Brin: Hyperspace @ Discovery Channel
I have just seen the special about the colonization of space. Brin enters when the narrator (Sam Neil) tells about the colonization of Jupiter's Moon Europa. There are two kids jumping in a jumping table. Are they your kids? Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Scouted: Teens Sued for Cookie Delivery to Neighbor
I never ceased to be amazed at the stupidity of people and the legal system. I hope the judge and the woman both feel and look like idiots in their town It is a little strange for a couple of attractive teenage girls to choose to stay home and bake cookies, but the judge is demonstrating stupidity at it's best. Teens Sued for Cookie Delivery to Neighbor Feb. 5, 2004 - A pair of Colorado teens surprised a neighbor by baking cookies - no charge. It cost them $900. Taylor Ostergaard, 18, and Lindsey Zellitti, 19, decided to stay home from a dance in July in order to surprise their neighbors with an anonymous delivery of homemade cookies. But one of their neighbors, Wanita Renea Young, 49, became so terrified she suffered an anxiety attack and called the police. Young sued the girls and this week was awarded $900 to recoup her medical bills. The two teens recounted the incident on Good Morning America, and said that though they were disappointed by the judge's decision, they weren't angry and would continue to do good deeds. The complete ridiculous story http://tinyurl.com/5cka6 Or http://makeashorterlink.com/?K1492196A or http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=473840page=1 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Scouted: Teens Sued for Cookie Delivery to Neighbor
Gary Nunn wrote: I never ceased to be amazed at the stupidity of people and the legal system. I was goign to post this this morning. There's a reason why I like the expression No good deed goes unpunished. :) What scares me is that one of the articles I saw about it indicated the woman who sued the girls had the temerity to say something like Next time those girls will think about the consequences of their actions. 0_o Jim Cookies make me nervous too Maru ___ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web! ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Vanity press SF hoax
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb202277.htm Science Fiction Authors Hoax Vanity Publisher Atlanta Nights, by Travis Tea, was offered a publishing contract by PublishAmerica of Frederick, Maryland. Washington, DC (PRWEB) January 28, 2005 -- Over a holiday weekend last year, some thirty-odd science fiction writers banged out a chapter or two apiece of Atlanta Nights, a novel about hot times in Atlanta high society. Their objective: to write a deeply awful novel to submit to PublishAmerica, a self-described traditional publisher located in Frederick, Maryland. Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Teens Sued for Cookie Delivery to Neighbor
I never ceased to be amazed at the stupidity of people and the legal system. I hope the judge and the woman both feel and look like idiots in their town It is a little strange for a couple of attractive teenage girls to choose to stay home and bake cookies, but the judge is demonstrating stupidity at it's best. Yep. I was going to post this too...it was forwarded to me on Friday. Reading the article, the woman that sued sounded like a real faker and insincere. This sounds like to me the woman was looking for a payday rather than a redress for injuries. IMHO, she should be ashamed of herself. I don't think its strange that a couple of attractive teenaged girls would sit at home and bake cookies...they should be praised instead for not going to a party where there might be drinking and casual drug use. I'm thinking about writing the paper where this article appeared and ask them to forward a letter to them, or at least publish it, in support and praise for the girls' action. Damon. Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: UM's PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf. C ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Scouted: Teens Sued for Cookie Delivery to Neighbor
- Original Message - From: Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion brin-l@mccmedia.com Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 12:28 PM Subject: Re: Scouted: Teens Sued for Cookie Delivery to Neighbor I never ceased to be amazed at the stupidity of people and the legal system. I hope the judge and the woman both feel and look like idiots in their town It is a little strange for a couple of attractive teenage girls to choose to stay home and bake cookies, but the judge is demonstrating stupidity at it's best. Yep. I was going to post this too...it was forwarded to me on Friday. Same here...I was reading about it Thursday I think, but this kind of stuff gets me steamed so I dropped it. Reading the article, the woman that sued sounded like a real faker and insincere. This sounds like to me the woman was looking for a payday rather than a redress for injuries. IMHO, she should be ashamed of herself. I don't think its strange that a couple of attractive teenaged girls would sit at home and bake cookies...they should be praised instead for not going to a party where there might be drinking and casual drug use. I'm thinking about writing the paper where this article appeared and ask them to forward a letter to them, or at least publish it, in support and praise for the girls' action. What gets