Data safety under Windoze

A friend's computer-illiterate dad asked me "how can I protect myself from the company I'm leaving? I have to give back their laptop, and I've saved all the data I want off it, but I want to be sure they don't pull things off there to use out of context in our ugly separation struggles."

After I gave him the short version of the story about (1) don't use Windows (too late) and (2) don't use your work computer for things you don't want work to read (too late also!), I agreed to look into solutions.

I found the Eraser -- an open-source (GNU-licensed) Windows disk scrubber. This seems like a useful tool for everybody who has to work with Windows sometimes. I don't run Windows, so if anybody reading this does and wants to try this out, please let me know what your experience is. Alternative recommendations are also welcome.

Google and the DMCA

A friend of mine wanted to know about DSS file formats, and how one might go about using them for (e.g.) speech recognition software.

So I put in dss wav converter into Google, as is my wont, and got back a list of interesting links.

But at the bottom of the page was this message:

In response to a complaint we received under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 1 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaint for these removed results.

As I said to my friend: what the fuck is going on here?

Why is Google taking out links, even if they are infringing? Google should be covered, you'd think. But maybe they don't feel like their collective ass is covered. Maybe that's why they link to Chilling Effects.

If you happen to own a senator, have them look into this DMCA thing, eh?

Viva la España

Spain has rejected their conservative, Bush-loving government in the face of terrorist attacks. My respect for the people of Spain has just climbed another notch.

Why can't I live in a country that responds rationally to violence? The right response to violence is exactly what the Spaniards have done: to throw out the belligerent bums who beat their chest and the drums of war with equal vigor. Unlike some countries I might name, which, when confronted with pointless and horrifying tragedy, rally around the flag and threaten passersby with being bombed flat.

Yet another reason I want to move to Barcelona.

¡Viva!

I wish I could figure out how to enter ñ and ¡ on LogJam without cutting and pasting...