afternoon notes
1. Some developments in the Facebook terms-of-service privacy situation. You might think it odd that I take such an interest in the affair given that I’m not a Facebook user, but I see it as kind of a test case for future privacy battles. I applaud the site’s willingness to be democratic about it given that they do run a free service and they are, technically, within their rights to make what use of the content they will. But as regards the news, I hope they’re genuine about wanting to work with people to hammer out a mutually-satisfactory privacy statement. I’m leery, though, given human nature and the general direction of things lately. This is definitely an exception to the rule.
2. Not sure why there’s any outcry over this. Pay restrooms are a fact of life in Europe. And if it means my ticket will be cheaper, I’ll gladly not pay for a service I might not have to use.
3. The first annual ImageWorks chili cook-off was today. Nine of my coworkers brought chili and everyone sampled and voted. Crackers and all the fixings were provided, including (cheap) beer (!). Needless to say, it was pretty much the best lunch ever. I love chili.