Irregulars: Solid-state lasers
One of my students asked a question in the middle of class last night that I had no answer for: in the standard red diode laser pointer that you can now buy for chump change just about anywhere, what is the element or compound which produces the light? E.g., in a ruby laser, it is the chromium atoms, and in a He-Ne gas laser the helium is used to pump the neon into the state where it will lase, so what is it in the el-cheapo diode laser, like the one I was using at the time to point to the figure being projected on the wall? Hydroxyl masers in protostars, now that's a subject I can at least make some intelligent comments about . . . -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Irregulars: Solid-state lasers
Ronn!Blankenship wrote: One of my students asked a question in the middle of class last night that I had no answer for: in the standard red diode laser pointer that you can now buy for chump change just about anywhere, what is the element or compound which produces the light? E.g., in a ruby laser, it is the chromium atoms, and in a He-Ne gas laser the helium is used to pump the neon into the state where it will lase, so what is it in the el-cheapo diode laser, like the one I was using at the time to point to the figure being projected on the wall? Hydroxyl masers in protostars, now that's a subject I can at least make some intelligent comments about . . . http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/laserdps.htm#dpslp1 As far as I gathered it uses a diode set up where the output of the light depends directly on the battery capacity. Semi conductors/solid state physics or some such. It's been a long while since I've thought in those realms so I'm not in tune anymore and it all sounds very vaguely familiar but in a aha sort of way. For the life of me I really haven't got a clue anymore. My brain must be shrinking. Sonja GCU: Internet, you gotta love it. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
The garden
It's finished. Well as much as gardens can be called finished that is. I simply love it. So much space. Useable space that is. Even had a barbie. It was total bliss. No more muddy paws in my kitchen and already flowers are starting to come out. Planted a small lemon tree and a pear tree, have a black current bush, grape vine and some strawberry plants. Next year will be total fun picking all of that if they survive the winter that is. Even have a corner with all kinds of kitchen herbs in pots. And found that the rosemary is flowering. The cutest purple flowers. Never knew it could do that. I'm impatiently awaiting nice warm dry weather to sit outside and enjoy garden life. We've only had two really nice days since the garden was done and I used those for planting all the refugees from the old ...ehum... garden. And now it's staying wet, cold and windy. Maybe just as well. At least the grass is happy. Sonja :o) GCU: Weather on demand ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Irregulars: Solid-state lasers
On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 02:53:58AM -0500, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: One of my students asked a question in the middle of class last night that I had no answer for: in the standard red diode laser pointer that you can now buy for chump change just about anywhere, what is the element or compound which produces the light? E.g., in a ruby laser, it is the chromium atoms, and in a He-Ne gas laser the helium is used to pump the neon into the state where it will lase, so what is it in the el-cheapo diode laser, like the one I was using at the time to point to the figure being projected on the wall? Hydroxyl masers in protostars, now that's a subject I can at least make some intelligent comments about . . . The cheap ones are AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well laser diodes (they usually have a few QW's in the gain region, and a stepped or graded AlGaAs region for optical confinement). -- Erik Reuter http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
David Frum on the Woodward Allegations
I'm always a fan of let's think about who's leaking this story analysis of news coverage, and David Frum* has one which I don't necessarily beleive, but is nevertheless thought-provoking: http://www.nationalreview.com/frum/diary041904.asp APR. 19, 2004: CONSPIRACY THEORY After 24 hours, its agreed that the biggest news to emerge from Bob Woodwards book is the allegation that the Saudis promised to manipulate the price of oil to help President Bushs re-election. John Kerry had this to say yesterday in Florida: If what Bob Woodward reports is true that gas supplies and prices in America are tied to the American election, then tied to a secret White House deal that is outrageous and unacceptable. But is it true? Ask yourself this: Who could have been Woodwards source for this claim? Only one person: the canny Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States and a frequent purveyor of titillating items to selected journalists. Next question: If such a deal existed, what motive could Prince Bandar have for revealing it? The revelation could only hurt Bush, the candidate Bandar was allegedly trying to help. Logical next thought: If, however, Bandar wanted to hurt Bush, then the revelation makes a great deal of sense. But why would Bandar want to hurt Bush? Dont a hundred conspiracy books tell us that the Bush family are thralls of Saudi oil money? Perhaps the Saudis dont think so. Perhaps they see President Bushs Middle East policy as a threat to their dominance and even survival. What could after all be a worse nightmare for Saudi Arabia than a Western-oriented, pluralistic Iraq pumping all the oil it can sell? In other words, if what Bob Woodward reports is true, then the Saudis are meddling to defeat Bush, not elect him. * - David Frum is a former Bush speech-writer. He claims credit for the axis of evil line, for example. Thus, his own biases certainly need to be considered also ___ 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
Re: Irregulars: Solid-state lasers
On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 05:49:32AM -0400, Erik Reuter wrote: The cheap ones are AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well laser diodes (they usually have a few QW's in the gain region, and a stepped or graded AlGaAs region for optical confinement). Actually, that should be AlGaInP for the visible red ones. The AlGaAs/GaAs ones I mentioned are actually NIR (used for CD players). Here are some nice pictures: http://www.photonic-products.com/techinfo/sanyo_tech/sanyo_databook.pdf -- Erik Reuter http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Alternate History
--- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think he means Kerry. Massachusetts is the giveaway. I'm wondering how he got Munster. Unless it's a reference to some TV show however long ago? Please fill us in, Mike! Julia It's from the Adams family, right? It's _really_ apt, come to think of it. I hadn't seen it before. I always liked Mickey Kaus's description of him as an animatronic Lincoln, but that one's priceless as well. Perhaps engaging in the plain man's resentment of a genuinely good-looking one here, but I would say that Kerry gave me the impression for years - long before he was the nominee - that his aides flipped a hatch at the back of his head open and adjusted him with a screwdriver every night :-) = Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] Freedom is not free http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: laundry
At 07:37 PM 4/18/2004 -0400 Kevin Tarr wrote: Tried this over on the subservient list, but got no response. Any help here? I'm a clueless bachelor. On a few TV shows, Seinfeld FEX, they drop off a mesh laundry bag at the laundry/dry cleaner. What exactly is going on? Is it just dry clean clothes, regular wash clothes or a mix? If one type, do they stay in the bag when they are washed and dried? My local laudromat offers a wash, dry, and fold service, paid by the pound.I suspect that is what is being depicted here. JDG - Who has never paid anyone to do his laundary. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: World's greatest fantasy writer?
