Keep Hit & Run in First Place!…

in the best group blog category of The 2005 Weblog Awards.

We're currently in the top slot, about 650 votes ahead of Redstate and more than a 1,000 votes ahead of TPMCafe. Show the true power of a real alternative to played out right-wing/left-wing, conservative/liberal claptrap (or just show the true motivation of the readers of this blog) and help us stretch our margin all the way down to the bitter end.

The polls close December 15 and you can vote once every 24 hours. Please vote early and vote often.

To cast a ballot, go here.

Comments

[bobderfisch]

so, 800 people voted since yesterday? wow...

[Warren]

I think the idea is, to demonstrate our superiour geek skills by stuffing the ballot.

[thoreau]

You should be aware that when you vote, they install a file on your hard drive that indicates when last you voted. When you try to vote again, they check this file to see if 24 hours have elapsed.

Since the hard drive is not their property, this is clearly an intrusion, and I urge everybody to delete that file. The rule against multiple voting should be enforced by voluntary efforts, not by intrusion on your hard drive.

[linguist]

thoreau -
shhhhhh!

[jf]

thoreau:

Is that a hint to where those 800 votes came from?

[thoreau]

I'm all about protecting the sanctity of the private property that is your hard drive.

And I haven't voted in 36 hours.

[Pro Libertate]

thoreau,

Good evening. Tonight on 'It's the Mind', we examine the phenomenon of d?ja vu. That strange feeling we sometimes get that we've lived through something before, that what is happening now has already happened. Tonight on 'It's the Mind' we examine the phenomenon of d?ja vu, that strange feeling we sometimes get that we've. . .(looks puzzled for a moment). Anyway, tonight on 'It's the Mind' we examine the phenomenon of d?ja vu, that strange. . . .

[Warren]

OK thoreau, I have no reason to doubt your sincerity. Why don't you tell us the name of that file?

[iii]

do not look for any files; that's futile; there are OTHER ways...and this is also not an indication from where those votes came from

[thoreau]

Warren-

I'll check on my home computer tonight. However, it should be in whatever folder has Macromedia Flash. A subdirectory with a name like "Blog Contest" or whatever.

In keeping with a secret ballot, I will not disclose which blog I've voted for or how many times I've voted. I'll only say that I haven't cast any votes in 36 hours. The number of votes that I may have cast prior to that must remain confidential, in keeping with a secret ballot.

[jf]

Well, on Windows ME it's found in C:WINDOWSApplication DataMacromediaFlash Player

While I wouldn't advocate using that information to cheat, it is ridiculous for some website to presume to mess with my hard drive without my permission.

[iii]

how about protecting your privacy in simpler yet more effective ways, like setting flash to not accept that file in the first place; it is YOUR right. as in right-clicking mouse button on poll and setting flash to accept 0 kb from site... for example.

[iii]

also, some people might unknowingly presume accepting any file from any site exposes you to viral infection
this is why i always configure the settings in the afore mentioned way, although i never voted and will never vote for a libertarian blog

[Doug]

In the grand tradition of democracy, I voted early and am voting often. Once a day from work and once a day from home.

Right now, H & R is the only nominee I'm voting for that is in first place other than The Volokh Conspiracy, which is up for best Law Blog

[martin]

Sorry Reason, but as the Honorary President of Luddites Local 7979 none of that new-fangled multimedia stuff like Flash is gonna make it onto my 'puter.

[Rick Barton]

Let's get creative and aggressive.

We should all remember to vote once a day on every computer that we have access to, of course. But also, each of us should get a hold of at least three other folks and ask them to to vote for H&R once a day as well. Just send em the link.

[Julian Sanchez]

While I appreciate the enthusiasm, please, nobody cheat on our behalf--though do feel free to keep voting daily. I'm pretty sure dozens of votes from the same IP in a short period will just get excluded from the final count anyway.

[Rick Barton]

Ok, if the rules stipulate that we're not supposed to vote more than once a day on different computers, then don't do that. Is that indeed what the rules stipulate? But do email friends the link and tell them to vote every day for H&R.

[Crushinator]

Libertarian purists do not vote. We gripe.

[matt]

Well this "libertarian purist" doesn't vote because it's a big waste of time.

[Rick Barton]

Doing something that gives Reason good pub is not the same as voting for politicians. They are different kinds of voting. The cause of liberty is advanced by Reason's ascendancy. The main thing is; this blog really is stellar! It should win!

