Scouted: Article on camera phones and transparency issues
This from today's NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/11/technology/circuits/11shoo.html?ex=1072145307ei=1en=f86ced332bbc754f (may be cut, if so paste together...) Hold It Right There, and Drop That Camera December 11, 2003 By JO NAPOLITANO CHICAGO WHAT grabbed my attention, said Alderman Edward M. Burke, was that TV commercial when the guy is eating the pasta like a slob, and the girl sends a photo of him acting like a slob to the fiancée. The commercial, for Sprint PCS, was meant to convey the spontaneity and reach afforded by the wireless world's latest craze, the camera phone. But what Mr. Burke saw was the peril. If I'm in a locker room changing clothes, he said, there shouldn't be some pervert taking photos of me that could wind up on the Internet. Accordingly, as early as Dec. 17, the Chicago City Council is to vote on a proposal by Mr. Burke to ban the use of camera phones in public bathrooms, locker rooms and showers. ... (Email me offlist if you want the rest sent to you, although I believe we have a generic subscription floating around which you could use...) ---David No TrueVue glasses in the shower, please... ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Black Market Body Parts
Ronn Blankenship wrote: Last week, br police arrested a group specialized in the organ black market: they recruited volunteers to sell the kidney, shipped them to Africa, and [there is honesty among thieves] brought them back. Does that mean they put them back where they found them (in the donor)? No :-) They returned the donor _without_ kidney to the place they hired him Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Scouted: Article on camera phones and transparency issues
I forwarded this to my club manager. I really hate people who talk on the phone in the locker room. This is a perfect time to get a policy in place to make them to stop. Nerd From Hell (who will think twice before picking up that dropped towel in the locker room from now on...) -Original Message- From: David Hobby [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 4:21 AM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: Scouted: Article on camera phones and transparency issues This from today's NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/11/technology/circuits/11shoo.h tml?ex=1072145307ei=1en=f86ced332bbc754f (may be cut, if so paste together...) Hold It Right There, and Drop That Camera December 11, 2003 By JO NAPOLITANO CHICAGO WHAT grabbed my attention, said Alderman Edward M. Burke, was that TV commercial when the guy is eating the pasta like a slob, and the girl sends a photo of him acting like a slob to the fiancée. The commercial, for Sprint PCS, was meant to convey the spontaneity and reach afforded by the wireless world's latest craze, the camera phone. But what Mr. Burke saw was the peril. If I'm in a locker room changing clothes, he said, there shouldn't be some pervert taking photos of me that could wind up on the Internet. Accordingly, as early as Dec. 17, the Chicago City Council is to vote on a proposal by Mr. Burke to ban the use of camera phones in public bathrooms, locker rooms and showers. ... (Email me offlist if you want the rest sent to you, although I believe we have a generic subscription floating around which you could use...) ---David No TrueVue glasses in the shower, please... ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Letter from Baghdad (crosspost)
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gautam Mukunda Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 02:48 PM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: Re: Letter from Baghdad (crosspost) I might as well toss in, as the news has gone public at my company - I have volunteered to work for the CPA in Baghdad. I don't have a security clearance, so the process is quite slow, unfortunately, and there's no guarantee that I will be going (tours are for six months, and I _must_ be back in the country by September 1st, so the timing will be difficult to work out), but the possibility does exist. So you guys may be getting some first hand reports on the situation. Wow, what an amazing opportunity! I hope that you stay safe and healthy, do good work, and enjoy the experience on a personal level. -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: [ADMIN} Wonky list
--- Ronn!Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wouldn't that only fall into your professional purview if the cause of the constipation was CRI (craniorectal intussusception)? ROTFLOL Oh, I'll have to pass that one on - hadn't heard it before in quite those terms... :} NoseLips Guiaic-Negative Maru ;) __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Letter from Baghdad (crosspost)
--- Miller, Jeffrey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wow, what an amazing opportunity! I hope that you stay safe and healthy, do good work, and enjoy the experience on a personal level. -j- Thanks for the best wishes. As long as the do good work part is taken care of, I'll be satisfied. By all accounts, the last of those is unlikely, to put it mildly. Still no guarantee that anything will happen. I should know within the next few weeks, I think. = Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] Freedom is not free http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com __ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Br!n: The Virtue of Stubbornness?
Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hmm. How about persistence through adaptability. I like that one. I think it does a better job of summing up the philosophy than anything else I've seen so far this evening. Ditto. (Well, cut this evening, as I'm catching up on several day's worth of posts.) Or what about Ifni rewards those who persevere creatively themselves, to tinker with an old adage? ;) Of course, like stubborness, perseverance can be pathological too. Another main theme I find compelling is 'with freedom comes responsibility' (sorry, don't recall an exact quote that states that, although Duty, duty, brave shark-biter; what reward could taste better? comes close. That's one of _Streaker's_ fin officers, to Toshio the midshipman, in _Startide Rising_, IIRC.) Debbi who is herself a paragon of sweet reason, with not an ounce of stubborness in her character... ;} __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Science Fiction In General...
--- G. D. Akin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Good luck getting ANY degree of extrapolation, and/or expansion on the subject of 'Science Fiction In General'. This list holds the land speed record and will undoubtedly surpass the speed of light in GOING OFF TOPIC. If you want to talk about babies, dogs, cats, the Great Republican Conspiracy, the Great Democratic Compiracy, or any other topic, just open a new thread on SF and watch where it will go. Ooh, you left out *horses!* And while they only play a minor part in Fiben's return, and the Gubru regicide, and the battle on Jijo...they're present. ;) Curiously, there are no cats in Himself's work that I recall; but Andre Norton makes up for that -- I think the idea of a 'ship's cat' makes sense (hers were frequently genegineered for spaceflight). But then again, I would, wouldn't I? ;) Part Of The Threadcreep Brigade Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Battlestar Galactica mini series
--- Bryon Daly [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip ...IMHO, the biggest reason for a Galactica remake is to recapture the nostalgia for the characters, the Cylons, and the storyline. The Cylons...back in college, when I was a new DDer, one of the guys in our group had apparently had a tad too much too drink one night (OK, they were fishes - amazingly, they all graduated and are now professionals in their chosen fields), and had watched one episode too many of BG. While his roommates were entertaining some lady friends, he woke screaming and ran into the living room; naturally the entire household turned out to see what was wrong. Clad only in his BVDs, he waved his arms wildly and bellowed, The Cylons are coming - the Cylons are coming!! Then he woke up the rest of the way, and, blushing, retreated back to his room. ;) Debbi True Story Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The Case for a Marriage Ammendment
--- Miller, Jeffrey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip First off, same-sex couples (a misnomer in itself, as gender is not binary..) are not legally allowed to marry in the United States. Second, the disabled are /free/ to marry, even though there are obviously some significant financial disinsentives. Can't we address those problems with the system, which you outline, with regular legislation instead of a constitutional amendment? I was shocked when I learned that those on SSI for disability will lose most or all of their benefits if they marry; this is an issue for a friend, and they have had to consult lawyers etc. to ensure that they will be complying with 'roommate' status legally. It was/is very hard on her emotionally, to know that she cannot become legally married (there's no way her income alone would pay for all his medical needs) to the man she loves. This should be fixable without resorting to a Constitutional amendment, as above. WRT an amendment barring gay marriage, I think this will go the way of banning inter-racial marriage - it's silly to deny consenting adults the right to legally be in a civil union. Debbi GSV Crowbait __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Letter from Baghdad (crosspost)
--- Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip I might as well toss in, as the news has gone public at my company - I have volunteered to work for the CPA in Baghdad So you guys may be getting some first hand reports on the situation. whistle-of-exclamation I hope this works out for you; it sounds like an opportunity you've been really interested in getting (and from what other Brinellers have said on your background, one up your alley as well). Good luck! Debbi mother hen mode And be careful! __ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The Case for a Marriage Ammendment
