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March 31, 2006

As a rule, I don't post serious political "stuff", but every now and again some slips in. Must be all the rain. Anyway, let's finish out the month on a more uplifting note...

"Here's Lookin' at you"

Bob Hoffman snapped this photo of his 2-year-old son, Mason, and a curious

walrus at Brookfield Zoo near Chicago. Great shot!

Got a photo you'd like to share? Send it to me.

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March 30, 2006

What a depressing forecast...

C'mon! I don't live in Seattle! It's Spring! Enough!

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March 30, 2006

And while we're on the subject...

Muslim Student Runs Down Classmates at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Authorities say 23-year-old Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, who drove a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee into The Pit at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus at more than 40 mph hitting nine students "may have acted to avenge American treatment of Muslims."

Do ya' think? He allegedly told a 911 operator that he did it to "punish Americans for their treatment of Muslims," presumably referring to the student paper's publication of the now infamous Danish cartoon depicting Muhammad with a bomb in his turban. Based on that statement, the FBI is now investigating. The guy is being smug about his actions. He thinks trying to kill Americans is "purposeful."

Read the story here. Meanwhile, here's a question via John Bergstrom: Why let the Danes have all the fun?

My only comment about this cartoon is that they should have called it a "Danish"...

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March 30, 2006

This falls under the heading of "just plain weird"

Man Accidentally Divorces Wife in Sleep

NEW DELHI -- It's real simple in the Muslim world for a man to divorce his wife. Under Islamic law, he need only utter the Urdu word "talaq" ("I divorce you") three times and it's a done deal. No lawyers, no alimony... Clean and simple. But he'd better mean it.

Village elders earlier this week ordered a man to leave his wife after he reportedly divorced her... in his sleep. When Muslim elders in the couple's village in West Bengal state found out, they decreed that the poor guy's unconscious utterances constituted a legal divorce. But since the guy doesn't really want a divorce, the religious leaders declared that before remarrying, the couple must be apart for at least 100 days and that the wife must spend a night with another man and then be divorced by him.

The couple refuses to abide by the "ruling" and, as a result, has been ostracized.

I'm sorry, but all I see is a bunch of fanatical old men misusing religion to wield power over an entire people through intimidation and fear. Let's hear it for the couple's defiant exercise of a modicum of logic. The following cartoon makes the point.

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March 29, 2006

Apple vs. Apple

Two legendary giants in the music industry -- Apple Computer and Apple Corps -- face off in British court today in a trademark dispute over a piece of half-eaten fruit. They've battled over the issue before, each time reaching financial settlements.

Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles' record company and guardian of the band's musical heritage and business interests, is suing Apple Computer Inc., claiming the company violated a 1991 agreement by entering the music business with its iTunes online store. The 15-year-old agreement between the two Apples had ended a long-running trademark fight in which each agreed not to tread on the other's toes by entering into a "field of use" agreement. Cupertino-based Apple Computer said before the trial that "unfortunately, Apple and Apple Corps now have differing interpretations of this agreement and will need to ask a court to resolve this dispute."

According to the 2004 court decision quoting the 1991 settlement agreement, the Beatles were given the right to use the Apple name wherever their songs were involved and on "any current or future creative works whose principal content is music." However, Apple Computer was allowed to use its brand on "goods or services...used to reproduce, run, play or otherwise deliver such content," as long as it was not on physical media such as a CD.

Clearly, the agreement prevented Apple Computer from distributing content on physical media. This was designed to cover CDs and tapes, but it's unclear, at least to Apple Corps, whether it included later inventions such as digital music files or devices used to play them. That's what the court will decide.

Millions of dollars are at stake. Will Jobs, an avid Beatles fan, agree to another huge settlement? Will he convince Apple Corps to grant iTunes exclusive digital distribution of Beatles' songs? Anything's possible. You can read more about this epic battle here and here.

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March 29, 2006

If you'd been in Turkey earlier today, you would have witnessed one of nature's most dramatic events -- a total eclipse of the sun.

Parts of World Get a Stunning Solar Show

Tens of thousands of tourists were expected along the Turkish Mediterranean coast, which NASA said would be the best spot to view the eclipse. Turks welcomed the tourism boost after a recent bird flu outbreak and protests over the caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. ...

Total eclipses are rare because they require the tilted orbits of the sun, moon and earth to line up exactly so that the moon obscures the sun completely. The next total eclipse will occur in 2008. Link

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March 28, 2006

Just what I've been waiting for...

The Smart Home Is Here

Want the lights to dim and the blinds to close when you press “play” on your DVD player? Want to receive an alert on your TV when the mailman opens your mailbox? No problem. ZigBee, an emerging wireless home-networking standard expected to be widely available next year, is about to open up the lines of intergadget chatter. It doesn’t involve wiring, and setup takes just a few minutes.
 
ZigBee-enabled devices transmit and receive small packets of information, such as temperature readings and on/off commands. The ad-hoc network they create recognizes new compatible products and adjusts communication accordingly. For example, you can add wireless light switches to the network by simply sticking them to the wall. Because ZigBee powers only the command and control, it offers a decade of battery life while maintaining up to 328 feet of range (or more, using one gadget to hop to the next). Look for these devices [later this] year. Link

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March 27, 2006

V for Vendetta -- A Review 

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November..."

