.Net rocks!

I’m playing with the VB.Net-based DotNetNuke portal. Although it’s very new, the superiority of the .Net platform is allowing it to rapidly catch up with mature LAMP-based portals. It really gives a whole new meaning to RAD development. (Btw, did you know that you can run .Net on Linux/Apache using Mono and the ModMono Apache module?) I’ve already set up a blog, and I’d like to move my homepage to .NetNuke, if only I could find a .Net host. Anyone interested in getting a free Unix account in exchange for some space on a .Net-enabled host? I’d host it on my pc if Cox hadn’t blocked port 80…I’ll be damned if they make me upgrade to a commercial account just to run a web server. Speaking of which, the value/quality of the service Cox offers is ridiculous, but they have a local monopoly on cable Internet service, and I’ve disabled my landline, so I can’t get DSL. Incidentaly, I just found I get free web hosting at http://cox-internet.com/david, but Cox offers no scripting support, making my account rather useless.
Anyway, you should seriously consider using .Net for your web/GUI/Unix development needs. I’m going to do just that…right after I cash my check from the MS marketing dept.

“If you build it — we will burn it”

That is the slogan of the eco-terrorists group known as “ELF.” In the last few years, these home-made terrorists have not only been causing untold millions of dollars in damage, but have also been committing murder for “crimes against nature.” Ted Kacynski’s ‘revolution against the industrial system” is just one example of their methods, along with assassinating political opponents, and large-scale harassment and intimidation campaigns against American companies. A few years ago, they went after an insurer of a drug-testing company:

Employees have had their homes vandalized with spray-painted “Puppy killer” and “We’ll be back” notices. They have faced a mounting number of death threats, fire bombings and violent assaults. They’ve had their names, addresses and personal information posted on Web sites and posters, declaring them “wanted for collaboration with animal torture.”

While the scale of death and destruction caused by eco-terrorism has been growing, neither the police nor any federal agencies have pursued these groups with any seriousness, in large part due to the political power of the environmentalist movement.
Earlier today, a terrorist was finally arrested in CA for causing over $1 million dollars in damage. Their bold-faced lies are astounding:

[The offender’s] roommate insisted he had no role in the vandalism.
“We absolutely condemn it,” she told the Daily Bulletin. “We think it was wrong. We’re peace activists. We feel like we’re being unfairly targeted because we disagree with our government.”
Lopez said the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were continuing an investigation of federal crimes, which would be added to Connole’s state crimes charges. The FBI, after the arson and vandalism spree, released surveillance video from a Ford dealership in Duarte that showed two young men spray-painting SUVS.

Despite the scale of violence coming from these groups, a much more serious threat to our lives comes from the non-violent mainstream movement, which is just as dedicated to the wholesale destruction of human life. I think Glenn Woiceshyn sums it up best:

Since man survives only by conquering nature, man is an inherent threat to the “intrinsic value” of nature and must therefore be eliminated. Environmentalism makes man the endangered species.

Continue reading “If you build it — we will burn it”

Victims? I don't think so.

An MSNBC story reports on RIAA’s suit against 261 music pirates:

The stories of the RIAA 261 are emerging across the country. Many defendants say they are surprised by the suits, that they were unaware that such song swapping could be illegal, or that they were ignorant of the activities of others using their computers, such as children.

Innocent and ignorant victims, huh? As misguided and counter-productive as I think RIAA’s actions are, the “RIAA 261” were all sharing at least 1000 songs – not a number you can easily download in a single afternoon, or even a week. It takes a dedicated downloader to download and share thousands of song for a period long enough to get RIAA’s notice. Anyone using P2P software that much can hardly be excused for being ignorant of the law, especially with all the disclaimers and warning most P2P applications present, and the widespread coverage the RIAA actions have received in the media.
Regardless of how the current suit turns out, in the long term, the RIAA effort is futile, and it is inevitable that some sort of music subscription service will supplement CD’s. Nevertheless, the media should not irresponsibly present music pirates as innocent victims when the great majority of them knew full well that what they were doing is illegal and wrong, but ignored such considerations with the pragmatic attitude that is common today.