At 03:46 PM 4/14/2004 -0400 Thomas Beck wrote: William Safire is going to be the last human being (possibly the last carbon-based lifeform) to recognize, or at least to admit, that the USA is getting bogged down in a nightmare in Iraq that is not going to end early or well (certainly not both). I guess that makes two of us JDG - Nightmares aren't this successful, Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Non-hostile gunshot wound?
At 09:10 PM 4/11/2004 -0400 John Garcia wrote: I wonder how many were suicides. There have been some 21 suicides in units stationed in Iraq over the past year. Which with what, @150,000 troops in Iraq would be 0.014%.Is that close to the US population average? JDG ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Alternate History
At 01:17 PM 4/14/2004 -0700 Trent Shipley wrote: As an American I would gladly trade the lives of 1000 Iraqi infants for the life of 1 American soldier. As an American, I find your viewpoint to be highly offensive. Not that you don't have a right to it - just that it requires a level of racism, inhumanity - I can't find the word for it - which is utterly shocking to me. JDG ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
unguarded Iraqi nuclear facilities
According to a report from the Associated Press on 2004 Apr 15: UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Some Iraqi nuclear facilities appear to be unguarded, and radioactive materials are being taken out of the country, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency reported after reviewing satellite images and equipment that has turned up in European scrapyards. ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3981804,00.html Does anyone know more about this? If true, this means that terrorists in Iraq have or had relatively easy access to materials for building a `radiological' or `dirty' bomb. Do you think we going to see consequences like that described in Heinlein's science fiction of the early 1940s called `Solution Unsatisfactory'? -- Robert J. Chassell Rattlesnake Enterprises As I slowly update it, [EMAIL PROTECTED] I rewrite a What's New segment for http://www.rattlesnake.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Fwd: [Larryniven-l] ALERT: The LATEST of SCAMS
Subject: [Larryniven-l] ALERT: The LATEST of SCAMS Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 02:23:10 -0700 From: Frank Gasperik [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: The Larry Niven Mailing List [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This one is good for a real laugh! From THE REGISTER I suppose it had to happen some day. Frank G. Cosmic 419er lost in space By Lester Haines Published Friday 16th April 2004 14:51 GMT For aficionados of the advance fee fraud email genre, we have a truly delicious 419 solicitation to brighten your Friday. Just when you thought you'd heard it all, try the one about the Nigerian astronaut stuck on Soyuz: Subject: Nigerian Astronaut Wants To Come Home Dr. Bakare Tunde Astronautics Project Manager National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) Plot 555 Misau Street PMB 437 Garki, Abuja, FCT NIGERIA Dear Mr. Sir, REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE-STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home. In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association. If we can obtain access to this money, we can place a down payment with the Russian Space Authorities for a Soyuz return flight to bring him back to Earth. I am told this will cost $ 3,000,000 American Dollars. In order to access the his trust fund we need your assistance. Consequently, my colleagues and I are willing to transfer the total amount to your account or subsequent disbursement, since we as civil servants are prohibited by the Code of Conduct Bureau (Civil Service Laws) from opening and/ or operating foreign accounts in our names. Needless to say, the trust reposed on you at this juncture is enormous. In return, we have agreed to offer you 20 percent of the transferred sum, while 10 percent shall be set aside for incidental expenses (internal and external) between the parties in the course of the transaction. You will be mandated to remit the balance 70 percent to other accounts in due course. Kindly expedite action as we are behind schedule to enable us include downpayment in this financial quarter. Please acknowledge the receipt of this message via my direct number 234 (0) 9-234-2220 only. Yours Sincerely, Dr. Bakare Tunde Astronautics Project Manager [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.nasrda.gov.ng/ __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages .. http://www.brin-l.org Science Fiction-themed online store . http://www.sloan3d.com/store Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Non-hostile gunshot wound?
On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 09:38:36AM -0400, JDG wrote: Which with what, @150,000 troops in Iraq would be 0.014%.Is that close to the US population average? About 12 deaths per 100,000 people per year is the US death rate for suicides. That is 0.012% per year. Close. -- Erik Reuter http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Non-hostile gunshot wound?