me angry is the inappropriate assignation of blame and responsibility. Those girls are not responsible for someone else's neuroses or lack of self control. The girls knocked on the doors only of homes with lights on, left the cookies on the porch and ran away, wanting to keep their good deed anonymous. The packages included heart-shaped cards that read: Have a great night. From the T and L Club. At around 10:30 p.m., they knocked on Young's door. Young, whose home had reportedly been burglarized before, became frightened and called the police. The police determined no crime had been committed. But the next day, Young was admitted to the hospital suffering from an anxiety attack. I am of the mind that ones anxiety belongs to ones self, and that ones decision to check ones self into a hospital is a responsibility that belongs to ones self and to no one else in a situation where the actual harm is completely self inflicted. A person does not have a right to not feel fear. Once the police were called, the woman's fear should have turned to relief. My suspicion is that the lawsuit was an attempt to punish the girls for doing something that made the woman feel foolish. xponent Things Are Quiet Here Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin: Hyperspace @ Discovery Channel
--- Alberto Monteiro [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have just seen the special about the colonization of space. Brin enters when the narrator (Sam Neil) tells about the colonization of Jupiter's Moon Europa. There are two kids jumping in a jumping table. Are they your kids? Yup, on our trampoline. That was some time ago. They are now bigger! Cool to co- star with Sam Niel... even tho we never met. Oh, I should mention that I've become a little bit active on my blog at http://www.davidbrin.blogspot.com/ Serializing a long draft article about modernism and its enemies. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
For Old Fogies
An email cruising the net sez: 1974 Vs 2004 Do you have the level of maturity to relate to this? 1974: Long hair 2004: Longing for hair 1974: KEG 2004: EKG 1974: Acid rock 2004: Acid reflux 1974: Moving to California because it's cool 2004: Moving to California because it's warm 1974: Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor 2004: Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor 1974: Seeds and stems 2004: Roughage 1974: Hoping for a BMW 2004: Hoping for a BM 1974: The Grateful Dead 2004: Dr. Kevorkian 1974: Going to a new, hip joint 2004: Receiving a new hip joint 1974: Rolling Stones 2004: Kidney Stones 1974: Being called into the principal's office 2004: Calling the principal's office 1974: Screw the system 2004: Upgrade the system 1974: Disco 2004: Costco 1974: Parents begging you to get your hair cut 2004: Children begging you to get their heads shaved 1974: Passing the driver's test 2004: Passing the vision test 1974: Whatever 2004: Depends Just in case you weren't feeling too old today, this will certainly change things. Each year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to try to give the faculty a sense of the mindset of this year's incoming freshmen. Here's this year's list: The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1986. They are too young to remember the Challenger space shuttle blowing up. Their lifetime has always included AIDS. Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic. The CD was introduced the year they were born. They have always had an answering machine. They have always had cable. They cannot fathom not having a remote control. Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show. Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws. They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are. They don't know who Mork was or where he was from. They never heard Where's the Beef?, I'd walk a mile for a Camel, or De plane, Boss, de plane. They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J. R. even is. McDonald's never came in styrofoam containers. They don't know how to use a typewriter and probably have never seen one. Do you feel old yet? Pass this on to the other old fogies on your list. Notice the larger type? That's for those of you who have trouble reading. xponent Sub-Topical Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Chimera
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0125_050125_chimeras.h tml http://tinyurl.com/3kjah Scientists have begun blurring the line between human and animal by producing chimerasa hybrid creature that's part human, part animal. Chinese scientists at the Shanghai Second Medical University in 2003 successfully fused human cells with rabbit eggs. The embryos were reportedly the first human-animal chimeras successfully created. They were allowed to develop for several days in a laboratory dish before the scientists destroyed the embryos to harvest their stem cells. In Minnesota last year researchers at the Mayo Clinic created pigs with human blood flowing through their bodies. And at Stanford University in California an experiment might be done later this year to create mice with human brains. Scientists feel that, the more humanlike the animal, the better research model it makes for testing drugs or possibly growing spare parts, such as livers, to transplant into humans. Watching how human cells mature and interact in a living creature may also lead to the discoveries of new medical treatments. But creating human-animal chimerasnamed after