I recently had a moment of clarity with regards to my historical stance on downloading software that I have not paid for. It wasn’t the sort of clarity that helps me to pass on my point of view to others, but the sort that is more or less self-defining.

A new jailbroken iPhone application has been released into the wild that allows users to install cracked versions of pay apps as if they paid for it. It’s no different than using a cracked version of Photoshop or Premier or any other pirated software, but it’s new because it’s on th iPhone! The new app is called Installous (available at www.hackulo.us) and it is a great idea.

I saw my friend using a very expensive application ($70) that he hadn’t paid for and I though, “I want to do that too!” I downloaded the app and installed a couple games that are normally pay-only. I was messing around a little more today and it dawned on me again, after many years … I don’t want to pirate software.

This was particularly poignant because I was recently speaking with someone about the importance of revisiting semi-religious decisions like this with some regularity. I don’t know that I can take a stand against the moral implications of piracy, because I’m honestly not against the concept of learning how to use an application from the cracked (i.e. pirated) versions. But I can say that I have followed-through with my conscience regarding my desires to “have” and to “be able to resist”. I have learned to do without these toys this long, and I can do without them longer if I don’t want to pay for them.

What are your thoughts on piracy? Do you feel you’re just saving money? Do you care?

(Written from my iPhone)

You say Senators on CNN are arguing “all CPAN style”.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7796663.stm

“Pope Benedict XVI has said that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.”

It’s commonly accepted that the Greeks practiced homo-/bi-sexuality quite openly. Isn’t the Bible originally written largely in Greek? Hm… stop hatin’, Pope.

I just want to say thank you to the Obama supporters and campaigners who made the Nov 4 success possible.

Congratulations to the United States of America for yesterday’s elections. May the next 4 years live up to our dreams and supremely impress those who are unconvinced of Obama’s presidential fitness.

My buddy over at www.eightbits.org posted a great video showing the ignorance of those attending at least one Sarah Palin speech.

It’s all-politics, all the time here at cyberpir8.net… I was going through my daily allotment of Slashdot headlines and one had a link to this article: www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/10/09/eavesdropping/.

An opinion columnist at Salon.com, Glenn Greenwald, reports on two NSA

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7624809.stm

Heh, well Sarah Palin’s stupidity is somewhat mitigated by the fact that her password was probably not actually “popcorn”.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7623771.stm

John McCain’s running mate “doesn’t have any foreign policy credentials”, Mr Hagel told the Omaha World-Herald.

Mr Hagel was a prominent supporter of Mr McCain during his 2000 bid for the US presidency…

Mr Hagel also criticised the McCain campaign for its suggestion that the proximity of Alaska to Russia gave Mrs Palin foreign policy experience.

“I think they ought to be just honest about it and stop the nonsense about, ‘I look out my window and I see Russia and so therefore I know something about Russia’,” he said.

BONG!

Just a note to anybody who reads this stupid blog.

www.eff.org/press/archives/2008/09/17-0

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA) and other government agencies today on behalf of AT&T customers to stop the illegal, unconstitutional, and ongoing dragnet surveillance of their communications and communications records. The five individual plaintiffs are also suing President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington, former Attorney General and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and other individuals who ordered or participated in the warrantless domestic surveillance.

Check out the article, there’s more to it.

arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080917-palin-e-mail-hack-makes-case-for-sticking-with-gov-e-mail.html

I have no problem with government officials using Internet-based email for personal reasons.