A smart answer to the nutty Chris Patten

Christopher Patten, the last governor-general of Hong Kong who is now a commissioner of the European Union, delivered of himself a load of garbage last weekend in attacking U.S. foreign policy against terrorism. Mr. Patten has met his match in a writer for The Times of London. Click on the link below to read it.

Times Online

Mr. Patten's basic argument is that the U.S. needs to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" with the mush-for-brains crowd running such sharp anti-terrorist states as France (where the shoe-bomber Richard Reid got on a flight for Miami) before declaring war on the "Axis of Evil."

It's sad how Mr. Patten, a crusader for human rights as Hong Kong prepared to be assimilated by China, has lost his bearings. As Kevin Kline famously said in "A Fish Called Wanda," "If it wasn't for the United States, you lot [the Brits] would be goose-stepping and eating Wienerschnitzel."
posted by Mark at 10:48 PM

Ah, La Belle France home of "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood"?

Let's not be so sure. The French are trying to impose their own versions of "hate speech" laws on not only free expression in cyberspace, but on innocuous ones as well, such as an auction of memorabilia from the Nazi era. (I say innocuous not because I support fascism, but because stamp collectors have had Nazi-era stamps for years, and I don't know of a single philatelist who turned into a Nazi in the process.)

Check out this story from The New York TImes (link may require you to register at their site, for free) and see how you feel.

French Decision Prompts Questions About Free Speech and Cyberspace


posted by Mark at 1:03 PM

Warning! Klez.e Virus Is Back, And More Harmful

If you don't have enough to worry about, check out this News.com news story -- and make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date!

Klez worm reborn as nastier version - Tech News - CNET.com

I've received about 8 copies of the new worm, all of which were blocked either by my anti-virus software or by Outlook 2002. You should take precautions, and you should do it now.
posted by Mark at 12:59 PM

Get a sample of my radio show

Just click here to listen to an excerpt of my www.adrenalineradio.com program, but be sure you have the RealOne player from Real Networks first.
posted by Mark at 9:55 AM

Do you miss the weekly "Hand-Helds" column in the Los Angeles Times?

Two weeks after dropping the weekly "Tech Times" section, today's issue of the local dog trainer (c.f. Harry Shearer) features a review of two new handheld computers. The review neglects some key facts, in my view, and, in my view, ignores some key questions about the merits (or demerits) of the items under consideration.

At the risk of bragging too much, I believe my weekly "Hand-Helds" column, written for 18 months in the paper's pages, did a better job of examining issues, particularly since I'd been the Editor-in-Chief of PC Portables magazine and had a long experience with the devices. If you are one of those folks who would like to see better hand-held computing coverage in the fourth-largest daily newspaper in the United States, please send an e-mail to business editor Bill Sing and tell him, politely, of course, that you want to see the column return, and that you would like them to hire Mark Kellner to write it again. Thank you.
posted by Mark at 9:46 AM

Maybe those Washington Times links last longer

A funny thing just happened, I clicked on the StarOffice review link below and -- presto! -- the article appeared. If you want to read my comments about open office software, click on the link. If it doesn't work, send me an e-mail and I'll send you a copy.
posted by Mark at 9:43 AM

Looking for a good inkjet printer? Read this review

Epson Stylus C80 excels as single printer

Please note, however, that the link may be valid ONLY for seven days from posting.
posted by Mark at 9:41 AM