But I'm not sure how the numbers were computed. As seems typical in these cases of censorship, Mr. Rimm had the ability to view the pictures for himself before taking his statistics to university officials. Based on the numbers, university officials felt they had no choice but to act on this. These are difficult decisions, and I'm glad that I'm not the one having to make them. Still, if the AP numbers are correct, it does make one wonder where Mr. Rimm found the time to download 917,000 pictures.
Some guys get all the luck.
In an earlier issue I wrote about the significance of Microsoft's planned acquisition of Intuit, maker of the popular personal finance package, Quicken. Reports this week indicate that it is likely that Justice Department will spend some time looking into the potential for a monopoly in personal finance software. Microsoft confirmed earlier in the week that it had received a second request for information. This basically amounts to an extension of the earlier, more general review of Microsoft that hardly amounted to a slap on the wrist. Taking a page from Steve Case and the online gang, competitors claim they are worried that Microsoft will bundle Quicken with their operating system much as they plan to bundle the online service, the Microsoft Network.