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The Washington Post is reporting on a power struggle occuring on the board of directors at In-N-Out. It seems that the granddaughter and sole descendant of the original
founder of the chain is trying to expand, abandoning the In-N-Out philosophy.

In-N-Out burger is perhaps the only thing I like about LA. The company provides the freshest, tastiest greasy burgers in town. You can order them any way you like; just ask. The company is also known for taking care of its workers. They pay their line workers far and above the average wage, and managers make good money. The company also is committed to the development of all its employees, only helping to further In-N-Out’s image.

If Lynsi Martinez, granddaughter of founder Harry Snyder, gets her way, In-N-Out will no longer be the small, quality restaurant that has made it such a success. After all, In-N-Out is not McDonalds’. Its commitment to making a quality burger and developing quality people is how it has survived. I’m afraid it will not under Ms. Martinez’s plan.

I hope I don’t lose my only reason to travel to LA. Or, for that matter, out west.

Yesterday was the 33rd anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Washington to celebrate or denounce the decision. I encountered a group of these protesters, and I am not moved.

In the interests of disclosure, I am in the “pro-choice” camp. While I do not condone the practice, I cannot in good faith support a government ban on the procedure. I do not know enough about Roe to make any reasoned arguments either for or against the decision, so I won’t even try.

My beef is with the protesters themselves. When I arrived at Washington’s Union Station yesterday evening, I entered the Metro station, as I always do. Right at the bottom of the escalator (I mean right at the bottom, about 2 feet way) was a mass of pro-life protesters. All 16 or younger. All oblivious to the world around them. Protest banners forming a sort of wall. I asked nicely, and no response. So through the gauntlet I went. For all my efforts, I was polite in comparison to the larger, more seasoned commuters. They didn’t even ask, nor did they state their intentions. They simply barreled through the crowd. I was impressed.

I understand that some people feel very passionate about one issue or another. Personally, I cannot see a reason to get upset over abortion. But please, be considerate. Protesters represent their cause, not just promote it. If you, protester, are an absolute jerk to everyone around you, you are only detracting from your message and your cause.

Please, stand to the right. The left side is for walking.

As the BBC and the Washington Post are reporting, the Supreme Court denied certiorari to Research in Motion (”RIM”). From today’s order list (546 U.S.)

05-763 RESEARCH IN MOTION, LTD. V. NTP, INC.
The motion of Intel Corporation for leave to file a brief as amicus curiae is granted. The motion of Canadian Chamber of Commerce, et al. for leave to file a brief as amici curiae is granted. The motion of Government of Canada for leave to file a brief as amicus curiae is granted. The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.

It seems that RIM has run out of options. The Court leaves standing the Circuit Court opinion in favor of NTP, the company who currently owns the disputed patents. The last remedy left for RIM is that the US Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) invalidates NTPs patents; otherwise, RIM will face an injunction ordering them to cease operations.

I’ve previously mentioned this case here, here, and here. Looking back, I’m not exactly sure why I have a grudge against RIM. Maybe it’s because I’m so annoyed with all the Blackberry users on the Metro. I can’t really explain it otherwise.

Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock (who is, incidentally, an alumna from my law school) struck down a Maryland law banning gay marriage. Judge Murdock held that a Maryland law banning gay marriage “cannot withstand constitutional challenge.” As soon as I can find a copy of the opinion, I’ll post an update.

What I’m most proud of with this decision is that Judge Murdock had enough foresight to stay her decision pending an appeal by the attorney general. The Court of Appeals will, ultimately, have the final say in this matter, presuming the Maryland General Assembly does not intervene first. Talk of an amendment to the Maryland state constitution was circulating around in Annapolis, but those prospects are slim. Thankfully, Maryland does not have a mechanism for getting voter initiatives onto the ballot.

This should make for an interesting election year. Stay tuned.

We’ve had computer viruses for 20 years now! If anything, they’re improving technology for the better.

20 years ago, a simple (and one of my all-time favorite) computer virus called Brain started circulating around on floppy disks. The virus was simple: it infected the boot sector of a floppy disk, causing it to infect that machine on boot. Any floppy disk that was accessed on that machine was subsequently infected, causing the label to change and a small amount of code was installed on the new floppy’s boot sector. It was simple, harmless, and fun.

Since then, we’ve seen a number of notable computer viruses. Some of them, such as the Morris worm, changed how we looked at code and created the need for firewalls. Others, such as Melissa (which I have some experience fighting), have created fear in systems administrators.

There are some who argue that a catastrophe is on the horizon and that because we are so dependent upon computers that society will collapse. These fears, like all end-of-the-world predictions, are overblown. The key is not regulation, as these forecasters of doom suggest, but more transparency.

I’m not an internet or open-source anarchist, but I do believe that openness in computing is the key to averting disaster. The more eyes that look a section of code, the more likely it is that someone will spot a vulnerability. This aides virus creators and patchers alike.

The most important place to protect on the internet is the core service — DNS servers. Without these servers, the internet as almost everyone knows it is useless. And since there are a limited number of these top-level servers, the risk is even greater.

As for the real danger, it appears that computer viruses are not the real threat.