[R C Dean]

it is ridiculous for some website to presume to mess with my hard drive without my permission.

So I guess you won't be using the internet anymore. You can probably count on one hand the number of websites that don't give you a cookie.

[JDM]

"You can probably count on one hand the number of websites that don't give you a cookie."

And you can count on no hands the number that don't give you files of some kind...

[thoreau]

R C Dean-

I'm pretty sure jf is just saying what he needs to say so that we can all keep an innocent face while discussing the way that they monitor the number of times you vote.

[Matt Furey]

Don't you know, when you cast a vote for the libertarian effort, you're only stealing votes away from the GOP? You people would put Clinton in office again!

[jf]

RC:

I think you might have disregarding the phrase "without my permission" in that sentence. I know full well that every site deposits cookies into my browser file. The file put into the Macromedia folder was not a cookie, but a file that affects the way Macromedia Flash runs on my computer (in this case, by telling Flash to tell the server that I've already voted). Harmless or not, I want to know before websites put files on my computer that affect the functionality of the programs I run on said computer.

Or, what thoreau said...

[johnl]

I don't remember H&R being in the lead when I voted last night. And now we are in first place. Hmm.

[Ken Shultz]

The cause of liberty is advanced by Reason's ascendancy. The main thing is; this blog really is stellar! It should win!

...and the level of discourse here is so obviously superior.

Red State sucks! Red State sucks! Red State sucks! Red State sucks! Red State sucks! Red State sucks!
...I can't hear you; I've got my fingers in my ears... Red State sucks! Red State sucks! Red State sucks!

[SayNay]

This is a dangerous slippery slope. Soon Nick will be asking the droids to walk around town wearing Reason.com sandwich boards.

[JDM]

Maybe now that Nick realizes the poll is a farce, he'll stop with the pathetic pleas.

[smacky]

This is a dangerous slippery slope. Soon Nick will be asking the droids to walk around town wearing Reason.com sandwich boards.

Soon? I just removed mine after wearing it around at my office Christmas party.

Only problem: I may have tipped one of my office superiors off about where I spend my time surfing the web.

[Rick Barton]

JDM,

Why do you say that the poll is a farce? Also, there's certainly nothing pathetic about urging support for H&R. Seriously, what other blog can compare with the articles, range of topic, spontaneity, and quality of discourse found here?

[bloggers getting ripped]

I wondered why they used Flash and not something simpler, now I know. There was discussion of this Flash cookie a while back.

BTW, I wrote a "Safe for Shockwave" plugin a few years ago in C++. That "safety" is on the honor system, and I could have done anything I wanted to the user's machine if I'd been so inclined. I don't know if Flash allows native code plugins or if they prompt you if it tries to load one.

And, if you really want to discredit the awards, I'd suggest voting for this site or, alternatively, for Pandagon. But, if you want to make them look good, I'd suggest MensNewsDaily instead.

[sage]

Phew! I just got through voting for Hit & Run, and boy are my arms tired!

[JDM]

"Why do you say that the poll is a farce?"

Because it's too easily rigged to be trusted, as pointed out in this thread.

"Also, there's certainly nothing pathetic about urging support for H&R."

Begging for votes *daily* in a meaningless online popularity contest is a sad state of affairs for irreverant libertarian outlaws.

"Seriously, what other blog can compare with the articles, range of topic, spontaneity, and quality of discourse found here?"

None, but that doesn't mean this one doesn't suck too. Bring back Virginia!

[AnonCowherd]

Windows users might also find that folder(s) in the C:Documents and SettingsApplication DataMacromediaFlash Player with a name like weblogawards.org ...

[Rick Barton]

None, but that doesn't mean this one doesn't suck too. Bring back Virginia!

Ah ha! And now the root of your sour grapes emerges.

[Rick Barton]

Because it's too easily rigged to be trusted, as pointed out in this thread.

That's not the same as saying that it has been rigged.

Begging for votes *daily* in a meaningless online popularity contest

Begging?? Also, meaning is in the mind of the intender. (Thank you John Searle)

[thoreau]

That's not the same as saying that it has been rigged.

Absolutely! Just because we've discussed the means by which they prevent multiple voting, that doesn't mean anybody here has actually done it. We simply value the sanctity of the private property that is our hard drives.

I choose not to discuss the number of times that I've voted, but only in the interests of privacy. I have the right to not discuss it, but that doesn't mean I have anything to hide.

