Some thoughts here...
first, keep in mind how old these still-existing tablets are...
tablet 1:
so, Gilgamesh is 2/3 god and 1/3rd human. the first tablet reminds me of the story of adam and eve (if it had been edited for content and to fit your TV)... specifically, she offered her apple to him, he gave his snake to her, she took him away from his eden (where he was naked) and he gained knowledge and understanding and became weaker.
tablet 3... Shamash is the sun-god.
the fourth tablet...ok, the words themselves remind me of revelations, but there is more here... specifically, it is all about a great battle between good an evil, the demon has 7 coats of armor (like the 7 or 9 [depending on source] layers of hell)...
table five... they touch on pride, sun-god helping him defeat evil, temptation
tablet six... Ishtar threatens her father (sky-god Anu) that she will open the gates of hell if he doesn't let her demolish Gilgamesh with the Bull of Heaven. Ok, that at first reminded me of the golden bull, but then of the Last Unicorn ;)
tablet 7 is interesting... in describing hell, we see that there is a tablet of names (but for entrance into hell, not heaven), that there are priests of purification AND priests of ecstasy there, as well as all the priests of the great gods...
tablet 9.... we see a mortal preserved during the Flood, Gilgamesh wanting eternal life, two scorpions as guardians (I love scorpions), 'the land of Night', and a garden of gems....
tablet 10... we see what appears to be the River Styx, the Ferryman who serves the 'Noah' figure from tablet 9, and some reference to using 'stone things' to travel...
tablet 11 goes further to confirm my earlier suspicion that the Utnapishtim character is Noah... I find it interesting that one the gods, that helped create the humans, broke the spirit if not the word of the orders (telling the walls, not the guy on the other side)... it continues to not only mention 7 days and 7 nights (as opposed to 40 of each), but that all humans have been turned to stone, the releasing of a dove, etc. then there is the bit about all men being liars, not trusting things, and Gilgamesh helping the snake.
All in all, an interesting read... and the oldest known record to actually name the author... very interesting..
31 July 2005
Mithra and Christ
While trying to find some information for a Christian friend of mine, I came across this. Pretty good read and explanation of why I believe Christianity was a confiscated religion.
Telegraph | Travel | Travel gadgets: it knows where you are...
The book idea -- good
The claim of inventing contour lines -- bullshit. They may have come up with that name, but nature invented them
The claim of inventing contour lines -- bullshit. They may have come up with that name, but nature invented them
30 July 2005
Slashdot | U.S. Moves to Kill Leap Seconds
Looks like Bush is adamant to be remembered as a Roman Caesar.
Another wacky idea
So, I was thinking about how we now have CDRW drives that can burn labels onto discs... and how OLED is done with inkjet technology... how about this as an alternative...
an extra layer in the CD that is OLED... programmatically able to change the label...
an extra layer in the CD that is OLED... programmatically able to change the label...
Slashdot | 190 Million Year Old Dinosaur Embyro
Examination of the fetal skeleton suggests the hatchling would have required parental care to survive. This would be the earliest evidence of nurturant behavior, more than 100 million years earlier than previous examples
Interesting...
Interesting...
29 July 2005
Whitedust: Interview: Paul Watson
I came to work at Google late last summer. It gets a lot of media buzz about being geek-sheik and super cool. I have worked at some really cool places before Google, but Google is so much more incredible than any media article or Slashdot post could ever describe. The best phrase I can think of would be nerd-nirvana (or should it be nerdvana?)
Wonder if the nearby lab is open yet.
I was really shocked about Cisco’s patent for their ‘fix’ of the issue. It was a clever idea for a fix but it really broke my trust in them. The vendors (like Cisco) want Security Researchers to notify them about vulnerabilities before going public. But Cisco took advantage of this ‘blackout’ period when they should have been fixing the issue, they decide to issue a patent. It is almost like insider trading on Wall Street and it has bugged me more and more as time goes on.
I can see why he is upset. Makes me not want to submit any fixes to them.
In regards to all the media attention, I think that by far the coolest thing to come from all that attention was when I was Slashdot’d. That was like getting the key to the city from the Mayor of Geekville. Also the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people named Paul Watson, and my Google ranking rose (and still is) to the top spot, even ahead of the Paul Watson who helped found Greenpeace. That is seriously cool. I was top ranked in Google for ‘Tony Watson’ for a long time, but I am now second behind some musician in Los Angeles. The media attention was cool, but being Slashdot’d and top ranked in Google was much more flattering to me.
That's awesome ;)
When the site used to be (prior to 9/11) a parody site for recruiting and hiring terrorists, I had several people who didn’t really get the joke and some actually sent me real resumes. On guy was a former Marine who claimed to have just retired and was an expert in explosives, and a sharpshooter/sniper. That was a little weird.
The domain really freaks some people out, and I have had people who refuse to send email to me at my @terrorist.net address or afraid to type www.terrorist.net into a browser for fear the Government will come kick in their door and haul them off to Guantanamo. So I have other aliases for the site such as my name and my initials; www.paulwatson.org and www.paw.org. It is the same site, but with a different URL and Banner graphic to appease the tin-foil hat crowd.
Hehe... It is funny, yet... strangely not surprising... not like the Patriot Act would ever get abused or anything.
Slashdot | Stealing the Network: How to Own an Identity
This might be an interesting read... hmmm, but Amazon says that it has not yet been released... $26.37 when it does...
28 July 2005
Boing Boing: Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" cracked in 24h: window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all'
This is just too funny.
Microsoft 'Genuine Advantage' cracked in 24h: window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all'
AV sez, 'This week, Microsoft started requiring users to verifiy their serial number before using Windows Update. This effort to force users to either buy XP or tell them where you got the illegal copy is called 'Genuine Advantage.' It was cracked within 24 hours.'
Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:
javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')
It turns off the trigger for the key check.
Link (Thanks, AV!)
Thomas L. Friedman: Learning from Lance - Editorials & Commentary - International Herald Tribune
A friend sent me to this. not bad.
Cool Light on Hot Days: Fiber Optics Bring the Sun Indoors
Getting rid of infrared and ultraviolet? But, those are my two favorite parts of the spectrum...
Security Fix
Good for him. Although they are suing him, at least he took the stand to not cover up something as important as Cisco leaving the entire Internet open to attack (which they probably never would have fixed if their hand wasn't forced).
Homeland Security Operations Morning Briefs - 27 September 2004 to 14 January 2005
WARNING: This document is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. It contains information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). This document is to be controlled, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with DHS policy relating to FOUO information and is not to be released to the public or other personnel who do not have a valid “need-to-know” without prior approval of the Homeland Security Operations Center Senior Watch Officer (HSOC SWO) at (202) 282-8101. Where appropriate, U.S. person identities have been removed. Should your agency have a requirement for particular U.S. person identity information, contact the HSOC SWO.
Wierd... I wonder what all is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).
Wierd... I wonder what all is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).
27 July 2005
Open Directory - Society: Politics: Alternative Political Systems
When trying to find some information on open transparent voting systems, found this directory which contains some interesting links.
Google Quote of the Day
"To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal."
- Peter Ustinov
- Peter Ustinov
BBC NEWS | Technology | Downloading 'myths' challenged
Digital music research firm The Leading Question found that they spent four and a half times more on paid-for music downloads than average fans.
Now can we tell the RIAA to kiss our ass? Groups like the RIAA and MPAA (who, by the way, pirated from Thomas Edison instead of paying for the rights to use his patents) and the Patent Office are really going out of their way to screw the public AND the artists.
Now can we tell the RIAA to kiss our ass? Groups like the RIAA and MPAA (who, by the way, pirated from Thomas Edison instead of paying for the rights to use his patents) and the Patent Office are really going out of their way to screw the public AND the artists.
26 July 2005
CNN.com - Shuttle returns to space - Jul 26, 2005
Does anyone else think it is odd that SpaceShip One gets less damage getting into space? Maybe NASA should reconsider who it contracts.
Elections
The other day, I was realizing that I am frustrated with all those people that aren't doing anything about the current state of affairs. Then I realized I was one of those people. Instead of being hypocritical, I decided I needed to do something about it.
The hard part is that people never know what they can do to make a difference. Especially from within the system. Especially with the fraud involved in elections. How are we supposed to make a difference when your one vote for Person A might actually get counted as 5000 votes for Person C?
So, it seems, if we want any chance to make a change from the inside, we have to fix the voting issue. But how? Any effort to make legislation to fix it can easily be blocked by its current fraudulent status. So, we have to figure out another way.
I started thinking that maybe what we need to do is make our own Open Source (though, I think we have to prevent forking if we want the system to be identical nationwide) system and then convince small local elections to try it. Maybe once they try it and it works, someone like Jon Stewart can spread the news.
But there are so many small groups trying to do this kind of thing, how are we going to create something considered 'professional' by the local governments and attract people from various groups to help out? I thought our best bet would be to register Vote.gov to be a centralized official workplace. I contacted the .GOV domain registrar.
My original email:
And their response:
Some thoughts:
1) Only the Committee on Elections can register 'Vote.gov'. Due to the expected preference of the status quo with them, I think it is highly unlikely that they would do so without having complete oversight (and the ability to change anything we do).
2) He explained that many groups are trying to do exactly what I described. That, of course, is why I was wanting to get a solid location where everyone could congregate and know that it is the 'official' movement to do so -- everyone is so scattered right now, none of them will get very far
3) Lee Ellis, the one we got a response from, is the Policy Maker. *IF* we were going to try to convince anyone, it would have to be him - but I don't see that happening.
4) We can do it on our own, at any domain address -- but we really need a centralized place where everyone will realize that it is where everyone is trying to regroup together. Maybe with the EFF?
5) I will still be doing this, just a minor stumbling block. Will keep you updated.
Based on his suggestion of finding similar groups, I did some searching...
Ok, so what's the next step? EOTI could host the initial version of the site/software. Maybe we could get a new top-level domain for The Commons (as referred to by Thom Hartmann)... If we were to do so, the top-level domain itself would also have to be managed by the Commons. What is the Commons? It is the stuff that is owned by, managed by, and for use of the public. No corporations. Preferably no corrupted government control. But how would we even manage that since the ICANN itself would have to approve it? Unless of course we go to IPv6.... hmmm...
Update: I contacted the Federal Elections Commission....
Update: I got a response from the Federal Elections Commission....
The hard part is that people never know what they can do to make a difference. Especially from within the system. Especially with the fraud involved in elections. How are we supposed to make a difference when your one vote for Person A might actually get counted as 5000 votes for Person C?
So, it seems, if we want any chance to make a change from the inside, we have to fix the voting issue. But how? Any effort to make legislation to fix it can easily be blocked by its current fraudulent status. So, we have to figure out another way.
I started thinking that maybe what we need to do is make our own Open Source (though, I think we have to prevent forking if we want the system to be identical nationwide) system and then convince small local elections to try it. Maybe once they try it and it works, someone like Jon Stewart can spread the news.
But there are so many small groups trying to do this kind of thing, how are we going to create something considered 'professional' by the local governments and attract people from various groups to help out? I thought our best bet would be to register Vote.gov to be a centralized official workplace. I contacted the .GOV domain registrar.
My original email:
Your site states that the eligibility requirement is that we be a government organization or program. It also states that we must provide the information of the parent organization. I am trying to determine what I need to do for a project I want to start to qualify. Although I have registered various domains in the past, I want this project to be a public project with no corporation in control.
Specifically, I am looking at the nationwide voting irregularities and public distrust of the current voting system. I am looking into creating a non-partisan, open and transparent voting system. I am looking at having the public (in coordination with any interested district election board/council) design and write an internet-based (free with no hardware costs) open-source voting system.
