The Motley Fool has a column on how the MPAA and RIAA are manipulating the legal system to thwart capitalism. When I stop and think about the degree to which corporations and other monied interests control the legislative agenda in this country, I can’t help but shudder. Of course, things aren’t any better in other countries, either.
Salon has a great article about Patrick Ball, a database programmer who uses data mining to catalog human rights violations so that the information can be used to hold the appropriate parties accountable. It sounds like incredibly fascinating and worthy work, and it’s cool that a technology that’s normally used to send us better targetted junk mail can also be used to make the world a better place. He’s written a book about his work called Making the Case that looks like a fascinating read.