In The Future We'll Fly Naked.

Its rough being on the bleeding edge. Especially when you enjoy buying and using electronic devices because they are unknown only to have people searching your person for unknown electronic devices. Imagine the hubub that arose when someone tried to board a plane with the new (and stupid) Nike+iPod implant in their shoe. Remember that some dude had shoes made of bomb, and now you have to run footwear thought the x-ray scanner. I find it funny only cause I don't ever think I'll be persuaded to get this thing. But it got me thinking. We're only going to have more and more wearable or implanted technology in the future. And if things keep progressing, we'll have more and more invasive searches in once public areas. How in the world are these two going to reconcile? Will TSA employees actually be versed in technology or weaponry? Or will they just keep raising alarms when they run across something they've never seen before? Honestly, my outlook is so bleak that I prefer not to even think about it.

• PSA: The TSA is not down with Nike+iPod - Engadget

Secur-umor-pple-ity

Ok, so I'm going to do a security post combined with a small rant against Apple, bisected with a little Australian humor.

I really don't like those commercials with the two guys and one says he's a Mac and the other says he's a PC. Sure it illustrates some of the key differences in a semi-abstract way, but it also misleads consumers into poor assumptions based on incomplete information. Like that one where the PC is sick and the Mac says that he doesn't get sick. Yeah, that's cause there aren't enough of you to make viruses worthwhile, not cause you've got bulletproof security. Its kind of a security through obscurity tact, which isn't really the best policy. So check out this Mac adware proof of concept. The company that produced it says it was actually easier to do than on a PC, someone just had to get around to doing it.

• Techdirt: Even Security Breaches Are Easier On Macs

Next, you know about Trojans. Yeah, they're banana sheaths (huh, I'd never though of that product in the context of slipping something in unnoticed before) , but I mean the kind of computer virus. They ride in disguised as something else, a reference (everyone knows) to the Trojan horse. Watch this clip of an Australian show that decided to see if anyone would still fall for the old Trojan Horse stunt.

• YouTube - Chasers - Trojan Horse

And lastly, back to Mac security. On Tuesday Apple released a patch for 22 security holes in OS X. Yeah, that slick talking young-type person in the commercial didn't say anything about that, did he? And I know that Microsoft is constantly releasing patches (for many more security holes) but what do you think when they do? That's right. "Sure they got these ones, but how many more are still at large?" Well the answer is that there will always be holes wherever people apply themselves. Sure you could be completely secure, but what good is a castle without gates? Sounds like a prison.

So to all you Mac owners out there rubbing your Powerbooks in my face, quit advertising how great Macs are. Your best hope for security is the continued unpopularity of the brand. Remember, just cause no one takes the time to smell your shit, doesn't mean it don't stink.

• AppleInsider | Apple patches 22 security holes in Mac OS X

Dining Room Compost.

Eyes too big for your stomach? Well don't scrape those leavings into the trash. And don't run them down the in-sink-erator. Feed them to your table. A slot in the center leads to a sack filled with worms, bugs and bacteria that are just salivating for some compost. At the bottom is a nozzle that sprinkles out the finished product; sweet rich compost for your house plants. Nevermind what I'm sure must be a gut wrenching stench, man-up and take one for the environment. I'm pretty sure we've got some compost going in my apartment right now. Its just slow going cause the items in question are in the fridge.

Treehugger: Amy Youngs' Digestive Table

This Shit Is Broke... You Wanna Buy It?

Well we had that election, and despite all my pissing and moaning nothing too terrible happened. Either that or the hackers have similar political views to myself. Anyway with all that suffraging out of the way, now states can start deciding what debacles will plague the next set of elections. Take Florida for instance. They lost a bunch of votes and have decided that they need new e-voting equipment. Good observations guys. And how do you go about remidying the situation? Go ask the company that screwed up your last machines for a quote? That's an interesting way to do it. I guess maybe they've learned from their mistakes and have more experience than some other company, but I feel like I wouldn't rehire a babysitter that lost one of my kids.

That's not the funny part though. Florida intends to help pay the $4.1 million replacement cost by selling off its old machines. The old machines that didn't work. The old machines they are so inclined to get rid of after a single use. The old machines that don't actually count votes. The election supervisor even went so far as to list off the places he thinks are dim enough to buy the irregular goods. "Just because there is some controversy over the touch-screen machines here, doesn't mean places like Georgia, Alabama, Washington, D.C., or Michigan won't want them." Hmmm... maybe that's true, but when I'm looking at a used car I usually ask "So how come you're getting rid of it? Oh, because it only has a picture of an engine under the hood... I'll get back to you."

• Techdirt: Florida County Hoping Other States Will Buy Its Broken E-Voting Machines

Don't Hack My Junx. Please.

Google Earth is sweet. It's a standard piece of software using technology that, while once innovative, is becoming very standard in the uses of GIS. Maybe I have a little more experience with this than some people but its not really the software that makes Google Earth noteworthy. Sure, the program combines services into a fairly seamless and performance based output; but its the services that are the godsend. Services are hosted data gathered by content providers. They may include: aerial photography, satellite imagery, ground coverage, elevation, topology, land use, lidar, utilities, roads, boundaries, etc. Getting this data from Tele Atlas or the other publishing companies isn't cheap. That's why the original Google Earth software company, Keyhole, was a subscription based utility.

