Saturday, July 31, 2004
From Interesting to Curious to Monstrous to Terrifying:
On the fun side.... a new remote controlled miniature sub possible of depths over 15,000 feet. Very cheap, cool, and promising to make exploration much easier!
Indian weavers supposed to be using condoms for the lubricant that is used in their design. What scandalous news!!!! I can understand why they would want to use the lubricant. What I don't understand is why they don't just find out what it is and buy the stuff directly without the condom? Perhaps it's the fact that this particular form of the lube comes with it's own applicators.
And on a more serious note, someone in California seems to think it's a fun idea to put poison in tampered with baby food jars. Just when I start thinking there is some hope for the human race I read about yet another example of just how monstrous they can be.
And to the terrifying... The Chinese President is warning Bush about weapons sales to Taiwan. China seems quite intent in regards to Taiwan as far as I can tell. This situation could get out of hand very quickly. Especially when you consider that one of the voices of reason in this negotiation is George Bush.
On the fun side.... a new remote controlled miniature sub possible of depths over 15,000 feet. Very cheap, cool, and promising to make exploration much easier!
Indian weavers supposed to be using condoms for the lubricant that is used in their design. What scandalous news!!!! I can understand why they would want to use the lubricant. What I don't understand is why they don't just find out what it is and buy the stuff directly without the condom? Perhaps it's the fact that this particular form of the lube comes with it's own applicators.
And on a more serious note, someone in California seems to think it's a fun idea to put poison in tampered with baby food jars. Just when I start thinking there is some hope for the human race I read about yet another example of just how monstrous they can be.
And to the terrifying... The Chinese President is warning Bush about weapons sales to Taiwan. China seems quite intent in regards to Taiwan as far as I can tell. This situation could get out of hand very quickly. Especially when you consider that one of the voices of reason in this negotiation is George Bush.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Glaciers in Peru:
The Peruvian glaciers above 18,000 feet are expected to melt completely whithin ten years. This must be the most dramatic evidence of global warming yet. Their current size is 25% less than a century ago. If the environment is changing this rapidly, it becomes very hard to imagine anything surviving. The eco-system generally takes much longer than the available time period to evolve to new conditions. Meanwhile, with China developing at a rate never seen before, they are estimated to have an affect which will cause fuel shortages within five years. These shortages are expected to be permanent. One thing is for certain, the world twenty or thirty years from now promises to be significantly different than the one we know now. The signs that the planet is in distress are growing exponentially. I find it very difficult to believe that there are still people who state that the current changes are not caused by humans. If they are not, then nature has decided that there are far too many of us on this planet so it is going to make it much more difficult to survive. We as a species have failed for some time to live in harmony with the environment. In the next few decades we are either going to change this dramatically, find another planet to destroy, or fundamentally cease to exist as a developed species. Yes, that's right, we are the virus which is the scourge of the rest of the planet. The rest of the planet needs an inoculation against us.
The Peruvian glaciers above 18,000 feet are expected to melt completely whithin ten years. This must be the most dramatic evidence of global warming yet. Their current size is 25% less than a century ago. If the environment is changing this rapidly, it becomes very hard to imagine anything surviving. The eco-system generally takes much longer than the available time period to evolve to new conditions. Meanwhile, with China developing at a rate never seen before, they are estimated to have an affect which will cause fuel shortages within five years. These shortages are expected to be permanent. One thing is for certain, the world twenty or thirty years from now promises to be significantly different than the one we know now. The signs that the planet is in distress are growing exponentially. I find it very difficult to believe that there are still people who state that the current changes are not caused by humans. If they are not, then nature has decided that there are far too many of us on this planet so it is going to make it much more difficult to survive. We as a species have failed for some time to live in harmony with the environment. In the next few decades we are either going to change this dramatically, find another planet to destroy, or fundamentally cease to exist as a developed species. Yes, that's right, we are the virus which is the scourge of the rest of the planet. The rest of the planet needs an inoculation against us.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
American Bounty Hunters in Iraq?:
Of course, the American military had nothing to do with the bounty hunters in Iraq! I seem to remember not too long ago when everyone in Washington was saying that the intelligence failure was in large part due to the fact that they had not been using enough agents abroad and as a result their intelligence gathering capabilities had gone way down. So here we have what would appear to be an obvious example of a not so covert operative and everyone reacts with horror. Just as everyone reacts with horror to the pictures of the Iraqi prisoners being mistreated. I find this all very hypocritical.