--- JDG [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: At 09:10 PM 4/11/2004 -0400 John Garcia wrote: I wonder how many were suicides. There have been some 21 suicides in units stationed in Iraq over the past year. Which with what, @150,000 troops in Iraq would be 0.014%.Is that close to the US population average? JDG I believe it is slightly above the overall US population average and slightly below the rate for men 18-25, who make up the majority of US soldiers stationed in the region. I believe that there is some evidence that the easy availability of lethal instruments (guns, prescription drugs) makes suicide more likely, which would suggest that being deployed to Iraq may actually _cut_ the suicide rate. I wouldn't swear to it, but I believe the suicide rate among American soldiers in Iraq is lower than that currently in the German army. = Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] Freedom is not free http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: unguarded Iraqi nuclear facilities
--- Robert J. Chassell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Does anyone know more about this? If true, this means that terrorists in Iraq have or had relatively easy access to materials for building a `radiological' or `dirty' bomb. Everyone willing to spend a few million bucks buying _smoke detectors_ has the capacity to build a dirty bomb - it is, worryingly, not all that hard. = Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] Freedom is not free http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Alternate History
Gautam Mukunda wrote, on the Massachusetts Munster: It's from the Adams family, right? Nope, it's actually from a very similar series that ran at the same time (1964-6 according to IMDB) called The Munsters. Like the Addams, the Munsters freaked out ordinary people every week. Unlike most of the the Addams, the Munsters actually looked like monsters, including a Frankenstein's monster dad, a bride-of- Frankenstein/vampire mom, a vampire grampa, a werewolf son, and the joke: a generically beautiful blonde daughter who the others think is plain. Since the Addams Family started out in cartoons before the TV show, I would imagine that The Munsters are a rip-off of them. __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages .. http://www.brin-l.org Science Fiction-themed online store . http://www.sloan3d.com/store Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Alternate History
On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 10:19:16AM -0500, Steve Sloan II wrote: Unlike most of the the Addams, the Munsters actually looked like monsters, including a Frankenstein's monster dad, a bride-of- Frankenstein/vampire mom, a vampire grampa, a werewolf son, and the joke: a generically beautiful blonde daughter who the others think is plain. Since the Addams Family started out in cartoons Don't forget the family pet, a fire-breathing something living under the stairs (did they call it Spot?) -- Erik Reuter http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
It's not that he's anti-war, it's that he's on the other side...
Michael Moore writes a letter to his fans: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php My favorite quote: The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not insurgents or terrorists or The Enemy. They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win. Or maybe this one: I'm sorry, but the majority of Americans supported this war once it began and, sadly, that majority must now sacrifice their children until enough blood has been let that maybe -- just maybe -- God and the Iraqi people will forgive us in the end. In all seriousness, I think the subject line is apt. Michael Moore is an enormously influential multi-millionaire whose work is seen around the world. He is the single most prominent and influential spokesman of the so-called anti-war left now that Howard Dean has self-destructed. And it's not that he's opposed to the war. It's that he's on the other side. = Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] Freedom is not free http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Moderate iron deficiency affects cognitive performance -- Study
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-04/foas-mid040404.php Moderate iron deficiency affects cognitive performance - but iron supplementation improves it Young women who took iron supplementation for 16 weeks significantly improved their attention, short-term and long-term memory, and their performance on cognitive tasks, even though many were not considered to be anemic when the study began, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University. The study, the first to systematically examine the impact of iron supplementation on cognitive functioning in women aged 18 to 35 (average age 21), was presented at Experimental Biology 2004, in the American Society of Nutritional Sciences' scientific program. Dr. Laura Murray-Kolb, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. John Beard, says the study shows that even modest levels of iron deficiency have a negative impact on cognitive functioning in young women. She says the study also is the first to demonstrate how iron supplementation can reverse this impact in this age group. Baseline cognition testing, looking at memory, stimulus encoding, retrieval, and other measures of cognition, was performed on 149 women who classified as either iron sufficient, iron deficient but not anemic, or anemic. All of the women underwent a health history, and the research design controlled or took into account any differences in smoking, social status, grade point average, and other measures. The women were then given either 60 mg. iron supplementation (elemental iron) or placebo treatment for four months. At the end of that period, the 113 women remaining in the study took the same task again. On the baseline test, women who were iron deficient but not anemic completed the tasks in the same amount of time as iron sufficient women of the same age, but they performed significantly worse. Women who were anemia also performed significantly worse, but in addition they took longer. The more anemic a woman was, the longer it took her to complete the tasks. However, supplementation and the subsequent increase in iron stores markedly improved cognition scores (memory, attention, and learning tasks) and time to complete the task. This finding has great implications, says Dr. Murray-Kolb, because the prevalence of iron deficiency remains at 9 percent to 11 percent for women of reproductive age and 25 percent for pregnant women. In non-industrialized countries, the prevalence of anemia is over 40 percent in non-pregnant women and over 50 percent for pregnant women and for children aged five to 14. According to current prevalence estimates, iron deficiency affects the lives of more than two billion people worldwide. The findings also are important, say the researchers, because they illustrate the significance of lower amounts of iron deficiency on cognitive functioning, including memory, attention, learning tasks, and time to complete studies. Some of the known consequences of iron deficiency are reduced physical endurance, an impaired immune response, temperature regulation difficulties, changes in energy metabolism, and in children, a decrease in cognitive performance as well as negative affects on behavior. While iron deficiency was once presumed to exert most of its deleterious effects only if it had reached the level of anemia, it has more recently become recognized that many organs show negative changes in functioning before there is any drop in iron hemoglobin concentration. Authors of the study are Dr. Murray-Kolb, Dr. Beard, both of the Nutritional Sciences Department at Penn State, and Dr. Keith Whitfield, of Penn State's Biobehavioral Health Department. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: unguarded Iraqi nuclear facilities
-- From: Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- Robert J. Chassell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Does anyone know more about this? If true, this means that terrorists in Iraq have or had relatively easy access to materials for building a `radiological' or `dirty' bomb. Everyone willing to spend a few million bucks buying _smoke detectors_ has the capacity to build a dirty bomb - it is, worryingly, not all that hard. --- Perhaps, but why spend all that money when the Shrub administration will let you steal copious amounts of nuclear material from Iraq for free? One has to wonder if things like this is not just sheer incompetence on the part of the Shrub-Clown show, but are parts of a right-wing strategy to let terrorist have nuclear materials. Indeed, the leaders of the GOP (all Dominionists to a man) would like nothing better than to declare martial law, suspend elections, and set up concentration/reeducation camps. A major dirty-bomb terrorist attack fits in very nicely with their Dominionist plans. As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities. - Voltaire ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: It's not that he's anti-war, it's that he's on the other side...