Last night’s Objectivism Club meeting went well, though I didn’t get to finish the introduction to Objectivism that I was writing, so I won’t be putting it online for a while. We had a decent turnout, and a very positive response from the audience. One delusional Keynes-worshipper apparently came to the meeting solely to argue economics with us – and I was more than willing to take him on. Later that night, I read some positive responses to our meeting on a local forum, and saw the usual ad-hominem attacks against “extremism.” I wrote a lengthy reply on the forum talking about some of my experiences with Objectivism, and included it below. I don’t really expect to convince anyone, but it’s been a long week of classes, and I needed to let some steam off.
Continue reading

More news of interest: Patriots for the Defense of America issued “America’s Failing War Effort: A Report Card,” girl of 12 settles with RIAA for $2,000, and faced with losing their precious pools, Germans are turning to (God forbid!) private enterprise to save their badekultur.
Also:Tim’s article appears in today’s Mises Daily Article. It’s a decent story, but I don’t get his obsession with capitalizing the word “State.” Like using too many exclamation marks, it rapidly loses effectiveness with overuse!

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I got a job last week. There’s a very good chance that my boss/coworkers visit this site, so I’ll do my best to refrain from slandering any of them — not that I have any cause to. Actually, my mom reads my blog whenever I don’t answer the phone, and if I don’t moderate my comments for her, I doubt I would for anyone else. (Don’t worry mom, last week’s hangover was the first time in a long while – I can’t afford that much alcohol very often.)
Anyway, I will be doing hardcore .Net programming at work, and extending and applying what I learn at home as well. My homepage, which was originally created in plain html, converted to php, then converted to asp, then converted to .Net, and finally converted back to php, will probably be converted to VB.net and then C# as I apply my new knowledge to this site. Although I find LAMP to be a better solution in many cases, .Net offers power and features that are unmatched by any other solution. (If you’re interested in a comparison of the two, check out Microsoft’s take on MSDN. Although the disadvantages of .Net are mysteriously left out, the superiority of .Net as a platform is made very clear.)
In any case, I am looking for potential projects that I can use as a learning experience for .Net. If you would are looking for someone to design your interactive non-profit website, let me know, and I might do it gratis.

Abbas' Resignation

Yahoo reports that Abbas has resigned as prime minister and Arafat is once again in charge of the terrorist support organization known as the PLO. Has the “peace process” failed? Are more attacks on Israel forthcoming?

I think that the “resignation” is a positive turn of events in Israel’s war against terrorism. Despite the pretence of change in the Palestinian leadership, Abbas was never in charge of the PLO. He has been Arafat’s close confederate for many years and is just as responsible for the terrorism the PLO has carried out as Arafat. When Bush made it clear to Arafat that he would refuse to deal with him, Arafat chose his right-hand man as a puppet through whom he expected to prolong his hold on power. My guess is that Abbas was so impressed with the respect he got from Bush and Sharon, that he let his position go to his head and crossed Arafat. In an attempt to gain legitimacy, he supported a truce between Israel and the three main terrorist organizations (Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades) that was doomed from the start. In retaliation, Arafat used his control over the terrorist groups intensify the attacks on Israel, ending the “truce,” and dispelling any pretense that Abbas was in charge of the PLO or able to control the terrorist groups under Arafat’s leadership.

Abbas’ ouster benefits Israel because Bush cannot pressure Israel to negotiate with any more terrorists, at least not until Arafat chooses another collaborator to present as his “successor.” With Abbas out of the picture, Israel can resume its badly-needed hunt for terrorist leaders. If its attacks are to be successful however, they must not be tainted with the same timid uncertainty and moral compromising as America’s attack on Iraq. As Mike pointed out, during the latest failed attack on the head of Hamas, “the attack failed because Israel used a smaller bomb to avoid harming civilians.” Israel may have saved a civilian life or two, but by failing to kill the leader of Hamas, it has virtually guaranteed that dozens of innocent Israeli civilians will die. If he wants to win the war, (and that’s what it is) Sharon must learn to stop apologizing for civilian casualties and defend Israel with the same uncompromising and unrelenting attitude as those who wish to destroy it.