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Deborah Harrell Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 01:38 PM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: RE: The Case for a Marriage Ammendment I was shocked when I learned that those on SSI for disability will lose most or all of their benefits if they marry; this is an issue for a friend, and they have had to consult lawyers etc. to ensure that they will be complying with 'roommate' status legally. It was/is very hard on her emotionally, to know that she cannot become legally married (there's no way her income alone would pay for all his medical needs) to the man she loves. This should be fixable without resorting to a Constitutional amendment, as above. We should be careful, though, to remember that there IS a way for her to become legally married; all she has to do is go to the nearest place of marraige registration and get the license. To say there's no legal way is incorrect; she's is not being denied any right to marry, whatever bureaucratic complications occur financially. WRT an amendment barring gay marriage, I think this will go the way of banning inter-racial marriage - it's silly to deny consenting adults the right to legally be in a civil union. True.. but in the mean time, silly is causing harm. -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Letter from Baghdad (crosspost)
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gautam Mukunda Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 12:37 PM To: Killer Bs Discussion Subject: RE: Letter from Baghdad (crosspost) --- Miller, Jeffrey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wow, what an amazing opportunity! I hope that you stay safe and healthy, do good work, and enjoy the experience on a personal level. -j- Thanks for the best wishes. As long as the do good work part is taken care of, I'll be satisfied. By all accounts, the last of those is unlikely, to put it mildly. Well, I meant it on a spiritual level, I suppose. I didn't really want to use the word rewarding in case you get caught smuggling clay pots back into the country or something.. ;) In any case, let us know how the process goes.. we'll expect a blog, of course :) -j- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Science Fiction In General...
On 9 Dec 2003, at 1:17 am, Jon Gabriel wrote: From: Travis Edmunds [EMAIL PROTECTED] -David Brin (as evidenced by this post in the first place) You may run into a few of his fans here as well. ;-) -David Gerrold (Star Trek TOS writer/War Against The Chtorr/and a few other interesting books) He also wrote TNG's Encounter at Farpoint. His writing always reminds me of Larry Niven's. Creative and conceptually fascinating, but fast-paced. _The Flying Sorcerers_ (with Niven) was quite funny. _When Harlie was One_ and _The Man who Folded Himself_ were pretty good. I think I read the first in the Chtorr sequence and decided it wasn't my thing, so I haven't read anything more recent. -Terry Pratchett (Discworld series. The little things that this man thinks up and transfers to paper are quite outstanding to say the least) I've never read anything by him, but now own a bunch of his books. With luck, I'll start them within the next few weeks. :) Pratchett is great. I started reading the Discworld series when there was one book in it :) Now I tend to fall three or so behind and then catch up. -Anne Rice (Blurs the line of sci-fi/one of the most captivating and talented writers I have ever come across) Her Vampire series was first rate up until she began to blend it with the Talamasca Witches series. On many, many levels, her Witch characters simply don't work for me. Most hardcore Rice fans I've met disagree with me though. Haven't read the Vampire or Witch books, but I quite enjoyed the films. -Arthur C. Clarke (Rama series, that's all I have to say) Great, great classic author. If you like him, I highly recommend a compendium I recently picked up of all his older short stories. (I love old, outdated sci-fi.) Will locate and post the link on Amazon when I find it. I prefer his earlier works. In fact I haven't read anything after _The Fountains of Paradise_. I think my favourite of his is _The City and the Stars_ (vt _Against the Fall of Night_). -Orson Scott Card (Ender series/the champion of the demigodlol) I've always felt Card was an author who should have stopped while he was ahead of his game. I enjoyed the Ender series, but... the Bean series is just completely unappealing. I don't like the hero and his novels just don't captivate me. Christopher Columbus was a short story that shouldn't have been stretched into a novel. Ah well. To each his own, huh? He