While I expect that my local county elections commission will assist, I highly doubt they will be the only one. In fact, I expect that various election boards throughout the nation (wherever the developers are able to talk to their local governments) will also initially assist.
I would like us to design and implement the open system, prove it in local elections, and then have the local election boards assist in getting the system available for use at the state level. Again, we are not expecting only one state to be involved, even at the beginning.
We are not looking to replace existing election procedures at this point, but to provide an additional option for voters that they feel that they can trust.
Based on the lack of specific geography to be used, lack of funds (public, private, or federal) to be used, and lack of a parent organization -- how would you recommend we approach the registration process for a domain (we were thinking vote.gov) to centralize the nationwide design and development of this project. While it would be possible to do this in a .org domain, it would loose much credability at that point, and we would have a much harder time getting the various local election boards to assist. We want this to be a project By the People, For the People.
Any recommendations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Malachi de AElfweald
And their response:
From :lee.ellis@gsa.gov
To :registrar@dotgov.gov
Date :7/26/2005 10:26:40 AM
Message : The Gov Internet Domain is used only by government organizations. Vote.gov (Which is a canonical name - and only Federal could request it) can only be assigned to the Committee on Elections. After reading your message I would suggest you do some additional research as many groups are doing exactly what is described by yourself.
Lee Ellis
Office of Technology Strategy (ME) Information Architecture and Strategies Division
(202) 501-0282
Cell (202) 253-6448
Fax (202) 501-6455
registrar@dotgov. gov
Some thoughts:
1) Only the Committee on Elections can register 'Vote.gov'. Due to the expected preference of the status quo with them, I think it is highly unlikely that they would do so without having complete oversight (and the ability to change anything we do).
2) He explained that many groups are trying to do exactly what I described. That, of course, is why I was wanting to get a solid location where everyone could congregate and know that it is the 'official' movement to do so -- everyone is so scattered right now, none of them will get very far
3) Lee Ellis, the one we got a response from, is the Policy Maker. *IF* we were going to try to convince anyone, it would have to be him - but I don't see that happening.
4) We can do it on our own, at any domain address -- but we really need a centralized place where everyone will realize that it is where everyone is trying to regroup together. Maybe with the EFF?
5) I will still be doing this, just a minor stumbling block. Will keep you updated.
Based on his suggestion of finding similar groups, I did some searching...
http://openvotingconsortium.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12
Problem with them is that they want to go through all this extra hardware. besides the fact that Diebold
would probably end up making that hardware, extra hardware = extra costs = lower chance of adoption
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/
they are just trying to get legislation to require paper trail. since we are planning on that, doesn't
help or hinder us.
http://www.vote-smart.org/
they provide information on candidates and issues
http://www.countthevote.org/
info about the election fraud
http://www.calvoter.org/
provide info, don't see any software
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
more information about election fraud
http://votingintegrity.org/docs/help/default.html
they suggest paperless voting machines and optical scanners. no clue how that is different that Diebold,
who does both of those things -- so they are no help
http://electionreform.meetup.com/groups/?country=us&nil=0&zip=97007&dbCo=us&x=0&y=0
this actually shows 32 local members trying to get election reform
the groups listed seem to host events and stuff, would give us some people to talk to, but I don't see any software
and of course, the EFF has a lot of information
http://www.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/
Ok, so what's the next step? EOTI could host the initial version of the site/software. Maybe we could get a new top-level domain for The Commons (as referred to by Thom Hartmann)... If we were to do so, the top-level domain itself would also have to be managed by the Commons. What is the Commons? It is the stuff that is owned by, managed by, and for use of the public. No corporations. Preferably no corrupted government control. But how would we even manage that since the ICANN itself would have to approve it? Unless of course we go to IPv6.... hmmm...
Update: I contacted the Federal Elections Commission....
I had originally contacted the .GOV domain registrar with my request. They (Lee Ellis) informed me that my request for 'vote.gov' could only be assigned to the 'Committee on Elections'. Based on Google results, I believe that may be you.
Let me explain what I am looking to do, and perhaps you can assist or forward me on to someone who can.
The public, seeing voting irregularities nationwide, have a large distrust for the voting process. As such, much of the public does not vote in elections, believing that their vote does not count. In a recent local election, we were informed that less than 5% of the population of the county voted in the previous year's election. This number is far to low to get a good representation of the public opinion.
Much of the public believe that the only solution to have a fair election is to have a completely open and transparent system with a paper trail. Security is also a major concern. We believe that the solution to this problem is to provide an open-source internet-based voting solution so that the public can review the process and locate any source of foul play.
Some would say that Internet-based solutions would not be secure. In fact, however, it would be more secure than any system we currently have in place. Even if you disregard the public displays of being able to quickly hack the Diebold machines, my mail is quite often delivered to the wrong address and never returned to me -- there is no way for the election board to know whether it was me or my neighbor that mailed in my ballot. In addition, internet security is good enough for banking, federal transactions (student loans and taxes) as well as buying and selling stocks. In addition, an open system ensures that holes are found and fixed instead of covered up. By making the system internet based, we also free the communities from purchasing large amounts of questionable hardware, and allow every school, library and home to become their own voting terminal.
We realize that it is unrealistic to expect any election board (local, state or federal) to drop their existing voting mechanisms. We strive to provide an alternate format for those who want to feel secure in their vote. We aim to at first have local elections try out the design before allowing it to be used on a larger scale. Due to the fact that we intend the system to be used in a larger scale over time ( and quite honestly it would be used in multiple communities across the nation at first ), it does not make any sense to have a local state or county domain be the parent of the system. Instead, we want to provide a nationwide central point of contact -- vote.gov (which is not currently in use). While we can easily host this system under any domain, we believe that obtaining the public trust will require that no corporation is in control of the system. It needs to be a system By the People, For the People.
If you are indeed the organization that could permit us to use vote.gov for a public voting system, we would like to kindly ask for your permission to do so. If not, we ask that you forward our request on to the department that would be able to assist us.
Thank you,
Malachi de AElfweald
Update: I got a response from the Federal Elections Commission....
info@fec.gov
to me, HAVAinfo
More options 10:41 pm (5 minutes ago)
Dear Requester,
The FEC is an independent regulatory agency with jurisdiction over the campaign financing of federal elections. The Commission enforces the limits on the sources and amounts of contributions to candidates for federal office, reviews the registration and periodic reports filed by political committees supporting federal candidates, and monitors the public funding of Presidential elections.
This response acknowledges the receipt of your e-mail comment/question. Due to its content, your message has been simultaneously forwarded to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for further assistance. If you wish to contact the EAC for follow-up information, you may reach this agency toll-free at 1-866-747-1471 (see also http://www.eac.gov/contact_us.asp?format=none).
Hopefully you will find this information helpful. In the future, should you have any questions regarding the federal campaign finance law, please contact the FEC’s Information Division, toll-free, at 1-800-424-9530.
OLED Memory?
I was just thinking... couldn't we use passive OLED as a memory module? I mean, for each pixel, we can store RGB values (without using power except to change the data)... most people would think right off the bat that means we could represent 3 bytes per pixel... there might be a better way... not sure... but, forgetting for a second what the best way to encode the data would be -- we could save data to it (ie: just like we draw on a screen), then assuming that we are using PASSIVE OLED, then we can shut the power off without it actually loosing any data... we could read those values in (upon reboot) and re-read the values...
so, what about encoding... most obvious solution is that each pixel stores 3 bytes (RGB)... we could probably also use brightness and contrast, but let's ignore those for a second... maybe ternary... maybe holographic encoding... maybe basic compression (gzip for example)... hmmm, this could be good. could we do more than RGB? Could we have other colors as well?
wait a sec... so, RGB, we have 3 colors at 0-255 each... is that in itself a requirement? or could OLED allow for 0-100%? that could give us floating point (ie: 0.0 to 1.0)... hmmm...
so, what about encoding... most obvious solution is that each pixel stores 3 bytes (RGB)... we could probably also use brightness and contrast, but let's ignore those for a second... maybe ternary... maybe holographic encoding... maybe basic compression (gzip for example)... hmmm, this could be good. could we do more than RGB? Could we have other colors as well?
wait a sec... so, RGB, we have 3 colors at 0-255 each... is that in itself a requirement? or could OLED allow for 0-100%? that could give us floating point (ie: 0.0 to 1.0)... hmmm...
The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing
Talking with a friend of mine about how the federal version of 9/11 doesn't match the facts, he points me to these things about the OK city bombing. I had never realized that there was dispute about it. But, here's the links (I haven't gotten a chance to read them myself yet).
first document
second document
first document
second document
UFO? [wmv]
Friend from Las Vegas sent this to me. It is interesting. not sure what to make of it. kinda surprised it was on ABC news.
Wired News: When Cell Phones Become Oracles
interesting... now mix this with some AI, and maybe I can have it manage my schedule for me ;)
Slashdot | Possession of Cantenna Now Illegal?
what a bunch of crap... you are outlawing something a 7-year old can build without help or instructions?
Slashdot | Organism Uses Solar Energy to Produce Hydrogen
On one hand, this could make it easier to do water-based power generation. On the other, those microorganisms might obtain oil-sized costs for consumers to obtain.
Boing Boing: Promise TV -- PVR records a month's worth of shows from all channels
I was wondering why they didn't do this. I would like one of these.
UEFI - About UEFI
Q: How does UEFI differ from BIOS?
A: The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) served as the OS-firmware interface for the original PC-XT and PC-AT computers. This interface has been expanded over the years as the “PC clone” market has grown, but was never fully modernized as the market grew. UEFI defines a similar OS-firmware interface, known as “boot services” and “runtime services”, but is not specific to any processor architecture. BIOS is specific to the Intel x86 processor architecture, as it relies on the 16-bit “real mode” interface supported by x86 processors.
Q: Does UEFI completely replace a PC BIOS?
A: No. While UEFI uses a different interface for “boot services” and “runtime services”, some platform firmware must perform the functions BIOS uses for system configuration (a.k.a. “Power On Self Test” or “POST”) and Setup. UEFI does not specify how POST & Setup are implemented.
I'm not sure what I think about this. On one hand, Sun is not included (thus the OpenFirmware/OpenBoot compatibility seems missing)... It seems like it could make it easier to make a cross-hardware OS, but.... I dunno.
A: The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) served as the OS-firmware interface for the original PC-XT and PC-AT computers. This interface has been expanded over the years as the “PC clone” market has grown, but was never fully modernized as the market grew. UEFI defines a similar OS-firmware interface, known as “boot services” and “runtime services”, but is not specific to any processor architecture. BIOS is specific to the Intel x86 processor architecture, as it relies on the 16-bit “real mode” interface supported by x86 processors.
Q: Does UEFI completely replace a PC BIOS?
A: No. While UEFI uses a different interface for “boot services” and “runtime services”, some platform firmware must perform the functions BIOS uses for system configuration (a.k.a. “Power On Self Test” or “POST”) and Setup. UEFI does not specify how POST & Setup are implemented.
I'm not sure what I think about this. On one hand, Sun is not included (thus the OpenFirmware/OpenBoot compatibility seems missing)... It seems like it could make it easier to make a cross-hardware OS, but.... I dunno.
25 July 2005
So You Wanna Be a Game Designer
page 3:
Going from the original creative vision to what the game is eventually going to be…it isn't always about making the best game possible. It's about the tradeoffs you decide on as a designer. You're making the best game possible with x people, y months, and with z dollars. It's like playing an RPG where you have 20 points to allocate to strength, dexterity and intelligence. You can't have it all.
That's an awesome idea... the RPG is... the act of making an RPG!
Going from the original creative vision to what the game is eventually going to be…it isn't always about making the best game possible. It's about the tradeoffs you decide on as a designer. You're making the best game possible with x people, y months, and with z dollars. It's like playing an RPG where you have 20 points to allocate to strength, dexterity and intelligence. You can't have it all.
