My problem with Javascript

Imagine a computer language that is used for almost everything on the internet that is interactive (seriously, try disabling it and going to your favorite sites). Also imagine it has the worst conventions for a language you can imagine, almost everything about its design being haphazard or shortsighted. I think you see where I am going with this. Apparently it is easier to get going as a beginner copying and pasting known code (say for mapping APIs used by all the cool, or at least, dominate kids). You can't really watch the experts in the language explain it without being struck by how many errors and outright mistakes there are still in there, destroying lives and sanity. JavaScript is probably just as powerful as he says, but if I could be using any other language to do the above online mapping I would probably take it. Additional: The best thing that can be said about Javascript is the fact it isn't VB. Everything that I've said about Javascript applies perhaps doubly for VB (VBA being the worst). I am by no means alone in this. RE: Disabling JavaScript on browsers. This is actually a very good idea in general. Start using Mozilla Firefox if you don't already, and install NoScript. It lets you very easily allow or not allow JavaScript to run on a given site (default off).

Links for Today

Happy generic Hallmark created holiday everyone. Here is a list of interesting things.

• The brilliant anti-corruption lawyer and author Lawrence Lessig on Obama. I apologize if at any time my rather strong support for Barack Obama has offended anyone who reads this. If you at all on the fence about this guy or just don't really know a lot about him, this is a good thing to see.
• The Reuters news agency releases its semantic web tool. Put in a document of anything and it will spit out metadata, tags, and other information. Very handy for searches. If you could have this accept spatial data you could whip up a generic search tool like what appears on Google Earth.
• Firefox 3 beta 3 is out. Faster and more stable than Firefox 2, which means several orders of magnitude better than IE7.
• Miro. I don't care if I mentioned this in a previous links post, it is still awesome. Free shows and music videos (TED talks, PBS Frontline, The Onion).
• The Escapist; funny game reviews. Funny even if you never played them or only have a passing interest in video games.
• This comic is almost as misogynistic as the comment I left on my mother's blog.

Telcom immunity passes Senate, Clinton doesn't bother showing up to vote.

The Senate bill includes every single thing Bush wanted. One senator was mentioning with glee that not one of the amendments that could have caused a veto made it through. McCain show up to vote for immunity, Obama voted to oppose it. Not even the amendment that stipulated that this was the only legal eavesdropping program the president can create passed (this was Dianne Feinstein's, to give her credit for not being a complete shill). The lack of that amendment means a president can just make up a new spy program if for some reason (s)he find this law to be too constricting. Knowing this congress, they would just make it legal afterward anyway. The only way you can justify the striking down of these amendments is if you honestly believe the president has the right to spy on any person for any reason. I will be highly amused if Clinton - who's campaign is already Nixonesque - gets the nod and the right-wing echo chamber suddenly reverses its position with the kind of amnesia normally reserved for budget, midday soap opera programming. Here is a petition to the House not to back down. Their bill isn't perfect, but it doesn't include immunity. I also recommend calling your representatives.

McCain effectively locks up Republican nomination

And if Democrats were interested in beating him, they should basically just show this picture on every possible two dimensional surface.



There. Barring the unlikely event of a massive terrorist attack that can't be blamed on the administration (ha) or Iraq suddenly having obvious political progress (which would be wonderful in any case, though still doesn't justify the launching of the war) you just won the election. Except for 20-25% of this country that just can't learn from (or are too proud to admit) their mistakes, Bush is radioactive for McCain.