How about some conspiracy theory today?

This post assumes you don't believe the official story of 9/11. If you do, you might as well switch over to Fox.com instead.

The USA had been running exercises to test our preparedness for a 9/11-like attack.  It became obvious to many that wasn't much of a coincidence.  Years later, things stand out as perhaps preparing for the next "terrorist" attack.

(Unfortunately, this blog started in 2004, so I don't have any of my notes from before that)

In 2006, I noted that the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK were preparing for a cyber-attack.

In 2009, I noted that the NSA was teaching our own troops to take down the USA network.

Today, I note that all 22 European states, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland did a similar exercise.

Any bets on which country is going to start the claim of global cyber terroist attack against them?  How about bets on which laws go into place afterwords to "protect" us?

Update! Technology: Forecast -- increased chance of cloud...computing

I was recently interviewed by Justin Lacche, Managing Editor of Update! regarding cloud computing.  Go have a gander :)

Sir Terry Pratchett creates a sword with meteorites

It was not enough, however, simply to find some metal and get a blacksmith to bash it into shape.

Pratchett, believing the sword would not truly be his own unless it was made from metal he had produced, found a field with deposits of iron ore near his home in Wiltshire, west of London.

He gathered the deposits and smelted the iron ore himself.

Ok, that kind of dedication is just damned cool.

First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award

the government said vaccines aggravated an unknown mitochondrial disorder Hannah had which didn't "cause" her autism, but "resulted" in it

Homebrew Cray-1a

Personally, I think that is pretty cool.  Makes me want to watch War Games (I not II) all over again.

Photo "Radar"

On the way to work this morning, I was stopped (at the red light, not by a cop) at the intersection in front of Fred Meyers in Beaverton.  There was a truck stopped next to me and 1 car stopped in the opposing traffic.  None of the cars were moving and there were no cars in the intersection.  There was one pedestrian half way across the intersection, and his countdown timer said he had 5 seconds left when all the sudden FLASH pause FLASH FLASH.

Ok, I could understand if it is just buggy code that somehow thought a pedestrian legally walking in the crosswalk was actually a car illegally crossing the intersection.  Well, no I can't.

From my perspective, there seems to be only a few options to explain this situation:
1) The code controlling those lights is VERY buggy in which case everything they catch should be thrown out
2) They randomly take pictures and claim it was a violation -- in which case everything they catch should be thrown out
3) They are being used to take pictures of pedestrians for a more T.I.A. approach and the public should be outraged at their misuse.

How to choose a place to live...

The new map confirms that the world's tallest forests are clustered in the Pacific Northwest of North America and some parts of Southeast Asia. Temperate conifer forests--which are moist and harbor species such as Douglas fir, western hemlock, redwoods, and sequoias--have the tallest canopies (over 131 feet high). Undisturbed tropical rain forests are about 82 feet high, around the same height as oak and birch trees.

Genetic theories

Does anyone know if there is a relationship between (IGF2BP2, CDKAL1, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, Chromosome 11, TCF7L2, SLC30A8, HHEX, PPARG, KCNJ11 or FTO) and (Firmicutes or Bacteroidetes)?

99 Eclipse RS - $2500/OBO/Trade

I replaced my 99 Eclipse RS with a newer model awhile back and its time to sell this. Kelley Blue Book says it is worth $2110-2685 in its current state. I'm looking for $2500 OBO, or possibly trade for a good truck.

Jen has been driving it consistently, so it has not been sitting gathering dust. I asked her what is currently wrong with it and she said: "Dent behind driver door (in picture). Oil is getting past the rings and burning in the cylinders. Brakes will need work soon but not squealing yet. Blinker is out."

It has 139209 miles on it. Clean/clear title. Carfax report printed and available. If you have any questions, let me know.

WebM

So I was checking on the current status of the WebM project and decided to download the latest beta of Opera so that I could check out their WebM demo video.  I have to say, even though it is a parade, I was pleasantly surprised by their choice of musical score.

So you think you have internet?

How is your internet connection?  Fast?  Do you think it is faster than internet in South Korea?  Well, it appears that the United States isn't even in the top 10.

Evil Plan Generator

Congratulations on being the creator of a new Evil Plan (tm)!

Your objective is simple: World Domination

Your motive is a little bit more complex: Love (Yes, it works)

Stage One:
To begin your plan, you must first Seduce a Chosen One. This will cause the world to sit up and take notice, stunned by your arrival. Who is this Evil Genius? Where did they come from? And why do they look so good in Classic Black?

Stage Two:
Next, you will Steal United Nations. This will cause countless hordes of Supernatural Creatures to flock to you, begging to do your every bidding. Your name will become synonymous with Sheer dementedness, as lesser men whisper your name in terror.