That's an awesome idea... the RPG is... the act of making an RPG!
Butterfly unlocks evolution secret
That's really interesting... I don't think any of our AI models reflect that. I will have to think on it.
Lawmakers move to extend daylight-saving time
An agreement was reached Thursday to extend daylight-saving time in an effort to conserve energy, but not to the extent the House approved in April.
Slashdot | Canadian Telco Admits to Blocking Union's Website
seems that blocking access to the union should be something the union could sue over.
Vores Øl (Our Beer) is ... the world's first open source beer!
I don't personally like beer, but this makes me reconsider ;)
24 July 2005
BBC NEWS | Technology | BBC opens TV listings for 'remix'
I'll have to remember to take a look at this when I start making my own 'pvr'.
23 July 2005
Why I Hate The Apache Web Server [PDF]
I totally agree. I am sick and tired of all the different TYPES of config files you have to do in order to handle a simple virtual host. I wrote Pandora originally to alleviate it, but unfortunately it has one bug left (and many missing features) and my source code was lost in a hard drive crash.
I mean, do I start rewriting it from scratch, or restart using a webserver that is slow and such a pain in the ass?
I mean, do I start rewriting it from scratch, or restart using a webserver that is slow and such a pain in the ass?
Slashdot | Microsoft Frowned at for Smiley Patent
Does anyone else think the Patent office has outlived its usefullness and is only there now to hinder innovation and provide means for large corporations to sue and take out smaller companies?
Slashdot | TSA Violated Privacy Act
Yet, when we say ahead of time they are going to abuse their power, we are conspiracy theorists? Maybe they should start listening to us AND/OR start believing that history repeats itself.
22 July 2005
Bush creates new post to battle global piracy - Jul. 22, 2005
Do they even realize they are shooting themselves in the foot? I mean, forget the fact that independant studies have shown that sales have actually gone UP with P2P instead of down as they claim, and forget that they get tax breaks for the assumption that stuff has been stolen whether it has been or not -- but sometimes these things aren't even available in the United States.
For example, one time I downloaded something from E*Nomine. I had no idea who (or what) they were, but their name sounded kewl. I love it. If I ever see something of theirs for sale, a concert, etc -- I will buy/go. I have even checked out their website to try to figure out how to buy their music.
On a similar note, the other day at Borders, my wife was looking at buying a soundtrack. She took it over to one of the listening machines, and that CD wasn't available to check out first, so she put it back and did not buy it.
You know, before Jake died in Iraq (damn you Bush) he wanted to start his own music label that was more artist-focused unlike the current money-hungry leeches that artists sign to now. Maybe we should do it in his honor.
Malachi
For example, one time I downloaded something from E*Nomine. I had no idea who (or what) they were, but their name sounded kewl. I love it. If I ever see something of theirs for sale, a concert, etc -- I will buy/go. I have even checked out their website to try to figure out how to buy their music.
On a similar note, the other day at Borders, my wife was looking at buying a soundtrack. She took it over to one of the listening machines, and that CD wasn't available to check out first, so she put it back and did not buy it.
You know, before Jake died in Iraq (damn you Bush) he wanted to start his own music label that was more artist-focused unlike the current money-hungry leeches that artists sign to now. Maybe we should do it in his honor.
Malachi
Riot control ray gun worries scientists | CNET News.com
so how long until portland police use this on protesters?
Slashdot | British Police Demand Access To Encryption Keys
Ah, how cute. Our little butt-buddies are trying to make laws as evil to their citizens as we are.
Congress to add 2 months to Daylight Savings Time
Ok, can someone explain something to me... They state that this will save electricity because lights will be used less in the early evenings...
Maybe I am odd, but... I generally use the lights anytime I am in the room unless I am watching a movie... so, it wouldn't make me more likely to use it an hour less in the early evening. If anything, it would move 1 hour of light use between gettingUp and goingToBed times (depending on whether in DST at the time or not)...
I think they are on crack.
Maybe I am odd, but... I generally use the lights anytime I am in the room unless I am watching a movie... so, it wouldn't make me more likely to use it an hour less in the early evening. If anything, it would move 1 hour of light use between gettingUp and goingToBed times (depending on whether in DST at the time or not)...
I think they are on crack.
Really cool invention brings teens awards
This is exactly what I was talking about a few days ago. We shouldn't be basing all our designs on outdated designs and research. Look what kids can accomplish when they don't realize "they can't".
New Scientist Breaking News - Matrix-style ‘bullet-time’ in multiplayer gaming
interesting approach. I'll have to think on it some more before I can really determine if it would be useful for any of my game ideas.
Slashdot | U.S. House Votes to Extend Patriot Act
Idiots. Do they even realize that these supposed representatives don't represent the wishes of We the People?
20 July 2005
Internet Security and the Threshold of Pain
If you look at Windows and Linux, both are based on 25-year-old technology. Windows is sort of a GUI version of the Mac's operating system, and Linux is of course Unix, which stems from 1968. These are both old clunkers. So the question is, Where are the new operating systems likely to come from? And will that OS come from the modern software corporation (of which Microsoft is the epitome), or will it spring out of some open-source initiative at some university somewhere? My bet is that the modern U.S. corporation�like Microsoft but not Microsoft in particular�is much more likely to come out with this new OS than a loosely coordinated band of volunteers in the open-source community.
I have long held the belief that we keep using outdated technology instead of truly inventing. I mean, many of our OS designs are based on us having very little memory or speed. It would be nice if these systems were redesigned FROM SCRATCH to utilize current and upcoming technology. Now if I just had a small group of people and some cash....
I have long held the belief that we keep using outdated technology instead of truly inventing. I mean, many of our OS designs are based on us having very little memory or speed. It would be nice if these systems were redesigned FROM SCRATCH to utilize current and upcoming technology. Now if I just had a small group of people and some cash....
Slashdot | Star Trek's Scotty Dies at 85
"James Doohan, better known to Trekkies everywhere as Scotty, has died at the age of 85. James was suffering from both Parkinsons and Alzheimer's and died earlier today at his home"
Original story
Temporary Mirror
Original story
Temporary Mirror
Personality Game
Once again, my thoughts have drifted back to the 80s and nostalgia has set in.
There was a game a friend of mine had that I kept intending to play but never got around to it. Now that I could, I can't seem to remember the title so it is very difficult to locate.
What I remember is that you start the game as an infant, and make choices throughout your life through being elderly and dying. Your choices not only affect your personality, but also what traumatic events you experience, etc... I don't know much more than that... Anyone have a clue what game it was. I think they were playing it around... 87-90.
There was a game a friend of mine had that I kept intending to play but never got around to it. Now that I could, I can't seem to remember the title so it is very difficult to locate.
What I remember is that you start the game as an infant, and make choices throughout your life through being elderly and dying. Your choices not only affect your personality, but also what traumatic events you experience, etc... I don't know much more than that... Anyone have a clue what game it was. I think they were playing it around... 87-90.
Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century ( A Report of The Project for the New American Century Sept2000) [PDF]
Some choice posts from Sept 2000 (a year before 9/11)...
Though the immediate mission of those forces is to enforce the no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq, they represent the long-term commitment of the United States and its major allies to a region of vital importance. Indeed, the United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf ranscends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Though the immediate mission of those forces is to enforce the no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq, they represent the long-term commitment of the United States and its major allies to a region of vital importance. Indeed, the United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf ranscends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Asia Times: This war is brought to you by ...
Really really long, yet informative [as in naming names] article.
Empire or Not? A Quiet Debate Over U.S. Role (washingtonpost.com)
Should I even bother pointing out that this is about a month before 9/11?
The discussion of an American empire also helps illuminate the running battle for the last six months between Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his Joint Chiefs of Staff over how to change the U.S. military. The defense secretary wants to prepare the armed forces to deal with the threats of tomorrow, and so hints at cutting conventional forces to pay for new capabilities such as missile defense. But the Joint Chiefs respond that they are quite busy with today's missions.
Article found at PNAC.INFO
The discussion of an American empire also helps illuminate the running battle for the last six months between Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his Joint Chiefs of Staff over how to change the U.S. military. The defense secretary wants to prepare the armed forces to deal with the threats of tomorrow, and so hints at cutting conventional forces to pay for new capabilities such as missile defense. But the Joint Chiefs respond that they are quite busy with today's missions.
Article found at PNAC.INFO
Popular Culture vs. Bush
Ah, I was trying to find some more songs like Enimem's and Perfect Circle's... here's a few more.
Update:
Here's some more... these are categorized...
Update:
Here's some more... these are categorized...
12thharmonic Blog » Musical Bombshells! “A Perfect Circle” and “EMINEM”
Yeah, here's the lyrics to two of my favorite videos (though I prefer the newgrounds version of perfect circles').
dbacl project homepage: Can a Bayesian spam filter play chess?
interesting...
wonder if, instead of basing answers on what the previous people's moves were after the same sequence of play, if the moves were based on what previous people's moves were when the board was in the same configuration? That would take into account the piece values...
wonder if, instead of basing answers on what the previous people's moves were after the same sequence of play, if the moves were based on what previous people's moves were when the board was in the same configuration? That would take into account the piece values...
Fold n' Drop Page
He's currently missing a file in his jar, but check out the video. Very nice idea.
19 July 2005
Review: yellowTAB's Zeta R1 - OSNews.com
Maybe I should try Zeta. I was very impressed with r5, and the BeFS sounds like it has a lot of nice features.
Designing for New Dimensions
That's an interesting idea...
let's take it a step further... what if we do a small hex grid... only one chip in the center is required, but, if you want to add multiple chips you can sit 6 more next to it... and take that a step further, and you can also stack them...
so in addition to the 3d technology in the chip, we make the socket for utilizing it 3d as well....
Mal
let's take it a step further... what if we do a small hex grid... only one chip in the center is required, but, if you want to add multiple chips you can sit 6 more next to it... and take that a step further, and you can also stack them...
so in addition to the 3d technology in the chip, we make the socket for utilizing it 3d as well....
Mal
18 July 2005
Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition
Sometimes I think people forget we have won some of these battles in the past...
[Thursday June 26]
'As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.' -- Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority
The Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment. Writing for the court, Justice John Paul Stevens held that 'the CDA places an unacceptably heavy burden on protected speech' and found that all provisions of the CDA are unconsitutional as they apply to 'indecent' or 'patently offensive' speech. In a separate concurrence, Chief Justice William Rhenquist and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor agreed that the provisions of the CDA are all unconstitutional except in their narrow application to 'communications between an adult and one or more minors.'"
[Thursday June 26]
'As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.' -- Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority
The Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment. Writing for the court, Justice John Paul Stevens held that 'the CDA places an unacceptably heavy burden on protected speech' and found that all provisions of the CDA are unconsitutional as they apply to 'indecent' or 'patently offensive' speech. In a separate concurrence, Chief Justice William Rhenquist and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor agreed that the provisions of the CDA are all unconstitutional except in their narrow application to 'communications between an adult and one or more minors.'"
New Scientist Breaking News - Simulated society may generate virtual culture
I think this is awesome. It reminds me of my capstone, which I worked on from 1996 to 1998 ;)
Erowid Culture Vaults : 'Occult Genetic Code'
a brief scan of the start of this page got me thinking....
The oldest book in the Hebrew occult tradition is the Sefer Yetzirah or “Book of Creation.” It describes, in a magical way, how Yahweh created the universe and all living things using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is said that God molded the letters as bits of clay into parallel and complementary strings – much like the lattices of DNA. The text goes on to say that those who learn this creation magic can also create living things – like golems and small animals. This sounds very much like a description of genetic engineering.