should have stopped the Ender series after the first two. And I found the 'Homecoming' series unreadable. -Ben Bova (Has always held an interest for me, since I read Mars) Urgh. Bova. He reminds me of Michael Chrichton. Characters that aren't terribly deep and storylines that read like 'treatments' for movies. I'm not a fan. :-) I haven't been impressed by any of his that I have read. -Steve White (Eagle Against The Starslol Ok, so it's complete B-side sci-fi, but it's not without it's merit) Oddly enough, I just finished Forge of the Titans a couple of months ago. I'd never heard of him before when my father-in-law handed me the book. It was different, and I enjoyed it. I haven't read any Steve White, but I have read quite a few by his former collaborator, David Weber. -Tolkien (I suppose THAT'S just a given) Heh. I'm almost afraid to ask, but what was your take on the movies? I like the movies, but I was never a huge fan. I read the books two or three times, last time about thirty years ago :) -Various Star Trek and Star Wars novels tend to find their way into my personal library. IMO, Peter David's the only one worth reading. :) I'm not into media tie-ins and novelizations and such. -I also love the Stargate Universe (For those of you who may share that interest) I watch the show on occasion... but I've never really gotten deeply into it. I like Stargate (the series). Despite being a spin-off of a mediocre film with a rather dire premise it is actually quite a good sf series. And probably the best that is left now :( -Michael Chrichton is certainly noteworthy. Ugh. Ugh. and Ugh. :-D I didn't like the films and I haven't read the books. Well, that's enough for now. I look forward to perhaps SOME degree of extrapolation, and/or expansion on the subject of Science Fiction In General Well, how about these authors. Have you read any of them? Robert Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, Time Enough for Love, etc.,) I read all of the early Heinlein, struggled through various dreadful 1970's Heinlein disasters (_I Will Fear No Evil_ ...) before abandoning him. I read _Friday_ because it was supposed to be a return to form, and it was better but not up to the old standards. Iain Banks (Culture Series) That's Iain M Banks. Iain Banks is his alter ego who writes mainstream novels. I have read most of both of him. In fact I read his first novel _The Wasp Factory_ before his second was published. I even have some of them autographed! Vernor Vinge (I
The Flu!
In all of the news reports, they keep talking about the number of people who have died from the flu so far and how they are all children. As a parent of small children of my own, does any one know what age those kids are? How concerned should we be about this? - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Science Fiction In General...
In a message dated 12/11/2003 2:00:15 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Curiously, there are no cats in Himself's work that I recall; but Andre Norton makes up for that -- I think the idea of a 'ship's cat' makes sense (hers were frequently genegineered for spaceflight). But then again, I would, wouldn't I? ;) If we ever get back to the Garthlings, there should be. Historical precedence, don'tcha know. ...and Debbi knows what I'd like Alvin to do with some very large horses. I think Himself would,'t dare to have put cats on Jijo. A Mudfoot thinks: Tasty. Vilyehm Teighlore ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: The Flu!
John wrote In all of the news reports, they keep talking about the number of people who have died from the flu so far and how they are all children. As a parent of small children of my own, does any one know what age those kids are? How concerned should we be about this? My Kids are 9 and 2.5, and I had both of them vaccinated last week. My 9 year old daughter has mild asthma and is considered high risk. My 2 year old is supposed to get a second shot in 30 days, but I suspect that they will be out of vaccination by then. I looked over the news reports and the CDC website, and although they are somewhat vague, it appears that it is primarily the high risk children that have the highest mortality rate. By high risk I mean kids with severe asthma, suppressed immunity, less than 24 months old, etc. Although, there have been reports of perfectly healthy 10 year olds kids that didn't survive, but I really think that occurrence is very rare. There are a couple of schools that have been closed here in Ohio due to the flu, and I expect the 2 week Christmas break will slow down the rate of infection somewhat since kids won't be clustered together in classrooms. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Flu!