First, the terrorists are the ones deliberately killing civilians. If the American have to mistreat them to finally stop them- so be it. My problem with the American record has been primarily the fact that so many innocents seem to be suffering along with the bad guys. The killing must stop! We've all heard the stories of the decapitations. There are many philosophies regarding battle tactics. But it really comes down to one thing. If you have an enemy that is prepared to do what you are not, it is very difficult to win. Vietnam comes to mind. This fact has been the rational behind intelligence and covert ops pretty much forever. If you want to truly defeat terrorism you must accomplish two things. You must stop the fundamental causes of the development of terrorists and you must be at least as ruthless with the bad guys as they are with you. This is the basis for my opinion about extremely violent criminals or pedophiles- put them away forever- no parole, no second chances, that much at least is owed to the victims and to the future victims. Failing to do this, then they should be executed-which I actually don't believe in. But life sentence must mean life sentence to protect the innocents. Ruthless..., perhaps! Sentimentality is trivial in the face of the never ending violent crime and endless stories of the many times convicted violent offenders latest victim. Enough already. Stop the terrorists and stop the violence- no exceptions. Police are better able to track and prove guilt than ever before. Perhaps if they didn't have to waste so much time and money going after the same violent offenders over and over, they would have more chance to get the ones who are currently getting away.
Of course, the American military had nothing to do with the bounty hunters in Iraq! I seem to remember not too long ago when everyone in Washington was saying that the intelligence failure was in large part due to the fact that they had not been using enough agents abroad and as a result their intelligence gathering capabilities had gone way down. So here we have what would appear to be an obvious example of a not so covert operative and everyone reacts with horror. Just as everyone reacts with horror to the pictures of the Iraqi prisoners being mistreated. I find this all very hypocritical.
First, the terrorists are the ones deliberately killing civilians. If the American have to mistreat them to finally stop them- so be it. My problem with the American record has been primarily the fact that so many innocents seem to be suffering along with the bad guys. The killing must stop! We've all heard the stories of the decapitations. There are many philosophies regarding battle tactics. But it really comes down to one thing. If you have an enemy that is prepared to do what you are not, it is very difficult to win. Vietnam comes to mind. This fact has been the rational behind intelligence and covert ops pretty much forever. If you want to truly defeat terrorism you must accomplish two things. You must stop the fundamental causes of the development of terrorists and you must be at least as ruthless with the bad guys as they are with you. This is the basis for my opinion about extremely violent criminals or pedophiles- put them away forever- no parole, no second chances, that much at least is owed to the victims and to the future victims. Failing to do this, then they should be executed-which I actually don't believe in. But life sentence must mean life sentence to protect the innocents. Ruthless..., perhaps! Sentimentality is trivial in the face of the never ending violent crime and endless stories of the many times convicted violent offenders latest victim. Enough already. Stop the terrorists and stop the violence- no exceptions. Police are better able to track and prove guilt than ever before. Perhaps if they didn't have to waste so much time and money going after the same violent offenders over and over, they would have more chance to get the ones who are currently getting away.
Human Noise Harms Whales:
So, they have confirmed that human noise such as sonar and propellers are causing whales to beach themselves. What really surprises me about this whole mess is the fact that it's taken thirty years to scientifically confirm what anybody should have found obvious. Considering that whole pods have beached themselves might suggest a problem with navigation. Whales navigate in large part by sonar. What might have changed in the sonar picture in the last 50 years significantly enough to harm there capacity to navigate. Us !!!! The noise caused by humans is at an all time high. Pipelines, cables, navy vessels, merchant vessels, the list goes on. Conservation areas have been suggested by I highly doubt that this would work significantly. Sonar waves carry a very long way. For the plan to really work would require preserves truly massive in size. We are not evolved enough to make that happen. What must really be done is for us to develope new technologies which would prove more symbiotic with the environment as a whole. More sail assisted vessels might be a start, the less need for mechanical propulsion- the less noise created under water. Governments must create economic incentives for shipbuilders and buyers to start along this path in a major way. Hydrogen fuel cells are coming along nicely for cars thanks in large part due to the influence of fuel prices on the marketplace. Similar effort must be put into the oceans before it is too late- I suspect that it may already be too late to save many of the historical species that will be wiped out. The whales are only one of the visible symptoms of a very sick eco-system.
