WASHINGTON -- Part of the U.S. government's secret Nuclear Posture Review that was leaked to the press last week is now online.
The review is not as interesting as it sounds. Here's a sample: "A broader array of capability is needed to dissuade states from undertaking political, military or technical courses of action that would threaten U.S. and allied security. U.S. forces must pose a credible deterrent to potential adversaries who have access to modern military technology, including NBC weapons and the means to deliver them over long distances."
Using nuclear weapons to deter hostile nations from attacking the U.S.? Now that's a novel idea.
The banality of the report hasn't stopped the Pentagon from kvetching.
"There's been some press discussion about leaks from the classified Nuclear Posture Review," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said this week. "Needless to say, whoever leaked it violated federal criminal law."
- - -
Geek porn: The first and only cypherpunk porn video is up for grabs.
It's called Cryptic Seduction. It's a cult classic among crypto geeks. It cost $30,000 to produce. It features explicit sex, winking references to "backdoors" and memorable dialogue like "suck his secret key out of him."
And now it could all be yours. On Thursday, the distribution, syndication and reproduction rights to the movie went up for bid -- joining countless Herman Miller Aeron chairs on the auction block as casualties of the economic downswing.
"The adult film market has been flat for some period of time and I see no signs of an upturn any time soon," wrote a cypherpunk mailing list subscriber who goes by the alias Randy French. "I'm tired of waiting for the right market and so are some of my shareholders. So we've decided to bring this chapter to a close -- even at a loss -- rather than drag it on any longer. So I have decided to sell off the movie and dissolve the company as soon as possible."
- - -
Spammers, not guns: Google came under fire this week for accepting ads from spammers, porn sites and online casinos, but deciding to pull the plug on an advertisement for a business that sells survival supplies, bulk food and replacement parts for firearms.
Google spokesman David Krane was unapologetic: "We reserve the right to exercise editorial discretion when it comes to the advertising we accept on our site."
The virtual shootout began when the guy who runs Bowman's Brigade -- which sells such products as water filtration devices and night vision goggles -- posted his correspondence with Google on his website. Bowman's Brigade does not sell firearms, but it does sell some parts like springs and barrels.
Google's Krane says even that is unacceptable: "In this particular example, while a link to this site may point to food-related items, users that visit this website will also discover knives/firearms products and services that do violate our advertising policy."
- - -
Travel lawsuit: The Electronic Privacy Information Center is suing to learn more about a government database of airline passengers.
In a suit filed this week, EPIC asked a federal judge to order the Transportation Department to respond to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.
The complaint (PDF) says EPIC is asking for "the disclosure of all records concerning the development of an identification system for transportation system workers and its possible expansion to include all users of the transportation system."
- - -
Save stock options: Republican senators are criticizing a bill that would force companies to report stock option payments in their financial statements.
In a letter this week to the Senate's leadership, members of the Senate Republican High Tech Task Force denounced S.1940, a bill that would require companies to include stock option compensation in their income statements.
S.1940 would also prevent companies from taking a tax deduction from stock-option compensation unless they show it as a business expense in their financial statements.
The senators, led by George Allen (R-Virginia), claimed that the legislation would cause high-tech companies to reduce the number of stock options they issue to employees. "If approved, the bill would inevitably force technology companies to reduce the number of stock options issued to rank-and-file employees in order to minimize the false hit to earnings that this legislation would require," they wrote.
Michigan's Carl Levin, a Democrat, said when introducing the bill last month, "Stock options are a stealth form of compensation because they do not, under current accounting rules, have to be shown as an expense on the corporate books even though they're treated as an expense to get a tax deduction. The result is a misleading picture of a company's finances."
- - -
Copy-rights: Rep. Rick Boucher's opposition to copy-protected CDs hasn't made him many friends in the music biz recently.
Boucher told Wired News recently that he wanted to regulate compact discs outfitted with anti-copying technology.
The Recording Industry Association of America may object, but Boucher has found an ally among electronics manufacturers.
The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents over 650 companies, wrote him a letter this week saying, "We commend Rep. Boucher for his attention to this important consumer issue. The ability to use a lawfully purchased CD to make compilations or transfer music to other devices is a time-honored consumer right and must be preserved as technology advances."
CEA's members include Alpine Electronics, Apple Computer, Sony Electronics, Philips and Pioneer Electronics.