So when Google started absorbing that cost (obviously supplementing themselves in some other way) it was a great leap towards bringing GIS to the everyman. So when I read the first part of this article about Gaia, an effort to reverse engineer Google Earth to make open development efforts, I was skeptical. Its not really cool to sponge off Google's subscriptions to services just because you want to. They're providing free access to pay-content with a decent application. Reading further down the paragraph, that's what Google told these developers:

they do not own the data, and neither does Google. It is licensed to Google on the restriction that it is not to be accessed or used outside Google's client software.

Yep, that's pretty much the situation. If you guys are interested in 3D GIS you can work on lots of different projects, you just have to get your own content. Check out ArcGIS Explorer from ESRI. Its like Google Earth but you add your own services, or ones that you have legal access to. That's the kind of program you should be interested in releasing to the public; not one with someone else's services hard coded in. ESRI even provides some free services (mostly from Tele Atlas) to get you started.

• Open source Google Earth clone canceled - Download Squad

I Haven't Talked About Web 2.0 In A While.

Some updates from Google Reader, nice little tweaks to improve performance and interface. But the part I really liked was:

When an unread count has changed, it will flash yellow for a split-second to help you find it. This yellow fade made our Web 2.0 meter that we have in our office move up a tick.

They have a web 2.0 meter in the office. Nice. I've tried to estimate the TwoPointOhNess of dailyplacebo, but maybe I need a meter to keep track like the Google Reader team. That way I wouldn't need to worry about a numeric designation, just an area of OhNess. But then I'd have to go and buy a whiteboard... And markers... Maybe even a eraser. Whew, I just talked myself out of it.

• Official Google Reader Blog: We made it (a little bit) better

Calm Down, Its Just English.

A Tax Even The President Can Understand.

Bush visits Estonia, avoids making 'stoned' joke. He was also quite taken with the flat tax they have there, referencing it three times in a few hours. Transparent and simple must really appeal to him. Or maybe that was the one thing from Wikipedia he could remember about Estonia. At least he didn't pull a Das Bus:

'The exports of Libya are numerous in amount. One thing they export is corn, or as the Indians call it, maize. Another famous Indian was Crazy Horse. In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrast. Thank you.'

Of course one has to wonder, why bother taxing the populous when you have no intention of meeting a budget? Can't I keep my taxes and you'll just get the entire federal budget from that magical place that's keeping us afloat now? And then we'll all reduce our dependency on foreign oil by riding rainbows to work.

• News from The Associated Press-Bush Touts Estonia's Flat Income Tax

Coal Diet.

Awesome. They're getting off the coal habit in California. Unfortunately they've still got to use up the coal they have hidden all over the house, under the mattress, the flour canister, the toilet tank. Oh and they get home delivery. And the contract doesn't expire till 2027. But that's OK, it'll give them some time to figure out another option. The first step is the hardest and by not renewing this contract they've gotten the ball rolling.

• Hugg / californian cities do not renew contracts for coal-fired power

Imagine your electricity bill. Now imagine it gone. Now imagine it replaced with a check for two grand. If you're in the Puget Sound area there's a serious opportunity and incentive to produce renewable power thanks to Initiative 937. Large utility companies need to increase renewable energy sources to 15% by 2020. So PSE is outsourcing the task, paying citizens that produce excess clean power for the grid.

• Hugg / Energy company to pay customers for power

Zune To Be Gone.

Yep, that's about right. Dee sent me this link suggesting Doug Morris as an addition to the enemies list. User submitted enemies?!? All in good time, but first lets run through the points of this article about why Zune sucks ass. (besides the name which always makes me think of psychic dukes in the desert. no, I obviously haven't seen it.)

1) Software. The Zune app (the only way to get music onto your Zune) is a huge pain to install and set up. There are all kinds of registration screens and sometimes the installation just plain fails. I have yet to read a review of a smooth installation.
2) Points. The first time I went to ESPN zone I had an ok time. Mostly I was just trying to figure out the point system and how much I was dropping on a particular game. Always be wary of arbitrary monetary schemes. Why is the company making you exchange your money for 'points' of nonsensical value? To disassociate your actions from their real cost. Oh and so they can charge more for certain titles that the music industry tells them to.
3) DRM. Yes Microsoft came up with a DRM scheme. Its called playsforsure. Sounds good, but doesn't really deliver. No the Zune doesn't implement playsforsure. Dogfood not meaty enough for you guys? DRM even taints the one innovation of Zune by engulfing tracks before they're lent to other users (if you can find someone else with a Zune) via WiFi. So even open mp3's get DRMed and expire leaving only an advertisement to buy the track from the Zune store.
4) Music Industry. We all hate the music industry. There was music before them; there will be music after them. Their only purpose is to collect and distribute money to people that have no musical talent. But they get a kickback for every Zune sold, and no doubt will soon have their hand deep within the Zune store exploiting the poor souls who were stupid enough to get locked into it.

