SGDQ raised over $230,000 as of this writing, with the main marathon about over and the bonus stream soon to begin. I got to be there for about a day and a half, which was great fun. I ever learned that hiking uphill a mile and a half from the Arapahoe light rail station to the Sheraton Denver Tech Center is a lot harder than it sounds, in that mile high air. I don’t know how the Nuggets ever lose a home game.

So, I’m back, but there’s still also going to be no Tech on Friday this week, because I’m going to be off again for the 2013 Redstate Gathering in New Orleans. So what we’re doing tonight is the same as we’ll likely be doing next Monday: a catch-up post. Enjoy.

“Conservative” Prime Minister David Cameron is farming out UK domestic censorship to China, meaning Cameron is turning out to be less unlike than he’d admit Vladimir Putin with his own Russian domestic censorship. Then again, while Putin is taking concrete steps to censor ideas he doesn’t like Cameron is being led by technical ignorance.

This being the same Russia that reportedly will begin spying on people’s phones in Moscow. All this stuff going on, and we’re supposed to believe Edward Snowden’s alleged belief that he had to flee there for freedom. No, Snowden has chosen to attack America from abroad. I have hope one day he will make the mistake of leaving Russia and losing his freedom for good.

America did better when we kept anarchists out. They don’t even always make sense. Why side with Pakistan against India over Kashmir, given the history of Islam? These clowns should have been arrested, but apparently some Democrats are afraid of letter bombs, or something. No surprise, given the threats of SWATting I’ve received, and other behaviors from internet anarchists. That’s why it’s important that we work to defund anarchism as Thailand is doing by banning Bitcoin.

There are dangerous folks out there, both as private anarchists, terrorist organizations, and state actors. Acting against the latter is getting support in the Senate, even as some like Rep. Amash are looking to weaken what we do against the other two. Though Senator Thune is saying good things about public-private partnerships in cybersecurity, which is good.

How about some FCC? Republicans still want to reform it, which is great. Ajit Pai is on board, and he’s just great. So far I’m consistently impressed with Pai. I briefly met him once. He strikes me as a real guy who lacks the ego to engage in the kind of overreach that Democrats do all the time.

One reason FCC reform is needed: it’s still pushing agendas unrelated to what it’s actually supposed to be doing. Taking on prison phones just shows how out of touch the FCC is with the legitimate issues related to prison communications. They’re being led by groups that want violent felons out of prison, raping and killing in our communities. It’s nuts.

Let’s just hope FCC isn’t continuing to be led by ideologues who can’t get their facts straight on competition.

Will Google’s Chromecast be the next Aereo: an innovative tool that threatens today’s buggy whip makers, sending luddites to the courts?

I’m 100% fine with giving away iPads to kids if we use it to avoid having to buy textbooks at full price. Carrying textbooks is a legitimate problem for kids, placing physical strains on their backs. The textbooks also cost lots of money. Putting the books on iPad is healthier and ought to be cheaper.