WikiLeaks is a Wikipedia-style wiki for people to place leaked documents, untraceably. According to the FAQ, “It combines the protection and anonymity of cutting-edge cryptographic technologies with the transparency and simplicity of a wiki interface.” “Wikileaks opens leaked documents up to a much more exacting scrutiny than any media organization or intelligence agency could provide: the scrutiny of a worldwide community of informed wiki editors.”

It’s ambitious. The FAQ says:

Wikileaks may become the most powerful “intelligence agency” on earth — an intelligence agency of the people. It will be an open source, democratic intelligence agency. But it will be far more principled, and far less parochial than any governmental intelligence agency; consequently, it will be more accurate, and more relevant. It will have no commercial or national interests at heart; its only interests will be truth and freedom of information. Unlike the covert activities of state intelligence agencies, Wikileaks will rely upon the power of overt fact to inform citizens about the truths of their world.

It’s got a million leaked docs already and expects to surpass Wikipedia in number of entries. But it’s hard to see how it becomes anything like an intelligence agency if it only consists of leaks; if a citizen wants information about a topic, seeing only the leaked material is going to give quite a skewed and incomplete view. On the other hand, if you’re researching a topic, I can see the value of checking in with Wikileaks to see if there’s anything you’re not supposed to know about it.

Here’s another bit from the FAQ:

Couldn’t leaking involve invasions of privacy? Couldn’t mass leaking of documents be irresponsible? Aren’t some leaks deliberately false and misleading?

Providing a forum for freely posting information involves the potential for abuse, but measures can be taken to minimize any potential harm. The simplest and most effective countermeasure is a worldwide community of informed users and editors who can scrutinize and discuss leaked documents.

It’ll be fascinating to see how this works out in the edge cases. Does posting the names of covert agents count as a leak? [Tags: wikileaks wikis wikipedia intelligence politics media everything_is_miscellaneous ]

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In 2005, how many breast enhancement surgeries were performed in the U.S., excluding reconstructive ones? (Source: Boston Globe)

Getting this answer right means getting it within an order of magnitude.

The answer is in the first comment. [Tags: puzzles medicine surgery]

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The Democratic Congressional Committee has posted a report card you can fill in. (Thanks for the link, Chip.) It’s a pretty bland set of questions. So, what questions would you add?

For example:

How can the Democrats show they’re as strong on terrorism as the Republicans?
a. Have Howard Dean eat Saddam Hussein’s liver on TV.
b. Reveal that Hillary served as a Navy SEAL for four years.
c. Require the candidates to work the word “pussy” into their stump speeches.
d. Prosecute more teenagers for downloading music.

What phrase would you prefer the Democrats use instead of “surge”?
a. Squander.
b. Operation Incapable of Learning.

What strategy is most likely to lead to a Democratic victory in the 2008 Presidential elections?
a. Run a campaign exactly like John Kerry’s but just 4% better this time.
b. Find a charismatic younger person, perhaps from a mixed racial background, who energizes masses of eligible non-voters with a message of hope.
c. Learn how to program electronic voting machines.

Should we impeach the bastard?
a. Yes.
b. And how!
c. And his little dog, too!

[Tags: doep puzzle politics humor]

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I don’t know who came up with the name “Iceland,” but it’s a marketing disaster. Surely such a beautiful and interesting nation deserve better! And you’re just the folks to do it. So, put on your marketing caps (and make sure they’ve got earflaps) and come up with a name that better represents the Iceland brand. E.g.,

“Winterwonderland”

“Frostia”

“Disney Presents Iceland”

[Tags: doep puzzle marketing iceland]

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At the symposium I’m at, we’re discussing how long the conference wiki should be left up and editable, which raises the question: What is the past tense of wiki?

[Tags: doep puzzle wiki]

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What packaging makes your blood boil?

I hate the thick, clear plastic, blister-packaging that’s sealed all the way around and inviolable except with a serious knife or possibly a band saw. And puncturing it isn’t enough. The plastic is so thick that you have to actually carve the product out of its container. Because the cut plastic is itself sharp, I worry about amputating a finger if the knife slips.

I also hate the way the cut plastic smells, but now I’m just piling on.

On the other hand, I find this to be funny to the point of being depressing…

And you? Vent your packaged ire!

[Tags: doep puzzle packaging marketing]

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The Democrats are (smartly) committed to a 100 hours of introducing legislation that defines them as a party, little things such as raising the minimum wage from Debtors Prison level to full Squalor.

But after six years of watching the worst president in our lifetime strut his time upon the stage, don’t you think the Democrats are entitled to a little fun? In those first 100 hours, what legislation could the Democrats pass just for the pure hell of it? Require Bush to deliver the State of the Union topless so we can all see how amazingly buff he’s gotten on our watch? Hold hearings, complete with subpoened witnesses, charts and graphs, to determine which is worse, war or blow jobs? Trade in all presidential limousines for Priuses (Prii?)? Replace the opening prayer at Congress with a Moment of Gloating?

It’s been a long six years… [Tags: doep puzzle politics]

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As I crawl through the jungle of black vines under my desk, I’m led to wonder: If you were able to create a standard—no folksonomies here!—for color coding the cables going into and out of a computer, what sort of scheme would you come up with? [Tags: doep puzzle taxonomy everything_is_miscellaneous]

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The current issue of Wired has a feature I like a lot: They got 33 sf writers to contribute six-word short stories. So, I’m shamelessly ripping off that idea, but with a twist. Here’s the six-word version of today’s DOEP:

Six-word story. Any genre. Surprise ending.

For example:

Duel to death at noon. Eclipse.

Brother impregnates sister. Disgusting. They’re bees.*

For extra points, make it Web-themed… [Tags: doep puzzle]

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*I know that bees don’t get pregnant, and I’m not sure that the concept of brother and sister really applies, but let’s just say that’s all part of the surprise ending.

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I am so poorly oriented in space that I cannot make a checkers move without first physically moving the piece. I can stand on a marked street corner with a map and a compass and still go wrong 50% of the time. When I take a shirt out of a drawer, I can’t predict which half will be on my left, although I do pride myself on rarely going wrong about which will be the outside.

So, this “procedure” for solving a Rubik’s Cube is to me indistinguishable from gibberish, even though I’m certain that it’s right. [Tags: rubik’s_cube puzzles]

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