Following this genetic language metaphor a little further, it is interesting to note that the 64 unique codons of the DNA “alphabet” are always found in groups which code for 22 specific genetic “letters.” Each one of these genetic letters codes for a specific amino acid or a start/stop punctuation message in the chain. Since the Hebrew alphabet also has 22 letters – some which contain full stops and punctuation – I decided to see if I could find a meaningful isomorphism between the chemical language of life and the written language of one of Earth’s oldest cultures.
and
In trying to find an isomorphism between Hebrew and DNA structuring, I decided to start by studying the isomorphisms already noticed between DNA and the ancient Chinese system of divination, the I Ching. In recent years, there have been many books which successfully establish very detailed isomorphic maps between the 64 hexagrams (or kua) of the I Ching and the 64 codons which compose the complete genetic code.
Well, I have to admit. When I see 64 I immediately see binary... specifically, 2^6 (6 bits)... so...given a hexagon (or Star of David) with a candle either lit or not at each point, we can represent all the unique codons of the DNA "alphabet".
This PDF goes on to show how a cube can cast a shadow with at most 6-sides, and specifically that it can be angled to form a perfect hexagon. Besides showing how it can be used to extrapolate any n-dimensional depth, it also mentions hypercubes and goes into tetrahedral planetary geometry!
Even this site [which I just scanned the pics] talks about how the genetic code can be represented in a 6-dimensional boolean hypercube...
Ok, back to the original article...
Now that we’ve created a structural mapping between DNA and the I Ching, we can stretch the isomorphism to another level. The 64 codons of DNA form groups of groups which code for 22 separate amino acid or punctuation groups. The 22 codon groups of the genetic code can be broken down into 3 classes: 3 codons code for punctuation (Start or Stop); 7 codon groups code for hydrophobic amino acids; 12 codon groups code for hydrophilic amino acids. Amazingly, assigning Hebrew letters to the codon groups was made quite easy by the coincidence that in the Sefer Yetzirah, the 22 Hebrew letters are also broken down into 3 classes: 3 letters are “mothers”; 7 letters are “doubles”; 12 letters are “simples”.
So, based on this, I think it is becoming clear that there is at least a POSSIBILITY that the hebrew language itself (and the I-Ching) MIGHT be derived from DNA... based on this, it makes me wonder what would happen if we started analyzing the oldest text to determine what the DNA-equivalent of certain words (YAHWEH?) would be.... It also reminds me of watching Pi, where I learned that the Hebrew word for 'mother' and the Hebrew word for 'father' (since they have numeric representations) add to the Hebrew word for 'child' (or whatever, not sure what the exact words were off the top of my head)... Anyways, is it possible that the mathematics built into the language were actually describing the actual process at the DNA level?
So, here I was, reading the article (as I wrote this nonetheless) and then came across this paragraph which just increased the synchronicity:
Since there is insufficient symbolic content assigned to the Hebrew letters all by themselves, it is difficult to map a deeper meaning onto the complex messages of the 64 kua of the I Ching. However, the 22 major arcana cards of the divination system known as the Tarot have had Hebrew letters assigned to them since at least the late 19th century. By matching the Tarot card which corresponds with a specific Hebrew letter to the 7 DNA codons and corresponding I Ching kua, I hypothesized that I could create a meaning isomorphic bridge between symbolic concepts in both the I Ching and the Tarot through the filter of genetic code.
Although I dislike his use of Crowley imagery (I have always found the Thoth deck to be inaccurate and give false readings), this paragraph reminded me of the story of the tower of Babel:
To summarize, both systems use the same imagery to illustrate the same set of concepts; i.e. a chaotic storm splitting apart a large human-made edifice. This symbolizes the necessity to destroy the structure of ego in preparation for the reconstruction of a new broader-based conception of self suited to the ever-changing times.
Perhaps the story of Babel was simply referring to specific DNA patterns....
This is an interesting thought:
The Hebrew name Zephaniah means “God has hidden (something).” If that something was knowledge of the genetic code, and that knowledge was secreted away within the occult Qabala (“hidden tradition”) of Earth’s ancient cultures; then its rediscovery at this time may be the fulfillment of a portion of Zephaniah’s prophecy. If so, what comes next?
Anyways, saw an article that covered many of my obsessions, and thought I would share some initial reactions to it AS I read it instead of after I had time to digest it...
The oldest book in the Hebrew occult tradition is the Sefer Yetzirah or “Book of Creation.” It describes, in a magical way, how Yahweh created the universe and all living things using the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is said that God molded the letters as bits of clay into parallel and complementary strings – much like the lattices of DNA. The text goes on to say that those who learn this creation magic can also create living things – like golems and small animals. This sounds very much like a description of genetic engineering.
Following this genetic language metaphor a little further, it is interesting to note that the 64 unique codons of the DNA “alphabet” are always found in groups which code for 22 specific genetic “letters.” Each one of these genetic letters codes for a specific amino acid or a start/stop punctuation message in the chain. Since the Hebrew alphabet also has 22 letters – some which contain full stops and punctuation – I decided to see if I could find a meaningful isomorphism between the chemical language of life and the written language of one of Earth’s oldest cultures.
and
In trying to find an isomorphism between Hebrew and DNA structuring, I decided to start by studying the isomorphisms already noticed between DNA and the ancient Chinese system of divination, the I Ching. In recent years, there have been many books which successfully establish very detailed isomorphic maps between the 64 hexagrams (or kua) of the I Ching and the 64 codons which compose the complete genetic code.
Well, I have to admit. When I see 64 I immediately see binary... specifically, 2^6 (6 bits)... so...given a hexagon (or Star of David) with a candle either lit or not at each point, we can represent all the unique codons of the DNA "alphabet".
This PDF goes on to show how a cube can cast a shadow with at most 6-sides, and specifically that it can be angled to form a perfect hexagon. Besides showing how it can be used to extrapolate any n-dimensional depth, it also mentions hypercubes and goes into tetrahedral planetary geometry!
Even this site [which I just scanned the pics] talks about how the genetic code can be represented in a 6-dimensional boolean hypercube...
Ok, back to the original article...
Now that we’ve created a structural mapping between DNA and the I Ching, we can stretch the isomorphism to another level. The 64 codons of DNA form groups of groups which code for 22 separate amino acid or punctuation groups. The 22 codon groups of the genetic code can be broken down into 3 classes: 3 codons code for punctuation (Start or Stop); 7 codon groups code for hydrophobic amino acids; 12 codon groups code for hydrophilic amino acids. Amazingly, assigning Hebrew letters to the codon groups was made quite easy by the coincidence that in the Sefer Yetzirah, the 22 Hebrew letters are also broken down into 3 classes: 3 letters are “mothers”; 7 letters are “doubles”; 12 letters are “simples”.
So, based on this, I think it is becoming clear that there is at least a POSSIBILITY that the hebrew language itself (and the I-Ching) MIGHT be derived from DNA... based on this, it makes me wonder what would happen if we started analyzing the oldest text to determine what the DNA-equivalent of certain words (YAHWEH?) would be.... It also reminds me of watching Pi, where I learned that the Hebrew word for 'mother' and the Hebrew word for 'father' (since they have numeric representations) add to the Hebrew word for 'child' (or whatever, not sure what the exact words were off the top of my head)... Anyways, is it possible that the mathematics built into the language were actually describing the actual process at the DNA level?
So, here I was, reading the article (as I wrote this nonetheless) and then came across this paragraph which just increased the synchronicity:
Since there is insufficient symbolic content assigned to the Hebrew letters all by themselves, it is difficult to map a deeper meaning onto the complex messages of the 64 kua of the I Ching. However, the 22 major arcana cards of the divination system known as the Tarot have had Hebrew letters assigned to them since at least the late 19th century. By matching the Tarot card which corresponds with a specific Hebrew letter to the 7 DNA codons and corresponding I Ching kua, I hypothesized that I could create a meaning isomorphic bridge between symbolic concepts in both the I Ching and the Tarot through the filter of genetic code.
Although I dislike his use of Crowley imagery (I have always found the Thoth deck to be inaccurate and give false readings), this paragraph reminded me of the story of the tower of Babel:
To summarize, both systems use the same imagery to illustrate the same set of concepts; i.e. a chaotic storm splitting apart a large human-made edifice. This symbolizes the necessity to destroy the structure of ego in preparation for the reconstruction of a new broader-based conception of self suited to the ever-changing times.
Perhaps the story of Babel was simply referring to specific DNA patterns....
This is an interesting thought:
The Hebrew name Zephaniah means “God has hidden (something).” If that something was knowledge of the genetic code, and that knowledge was secreted away within the occult Qabala (“hidden tradition”) of Earth’s ancient cultures; then its rediscovery at this time may be the fulfillment of a portion of Zephaniah’s prophecy. If so, what comes next?
Anyways, saw an article that covered many of my obsessions, and thought I would share some initial reactions to it AS I read it instead of after I had time to digest it...
US News Article | Reuters.com
Is anyone surprised? Would anyone be surprised if Bush knew all along? Would anyone be surprised if Bush had even suggested -- oh wait, I can't give his intelligence that much credit.
ongoing
Iron for Drupal What happened was, I read the Slashdot story about Drupal’s server meltdown, and winced sympathetically; I have so been there. I keep hearing good things about Drupal, so I pinged my manager Hal Stern and asked “Think we could dig up a server for some good guys having a bad day?” He talked to John Fowler, Supreme Opteron Overlord, (hey Sun.com, that page is out of date), and on Tuesday Drupal got a V20z. Holy cow, John found a good one, that sucker’s got two high-end Opterons and 4G of memory, hosting Drupal will probably leave it enough cycles to simulate galaxies in the background. Amusing sidenote: Dries Buytaert of Drupal wrote wondering “under what terms we’d get such machinery from Sun” and Hal wrote back saying a mention on the site would be nice, “and no offense, but the legal cost of any more ‘terms’ than above exceeds our cost of the hardware.” As usual, I can’t resist the opportunity to generalize: ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is an ecosystem. Drupal has a problem, the community notices, Slashdot broadcasts, we help them out, a nice piece of infrastructure is strengthened, the tide rises and all our boats float a little higher. Is this a great business to be in or what?
I knew about the Drupal problem and the quick solution from Sun... nice to see Tim had something to do with it ;)
I knew about the Drupal problem and the quick solution from Sun... nice to see Tim had something to do with it ;)
RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0, Compared
I've been curious what the differences were. Sounds like Atom is the way to go. Now if only I can fix this blogger to quit auto-transforming the Atom XML feed.
Slashdot | LA City Votes For Municipal Fiber Network
Now if only Beaverton would follow Ashland and LA and setup municipal fiber instead of letting Verizon bleed us dry.
IGN: State of the RPG: PC
In Star Wars: Galaxies, for instance, I can start working for the Rebel Alliance and undertake a mission to steal some TIE Fighter plans. Now, if I succeed at this, the Rebels will like me more and the Imperials will like me less but, beyond that, the game world as a whole simply doesn't care if I succeed or fail. It's not as if getting these plans will give my faction a sudden advantage or that it will tip the balance of power one way or the other. What you're left with is a sense of non-accomplishment, a sense that you've done something and that it didn't really affect anything but your own reputation.
Hmmm, that's a good point... although I personally prefer the medieval-fantasy, maybe we should take on a setting where people feel like that in real life (maybe giving them the feeling that they are accomplishing something they couldn't in real life -- or even better, that they COULD if they tried)... Like politics... you could join one of the political parties, or perhaps a revolutionary group or two... you could do something to voting machines, wiretap some government officials phone line, spread false propaganda, whatever -- ie: we wouldn't restrict how you played or who you would prefer to win (though honestly the game might give slight advantages to the rebels).
Roleplaying games that draw on Chinese mythology, the Arabian Nights or the works of H.P. Lovecraft would definitely offer a nice change of pace.
