ericlaw

Meaningless Legalese

The folks @Wired would like to remind you that viewing their website in any browser violates of their terms-of-use. All web browsers cache content, by-design. And I’m pretty sure that “reading” is one just one of many ways that the material might be “otherwise used.” For an otherwise forward-looking publication, seeing this garbage on theContinue reading “Meaningless Legalese”

Reactions to Collateral Damage

Last night, I wrote up a quick post on the importance of iOS9’s introduction of a content-filtering API. Naturally, there have been a variety of reactions to this post, so I’d like to address some of those and provide some additional context. Background First, I’d like to point out that while there are many importantContinue reading “Reactions to Collateral Damage”

Collateral Damage

Most web users tolerate ads; many web users hate advertising with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. There are many good reasons that users dislike ads (they’re bad for performance, security, and privacy) as well as less universal, more arguable, grievances (e.g. annoyance factor, disagreement about the value exchange for ad-funded services, etc). Apple,Continue reading “Collateral Damage”

Medical Bills

In April, Noah (22 months) fell on the playground. It wasn’t an especially bad fall, but he bumped his head pretty hard. He cried, but mostly because he dropped the ball he was carrying– he quickly stopped when it was returned to him. No big deal. He had a nasty bruise and some swelling, butContinue reading “Medical Bills”

The Muse

There’s a writer living in my head, and he’s a genius. Or so he tries to convince me, as his prose flows freely day in and out, filling most idle moments– while I’m showering, driving, dining, taking out the trash, or performing any of the other mundane tasks of daily life. His prose is brilliant–Continue reading “The Muse”