So, they have confirmed that human noise such as sonar and propellers are causing whales to beach themselves. What really surprises me about this whole mess is the fact that it's taken thirty years to scientifically confirm what anybody should have found obvious. Considering that whole pods have beached themselves might suggest a problem with navigation. Whales navigate in large part by sonar. What might have changed in the sonar picture in the last 50 years significantly enough to harm there capacity to navigate. Us !!!! The noise caused by humans is at an all time high. Pipelines, cables, navy vessels, merchant vessels, the list goes on. Conservation areas have been suggested by I highly doubt that this would work significantly. Sonar waves carry a very long way. For the plan to really work would require preserves truly massive in size. We are not evolved enough to make that happen. What must really be done is for us to develope new technologies which would prove more symbiotic with the environment as a whole. More sail assisted vessels might be a start, the less need for mechanical propulsion- the less noise created under water. Governments must create economic incentives for shipbuilders and buyers to start along this path in a major way. Hydrogen fuel cells are coming along nicely for cars thanks in large part due to the influence of fuel prices on the marketplace. Similar effort must be put into the oceans before it is too late- I suspect that it may already be too late to save many of the historical species that will be wiped out. The whales are only one of the visible symptoms of a very sick eco-system.
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Stephen Hawkings to Recant:
Steve is expected to recant his 30 year old theory about black holes. The point in question appeared to deal with the concept of stored information in light particles. Steven had earlier theorized that having passed through a black hole none of the stored information could survive. He is expected to reverse that opinion at a conference this week. Hats off to Steven for continuing to advance in his field as well as for having the maturity and strength not to get stuck in a given mindset which would prevent him from moving forward. I'm very much interested in what this guy has to say, as should we all be.
Steve is expected to recant his 30 year old theory about black holes. The point in question appeared to deal with the concept of stored information in light particles. Steven had earlier theorized that having passed through a black hole none of the stored information could survive. He is expected to reverse that opinion at a conference this week. Hats off to Steven for continuing to advance in his field as well as for having the maturity and strength not to get stuck in a given mindset which would prevent him from moving forward. I'm very much interested in what this guy has to say, as should we all be.
Telesat Anik F2:
So they finally got the Anik F2 off the ground and into orbit. They say it will allow satellite access to the internet at high speeds to the unfortunates, like me, who live in rural areas and who don't have high speed access now. My response...... Yah, but for how much?
So they finally got the Anik F2 off the ground and into orbit. They say it will allow satellite access to the internet at high speeds to the unfortunates, like me, who live in rural areas and who don't have high speed access now. My response...... Yah, but for how much?
School Fire in India:
I'm feeling quite horrifies over the deaths of ninety kids in the fire in India. So far the reports have been scathing. Apparently many of the dead could have been saved by the school staff but were abandoned. Oh well at least the gov't is offering them over $2000.00 each in compensation. I would think this would strike the families of the dead as an additional insult though they are likely to accept it. The majority of people there live in terrible conditions.
I'm feeling quite horrifies over the deaths of ninety kids in the fire in India. So far the reports have been scathing. Apparently many of the dead could have been saved by the school staff but were abandoned. Oh well at least the gov't is offering them over $2000.00 each in compensation. I would think this would strike the families of the dead as an additional insult though they are likely to accept it. The majority of people there live in terrible conditions.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Fun Personality Test:
Found this test in Mcleans Magazine. Good for a laugh! I was described as best matching the spirit of Platoon ( the movie). On the famous leaders side I was best matched with Sadaam Hussein. That in itself is pretty funny but funnier still is the fact that my wife was best matched as Mother Theresa( poor woman). Now that makes for an interesting matchup.
Found this test in Mcleans Magazine. Good for a laugh! I was described as best matching the spirit of Platoon ( the movie). On the famous leaders side I was best matched with Sadaam Hussein. That in itself is pretty funny but funnier still is the fact that my wife was best matched as Mother Theresa( poor woman). Now that makes for an interesting matchup.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Internet Explorer Losing Ground:
Regular readers of this blog are well aware of my long standing disgust with Microsoft. So it comes as no surprise that I take such pleasure in seeing their market share continue to decline. The latest trend of note is the further slipping of Internet Explorer's market share. Security problems are the stated reason but I hope it's more than that. I hope that the real reason is at least in part due to the increasing discontent with Microsoft as a whole. Anyway you cut it, it works out the same. I don't really care why they are going downhill, just so long as they continue to do so. In the end the only thing, apparently, that is going to make them change is to get hit where it counts the most to them- in their pockets. So come on Netscape, Mozilla, Linux and every other threat to the Microsoft monopoly. Monopolies of this nature do not benefit anyone and result in the kind of service and professionalism that we have come to expect from Microsoft.