Good point... I would like some stuff with Eris, but perhaps Kuntz could do a Cthulu-rpg... or maybe we could do a warring gods thing... hmmm.. or perhaps a game that focuses on when a couple alien races show up in primitive earth and are trying to establish themselves as dieties... that might be interesting...
Hmmm, that's a good point... although I personally prefer the medieval-fantasy, maybe we should take on a setting where people feel like that in real life (maybe giving them the feeling that they are accomplishing something they couldn't in real life -- or even better, that they COULD if they tried)... Like politics... you could join one of the political parties, or perhaps a revolutionary group or two... you could do something to voting machines, wiretap some government officials phone line, spread false propaganda, whatever -- ie: we wouldn't restrict how you played or who you would prefer to win (though honestly the game might give slight advantages to the rebels).
Roleplaying games that draw on Chinese mythology, the Arabian Nights or the works of H.P. Lovecraft would definitely offer a nice change of pace.
Good point... I would like some stuff with Eris, but perhaps Kuntz could do a Cthulu-rpg... or maybe we could do a warring gods thing... hmmm.. or perhaps a game that focuses on when a couple alien races show up in primitive earth and are trying to establish themselves as dieties... that might be interesting...
BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Copy our music' urges rock band
In particular, he pointed out that people could now record songs in their bedrooms and make them available to the world, and new artists no longer needed 'a label, or a manager, or a BBC Radio playlist'.
And that's the key, isn't it? The labels (or artists who have started their own labels) are afraid that they (being the middle man taking the huge cut) won't be needed anymore.
And that's the key, isn't it? The labels (or artists who have started their own labels) are afraid that they (being the middle man taking the huge cut) won't be needed anymore.
Slashdot | HP to Layoff 15,000 Employees
HP is expected to announce the layoffs as early as Monday, but employees are not expected to be immediately notified of their status, the source said, noting such a practice is common in corporate America.
See, that is the kind of BS that makes people NOT want to work for you.
A have been laid off (a larger american corporation which I will not mention due to some current issues going on) with 36-hour notice through a 3rd party with no compensation or anything.
However, when I worked for jBASE, they gave us 6 months notice and 3 months severance. I would have no qualms about working for them again.
The 'american custom' of screwing over your employees sucks and should be changed.
See, that is the kind of BS that makes people NOT want to work for you.
A have been laid off (a larger american corporation which I will not mention due to some current issues going on) with 36-hour notice through a 3rd party with no compensation or anything.
However, when I worked for jBASE, they gave us 6 months notice and 3 months severance. I would have no qualms about working for them again.
The 'american custom' of screwing over your employees sucks and should be changed.
17 July 2005
Circuit Monitoring
in effect providing me with a 'sniffer' for my electrical network.
Oooh! I will have to make one of these!
Oooh! I will have to make one of these!
local6.com - News - Finger Scanning At Disney Parks Causes Concern
Tourists visiting Disney theme parks in Central Florida must now provide their index and middle fingers to be scanned before entering the front gates.
Fuck Disney land. I won't take kids if they have to be fingerprinted!
Fuck Disney land. I won't take kids if they have to be fingerprinted!
Privacy is easy to breach
Rove's questionable judgment aside, this episode underlines how little effort is required in this info-rich age to identify and locate virtually anyone. You don't even need that person's name.
Interesting...
Interesting...
ScienCentral: Battlefield Band-Aids
But now, scientists have created a bandage that is actually able to clot a bullet wound in less than a minute. The bandages are laced with a mixture of ground shrimp shells and vinegar, a concoction that has been found to clot blood instantly. The key ingredient in the shrimp shells is called chitosan.
Nice.
Nice.
CULTURE HOLE - Popculture Links and Articles
kewl. I love how there are becoming more and more live action games.
» Earning Milestones: Blog Tips - ProBlogger
Once we get the new EOTI server up, perhaps we need to go ahead and do a blog-based replacement for Solstice and include ad-sense... hmmm, it would definitely help EOTI to have some funds coming in.
16 July 2005
15 July 2005
: : : a perfect circle : : :
From my friend in the UK:
Neat. I really like "A Perfect Circle".
Their cover of the song Imagine is cool, the video is on their
website. They say it'll never be shown on mainstream US tv even though
the footage is all from Fox etc. showing US military action, etc.
link to their videos above
Neat. I really like "A Perfect Circle".
Their cover of the song Imagine is cool, the video is on their
website. They say it'll never be shown on mainstream US tv even though
the footage is all from Fox etc. showing US military action, etc.
link to their videos above
Slashdot | Governing the Internet Report Released
Got to wonder if this is a good or bad thing.
If the links are broken, check networkmirror.com instead -- their copy of the links seems to work.
If the links are broken, check networkmirror.com instead -- their copy of the links seems to work.
News: Fujitsu Debuts Bendable Electronic Paper
Finally, someone might mass produce passive-OLED... I've only been telling people how kewl it was for 7 years or so.. longer? hard to remember anymore...
I have sooo many ideas of what I can do with it -- but... if I post them, others might do them before me :( Then I wouldn't be as kewl when i did it ;)
Oh, here's some more OLED info, and here's a link explaining how Pioneer was including OLEDs in their car stereos in the 90s.
Oooh, this version could be kewl -- transparency!!! What if we do something like this using that? Hmmm. transparent OLED with old-school projector to make huge wallscreen? Of course, we could just make a huge OLED for the wall, but then we wouldn't be getting to use the transparent OLED.
I have sooo many ideas of what I can do with it -- but... if I post them, others might do them before me :( Then I wouldn't be as kewl when i did it ;)
Oh, here's some more OLED info, and here's a link explaining how Pioneer was including OLEDs in their car stereos in the 90s.
Oooh, this version could be kewl -- transparency!!! What if we do something like this using that? Hmmm. transparent OLED with old-school projector to make huge wallscreen? Of course, we could just make a huge OLED for the wall, but then we wouldn't be getting to use the transparent OLED.
CNN.com - Scientists find planet with 3 suns - Jul 14, 2005
Could give a whole new meaning to three-star restaurant.
Independence Day for Transformers - Yahoo! News
More than meets the eye!
Excerpt:
Transformers, the long-planned, live-action movie based on the robot-morphing cartoon, comic and toy franchise, will roll into theaters July 4, 2007, DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures announced Wednesday.
Michael Bay (The Island, The Rock) will direct;
Steven Spielberg will executive produce.
Excerpt:
Transformers, the long-planned, live-action movie based on the robot-morphing cartoon, comic and toy franchise, will roll into theaters July 4, 2007, DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures announced Wednesday.
Michael Bay (The Island, The Rock) will direct;
Steven Spielberg will executive produce.
Owen Panner, M.D faces charge alleging possession of child porn
According to the Assistant District Attorney Larry Barnes, the charge arises from Panner's alleged possession of video recordings "secretly made of minor females undergoing examination at the Modoc Medical Clinic, where Panner had practiced medicine."
Damn. That's messed up...
Damn. That's messed up...
Slashdot | IGN/Gamespy Going Public
Checked ETrade... Not listed as Current Offering or Upcoming IPO, but as Recently Listed... don't think I can do anything until it changes state.
Slashdot | White Wolf Withdraws Pay-To-Play Policy
They withdrew their plan, though it sounds obvious they are going to rework it and reinitiate it. I wonder if I should continue to boycott them or wait until they release their next idiotic statement.
In smarts, she's a perfect 10
You know, this brings up an interesting point about our education system...
I grew up in Alturas. It is a little hickville in NorthEastern California. Though it is the county seat, it only has one red blinking light at the end of the 1-mile long main street where highway 395 and 299 intersect. In 1979, in 1st grade, a computer class was required. We were using TRS-80 Color Computer I. Sure, we started off with Turtle and Basic -- but we were programming. The computer class was required in 1st through 8th grade.
When I left Alturas and moved to Redding (then Ashland then Portland-metro), I realized that kids today don't have that. Most of them take a Word/PowerPoint class before they graduate.
As much as I hated that little town, I learned more about computers (started programming at home in 1979) than I did in high school and college combined. In addition, I learned more from a game on that computer (Robot Odyssey) than SOU teaches in regards to digital electronics... It has to make you wonder. Why is the tiny town got better computer/electronics-education?
Of course, then there is the Waldorf school. I was tutoring a kid from there because they objected to technology completely. He was 11 and had never seen a multiplication table and was outcast at school (and eventually suspended) for owning a computer.
I grew up in Alturas. It is a little hickville in NorthEastern California. Though it is the county seat, it only has one red blinking light at the end of the 1-mile long main street where highway 395 and 299 intersect. In 1979, in 1st grade, a computer class was required. We were using TRS-80 Color Computer I. Sure, we started off with Turtle and Basic -- but we were programming. The computer class was required in 1st through 8th grade.
When I left Alturas and moved to Redding (then Ashland then Portland-metro), I realized that kids today don't have that. Most of them take a Word/PowerPoint class before they graduate.
As much as I hated that little town, I learned more about computers (started programming at home in 1979) than I did in high school and college combined. In addition, I learned more from a game on that computer (Robot Odyssey) than SOU teaches in regards to digital electronics... It has to make you wonder. Why is the tiny town got better computer/electronics-education?
Of course, then there is the Waldorf school. I was tutoring a kid from there because they objected to technology completely. He was 11 and had never seen a multiplication table and was outcast at school (and eventually suspended) for owning a computer.
14 July 2005
Newgrounds presents: counting bodies/neocon
That's friggin awesome! Thanks Brenden!
BTW: Anyone who hasn't seen it yet, Flash music video by Perfect Circle
BTW: Anyone who hasn't seen it yet, Flash music video by Perfect Circle
genetic-programming.org-Home-Page
There are now 36 instances where genetic programming has automatically produced a result that is competitive with human performance, including 15 instances where genetic programming has created an entity that either infringes or duplicates the functionality of a previously patented 20th-century invention, 6 instances where genetic programming has done the same with respect to a 21st-centry invention, and 2 instances where genetic programming has created a patentable new invention.
That's friggin awesome!
Hehe, take a look at this
That's friggin awesome!
Hehe, take a look at this
Network Mirror: Optimus keyboard
Network Mirror
In Case of Slashdotting, Break Mirror
That's friggin awesome!
UPDATE:
Mirror no longer caching it... here's the original link:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/14/1335215&tid=126&tid=159&tid=227
UPDATE:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/18/1314226&tid=126&tid=137
paulius_g writes "It seems that Art Lebedev has reposnded to the Slashdotting that occured to their page about the ' Optimus Keyboard'. They have included a FAQ at the middle-right of the page stating some of the questions that Slashdotters were wondering. A few interestign ones were ' It will be real', 'We hope it will be released in 2006', 'It will cost less than a good mobile phone', 'It will be OS-independent', and finally 'It will most likely use OLED technology (e-paper is sooo slow)'. They've also included some common answers abotu Russia and it seems that they are as well searching OEMs (From the FAQ: OEM will be possible (why not?), Contact us for hi-res images, or interview inquires). It will be very interesting to see how this technological marvel will be created. Sign me up! I'll be ordering one in 2006."
In Case of Slashdotting, Break Mirror
That's friggin awesome!
UPDATE:
Mirror no longer caching it... here's the original link:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/14/1335215&tid=126&tid=159&tid=227
UPDATE:
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/18/1314226&tid=126&tid=137
paulius_g writes "It seems that Art Lebedev has reposnded to the Slashdotting that occured to their page about the ' Optimus Keyboard'. They have included a FAQ at the middle-right of the page stating some of the questions that Slashdotters were wondering. A few interestign ones were ' It will be real', 'We hope it will be released in 2006', 'It will cost less than a good mobile phone', 'It will be OS-independent', and finally 'It will most likely use OLED technology (e-paper is sooo slow)'. They've also included some common answers abotu Russia and it seems that they are as well searching OEMs (From the FAQ: OEM will be possible (why not?), Contact us for hi-res images, or interview inquires). It will be very interesting to see how this technological marvel will be created. Sign me up! I'll be ordering one in 2006."