At 07:31 PM 12/11/2003 -0600 Horn, John wrote: In all of the news reports, they keep talking about the number of people who have died from the flu so far and how they are all children. As a parent of small children of my own, does any one know what age those kids are? How concerned should we be about this? A 20-year-old college-age student was the first flu death of the year in Massachusetts today. JDG - Who has been trying to get his shot for a month now, but hasn't managed to stay healthy for two straight days in order to do it. :-( ___ John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity. - George W. Bush 1/29/03 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Computer Crimes Unit Makes First Arrests in Va.
http://www.wtop.com/?sid=150989nid=25 Two North Carolina men face up to 20 years in prison for allegedly operating one of the most prolific spamming operations in the world. Jeremy Jaynes - who uses the aliases of Jeremy James and Gaven Stubberfield - and Richard Rutowski each face four felony counts of transmission of unsolicited bulk electronic mail, Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore said Thursday. The indictments, returned Monday by a grand jury in Loudoun County, Va., were based on Virginia's antispam law which took effect July 1. Kilgore's office launched its investigation into what he described as a massive spamming operation that used the America Online computer network which is headquartered in the county. This was a very profitable business for these two individuals and I don't know of any legitimate business that they had, said Kilgore. Although investigators declined to say how much income they believe the spam scheme generated, they said both men were supporting affluent lifestyles. Gaven Stubberfield is number eight on the top 10 worldwide spammer list, said Kilgore, citing complaints reported to Internet service providers and tabulated by spamhaus.org. Between July 11 and Aug. 11, more than 100,000 complaints on spam messages linked to the two men were reported, Kilgore said. On at least three days, more than 10,000 messages were transmitted. The defendants falsified or forged electronic mail transmission information, or other routing information, said Kilgore. The volume of messages and efforts to conceal their true identities have elevated prosecution of the case to felony level. The spam included penny-picker stock schemes, mortgage interest rate ads and an Internet history eraser, said Lisa Hicks-Thomas, director of Virginia's computer crime unit in Kilgore's office. More than 50 percent of all Internet traffic across the world passes through Virginia because AOL and 1,300 service providers or technology companies are located in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington. There are 1.5 billion e-mails blocked a day through AOL's spam filters and other technical measures we take, said Curtis P. Lu, deputy general counsel for the company. The indictments were announced at AOL headquarters. The filters that have been created to block out spam are such that it's catching lots and lots of legitimate businesses now, said Bobbie Green Kilberg, president of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. Jaynes, 29, of Raleigh, N.C., is being held pending a request for extradition. Rutowski, of Cary, N.C., is expected to surrender to authorities under terms being worked out through his attorney. According to Kilgore, Virginia has the strongest anti-spam law in the country. While other states can take civil actions, Virginia is the only one that can prosecute spammers for violating specific criminal charges related to the activity. Federal legislation allowing for the criminal prosecution of spammers has been passed by Congress and is awaiting President Bush's signature, but Kilgore intends to continue pursuing such cases. The Virginia case will be the first felony prosecution for violation of antispam statutes in the nation. Howard Carmack, 36, of Buffalo, N.Y., was indicted in May for allegedly using stolen identities to create Internet accounts from which he sent more than 825 million junk e-mail messages, but he was charged with identity theft. Atlanta-based ISP Earthlink was awarded $16.4 million after suing Carmack for using 343 false identities to establish e-mail accounts. xponent Flu Like Symptoms Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Strange Lights Imaged, Astronauts Not Crazy
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solar_aurora_031210.html The first direct images ever made of a solar storm as it engulfs Earth have also vindicated astronauts who said they'd seen colorful sky lights at dubiously high altitudes. The study shows that auroras reach far higher into the atmosphere than expected, though scientists are still puzzled over how it is possible. The research, which detected solar electrons approaching Earth's protective magnetic field, will also help space weather forecasters better predict how a tempest from the Sun might effect satellites and communication systems. Auroras are atmospheric light displays generated by space weather. They are born above Earth's polar regions and are routinely enjoyed from the surface by people at far northern or southern latitudes. Auroras typically occur