Without giving away too much, I can tell you that this is more a cerebral film than a non-stop action flick filled with countless gratuitous explosions, although the trailers may have already tipped you off that V atomizes the Old Bailey courthouse in the opening spectacle of the movie and he plans something similar for Parliament. He also plans to eliminate a long list of fascist nasties who had abused him in the past, a tragic back-story being the key to every anti-hero. With that said, let me set the stage for you.

England 2020 isn't so far from what Orwell’s "1984" predicted. The fascist tendencies that simmered through British political culture before World War II have resurfaced, and the public is controlled through police repression, surveillance and propaganda. High Chancellor Sutler (played by John Hurt) is a Hitler-like villain who rants from giant video monitors. Free thought is disloyalty. Homosexuality or owning a Koran -- unauthorized love and unauthorized faith -- are capital crimes.

Where "V for Vendetta" breaks with Orwell is in its insistence that even under tyrants, heroism is possible. The Wachowski brothers (creators of the "Matrix" trilogy) have adapted Alan Moore's Thatcher-era graphic novel and updated it to pound every hot-button political issue of the post 9/11 era, from Abu Ghraib to London Underground bombings to weapons of mass destruction.

This rousing anthem to defiance -- political, personal and philosophical -- also defies a longstanding rule of comic-book movies. Action blockbusters usually value artful explosions more than incendiary ideas. The gripping, intelligent and innovative "V" overturns that tradition. It refuses to be a trivial thrill ride.

Its caped avenger, known as V, aims not just to bring down a handful of arch villains, but to change society. His mask, modeled on Guy Fawkes, England's most famous revolutionary, isn't a disguise to preserve his anonymity, but a symbol to proclaim his rebellion; his conversation is dense with analysis and ideology; his fortress of solitude isn't a museum of weaponry, but a vast library and art gallery. He is a fearsome hand-to-hand fighter, but that's logical. In a world governed by violence, violence may be the best tool to dissect it.

"People shouldn't be afraid of their governments," says the knife-wielding antihero. "Governments should be afraid of their people."

An aside for those a bit rusty on their English history: On Nov. 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes was discovered in a tunnel beneath Parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder. He and his co-conspirators had engineered the “Gunpowder Plot” in response to the tyranny of the government under King James I. Fawkes and his fellow collaborators were hanged, drawn and quartered. V, in the spirit of rebellion, vows to carry out that foiled plot. His agenda also includes revenge upon those who imprisoned and tortured him.

As manifestos go, this one’s a beauty. At the center of the story is Evey (“E” “V”… Am I the only one who noticed that?), played by Natalie Portman, a young Everywoman who works as a gofer at a TV network featuring raving demagogues. When she's menaced by the secret police for violating curfew, the masked revolutionary V (Hugo Weaving, though we never see his face) rescues her. The police suspect she is his accomplice, and V takes her into his sanctum for her own protection. There are parallels to "The Phantom of the Opera" in their relationship, as the cultured, protective V tutors Evey, but something darker is at work as well. Although his manners are courtly, Evey is his prisoner, and he is not above using deceit and torture to bend her to his will.

V is, of course, a terrorist, but is a government that controls its people through fear morally superior? Wasn't the Boston Tea Party terrorism in service of liberty? When do we call terrorism heroism? Tackling such ambiguities is what will keep audiences arguing about "V for Vendetta" while most Saturday-night popcorn movies evaporate before we reach the exits.

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March 25, 2006

Space Art

Cassini returns more cosmic masterpieces

More stunning views of Saturn’s moons have been captured by the Cassini spacecraft following its latest flyby of the Ringed Planet.

The orbiter's narrow-angle camera captured a stunning image of the tiny moon Janus in front of Saturn's rings, with planet-sized Titan behind them, on 21 March. The picture was taken when the heavily cratered Janus was about 724,500 kilometres from the probe. The moon, with its 194-kilometre diameter, is dwarfed by distant Titan, at 5150 kilometres wide. More

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March 24, 2006

More Coffee Art

If, like me, you've secretly wished you could conjure up artistic coffee creations like a professional barrista, pine no more. Here's a video that shows how it's done...

Of course, some practice is required, along with a sizable investment in equipment. And milk.

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March 23, 2006

Superstarfish!

Al Puromaki was visiting the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta when "a starfish struck this seductive pose inside the Cold Water Quest exhibit," proving that all stars ham it up for the camera...

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March 22, 2006

Episode 1001 -- The Return of Chef

The launch of South Park’s 10th season is marked by the triumphant homecoming of school chef, Jerome McElroy. “The Return of Chef!” premieres tonight at 10:00 p.m. on Comedy Central. According to their site,

"The town is jolted out of a case of the doldrums when Chef suddenly reappears. While Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled to have their old friend back, they notice that something about chef seems different. When Chef’s strange behavior starts getting him in trouble, the boys pull out all the stops to save him."

So what's different about Chef? Well, for one thing, his voice. Isaac Hayes, who voices chef, recently quit the show in a move that will likely provide a cornucopia of fresh material for the show's creators. So tonight, Chef's voice will be provided by either someone else entirely or, as some rumors contend, a computer manipulation of Hayes' voice from previous episodes. Either way, it'll be interesting.

Hayes quit the show citing its continual ridiculing of religion. Though Hayes didn't mention any episode in particular, South Park co-creator Matt Stone blamed the singer's sudden departure on a recent installment that poked fun at Scientology, of which Hayes is an outspoken follower. In a press statement Hayes said: "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins. I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

In response, co-creator Matt Stone released his own statement: "This has nothing to do with intolerance and bigotry and everything to do with the fact that Isaac Hayes is a Scientologist. In 10 years and over 150 episodes of 'South Park,' Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show."