And on that industry note, we come to Doug Morris the CEO of Universal Music Group. He says: "These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it. So it's time to get paid for it." Wow. Wowie wow. I'd thought the state of online music sales was pretty good. Apparently not. Well cars are used to move illegal drugs. I guess the pharmaceutical companies should get a chunk of car sales. Not willing to follow me there? Well how about PC's? You don't think PC's are music repositories too? And what if we do pay you a kickback? Does that then legitimize illegal music transfer? You bitches make the iTunes music store look downright reputable.

In summation: Don't buy a Zune. Tell your friends not to buy a Zune. Tell them to tell their friends. And Doug Morris, you're a douche. Chalk him up on the big board...

• CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Andy Ihnatko :: Avoid the loony Zune

Nothing Special Happens When You Get To 1000.

This is seriously not going to become a Wii-blog, and I don't know if I can let myself become a Nintendo fanboy. I was such a die hard Sega camper that the smooth transition to Sony was natural.

However, I was up till 2 last night playing Wii tennis. That noise is just fun. I know I'm not in the best shape of my life, but I guess I'm better off than some of these pudgers. I mean, I don't have to stop playing cause my arms are too sore. That's the complaint from these same folks that were willing to sleep on the street for video games. And Nintendo's response? Drum roll please... 'they may need to exercise more.' Ouch. But I like that answer; customers complain about your new product being hard to use, tell them they suck at life. Its not my fault if you have to take rests in between bites of a sammich.

Gizmondo: Ninten-doughboys

Its Freakin Freezing In Here, Mr Bigglesworth.

Projectile Gaming.

Yeah my roommate got a Wii over the long weekend and I spent way too many hours playing it last night after I got home. I was particularly taken with the Wii sports tennis, which eerily models playing tennis (without all that pesky running around). Never-the-less, I was sweating pretty good from all my serves and cross-court backhands. I wasn't terribly pumped about the Wii-mote before I tried it, but that thing is damn cool. Anyway, I just want to say that you should use the wrist strap. It may seem silly, but trust me, better safe than sorry. I lost my grip on one serve and if not for the strap, that thing would have smashed on the wall behind me. I'm not saying that it would have rocketed through a window, but those buggers get slippery.

• Wiimote launches through window, insurance coverage questionable - Engadget

While You Were Out.

Sorry buddy, I'm gonna have to go away for a while. I know you've come to depend on me a little bit over the last few weeks. But it'll be alright. Your mom is a super lady and I'm sure we'll get back together soon. Sometimes adults just have issues to take care of.

But in all seriousness I don't know how much I'll be able to post from my phone next week, since its such a pain in the ass to type four words on those things. So per usual I'm inviting the Nutts to write up any interestingness they might stumble upon in their blind groping of the Internet. Oh hell, I'll even give you a sneak peek of what its like in my brain. Here's one of my feeds that brings in some of the awesome content you've come to expect. Its a limited time offer, so get all up ons while you can.

Google reader- first run feed

Bush Comprehends Binary Relationships.

"We'll succeed... unless we quit."

That's the kind of wisdom you only get from ruling the world for six years. When asked if our loss in Vietnam held lessons, the potentate replied:

"We tend to want there to be instant success in the world, and the task in Iraq is going to take a while."

Huh, I thought we learned a different lesson in Vietnam.

• BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush reflects on 'Vietnam lesson'

Ocean Motion.

Alright, here's the deal with that survey from yesterday. I was reading an article about sea-mounts being destroyed by over-fishing and got to thinking about oceans. I thought there were five (Because I know there are seven continents and there's two less oceans than continents. Shut-up, that's how I remember things.) but I couldn't really think of the fifth. Antarctic seemed the likely culprit, but that was just an educated guess. Somewhat embarrassed at my lack of very basic oceanographic knowledge I headed over to Wikipedia to slake my interest.

I would have been right if I'd been completing a test on the oceans in middle school. (Probably the last time such material was examined) However in 2000 oceanographers got together and changed Antarctic to Southern. What? They should not be allowed to change facts that were basic knowledge in my primary school education. I mean, sure if I'd been taught a geocentric view, I'd want them to change that; but something like this really makes me question the point to learning all that material. How many tidbits of information do I have stored away that aren't correct anymore, just cause a scientist renamed something?

The worst part about this is that I'm not sure if I knew that Southern was an ocean or not. I read it and it seems familiar, but the more I think about it, the more I'm sure that's just because one of the oceans on Pern was the Southern Ocean. (the others being Eastern, Western and Ring Sea) So I asked a few people and set up that survey to see if anyone else had the same problem. Spectacularly, no one else thought of the Southern Ocean (except for Dee two, who admitted to cheating) and my inferiority complex has been assuaged.

Bonus Story:
Yeah, I know I gave away the first answer in the survey with the second question. I'm fine with that cause the first one wasn't really the point of the exercise, it was just to get you thinking about oceans. It reminds me of a pop-quiz I had in elementary school once.