a monster in Greek mythology that had a lion's head, goat's body, and serpent's tailhas raised troubling questions: What new subhuman combination should be produced and for what purpose? At what point would it be considered human? And what rights, if any, should it have? There are currently no U.S. federal laws that address these issues. Ethical Guidelines The National Academy of Sciences, which advises the U.S. government, has been studying the issue. In March it plans to present voluntary ethical guidelines for researchers. A chimera is a mixture of two or more species in one body. Not all are considered troubling, though. For example, faulty human heart valves are routinely replaced with ones taken from cows and pigs. The surgerywhich makes the recipient a human-animal chimerais widely accepted. And for years scientists have added human genes to bacteria and farm animals. What's caused the uproar is the mixing of human stem cells with embryonic animals to create new species. Biotechnology activist Jeremy Rifkin is opposed to crossing species boundaries, because he believes animals have the right to exist without being tampered with or crossed with another species. He concedes that these studies would lead to some medical breakthroughs. Still, they should not be done. There are other ways to advance medicine and human health besides going out into the strange, brave new world of chimeric animals, Rifkin said, adding that sophisticated computer models can substitute for experimentation on live animals. One doesn't have to be religious or into animal rights to think this doesn't make sense, he continued. It's the scientists who want to do this. They've now gone over the edge into the pathological domain. David Magnus, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University, believes the real worry is whether or not chimeras will be put to uses that are problematic, risky, or dangerous. Human Born to Mice Parents? For example, an experiment that would raise concerns, he said, is genetically engineering mice to produce human sperm and eggs, then doing in vitro fertilization to produce a child whose parents are a pair of mice. Most people would find that problematic, Magnus said, but those uses are bizarre and not, to the best of my knowledge, anything that anybody is remotely contemplating. Most uses of chimeras are actually much more relevant to practical concerns. Last year Canada passed the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, which bans chimeras. Specifically, it prohibits transferring a nonhuman cell into a human embryo and putting human cells into a nonhuman embryo. Cynthia Cohen is a member of Canada's Stem Cell Oversight Committee, which oversees research protocols to ensure they are in accordance with the new guidelines. She believes a ban should also be put into place in the U.S. Creating chimeras, she said, by mixing human and animal gametes (sperms and eggs) or transferring reproductive cells, diminishes human dignity. It would deny that there is something distinctive and valuable about human beings that ought to be honored and protected, said Cohen, who is also the senior research fellow at Georgetown University's Kennedy Institute of Ethics in Washington, D.C. But, she noted, the wording on such a ban needs to be developed carefully. It shouldn't outlaw ethical and legitimate experimentssuch as transferring a limited number of adult human stem cells into animal embryos in order to learn how they proliferate and grow during the prenatal period. Irv Weissman, director of Stanford University's Institute of Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine in California, is against a ban in the United States. Anybody who puts their own moral guidance in the way of this biomedical science, where they want to impose
Re: SSN 711
In a message dated 2/5/2005 10:14:18 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: A testament to American naval engineering... Unfortunately, this captain's career is toast... Why is his career toast? Maybe I don't understand what an uncharted sea mount is. Could he have discerned it even though it was uncharted? Sonar? -- I think I remember reading about this a few weeks ago. The problem is that our marine charts for some portions of the south pacific in particular. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SSN 711
In a message dated 2/5/2005 12:20:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: So it wasn't that he had the bad luck to hit an uncharted undersea mountain in an area that was supposed to be charted. Rather, he was going at a reckless speed in uncharted waters? No he had charts but they were inaccurate ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Bill Moyers: There is no tomorrow
In a message dated 2/5/2005 12:50:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: So, this tendency to hold onto known truths no matter how they are called into question by evidence is seen in many forms, not just religious or political. There are many times when the first criterion for accepting evidence is whether or not it supports what one already knows I have here all along but lurking. The social security arguements leave me cold (Bush's plan leaves me colder). I think the thing is that socieites that make faith based rather than fact based decisions are most often in decline. They are old established societies whose members believe that their success is due to the fact that they are instrinsically superior to other groups. (Obviously the Soviet Union is an exception to this generalization). I am looking forward to reading Jarod Diamond's Collapse to see what he has to say on this matter. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
