Diary of a Mad Editor

Archive for August 13th, 2008

The Writer’s Medical and Forensic Lab

D.P. Lyle M.D., who is a noted medical consultant and author, has a nifty site that is a great resource for writers. The Writer’s Medical and Forensic Lab has some useful links, but what makes this a great resource is the Writer’s Forensic Community you can query Dr. Lyle about anything related to forensics and medicine. So if you want to know something very specific about DNA testing or blood-coagulation rates you can email Dr. Lyle and he may respond to your question.

Amazon Wants to Eat Your Brains

You gotta hand it to Amazon — they just can’t stay out of the news. If you think their move to control on-demand publishing through Booksurge was the stuff of evil empires, you’ll just love what they’re up to now. According to WebMonkey Amazon wants to expand it’s Amazon wishlists with a Universal Wish List to add bookmarks outside it’s own website. That’s right — if you choose to add bookmarks from outside Amazon.com, Amazon will know a lit bit more about your habits. What that means is if you add a page to your wishlist about Orovo detox, Viagra or dildos, Amazon and everyone else will know about it. Sure it’s voluntary — but that’s the point:

Because when I think of this little innovation, it makes me think of the Patriot Act. Seriously. We cry foul over the very idea that the government can invade our privacy yet we surrender our right to privacy every time we go online. We hand it over to companies like Amazon and think nothing of it. Think of it: why would the government need to check with the public library when they can just visit Amazon and view our wishlists? The government doesn’t even need the Patriot Act — all they have to do is point and click. On the other hand, maybe I’m being paranoid. What do you think?