I'm In Ur Newsroom, Collecting Ur Data

In the halcyon days of the Harriet Miers nomination, Sen. John Kyl waged an impressive one-man crusade against her; there was buzz about Kyl or Sen. John Cornyn being promoted to take Miers' slot when she finally cut and ran. This is a less impressive crusade.

Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl floated an amendment last week attached to Senate Bill 236, which, as it stands now, would require agencies conducting "data mining" operations to make reports to Congress. Data mining is sifting through large amounts of information to find patterns that, in this case, point to potential terrorist activity.

Kyl's amendment, broadly worded, would have criminalized the dissemination of information "concerning efforts by the United States to identify, investigate or prevent terrorist activity."

Nice pull quote from one of the activists who shut Kyl out:

"There was a time between about 2001 and 2005, where all you had to do is burp out the words 'national security' to get something closed. It was really stupid and counterproductive and alarming."

Comments

[Jim Bob]

And Tseric's reach extends another light-year.

[excimer]

Just in case noone got the title for this post, here's an example of where it came from- one of my personal favorite internet memes ever. It stems from even earlier (some game where a favorite tagline among players was "Im in ur base, killin ur doodz"), then someone tacked on a cat picture to it, to everyone's benefit.

And here are about a million more.

Well played, David. Well played.

[B]

I was living in AZ back when Total Information Awareness was being tossed around the Senate...I wrote to my Senators expressing concern.

Kyl (more likely, Kyl's office) wrote back, and the essence of the letter was "don't worry, this is only to protect you, don't be paranoid, and don't forget to vote Repubican this fall."

Of course, at least I got a reply from him...more than I can say for the other Senator from the Grand Canyon State...

[David Ross]

Re, Kyl "floating an amendment":

Oof. After that high-fiber breakfast, I think I need to "drop an earmark"...

[Dave W.]

Why, of why do people seem to think that the Internet is some kind of gigantic excuse to drop all the traditional and well-founded rules of spelling, grammar and lexicography? Howsoever are we to give due consideration to the contents of a person's thoughts if he cannot even take the time and effort to spell out simple words, like "your," "people" or "hate?" (Now setting the rant code to the off position.)

[Aresen]

'criminalized the dissemination of information "concerning efforts by the United States to identify, investigate or prevent terrorist activity." '

That could be construed to prohibit publication of the Congressional Record.

[Aresen]

Dave W

Yore rite.

;P

[Seitz]

And here are about a million more.

I don't even like cats and I can't look at that page without smiling.

[Warren]

Dave W.
The "traditional and well-founded rules of spelling, grammar and lexicography" do not apply to the internet. Just as there are different rules for speaking and writing, and more aptly for formal and informal writing, there are different rules for the internet. If you want to engage in community discourse in the 21st century, you will have to learn them.

The language lives, much to the dismay of schoolmarms everywhere.

[R C Dean]

Oof. After that high-fiber breakfast, I think I need to "drop an earmark"...

Ditto, David. Although in Washington, its often called "pinching an intern".

[Dave W.]

Just as there are different rules for speaking and writing, and more aptly for formal and informal writing, there are different rules for the internet. If you want to engage in community discourse in the 21st century, you will have to learn them.

Yeah, yeah, I was just taking a little poke at Wriggleys and some of the Gryllianders who see l33tsp33k as a sign of insanity or ganjatood.

Circle circle dot dot.

[pigwiggle]

Dave W.

I'm a smart man David, but I have always had a problem with spelling. Sometimes I attribute it to my bad memory, or the capricious and arbitrary nature of the language. But the fact remains - I can't spell so good. Thank god for spell check. Unfortunately it won't tell me the difference between homonym and hominem. So, if I don't know to consult my dictionary I invariably get the business from some self important ass. How's this, you don't worry about my spelling and I won't assume you are a tard because you can't work a Fourier tranform or are lost finding the Green's function of some differential operator. Deal?

[Dave W.]

Pigwiggle:

1. See my 12.41 p post. I would direct you to some of my l33tsp33k posts themselves, but I fear management here went a bit crazee and wiped'em all.

2. Who said I can't do a Fourier transform? I had to do that so that I could excel in engineering school.

[Dave W.]

Oh, also if you want to hear the song I wrote in 1996 about doing Fourier transforms, then I would direct you here:

http://tinyurl.com/3ypget

However, because the song is mostly instrumental, you can't learn to do the transforms just be listening to it. It is a good example of how to use a midi synthesizer and ashtray stand to maximum effect, tho. I finally just wiped that synthesizer this very weekend because my wife is finally letting me give away the Windows 95 machine. I got a little bit sentimental erasing the program!

[Laplace]

You're Fourier transform is merely the imaginary axis of my complex plane.

[pigwiggle]

engineering school.

Yeah, now I get it.

[isildur]

Dave W.,

This particular phrase ('im in ur base killin ur doods') was picked up by SomethingAwful and turned into a catchprase there (and thus began its endless journey towards Intarweb Legend, as so many other catchprases before it). SA has a ban-with-prejudice policy towards leetspeak. Its use in this context is intended to be, like, ironical.