On The Third Hand

• Natalie Solent just posted a great common-sense commentary about spam over on Libertarian Samizdata. I agree completely. I (being an incorrigible geek) use filters on my e-mail program to get rid of most spam. My program catches about 90% of the stuff and diverts it into a folder called (with great originality) 'spam'. Once a day, I open the folder and give it the hairy eyeball... and then usually delete everything in it. I could set my program to just delete it... except that about once a month someone sticks one of my keywords into a legitimate mail. Just a note to prospective spammers: I don't need any Viagra or Free Vacations in Florida. Honest! I'm female and I live in Florida. Oh... and if you are going to send me porn... at least make it pictures of men? Pretty please!
• Is common sense overtaking the US? Heaven forbid!
• The press could make a difference. According to an AP summary (that is it on this particular story) : "Illustrating the country's deep suffering, an Associated Press reporting team discovered a village in remote northern Afghanistan where people are slowly starving to death, struggling to stay alive on bread made from grass. Mothers whose milk has dried up feed their babies grass porridge." Ok, we do understand. Sounds very nasty. So why don't you AP reporters tell the relief agencies where this village is, and help us get some food to them? Or even tell the US military so we can bomb them with our infamous 'yellow thingies'? Are you afraid you might have to give USAID some credit? And I'd also like to know if the oh-so-compassionate AP team gave their food to these starving people before leaving? (I'd bet on 'no')

Airlines test out 'clean' lists

In tomorrow's security-conscious world, you will either volunteer personal information in advance to the airline you want to fly on - and get onto a "clean" list once your details are verified - or submit to lengthy questioning each time you board a plane.

This strikes me as a bad idea. They are intending to identify people by iris scan, which I think makes them feel good. That will stop people from stealing identities -- unless, of course, someone breaks into the database. I doubt many would bother. They'd just get themselves put on the list as themselves, either by bribing an official or being a sleeper agent that has no known ties to anything, flies often, and never causes problems.

Security can be improved by better technology, better questioning, and careful passenger profiling (not just ethnic). It would be improved greatly if everyone were searched. No matter what, it will never be perfect. Making some people safe from search will make us less secure, not more. A terrorist could even conceivably plant something on one of these 'safe' people, and then use it once on board.