Comedy Central had been scheduled to rebroadcast the episode, entitled "Trapped in the Closet," last Wednesday, but abruptly pulled it to air a different one. The move prompted speculation that the Church of Scientology – and another high profile Scientologist, Tom Cruise – forced the last-minute change.

I fully expect the show's creators to have a field day with this whole brouhaha.. This should be fun!  Here's more.

////

UPDATE 1: As predicted, the show's creators took aim at Hayes and Scientology in a completely made up story in which Chef is "brainwashed" by an organization of child molesters called the "Super Adventure Club." In order to cure Chef, Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny take their friend to a psychiatrist, a frowned-upon profession among Scientologists. In the end, Chef dies a million Kenny deaths (he's struck by lightning, impaled, shot, mauled by a mountain lion, eaten by a grizzly bear and, oh, yes, accused of being a child molester) only to live on, sort of, as a Darth Vader version of himself. And, for the record, not one spoken word in the episode was "Scientology."

UPDATE 2: South Park fans are in a uproar, claiming they will boycott Tom Cruise's upcoming movie, MI:3, until Comedy Central aires the "Trapped in the Closet" episode which apparently lampoons both Scientology and Cruise. Stay tuned...

UPDATE 3: The controversy deepens. Did Hayes really quit or did someone quit for him? Roger Friedman of Fox News suspects the latter and explains why in this article. Hayes is recovering, says Friedman, from a mild stroke suffered in January when he was reported to have been hospitalized for "exhaustion." According to Friedman, "Hayes is in no position to have quit anything." Hmmm... Now what?

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March 21, 2006

Time to arm the idiot-seeking missiles

'Nuff said.

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March 21, 2006

Intelligent Workplace: The Office of the Future

You spend all day there, and if the latest trends in green office architecture catch on you may actually begin to enjoy your workplace a lot more. The Euro-sleek office of the future is already in full effect at an eight-year-old successful experiment at Carnegie Mellon University called the Intelligent Workplace.

Here, workers in a heavily windowed living laboratory have a "right to daylight"—each desk is within 25 yards of natural light. Ceiling panels reflect warm daylight to work areas. ...

At the Carnegie Mellon Intelligent Workplace, no one suffers in airless cells that are too hot in the winter and too cold in the summer. Much of the heat in the Intelligent Office radiates from slender window dividers, pipes actually, that snake around the building’s walls and carry water warmed by recaptured waste heat from generators. Solar and other reflective sources also warm office areas.

Cooling is achieved in the summer with interior shades and exterior louvers, along with windows that actually open.

Consoles at each station allow workers to control the flow of hot and cool air at their desk area. ...

I think Carnegie Mellon is on the right track. Read the entire article.

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March 20, 2006

One of the photography sites I visit regularly is Joe's NYC. Joe walks around New York with his Nikon D70 and shoots pretty much what he sees. But, unlike many of us, he has a unique vision that lets him compose natural shots with character and balance. I particulary like his photojournalistic approach to street scenes and people. Here's a recent example of his work. Drop by his site periodically and take a look.

Joe's NYC

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March 20, 2006

It may look strange, but I'll bet it's comfortable...

Feel Seating System

A belief that the body's position is a mirror to the soul lies behind the Feel seating system which changes its form according to the emotional state of the body.

The Feel gathers all positions in one object; the shape is inspired by a molecular structure, the basic form for all objects in the universe.

It is made of 120 soft balls covered with elastic fabric. The structure of the Feel allows [users] to create multiple positions. The number of positions [is] as wide as the imagination.

The Feel is made by Animi Causa (From the Heart,) one of Israel's well known young and innovative manufactirers of high quality and modern multi-use furniture.

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March 19, 2006

This is pretty cool. Once considered blasphemy, installing Windows on a Mac is apparently now a near reality. Personally I can't see myself doing it, but I know people who have to have at least one PC on their Mac networks for some specialized applications. For them, this might be just what the doctor ordered.

Media Center enabled on Mac XP

The subculture based in the desire to see a computer capable of running pretty much any piece of software ever created has found a true home on the Intel Macs.

Since the announcement late last week that narf2006 and blanka had won Colin Neederkoorn's contest to get Windows XP installed on a MacBook Pro, talented users who know a hell of a lot about both Macs and Windows have been working to fill in the gaps left by the initial version of the software.

A member at OSx86 Project, Airman Pika, figured out a way to enable Windows Media Center Edition 2005 on Intel Macs and posted the screenshots to prove it.  (Click images to enlarge)

There's a further initiative to get a triple-boot machine running OS X, Windows and Linux running simultaneously, though not much progress has been made in that regard. ... Link

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March 19, 2006

Brokeback Mountin'

I wasn't going to comment on the movie, but I will point out that these guys aren't cowboys... they're sheepherders. There's a big difference.

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March 17, 2006

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Aye, 'tis a wee bit o' th' green ale we'll be samplin' this evenin' with Michael O'Darlin' an' his lovely Missus. Aye, and we'll not be forgettin' a side o' her fine corned beef an' cabbage to help celebrate this fine day. Then it's off to th' Pub to listen to friend Larry McGromer strummin' with his fine band, and maybe a jig or two to show our repects to him an' th' lads. Aye, it'll be a fine evenin' indeed. Surin' we'll be wishin' you an' yours a happy St. Patty's Day, too! May the luck o' th' Irish be with you!

