A piano is a deadly weaopn

Two notes on my last entry. Abby asks what kind of lunatic is going to attack someone carrying a gun, Andy says why shoot someone when you can drop a piano on their head. I think Abby has the right idea here. I have seen figures that suggest crime goes down when the good guys have guns. I also think Andy has a point. There are lots of things to use as a deadly weapon besides guns. There are few so convenient however. A Deringer fits nicely into a sock, handbag, or pocket, a razorblade filled lemon merengue pie deos not. Still however a worthy point.

I'm not sure whether citizens holding guns really represent a threat to governments that hold nuclear fire power. I was watching the Penn and Teller Bullshit show on gun control just a week or two agao and they brought up the same point. The constitution gives Americans the right to guns to keep the corrupt government in check. Does that still apply? I suppose it could. A rebellion with guns is more effective than one without.

Next month the UN summit will debate who should be controlling the internet. Currently the US has a monopoly. It's run by ICANN and overseen by the US government. Just about everyone in the world except the Americans think this is a bad idea. There is a danger that, if the US don't agree to some power sharing deal, countries like China will start to create national internets and the web will break up. This is further complicated by the fact that the US can veto any resolution the UN puts forward which will produce a stalemate. It'll be interesting to watch.

I meant to tell everyone that I watched History of Violence this week. I've noticed two things about this film; all critics seem to love it, and all critics seem to compare it with Sin City. The first I can understand, it's a good film, it's thoughtful and very watchable. The second thing I can't understand. Apart from the fact that both films are based on violent graphic novels, they are miles apart. I'd recommend it, though I don't think it's as great as some people are making out. The plot is really very simple. It's well executed though and it's worth a watch just for that. I think William Hurt was a really menacing mob boss, though I read one bad review of that performance. I'll give it 8/10 I think. Don't take the kids, it's violent.