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Generic Confusion

When you leave, my blog just fades to grey
Nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei


News? Check. Politics? Check. Music? Check. Random thoughts about life? Check. Readership? Ummm.... let me get back to you on that. Updated when I feel like I have something to say, and remember to post it.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Summer's here!

Before winter even officially ends, and before the six weeks predicted by Mr. Groundhog passed, we've had temperatures in the 70s and even 80s. I for one am grateful, even if it means my air conditioning has run in March for the first time. I have no love for cold winter weather.

Incidentally, that means my normal game of seeing how long I can go before turning on the air conditioning in my car is already over. Especially knowing I would be driving south, it wasn't worth suffering.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A simple step against voter fraud

My plan for preventing voter fraud, for those who just don't want to require voters show IDs:

Each voting location has a thumb print scanner and a webcam. A person who cannot show ID puts his or her thumb on the scanner, looks into the webcam, and says "I swear/affirm, under penalty of perjury and voter fraud under (statute number), that I am (name), of (residence, city), and that I am a registered voter and legally allowed to vote in this jurisdiction." The scan and video is uploaded simultaneously to a secure server and a public server.

Within four hours (and I'm being conservative there), YouTube would be filled with embarrassing videos of anyone trying to vote illegally. Picture the same person shown claiming to be six different people, with time-stamped videos arranged in sequence, and an animation showing them moving from precinct to precinct. Or picture a series of pictures of people voting under a name, side by side with that name's obituary. The secure server will confirm the crowdsourced documentation of voter fraud.

It won't fix absentee ballot fraud or fraud committed by those counting the votes, but it would stop a particularly easy form of voter fraud, voting in the name of the dead or no longer resident.