In light of this Dan Drezner post, a better way to phrase one of my points in the “Do Not Call” post below occurs to me. If you apply a stripped down version of the Coase Theorem to this case, and (just work with me for a second) assume away transaction costs, it actually shouldn’t […]

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For those of you out there who’ve had a longstanding desire to constantly monitor my life (c’mon, admit it), I’ve installed a little javascript gadget on the left-hand toolbar that’s the equivalent of an aural webcam. Which is to say, it’ll display the last track I had loaded up in Winamp.

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I recently happened upon a website run by the family of Terri Schindler-Schiavo, who are trying to prevent her husband from having her feeding tube removed. (She’s been in a quasi-vegetative state for over a decade.) I have no particular opinion on the specific case, partly because I haven’t taken the time to read all […]

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One of the things that’s a bit vexing about the debate over copyright and MP3 file trading is how polarized it is. You get the Valenti crowd claiming that IP is exactly like ordinary tangible property, and that downloading a song is precisely the same, morally speaking, as shoplifting a CD. (That’s never quite held […]

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Charles Dodgson at Through the Looking Glass responds to my earlier post on the difference between zoning boards and private, contractual homeowners’ associations. I have a few replies of my own. First off, as an empirical matter, many homeowners’ associations are associated with whole new subidivions from the word go, and are not formed by […]

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Since Radley mentions, in his Tech Central Station piece, my previous loyal opposition to his Commerce Clause attack on the national Do Not Call list, I figure I might as well chip in with a couple of extra points. (I still stand by that analysis, incidentally. If the Framers felt like prohibiting state level trade […]

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I’m slated to be on Kansas City’s KCMO radio later today talking about Roy Moore and the Ten Commandments monument. More details when I know what time the spot’s due to run; you can listen online here. Update: The interview should air on their afternoon news program, around 6:20 Eastern time. Update 2: I thought […]

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The “From:” line on the most recent Nigerian scamspam I received identified the sender as “I am a scammer.”

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Just as I’m dipping into Paul Krugman’s acerbic (and therefore fun) collection Pop Internationalism, I see TAPped offer the following in a discussion of federal funding for higher education: The truth is, it is in the interest of every citizen — that is, every citizen who wants to see the U.S. maintain its edge among […]

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I recently started using the online radio program Spinner, and have happily uncovered a whole slew of music I love that I hadn’t been previously familiar with. Among ’em: The Postal Service (Death Cab for Cutie side project) Cat Power Four Tet Portastatic My Favorite Hint Ui Folk Implosion (Yeah, I know I’m behind the […]

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