Heh. I've always thought Michael Moore was a self-important blowhard. Now I'm sure of it. Damon. = Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Low cal for long life?
I won't be trying this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4783035/ -- Tom Beck my LiveJournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tomfodw/ I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never thought I'd see the last. - Dr. Jerry Pournelle -- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Battlestar Galactica starts production
Galactica Launches SCI FI Channel's upcoming original series Battlestar Galactica begins production this week in Vancouver, B.C., the network announced. Based on the December 2003 miniseries that became the most-watched cable miniseries of the year, Galactica returns to SCI FI Channel as a one- hour weekly drama in early 2005. Richard Hatch, who starred as Apollo in the original 1970s Battlestar Galactica TV series, will make a special guest appearance in an early episode of the new show, playing a Nelson Mandela-like figure, Peter Zarek. Having spent the last 20 years in jail for inciting civil unrest against the government of the 12 Colonies of Kobol, Zarek and his followers riot against the leadership of the ragtag fleet, taking over the vessel on which they are being held and creating a hostage situation, which Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) must resolve. The show reunites miniseries stars Olmos, McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck) and Tricia Helfer (Number Six) with the rest of the Galactica cast. The series is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Michael Rymer, who directed the four-hour mini, returns to direct the series' premiere episode. -- Tom Beck my LiveJournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tomfodw/ I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never thought I'd see the last. - Dr. Jerry Pournelle -- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Battlestar Galactica starts production
In a message dated 4/20/2004 12:55:14 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The series is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore That's all I need to know. Constantly, I had discovered that what I considered to be the best Star Trek episodes were his. William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
ID Cards, Election Stealing, and Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0404.html National ID Cards As a security technologist, I regularly encounter people who say the United States should adopt a national ID card. How could such a program not make us more secure, they ask? The suggestion, when it's made by a thoughtful civic-minded person like Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times, often takes on a tone that is regretful and ambivalent: Yes, indeed, the card would be a minor invasion of our privacy, and undoubtedly it would add to the growing list of interruptions and delays we encounter every day; but we live in dangerous times, we live in a new world It all sounds so reasonable, but there's a lot to disagree with in such an attitude. The potential privacy encroachments of an ID card system are far from minor. And the interruptions and delays caused by incessant ID checks could easily proliferate into a persistent traffic jam in office lobbies and airports and hospital waiting rooms and shopping malls. But my primary objection isn't the totalitarian potential of national IDs, nor the likelihood that they'll create a whole immense new class of social and economic dislocations. Nor is it the opportunities they will create for colossal boondoggles by government contractors. My objection to the national ID card, at least for the purposes of this essay, is much simpler. It won't work. It won't make us more secure. In fact, everything I've learned about security over the last 20 years tells me that once it is put in place, a national ID card program will actually make us less secure. My argument may not be obvious, but it's not hard to follow, either. It centers around the notion that security must be evaluated not based on how it works, but on how it fails. It doesn't really matter how well an ID card works when used by the hundreds of millions of honest people that would carry it. What matters is how the system might fail when used by someone intent on subverting that system: how it fails naturally, how it can be made to fail, and how failures might be exploited. The first problem is the card itself. No matter how unforgeable we make it, it will be forged. And even worse, people will get legitimate cards in fraudulent names. Two of the 9/11 terrorists had valid Virginia driver's licenses in fake names. And even if we could guarantee that everyone who issued national ID cards couldn't be bribed, initial cardholder identity would be determined by other identity documents... all of which would be easier to forge. Not that there would ever be such thing as a single ID card. Currently about 20 percent of all identity documents are lost per year. An entirely separate security system would have to be developed for people who lost their card, a system that itself is capable of abuse. Additionally, any ID system involves people... people who regularly make mistakes. We all have stories of bartenders falling for obviously fake IDs, or sloppy ID checks at airports and government buildings. It's not simply a matter of training; checking IDs is a mind-numbingly boring task, one that is guaranteed to have failures. Biometrics such as thumbprints show some promise here, but bring with them their own set of exploitable failure modes. But the main problem with any ID system is that it requires the existence of a database. In this case it would have to be an immense database of private and sensitive information on every American -- one widely and instantaneously accessible from airline check-in stations, police cars, schools, and so on. The security risks are enormous. Such a database would be a kludge of existing databases; databases that are incompatible, full of erroneous data, and unreliable. As computer scientists, we do not know how to keep a database of this magnitude secure, whether from outside hackers or the thousands of insiders authorized to access it. And when the inevitable worms, viruses, or random failures happen and the database goes down, what then? Is America supposed to shut down until it's restored? Proponents of national ID cards want us to assume all these problems, and the tens of billions of dollars such a system would cost -- for what? For the promise of being able to identify someone? What good would it have been to know the names of Timothy McVeigh, the Unabomber, or the DC snipers before they were arrested? Palestinian suicide bombers generally have no history of terrorism. The goal is here is to know someone's intentions, and their identity has very little to do with that. And there are security benefits in having a variety of different ID documents. A single national ID is an exceedingly valuable document, and accordingly there's greater incentive to forge it. There is more security in alert guards paying attention to subtle social cues than bored minimum-wage guards blindly checking IDs. That's why, when someone asks me to rate the security of a national ID card on a scale of one to