Stage Three:
Finally, you will Reveal to the World your Great Supernatural Forces, bringing about an End to Sanity. This will all be done from a Island of Mu, an excellent choice if we might say. These three deeds will herald the end, and the citizens of this planet will have no choice but to elect you their new god.

Trust us, it'll all come together in the end.

eBay seller: Pamela Vasquez

7:43:13 PM Customermalachid69
Initial Question/Comment: Completing a Transaction
7:43:18 PM SystemSystem
Thank you for contacting eBay Live Help!
7:43:18 PM SystemSystem
You are successfully connected to eBay Live Help. Please hold for the next available Live Help Agent.
7:44:13 PM SystemSystem
We appreciate your patience. You will be able to type in your question as soon as you are connected with a Live Help Agent. Please continue to hold for the next available representative.
7:45:13 PM SystemSystem
We apologize for the wait and thank you for your continued patience. Please continue to hold to keep your place in line. You should be connected to the next available agent shortly.
7:46:13 PM SystemSystem
We are sorry for the delayed connection. Your question is important to us and one of our representatives will be with you soon.
7:59:14 PM SystemSystem
Jeaneth R. has joined this session!
7:59:14 PM SystemSystem
Connected with Jeaneth R.
7:59:19 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Hello, thanks for waiting and welcome to eBay Live Help! My name is Jeaneth. If you're a registered member, may I please start by having you confirm your User ID and name?
7:59:34 PM Customermalachid69
malachid69
7:59:37 PM Customermalachid69
Malachi de AElfweald
7:59:55 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Thanks, Malachi! How may I help you today?
7:59:58 PM Customermalachid69
Hi. On Dec 19th, I purchased some books. On Jan 9th, I received 1/2 the books. I contacted the seller (email, phone and via ebay) and the seller said they would resolve it. There has been 10 messages (via ebay) over the last 4 months trying to get this resolved. I was hoping you could look at the messages between us and give me some advice on how to get this resolved. Seller name: pamelas_timeless_treasures. Item #380187763342.

Lot of 20 Choose Your Own Adventure Books CYOA PB
Sale price:	$29.00
Estimated delivery:	4-11 business days
Shipping & Handling:	US Postal Service Media Mail $5.50 US Postal Service Priority Mail $12.50
Seller:	pamelas_timeless_treasures [contact seller]
Seller Information:	Pamela Vasquez Lorain, OH 44055 United States

8:06:27 PM AgentJeaneth R.
I understand your concern, Malachi. I'd be happy to help you with that.
8:06:36 PM Customermalachid69
Thank you
8:06:37 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Can you please confirm if this is the item, Lot of 20 Choose Your Own Adventure Books CYOA PB?
8:06:51 PM Customermalachid69
yes that is correct
8:07:16 PM Customermalachid69
I received a saran wrapped set of 1/2 the books -- not even a box
8:08:25 PM Customermalachid69
Received: 1 13 14 24 29 43 88 124 130 146
Missing: 10 16 18 27 44 83 132 137 148 and ? [only 19 were listed on the auction?]
8:09:18 PM AgentJeaneth R.
I see. Thanks for confirming that.
8:09:58 PM AgentJeaneth R.
So you have not resolved the problem with this listing right?
8:10:15 PM Customermalachid69
no and she has not responded to my last communication
8:10:29 PM Customermalachid69
last response from her was her saying she was going to refund me the money, but didn't do it
8:10:43 PM Customermalachid69
At this point, I no longer trust her to get this resolved
8:10:50 PM Customermalachid69
and I can no longer even leave negative feedback for her
8:13:13 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Yes, since the transaction has been over 60 days.
8:13:23 PM AgentJeaneth R.
I understand this is a difficult situation for you but because it has been over 60 days from the end of the transaction date, coverage for the protection program is not available anymore. You can only file a case for dispute within the 45 days of the transaction. If you fail to do so, we grant a one-time exception but only if the transaction hasn't been beyond 60 days. The 60-day period has gone by in your case and protection policy has lapsed, I'm sorry to say. We can't do anything more at this point but there are other channels where you can report this situation (file an IC3 compliant, report to local law enfrocement, etc.)
8:13:30 PM Customermalachid69
I am wondering if she was planning that from the beginning
8:14:29 PM Customermalachid69
well, it seems kinda stupid to report to local law enforcement for such a small amount
8:14:36 PM AgentJeaneth R.
I understand where you are coming from, Malachi. I can discuss further these other channels with you.
8:14:37 PM Customermalachid69
but I think she is probably doing this to other buyers as well
8:15:19 PM Customermalachid69
she said that she wrapped it in two groups and put them both in the same box so that they could get to me even if they became separated in the mail
8:15:28 PM Customermalachid69
and also said that it has never happened before
8:15:51 PM Customermalachid69
why would someone package for the eventuality that the box is opened and things separated if it has never happened?
8:16:29 PM Customermalachid69
on top of that -- the title of the auction didn't match the description of the auction
8:16:52 PM Customermalachid69
I am assuming there is nothing I can really do at this point ; but I think she is most likely doing the same thing to other customers
8:19:35 PM AgentJeaneth R.
I understand you can also report your seller to our Trust and Safety department for further investigation, so I also encourage you to file an IC3 compliant.
8:19:47 PM Customermalachid69
How do I do that?
8:21:16 PM AgentJeaneth R.
I'd be glad to give you the steps to that.
8:22:18 PM AgentJeaneth R.
One moment pleas.e
8:25:20 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Thanks for waiting.
8:25:45 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Please consider these 2 options:
Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Recommended for items over $100.00
File a claim from the IC3 website: http://www.ic3.gov/
8:27:05 PM AgentJeaneth R.
The IC3 is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National White Collar Crime Center. They will review complaints and refer you to the appropriate local, state, or federal agency.
Contact law enforcement

