Last night I finished reading Robert Reich’s memoir of his four years spent as Clinton’s Secretary of Labor, Locked in the Cabinet. The book covers Clinton’s first term, which included Clinton’s failed effort to launch a universal health care system, the Republican takeover of Congress in ‘94, and the subsequent hiring of Dick Morris. Even if you disagree with Reich’s politics (they seemed benign to liberal me), you’ll probably find the book fascinating from the standpoint of reading how a truly principled non-politician deals with the constant compromises and sellouts involved in national politics. This book offers a sharp perspective of all of the major personalities that defined Clinton’s first term, and insightful commentary on the state of the U.S. economy at the time the book was written. Reich isn’t shy about admitting and dissecting his own mistakes, either. It’s really a great book, I recommend it highly.
Opportunism at its best: Debian GNU/Linux for BeOS Refugees.
Salon has picked up the story of Brian West, the guy in Oklahoma who notified the local paper of a security hole on their site after rifling through their files. Damien Cave uses that story to explore the larger issue of hacker ethics and the treatment of hackers by the legal system.
Google is looking to obtain archives of Usenet posts to expand their database of old Usenet articles.
The Washington Post has a story on Vanessa Leggett, the writer who is currently in jail for her refusal to turn over her notes for a book to the U.S. Attorney. And in other news of abuse of the legal system, Dmitry Sklyarov was indicted yesterday.