Re: David Frum on the Woodward Allegations
Not that I necessarily agree with it, but I thought I'd post this rejoinder. I'm always a fan of let's think about who's leaking this story analysis of news coverage, and David Frum* has one which I don't necessarily beleive, but is nevertheless thought-provoking: http://www.nationalreview.com/frum/diary041904.asp APR. 19, 2004: CONSPIRACY THEORY After 24 hours, its agreed that the biggest news to emerge from Bob Woodwards book is the allegation that the Saudis promised to manipulate the price of oil to help President Bushs re-election. John Kerry had this to say yesterday in Florida: If what Bob Woodward reports is true that gas supplies and prices in America are tied to the American election, then tied to a secret White House deal that is outrageous and unacceptable. But is it true? Ask yourself this: Who could have been Woodwards source for this claim? Only one person: the canny Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabias ambassador to the United States and a frequent purveyor of titillating items to selected journalists. Next question: If such a deal existed, what motive could Prince Bandar have for revealing it? The revelation could only hurt Bush, the candidate Bandar was allegedly trying to help. Logical next thought: If, however, Bandar wanted to hurt Bush, then the revelation makes a great deal of sense. But why would Bandar want to hurt Bush? Dont a hundred conspiracy books tell us that the Bush family are thralls of Saudi oil money? Perhaps the Saudis dont think so. Perhaps they see President Bushs Middle East policy as a threat to their dominance and even survival. What could after all be a worse nightmare for Saudi Arabia than a Western-oriented, pluralistic Iraq pumping all the oil it can sell? In other words, if what Bob Woodward reports is true, then the Saudis are meddling to defeat Bush, not elect him. A response to this from Tapped (http://www.prospect.org/weblog/): FRUM'S JUJITSU. One of the great mysteries of recent years is how the Bush administration's strongest backers managed also to be fierce critics of Saudi Arabia, a country whose close ties to the President are the stuff of legend. Bob Woodward's allegation in Plan of Attack that the administration struck a deal with Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar to keep oil prices high and then drop them just in time for the 2004 election threatened to take cognitive dissonance to new heights. There are a number of ways in which this story reflects very poorly on the president, but the clear implication that the Saudi government wants to see Bush re-elected should certainly cause a neoconservative or two to re-think his attitude toward the administration. David Frum, author of the fiercely anti-Saudi An End to Evil, but also a former member of the administration, is having none of it: Ask yourself this: Who could have been Woodward's source for this claim? Only one person: the canny Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States and a frequent purveyor of titillating items to selected journalists. Next question: If such a deal existed, what motive could Prince Bandar have for revealing it? The revelation could only hurt Bush, the candidate Bandar was allegedly trying to help. Logical next thought: If, however, Bandar wanted to hurt Bush, then the revelation makes a great deal of sense. But why would Bandar want to hurt Bush? Don't a hundred conspiracy books tell us that the Bush family are thralls of Saudi oil money? Perhaps the Saudis don't think so. Perhaps they see President Bush's Middle East policy as a threat to their dominance and even survival. What could after all be a worse nightmare for Saudi Arabia than a Western-oriented, pluralistic Iraq pumping all the oil it can sell? In other words, if what Bob Woodward reports is true, then the Saudis are meddling to defeat Bush, not elect him. Cheney's razor -- a philosophical rule that the most complex explanation of an unknown phenomenon is probably correct -- rears its ugly head once again! This could be right, but it's a mighty big stretch. Given the decades-long closeness between the Bush family and the House of Saud and the President's very kind treatment of Saudi Arabia throughout his first term in office -- it makes a lot more sense to assume that things here are exactly as they appear: Bandar was trying to help Bush because Bandar likes Bush. One also has to question the premise that the second Gulf War has created some kind of nightmare for the Saudi government. Saddam Hussein posed no direct threat to the United States, but he was a threat to Saudi Arabia and there's no reason whatsoever to think that, as Frum implies, Iraq is going to bust-up the OPEC cartel. Certainly the new geopolitical configuration in the Middle East creates an opportunity for America to put some distance between ourselves and the Saudis, but that's only going to be meaningful if
Re: Alternate History
- Original Message - From: Richard Baker [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 2:51 PM Subject: Re: Alternate History Dan M said: Are you arguing that one American life is worth more than 10, 100, 1000, 10,000 lives in Iraq? Isn't the job of the US government to govern the US and the job of the US military to defend the US's interests? In which case, wouldn't it be a reasonable position for the US government to behave as if American lives are worth more than Iraqi lives? And, if not, why aren't American tax dollars all being spent where they can do most good regardless of whether those who benefit are American or not? I've thought about the best way to answer that for a bit, and I think I'll go with the family metaphor. I don't think that my children are more important than, say, Julia's. I recognize her love for her children is akin to my own. I don't think Teri is more important than Dan; I recognize that his role in Julia's life can be every bit as important as Teri's in mine. But, I also realize that I have special responsibilities toward my children. I don't worry about the twins getting sick; I worry about Ted's grades. Although we are our brother's and sister's keepers, that doesn't mean we don't have different responsibilities towards different people. The same is true with the life of people in foreign countries. The US government is responsible to the people of the US. Its primary responsibility is to look after their interests and to help take care of their responsibilities. So, IMHO, it must take into account the value of the lives of all people in the world because that is part of the responsibility of the people of the United States. Dan M. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Low cal for long life?