To find a law enforcement officer, go to www.usacops.com
If a detective is assigned to the case, they can also contact us directly and we'll help with the investigation. The detective needs to go to the following page:
http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/law_enforcement.html
Recommended if your item is more than $200
8:27:33 PM Customermalachid69
What about your Trust and Safety Department? Can you forward the information to them?
8:28:44 PM AgentJeaneth R.
I wish to however, I'm afraid that I do not have the tool to do that on my end.
8:29:17 PM Customermalachid69
How do I report it?
8:29:24 PM AgentJeaneth R.
The best thing I can give you is the link where you can send your report to our Trust & Safety team.
8:29:37 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Please hold while I get it for you.
8:29:37 PM Customermalachid69
k
8:32:00 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Thanks for waiting.
8:32:05 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Here's the link for you to contact our Trust and Safety Department; http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/result_2_5_13.html
8:32:10 PM AgentJeaneth R.
Once you're on that page, you just have to click on the "Email us" link under Contact Customer Support.
8:32:17 PM Customermalachid69
thank you for your help

Subversion by Introversion

Feeling nostalgic I was looking around the internet at various things related to the game Uplink (by Introversion).  Then I came across this.   This is the quote that really caught my attention:

You may also see a lot of Uplink in this game – which is no accident, as we’ve always considered Subversion to be the "Spiritual Sequel" to our debut game.

Foundation series on the big screen

Now how long have I been saying that the Foundation series should be on the big screen?

The evil has begun to spread

It appears that java.sun.com now has the Oracle logo on it.  While Larry Ellison lied about no wholesale cutting of projects; many of the projects have fallen in the transition.  JRuby, Project Darkstar, Project Wonderland, Kenai, OpenSSO, Identity and SOA, their cloud, some hardware and what else so far?  And their ego has apparently decided that their inferior products that barely function at all (like Weblogic and JDeveloper) will be the enterprise-class products while the old Sun products (Glassfish and Netbeans) would be for open source projects.  Evidentally, the future of OpenSolaris is also in question and I personally find it interesting that the referenced PDF didn't mention Xen in their Virtualization section.  Also that HotSpot is being merged with JRockit can't be a good sign. And then there is the whole Accessibility layoffs.  I assume many of these are next.  Oracle is telling developers that they can still go to JavaOne as long as it is part of OracleWorld while we are all thinking we need to start our own convention -- maybe the opposite side of the country the same days so Oracle can't manage to attend.

So I guess the question is what next?  Do we abandon Sun now that Oracle has taken over?  Do we replace OpenSolaris, ZFS and Java with something Oracle can't ruin?

Google Buzz

6 years ago I started using a service called Dodgeball.  It was pretty cool -- I could see if my friends were nearby and what they were up to.  A year after I joined, Google bought the service and I thought, "Yay! Now this will integrate with everything!".

Then Twitter came out.  I didn't join because it was nowhere near as useful as Dodgeball.  Then Google killed Dodgeball.

And now, Google has Buzz.  From a mobile phone perspective, it seems like it is pretty much a Dodgeball replacement.  From the browser, however, it appears to be more like Google Wave.  Auto-integrated with your email, maps, photos, blogs, etc etc in a very Google Wave type of look.

We'll see how it does.  I really liked the concept of Google Wave; but it's lack of integration with my normal email made it useless for me to switch over to.  Maybe this is how they get their foothold in your daily life so that you can eventually switch.