Regular readers of this blog are well aware of my long standing disgust with Microsoft. So it comes as no surprise that I take such pleasure in seeing their market share continue to decline. The latest trend of note is the further slipping of Internet Explorer's market share. Security problems are the stated reason but I hope it's more than that. I hope that the real reason is at least in part due to the increasing discontent with Microsoft as a whole. Anyway you cut it, it works out the same. I don't really care why they are going downhill, just so long as they continue to do so. In the end the only thing, apparently, that is going to make them change is to get hit where it counts the most to them- in their pockets. So come on Netscape, Mozilla, Linux and every other threat to the Microsoft monopoly. Monopolies of this nature do not benefit anyone and result in the kind of service and professionalism that we have come to expect from Microsoft.
CIA Intelligence:
I love all the press recently regarding the great blunders of the CIA in assessing Iraqi capabilities prior to the war. Very interesting the way that they are being held to blame for the current mess. Those who have been following the events closely will get a chuckle from this one. The CIA had in fact stated just the opposite of what they are being credited for. The CIA keeps a great many reports and records. All of which are assessed and forwarded to the White House. Dick Cheney reads those reports, selects the ones which fit into his political agenda and forwards those on to the President. In this case the ones he chose to focus on were reports coming from Iraqi ex-patriots who stated that Saddam had extensive weapons of mass destruction. These Iraqis were highly motivated to have the Americans intervene as they felt that this would lead to the downfall and eventual replacement of Saddam, possibly by those same ex-patriots. This effectively makes any intel. from them highly suspect. Not to worry though, Cheney seized on these reports, created a new department to assess them ( a department filled with anything but experts on the subject), and shot down any contradictory reports coming out of the CIA. Now that the proverbial shit is hitting the fan the White House is focusing on the great blunders within the CIA as the cause of the errant war. The cause of the war rests squarely with Cheney ( Bush does not have the mental capability to do this by himself and likely never understood what was going on). Cheney knew that George W. wanted the war and did his best to ensure that he had the correct reasons for starting one. The CIA even included assessments of the false intel. and suggested that it was highly suspect. Cheney quickly smothered these choice bits of wisdom and the result is the mess we have now. Perhaps politicians should stay at arms length from intel gathering agencies to prevent this type of thing in the future, or at least view all the information and take the advice of those people hired and trained to properly assess it.
I love all the press recently regarding the great blunders of the CIA in assessing Iraqi capabilities prior to the war. Very interesting the way that they are being held to blame for the current mess. Those who have been following the events closely will get a chuckle from this one. The CIA had in fact stated just the opposite of what they are being credited for. The CIA keeps a great many reports and records. All of which are assessed and forwarded to the White House. Dick Cheney reads those reports, selects the ones which fit into his political agenda and forwards those on to the President. In this case the ones he chose to focus on were reports coming from Iraqi ex-patriots who stated that Saddam had extensive weapons of mass destruction. These Iraqis were highly motivated to have the Americans intervene as they felt that this would lead to the downfall and eventual replacement of Saddam, possibly by those same ex-patriots. This effectively makes any intel. from them highly suspect. Not to worry though, Cheney seized on these reports, created a new department to assess them ( a department filled with anything but experts on the subject), and shot down any contradictory reports coming out of the CIA. Now that the proverbial shit is hitting the fan the White House is focusing on the great blunders within the CIA as the cause of the errant war. The cause of the war rests squarely with Cheney ( Bush does not have the mental capability to do this by himself and likely never understood what was going on). Cheney knew that George W. wanted the war and did his best to ensure that he had the correct reasons for starting one. The CIA even included assessments of the false intel. and suggested that it was highly suspect. Cheney quickly smothered these choice bits of wisdom and the result is the mess we have now. Perhaps politicians should stay at arms length from intel gathering agencies to prevent this type of thing in the future, or at least view all the information and take the advice of those people hired and trained to properly assess it.
Monday, July 05, 2004
U.S. Porn Law Knocked Down:
The U.S. Supreme Court has rebuked a porn law enacted under Clinton and supported by Bush. Apparently it was felt that the law infringed on first amendment rights. This is a very tough topic. On the one side we have the rights of Americans to freedom. On the other side we have the need to protect children and others from the kind of deviance that can be freely obtained on the internet. We must also protect the children from the makers of child porn. The answer to the riddle eludes me. The concept of morality police scares the hell out of me. At the same time I can think of nothing more repulsive than the concept of children being used for the sexual pleasure of adults.