On 20 Apr 2004, at 8:42 pm, Thomas Beck wrote: I won't be trying this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4783035/ So I just need to work out how to combine that with Atkins and I could live forever! -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ Misuse of IMPs leads to strange, difficult-to-diagnose bugs. - Anguish et al. Cocoa Programming ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Low cal for long life?
So I just need to work out how to combine that with Atkins and I could live forever! Reminds me of the old joke, Wanna live longer? Give up rich food, alcohol, desserts, sex, and fun. You won't live longer, it'll just FEEL longer. -- Tom Beck my LiveJournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tomfodw/ I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never thought I'd see the last. - Dr. Jerry Pournelle -- ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Low cal for long life?
Jeez, they said one guy went from 3000 Kcal to 1900 Kcal for this diet. Is that all??? Lessee...what could I cut from my diet to reach thatoh yeah...soda... Damon. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Low cal for long life?
I wonder if their might be a built in mechanism in the body something like a metabolic clock ticking along. You only get X ticks of the metabolic clock. If you slow your metabolism down, your metabolic clock ticks more slowly and you live longer (all on average, of course). -- Erik Reuter http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
911 days between attacks
I read the headline on one of the trash rag papers and was skeptical. It read that there were exactly 911 days between the Sept 11 2001 attacks and the recent attack in Madrid. I searched for a duration calculator online, and depending on what time of day you enter, and accounting for a leap year, it is in fact, 911 days between the attacks. Interesting. There seems to be a clue there but I can't put my finger on it. Perhaps some significance of the number 911 (or some derivative of it) in the Muslim religion? Just some curiosity after a long drive home today. Gary ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: unguarded Iraqi nuclear facilities
- Original Message - From: Gautam Mukunda [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 9:48 AM Subject: Re: unguarded Iraqi nuclear facilities --- Robert J. Chassell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Does anyone know more about this? If true, this means that terrorists in Iraq have or had relatively easy access to materials for building a `radiological' or `dirty' bomb. Everyone willing to spend a few million bucks buying _smoke detectors_ has the capacity to build a dirty bomb - it is, worryingly, not all that hard. What exactly do you mean about it being easy? The amount of Americium in a smoke detector is quite small. (Though there was more in older detectors.) And acquiring enough to make a practical dirty bomb would require an ungodly number of manual labor man hours. The same amount of money would likely be spent more effectively on the black market, where you can get anything you want because the black market is capitalism unleashed.G xponent Rob A Hospital Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Alternate History
- Original Message - From: Dan Minette [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 5:48 PM Subject: Re: Alternate History But, I also realize that I have special responsibilities toward my children. I don't worry about the twins getting sick; I worry about Ted's grades. Although we are our brother's and sister's keepers, that doesn't mean we don't have different responsibilities towards different people. The same is true with the life of people in foreign countries. The US government is responsible to the people of the US. Its primary responsibility is to look after their interests and to help take care of their responsibilities. So, IMHO, it must take into account the value of the lives of all people in the world because that is part of the responsibility of the people of the United States. That is exactly the kind of thinking that got President Teddy Dorfman Blake and her mother 86ed out of this reality. xponent Subject Line Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Interesting
I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 xponent Like Pictures Of Ghosts And UFOs Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 Not only that, but if you analyse the Bible Code, selecting every 2nd letter of every 3rd word, the Book of Revelations clearly says Bush Conspiracy Nine-Eleven Fuzzy Bunny Slippers. Do we NEED any more evidence??? Damon. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
Robert Seeberger wrote: I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 It's the shadow of the right engine nacelle. Wackos... sheesh. Nick -- Nick Arnett Director, Business Intelligence Services LiveWorld Inc. Phone/fax: (408) 551-0427 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
-- From: Robert Seeberger [EMAIL PROTECTED] I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 --- This is a conspiracy theory thats been going around for years. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
- Original Message - From: Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 8:33 PM Subject: Re: Interesting I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 Not only that, but if you analyse the Bible Code, selecting every 2nd letter of every 3rd word, the Book of Revelations clearly says Bush Conspiracy Nine-Eleven Fuzzy Bunny Slippers. Do we NEED any more evidence??? LOL! I have no problem seeing the site as fringe weirdness. That's what it is. But I find 2 things about the site that unnerve me. I can't explain away *all* of the claims. Those pictures of the extra pod under the plane are something I have no ready explanation for. Unless someone has gone to the trouble of doctoring images from every recorded version of the disaster (quite possible, but in itself quite weird) just to support a conspiracy industry on the net (which I think we all agree *does* exist), then there is something to these claims. I can't figure what that something might be though. The other thing that gives me goosebumps is that I keep hearing these same kinds of theories on the radio (albeit from a less than reputable source, namely Pacifica Radio). This stuff just gives me the creeps, kinda like a good scary horror novel or a alternate timeline story where reality has gone bad can make you feel like the very worst thing imaginable is waiting for you just around the corner. I think that is why this kind of stuff spooks me. Most of us (I imagine) like to think that our government is basically OK and that at the worst we only have to wait for a change of administrations for things to improve to our liking. Probably most of us feel like we have a healthy and rational balance of trust/mistrust for the machinery of government that works behind the scenes doing things we never have to consciously consider. So sometimes after reading one of these websites, and listening to talk radio, and reading some of The Fools posts, I'll think about what it would be like if the rug of reality were suddenly jerked from under our feet. Conspiracy theories are a form of guilty pleasure, but they are made almost plausible by some of the dirty deeds that are known for certain to have been perpetrated by our government. (Medical experiments on the retarded or unwary Frex) Another part of the fun is playing the skeptic after enjoying playing with the scary idea. But I greatly prefer being able to ferret out some explanation that resembles rationality, but with this kind of stuff I'm not connecting the dots to my own satisfaction. xponent It Was A Dark And Stormy Night Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
