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Czech President Klaus: environmentalism poses a threat to basic human freedoms

Washington - Czech President Vaclav Klaus said Tuesday he is ready to debate Al Gore about global warming, as he presented the English version of his latest book that argues environmentalism poses a threat to basic human freedoms. "I many times tried to talk to have a public exchange of views with him, and he's not too much willing to make such a conversation," Klaus said. "So I'm ready to do it."

Klaus was speaking a the National Press Building in Washington to present his new book, Blue Planet in Green Shackles - What Is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?, before meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney Wednesday.

"My answer is it is our freedom and, I might add, and our prosperity," he said.

Gore a former US vice president who has become a leading international voice in the cause against global warming, was co-winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Gore's effort was highlighted by his Oscar winning documentary film An Inconvienent Truth.

Klaus, an economist, said he opposed the "climate alarmism" perpetuated by environmentalism trying to impose their ideals, comparing it to the decades of communist rule he experienced growing up in Soviet-dominated Czechoslovakia.

"Like their (communist) predecessors, they will be certain that they have the right to sacrifice man and his freedom to make their idea reality," he said.

"In the past, it was in the name of the Marxists or of the proletariat - this time, in the name of the planet," he added.

Klaus said a free market should be used to address environmental concerns and said he oppposed as unrealistic regulations or greenhouse gas capping systems designed to reduce the impact of climate change.

"It could be even true that we are now at a stage where mere facts, reason and truths are powerless in the face of the global warming propaganda," he said.

Klaus alleged that the global warming was being championed by scientists and other environmentalists whose careers and funding requires selling the public on global warming.

"It is in the hands of climatologists and other related scientists who are highly motivated to look in one direction only," Klaus said. [link]

Jupiter grows third red spot


isn't this a Van Gogh painting?

In what's beginning to look like a case of planetary measles, a third red spot has appeared alongside its cousins — the Great Red Spot and Red Spot Jr. — in the turbulent Jovian atmosphere. This third red spot, which is a fraction of the size of the two other features, lies to the west of the Great Red Spot in the same latitude band of clouds. The visible-light images were taken on May 9 and 10 with Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. [link]

RIM Sells out to India - Big Brother to monitor Indian Blackberries

Well, it took longer than 15 days to reach a resolution, but apparently RIM is going to back down and allow the Indian government to monitor the Blackberry network in that country.

What's worse, it appears that RIM was more interested in covering its own ass than protecting user data during the negotiations: the only concession the company received from the Indian government was a promise that it won't be held liable if there's a leak of users' personal information.

Yeah, that ought to provide a sparkling incentive to keep things safe. There's no word on when monitoring might begin, but we've got a feeling privacy-loving Indians might suddenly be in the market for a new smartphone. [link]

30 Seconds on Software: Adobe Acrobat's Rotate Page Function

Sometimes when using a piece of software you start to wonder if the programmers ever tried to use what they wrote.

Therefore, as a public service to programmers everywhere (who will probably never read this), whenever software really pisses me off, I plan to publicly vent and offer suggestions. And now on with the show.

Rotating Pages in Adobe Acrobat

To begin with, it has the wrong shortcut key.

CTRL-R is Ruler

Who uses Ruler? And who uses it in a manner where they're constantly turning it off and on? Personally I don't like ruler so I turn it off and never use it again. I'd imagine it must be the same for someone who likes ruler, but in reverse. I can't imagine a situation where someone needs to turn it off and on frequently.

SHIFT-CTRL-R is Rotate

Obviously, the first change I'd make is to switch these two shortcut keys. I seriously doubt anyone would complain but I'm certain many people would applaud.

The second change I would make would be to the Rotate Pages dialog box. Here is the current box:

I would get rid of the drop down selector (which takes one click to open, one click to select and one click to rotate the pages, a total of three clicks for every rotate) and replace it with three buttons named Right, Flip and Left (far simpler language that adobe's clockwise, 180 and counter-clockwise. Every time I use it I have to rotate my hand to remember which way is counter-clockwise, whereas right, left, flip, are so much simpler).

example of improved box (sorry for the weak mockup, just imagine the buttons look like buttons with graphical pictures that point to the right, flip, and left in addition to the simple text labels I generated for mockup purposes):

I guess that's it for this edition of 30 seconds on software. Expect more complaints and suggestions the next time I get pissed off. Now back to work. :>

Stallman: Can we save the OLPC from Windows?

Since the OLPC was first announced we have envisioned it as a way to lead millions of children around the world to a life in which they do computing in freedom. The project announced its intention to give children a path to learn about computers by allowing them to study and tinker with the software. It may yet do that, but there is a danger that it will not. If most of the XOs that are actually used run Windows, the overall effect will be the opposite.

Proprietary software keeps users divided and helpless. Its functioning is secret, so it is incompatible with the spirit of learning. Teaching children to use a proprietary (non-free) system such as Windows does not make the world a better place, because it puts them under the power of the system's developer -- perhaps permanently. You might as well introduce the children to an addictive drug. If the XO turns out to be a platform for spreading the use of proprietary software, its overall effect on the world will be negative. [link]

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