Priceless...

Cory Doctorow, writing on boingboing, strikes back at those idiotic EULAs that pop up when you least expect them. At a site at which one can write letters of reference for grad students, Doctorow was asked to agree to one of those "you agree to release us from liability no matter how much we suck" agreements, to which he responded with:

READ CAREFULLY. By reading this email, you agree, on behalf of your employer, to release me from all obligations and waivers arising from any and all NON-NEGOTIATED agreements, licenses, terms-of-service, shrinkwrap, clickwrap, browsewrap, confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-compete and acceptable use policies ("BOGUS AGREEMENTS") that I have entered into with your employer, its partners, licensors, agents and assigns, in perpetuity, without prejudice to my ongoing rights and privileges. You further represent that you have the authority to release me from any BOGUS AGREEMENTS on behalf of your employer.

I mean, I'm going to use this, somewhere.

But all gleeful anticipation aside, it occurs to me that letters of recommendation, unless they are of the "subject of this letter walks on water carrying hods of bricks" variety, have been known to be the subject of lawsuits in which aggrieved parties seek damages for letters that speak negatively of said party, and that any company that wants to set itself up as the preferred means by which such letters are sent/managed/solicited/whatever might want to keep its tender parts out of any such fire zones. However, I don't think that was what the original EULA addressed.

Cheers...

Lease renewed...

The hazard reports went out this morning, and soon afterward, I took the first steps toward establishing what I hope will become a stable relationship with a general practitioner, who did an ECG, took my blood pressure, renewed the prescription on my meds, recommended I follow up in detail with a cardiologist, and sent me out the door with a renewed lease on life, so to speak.

The rest of the day was spent napping and cleaning up around the place. Most of the books that I initially displaced into piles near the door and downstairs on the dining room table have been moved down to the basement. Late in the afternoon, an assignment came in for Monday, and it will likely be the last item for the year.

Cheers...