IPod Loading
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/23/jobs/23IPOD.html?ex=1264136400en=5a 09f6a87d799307ei=5088partner=rssnyt http://tinyurl.com/3zmnj It sounds like a line from a spam e-mail: Work from home! Low risk! Flexible schedule! Earn hundreds of dollars each gig! But an emerging group of resourceful entrepreneurs says there is no catch. The rising popularity of Apple's sleek iPod has created a new niche service: the professional iPod loader. There are housekeepers to tend homes and gardeners to tend landscaping. Why not iPod loaders to take care of music collections? For $1 to $1.49 a CD, the professional loaders will embark on the time-consuming process of copying a music collection onto an iPod, often providing a digital backup copy as well. It's a booming aftermarket of the iPod economy, said Bill Palmer, a 27-year-old entrepreneur who has created a nationwide network of iPod loaders called Loadpod. Each loader picks up the iPod and CD's at the client's home, then returns a fully loaded iPod in a few days. The loaders say they are finding growing demand, especially after the holiday season, which increased the number of iPods sold to 10 million. Consumers are realizing that the digital wonder that was supposed to unify and simplify their musical existence actually eats up time, lots of it. Converting enough CD's to fill a 40-gigabyte iPod can take 60 to 100 hours, depending on the computer's speed. The prospect of spending all this time was daunting, said Nell Eckersley, a 35-year-old educator in Brooklyn, who was excited when she received an iPod for Christmas. Then she began converting her collection of 400 CD's. I spent all day Sunday doing it, and said, `This is crazy,' she said. Hearing such frustration has inspired many would-be businessmen. College graduates, computer technicians and D.J.'s are setting up shop. The business is even attracting medical doctors. I'm deeply in debt because of medical education and other things why not? said Jay Parkinson, a 28-year-old pediatric resident at St. Vincent's Manhattan Hospital in New York who recently started loading iPods in his spare time. He says he sits at his home computer for at least two hours every night anyway, so changing CD's while he is sitting there is a minimal burden. Why not just get paid to be sitting at home? Dr. Parkinson said. `'It doesn't take much effort on my part. Hyung J. Chun, a 30-year-old cardiologist at Stanford, has started his own iPod business. With two other doctors, Dr. Chun invested $1,000 to buy a 100-CD changer to start his business, Feedmypod.com. Hopefully we can turn it into something that can generate revenue eventually, Dr. Chun said. Some are starting full-fledged small enterprises creating banks of computers, hiring hourly workers, and aggressively sending out direct- mail advertisements. Others are one-person shops, moonlighting in boxer shorts or multitasking with their laptops at their day jobs. Loading iPods is appealing because it is low risk, requires relatively little overhead and can be done from home or work. The only thing that is required is a relatively up-to-date computer and some computer knowledge. Marketing can be done on the cheap: online through the site Craigslist.com and Google, offline through neighborhood fliers and word of mouth. The reason it's so good right now is you buy the computer up front and there is very little marginal cost, said Brian Stucki, a 24-year-old president of Las Vegas Technical Associates, who has six computers converting CD's day and night. For the overnight shift, he pays college students a quarter for each CD they load, and gives them an Xbox and a television for entertainment. Mr. Stucki started his business with an aggressive marketing campaign, sending 5,000 postcards to every lawyer's and dentist's office, bank, real estate agency and gym he could find in Las Vegas. An iPod loader can earn several hundred dollars for converting a large collection, but hour by hour, the money is modest. Transferring a single full-length CD takes five to nine minutes on a standard computer, which means that most computers can generate $6 to $12 an hour. Even a computer capable of transferring a CD in three minutes would generate no more than $20 an hour. But from the perspective of many customers, it's a bargain, especially for highly paid lawyers or executives. The guy makes $250 to $500 an hour and he spends the next three weeks just to get his stupid CD collection on his iPods, said Kris Shrey, who runs cds-dvds-wanted .com. Mr. Shrey says he makes his money on scale: he runs eight computers loading iPods. Among his clients is Ms. Eckersley of Brooklyn, who paid $213 to convert a portion of her collection. xponent Vista For Distribution Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
NASA envisions Mars warmed up for life
