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Livejournal has added Javascript code to all its pages to edit outgoing links users may post to sites like Amazon that offer referral programs. The code removes affiliate IDs users may include (hoping to get a cut of profits from the links) and replaces them with someone else's ID, presumably Livejournal's or the third party's own (so they get the money instead of the user who posted the link getting the money). Details linked from this Livejournal posting. It appears that at least some of this behaviour was unintended by, or unknown to, at least some of Livejournal's staff; it appears that they didn't actually write the code themselves but got it from the third party and put it on all their pages without knowing exactly what it would do. However, it appears that at least the behaviours of putting in an affiliate ID if none were already present, and of bouncing outgoing links through a third-party server, were intended.
(4 March 2010)I recently converted my system to KDE 4, because some software I wanted to run required it. I'm less than impressed: it seems the developers decided to break a bunch of things that were not broken, in the name of progress. That's the sort of thing I expect from commercial operations who need to justify every new version as new and different; I hope for more stability from free software. Here are some notes on making the new system livable.
(11 December 2009)Bob Altemeyer at the University of Manitoba has been doing research on the sexual habits of Canadian youth - specifically, the persons who end up in his first-year psychology class. This kind of data is notoriously difficult to collect. About all you can do is ask people to fill out surveys, and there are a lot of reasons for them to lie or for the sample to be biased. If we're going to talk intelligently, and especially, if we're going to make policy, on these issues, then we had damn well better get accurate information about what is really going on. The sample chapters of Altemeyer's book go into considerable detail on just why studies of sexual behaviour are difficult to do right... and why he thinks his own studies are likely to be some of the most accurate available. Those sample chapters also present some of the results, and they're worth reading and thinking hard about. Some of the numbers are surprising; notably, the percentages among the male and female 19-year-olds polled who had had sexual intercourse at all. See if you can guess those two numbers, then look it up and see how you did. If you're really daring, try posting your guesses in the comments before you follow the link - though, of course, there's no way we could ensure you do that honestly.
I haven't read the rest of the book yet; I'm planning to order it from Lulu when I get back from my trip so that it won't arrive while I'm gone. As you know I'm less than thrilled about Lulu's recent behaviour, but I still think it's preferable to buy the book through them instead of Amazon because that way more of the proceeds will end up being passed through to Dr. Altemeyer, who is donating the money to a scholarship fund. (9 December 2009)
Lulu, the self-publishing platform through which I'm distributing some of my work, recently announced that now they're doing "eBooks." Interesting piece of "news," since they've offered electronic distribution right from the start of their operation, and I've been using it myself for years already. What's new? It turns out the actually new part is that instead of just allowing people to buy and sell downloadable PDFs, now they're going further to support commercial "eBook" devices... and they're claiming an additional $1.49 out of every download sold on top of their previous claim of 20% of the retail price (it's going to be interesting if they try to take $1.49 out of my Japanese syllabary flash cards, which are currently priced at $1.00)... and (for another $0.99) they'll let you apply DRM to your "eBook."
I'm inclined to think that at the very least, I shouldn't publish with Lulu again; and, probably, I should also withdraw my existing publications from their system and find some other print-on-demand outfit. Is that an overreaction?
ETA: They've posted a response, see below.
(17 November 2009)Because of Lulu's introduction of DRM, I'm looking around for viable alternatives. Amazon's "CreateSpace" seems to be worth consideration. It can't replace everything Lulu did. Here's a quick comparison of their advertised features. I haven't worked with CreateSpace myself and so can't describe personal experience on how well it really lives up to its stated way of doing things; if I do use it in the future I'll update this page with my experiences.
(12 November 2009)Aluminum oxide in its alpha crystal form is a mineral called corundum. Pure corundum crystals are naturally colourless, but they usually contain impurities that give them colour, and they can be almost any colour. If they're red, these crystals are called rubies; if orange-pink, they're called padparadschas; and in any other case they're called sapphires. Blue sapphires are one notable variety.
(27 October 2009)I've not had much enthusiasm for the copyright wars in the last few years, and I've mostly stayed on the sidelines in the current consultation. It's important stuff, though, and there are only a few days left to make submissions, so this morning I took some time out to prepare the following. You should take a look at the Speak Out On Copyright site and put in your comments, too.
(9 September 2009)Roger Ebert wrote an excellent piece about the current US healthcare nonsense. I don't have a lot to say on that particular topic; I'm not sure how much interest it has for my readers, and he's much better positioned to talk about it and be listened to than I am. One thing I'd like to say, though, is that it reminds me how glad I am I'm living in Canada. Another thing is that, okay, Ebert talks about how "socialism" is a dirty word and used as an excuse for turning off one's brain. Any rational argument on US healthcare can be trumped by calling the other party "socialist." Well, in Canada's own health care debates, which are going on right now though on a much smaller scale than the ones in the States, we have a dirty word like that too. It's used as an excuse for abandoning rational thought. If you propose a plan and I disagree with it, all I have to do is accuse you of proposing a (this dirty word) plan, and that's it, I win, no more debate allowed. Just like calling someone "socialist" in the USA; but the dirty word in Canadian health care debates isn't "socialist."
(24 August 2009)It is my plan to work full-time in the calendar months September to December 2009 writing a book. This page tracks my progress, both for the interest of Web site visitors and because having a public visible progress indicator will help me stay motivated. If you want even closer to real-time reports on my status, you should follow my twitter updates.
(13 August 2009)I recently started studying Japanese, and so I wanted my computer to work in Japanese too - if nothing else so I could use it to prepare study aids. I use a home-brewed configuration of Slackware Linux (effectively "Linux From Scratch," though I didn't actually follow that project's how-to documents) and I wanted the Japanese stuff to work nicely with the rest of my configuration, including the application software and tools I already use for Canadian English. And I wanted to typeset in Japanese with LaTeX. That meant it wasn't as simple as just choosing "Japanese" during installation of one of the more entry-level distributions. Here are some notes on what I had to do, which may be helpful for others in similar situations.
(5 July 2009)