Yesterday, Joan Walsh went into more detail about what was wrong with the very special terrorism episode of The West Wing at Salon. Political journalist Joshua Michal Marshall also took a couple of drive-by shots at the episode in his weblog as well.
I was proud of our government yesterday. President Bush announced a $320 million aid package for Afghanistan. $195 million is earmarked for providing Afghanis with food, shelter, and other necessities. I have absolutely no idea where the remaining $125 million is going, and the story doesn’t say. (I read another news story which says that $125 million is for immediate aid, and the $195 million is for aid over the coming winter.)
Clay Shirky has a good article at XML.com that pierces they hype surrounding Web services. He accurately points out that the limitations of Web services are the same as those with XML in general – just using XML (or deploying a Web service) doesn’t get you anywhere. Everyone has to understand the context in which the service exists, and adapt their systems to be able to utilize the service. Using XML-RPC, or SOAP, or XML lowers the technical barriers between systems to an incredible degree, but they don’t magically create some self-aware network that allows systems unknown to each other to interoperate.
Red Rock Eater Digest - attack (links for 10/4)
It seems like it’s all but impossible to overestimate the utility of shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles. Unlike more complex weapon systems, they are easy to hide, easy to maintain, and easy to use.