The teacher said to read the instructions (which was usual) but the first instruction was to read all the questions before beginning. I found that odd and so I did. The second to last question said to not complete the quiz and to put your pencil down and fold your hands. So I sat there shooting looks at the two other kids who had obviously read all the questions trying not to laugh while the rest of the class scribbled away.

In about 4 or 5 minutes the first person started erasing. It was like a rain storm coming across the water; drops building one at a time until all you could hear was erasing and blowing the shavings away. It all culminated when one of the slower kids reached the end and decried loudly "Oh what the HELL?" The entire class burst out laughing and the teacher got to give his little speech on the importance of following directions. I know, I was being subjugated and trained into a mindless drone, but shit, that was funny.

Its Fair Use Till We Say Its Not.

Freaking MPAA. Do they just wake up in the morning trying to think of new ways to be a pain in everyone's ass? After spouting off last week about how they 'understand' and 'champion' fair use, and that its the device manufacturers are the problem, it didn't take long for the entertainment industry to show its true colors.

So you know fair use? Limited legal use of copyrighted material NOT requiring the permission of the rights holder. It boils the MPAA's blood. They'd probably outlaw watching movies with other people if they could. This limited use clearly includes personal backups of purchased material, which the MPAA seems to have reluctantly accepted.

But wait, the battle isn't over. There's something other than the content you paid for on those DVD's in your livingroom. That's right! Its DRM! Digital Rights Management, or in other words a pain in the ass that treats valid consumers like criminals, stripping their digital rights. Couple that together with the DMCA and you have quite the dynamic duo. The DMCA protects the DRM itself, not the copyright that the DRM is supposedly protecting. So now in cases where the copyright does not apply (ie. fair use) but the DRM is still in place, the DMCA makes it illegal to exercise your fair use rights.

How the hell did a piece of legislation like that get passed? That's like having one law that says you can tinker with your car; minor upgrades, change the oil, fill the wiper fluid. But also having another law that makes it illegal to open your own car's hood.

This is just one of the problems the DMCA provides by not requiring more accountability by the rights holders. Doesn't it seem like a piece of legislation that applies such broad powers to a concept should also restrict the instances where that concept is allowed to be implemented; so that the law doesn't overstep its jurisdiction?

If they can't produce a reasonable, well scoped protection system, they shouldn't be allowed to saddle us with one at all. Land mines are really good at preventing unlawful entry. I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to surround my car with them in the Wal-mart parking lot.

• Techdirt: MPAA Sues Firm For Loading Legally Owned DVDs Onto iPods

Corn Fed Exige.

Lotus is hitting the lab hard trying to pump as much power as possible out of their little Exige. This baby gets 264 hp, a laugh in the company of some supercars. But in the Lotus tradition its barebones light and hits 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. Oh, and it runs on bio-ethanol. The workings are mostly the same but the engine's computer has been tweaked to optimize the fuel. The tester says it has more kick at low RPMs, and performs like a dream. I still don't think ethanol is our salvation, but its good to see some high performance shops experimenting with new fuels. And getting better results.

• TechEBlog » Road Test: Lotus Exige 265E

Mac Of The Month.

Yeah, I know I don't write too much about Macs. And its not cause I don't like them, I just don't understand them. Well here's to Mac programs I can't help talking about. They're neat. The first is a program called 'lit' that lets you assign programmatic actions in response to light or motion inputs. Like mouse gestures, system-wide, without the mouse.

• Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide

And the second is for all you iTunes Music Store chumps. You know the best way to strip the DRM out of your files is to burn a CD and then rip it. But the process can be tedious for hundreds of files. Enter DRM Dumpster. It burns to a cd-rw, rips the files back, and then erases and repeats until its all out of DRM to trash. Nice.

• Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide

No, I haven't tried out these programs, and no I'm not going to. All I can say is that from the descriptions they look cool.

Computers Are Getting Scary Useful.

A while ago I was trying to think of how I found things before the Internet. All I could come up with was 'the phone book' or 'ask someone'. Neither of which seem like very good alternatives. Especially now that I can hit Google maps (which remembers my start location and favorite addresses) and type 'hardware store'. In a quarter of a second I have 8,859 results and a map of my house with five locations less than a mile away. I only knew about one of them before. But you knew all that. Searching has been around for a long while and mapping data is taking off too; we're becoming accustomed to it.

Here's the scary useful part for today: call for free. Google has just implemented a feature where you give them your phone number and they call you with the store on the line. Badass right? Hang on, it gets better. The call actually comes from the store's number so you have it in your caller ID for later. I don't care who you are, that's some tricky shit. Next time my roommates and I are arguing over who should call for takeout, the Chinese place might just call one of them.

• Official Google Blog: Click to call in Google Maps

Momentum Through The Apex.

Hottdamn. This write up of a tuned Cayman has me rethinking my pre-pre-pre-pre-order of a speed yellow Carrera. The little guy with a couple tweaks has a better balance, though not more raw power than the $96K model.

Trying to explain to such hair-gelled urbanite that they could buy the small one, trick it out and make it faster than the big one would be like teaching religion to a robot.

