PhotoJournalism: Board frustration
Quite a compelling picture for democracy. :)
How Trackback Works
How Trackback Works is not very helpful. I will attempt to explain (and hence understand) a little more clearly, starting from first principles. Briefly a weblog is a stream of textual entries. The main blog page collects those entries chronologically with a cutoff. However, sometimes people might want to tell a friend about a particular entry. That's what "permalinks" are for.
There is no way for a blogger to know who's sharing permalinks, they just see a bunch of hits.
What if you want someone to know you're writing about them? One way is to leave a comment with a link to your own article. In fact, its not clear to me why this doesn't solve the problem. Trackbacks are often displayed right along with comments! The only difference I can see is that the Trackback interface is presented to you by your own blog, whereas leaving a comment uses various blog interfaces. Ah, there is one very powerful reason to do it - it presents a good way for you to leverage your effort for both your own blog and help others. A comment only appears "there" whereas Trackback appears here and there. It serves to collect your "output" in one place (e.g. everything I write on the web is collected in my blog.)
Aren't we just recreating Usenet.
There is no way for a blogger to know who's sharing permalinks, they just see a bunch of hits.
What if you want someone to know you're writing about them? One way is to leave a comment with a link to your own article. In fact, its not clear to me why this doesn't solve the problem. Trackbacks are often displayed right along with comments! The only difference I can see is that the Trackback interface is presented to you by your own blog, whereas leaving a comment uses various blog interfaces. Ah, there is one very powerful reason to do it - it presents a good way for you to leverage your effort for both your own blog and help others. A comment only appears "there" whereas Trackback appears here and there. It serves to collect your "output" in one place (e.g. everything I write on the web is collected in my blog.)
Aren't we just recreating Usenet.
Blogger Buzz
Blogger Buzz pointed out that there is a new Rich Text BlogThis! thingy available via the google toolbar. That's good. Now if only they supported categories...
HTTrak Website Copier - Handy!
Back in the day I used to use a tool called "page suck" (or something like that). Now there's a quite sophisticated tool to download sites (quite handy for reverse engineering) called HTTrack. Recommended
The Iranian president is an idiot
There really isn't any better way to put it. According to the BBC, he is hosting a debate on the holocaust. This is a little like hosting a debate on evolution - there is nothing to debate.
Luckily I am not the only person in the world who can put together 3 important facts to come up with a conclusion:
Conclusion: Iran wants to build a bomb to nuke Israel, and perhaps the US or Europe if it gets the chance. No-one is buying what Mahmoud is selling, thank God.
Luckily I am not the only person in the world who can put together 3 important facts to come up with a conclusion:
- Iran has huge oil reserves, and needs nuclear power like it needs more sand.
- Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hates Israel and the Jews.
- The timing of the statements and the nuclear ambitions is rather close.
Conclusion: Iran wants to build a bomb to nuke Israel, and perhaps the US or Europe if it gets the chance. No-one is buying what Mahmoud is selling, thank God.
Judge Jone's ID decision
For reference:
http://coop.www.uscourts.gov/pamd/kitzmiller_342.pdf
Most of the good stuff is in the middle 40 pages or so. Good reading! I got in a very annoying argument with some fundamentalists over ID. What made it worse was that a) I hadn't had a chance to prepare and was forced to think on my toes and b) no-one rose to argue with me. The latter was quite disheartening.
The worst thing were the negative arguments against evolution. I felt like I had to defend it, even though something bothered me. Reading this decision made me realize the false duality implicit in the attack.
Ironically I am more sympathetic than most to the ID argument, primarily as part of the question: if we are part of a virtual reality simulation, how would be find out? Messages from the container reality would be one way. But what sort of message would it look like? Could it be written in DNA? So in a way there *is* a test for Intelligent Design - do a SETI-like search on all DNA sequences!