Oracle kills off Project Darkstar

It's things like this that make me hope Oracle goes bankrupt.  Of course, I'm sure they'd get bailout money.

TSLA: Electric car maker Tesla Motors files for a $100 million IPO

1/29/10

Tesla Motors, which produces high-performance, fully-electric vehicles, filed on Friday with the SEC to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering. The Palo Alto, CA-based company was founded in 2003 and booked $108 million in sales over the last 12 months. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank are the lead underwriters on the deal. No pricing terms were disclosed.

Oracle and Sun merger complete

These two pieces were my biggest take-away:

Yes, there will be a JavaOne Conference in 2010. JavaOne will be co-located with Oracle Develop during Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco from September 19-23, 2010. You may experience and register for JavaOne as a standalone conference just as before, or you can attend Oracle Develop 2010 and/or Oracle OpenWorld as well; it's your choice. Furthermore, unlike in recent years, JavaOne will focus solely on Java Technology and its associated ecosystem. You're welcome to attend Oracle Develop and Oracle OpenWorld to gain insight into specific products. As usual, all Java users and partners are invited to submit papers and to attend JavaOne.

Project Kenai, however, will be discontinued for public use.

Oregon votes against Mom & Pop shops

With the passage of measure 66 and 67, Oregon voters have effectively helped Oregon loose more business to Delaware. Now, if your hole-in-the-wall store makes no money (say, not one single customer) or you in fact loose money, you get to pay an additional $150 in taxes! Yay!  Since Oregon's minimum tax is now equal to Delaware's maximum tax, make sure to consider registering your business outside of Oregon, especially if you are doing an internet-based business.

Move Over or Slow Down Law

The news reported that police are out in force today, fining people $382 for a new law that passed a couple weeks ago.  No, this isn't the new cell phone law (in which they are also ticketing people for something we didn't know came into existence a couple weeks ago) -- it's the "Move Over or Slow Down Law".  Usually, I wouldn't be concerned about this as I do pull over or slow down when I see ambulances or police with their lights on or whatever, but this law also applies to vehicles with the amber lights on -- like tow trucks.

Drivers must now move over to a non adjacent lane (or slow down) when approaching the rear of a tow truck or roadside assistance vehicle that is providing assistance to a disabled vehicle on the roadway. The original law covers police, fire and ambulance vehicles.

Now, you must move over if possible to another available lane (or slow down if you can't move over or if the move would be unsafe) when approaching the rear of an Emergency vehicle, tow truck or roadside assistance vehicle that has it's amber, red or blue flashers activated.

Slow down means reducing your vehicles speed by at least five miles per hour below the posted speed of the roadway.  HB 2040 requires drivers to slow down at least 5 mph below the posted speed if making a lane change (moving over) is unsafe or impossible (i.e. two-lane road.)
 
Most importantly, drivers should be alert. If you can safely move over when approaching a disabled vehicle receiving assistance, do so. If you can't, then slow down!
 
The fine for this violation is currently $287.00 ($400.00 if the location is within a Safety Corridor, School Zone or Work Zone).
 
The Law (adding tow trucks and roadside assistance vehicles) Becomes Effective: 

January 1, 2010

A partnership between the Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of
Transportation regarding the "Move Over" law has created new media
opportunities and additional public outreach materials which are posted below.  The Zip File was created to allow you to download all available Oregon Media
related to the "Move Over" Law.

Cass Sunstein

Ok, let me get this straight...  to prevent people from believing in a conspiracy theory, you want to publicly have the government infiltrate the websites, social networks and hangouts of those people who think the government is out to get them....  idiot.

Willow Garage Gives Away 10 Free Robots to Jumpstart Open Source Revolution

I thought this was cool, so thought I would share...  from Singularity Hub:

If you were a robotics developer, why would you want to apply for Willow Garage’s deal? For starters, the PR2 robot is a high quality machine. It has two sophisticated arms capable of grasping, lifting, and coordinated work. It can also see what it’s doing. According to its specs, it has two laser scanners, half a dozen cameras, and arrays of other sensors. Just as important as the hardware, however, is the software. PR2 is fully compliant with ROS, and other open source robotics code supplied by a vast community robotics experts.

AMD and Intel Announce Settlement of All Antitrust and IP Disputes

Wonder what this will do for 'competitive prices'.

Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) today announced a comprehensive agreement to end all outstanding legal disputes between the companies, including antitrust litigation and patent cross license disputes.

Tesla Motors IPO

Came across this link today which said that Tesla Motors was going to be going IPO soon.  No specific date yet, but I want in on that action!