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March 16, 2006

The Simpsons Come to Life

You may already have seen this; it's been clogging servers all month.

A video that recreates the introduction to "The Simpsons" with live actors has been spreading across the Internet faster than Homer can say "D'oh" -- part of a viral marketing campaign by UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB. Painstakingly crafted by Sky and its ad agency Devilfish, the video was originally intended as an on-air promotion for the Sky One network, which airs new episodes of "The Simpsons" in the UK. The company decided to release it on the Internet as part of a word-of-mouth brand-building exercise.

After less than a week, the video has been viewed millions of times at online video sites like YouTube and Google Video. I've included a 7.5MB .avi version here, although you may need VLC to view it.

Most all the expected bits are there; Bart is trapped at the blackboard, Homer chucks some nuclear waste and Maggie takes over the steering wheel.  Missing is Marge's blue hair... and she's driving on the wrong side of the road (it was filmed in the UK).

Anyway, give it a watch to see what all the fuss is about. It's pretty funny. There's also an interesting interview of some of the Simpsons' voice actors on Inside the Actors Studio worth watching. These guys are pretty amazing. Article

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March 15, 2006

Alien Cow Abductions

According to this site, it's a serious problem. Countless bovines, they say, have disappeared from dairy farms everywhere. Think it doesn't affect you? Read on.

The site posts a rapidly growing collection of alien cow abduction evidence and documentation. You can also watch interviews of some of the victims and hear how they are coping with the growing menace. Read up. Knowledge is your best defense. It's already happened in Modesto, Willows and Loleta. A farm in your area could be next.

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March 15, 2006

Jeu d' oranges

Regular readers know of my interest in unusual art forms. This French site features "orange art," a form I've not seen before and found quite fascinating. I suppose it could be classified as "fruit art," but I think it would more accurately be described as "peel art."

As someone who feels truly accomplished when I'm able to peel an orange in one continuous spiral, my hat's off to anyone with the skill, dexterity and vision (not to mention free time) to create such interesting works as the one's shown on these pages.

Since I don't read French (who am I kidding; I don't speak it either) I was unable to tell just how the, uh, orange artist creates his work. Does he manage to carve them as he peels, or does he peel in one large piece and then create? I suspect the latter but... If anyone can read French, let me know.

Go ahead and explore the site. Of course, it's in French, so navigating may pose some difficulty, but with a little perseverance you'll get the hang of it. And who knows, it may reignite some long repressed flame of creative desire and have you reaching, knife in hand, for the fruit bowl...

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March 14, 2006

Challenges Ahead for NASA's Mars Orbiter

PASADENA, Calif. -- The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passed the biggest test of its life by safely entering orbit around the Red Planet, joining a constellation of circling spacecraft. But other challenges lie ahead.

Next month, the two-ton orbiter will begin another critical phase in its $720 million mission. It will spend seven months dipping into Mars' upper atmosphere to shrink its current elliptical orbit to a circular one, which will take it as close as 200 miles above the surface. The purpose is to get as close to Mars as possible to beam back detailed images. ...

Unlike previous Mars missions, the Reconnaissance Orbiter is the most powerful spacecraft ever to arrive at Mars and is expected to send back more data about the Red Planet than ever before.

After adjusting its orbit, the spacecraft will begin its two-year examination of the planet in low orbit in the fall. It is expected to monitor the Martian climate and atmosphere, search for signs of ancient water on the surface and locate possible future landing sites to send the next generation of robotic rovers and possibly human explorers. After that, it should serve as a communication relay between Earth and Mars until its primary mission ends in 2010. ...

Launched from Florida last August, the Reconnaissance Orbiter traveled 310 million miles over seven months for the risky orbit rendezvous. It successfully circled Mars on Friday after a white-knuckle encounter in which it fired its main engines and briefly lost contact with mission control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena after flying behind the planet. Engineers applauded when the orbiter came back into view and signaled that it was in position. ...

Later this month, engineers will send commands to the orbiter to begin the aerobraking process, in which the spacecraft will perform a series of dips into the upper atmosphere, using friction to brake and lower its altitude. Engineers estimate it will take more than 500 maneuvers to slip into a favorable orbit to collect data.

The newest orbiter is equipped with the most high-tech science instruments ever flown to another planet including a telescopic camera to photograph the surface in unprecedented detail and radar to probe underground for ice and possible evidence of liquid water.

For additional information, visit the NASA Web site.

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March 14, 2006

This is interesting. We've made several profound discoveries this year...

Rat-Squirrel Not Extinct After All

WASHINGTON (AP) - It has the face of a rat and the tail of a skinny squirrel -- and scientists say this creature discovered living in central Laos is pretty special: It's a species believed to have been extinct for 11 million years.

The long-whiskered rodent made international headlines last spring when biologists declared they'd discovered a brand new species, nicknamed the Laotian rock rat.

It turns out the little guy isn't new after all, but a rare kind of survivor: a member of a family until now known only from fossils.

Nor is it a rat. This species, called Diatomyidae, looks more like small squirrels or tree shrews, said paleontologist Mary Dawson of Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Dawson, with colleagues in France and China, report the creature's new identity in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

The resemblance is "absolutely striking," Dawson said. As soon as her team spotted reports about the rodent's discovery, "we thought, 'My goodness, this is not a new family. We've known it from the fossil record.'"