at about 60 miles up (100 kilometers), when charged storm particles tickle air molecules. Sanity check Scientists had a hard time believing astronauts who said they'd seen aurora that appeared to soar higher than the International Space Station, which orbits about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the surface of the planet. Experts didn't figure there were enough molecules up there to do the trick. But now the fleeting, ultra-high events have been imaged at more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) above the planet with a new Air Force satellite called the Solar Mass Ejection Imager. It's a mystery, Bernard Jackson, a solar physicist at the University of California, San Diego, said of the soaring auroras. This is far higher than anyone had ever expected. It may be that nitrogen from the ionosphere is ejected into the higher altitudes during a coronal mass ejection. A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a cloud of hot gas sometimes shot from the Sun during a solar flare. CMEs expand as they head through space. Upon reaching Earth anywhere from 18 hours to several days later, they fuel aurora and sometimes knock out satellites and threaten power grids on the surface. Better view Until recently, space storm forecasters had to rely on images of CMEs taken by NASA's SOHO spacecraft. But it sits about 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth and only sees a small region of the sky directly surrounding the Sun. The new observations, made with a new satellite that orbits Earth about 500 miles high, recorded several recent CMEs as they enveloped the planet's magnetic field, Jackson told SPACE.com. The field emanates from the planet's poles, extends beyond the atmosphere, and protectively absorbs much of the shock of space storms. The findings were announced Wednesday at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Astronauts who've witnessed high-altitude auroras must now feel like airline pilots, who for years had said they saw lightning shooting from the tops of thunderstorms, teasing with the boundary of space. Scientists once thought those claims incredulous, too, until they photographed the high-altitude discharges, which are now called blue jets and red sprites. The near-space auroral displays are unrelated to jets and sprites. For scientists the more interesting aspect of the new study was the newfound ability to image CMEs as they pass Earth, a stormy process that can last 24 hours or more. We are living inside the solar atmosphere, but up until now had no way to view it, so space forecasters couldnt be certain whether an ejection from the Sun would affect the Earth one to five days later or harmlessly pass us by, Jackson said. Now that we can see these clouds as they travel through space outward from the Sun, we can map their trajectories. The Solar Mass Ejection Imager was launched in January by the Air Force. It sees a CME by recording a faint scattering of sunlight caused by electrons in the onrushing cloud. A video of the observations is available here. High stakes Solar activity in late October and early November knocked out satellites, caused airlines to divert flights to avoid potentially dangerous polar routes, mucked with the electronics of some spacecraft and ruined an instrument aboard the Mars Odyssey probe. Solar storms even played a role in the loss of Japan's Mars mission, a craft called Nozomi, the country's space agency said Tuesday. Meanwhile, scientists are working to better understand why some solar onslaughts cause more problems than others. A separate recent study showed that under certain conditions a CME can rip open a hole in Earth's magnetosphere, allowing its full force to penetrate the otherwise protective shield. xponent Blink Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Letter from Baghdad (crosspost)
At 02:47 PM 12/10/2003 -0800, you wrote: --- Doug Pensinger [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: This was posted by ABFAS on the other list. I haven't read all of it yet, it is very long, but it's quite informative/interesting/revealing. http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031124fa_fact1_b It's a very good article. George Packer is an old friend of mine (he's pretty far to the left, just so people are aware of his politics). I never met Drew Erdmann, unfortunately - mutual friends of ours tried to set up meetings on two or three occasions, but it never quite worked out. Very much to my regret, I must say. I might as well toss in, as the news has gone public at my company - I have volunteered to work for the CPA in Baghdad. I don't have a security clearance, so the process is quite slow, unfortunately, and there's no guarantee that I will be going (tours are for six months, and I _must_ be back in the country by September 1st, so the timing will be difficult to work out), but the possibility does exist. So you guys may be getting some first hand reports on the situation. = Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] Freedom is not free http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com Pretty cool! What would you be doing with the Authority? Good luck and don't forget to write. john ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