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002172407_mars06.ht ml http://tinyurl.com/58hnw Global warming may be a scourge on Earth, but injecting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere of Mars might be just the thing to turn the barren planet into a living, breathing world that could support future human colonies, NASA researchers said. Scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center near Mountain View, Calif., propose using fluorine-based gases, elements of which already exist on the Martian surface, to start the warming process. The compound octafluoropropane produced the greatest warming effects, the scientists wrote in a study published in this month's Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Increasing the level of greenhouse gases in the Martian atmosphere by 300 parts per million would initiate a runaway greenhouse effect, melting polar ice sheets and releasing carbon dioxide, the study said. This in turn would thicken the atmosphere. The process could take centuries or millenniums, researchers said. But because the raw materials are available on Mars, astronauts could create the gases on a manned mission to the planet. Bringing life to Mars and studying its growth would contribute to our understanding of evolution, and the ability of life to adapt and proliferate on other worlds, said Margarita Marinova, formerly at Ames, who was part of the team that led the study. Since warming Mars effectively reverts it to its past, more habitable state, this would give any possibly dormant life on Mars the chance to revive and develop further, she said. xponent Versatile Fluorocarbon Distribution Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
SpamAdaption
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2005/02/spammers_have_a.html In the next few months, E-mail spam is going to get a lot worse, at least, that's the prediction of The SpamHaus project, a global anti-spam group that point the finger to a new spamming technique that consist of sending spam via the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) directly, instead of using individual machines. It makes it impossible to block E-mails coming from the ISP's internet address without also blocking millions of legitimate E-mails. And that comes right after AOL claimed that spam was going down and that everybody was saying that spammers had given up It seems that spammers have adapted. How can they use the ISP's infrastructure and why can't the ISPs prevent them from doing it? xponent Virtual Friend Detected Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Terabyte Storage
http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/02/04/holographic/index.php Japan's Optware Corp. announced a detailed roadmap toward commercialization of its Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) technology on Thursday. It has also set up an alliance to promote HVD and will later this year set up an office in the U.S. to promote the technology with major systems integrators there, it said. As with CDs and DVDs, HVD technology involves the use of a laser to store information on 12-centimeter discs. However, instead of recording data in dots on the disc, beams of light interfere with each other, forming patterns within the HVD disc. InPhase Technologies Inc., of Longmont, Colo., is also trying to bring holographic storage drives to market. Optware claims the technology enables the storage of up to 3.9 terabytes (TB) of information on a single disc. (One terabyte is one thousand gigabytes.) The company is initially commercializing 200GB recordable and 100GB read-only discs, it said. To promote these to U.S. systems integrators, the company plans to establish an office in the U.S. later this year, the location of which is not finalized, Optware President and Chief Executive Officer Yoshio Aoki said at a news conference. EMC, StorGate, IBM, HP, Sun Micro -- these customers are really interested in working samples. We need a U.S. operation, he said. Data archiving for the U.S. health care industry is a first potential market, he said. Optware believes the amount of digital data storage demand for this market will grow from about 167 petabytes (167 million gigabytes) in 2005 to 363 petabytes in 2007 as hospitals archive increasingly large data files such as digital X-rays and CAT scans, and make increasing use of video images, he said. We are also going to start talking to the medical industry, but we are not sure who yet. That's why I am flying to the U.S. next week to find out, Aoki said. This year and into next year, the company will be preparing to submit three HVD storage media to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The 200GB disc and a 30GB credit card-sized storage format should be approved by the ISO by the end of December 2006, while the 100GB read-only disc should be approved in June 2007, Aoki said. It usually takes between one and three years for the ISO to approve technical standards, he said. To speed up ISO approval, the company is working with Ecma International, an organization that specializes in fast-tracking new technology standards. Ecma formed a committee to draft the three HVD technical standards last December, he said. Samples of the 200GB discs and prototype players will be available in the last quarter of this year, in time for commercialization in 2007, according to Optware. InPhase, meanwhile, has said it hopes to bring its first holographic drives to market in 2006. Researchers at IBM Corp.'s Almaden Research Center are also developing holographic storage devices. Optware has set up a consortium called the HVD Alliance to promote its technology, it announced Thursday. The consortium has six members: CMC Magnetics Corp., Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd., Nippon Paint Co. Ltd., Optware, Pulstec Industrial Co. Ltd., and