They set out to prove that through meticulous comparisons between the bones of today's specimens and fossils found in China and elsewhere in Asia.

To reappear after 11 million years is more exciting than if the rodent really had been a new species, said George Schaller, a naturalist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, which unveiled the creature's existence last year. Indeed, such reappearances are so rare that paleontologists dub them "the Lazarus effect." More

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March 14, 2006

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Remember "rock, paper, scissors?" It was the cool hand game used to settle disputes, pick teams, or decide who had to enter the haunted house first when we were kids. But if you thought it had gone the way of Blackjack Gum and skate keys, you'd be wrong. The venerable game is alive and well with two leagues -- the World RPS Society and the weeks-old USARPS League -- vying for how the sport should be managed.

The USARPS League, recently formed by two Hollywood TV producers, is enticing members with Bud Light girls, a racy Web video and a $50,000 prize. The tactics have drawn the wrath of the Toronto-based World RPS Society, revived a decade ago by two brothers who set out to bring decorum to the child's hand game.

At the recent southwest Florida USARPS regional finals held in Sarasota, Jason Wood, a 34-year-old server at an oyster bar, threw a "rock," crushing finalist Erin Smith's "scissors," and emerged from a field of 29 competitors as the winner. He'll join more than 300 players from across the country to compete in the April 9 national tournament at the Luxor Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and a chance to win $50,000.

At the World RPS Society's first international tournament in 2002, Toronto's Pete Lovering outlasted more than 250 players while competing in a green bathrobe adorned with "1974 World Champion." Today, the society counts 3,000 members and calls itself the sport's governing body.

The U.S. league's Web site displays a video of the "Girls of RPS," scantily dressed women nicknamed Rock, Paper and Scissors, cavorting to pulsing music. The World Society posted a critique on its Web site saying the U.S. league had "chosen to go down that old tired and true route of hiring strippers for a cheese-fest" rather than celebrate women "who have actually played RPS."

Will there be an RPS Super Bowl? More here and here.

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March 11, 2006

Revisiting Steve Jobs' iPlane

The Apple Computer Inc. Board of Directors awarded CEO Steve Jobs a Gulfstream V ultra-long range business jet on January 19th, 2000 as a "special bonus" for his "outstanding performance" as interim CEO, working without pay for two and a half years. The Turbo-Jet engine aircraft, named N2N, initially set the company back a cool $43.5 million.

A Gulfstream V can run about $1 million a year to operate — which Jobs is responsible for — and can cover 6,500 nautical miles before refueling (think of a nonstop trip from New York to Tokyo). It can travel up to speeds of Mach 0.885 — about 740 miles per hour — and seat between 13 and 19 people, depending on the owner's tastes in decoration. To take care of these cash-swaddled travelers, a Gulfstream V requires a crew of two or three pilots, along with a flight attendant to hand out the peanuts.

The G-V is the world's first and most successful ultra-long range business aircraft. With 63 world and national records since its introduction into service in 1997, it offers the most advanced technology available in business aircraft today. It's the only aircraft in its class that can fly without altitude restrictions across the North Atlantic. Only aircraft granted RVSM approval may operate at altitudes from 31,000 - 39,000 feet in the North Atlantic track system and in the future, across Europe and the Pacific.

There were some experts who questioned the wisdom of giving Jobs the boatload of stock options and the jet. But his return to Apple kept the company, most would argue, from collapse. And, after seeing the financial results since his return, the cost of the little perk has long since been forgotten.

There was an interesting article about Jobs in the January issue of Business Week. Give it a read. I think it's insightful and may even explain why Jobs didn't have his new iPlane painted Bondi Blue or Denim Black.

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March 10, 2006

My mother-in-law sent us an article she'd clipped from the St. Petersburg Times written by Joan Atkins of Palm Harbor. It had been printed in the Letters to the Editor section and I thought it was worth sharing here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simple pleasures of bygone days taken to heart

I remember a time when a man in uniform was admired and respected.

I remember a time when every house in the neighborhood flew our flag for every occasion.

I remember the days when politicians were noble and admired.

I remember the days when neither movies nor music had parental ratings.

I remember a time when teachers and principals were respected for their knowledge and supported by students and their parents.

I remember when it was "cool" to take the bus or ride your bike after eighth grade.

Continue reading

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March 10, 2006

And speaking of origami...

"Origami artists use a little elbow crease"

The winning entries from the fourth annual juried Student Origami Competition at MIT are on view at the Wiesner Student Art Gallery on the second floor of the Stratton Student Center through March 15 and on this university web site.

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March 9, 2006

Samsung and Microsoft Unveil Origami Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC)

Well, the wait's over. Origami is here, although it will apparently have to wait a month or two for Microsoft's "Touch Pack" contribution to help navigate the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 operating system before it's ready for prime time. The unit also includes an extendable TV antenna.

Engadget posted a hands-on review from CeBIT and, coupled with a few other first impressions from those lucky enough to get their hands on one, the consensus seems to be, well, somewhat underwhelming.

Basically, Samsung has made a unit along the lines of Apple's old Newton but powered by Windows. Apple's problem at the time was the lack of availability of cool-running power. That's not the case today. I'd hoped (and still do) that Apple would reintroduce an updated Newton. I still believe the concept has potential.