- Original Message - From: Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 9:07 PM Subject: Re: Interesting Robert Seeberger wrote: I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 It's the shadow of the right engine nacelle. Wackos... sheesh. Sure about that? Did you look at the collage? It's in the same place in every picture and I've never known for shadows to cast shadows. I'm not a believer, but it just looks weird to me. xponent Read The Whole Page For More Creepy Fun Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
-- From: Robert Seeberger [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Robert Seeberger wrote: I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 It's the shadow of the right engine nacelle. Wackos... sheesh. Sure about that? Did you look at the collage? It's in the same place in every picture and I've never known for shadows to cast shadows. I'm not a believer, but it just looks weird to me. -- Why would they need to have a 'missile pod' on the airplane. If it was a conspiracy like the site alleges, then why not just fill the whole plane with some kind of explosives? And why is that even necessary as the site also alleges that the towers were blown up from the inside by controlled explosives. It doesn't make sense. At. All. -- A lunatic is easily recognized. He is a moron who doesn't know the ropes. The moron proves his thesis; he has a logic, however twisted it may be. The lunatic, on the other hand, doesn't concern himself at all with logic; he works by short circuits. For him, everything proves everything else. The lunatic is all idee fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars. -quote ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: This time I won't blame Bush
Mike Lee wrote: What about workers who put profit over their own lives? Huh? Your assumption is that employers are adults and employees are stupid children unable or unwilling to look out for their own best interests. There may be cases where hidden hazards cannot be perceived by employees, but these are the exception, not the rule. Employees have a responsibility to refuse to work in conditions they deem too dangerous. When they ignore dangers, then they are putting their own profit over their own lives. -Mike That's a great laissez-faire argument, which I might even accept if unemployment were sufficiently low that it was clear that employees had some other options. The present situation is like musical chairs, with jobs as the chairs. Some poor sap is going to get stuck with a job that is more dangerous than it needs to be. When the market messes up, and people start dying from risks they did not have a chance to freely accept, then Government SHOULD intervene. ---David Overly simplistic economic theory, Maru? I think the safety people on the list will speak to this better than I will, but there are abuses and checks/balances well between some of the extremes. The government does intervene when someone dies (in a big way from what I remember hearing years ago). Part of the industry monitoring I do relates to the OSHA website. I wish I could find the announcement (might be from Jan/Feb time frame) where OSHA sends out warnings to thousands of industries with problematic rates, etc. but instead- base website is www.osha.gove more at- http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES; p_id=10786 In all fairness I do see people effectively trade in their bodies for hard/heavy jobs that pay well and then accustom their lifestyle to the overtime pay, etc... as well as those that live frugally trying to balance life and family (barely). My personal bias is that ergonomic changes to make jobs easier/less prone to injuries is a gimmie on cost recovery in many jobs, but many companies don't make the same decisions. In some ways, with an aging work force, some of the companies who will survive the next several decades may be those that best navigate profits without losing them to injuries/fines. Dee ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
Robert Seeberger wrote: - Original Message - From: Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 9:07 PM Subject: Re: Interesting Robert Seeberger wrote: I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 It's the shadow of the right engine nacelle. Wackos... sheesh. Sure about that? Did you look at the collage? It's in the same place in every picture and I've never known for shadows to cast shadows. Look at pictures from other sources. There are speculars and other visual elements that play together to make it look more 3D than it really is, but I have zero doubt that it's the shadow of the engine nacelle. It's in the right place. -- Nick Arnett Director, Business Intelligence Services LiveWorld Inc. Phone/fax: (408) 551-0427 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
- Original Message - From: The Fool [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 9:48 PM Subject: Re: Interesting -- From: Robert Seeberger [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] Robert Seeberger wrote: I don't know what to make of this. Just plain freaky. http://letsroll911.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3 It's the shadow of the right engine nacelle. Wackos... sheesh. Sure about that? Did you look at the collage? It's in the same place in every picture and I've never known for shadows to cast shadows. I'm not a believer, but it just looks weird to me. -- Why would they need to have a 'missile pod' on the airplane. If it was a conspiracy like the site alleges, then why not just fill the whole plane with some kind of explosives? And why is that even necessary as the site also alleges that the towers were blown up from the inside by controlled explosives. It doesn't make sense. At. All. G I don't think it's a missile pod. But it does look like a structure of some sort. But that doesn't mean there is anything there at all. Nick could be right and its just a trick of the light. Its just weird that it seems to be in the same place in every picture taken seconds apart and from different angles. Actually, I'd like to see if the pod shows up in film or pics from reputable sources, which is what I'm searching for now. xponent Optical Delusions Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
Robert Seeberger wrote: Its just weird that it seems to be in the same place in every picture taken seconds apart and from different angles. Shadows are like that, of course. Nick -- Nick Arnett Director, Business Intelligence Services LiveWorld Inc. Phone/fax: (408) 551-0427 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Low cal for long life?