But I get it, and I'm all about lighter cars and less money. I don't want to spend more to get less, that's for sure. Honestly the only reason I was all about the Carrera was cause I hated the ass-end of the Boxster. But now the Cayman is like a Boxster with some Carerra ass-love, and I have no reason not to like the mid-engine lightweight. So now I have to get $60,000. But I just saved thirty-six thousand dollars. Half way there, right?

• Hacker's Notebook: Learning from the Tuner Porsche Cayman - Jalopnik

Solidify The Empire.

Check me out. I'm using Google Docs and Spreadsheets to write a blog post. Integration of services much?

This may come perilously close to a post all about how I love Google so much, but I'll try to keep it in perspective. There are so many services out there under the Google name its almost overwhelming. Let me see how many I can name off the top of my head.

gmail
docs and spreadsheets
picasa with picasa web
desktop
domain services
pages
video

Whew, that's quite a few here are the ones I missed that I also have access to:

google/ig
analytics
maps
base
checkout
notebook
calendar (duh)
blogger
browser sync
co-op
personalized search
reader
talk
webmaster tools

Alright, I'll stop listing things off. But those are all user services, like you log-in and have an account. There are still plenty of general services like sets, trends, and scholar. And those are just the ones I know about, there must me a bunch of super-secret ones lurking in the shadows.

I've come to the revelation that I like all this stuff because I'm willing to spend the time to figure it out. I enjoy using them because I do use them. I was trying to use YouTube last night and had a less than superior time with it. Yes, I mean actually uploading videos; contrary to my previous declaration. Mind you, its not that I have an overwhelming desire to have content there, I just figured I'd see what the deal was. Personal edification, all that. I got it done and it didn't take me 10 hours or anything, but it didn't make sense. I don't know what a channel is and I kept going to the home page, which is different from the user page which is different from the videos page. It took 3 clicks to get back to uploading after I finished the previous one.

Now, I'm not saying that YouTube sucks. And I'm not saying I'm not smart enough to figure it out. I'm saying I don't want to spend enough time to do it. I don't want to have a 'channel' that holds my favorite videos (or whatever a channel does). I want a site to host my video and easily categorize them like Picasa does for my pictures.

So maybe its not that Google is so great, but that I'm willing to figure out all the different services and learn what is what. I bought tickets for Casino Royale yesterday, and I did three web searches (each time landing on a yahoo movies page ) before I went to my IG page and clicked into the Google movies listing. I'm just more comfortable with Google because I use Google. I'm sure Yahoo! is great for Yahoo! people, but I don't want a Yahoo! Id or an MSN id or an AOL id. With so many competing companies, I'd rather stick to the one with the most useful and widespread products. And that's what Google has been doing, scooping up services, making their users wonder why people use anything else.

Wikipedia- List of Google Services

Whaza?

I don't. I can't. There's just no words. Maybe I'll try again later.

Update
Ok, on second inspection, I'm pretty sure that April fools' day has been moved to November. And they got me, cause this seems too stupid to be made up. But come on. I mean this 'msfirefox.com' site is down and there is no web archive record of it. Oh and the article lists "new ways to better protect against the theft of personal data from fraudulent websites, a practice known as Googling" among the browser's features. That's just wrong. But why would you write a piece like this? Just to screw with me? I'm pretty close to removing the Register from my feed as it is because of their often bizarre and non-nonsensical content. Add lies to the mix and its more trouble than they're worth. Register, you're on notice.

• Microsoft unleashes improved Firefox | The Register

Update 2
"we've made it better. like seriously..."
A post from October 29th.

• Eribium

And from October 30th.

• AskStudent

So if I'd kept up with digg I'd have seen this spoof last month. But the question remains, why is the Register running this two weeks later as real news?

And You Thought You Didn't Know How Cars Worked Before.

I'll admit I have, at best, cursory concepts of how parts make cars go. I get internal combustion, valves, timing belts, suspensions, transmissions, brakes, exhaust systems, catalytic converters, gas caps, oxygen sensors, air conditioning, brake lights, side view mirrors, and windshield wipers. In this context 'get' means that I know that they exist and know what purpose they serve. Sure, their technical drawings in my mind employ varying degrees of magic, but that's true of a lot of things. I can't build them, I can't fix them. But I like them.

Well move brakes up a level of abstraction cause rotors and pads aren't gonna cut it in a couple years. Electronic Wedge Brakes (EWB) are the next big thing in stopping. They use small electric motors to move a wedge and teeth in a groove of some kind (insert magic here). Poof, the system uses 1/10th the energy of conventional hydraulic brakes, becomes more efficient with higher speeds and innately deprecates anti-lock brakes. I feel like I'm gonna need a flash demo to get a better grip on the magic part.

• Super Binders - AutoWeek

Top Dog

I just got to thinkin about last.fm. Its a solid site that lets users find and listen to new music. Most importantly it allows you to monitor your own listening habits and classify the type of music you like. Check it out. But that's not what I was thinking of; I was trying to remember what the .fm top level domain was. Two letters is usually a national designation but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. And there's a good reason; I never knew. Its Micronesia. Well, technically the Federated States of Micronesia, so they're not just top level squatting. Its pretty cool that this little nation is reaping the benefits of pretty much every radio station that wants a web site. I'm glad its not going to some douche bag nation like France.

