Another Convert!
December 8, 2004
7:33 a.m., MT
Music: Billie Holiday
I mean that in the nicest way possible, of course ... and what I'm referring to is the Salty Pig's adoption of PGP. I encourage its use for any email exchanges. Some of my friends have adopted it reluctantly, and seem to dislike the extra effort (typically only a few mouse clicks, and some typing) it requires; others grok its value immediately. Charley's one of the latter, as his blog entry announcing his use of PGP demonstrates:

... i'm using it now, and here's what hit me and makes me happy. on my first use i got the picture of some government jackass tasked with monitoring the emails of anybody who bitches loud enough about government. have i crossed into that realm? i don't know or care. but sending a PGP envelope almost makes me giggle.

I've links to two PGP sources in the right-hand column -- one for PGP International, and the other for open source GPG. If you aren't using encryption -- it isn't just for email, but any files you don't want others to have access to -- please consider doing so.

More cracker-making -- feta cheese crackers today -- on the schedule, along with other trip preps. I'm hopeful to get in some writing too, but I'll admit my mind is becoming increasingly preoccupied with my imminent departure.

[Musical note: No time to provide the service of a link to Billie Holiday's music, but she's well worth checking out if you like big band, blues, or jazzy-style music. I have just a "greatest hits" compilation, but it's terrific. Her style is a pleasing confluence of the three genres I mentioned -- big band in the instrumentation/style, with some early jazz influences; bluesy lyrical themes predominate my recording, which aren't negative, but rather philosophical in tone. Her voice is rich and warm ... and did I mention she was one of the early drug warriors? Jailed, IIRC, for use of the scary weed.]

Sunni