[Hakluyt]

The constant campaigning has turned off of voting. Also, I wouldn't vote for H&R anyway.

[SP]

Why is there even a "Weblog Awards" in the first place? What information about quality or popularity is more meaningfully conveyed by these vote tallies than by the simple traffic numbers for each site?

[Rick Barton]

Ok. I took thr time to read the rules and they say:You may vote once every 24 hours in each poll.

So I retract the: "on every computer that we have access to" part of: "We should all remember to vote once a day on every computer that we have access to, of course."

But we should all still get a hold of at least three other folks and ask them to to vote for H&R once a day as well. Just send em the link.

[Rick Barton]

Hakluyt,

Whatdya mean you wouldn't vote for H&R?? Just which onw would you vote for?

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Hak, WTF?

[stacey v]

Inflation is a hidden tax on your savings.
The U.S. Constitution asserts that only gold and silver coin can be tendered as payment for debt.The United States Constitution, Article I, Section 10 states...
'No states shall...coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts. The U.S. Constitution only accepts gold and silver coin as money
Paper currency notes without backing of an equivalent gold or silver are not money..US. dollars are tokens to be used as long as someone else is willing to accept them as payment
Hans: The Constitutional standard for the U.S. money to be backed by gold or silver has been abandoned. Increasing the money supply without backing it up with gold or silver is stealing the purchasing power of those already holding the currency. As such, we can no longer say that the U.S. dollar is money. It is a paper currency. It is nothing more than a token. It is a token just as tokens are used at a video game arcade. The tokens are not money. The tokens are worthless pieces of base metal that are, by themselves, worth nothing. They only have worth as long as the arcade continues to accept them as payment for the video games. Likewise, the worthless paper currency that we call "dollars" is only worth something as long as people are accepting that currency as payment. If the public were to know that printing more paper dollars constantly dilutes the paper dollars that Joe Blow has in his pocket, there would be many upset Americans
Legal tender laws legally compel people into accepting worthless currency as payment.
As you see, the United States government borrows a limitless supply of fiat currency from the Federal Reserve Bank, the "Fed", to operate and purchase everything it needs. The collateral for this loan is the future earnings of the American people
read more at http://www.assetprofile.com/money.htm
Inflation is a hidden tax on your savings.

[stacey v]

Inflation is caused by the increase of currency placed into circulation by the Federal Reserve Bank?I found it. President James A. Garfield said, "Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce".Mayer Amschel Rothschild was quoted as saying, "Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws." It doesn't matter who writes the laws if you control a nation's currency.Who is Mayer Amschel Rothschild? Look it up my boy. It's a good history lesson. It is sad that most people in the U.S. are ignorant of their government and their monetary system. Most of them don't know and don't care to learn. Besides, those who are in the know will not buck the system out of self-interest and fear of loss. Invest in precious metals to reduce the effect of inflation on your savings. who is in control of the us. hmm. i wondering this question for about awile.im pretty sure here is the answer. better read it before you only have 17 channels of cable.and the internet start getting filterd.like in chinna and othe such places where. our money feeds industry.and not the people who make our stuff for 16 cents an our.

[stacey v .]

why on earth would the us do such bad things in the world i ponderd.see the money is the root. i hope this is helpfull.pluss i wonderd why they would take your guns away.this is indeed a dirty trick on the american public and as i c it.it sounds as if it were a war tipe action.launched a hundred years ago.think im kiding think about the stock market crash what happend there. study what abraham lincoln said what would happen if we let others controle our gold.and his view on busnese and how he saw them enthroaned and went on to redifine their exsistence.so it wouldnt happen.
the most important thing an inteligent person can read at this momment in time.and ponder whot goes on here.

[stacey v]

theres alot here but dont just take its word for it research it yourself.look it up.dont be lazy.do it find out how true this is i would like to c book references.please do it eplain to every one how when govermant takes a loan out of the fed. fiat money.that its putting a debt on the future earnings of america.and notice how ther be no jobs to esrn from anny more we have an inflated monatary system and other contrys do not people in china make lik 6 pairs of pance for 16 cents then we pay what it cost us over here in america like 20 to 75 dollars a pair or more.

whe ar truly getting robbed
http://www.assetprofile.com/money.htm
Hans: It is sad that most people in the U.S. are ignorant of their government and their monetary system. Most of them don't know and don't care to learn. Besides, those who are in the know will not buck the system out of self-interest and fear of loss. where is my history teacher.