Toagosei Co., Ltd. Of these, CMC, Fuji, Pulstec and Toagosei are Optware shareholders. http://www.webpronews.com/news/ebusinessnews/wpn-45-20050204TheTerabyt eDisksAreComing.html While certain companies fight over high definition DVD recording, another type of disk storage is preparing to make matters awfully interesting. Holographic Virtual Disc or HVD is a disc that can hold up to a terabyte worth of storage. They are also capable of transfer speeds of 1 gigabyte per second. While the storage format is waiting for standardization, Tokyo-based Optware, developer of the HVD format, may be preparing to launch the discs by the end of the year. According to ITObserver, while some doubt the format will be available very soon, Optware disagrees: Optware and InPhase, as well as contenders Aprilis Inc. of Maynard, Mass. and Colossal Storage Corp. of San Jose, Calif., are doing their best to get HVD-based products to market and prove skeptics wrong. Both InPhase and Optware plan to have products available this year and to introduce more over the next several years. http://www.ebcvg.com/articles.php?id=579 Holographic storage drives capable of up to 1TB of data storage may be available as early as this year, says Tokyo-based Optware Corp. Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) will be capable of massive storage, as well as transfer rates of up to 1 GB per second. Optwares announced came less than a week after a similar announcement from InPhase Technologies. InPhase recently began shipping its GDS5000 HVD drives based on WORM (Write Once Read Many) technology. A newer version, the Tapestry HDS-200R will be a fully recordable 200GB drive with 20MB per second transfer it is expected to hit markets later this year. The advantage of using HVD style media is
It just keeps getting scarier...
In the following report, I would slightly differ on priorities. For example, I believe that it will come as a rude surprise to Rumsfeld co how dedicated a majority of our Officer Corps is to constitutional government. On the other hand, the ability of Rumsfeld, Cheney and Rice to throw us into war at deceitful whim (or at the behest of the Saudies) has already been demonstrated. The building momentum of hysteria to start armed conflict with Iran is staggering, at a time when our military readiness is plummeting daily. (Anyone who claims to be patriotic while refusing to notice that our readiness has plummeted below Pearl Harbor levels, is a blithering hypocrite. We are far less ready to handle a sudden shock than we were before 9/11.) As for Iran, for 3 years I have proposed the alternative of a Nixon-to-China peace offensive toward the pro-western PEOPLE of Iran, bypassing hte crotchety mullahs. It makes sense on every level. The only losers would be the sheiks of Rihyad... ...which is of course the reason that it will not be done Here is the article. http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Toronto/Eric_Margolis/2005/02/06/922316.html is source url for the below article. Gen William Boykin, who has publicly stated that Bush was appointed President by God (see for example: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/10/17/wboyk17.xml ) is going to head the Pentagon's new Strategic Support Branch SSB which possesses the power to do anything anywhere to anyone and is totally unconstrained by any Constitutional authority being answerable solely to that unholy trinity, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush. Where is this leading? Sun, February 6, 2005 Paranoia grips the U.S. capital By Eric Margolis -- Contributing Foreign Editor The film Seven Days In May is one of my all-time favourites. The gripping 1964 drama, starring Burt Lancaster, depicts an attempted coup by far rightists in Washington using a top-secret Pentagon anti-terrorist unit called something like Contelinpro. Life imitates art. This week, former military intelligence analyst William Arkin revealed a hitherto unknown directive, with the Orwellian name JCS Conplan 0300-97, authorizing the Pentagon to employ special, ultra-secret anti-terrorist military units on American soil for what the author claims are extra-legal missions. In other words, using U.S. soldiers to kill or arrest Americans, acts that have been illegal since the U.S. Civil War. This frightening news comes as Washington is gripped by reborn, Cold-War-style paranoia, ominous threats of war against Iran from the real president, Dick Cheney, and a titanic bureaucratic battle just won by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Instead of being fired for the grotesque military-political fiasco in Iraq and the shameful torture scandals, Rumsfeld has just managed to create a new, Pentagon spy/special ops organization, blandly named Strategic Support Branch, that will replace or duplicate many of the CIA's tasks. The CIA has been sent to the doghouse. Too many CIA veterans criticized or contradicted Bush's and Cheney's phony claims over Iraq and terrorism. So Bush has imposed a new, yes-man director on the agency, slashed its budgets, purged its senior officers, and downgraded CIA to third-class status. Rumsfeld's new, massively funded SSB will become the Pentagon's CIA, complete with commando units, spies, mercenary forces, intelligence gathering and analysis, and a direct line to the White House. The Pentagon has just effectively taken over the spy business ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Wanna see something mindblowing?