CNN.com - Research: Third of study results don't hold up - Jul 13, 2005
That means nearly one-third of the original results did not hold up, according to the report in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
'Contradicted and potentially exaggerated findings are not uncommon in the most visible and most influential original clinical research,'
Now that's ironic... a study which says nearly 1/3rd of other studies blow results out of proportion.. while I believe it, according to them I probably shouldn't ;)
'Contradicted and potentially exaggerated findings are not uncommon in the most visible and most influential original clinical research,'
Now that's ironic... a study which says nearly 1/3rd of other studies blow results out of proportion.. while I believe it, according to them I probably shouldn't ;)
Judge: MP3 site, ISP breached copyright: ZDNet Australia: News: Communications
Let's see if I can come up with an equivalent....
You have a phone book. In that phone book is the contact information for someone who uses a copy machine. You, them, and their parents get sued.
Does anything seem odd to the rest of you?
You have a phone book. In that phone book is the contact information for someone who uses a copy machine. You, them, and their parents get sued.
Does anything seem odd to the rest of you?
13 July 2005
Slashdot | Secure Your Network NSA-style
The NSA has unclassified a pdf on how to secure your network in sixty minutes. All in all, it's an interesting and informative read if you are in the security biz. The article covers a variety of topics such as Buffer Overflows, Intrusion Detection Systems and using Tripwire ASR to ensure the integrity of your network server.
That could be useful. Will have to take a look once I get a chance.
That could be useful. Will have to take a look once I get a chance.
Presidents and States of the United States
My only complaint about the early symbols adopted for the United States is the use of the Eagle. This was a Roman symbol. It was certainly associated with the Roman Republic by the Founding Fathers, but it had been used for many centuries for Empires, including the Roman Empire itself, the Holy Roman Empire, Russia, and later the French, Austrian, and German Empires. Usually the only alternative that gets mentioned for America is Benjamin Franklin's proposal that the Turkey be made the national bird. This is usually brought up now only as a joke, since Turkeys are pretty stupid. But there is still a very real alternative, and that is the Owl, the sacred animal of the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and patroness of the city of Athens, the first classic democracy. Perhaps when we have learned again even a fraction of the wisdom of the Founders, this might be reconsidered. We have certainly become such fools as to merit no such symbol. In that sense, the Turkey is the national bird.
An owl.... That's actually not bad... not bad at all...
An owl.... That's actually not bad... not bad at all...
Is it true that in the late 1800's they took away or added 11 days to the calendar that didn't exist?
I love it... Back before 1917 there were places where walking across a line could be 10-11 days earlier/later. That's great.
DIY Projector - Overview
So DIY home projectors are nothing new. For years people have been trying to make their own projectors due to the high cost of real LCD projectors. So what makes this guide practical? Simply put, the theory behind projection coupled with the breakdown of costs for each main component of the projector. We let you decide what components are right for you, but give you a fully functional example.
Kewl.
Kewl.
19 inch PC Rack by TykSak of ModZone.dk
I think the idea of having a 19' rack at home is every techs dream. This was also the case when I wanted to decomission my power hungry and space consuming server PCs and replace them with a 19' rack, but it seems that when ever the frase '19 inch' is added to any PC part the price skyrockets.
That was the end of my dream until a friend told me he was going to build a new 19' rack for his music equipment as his old rack was getting to small. So we looked into it and discovered it used the same dimensions as the PC racks.
Hehe, that's awesome.
That was the end of my dream until a friend told me he was going to build a new 19' rack for his music equipment as his old rack was getting to small. So we looked into it and discovered it used the same dimensions as the PC racks.
Hehe, that's awesome.
12 July 2005
BBC - OpenSource
Recent Projects
# CPAN modules
# Apache Modules provides the "#func" directive
# Dirac Dirac is a state of the art video codec
# Media Lounge interactive, shared virtual world
# TV-Anytime Java API designed to support Personal Video Recoders (PVRs)
# Kamaelia designed to simplify creation and testing of new protocols for large scale media delivery systems
# Media Dispatch Pro-MPEG Media Dispatch Group's Media Dispatch Protocol
# MXF File Test Engine allows various tests to be performed on MXF files
# Video Shot Change Detector DirectShow video shot change detector filter
# CPAN modules
Any-Template-1.012
Provide a consistent interface to a wide array of templating languages
File-Policy-1.005
Site policy for file I/O functions
Hash-Flatten-1.13
Flatten/unflatten complex data hashes
Lingua-MSWordSpell-1.010
Word spellchecker
Log-Trace-1.069
Provides a unified approach to tracing
Pod-Usage-CGI-1.009
Generate usage message for CGI scripts
Pod-Xhtml-1.41
Generate well-formed XHTML documents from POD format documentation
Sub-Slice-1.047
Split long-running tasks into manageable chunks
Test-Assertions-1.051
A simple set of building blocks for both unit and runtime testing
Wx-Perl-FSHandler-UNC-1.007
A filesystem handler for UNC filepaths
# Apache Modules provides the "#func" directive
# Dirac Dirac is a state of the art video codec
# Media Lounge interactive, shared virtual world
# TV-Anytime Java API designed to support Personal Video Recoders (PVRs)
# Kamaelia designed to simplify creation and testing of new protocols for large scale media delivery systems
# Media Dispatch Pro-MPEG Media Dispatch Group's Media Dispatch Protocol
# MXF File Test Engine allows various tests to be performed on MXF files
# Video Shot Change Detector DirectShow video shot change detector filter
K-niggithood of Telakra
Oh my god! This is so kewl! I never knew about the archive.org website before, and found a whole bunch of my old pages!
AMD Alleges Intel Compilers Create Slower AMD Code [pdf]
This reminds me of the IE/Opera issue. And what did Opera (and Firefox and everyone else) start doing? Claiming to be IE on-demand.
Wireless tool 'whispers' below the radar - Wireless World - MSNBC.com
hmmmm.
1) those tv signals they are talking about are supposed to be going away -- ie: the FCC said that TV had to switch to all-digital
2) can be heard by special antennae's that know where to listen... umm, isn't that true all the time? isn't that why CBs have crystals that specify what frequency to listen to? isn't that the same basic concept of funny channels, where they are broadcasting and listening in between channels?
3) $5-6 for the nic? kewl I can, oh wait, $350k for the base station? screw you
1) those tv signals they are talking about are supposed to be going away -- ie: the FCC said that TV had to switch to all-digital
2) can be heard by special antennae's that know where to listen... umm, isn't that true all the time? isn't that why CBs have crystals that specify what frequency to listen to? isn't that the same basic concept of funny channels, where they are broadcasting and listening in between channels?
3) $5-6 for the nic? kewl I can, oh wait, $350k for the base station? screw you
BBC NEWS | Technology | Key hacker magazine faces closure
Bell South claimed that the confidential E911 document contained sensitive information and put its value at $80,000...The case against Mr Neidorf collapsed when it was shown that the E911 paper could be ordered by phone from Bell South for only $13.
Wait, did someone try to claim that the Telco's weren't fraudulent? Oh, guess not.
Wait, did someone try to claim that the Telco's weren't fraudulent? Oh, guess not.
11 July 2005
Slashdot | Qbits unstable: May Limit Quantum Computing
Ok, this is kinda funny.
reading the 'human-readable' one, I couldn't stop thinking about Improbability Drives and Schrödingers Cat.
reading the 'human-readable' one, I couldn't stop thinking about Improbability Drives and Schrödingers Cat.
Slashdot | When Webmasters Get Phished?
"'It happened to me a few months ago, and the hacker installed a phishing website. Ofcourse I found that out within a few hours and removed it (and patched the used vulnerability). To be helpful, I packed the whole folder, relevant logs, etc, and sent them - accompanied by a letter explaining what happened - to the fraud reporting email address of the bank that was the target of the attempt. That's what we all would do, right?
To my surprise however, instead of them trying to found out who it was that made the attempt (an email address where the phished usernames/passwords were transmitted to was clearly visible in the source), they had me disconnected from the internet and put on an ISP blacklist. Took me some cash and a lot of time to even get reconnected to the internet. And there I thought they would be happy with this information. "
Damn. I probably would have reported it myself, until reading this.
To my surprise however, instead of them trying to found out who it was that made the attempt (an email address where the phished usernames/passwords were transmitted to was clearly visible in the source), they had me disconnected from the internet and put on an ISP blacklist. Took me some cash and a lot of time to even get reconnected to the internet. And there I thought they would be happy with this information. "
Damn. I probably would have reported it myself, until reading this.
propertyroom.com Item# 5116-002343: Five 1957 Near Uncirculated $1 Silver Certificates
Considering they are now worthless except for a collector (since you can't exchange them for silver), the Sherrif's department is explaining about the conspiracy theory of the Federal Reserve to kill Kennedy as a way to sell stuff they have siezed. That's just too good.
Maltron Ergonomic and Special Needs Keyboards
hmmmm, maybe I should switch to one of these. On a recent Quer[t]y vs Dvorak keyboard discussion on Slashdot, someone mentioned that these are actually better for RSI than the Dvorak.
Be Your Own Hotspot - Popular Science
Be Your Own Hotspot
Turn a backpack into a portable, solar-powered Wi-Fi hotspot, and share a high-speed connection anywhere
Nice :) I now have a use for my old school backpack.
Turn a backpack into a portable, solar-powered Wi-Fi hotspot, and share a high-speed connection anywhere
Nice :) I now have a use for my old school backpack.
Slashdot | Getting the Most Out of Your Green Buck?
They've got some numbers on installing solar roofing and net metering. Good, I have been curious about that.
Slashdot | Genetic Research In The Heart of Amish Country
I honestly never thought I would see that happen.
mustang: J2SE 6.0
You know, I have been thinking lately, wondering whether I should start contributing directly to Mustang. They have fixed a lot of bugs, but still leave many (like #4727550) really important ones. If they can get that one fixed (or I use something like RockSaw), and utilize this one, I should be able to write my own firewall. If I also utilize the new SystemTray and TrayIcon APIs, I can even do an Apache HTTP/Tomcat-style system-tray manager for it.
09 July 2005
Slashdot | White Wolf Applying License to Indie Games
Fucking bullshit. Charging LARPers to NOT join the fan club. Fuck them.
Guess I now have to get my group of friends together to start our own system from scratch.
Guess I now have to get my group of friends together to start our own system from scratch.
08 July 2005
The Australian: No time for secrets [July 09, 2005]
The trade-offs between national security and civil liberties depend largely on how serious the threat of terrorism is perceived to be. In much of continental Europe, civil libertarians have held sway against any efforts by their governments to introduce the sort of arbitrary powers that Washington wields against suspected terrorists.
Shall I remind you:
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
Kinda interesting that the country we tried so hard to leave is following the founding fathers ideals better than we are.
Shall I remind you:
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
Kinda interesting that the country we tried so hard to leave is following the founding fathers ideals better than we are.
10 Cabinet officials resign but majority
Wow, I can't imagine our Senate stepping down so they no longer were publicly supporting Bush after vote rigging. That would be awesome.
Of course, we don't really want his Vice President either.
Of course, we don't really want his Vice President either.
Tampabay: Result of the State Attorney's inquiry
Ok, I am going to point out some comments from the article...
Based on what he refers to as "new information" contained in the Terri Schiavo autopsy report, Governor Bush has requested that our office take a "fresh look at the case" with no "preconceptions as to the outcome." Governor Bush's letter noted that the autopsy had not determined the cause of Mrs. Schiavo's "original injuries" in 1990 and had in fact cast doubt on the explanation that had been the basis of the 1992 malpractice verdict. He also noted that in 1992, 2003 and 2005 Michael Schiavo had given a time for his wife's collapse that was 40 to 70 minutes prior to the time that his 911 call was received by emergency services.
