Critique This Film for Star Trek

Check out this hilarious review of the new Star Trek movie.


You can also check out the movie trailers here.

Star Trek XI

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to bring to your attention the following from J.J. Abrams, the director of Mission: Impossible III and the producer of Cloverfield, Lost and Alias: Star Trek XI.

It's Star Trek the way you never saw it before.

In cinemas on May 8. The official movie web site is available here.





What do you think?

AUBG e-mail problems

I wrote a story for defacto on Wednesday regarding some recent problems with AUBG's e-mail system. I am happy to inform the AUBG community that the problems mentioned in the article have been resolved. To the best of my knowledge, AUBG's e-mail web access is now fully functional.

The story was printed on the front page of defacto's issue 32. You can read it here. Being frustrated by the communication breakdown caused by the problems with the e-mail system, defacto decided to push for the implementation of Google Apps for Education at AUBG. You can read more about that here.

Ethical Issues Involved in a Child Pornography Case

According to CBS News, in December 2006 a US customs’ officer performed a random search of a laptop that was found on the back seat of a car belonging to a Sebastien Boucher. After the officer found files with names such as "Two year old being raped during diaper change," he charged Boucher with "transporting child pornography in interstate or foreign commerce."

After Boucher was charged, his laptop was confiscated as evidence. However, investigators later found out that they are unable to access the questionable material on the laptop because it was, according to the Washington Post, "protected by Pretty Good Privacy, a form of encryption software used by intelligence agencies in the United States and around the world that is widely available online." The government filed a subpoena that required Boucher to give away the passphrase that protects the data, and thus allow the government full access to his laptop.

However, Magistrate Judge Jerome J. Niedermeier ruled that the subpoena is illegal because it would violate Boucher’s Fifth Amendment rights. "If Boucher does know the [passphrase], he would be faced with the forbidden trilemma: incriminate himself, lie under oath, or find himself in contempt of court," Niedermeier said.

Niedermeier ruling was later appealed, and a few weeks ago, according to cnet news, U.S. District Judge William Sessions ruled that Boucher does not have a Fifth Amendment right to keep his passphrase secret.

Law aside, two ethical issues pop-up in this case. Should border officials make random searches of computers that enter a country to counter the spread of child pornography; and is it ethical to force Boucher to reveal his passphrase and thus incriminate himself.

Any opinions?

A Visit to the Belgrade Zoo

After probably around 10 years I visited the Belgrade Zoo again this Spring break. These are the really awesome photos Silvana and I took.