http://www.demo.com/demo/demonstrators/2004/video/total.asx Requires WindowsMediaPlayer, but it is well worth it. The subject is augmented reality and is the finest demonstration of a new technology I have personally ever seen. Be prepared to mix superlatives with profanity. I was unprepared to see a display of such technical proficiency. I thought this kind of stuff was years away. From a Blog: Total Immersions has an augmented reality tool called D'Fusion Technology, as demonstrated in the Windows Media (ugh) video-stream (ugh) linked from the page below. It's pretty stunning: real people and objects are captured with video cameras and then three-dimensional virtual objects are seamlessly matted in, so that the demonstrator appears to be holding a bouquet of flowers that turns into a lightsaber, then a helicopter flies over the audience, etc. The gaming applications are pretty rad -- think of EyeToy with about a thousand times more granularity and interaction xponent Virtual Flower Display Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Bill Moyers: There is no tomorrow
At 07:51 PM 06/02/05 -0500, you wrote: In a message dated 2/5/2005 12:50:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: So, this tendency to hold onto known truths no matter how they are called into question by evidence is seen in many forms, not just religious or political. There are many times when the first criterion for accepting evidence is whether or not it supports what one already knows I have here all along but lurking. The social security arguements leave me cold (Bush's plan leaves me colder). I think the thing is that socieites that make faith based rather than fact based decisions are most often in decline. They are old established societies whose members believe that their success is due to the fact that they are instrinsically superior to other groups. (Obviously the Soviet Union is an exception to this generalization). I am looking forward to reading Jarod Diamond's Collapse to see what he has to say on this matter. It's excellent. I think my work in EP and wars is a little ahead of what he writes, but his work is very supportive of mine. Keith Henson ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SSN 711
Damon Agretto wrote: So it wasn't that he had the bad luck to hit an uncharted undersea mountain in an area that was supposed to be charted. Rather, he was going at a reckless speed in uncharted waters? Probably, or at least that's my interpretation. Really a combination of both, though (bad luck in that the sea mound was uncharted, but reckless because he was going 30+kts in an incompletely charted region). But even if it wasn't the captain (say the XO decided to do some high speed drills), the Captain would still be responsible. Even if he wasn't in command, he's still in Command. I'm not sure if anyone's seen the pictures, but they're here: http://www.navy.mil/view_gallery.asp?category_id=17 What's amazing to me is how high the damage goes -- practically all the way to the deck. Dave ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SpamAdaption
Robert G. Seeberger wrote: And that comes right after AOL claimed that spam was going down and that everybody was saying that spammers had given up It seems that spammers have adapted. How can they use the ISP's infrastructure and why can't the ISPs prevent them from doing it? And in case anyone is wondering what the answer is to that last question... it's that the spammers are hijacking computers via malware and exploits and then using the victim's ISPs to send spam. Nick ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SpamAdaption
On Sunday 2005-02-06 22:17, Nick Arnett wrote: Robert G. Seeberger wrote: And that comes right after AOL claimed that spam was going down and that everybody was saying that spammers had given up It seems that spammers have adapted. How can they use the ISP's infrastructure and why can't the ISPs prevent them from doing it? And in case anyone is wondering what the answer is to that last question... it's that the spammers are hijacking computers via malware and exploits and then using the victim's ISPs to send spam. Nick Nick, is this what you are saying? Spammer compromises customer's computer (actually many customers' computers, preferably through a Trojan EULA that makes the whole thing legal). Compromised computers are used to send spam (via their own ISP, naturally). It follows that: -- A careful spammer with many compromised computers can effectively force ISPs to inspect the *contents* of all traffic since NOTHING can trusted. --More aggressive spammers will cause even more headaches for ISPs because the ISP will identify masses of traffic from customers with compromised nodes. The ISP will quarantine compromised accounts. If ISPs quarantine an account repeatedly, then customers will get upset and move. If they do not quarantine compromised accounts, the ISP itself will start to get quarantined by other ISPs.. I really do not get that angry with spammers. They are just rational entrepreneurs. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: NASA envisions Mars warmed up for life
