The Bystander Blog

Stuff from Around the Net January 28, 2011

Hello all.  Alas, it’s been an incredibly busy week.  But thankfully, the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, and a new editorial is on the way soon!  But I’m tired of having this complete blackout here on The Bystander Blog.  So until I can get another editorial up, here’s some random stuff I’ve found from around the internet that’s worth a look.

Ross Douthat’s take on the State of the Union.  Douthat is one of two conservative editorial writers at the New York Times.  I wasn’t able to see the State of the Union this year.  But I liked this blog post because it brings up a trend that’s becoming increasingly evident in our politics: We, as Americans, are unwilling to accept hard realities.

The end of advertising cookies? You may not know it, but advertisers and others are using subtle technologies to track your behavior on the internet.  Whether or not it’s harmful or dangerous is up for debate.  But Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla are rolling out new technologies to help prevent unwanted tracking.  This article sums up what’s going to happen, and it’s definitely worth a look.

Protecting your Facebook account. Apparently there’s going to be a new option on Facebook to allow you to sign in with an https connection, instead of http.  In non-geek speak, it meas that your username/password will be much harder for hackers to grab when you sign in.  I just checked, and I don’t think I have access to this option yet.  But if it comes out, I think it’ll be a great addition to Facebook.

Jimmy Buffett experiences gravity.  Just trying to find that dang salt shaker.