So I did the Karaoke thing tonight, closely watching every thing, even the random order of singers. Christmas is bringing out a better crowd. I hung out a little longer than I should have, definitely without complaint. I say again, when my new show comes out, it will be untouchable by any local Karaoke night. I twirled a few gals around the dance floor but nothing even close to what I did when I was 19 years old. I also re-met the dog groomer guy and got to see his act. I’ll give him a call soon, for like myself, he is not good enough to strike out on his own. ‘Nuff said.My guess is he does plenty of that old Elvis and chugging music. It is not country, but I can play it in my sleep. He has stated he is a singer with minimal guitar skills, and I do prize that. Stick around, I’ll report all. That, and Theresa called this morning. If you are following this blog for strictly the right reasons, then stand by for news. If you think this blog is all over the place, try following Doonesbury and you’ll appreciate the clean flow my logic.
The result of the show tonight is that, while progress has been made, I still cannot sing any but the easiest tunes if I get at all distracted on stage. Even forgetting some of the lyrics can distract me for I normally sing facing the audience, not a television screen. Yet the fact I can do it at all means, I am convinced, that it is only a matter of practice.
Several sources on the Internet have reported instances of subpoenas that are purely speculative. This is where a sheriff shows up with a document saying to hand over records because somebody has claimed they contain information needed for a civil law suit. Most sought is the identity of “anonymous” Internet users. The authorities have evidently discovered this is an excellent way to get thousands of identities while pretending to be looking for just a few.
[Author’s note: I am personally very suspicious of subpoenas because anything can be claimed to be part of an “investigation”, and unscrupulous judges will sign any such document placed in front of them. If you receive a subpoena, you should always file a motion to have it quashed, but you don’t have much time to do so. I think the limit is within seven days. Better yet, quit filing things like other people’s identities in the first place, you dodo. I consider all intruders the same whether a burglar with a crowbar or a cop with a warrant.]
Later. Yes, the issuing of frivolous subpoenas to “unmask anonymous subscribers” is a deliberate trend. It is termed a “cyberSLAPP”, an acronym for the law that allows it. They issue two subpoenas, one for the list of email addresses from any on-line source, then a second for your personal contact information from the ISP. That would only bother those dumb enough to give out real information, but that is another topic.
Please note that a subpoena is civil, not criminal (you may be thinking of a search warrant). That means the plaintiff can ask for anything no matter how far removed from a civil case by merely claiming it “could lead” to something. For exactitude, you file a “motion to quash”, which is bothersome because you have to “give reasons” why your files are not relevant, and that in itself could be what the plaintiff is after. As you may have guessed, I am still researching what it is that is patentable about a word puzzle. On that matter, I have zero progress.
That doesn’t mean I’ve gotten nowhere. Here is a situation to watch for, as I would love to see it used. I’ve not heard of any cases yet, but I found out that under the Millenium infringement laws, it is illegal to design anything that redirects the Internet searcher away from a site protected by copyright or trademark. That means if you are clever enough to send all searches on “Coca-Cola” to your site instead of theirs, you might be getting a little knock on the door. However, if you just specify “cola”, you are safe. For now.
The trivia. The popular brand of shoe polish, Kiwi, is from Australia, originally made black by soot. The guy who made it called it by his wife’s nickname. She was from New Zealand. If that isn’t trivial enough, did you know since 1992 it has been possible to determine race using DNA. So, we are not all alike, after all.