But, based on what I've read so far, Samsung and Microsoft are a little off target. We'll see when the Samsung Q1 reaches market. Two other manufacturers (Asus and the Chinese manufacturer Founder) are also hawking UMPC versions. And there's already marketing hype about how the second and future versions will include faster processors and more bells and whistles.

Read the news report from ABC, visit Microsoft's Origami related site, and watch the very spacey original origami project 3-part presentation (Is it just me, or does it sound like Darth Vader sleeping?) Will Origami be a hit? It's way too early to tell.

UPDATE: Stumbled across an apparent Microsoft video that demonstrates the theoretical lifestyle using UMPCs (Bus not included...) And here's a "hands on" video by Gizmodo at CeBIT... Another video from CeBIT of a show floor demonstration that makes UMPCs seem viable... Another video from the CeBIT show floor shows the thumb typing feature... This video shows one of the other UMPC manufacturers and, at the end, points out that the battery is supposed to last up to three hours...

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March 9, 2006

Top 10 Geek Watches

Productdose has compiled a listing of gadget wrist watches worth a look. Considering the wealth of geek chic wristwear out there at the moment, they started at the point where nerd-tech meets personal style. Of course, no one embodies the aesthetic better than James Bond, a character who has effortlessly turned dorky into dapper at the flick of a wrist.

While much of the tech that Bond has had access to was fictional in scope, there is a variety of watches available now that carry on the tradition of tech incorporated into effortless cool. In honor of Bond, here's the list of their current nerd-style wristwatch favorites, which should help you channel your inner geek-gent.

My personal favorite is the 1 GB USB Executive Watch. The name says it all: Mr. Gadget. Why carry around a separate flash drive when you can have one with you at all times in your watch? If you see yourself as a gadget guy who has a data storage device on him at all times — undoubtedly carrying code or an archive of podcasts — this is the watch for you. And if you're like me, who grew up reading Ian Fleming and never missing a James Bond movie, then take a stroll through movie history; follow this link to a history of Bond watches...

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March 8, 2006

Hidden Passages

I've always known there were companies that specialized in designing and building secret rooms and passages with trick opening mechanisms reminiscent of old Abbott and Costello movies or the 2002 Jodie Foster film, Panic Room.

So I was delighted to discover Creative Home Engineering, an Arizona company that does just that -- design and build "residential secret passageways" and "biometric controls" including such James Bond-like features as optical sensor arrays, thermal and infrared sensors, fingerprint scanners and voice recognition systems.

Pull a favorite book from your library shelf and watch a cabinet section recess to reveal a hidden passageway. Twist a candlestick and your fireplace rotates, granting access to a hidden room.

The company points out that not only does a "safe room" provide added security for you and your valuables, it can add substantially to the value of your home when it's time to sell.

Science fiction? Not really. Check out their web site. Don't miss the videos and animations!

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March 7, 2006

This is even more disconcerting. Contributor Michael sends this link to FamilyWatchdog.us which enables you to key in your address and view a map showing registered sexual offenders living in your area.

Registered Sexual Offenders Map

Once you key in your address, the map will display a house icon in the middle. That's you. You'll also see some school icons if there are any in your area. The colored boxes? Those are registered sexual offenders. Click on a colored square and view the address and photo of the offender and his crime(s). I keyed in an address near where I once lived and was surprised to find 1004 offenders in the grid shown! The site provides additional useful information, and you can also zoom in or out to control the area searched. Try it!

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March 7, 2006

This is disconcerting...

Technology Facilitates Caller ID Spoofing

Caller ID spoofing, where a caller can provide a fake telephone number to show up as his own in your Caller ID, has been around for some time, but usually required special hardware and technical savvy. Not any more. In the last few years, Caller ID spoofing has become much easier. Millions of people have Internet telephone equipment that can be set to make any number appear on a Caller ID system. And several Web sites have sprung up to provide Caller ID spoofing services, eliminating the need for any special hardware.

For instance, Spoofcard.com sells a virtual "calling card" for $10 that provides 60 minutes of talk time. The user dials a toll-free number, then keys in the destination number and the Caller ID number to display. The service also provides optional voice scrambling, to make the caller sound like someone of the opposite sex.

Lance James, chief scientist at security company Secure Science Corp., said Caller ID spoofing Web sites are used by people who buy stolen credit card numbers. They will call a service such as Western Union, setting Caller ID to appear to originate from the card holder's home, and use the credit card number to order cash transfers that they then pick up. ... Article

It seems to me that if I'm paying extra for Caller ID, there is a reasonable expectation that it works. But that would apparently require Federal legislation against Caller ID spoofing which, unfortunately, appears to be of little interest in Washington...

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March 6, 2006

If you slept through the Academy Awards last night, here's a fairly complete rundown on the important stuff...

Oh yeah, the Oscars...

The Academy Awards (yawn) were last night. Let's see: The edgy ensemble drama Crash, about a group of angry Angelenos, pulled off a major upset victory in the Best Picture race, knocking the gay cowboys of Brokeback Mountain from their frontrunner saddles. ... The low-budget film's high-wattage win was one of the few surprising moments at the 78th Annual Academy Awards, which otherwise stuck to a fairly predictable script, with host Jon Stewart falling flat more often than not and presenter after presenter flubbing their lines after losing their place on the teleprompter.