He obviously did not want them to investigate it with "no preconceptions" because his request was full of comments about what "really" happened (as if he were there). By his own request, they should ignore everything he said.
Most of the pertinent "facts" are in the public record and have been considered and reconsidered by lawyers, jurors, judges and a myriad of experts ... - and found insufficient evidence of any prosecutable offense to justify a criminal investigation.... Although Dr. Thogmartin did not believe that the cause could be determined with resonable certainty, there are explanations far more likely and logical than any involving criminal wrongdoing.
Anotherwords he wants them to keep investigating until everyone changes their minds (including the jurors). And remember, these comments are by the people Governor Bush hired, not some random liberal.
The hypothesis that Terri's low potassium level was a factitious result of medication and fluid administered during her resuscitation is not new but first surfaced in the 1992 malpractice trial.
Ok, I can tell you from first hand experience that there are other causes. I personally went to the hospital a year ago with almost non-existent potassium levels and the doctors concluded it was caused by me taking too many Tums. Specifically, I whenever the heartburn became too extreme to handle, I took Tums. The calcium-carbonate in the Tums bound to my potassium, and totally screwed me up. Luckily I now have Prilosec, but... my point is there are very common ways to have low potassium levels.
Terri had sought this doctor's help in 1989 because of difficulty in getting pregnant and up until the time of her death was under treatment for amenorrhea (abnormally infrequent menstrual periods), a well documented result of eating disorders in young women.
Ok, this is just stupid. Webmd says that the cause is generally not known, but that ONE of the causes is 'Stopping the use of birth control pills' and 'Stress' and 'Depression'. Ok, so if you think that it HAD to be because of an eating disorder, you are also assuming she was trying to get pregnant while still taking birth control, and that failure to have a child is not stressful or depressing.
and her extremely low level of potassium and that the latter condition led to her cardiac arrest
What? Low potassium can cause cardiac arrest? Well, I guess the doctors were right when they told me that it was a good thing that I came in when I did (the above-mentioned Tums situation).
could explain her low serum potassium after the incident and that this reading did not necessarily reflect electrolyte levels at the time of her collapse
Hmmm, interesting... they said I had severly low electrolyte levels too... and almost no potassium... hmm, and I collapsed too... wierd... guess that my problem must have been bulimia and not the ulcerative coilitis (caused by immune system being TOO strong) that they diagnosed me with.
While Dr. Thogmartin's report indicated that non-traumatic asphyxia was not impossible, I do not believe that this can be constructed to mean that it represents a plausible explanation or one that is equally or more likely than the possible non-criminal explanations for Mrs. Schiavo's collapse.
In fact, it can be caused from something as simple as Food Alergies. From WebMD: Food allergies affect between six million and seven million Americans, and the numbers are on the rise, according to the Food Allergy Network (FAN). A reaction can include swelling of the tongue and throat (leading to asphyxia, and possible loss of consciousness), diarrhea, hives, and abdominal cramps. An estimated 100-200 people die each year from food allergy-related reactions, according to FAN.
I'll end with one last quote from the article:
Also, when asked about her son-in-law during the 1992 malpractice trial, Mary Schindler testified, "He's there every day. She (Terri) does not want for anything. He is loving, caring. I don't know of any young boy that would be as attentive. He is ... he's just unbelievable, and I know without him there is no way I would have survived this."
Based on what he refers to as "new information" contained in the Terri Schiavo autopsy report, Governor Bush has requested that our office take a "fresh look at the case" with no "preconceptions as to the outcome." Governor Bush's letter noted that the autopsy had not determined the cause of Mrs. Schiavo's "original injuries" in 1990 and had in fact cast doubt on the explanation that had been the basis of the 1992 malpractice verdict. He also noted that in 1992, 2003 and 2005 Michael Schiavo had given a time for his wife's collapse that was 40 to 70 minutes prior to the time that his 911 call was received by emergency services.
He obviously did not want them to investigate it with "no preconceptions" because his request was full of comments about what "really" happened (as if he were there). By his own request, they should ignore everything he said.
Most of the pertinent "facts" are in the public record and have been considered and reconsidered by lawyers, jurors, judges and a myriad of experts ... - and found insufficient evidence of any prosecutable offense to justify a criminal investigation.... Although Dr. Thogmartin did not believe that the cause could be determined with resonable certainty, there are explanations far more likely and logical than any involving criminal wrongdoing.
Anotherwords he wants them to keep investigating until everyone changes their minds (including the jurors). And remember, these comments are by the people Governor Bush hired, not some random liberal.
The hypothesis that Terri's low potassium level was a factitious result of medication and fluid administered during her resuscitation is not new but first surfaced in the 1992 malpractice trial.
Ok, I can tell you from first hand experience that there are other causes. I personally went to the hospital a year ago with almost non-existent potassium levels and the doctors concluded it was caused by me taking too many Tums. Specifically, I whenever the heartburn became too extreme to handle, I took Tums. The calcium-carbonate in the Tums bound to my potassium, and totally screwed me up. Luckily I now have Prilosec, but... my point is there are very common ways to have low potassium levels.
Terri had sought this doctor's help in 1989 because of difficulty in getting pregnant and up until the time of her death was under treatment for amenorrhea (abnormally infrequent menstrual periods), a well documented result of eating disorders in young women.
Ok, this is just stupid. Webmd says that the cause is generally not known, but that ONE of the causes is 'Stopping the use of birth control pills' and 'Stress' and 'Depression'. Ok, so if you think that it HAD to be because of an eating disorder, you are also assuming she was trying to get pregnant while still taking birth control, and that failure to have a child is not stressful or depressing.
and her extremely low level of potassium and that the latter condition led to her cardiac arrest
What? Low potassium can cause cardiac arrest? Well, I guess the doctors were right when they told me that it was a good thing that I came in when I did (the above-mentioned Tums situation).
could explain her low serum potassium after the incident and that this reading did not necessarily reflect electrolyte levels at the time of her collapse
Hmmm, interesting... they said I had severly low electrolyte levels too... and almost no potassium... hmm, and I collapsed too... wierd... guess that my problem must have been bulimia and not the ulcerative coilitis (caused by immune system being TOO strong) that they diagnosed me with.
While Dr. Thogmartin's report indicated that non-traumatic asphyxia was not impossible, I do not believe that this can be constructed to mean that it represents a plausible explanation or one that is equally or more likely than the possible non-criminal explanations for Mrs. Schiavo's collapse.
In fact, it can be caused from something as simple as Food Alergies. From WebMD: Food allergies affect between six million and seven million Americans, and the numbers are on the rise, according to the Food Allergy Network (FAN). A reaction can include swelling of the tongue and throat (leading to asphyxia, and possible loss of consciousness), diarrhea, hives, and abdominal cramps. An estimated 100-200 people die each year from food allergy-related reactions, according to FAN.
I'll end with one last quote from the article:
Also, when asked about her son-in-law during the 1992 malpractice trial, Mary Schindler testified, "He's there every day. She (Terri) does not want for anything. He is loving, caring. I don't know of any young boy that would be as attentive. He is ... he's just unbelievable, and I know without him there is no way I would have survived this."
FOXNews.com - The O'Reilly Factor - Talking Points - Failure To Deal With The Deadly Enemy
God this guy is an idiot.
"My first thought was al Qaeda trying to disrupt the G-8 summit in Scotland. My second thought was now maybe Europe will wise up. The terrorists are the evildoers, not the USA."
1) If terrorists were trying to disrupt the G-8 summit in Scotland, don't you think they would have... uh?.. attacked Scotland?
2) Terrorists are the evildoers, not the USA? Perhaps you should read up on Thomas Jefferson... according to him, the USA would be the terrorists.
"If all of the anti-U.S. bitterness were redirected into anti- terror bitterness, the world might defeat these savages. We all know which major countries allow terrorists to operate. Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent, Pakistan and Indonesia."
1) anti-US bitterness is anti-terror bitterness, because the US is terrorizing the world, including its own people
2) these savages.. hmm.. savages... from Wikipedia:
tr.v., -aged, -ag·ing, -ag·es.
To assault ferociously.
To attack without restraint or pity: The critics savaged the new play.
*** I guess that would be... the US?
3) We all know terrorists operate in Indonesia? Really? Hmm, all I really knew about them was that they made clove cigarettes, beautiful wood furniture and were completely decimated by tsunamis... Didn't realize they were such a terrorist hotbed. Good thing I have you to educate me.
"Can you believe an American newspaper would print that?"
Bet you didn't know this, but journalists are not supposed to be biased... Of course, you are with Fox News, so you wouldn't know anything about that.
"USA is not the problem in this world. The terrorists are. And if you don't agree with that, you are helping killers like al Zarqawi. Enough's enough. London should be the last straw. And that's 'The Memo.'"
Ummmm..
1) USA is the problem. Not the people, in general, but the foreign policies that, contrary to the beliefs this country was founded on, behave more and more like Nazi Germany.
2) The USA Government are the terrorists. Don't believe me? Why don't you take a world-wide poll and see who people are more afraid of?
3) If we don't agree that the "terrorists" are worse than the USA Government, then we are helping killers? Hmmm. Let's think that one through... The USA puts dictators in charge. Said dictators theoretically become corrupt (as if they weren't already by being sponsored by the US Govt). Said dictators, put in power by the US, become "terrorists" and so we go and kill thousands of civilians to take down these people we put in power... I think it is more reasonable to say that O'Reilly himself is the one helping the "killers" like Bush.
"My first thought was al Qaeda trying to disrupt the G-8 summit in Scotland. My second thought was now maybe Europe will wise up. The terrorists are the evildoers, not the USA."
1) If terrorists were trying to disrupt the G-8 summit in Scotland, don't you think they would have... uh?.. attacked Scotland?
2) Terrorists are the evildoers, not the USA? Perhaps you should read up on Thomas Jefferson... according to him, the USA would be the terrorists.
"If all of the anti-U.S. bitterness were redirected into anti- terror bitterness, the world might defeat these savages. We all know which major countries allow terrorists to operate. Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent, Pakistan and Indonesia."
1) anti-US bitterness is anti-terror bitterness, because the US is terrorizing the world, including its own people
2) these savages.. hmm.. savages... from Wikipedia:
tr.v., -aged, -ag·ing, -ag·es.
To assault ferociously.
To attack without restraint or pity: The critics savaged the new play.
*** I guess that would be... the US?
3) We all know terrorists operate in Indonesia? Really? Hmm, all I really knew about them was that they made clove cigarettes, beautiful wood furniture and were completely decimated by tsunamis... Didn't realize they were such a terrorist hotbed. Good thing I have you to educate me.
"Can you believe an American newspaper would print that?"
Bet you didn't know this, but journalists are not supposed to be biased... Of course, you are with Fox News, so you wouldn't know anything about that.
"USA is not the problem in this world. The terrorists are. And if you don't agree with that, you are helping killers like al Zarqawi. Enough's enough. London should be the last straw. And that's 'The Memo.'"
Ummmm..
1) USA is the problem. Not the people, in general, but the foreign policies that, contrary to the beliefs this country was founded on, behave more and more like Nazi Germany.
2) The USA Government are the terrorists. Don't believe me? Why don't you take a world-wide poll and see who people are more afraid of?
3) If we don't agree that the "terrorists" are worse than the USA Government, then we are helping killers? Hmmm. Let's think that one through... The USA puts dictators in charge. Said dictators theoretically become corrupt (as if they weren't already by being sponsored by the US Govt). Said dictators, put in power by the US, become "terrorists" and so we go and kill thousands of civilians to take down these people we put in power... I think it is more reasonable to say that O'Reilly himself is the one helping the "killers" like Bush.