• .fm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I Know, Lets Just Tell Them Its New...

Revolutionary ideas come from two places. Actual inspiration and overseas where they've been living with said improvement for years. Just like that Dyson hand drier that was making waves a little while ago (they had basically the same thing in an open-air restroom in Japan) the AutoDocker is trying to get Americans all hot and bothered. Yeah, deplaning faster is never a bad thing, and two jetways are better than one. So Denver is deploying this two headed plane sucking vampire in hopes of getting the cattle off faster.

I'd be excited except this is just a toned down version of ones that I saw in Europe no less than two years ago. Oh and also this isn't targeting the problem on airplanes, its enabling the selfish morons jamming up my aisle. Here's the solution folks: board all rows, but separate by seat letter. So the A's and F's go first, B's and E's second and C's and D's last. So that way the people with carry-on luggage will be forced to board early, sitting at the windows. Then when the seatbelt light / starting pistol goes off I can walk off the plane quickly and don't have to wait for Laurel and Hardy to get their steamer trunk down and drop it on my head / foot.

I know that's not gonna fly, so how about a simpler version:

you brought excess bags
you silly old hag
while I packed light and sleek

so just stay in your chair
and twiddle you hair
so I don't have to break your goddamn legs

AutoDocker to make boarding and deplaning faster - Engadget

Test your musical skills in 6 minutes!

I've often thought about people seeing differently. How do we know that your blue is the same as mine? It could be my red, but everyone has always said its called blue, so who's to know? But I've never really thought about people hearing things differently. Check out this test for tone deafness. It consists of comparing clips of music and identifying if they are the same. I spose this could also be considered a memory or attention test, but it seems like an interesting way to compare musical aptitude. I'll get the comments rolling by posting my score.

• Test your musical skills in 6 minutes!

Update
Ok, so I'm getting reports from multiple sources that this evaluation is probably suspect. I have yet to receive an opinion from our in house guru, so just keep in mind that this is for amusement purposes only and should not be used to formulate record deals. And don't worry if I got a better score than you. It just means you suck.

Military Monks.

Well its just about Veteran's day and an email I got from a friend set me to reading about the Tomb of the Unknowns. Its a monument in Arlington National Cemetery you may have heard of. Most notably its the grave of three nameless US servicemen that stands under constant guard. The lifestyle described for these sentries seems pretty monastic when you think about it. Sacrifice, training, study, regiment.

Its a pretty hearty investment and a symbolic gesture that extends past the usual commitment of an occupation; a lifelong commitment that shapes their lives.

Its also interesting to note that there pretty much won't be any new unknown soldiers. DNA testing and logistical management have ruled out most of the uncertainty. In fact the 'unknown' from Vietnam was identified and removed from this monument in 1998.

Go ahead and read a bit about it, so you're not just sitting around playing Mario 3 all day.

• Wikipedia: Tomb of the Unknowns

I Take One Freakin Day Off...

Yeah, blogger is double posting stuff from earlier in the week. I'm deleting them as fast as I can, just hold off with the pitch fork and torch mob till I figure out how to stop it.

51 With A Concession In Virginia.

Whew, I would like to thank George Allen, a Tip 'O The Hat sir. He could have dragged this thing out for weeks if he wanted to. As it is he stepped up and took one for the team. Of course one has to wonder why he was getting pressure from "GOP colleagues in Washington." Was it the republican's plan to throw the election? It did kinda seem like it for a while now, but why would they do that? So that the new Democratic Congress won't get anything done by 2008 and we'll have another Republican president? I'd like to think there aren't schemes like that running around out there.

But what I really want to talk about is the Washington Post. They've got buttons for Digg, del.icio.us, reddit, google, yahoo and facebook right on their article side bar. They get that one of the best ways to increase their distribution (besides being indexed by search engines) is social bookmarking and communities. Way to embrace the tubes guys, keep up the good work.

• Allen Concedes Election, Democrats Win Control of Congress - washingtonpost.com

Beggin' Strips: Robots Don't Know Its Not Bacon.

I'm not really sure if this is another sign of the impending robot revolution and dominance over the inferior human race. It is pretty amusing though. There's a new Japanese robot that is supposed to smell wines and help identify various things about wine that I'll never learn. Anyway, a reporter put his hand in the robot and was identified as bacon. Someone else tried and was identified as prosciutto. Freaking bigot robot cannibals; when will they learn that people is people?

Yeah, yeah, they're not technically cannibals, they're 'industrial accidents.' But tell me that when your right hand is being chowed upon by an Adrian Barbeau-bot with the strenght of five gorillas.

Anyway, I think we should start making Beggin' strips for robots so we can keep them in a subservient role like we've done for dogs. Trust me that's the only thing keeping your dog from eating your face in the night. Beggin' strips. And the promise of more Beggin' strips to come.

• Table of Malcontents: robot thinks human flesh is bacon
  

Can't See The Fraud Through The Trees.

We didn't find any big problems with the electronic voting machines! Only a few small glitches! Isn't that great!?!