Alas, it is not only child porn that causes offense to me on the internet. There are many images of women being raped and tortured, some appear very realistic. Not to mention the people who seem to enjoy the untimate in this kind of thing, which are the snuff and gore sites. It is damn scary to think of how many people there are who enjoy this kind of imagery, they actually take pleasure in the suffering of others! One might say to each his own except for the fact that someone is getting hurt just to make this kind of film or picture.
Suffice to say, we can spend a long time going through all the various disturbing matter available for our enjoyment. I, for one, have no problem with laws that would prevent my children from being exposed to this. Laws exist but they seem to have no teeth. For too long North American laws have favored the accused. Despite this situation we are bombarded with stories of the wrongly imprisoned. If, with all our civil rights, we can't manage to put the actually guilty in jail, what would happen if we had even less civil rights?
So what is the solution? Should we allow flawed legislators even more power over us. Should we let the situation continue as it is, with more filth available to all, children included, than in the history of the planet? Something has got to give. I support the new IT world completely. The path to enlightenment is not followed by hiding. We must get a hold on this before it becomes worse. Even with tough laws here, there are many other places in the world to transmit this material from. Should we trust ISPs to police themselves? Hasn't worked so far. Thera are even applications where the publishing of this material might be appropriate( training of medical professionals, police, lawyers, etc.) So where do we draw the line, and more importantly, who gets to be the judge.
The U.S. Supreme Court has rebuked a porn law enacted under Clinton and supported by Bush. Apparently it was felt that the law infringed on first amendment rights. This is a very tough topic. On the one side we have the rights of Americans to freedom. On the other side we have the need to protect children and others from the kind of deviance that can be freely obtained on the internet. We must also protect the children from the makers of child porn. The answer to the riddle eludes me. The concept of morality police scares the hell out of me. At the same time I can think of nothing more repulsive than the concept of children being used for the sexual pleasure of adults.
Alas, it is not only child porn that causes offense to me on the internet. There are many images of women being raped and tortured, some appear very realistic. Not to mention the people who seem to enjoy the untimate in this kind of thing, which are the snuff and gore sites. It is damn scary to think of how many people there are who enjoy this kind of imagery, they actually take pleasure in the suffering of others! One might say to each his own except for the fact that someone is getting hurt just to make this kind of film or picture.
Suffice to say, we can spend a long time going through all the various disturbing matter available for our enjoyment. I, for one, have no problem with laws that would prevent my children from being exposed to this. Laws exist but they seem to have no teeth. For too long North American laws have favored the accused. Despite this situation we are bombarded with stories of the wrongly imprisoned. If, with all our civil rights, we can't manage to put the actually guilty in jail, what would happen if we had even less civil rights?
So what is the solution? Should we allow flawed legislators even more power over us. Should we let the situation continue as it is, with more filth available to all, children included, than in the history of the planet? Something has got to give. I support the new IT world completely. The path to enlightenment is not followed by hiding. We must get a hold on this before it becomes worse. Even with tough laws here, there are many other places in the world to transmit this material from. Should we trust ISPs to police themselves? Hasn't worked so far. Thera are even applications where the publishing of this material might be appropriate( training of medical professionals, police, lawyers, etc.) So where do we draw the line, and more importantly, who gets to be the judge.
Sunday, July 04, 2004
Elk in Kentucky?:
According to reports Elk have been re-introduced into Kentucky and have been thriving there. So much in fact that there are growing fears of accidents involving them. The real answer is for people to be aware of the danger and slow down in those areas. In Canada we have a number of large wild animals and there are numerous accidents every year involving them. In the vast majority of those accidents the fault was the drivers. With a little awareness and alert driving a person can drive on these roads their whole life without even a close call. It is humans who must adjust are lifestyle to include nature now. Nature has adjusted enough!!!
According to reports Elk have been re-introduced into Kentucky and have been thriving there. So much in fact that there are growing fears of accidents involving them. The real answer is for people to be aware of the danger and slow down in those areas. In Canada we have a number of large wild animals and there are numerous accidents every year involving them. In the vast majority of those accidents the fault was the drivers. With a little awareness and alert driving a person can drive on these roads their whole life without even a close call. It is humans who must adjust are lifestyle to include nature now. Nature has adjusted enough!!!