As widely expected, Capote star Philip Seymour Hoffman picked up the Best Actor Oscar for his turn as effeminate author Truman Capote, a role which has already earned him a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, a Critics' Choice Award and an Independent Spirit Award, to name a few. ... In another non-shocker, Reese Witherspoon won the Best Actress prize for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. ...

Brokeback Mountain, which went into the Academy Awards with a leading eight nominations, lassoed a total of three awards, including Best Director for Ang Lee, Best Original Score and Best Adapted Screenplay. ... George Clooney, who was nominated in three categories, snared the Best Supporting Actor prize for Syriana early on, but correctly predicted that the award would be his only Oscar of the night. ... A very pregnant Rachel Weisz won Best Supporting Actress for The Constant Gardner, an award she referred to as a "tremendous, tremendous honor." ...

For Memoirs of a Geisha, filmed partly in Old Sacramento, appearances were everything, with the visually (if not emotionally) stunning film picking up a trio of awards for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. King Kong was another triple winner, nabbing the awards for Best Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe won Best Makeup. On the 'toon side, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit took the Oscar for Best Animated Film. March of the Penguins picked up the well deserved Best Documentary.

Here's the complete scorecard of nominees and winners. For the fashionistas, here's a collection of runway photos. And, for you history buffs, take a walk through 77 years of Oscar history. Oh, and why the photo of Cherize Theron? Because I think she's stunning despite her spaceship-looking gown this year.

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March 6, 2006

Hundreds of exhibitors and tons of new technology, but all the buzz seems to be about Origami...

CeBIT Show to Unveil New Range of Products

FRANKFURT, Germany -- The annual CeBIT high-tech fair is set to show off a new range of advanced mobile phones, ultra-light laptops, powerful yet compact digital cameras and -- maybe -- Microsoft's latest secret project. ...

While CeBIT remains an industry event at its core, it has branched out in recent years to focus on consumer products from high-powered digital cameras and gaming to the latest in wearable fashion with built-in speakers for portable MP3 players. ...

The most widely anticipated event is likely to come on opening day, when Microsoft Corp. may unveil its hyped Project Origami. It's expected to be the first version of paperback book-sized computers that will run Microsoft's regular Windows XP operating system. (Emphasis added)

Microsoft has not said how or where it will reveal the Origami project, but has said it will be unveiled on March 9 -- coinciding with the first day of the CeBIT event. The company will also be showing off Office 12, the latest version of its stalwart suite of office-related productivity software. ...

This year's phone lineup is expected to display smaller, more feature-laden cell phones using the 3G standard, which permits them to send data at higher speeds, and feature television on their small screens. ...

I can't help but wonder how similar Origami will be to the old Apple Newton...

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March 5, 2006

Eight Below -- A Review 

Dog lovers, bring lots of Kleenex. In the spirit of most animal movies -- "Old Yeller" comes to mind -- Disney certainly plays with our emotions, at least where the dogs are concerned. But we expect that given the subject matter and after having seen the trailers, right?

The film is "suggested" by the 1983 Nippon feature "Nankyoku Monogatari" (Antarctica), which was in turn inspired by real-life events. The Japanese version was set in 1958, with two human protags, and seven out of nine dogs doomed early on. This version is set in the early '90s, with a single principal human and a much happier ending for man's best friends.

The expedition is also updated with American scientists. One is Jerry, a handsome Antarctic guide with commitment issues (Paul Walker), and another is obsessed with finding a slice of meteorite (Bruce Greenwood). There's also the guide's best buddy, cartographer and comic relief (Jason Biggs) and the guide's love interest, a tough but cute pilot named Katie (Moon Bloodgood).

The film is at its best when it goes to the dogs; each one is given a distinct and evolving personality. Max, a young, uncertain dog (whose emotional journey parallels Jerry's) steps into a leadership position when the original leader, Maya, falters. Their struggles on the ice, complete with a ferocious attack by a poorly done computer generated leopard seal, may stir memories of "March of the Penguins," although in this fictionalized story, Canada and Greenland stand in for the actual Antarctic in the Penguins documentary.

Expect emotional manipulation as the movie connects predictable dots. Loner Jerry needs to trust his friends if he is to get back to his dogs, just as the once reticent Max must bring the dogs together to survive (the more compelling tale.) But there's truth in little moments: the dogs' weariness and hunger as they trek through the frozen wasteland, palpable relief when they spy a flock of birds and a stranded carcass for food. In this way and others, the film serves as a welcome reminder of the honor due those heroic dogs and explorers who risked and lost their lives to save each other in challenging conditions.

Of course, the film stumbles here and there and presents us with some tests of logic. For example, isn't there almost eternal darkness during the Antarctic winter, just as there's almost eternal daylight during the summer? Of course, that would have made the film too "dark..." And the sled dogs do some mighty advanced thinking, as when one dog seems to explain a fairly complex plan to the other dogs by telepathy. But that's Disney. I was also impressed by the selfless behavior of the dogs as they brought birds to feed a member of the pack who had been crippled. I was under the impression that if a dog died in such circumstances, the others would eat it to avoid starvation, but apparently not... And maybe it's just me, but I could have done without the Jason Biggs character altogether. He wasn't at all believable as the cartographer/comedian/dog phobic. Way over-the top.

But that's just nit-picking. Overall, this is an very enjoyable film, especially when the dogs are front and center. And if it doesn't leave you wanting to go out and buy a Husky, then you have no soul.