No. No its not. That not only says that you don't know if there were big problems, it means that you don't understand the concepts behind the problems we're worried about.

Oh and this problem of about 10,000 people who probably didn't abstain in Florida, isn't the worrisome kind. Because we can tell that something may have gone awry.

• Techdirt: How E-Voting's Small Glitches Have The Media Missing The Big Picture

Activate Stealth Driving Mode.

Forget about having to install tracking software in your car; pretty much everyone in the country is already carrying a tracking device. While it might be a good idea to re-purpose existing technology, how do we toe the line between privacy and the common good? It would be very useful to be able to track traffic on a large scale, and we have the technology currently in place. No lane counters or morons in helicopters needed. But we also value anonymity in this country, something that you probably assume your phone company respects. But I can't help thinking that a program will soon be monitoring my speed and mailing me a ticket. That would technically satisfy my beef about speed cameras not providing ubiquitous enforcement, but I think I'm smart enough to turn my phone off when I drive. At least after the first five or six tickets.

• Slashdot | Tracking Traffic Jams With Cell Phones

Feline BASE Jumping.

You learn something new every day. Sure, cats always land on their feet, but did you know that enough of them do it from buildings that there's a term for it? "High-rise syndrome" is meant to describe the propensity for cats to pounce or slip from great heights to the ground below. And by great heights, we're talking up to forty-six stories. Obviously at extremes the higher a cat is, the less his chances are. But there's an interesting phenomenon at about the sixth story. It seems less dangerous for cats to fall from sufficient heights because it takes them about 2 seconds to orient themselves. Its pretty much the drunk driver survival tactic, because the cats with more time can relax after getting their feet down. So go look for your cat cause they might fair better than you'd expect after a swan dive.

But the take-home lesson here is close your damn sliding door; cats can't fly.

• Damn Interesting » High-Rise Syndrome

Stop The Presses!

Get the BBC on the Phone! We've gotta tell people about this. Britney and what's-his-face are splitting. Or something. I haven't been this broken up since Nick and Jessica started banging other people. *sniff* Why Britney, why?

Dammit, I could have used those braincells to learn Italian. I guess my only option is to try and take them out with a laser-guided precision beer strike.

• BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Britney Spears files for divorce

Feline Disobedience.

Well that was fun. Everyone get a chance to feel like a responsible citizen? I'm actually kinda proud of Maryland; since we've been using these new fangled machines for a while we know how to turn them on and actually have an election. Unlike the folks in Cleveland or Hartford.

And the poll workers' touch screen voter database seemed like a nice improvement. Last time I worked a poll we had a box of cards with people's names on them; which worked great until someone didn't have a card. But when I told the poll workers that I needed a provisional ballot, they just looked up my old address and confirmed where I live now, printed me out a ticket and sent me over to the paper ballot corner. See, I've stumbled onto a non absentee ballot paper alternative, just rock out the provisional ballot. So no, I didn't make a big fuss about having to use a flawed and unconformable device.

But some people did. Like a guy in PA who (might be a little crazy) smashed his Diebold machine with a metallic cat paperweight. It doesn't really destroy any of the votes, but it does say 'I don't like this'. Maybe next time three people will do it. In harmony. And they may think its a movement - the smash a diebold with a metal cat movement. And all ya gotta do to join is just sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar...

• Voter smashes Diebold machine as e-voting problems crop up nationwide - Engadget

For Posterity.

Water Power Update.

I can't believe how many ideas there are for getting electricity from water movement. Wait; yes I can. I can't believe how few of them we use. Tide, current, wave, and different mechanical implementations for each. Add these to the list:

• Treehugger: New Innovations In Tidal Energy
• Hugg / S.D.E. Wave Power for $0.02 per kWh
• Hugg / brandl generator
• Hugg / wave plane
• Hugg / The Kobold turbine within the archimedes bridge
• Hugg / exploiting flows within water treatment works

New Diesel: Better Than New Coke. It Has To Be.

(Update: Ultra) low sulfur diesel sounds pretty badass. Its sposed to be 97% cleaner than diesel 'classic'. Which is so high it makes me skeptical. There are 8,000,000 trucks, buses and cars in the US that will benefit from the formula. Its pretty much like when they rolled out unleaded gas in the 70's.

The initiative started under the Clinton administration and wasn't fucked up by the Bush administration. Ten years in the making and we finally have new diesel that cut emissions in any diesel vehicle by 10%. Combining this fuel with new diesel technology produces an astonishing 95% reduced emissions. Combine these reductions with the fact that diesel engines have always been 20-40% more efficient than gas engines and you should start seeing why this is so great. Get excited even if you'd never buy a diesel car, because everything you consume is transported by diesel engines. Cutting emissions at any level is great news for everyone.

• .: New Diesel Fuel Hitting Pumps Nationwide on October 15 Cuts Pollution, Enables New Low-Emission Engine Technology - Fuel and Economy :. Auto Spectator

Fatal Over-Seasoning.

