New York Times: Four executives of Google begin trial Tuesday in Milan on criminal charges of defamation and privacy violation in regard to a video posted on Google’s Italian site.

It’s because of cases like these that hosting companies want little or nothing to do with user-contributed content… the cost of having to monitor and control an upload feed is extraordinarily expensive in terms of resources but it’s also an extremely muddy pond to swim in. Imagine if you had to weed out every piece of video that everyone might find offensive… you’d end up a with Sputnik-like soundtrack and a test pattern for a display. Especially since this very thing has been proven over and over again with chatroom experiments: you always need moderation. Can’t be helped, but humans can’t be trusted if left to their own judgement – human nature, some call it.. It is further proven by into John Gabriel’s Internet Dickwad Theory…

Either way, it’s very weird to cheer for Google for a change.

I’m at Borders, in their cafe section. I’m reading a book I ordered years ago at Amazon while I wait for my Jeep to get repaired up the road. On my table are three books I bought and a ColdBrewed latte. There’s a couple next to me reading through a stack of seven magazines apiece, with no drink or food in sight.

What the fuck?!

I have no idea why Borders allows themselves to be a customer funded library, but I do know this just pisses me off. Especially when I think about how often I buy stuff here… I have to wonder how many times I paid full price for books that were actually pre-read – used merchandise sold fruadulently as new!

In every sense: campers, leechers, and r0dents are t3h suck.

Overheard in New York:

Businessman lady #1: See, she always finds a way to make things about her!

Businessman lady #1: Oh, shit! What if she really does die? Then it will really be all about her. Crap.

I dunno which is worse… that there are people like that out there in the world or that I think I might know her?

Reuters: A Southern California man has sued MGM Mirage for preying on his gambling addiction and inducing him to borrow and lose millions of dollars at its Las Vegas casinos.

See what I mean about how lawsuits are idiotic these days? Consider this with the vendor, being American, the patriot [sarcasm] and the oreos… sad, really. You can do whatever you want and just get out of it later with the court system. And still people wonder why the US feels so “run down” and “chaotic” and “in decline” – dur!

Why aren’t people forced to take responsibility for their own actions?!