07 July 2005
Army FY04.3 SBIR Solicitation Topics
Trying to locate an implementation of raw sockets in Java (so I could write a firewall), I came across this... interesting...
XO. Ethernet Dedicated Internet Access
"Commit to as low as 100 Mbps or choose the full 1,000 Mbps port speed."
Now there's an internet connection for me.
Now there's an internet connection for me.
Verizon introduces fiber to Oregon homes - 2005-02-25
"The first fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) installations will take place in Tigard, Hillsboro, Beaverton and unincorporated areas of Washington County, said Verizon representative Kevin Laverty."
Hmmm, so 1-1/2 years ago they said they would start with Beaverton and it still isn't available... Sounds like they are REALLY slow or it was just for marketing hype and not real.
Or how about some posts going back 5 years about it???
Although, it appears that the City of Beaverton made an announcement about it 2 days ago... hmmmm...
Hmmm, so 1-1/2 years ago they said they would start with Beaverton and it still isn't available... Sounds like they are REALLY slow or it was just for marketing hype and not real.
Or how about some posts going back 5 years about it???
Although, it appears that the City of Beaverton made an announcement about it 2 days ago... hmmmm...
Intel Invests in Movie Distribution Co. - Yahoo! News
Interesting. didn't see that coming. at least not from them.
Slashdot | Six Bomb Blasts Around Central London
When Dino and I heard about this on the news this morning, the first thing she said was "Do you think the US or UK did it?".
As I was pondering that, and thinking that I really do see the government themselves as the terrorists, I noticed that Tony Blair said "Them" instead of "Al Queda", as if he knew it wasn't them. Although it may sound like I am paranoid or something, it came across like "I told Bush I wasn't willing to do it to my own people and he went and did it anyways".
Is it wierd to think that 1/2 the US (the non-Republicans) see the US Government as terrorists? Is it wierd to think that 1/4+ of the US think the US Govt was behind 9/11? Then why are they still in power?
Many people keep saying that things will stay the way they are because people are apathetic. I don't think so. I don't think people don't care -- I think they have been convinced that they can't make a difference. Our system of voting has really helped that impression.
And maybe they are right... Maybe we can't change the system from the inside... but what's the alternative?
And, even if we found a way to replace the current government... what would we replace it with? It is fine to say "a true democracy instead of this republic" or "non-capitalism"... but, those don't tell us what to do on Day 1 of the job. WHAT would it be replaced with?
As I was pondering that, and thinking that I really do see the government themselves as the terrorists, I noticed that Tony Blair said "Them" instead of "Al Queda", as if he knew it wasn't them. Although it may sound like I am paranoid or something, it came across like "I told Bush I wasn't willing to do it to my own people and he went and did it anyways".
Is it wierd to think that 1/2 the US (the non-Republicans) see the US Government as terrorists? Is it wierd to think that 1/4+ of the US think the US Govt was behind 9/11? Then why are they still in power?
Many people keep saying that things will stay the way they are because people are apathetic. I don't think so. I don't think people don't care -- I think they have been convinced that they can't make a difference. Our system of voting has really helped that impression.
And maybe they are right... Maybe we can't change the system from the inside... but what's the alternative?
And, even if we found a way to replace the current government... what would we replace it with? It is fine to say "a true democracy instead of this republic" or "non-capitalism"... but, those don't tell us what to do on Day 1 of the job. WHAT would it be replaced with?
Slashdot | Windows AntiSpyware Downgrades Claria Detections
We should be able to sue them for purposely making their system less secure...
06 July 2005
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Footprints of 'first Americans'
Evidence of 38000 years instead of 11000 years... gee, that sounds familiar. Reminds me of details about the Sphynx and floods.
The Rove Factor? - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com
Brenden passed this to me. Rove, huh? Not surprised.
Amazon.com: Books: We the People: A Call to Take Back America
"The very messianic message carried by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels to the German people concerning Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, which was destined to endure for a thousand years, is being delivered by Bush and his evangelical Christian base. "
Maybe I should buy this book.
Maybe I should buy this book.
Dreams 2 Text
In case you are wondering, this is where I found a few of those last links (the ones dealing with semacodes or lat/long/gps, etc).
EXCELLATRONIC COMMUNICATIONS: Geotagging Flickr with Google Maps and Greasemonkey Part 2
I may have to try this ;)
Slashdot | Maps on Path to Mass Innovation
Some of the links provided have local info (woohoo!).
Specifically, Craigslist Real Estate looks really good and MetroFreeFi could come in real handy.
I would like to see Washington County Intermap switch over.
Specifically, Craigslist Real Estate looks really good and MetroFreeFi could come in real handy.
I would like to see Washington County Intermap switch over.
SinsationNation | 06.15.05 | 00:03:09
Wow. Nice work Brenden. It's nice to see you educating people.
State: Wi-Fi cloaks a new breed of intruder
"'It's no different if I went out and bought a Microsoft program and started sharing it with everyone in my apartment. It's theft,' said Kena Lewis, spokeswoman for Bright House Networks in Orlando."
Bullshit. You can't make the assumption that letting people utilitize your wireless network constitutes theft. And it is different -- it would be more like subletting or letting people stay the night at your house when you are in town. We should boycott Bright House Networks.
Of course, after saying that, I realized I didn't know who they were. I went and checked. Ahhhh! It makes so much sense. They are one of those (immoral?) cable companies. No wonder they made that comment.
Bullshit. You can't make the assumption that letting people utilitize your wireless network constitutes theft. And it is different -- it would be more like subletting or letting people stay the night at your house when you are in town. We should boycott Bright House Networks.
Of course, after saying that, I realized I didn't know who they were. I went and checked. Ahhhh! It makes so much sense. They are one of those (immoral?) cable companies. No wonder they made that comment.
Fingernails store personal information (July 2005) - News - optics.org
Awesome. That's almost better than tatoos.
05 July 2005
04 July 2005
Slashdot | Owner of the Word Stealth 'Protecting' Rights
What kind of friggin system let's people get away with 'owning' words in the dictionary since before that person was born?
03 July 2005
01 July 2005
joplin: Home
Kewl.
"Romain Guy and James Gosling built Joplin in real-time on stage, as part of a NetBeans/Matisse GUI builder demo that showed how to build a great GUI in less than seven minutes. "
"Romain Guy and James Gosling built Joplin in real-time on stage, as part of a NetBeans/Matisse GUI builder demo that showed how to build a great GUI in less than seven minutes. "
2005 JavaOne conference - The Future of Java Technology
I love this quote...
"Futurist Paul Saffo expressed a fear: 'I think Google has way too much money -- they have indexed cyberspace. Where will they get more money? By indexing the physical world. I have a nightmare in which I'm working at home and hear the dog door swish and realize the dog isn't here. Then I see that a robot is taking pictures of my home office and I ask, 'Who are you?' It says, 'I'm Google.' So all the content of my home will be on the web, but at least I'll know where to find my car keys. I think the future lies in weird stuff that's at the edge. Within three years, 12-year-old boys will buy the plane you demo'd this morning for 99 bucks.'"
"Futurist Paul Saffo expressed a fear: 'I think Google has way too much money -- they have indexed cyberspace. Where will they get more money? By indexing the physical world. I have a nightmare in which I'm working at home and hear the dog door swish and realize the dog isn't here. Then I see that a robot is taking pictures of my home office and I ask, 'Who are you?' It says, 'I'm Google.' So all the content of my home will be on the web, but at least I'll know where to find my car keys. I think the future lies in weird stuff that's at the edge. Within three years, 12-year-old boys will buy the plane you demo'd this morning for 99 bucks.'"
Sun \'distorts\' definition of free software - ZDNet UK News
You know, they berate him for a comment that starts: Now just to relay my bias,
Don't they realize their reaction is as bad as his understatement of Free?
And I am personally offended that Stallman misses his own point. He states "The open source campaign doesn't present freedom as an ethical issue, but it still formulates its criteria in terms of what users are permitted to do," yet what users are NOT permitted to do is the main reason many people avoid GPL in the first place.
In addition, if you follow the provided Wiki link, you will see that the acronymn was started with the monetary aspect being what Free meant: Technological and socio-economic changes known as the "New Information Society/Economy" are re-introducing the notion of production, consumption and trade of goods and services without the direct or obvious involvement of money. Such "non-monetary/trans-monetary" economic activity is difficult to measure through usual monetary indicators. This project aims to remedy this situation by identifying and developing indicators of such activity through a case study of OS/FS: Open Source/Free Software., so technically, when Schwartz said that the letter F in FOSS, he was being more accurate than Stallman who later borrowed and modified the meaning.
I am personally sick and tired of people arguing about the definition of Free software or Open software. Screw them all -- make everything Public Domain.
Don't they realize their reaction is as bad as his understatement of Free?
And I am personally offended that Stallman misses his own point. He states "The open source campaign doesn't present freedom as an ethical issue, but it still formulates its criteria in terms of what users are permitted to do," yet what users are NOT permitted to do is the main reason many people avoid GPL in the first place.
In addition, if you follow the provided Wiki link, you will see that the acronymn was started with the monetary aspect being what Free meant: Technological and socio-economic changes known as the "New Information Society/Economy" are re-introducing the notion of production, consumption and trade of goods and services without the direct or obvious involvement of money. Such "non-monetary/trans-monetary" economic activity is difficult to measure through usual monetary indicators. This project aims to remedy this situation by identifying and developing indicators of such activity through a case study of OS/FS: Open Source/Free Software., so technically, when Schwartz said that the letter F in FOSS, he was being more accurate than Stallman who later borrowed and modified the meaning.
I am personally sick and tired of people arguing about the definition of Free software or Open software. Screw them all -- make everything Public Domain.
Government To Fix Identity Theft?
Kinda ironic this came less than 1 day after the news announced that the leader of the Federal Trade Commission was the victim of identity theft.
ONLamp.com: ESR: "We Don't Need the GPL Anymore"
That's an interesting quote. Especially the first paragraph.
"You own your data, even when it's trapped in a proprietary application. There is a term in American law, conversion, for the act of refusing to give back property of others that has been entrusted to you for safekeeping. This is probably illegal wherever you live, too, and when proprietary vendors trap your data and refuse to let you get at it except through their application, they may be committing a crime.
In the open source world, we think this gives you a right to do whatever is necessary to retrieve it. The wrong, if there is one, isn't in creating open source rescue tools as Tridge did; it is on the part of proprietary vendors who refuse to provide facilities for export to an open, fully documented dump format.
In fact, in this case McVoy did provide such an export format. All Tridge did was figure out the magic words that tell the BitKeeper server to dump that information to the client. His rescue tool--I've seen it--is a trivial script. So there was no wrongdoing on either side here, just McVoy shooting his mouth off because Tridge figured out how to use a poorly documented feature."
"You own your data, even when it's trapped in a proprietary application. There is a term in American law, conversion, for the act of refusing to give back property of others that has been entrusted to you for safekeeping. This is probably illegal wherever you live, too, and when proprietary vendors trap your data and refuse to let you get at it except through their application, they may be committing a crime.
In the open source world, we think this gives you a right to do whatever is necessary to retrieve it. The wrong, if there is one, isn't in creating open source rescue tools as Tridge did; it is on the part of proprietary vendors who refuse to provide facilities for export to an open, fully documented dump format.
In fact, in this case McVoy did provide such an export format. All Tridge did was figure out the magic words that tell the BitKeeper server to dump that information to the client. His rescue tool--I've seen it--is a trivial script. So there was no wrongdoing on either side here, just McVoy shooting his mouth off because Tridge figured out how to use a poorly documented feature."
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