RIAA busted?

It appears that some of the big name members of the RIAA were busted for illegally copying music.  Gee, what a shock.  But really, shouldn't the fact that they knew they were doing it completely invalidate the RIAA's attempts to bust other people for doing it?

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.