Our Right

We need to say that women have sex, have abortions, are at peace with the decision and move on with their lives. We need to say that is their right, and, moreover, it’s good for everyone that they have this right: The whole society benefits when motherhood is voluntary.

Read the full NYT opinion piece here.

Coffee

My body is pretty sensitive in that I react quickly and noticeably to many external agents/incidents. Examples:

  • I’m allergic to most everything under the sun, confirmed via prick test with an allergist. Doesn’t slow me down, but everyone around me has to put up with a bit of sneezing…
  • I bruise like a peach.
  • I get car sick pretty easily. Yes, much like a child.
  • Meds works great — I never need a higher dose of anything.

But because I’ve been living this way for nearly 30 years, I’ve become… desensitized to the sensitivity. This is my reality. I’m used to it!

Nevertheless, caffeine remains a tricky one for me to manage. I generally avoid it because I (think I) have an addictive personality (this is my MO not only out of practicality, but also necessity) — I don’t want to develop a dependence on caffeine. But man, I love the taste and ritual of coffee.

So, I have coffee when…

(1) I crave the flavor, as a treat. This is dangerous because it makes me feel fantastic, and makes me want to feel that way all. the. time. But unfortunately, one sip too many leaves me shaking and feeling like my heart is going to explode out of my chest.
(2) I’m tired, but need to be on my A game. However, more often than not, it doesn’t do anything for me at this point, when I actually need the boost.

Where does that leave me? It’s either too effective or completely ineffective. Am I doing it wrong?

ICANN Considers Relaxing Domain Registration Privacy; Automattic Objects

Can’t stop, won’t stop.

Jenny Zhu's avatarTransparency Report

We’ve said it time and time again: user privacy is important to us. We’re vigilant about protecting it on WordPress.com, and we’re always on the lookout, ready to weigh in on policy proposals that might curtail the privacy that we and our users value so highly.

Today, our focus turns to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization responsible for coordinating the internet’s naming system, such as domain names. ICANN is currently considering a proposal that would prohibit many domain owners from using privacy and proxy registration services.

What exactly does this mean? If you’ve ever registered a domain (and millions of you on WordPress.com have), you may have noticed an option to make your personal information, such as your name, address, and phone number, private. This is great for those who want to publish anonymously or those who simply value more privacy. However, ICANN is considering precluding anyone who uses a domain for “commercial” purposes from private…

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A perfect EFF score! We’re proud to have your back.

Jenny Zhu's avatarWordPress.com News

Concerns about online privacy and illicit government snooping are at the top of users’ minds, now more than ever. We appreciate that you trust us to safeguard your sensitive information on WordPress.com, and Automattic has a long-standing commitment to defending your rights and holding firm against legal bullying and over-reaching government requests. We work to have the most stringent, user-friendly policies possible within the law, and to be as transparent as we can about information requests we receive and how we respond to them.

Our friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an organization dedicated to defending your digital rights, recognized our efforts in their latest annual Who Has Your Back report, which evaluates the user privacy practices of prominent online service providers. We’re proud to receive a perfect score of five stars on the report, one of only nine (out of 24) companies to earn that honor. You can learn more about EFF’s evaluation criteria

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The Glass is Already Broken

This post was great, but this portion in particular resonated with me:

temporary

As someone who sometimes fears lack of control and spends more time than I’d like in a wistful state of mind, this is a lovely perspective. Whenever emotions — fear, sadness, regret, anger — get the best of me, nothing brings me back down to earth more than the reminder that everything is temporary.

At my most zen, I’m able to channel this. I’ve noticed, however, that it can be perceived as aloof, cold, or dark. I get that, but it’s not meant to be any of those things. By embracing the impermanence of life and everything in it, I’m able to be my most appreciative.

…On the other hand, can this way of thinking manifest into self-fulfilling prophecies? If you already understand that the glass is already broken, are you less careful in handling it?

(h/t Matt Mullenweg)

How Did I Miss This?

I can’t help but love jokes about tech and legal terms. From the “GryzzlBox” episode of Parks and Recreation:

Ron Swanson, with a massive stack of paper: This is the 27th version of the Pawnee-Gryzzl free wireless internet thing agreement. Check out the page I marked.

Ben Wyatt: Yeah, “Gryzzl is not allowed to collect and use customer data for any purpose.” It’s pretty clear. See? 

Ron Swanson: Look closer. Amendment C, addendum 14. It directs you to this appendix, which reroutes you to this one, which says, in a sub-footnote… [hands Ben Wyatt more stacks of paper and a magnifying glass].

Ben: It says here they can gather and use any information they want. …How did I miss this?