

FotF claims Planned Parenthood "wants more money" and is upset that two anti-abortion groups are getting Federal money via the Texas state budget; that's probably true, but FotF has no actual evidence of this at all - no quotes, no communication, no press release, and, in fact, no communication with Planned Parenthood at all on the topic; they made up the story wholesale based on supposition; the Heidi Group is one of those "pregnancy resource centres" that anti-abortion-rights groups like to put together near Planned Parenthood offices and university campuses;

CWA applauds Kevin Martin's push for al la carte programming in cable, satellite;

Texas State Board of Education votes to leave the National Association of State School Boards of Education (NASBE) on party-line vote, complaining specifically about NASBE's endorsement of church-state separation, comprehensive sexual education, and anti-bullying programmes that target the bullying of GBLT children;

CWA speaks up (as predicted) promoting Institute for American Values's Why Marriage Matters paper, which they call a study; says that marriage is needed to "civilise men" and "keeps government small";

CWA files amicus briefs to two Supreme Court reproductive-rights cases;

Washington Times's version of the "No more 'holiday' trees at Capitol" story;

Human Events publishes a paranoid fantasy about THE WAR AGAINST CHRISTMAS and how NO CHRISTMAS WILL BE ALLOWED by 2030;

Wall Street Journal editorial criticising the ADL for criticising the fundamentalist movement;

FDA to review RU-486; fundamentalist leaders call for it to be removed from the market;

Baptist Press condemns the Human Rights Campaign's effort to reach out to pastors and the religious community, saying that HRC "have officially declared war on the church";

San Diego town's evangelical mayor renames their holiday parade a Christmas parade; Jewish group, others, upset;

FRC applauds Boston's Christmas Tree (not Holiday Tree anymore), LIKE FOTF asks readers to send in stories about how "politically correct" people are "taking away cherished Christmas traditions";

Pope revokes autonomy of Franciscans of Assisi.

( Articles, press releases, and excerpts )

pointless doggerel

I posted excessively geeky but pointless doggerel in a reply to an amusing thread here.