KPFK Fund Drive

Some listeners have asked why we haven't been on the air during recent fund drives. The reason is simple. We've been pre-empted. It's a decision that station management has made, and we respect it. We only want the best for the station. We've devoted decades of our lives to KPFK, and we continue to believe that it is one of the most valuable cultural resources of Southern California.

That said, there are a number of ways you can support the station, while indicating that Digital Village is l'objet de votre affection.

1) Write a check. Mailing a check to the station allows you to include a note as to why you are pledging. Mention Digital Village and any other reasons why you think the station is worthwhile.

2) Use the web form. In the comment section you can mention Digital Village as the reason for your pledge.

3) Tell them when you call. Just call the pledge line (818.985.5735) and tell them that you are pledging on behalf of Digital Village. Make sure the person who takes your pledge acknowledges this request.

4) Come on down and talk to someone. That's right, you can visit the station and give money to a real live human! That's the way I first donated to the station in the late 1970's. It turned out to be a transformative experience. I invite you to do the same.

KPFK-FM
3729 Cahuenga Blvd. West
North Hollywood, CA 91604

Whatever you do, and however you do it. Support the station!

AT&T: All Your Data Are Belong To Us

AT&T (née SBC) has announced a change in its privacy policy. The company, which is the subject of a lawsuit over its alleged involvement with illegal government spying, now seems to be saying that it can pretty much do whatever it wants with your personal information.

"While your account information may be personal to you, these records constitute business records that are owned by AT&T," the new policy declares. "As such, AT&T may disclose such records to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process."

via BoingBoing

Who Killed The Electric Car?

Who Killed The Electric Car?
Originally uploaded by ~db~.

Last Thursday, National Museum of American History removed its EV1 electric car from display, less than two weeks before the premiere of Chris Paine's film Who Killed The Electric Car?

The car will be moved to a storage facility, away from public view. The museum has no plans to show it again.

Since most of the EV1 cars have been destroyed by General Motors, the removal of this now-rare vehicle seems a bit odd, particularly at this time of record gasoline prices and renewed interest in alternative fuels.

The museum is administered by the Smithsonian and the fact that General Motors happens to be one of the Smithsonian's largest contributors has not escaped notice.

GM denies it played any part in the removal.

RFK Jr. Plans Lawsuit Over 2004 Election

PRWeek has a Rolling Stone Q&A with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying he is planning on filing lawsuits citing election fraud during the 2004 elections.

L.A. Times Blocks Web Sites

It seems the L.A. Times is blocking web sites such as Peacefire being accessed by anybody (including reporters) within their company. They replied later to say that, while Peacefire was indeed blocked, they did allow Playboy to come through.

via BoingBoing

Floridadisaster.org Hacked During Alberto

The AP is reporting that the Florida Division of Emergency Management website was hacked earlier this week, just as tropical storm Alberto began to drench the state's Gulf Coast. Law enforcement is investigating.

Rocket Siren as Ringtone

Yehuda Peretz, a Reuters photographer in Israel, has created a ringtone from the siren used to warn of Qassam rocket attacks.

"The more Qassams fired, the more teenagers use it. Maybe it's the opportunity to escape from the troublesome reality here," said Peretz.

J.Walt Adamczyk Interview

Our guest on June 10 was artist J.Walt Adamczyk. His work combines "video, animation, gestural drawing, sculpture, music, and dance into a new art form." His latest major work is Spontaneous Fantasia, which has scheduled performances through the beginning of September.

- Listen to the Interview -

Anti-Apple DRM Protests Today

Defective by Design has organized demonstrations today across the US to protest the DRM in Apple's iTunes. The demonstrations are planned in several cities, including New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

Greg Palast Interview

Our guest on June 3 was Greg Palast, author of the just-released Armed Madhouse. We talked about just a few of the ways technology has been, and is being, used to threaten our democracy.

- Listen to the Interview -

Yahoo! Account Blackmail Over Drug Story

See update at bottom!

Craig Malisow, a reporter with the Village Voice-owned Houston Press, has written a letter to Romenesko asking for advice on what to do after being "blackmailed".

According to his account, Mr. Malisow was working on a story about online pharmacy referral services and discovered it was pretty easy to obtain prescription drugs without ever talking to a doctor.

He interviewed a spokesperson for the company selling the drugs and later posted a question to an online forum about buying drugs online. In the forum he identified himself as a reporter and mentioned his dealings with the company.

Malisow claims an "employee of that company was reading the forum and didn't like what I had written, so he posted the Yahoo e-mail and password I used to open an account with the company." This employee then apparently suggested to other forum users that Malisow's Yahoo! account info might be the same, should they wish to take advantage of this.

They did. All my e-mails on that account have been erased, and he sent me an e-mail saying that unless I write a positive story, he's going to disseminate all my private info.

Malisow says he's not getting the support from the Village Voice that he needs, and is now asking for advice from fellow journalists.

UPDATE: Well, it seems Craig is learning big life lessons, some of which he is sharing in an update at the tail end of his story:

Around 9 a.m., I got a telepathic message directly from the King of Bad Ideas, Lord of Planet Dumbass. I posted a desperate message on an online forum read by media folks from all across the country. I regurgitated the Saga of Carlos and stated that I felt like my company wasn't backing me up. I'd like to say I don't know what came over me, but I do. Hysteria, impatience, selfishness. It was a bonehead move that made my company out to be villains when, in truth, they had no idea what was going on.

Right after I penned this marvelous opus, things got really bad.

And by really bad he means "visit by the DEA" bad.