Reading Recommendations: 2006-12-22

The first three are a little gloomy, given (because of?) the time of year. Assess your mood, and perhaps reserve them for another time. The last two are easier to take.

• My years in captivity

  Moazzam Begg, a British citizen of Muslim faith, who was held in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay as an "enemy combatant," has written a book about his experiences. This is an excerpt. Unsurprisingly, it's not a fun read. However, you might be interested in a case study of your government at work.
  
  Thanks to A Tiny Revolution (see the header quote) for the link.
  
  

• The Digital Imprimatur

  A longish paper by John Walker (not the wannabe Talibanian) about how the Internet might well be locked down, probably by about 2010. He discusses a number of existing or near-existing technologies (the paper was last revised in late 2003) in a tone that he suspects will be used to pitch their wholesale adoption. Some small parts are moderately techical, but overall, it's quite clear. And very worrisome.
  
  

• Light Blue Christmas

  Self-indulgent naval-gazing twaddle. From yours truly.
  
  

• Fractal Food

  This is another page from John Walker's site that has some spectacular pictures as well as good words. There's loads to see on Fourmilab. If you liked these articles, go to the home page next.
  
  

• What Should a Billionaire Give -- and What Should You?

  Peter Singer, a professor of bioethics, contributed this piece on philanthropy to last Sunday's NY Times magazine. It is quite a thought-provoking article, and while it might induce a bit of guilt, it's worth it. Among other things, he demonstrates how easy it would be to alleviate much of global poverty and suffering, without causing undue hardship on the givers.
  
  Sure, it's an idealistic piece, and Singer makes no attempt to outline the collection or distribution mechanisms. But before we can have a practical plan, we often have to have a dream.