So in a way the Christians have promoted the right thing for some very wrong reasons (I'm rather offended that creationists would stoop to a trojan horse tactic like ID, frankly - aren't they supose to be principled or something?).
http://coop.www.uscourts.gov/pamd/kitzmiller_342.pdf
Most of the good stuff is in the middle 40 pages or so. Good reading! I got in a very annoying argument with some fundamentalists over ID. What made it worse was that a) I hadn't had a chance to prepare and was forced to think on my toes and b) no-one rose to argue with me. The latter was quite disheartening.
The worst thing were the negative arguments against evolution. I felt like I had to defend it, even though something bothered me. Reading this decision made me realize the false duality implicit in the attack.
Ironically I am more sympathetic than most to the ID argument, primarily as part of the question: if we are part of a virtual reality simulation, how would be find out? Messages from the container reality would be one way. But what sort of message would it look like? Could it be written in DNA? So in a way there *is* a test for Intelligent Design - do a SETI-like search on all DNA sequences!
So in a way the Christians have promoted the right thing for some very wrong reasons (I'm rather offended that creationists would stoop to a trojan horse tactic like ID, frankly - aren't they supose to be principled or something?).
Dear ancestors
It may be that in the far future my ancestors will have invented time travel. I would also assume that the Internet will evolve, and all of this data will be available for your perusal. Therefore if I post this request to the public internet, it will be available to humanity long after I am gone.
Travel back in time and give me a message. I'd like to hear from you.
Travel back in time and give me a message. I'd like to hear from you.
30 times a traitor
The New York times reveales that President George Bush is a power-mad maniac intent on destroying the very country he is sworn to protect.
He has illegaly authorized the NSA to spy on American citizens as part of his "war on terror". That is, wiretaps WITHOUT court approval.
There is no possible reason why this would be required. Is the concern that the US court system has been inflitrated by Al Queda? Spying on Americans is bad enough WITH a court's oversight. But this isn't just bordering on KGB practice, this IS KGB practice.
If being misled into war wasn't a problem. If botching Katrina wasn't a problem. How about this latest revelation of unchecked power in the whitehouse? Bill Clinton was almost impeached for getting fellated. Why is Bush not being impeached?
When will the American people stand up and say that the threat of terrorism does not give the executive branch of our government carte blanche in its dealings? Bush already went too far with Iraq - and now we can only hope it turns out well. But he has gone way beyond the pale with this latest.
He has illegaly authorized the NSA to spy on American citizens as part of his "war on terror". That is, wiretaps WITHOUT court approval.
There is no possible reason why this would be required. Is the concern that the US court system has been inflitrated by Al Queda? Spying on Americans is bad enough WITH a court's oversight. But this isn't just bordering on KGB practice, this IS KGB practice.
If being misled into war wasn't a problem. If botching Katrina wasn't a problem. How about this latest revelation of unchecked power in the whitehouse? Bill Clinton was almost impeached for getting fellated. Why is Bush not being impeached?
When will the American people stand up and say that the threat of terrorism does not give the executive branch of our government carte blanche in its dealings? Bush already went too far with Iraq - and now we can only hope it turns out well. But he has gone way beyond the pale with this latest.
Instant Messaging
I'm installing an instant messanger. I understand that all the cool kids are doing this. I have accounts with AIM, MSN, ICQ, and Yahoo. I may have a Jabber account. In fact, I've been doing this for so long I have a 7 digit ICQ id. :)
My concern about IM is that it's fairly annoying and intrusive when you are working.
My concern about IM is that it's fairly annoying and intrusive when you are working.
Ubuntu buzz - what is it?
It's yet another Linux distribution (YALD) - and like so many of them, is based on Debian.
So how does it differ from Debian? I mean, why would I install Ubuntu rather than Debian?
A partial answer lies here. Basically Ubuntu releases every 6 months, does some package manipulation. As far as I can tell that's it.
(The hype I heard was that there was an argument on the TV show "Veronica Mars" about Ubuntu - which only goes to show that people are aware of Linux, not necessarily adopting it.)
A related question arises: what is the difference between the various Linux distributions? I *think* the answer lies in their installation, configuration, and package management tools. But actually the real answer lies in the community, the contributers and package maintainers.