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March 4, 2006

I know a few Blackberry users who've been sweating bullets over this dispute. I think I heard a giant, collective sigh of relief...

Settlement Reached in BlackBerry Dispute

Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry e-mail device, announced Friday it has settled its long-running patent dispute with a small Virginia-based firm, averting a possible court-ordered shutdown of the BlackBerry system.

RIM has paid NTP $612.5 million in a "full and final settlement of all claims," the companies said.

At a hearing last week, NTP had asked a federal court in Richmond, Va., for an injunction blocking the continued use of key technologies underpinning the BlackBerry wireless e-mail service. ...

The settlement ends a period of anxiety for many of the more than 3 million BlackBerry users in the United States. Uncertainty over the outcome had some customers wondering whether they would experiences brief outages or even a shutdown. Continue reading

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March 3, 2006

New, More Colorful $10 Bill to Debut

WASHINGTON -- Just in time for spring, the government infused a little color into the $10-bill Thursday.

The new bill -- featuring shades of orange, yellow and red -- joined colorized versions of the $20 bill and the $50 bill as the Bureau of Engraving and Printing attempts to stay ahead of counterfeiters and ever-more sophisticated copying machines.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday began shipping the first of 800 million of the new $10 bills to commercial banks. In the next few days, those bills will start showing up in cash registers around the country. ...

"Staying ahead of would-be counterfeiters is a top priority of the U.S. government and in order to do that our currency will need to be redesigned every seven to 10 years," said U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral. ...

The new $10 bill still features Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first Treasury secretary, on one side, and the Treasury building on the other side. But those two images are joined by the Statue of Liberty's torch and "We the People" in red along with small yellow 10s and a subtle orange background. ...

Also related, my 9.28.05 post, "In Search of ... a Perfect $10" in the archives.

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March 3, 2006

I've been fascinated by dinosaurs since my second grade field trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York. If you share my fascination, you'll find this article of particular interest.

T. Rex Dethroned as Biggest Flesh-Eating Dinosaur

The Age of Dinosaurs ended millions of years ago, but paleontologists are still attempting to get a handle on the immense diversity and diverse immensity of these creatures.

Take the report last month that Spinosaurus is now officially the biggest carnivorous dinosaur known to science. This two-legged beast actually strode onto the fossil scene in 1915, when a specimen was described by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer.

He figured this theropod (defined as a two-legged carnivorous dinosaur) was bigger than Tyrannosaurus rex, but the original Spinosaurus bones were destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944. So the T. rex reigned as the king-sized, carnivorous land beast for decades.

Then along came Giganotosaurus 11 years ago. Now Cristiano Dal Sasso of the Civic Museum of Natural History in Milan, Italy, says Giganotosaurus has been dethroned based on estimates from a new Spinosaurus skull.

So just how do all these carnivores match up?

Tyrannosaurus rex was 40 to 50 feet long, weighed 6 tons, and had teeth up to 13 inches long. It lived 65 million years ago in North America. Giganotosaurus, by comparison, was 47 feet long and weighed 8 tons, but its serrated teeth were only 8 inches long. It roamed present-day Argentina 95 million years ago. Spinosaurus had both of them beat. It was 55 feet long, weighed 8 tons and had long, crocodile-like jaws. It strode present-day North Africa and Argentina 100 million years ago. More

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March 2, 2006

Photos Show It's True: No Two Snowflakes Alike

Through rain and sleet and dead of night and all that, your letters next winter can be delivered bearing snowflakes artfully photographed by a physicist who weathers those same storms to study nature's crystal magic.

Starting in October, the U.S. Postal Service will issue a set of four stamps featuring pictures of snowflakes taken by Kenneth Libbrecht, a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology. ...

Snowflakes are nothing more than ice, but the forms a single flake can take are dizzyingly complex. A single crystal of ice is known as a snow crystal. And one or more snow crystals stuck together make a snowflake.

There are, as you've heard, endless possibilities for how they stick together. ...

When Libbrecht started making snowflakes in the laboratory, he took microscopic photographs in order to be able to study the basic physics of each flake. In 2001, he started capturing images of natural snowflakes. ...

He has to work quickly, using a paintbrush to place a flake into his portable studio for the shoot. When flakes have fallen, they stop growing and within minutes they typically lose their sharp edges and become less interesting...

The Holiday Snowflakes stamps will feature multi-branched stellar dendrites, with six symmetrical main branches and many randomly placed side branches and sectored plates. These represent but one of seven primary types of snowflake patterns.

As you'd expect, no two of the stamps are alike. ... Link

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March 1, 2006

This is interesting. I've stumbled across critters while scuba diving in this region, even photographed or videotaped a few, that neither I nor the locals could identify. These discoveries always fascinate me...

New marine species found in reef survey

Several new species of fish, plants and at least one new species of crab have been discovered in a big new survey of the Great Barrier Reef.

Dr. Roland Pitcher from the CSIRO says scientists spent more than 300 days at sea covering 536,000 square kilometres of the reef from Cape York to Fraser Island.

"We've seen a number of new fish, possibly a new pipehorse and maybe a new species of crab at least," he said.

"And we can also confirm that there's been a number of species that have been confirmed in Australia waters for the first time.

"We were fairly confident that we would find quite a number of new things because a lot of the kinds of animal groups that we are collecting specimens of from the seabed haven't really been studied extensively before." Link