Robert G. Seeberger wrote: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002172407_mars06.ht ml http://tinyurl.com/58hnw Global warming may be a scourge on Earth, but injecting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere of Mars might be just the thing to turn the barren planet into a living, breathing world that could support future human colonies, NASA researchers said. And why not? Left Behind-reading, Biblical-literalist eco-terrorists are plotting the demise of Earth in order to force God's hand and bring about the end of days anyway. They need somewhere for La Haye's sick fantasy of suffering for people who don't believe just like him and his kind to take place. God help us. Dave ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: NASA envisions Mars warmed up for life
On Sun, 6 Feb 2005 19:16:34 -0600, Robert G. Seeberger [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Since warming Mars effectively reverts it to its past, more habitable state, this would give any possibly dormant life on Mars the chance to revive and develop further, she said. And for a little extra water we could redirect a large comet so that it collides with Mars. Oh, sorry, is that on topic? -- Doug ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SpamAdaption
Trent Shipley wrote: I really do not get that angry with spammers. They are just rational entrepreneurs. I take from this it that you are some kind of extreme libertarian that rejects both property and privacy. What would you say to the overt act of stealing a speaker truck (with the intention of returning it after using it for your entrepreneurial purposes) and driving around neighborhoods hawking sexual enhancements at all hours? Would that, too, be rational entrepreneurship? Spam -- especially this adaptation -- is theft and harrassment. Dave ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Bill Moyers: There is no tomorrow
From: Deborah Harrell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] snippage What so puzzles me about those who need/demand Absolute Certainty, is that my own faith - while it _can_ be comforting - constantly challenges my personal 'zone of comfort.' Interesting (I think) aside -- those who yert the most loudly about faith are usually the ones trying hardest to find *proof*. Well, it ties into the self-deprecating humor you noted...you know, arrogantly humble and all. ;) serious But, as others have said, there really is a terror of the Unknown, and of uncertainty, that drives the desperate need to proclaim that they have a handle on the Absolute Truth. There was an interesting discussion on 'why we believe' a ways back -- I think Nick hit on most of the reasons for those of us faithful who acknowledge that we don't have scientific proof. And I'll let Dan refer you to his discussion(s) of QM and unprovable science etc. :) I think was unsubbed for part of that debate. Did we conclusively establish that there are things that are not provable, Or did we prove that everything is ultimately provable, if perhaps not quite yet? Andrew ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: SpamAdaption
On Sunday 2005-02-06 23:09, David Land wrote: Trent Shipley wrote: I really do not get that angry with spammers. They are just rational entrepreneurs. I take from this it that you are some kind of extreme libertarian that rejects both property and privacy. It would not be incorrect to label me an extreme libertarian. I do not believe that privacy can be protected by legal means. Like the entrepreneur said, Privacy: it doesn't exist. Get over it. I do not, however, reject property. (For one thing, if I did that would mean I was more of an anarcho-socialist than a libertarian.) What would you say to the overt act of stealing a speaker truck (with the intention of returning it after using it for your entrepreneurial purposes) and driving around neighborhoods hawking sexual enhancements at all hours? Would that, too, be rational entrepreneurship? Assuming that one obtained the truck by legal means (like an obscure clause in the bill of sale or lease), and one could make a profit driving around hawking whatever, then yes, by definition that would be rational entrepreneurship. Spam -- especially this adaptation -- is theft and harrassment. Spam is harassment and might be theft. So what? If someone can make a buck with spam they are going to do it ... and more power to them. Nevertheless, radical libertarianism isn't why I have trouble getting angry at spammers. I have trouble getting angry at my cat for scratching the furniture. I have trouble getting angry at my dog for barking. Likewise, I have trouble getting angry at developers for converting beaches to high rent developments or at spammers for distributing junk mail. It is the nature of the human species, they are greedy. Getting angry with spammers makes as much sense as getting angry with waves or the wind. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