So how does it differ from Debian? I mean, why would I install Ubuntu rather than Debian?
A partial answer lies here. Basically Ubuntu releases every 6 months, does some package manipulation. As far as I can tell that's it.
(The hype I heard was that there was an argument on the TV show "Veronica Mars" about Ubuntu - which only goes to show that people are aware of Linux, not necessarily adopting it.)
A related question arises: what is the difference between the various Linux distributions? I *think* the answer lies in their installation, configuration, and package management tools. But actually the real answer lies in the community, the contributers and package maintainers.
In Thailand, the Buddhists are violent?
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Thai insurgency takes toll on locals: "Inside the grounds of a Buddhist temple in Tak Bai district, dozens of villagers have been learning how to fire a rifle." Um, last I checked Buddhism was extremely non-violent, to the point of not eating any meat.
Not that I blame them.
Not that I blame them.
Solution for Mayhem - Cambell's soup
The good people of rasfw recomended The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell.
Great stuff if you're looking for exuberant, classic science fiction to get your mind off of the stupid and crazy things human beings do to each other for no apparent purpose.
Great stuff if you're looking for exuberant, classic science fiction to get your mind off of the stupid and crazy things human beings do to each other for no apparent purpose.
Wanted: iconic representations of categories
Slashdot has a nifty feature where posts are categorized along with an iconic represntation. Blogger needs to support something like that.
Bill Gates' Open Letter to Hobbyists
Wow - this is really eye-opening: Bill Gates' Open Letter to Hobbyists.
Humans are overmatched
Most human beings are not ready for the power of a modern personal computer. It does too much. It is too flexible to be fully understood. Its ability to infinitely morph makes its nature impossible to pin down, understanding too hard to fathom. It is fundamentally an abstract beast whos capabilities are unknown and seemingly boundless. It is a scary thing.
The physical form can be ignored as quite varied but not too striking. However the software which runs on the computer is incredibly varied. It is only getting more varied as websites become more feature rich. In a sense the web requires an OS revolution like the one which drove Windows. This means a set of consistent UI guidelines. The browser is the hardware, and the HTML is the software. How times change.
While there exist standards for the interpretation and display of HTML, there are no web UI standards. With Windows, these elements included how the window frames will look, how dialogs look, the start bar, the program manager, explorer, etc. This common look and feel reduced the barrier to entry for new users. The same thing is needed now in the web domain.
The physical form can be ignored as quite varied but not too striking. However the software which runs on the computer is incredibly varied. It is only getting more varied as websites become more feature rich. In a sense the web requires an OS revolution like the one which drove Windows. This means a set of consistent UI guidelines. The browser is the hardware, and the HTML is the software. How times change.
While there exist standards for the interpretation and display of HTML, there are no web UI standards. With Windows, these elements included how the window frames will look, how dialogs look, the start bar, the program manager, explorer, etc. This common look and feel reduced the barrier to entry for new users. The same thing is needed now in the web domain.
Canada and Portugal - could it be war?
Canada seizes Portuguese trawler, and I think it could be war.
Canada spends $9 billion on the military every year (check http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html#Military if you don't believe me).
Portugal $3.5 billion (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/po.html#Military). And they only have 2 million men available to fight. But of course they are part of the EU.
Would the US back Canada in this war? If so it's a little out of balance - the US spent $370 billion on the military in 2003 (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html#Military) with around 50 million military-aged men. I guess that's why they call the US a "superpower" eh?
I hope they can work things out, as neither are a nuclear power and I don't think anyone wants to invade portugal over a few fish.
Canada spends $9 billion on the military every year (check http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html#Military if you don't believe me).
Portugal $3.5 billion (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/po.html#Military). And they only have 2 million men available to fight. But of course they are part of the EU.
Would the US back Canada in this war? If so it's a little out of balance - the US spent $370 billion on the military in 2003 (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html#Military) with around 50 million military-aged men. I guess that's why they call the US a "superpower" eh?