Strange New Products is in rare form. First there's this shotgun shell seasoning idea. No, its not just a new Ronco flavor injector for the lazy; its actually for hunting. Why kill with lead that you might bite into, when you could down that bird with garlic and honey mustard? Imagine if Dick Chaney'd been using this.

• Strange New Products: Meat Seasoning Inside Shotgun Shells

Next we've got poop soap. Just in case you like rubbing turds all over yourself, but want to be cleaner afterwards. Or maybe these are like those special guest soaps; only out for special occasions.

• Strange New Products: Poop Soap

And lastly we've got a metal basket that you're sposed to strap onto your car window so your dog doesn't jump out. The inventor, Sue Stipanovich, saw a dog's head sticking out a truck window and was "shocked" into creating a $250 laundry basket with door straps. I'm not saying that some dogs aren't stupid enough to jump out the window of a moving car. But are there people stupid enough they can't keep the window closed enough to contain their little shnookums?

• Strange New Products: Doggie Cages for Car Doors

Stuff.

I know I don't really need more stuff. But this is an interesting post on Treehugger about green performance gear; or as some might call it, 'technical' gear. Generally the more specialized something is the less concerned I am about its environmental impact. For instance I just ordered a pair of curling shoes, and have no idea how they're made. This company has developed a PVC free lifejacket filler that is approved the same as other materials. Makes me want to buy one from them, but it gets better. They're going to let any other manufacturer have access to the material, and not just keep it to themselves. Seems like a smart move, even if it is just a good way to spread their product, they're spreading awareness too.

• Treehugger: Eco-chic Flotation from MEC

Mathematicians Claim To Solve Party Problem; Only Reveal That They Have No Idea What Happens At Parties.

Alright, fine, its just the article that mentions parties, the math guys are talking about cake. They claim to have a new and better way to divide something up. Basically you give everyone half of what they "value most" and continue to value and divide the cake in that fashion. I really hope I'm missing something

First off it relies on numerically quantifying desire, or I spose being able to prioritize your needs. Secondly, what happens if two parties want some mutually inclusive portion? Maybe someone likes to look at cakes cause they're pretty and I like the moist center. Does looking at half a cake still provide half the aesthetic appeal they originally desired?

Someone likes the flowers on top of the cake, while I value the entire cake (lets say for its roundness or weight) do they get half the flowers while I get half the cake? (everything they got and half a cake) And then we go on to divide the remaining flowerless half of the cake, right?

Or if some valuable attribute is intertwined with another? Sometimes its infeasible to separate real elements. I just want the butter from the cake and nothing else, that'll pretty much just ruin it for everyone else, if you could even find a way to appease me.

What if I wanted to be the only one with a flower because I wanted to feel special, or corner the flower market and sell my property at high value because of its small supply? Giving me half the flowers gives me zero bargaining position.

Finally this isn't actually a means for cutting the cake into the necessary portions, who's to say that their flowers won't have some of my frosting on them by mistake? If we could cut perfect pieces, then everyone would get an physical equal share. But we can't and this system is supposed to fix that problem by distributing pieces of varying content; but it doesn't propose any method for ensuring precision of allocation.

What if what I value most is screwing the other people out of their desires? (because it usually is)

Mostly, by the end of all this rigamarole, no one has any interest left in cake.

Alright, the cake is just a metaphor that I'm beating to death. This is supposed to be sued to divide anything up. How about I take the Solomon route and talk about a child custody hearing? Obviously we're not cutting up children; we could divide his time though. But what if a parent's motivation is to provide a stable environment, or to start a new life? Again half of what they want is not valuable to them.

The article mentions that this concept could be used in dividing land or water, but how can we expect this to apply when there are so many reasons it might fail? The premise might succeed when used on parallel concepts, but people can place value in so many things that you might never be comparing apples to apples.

• Solved: the perfect way to cut a cake - 06 November 2006 - New Scientist

We're Good At Something.

Well, well. Look who's been thinking. Blockbuster has been getting hammered by Netfix recently and playing catchup in the we'll-mail-you-dvds game. Looks like someone in the company finally put together that maintaining all those stores and a separate mail business was consuming their own business. They also asked themselves what they could provide that Netflix couldn't. They're offering a pretty sweet sounding incentive: a free rental when you return a mail-order DVD to a store. So now instead of waiting for a movie you want to see (that everyone else wants to see) and never gets sent to you, just return that movie by hand and pick it up. Very smart, guys. Use what god gave ya. Or... use what you've already invested in. I know its mostly a grab to win back the flocks that Netflix took, but who can blame them for offering a better deal that their competitors can't match? I'd switch if I rented DVDs.

• Blockbuster's Total Access plan allows in-store returns of mailed movies - Engadget

World Championship.

Now I know this may seem strange, but when you have a substantial gord at your disposal, the only logical action is to see how far you can throw it. And after a few years and a little escelation, you have a contest with categories like: Adult Human Power Centrifugal or Youth 11-17 Trebuchet. That's right folks, its fall and with the beautiful foliage comes those orange wastes of space that are good for three things.

1) carving into favorite cartoon characters
2) smashing on the neighbor's front porch
3) flinging with machination

• World Championship PunkinChunkin

My TV Jumps Like That Too...