-- From: Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] I wonder if their might be a built in mechanism in the body something like a metabolic clock ticking along. You only get X ticks of the metabolic clock. If you slow your metabolism down, your metabolic clock ticks more slowly and you live longer (all on average, of course). --- They are called telomeres. They are on the ends of chromosomes. Every time a cell divides they shorten. When they get very short, the cell dies. The probable reason for this is because of cancer (really old cells that have divided a lot are more prone to chromosome damage, and have collected a lot more toxins / chemicals that can't be broken down or eliminated by the cell which will tend to lead to cancer). Also there is a certain amount of redundancy in all your various organs. Over time this redundancy gets used as damage accumulates until organ failure occurs. Also their is a limited supply of adult stem cells that repair damage in various ways. They are limited by telomeres, and when they are used up damage accrues. I posted a link last month that showed a link between adult stem cells and heart disease. So the idea is to not deplete the stores of adult stem cells, and to not cause unnecessary damage to cells from free radicals. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
Personally, what I think is the nail in the coffin is (as the Fool said) it just doesn't make sense... First, why go through the trouble to mount a missile launching pod to a jumbo jet at all, when you can just retrofit an *internal* missile launcher? These aircraft have quite a bit of internal volume, and missiles do not need to have a rail or tube to launch (other than to carry it). Of course, why would you need a missile at all? Especially since the aircraft clearly plowed into the buildings? The spot on the tower they claimed to be an illuminating laser(?) looked more like the windows shattering from the shock cone of an aircraft travelling at 500mph. If you want to find something, you'll find it. I suspect this individual had fantasies of conspiracy theories to begin with, and went out to find the evidence he was looking for to support his theory. Damon. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
- Original Message - From: Nick Arnett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 10:14 PM Subject: Re: Interesting Robert Seeberger wrote: Its just weird that it seems to be in the same place in every picture taken seconds apart and from different angles. Shadows are like that, of course. Sheesh! Have you noticed how many whacko 911 sites there are? Now we know where all the bandwidth went. G xponent Thousands Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Interesting
- Original Message - From: Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 10:26 PM Subject: Re: Interesting Personally, what I think is the nail in the coffin is (as the Fool said) it just doesn't make sense... First, why go through the trouble to mount a missile launching pod to a jumbo jet at all, when you can just retrofit an *internal* missile launcher? These aircraft have quite a bit of internal volume, and missiles do not need to have a rail or tube to launch (other than to carry it). Of course, why would you need a missile at all? Especially since the aircraft clearly plowed into the buildings? The spot on the tower they claimed to be an illuminating laser(?) looked more like the windows shattering from the shock cone of an aircraft travelling at 500mph. If you want to find something, you'll find it. I suspect this individual had fantasies of conspiracy theories to begin with, and went out to find the evidence he was looking for to support his theory. Oh no doubt! I think the best part of the overall CT is the part that concerns the collapse of the buildings. That seems to get a lot of webspace on most of the sites. But then, I suspect they are outsourcing their writers to India and Singapore. G xponent On Crack Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Forwarded SP@M
Actual subject line . . . quote X-Originating-IP: [82.225.61.186] From: Libby Dalton [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Ben Benton [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work: Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 21:58:36 -0400 ...snip... /quote ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Irregulars: Solid-state lasers
At 08:04 AM 4/20/04, Erik Reuter wrote: On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 05:49:32AM -0400, Erik Reuter wrote: The cheap ones are AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well laser diodes (they usually have a few QW's in the gain region, and a stepped or graded AlGaAs region for optical confinement). Actually, that should be AlGaInP for the visible red ones. The AlGaAs/GaAs ones I mentioned are actually NIR (used for CD players). Here are some nice pictures: http://www.photonic-products.com/techinfo/sanyo_tech/sanyo_databook.pdf Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for (although for some reason I am having some trouble getting the web page to come up). -- Ronn! :) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