I hope they can work things out, as neither are a nuclear power and I don't think anyone wants to invade portugal over a few fish.
Nude pics land Yahoo in trouble
Indiantelevision.com > Yahoo is in trouble for some nude photos a member posted of a 3rd party. This is an interesting case because it could shape the internet services landscape. This seems to be a case where the man violated Yahoo's acceptible use policy, and Yahoo failed to enforce that policy. So really this is about Yahoo's enforcement.
And yet, in a way this is a bit like graffiti - Yahoo has the wall, and someone else paints a swastika on it, say. The Jews of the community are offended (rightly so) and ask Yahoo to clean their own wall. It's not Yahoo's fault the swastika is there, but it is up to the owner of the wall to remove it.
While both the analogy and the actal case are clear cut, there are shades of gray that make this a difficult path to start walking down. This means that acceptable use policy enforcment costs could go up, which means there will be less walls to write on (for good or ill). I don't like that outcome.
Ideally you give people the tools to deal directly with each other. Obviously her ex-boyfriend was an asshole, and would not have listened to her. What about suing him to take down the images and for damages? He may not have the money to give her a few million, but at least she can fix the primary problem.
And yet, in a way this is a bit like graffiti - Yahoo has the wall, and someone else paints a swastika on it, say. The Jews of the community are offended (rightly so) and ask Yahoo to clean their own wall. It's not Yahoo's fault the swastika is there, but it is up to the owner of the wall to remove it.
While both the analogy and the actal case are clear cut, there are shades of gray that make this a difficult path to start walking down. This means that acceptable use policy enforcment costs could go up, which means there will be less walls to write on (for good or ill). I don't like that outcome.
Ideally you give people the tools to deal directly with each other. Obviously her ex-boyfriend was an asshole, and would not have listened to her. What about suing him to take down the images and for damages? He may not have the money to give her a few million, but at least she can fix the primary problem.
43 Folders
43 Folders
Eric Mack
To done
file backpackit.com into the "to try" category.
Would have been handy at Citysearch.
Eric Mack
To done
file backpackit.com into the "to try" category.
Would have been handy at Citysearch.
paris hilton competes with the non-proliferation treaty?!
Paris Hilton competes for attention with the impeding nuclear holocaust. I don't think that's a good thing.
BBC News 360 tour
OK, now this is neat. One of my favorite news organizations has installed a camera in their newsroom. Check it out to see how those folks live at work:
BBC News | 360� tour
BBC News | 360� tour
Unleashed movie review
I'm suprised that this wonderful movie has gotten the poor reviews that it has. Take this for example:
Unleased at the Boston Globe
Unleashed is certainly the best fight flick I've ever seen, with the possible exception of Hero. There are several aspects of the film to like, from the story of awakening and redemption to the intricate fight scenes (including some wonderful close quarters choreography and filming).
What the reviewers who say that Danny merely gets a new owner have missed is that we are only seening the beginning of Danny's recuperation. He begins to see his own humanity, which is wonderful. we the audience also get a strong dose of morality - strength does not lie a man's ability to fight, but in his ability to control himself.
Watching this movie, I really cared for Li's character as someone with so much potential just waiting to be set free. Even a small glimpse of that was refreshing. I'd like to see a sequel and Danny further along his path.
Unleased at the Boston Globe
Unleashed is certainly the best fight flick I've ever seen, with the possible exception of Hero. There are several aspects of the film to like, from the story of awakening and redemption to the intricate fight scenes (including some wonderful close quarters choreography and filming).
What the reviewers who say that Danny merely gets a new owner have missed is that we are only seening the beginning of Danny's recuperation. He begins to see his own humanity, which is wonderful. we the audience also get a strong dose of morality - strength does not lie a man's ability to fight, but in his ability to control himself.
Watching this movie, I really cared for Li's character as someone with so much potential just waiting to be set free. Even a small glimpse of that was refreshing. I'd like to see a sequel and Danny further along his path.
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