http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss duane+iblog@cmu.edu Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:10:44 -0500 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:11:36 -0500 iBlog 1.4.6 Duane Williams Duane's Weblog (from Pittsburgh, Pa) opinions on a variety of topics: gay & lesbian issues, politics, war, ethics, etc. Duane Williams duane+iblog@cmu.edu Duane's Weblog (from Pittsburgh, Pa) http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20080706010403/index.html As of June 30, 4,113 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 30,314 have been wounded. 13,476 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 85,461 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:04:03 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20080706010403/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C573308076/E20070904112130/index.html Apple announced on Friday that the iTunes Store will no longer carry NBC TV shows. This includes the loss of Heroes, Law and Order, Scrubs, Stargate SG-1 and Battlestar Galactica. ]]> Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:21:30 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C573308076/E20070904112130/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070904101156/index.html As of Sept. 2, 3,741 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 27,662 have been wounded. 12,429 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 71,259 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:11:56 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070904101156/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C413874129/E20070821014748/index.html On Saturday, Skype promised to give (on Monday) "a more detailed explanation of what happened" that caused a worldwide loss of Skype service that lasted nearly 2 days. They failed to give a convincing explanation. ]]> Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:47:48 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C413874129/E20070821014748/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C413874129/E20070817110915/index.html For the past 35 hours or so, Skype has not been available to many people and the people running Skype have been vague about what the problem is. The only explanation that has appeared on their "Heartbeat" blog is: "This problem occurred because of a deficiency in an algorithm within Skype networking software. This controls the interaction between the user's own Skype client and the rest of the Skype network." ]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:09:15 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C413874129/E20070817110915/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070812141755/index.html We can expect the U.S. casualties in Iraq to surpass 4000 before the end of this year, based on the long-term daily average of 2.296 deaths per day. ]]> Sun, 12 Aug 2007 13:17:55 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070812141755/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070810015417/index.html On the front page of The New York Times web site, in the Video section, there are (at this moment) two images suspiciously placed side by side. One shows a woman (crying) with her hand covering her face. The other shows a man, head bowed, with his hand covering his face. The caption over the image of the woman reads "Iraqi Exiles in Jordan". The caption over the image of the man reads "Dow Falls 387 Points on Loan Fears". ]]> Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:54:17 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070810015417/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070808093813/index.html As of Aug 8, 3,680 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 27,279 have been wounded. 12,267 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 68,747 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:38:13 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070808093813/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070802004537/index.html Yesterday, the New York Times reported the number of U.S. military casualties in Iraq as low, but they didn't wait until all the numbers were in for the month. In fact, the number of U.S. casualties in July, while lower than the very elevated values of the previous three months, was still substantially higher than the long term monthly average. ]]> Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:45:37 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070802004537/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070801010255/index.html As of July 30, 3,653 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 27,104 have been wounded. 12,180 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 68,009 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:02:55 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070801010255/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1472520095/E20070723105745/index.html Happy birthday, Daniel. ]]> Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:57:45 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1472520095/E20070723105745/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C413874129/E20070721031106/index.html When Duke University started having network problems early this week, Duke's Office of Information Technology rushed to blame the new iPhones on campus. It has now been confirmed that the problem was caused by a faulty Cisco wireless access point. ]]> Sat, 21 Jul 2007 02:11:06 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C413874129/E20070721031106/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C2129834616/E20070714140131/index.html An online project has begun to classify over a million galaxies in an effort to determine if there is a special alignment of spiral galaxies with an unexpected alignment of spots in the cosmic background radiation observed in 2005. The public is invited to participate in the classification of galaxies. If you would like to help, go to GalaxyZoo.org. ]]> Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:01:31 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C2129834616/E20070714140131/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070713114747/index.html Mac Daily News thinks there's a striking resemblance between these images of an iPhone ad and of the famous fresco of Michelangelo, but I don't see it. ]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:47:47 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070713114747/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070711023021/index.html As of July 10, 3,609 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 26,695 have been wounded. 12,014 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 67,172 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:30:21 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070711023021/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070710045810/index.html Someone who read my previous iPhone post asked me why I ignored the value of the features of the iPhone other than its being a phone: web browser, email, calendar, music, videos, etc. My response, in brief, is that I don't think it's good for those things. ]]> Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:58:10 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070710045810/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070708173138/index.html All the reviews of the iPhone that I've seen are basically positive. Most reviewers obviously love their new iPhones. A friend of mine who bought one reported that he likes it "quite a lot." Everyone agrees it could be improved in various ways, but that doesn't seem to curtail their enthusiasm for the device very much. Nevertheless, I'm not going to rush out and get one, and it's neither because I wouldn't like to have one nor because I'm waiting for version 2. It's the cost of phone service that is the stumbling block for me. ]]> Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:31:38 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070708173138/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1782040900/E20070707122613/index.html I recently read Lee Gutkind's book Almost Human: Making Robots Think, published by W. W. Norton in 2006. It is about the place where I've spent most of my working life, so I was curious to see if he told the truth about the people I know. The rapid manufacturing project I work on is not mentioned in this book. ]]> Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:26:13 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1782040900/E20070707122613/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070706015603/index.html This message appeared in my mailbox yesterday: "Since you have always had a closed mind you have never been touched by the Lord, Hence you will probably never understand God". The subject line read, "Re: Why do Americans celebrate the 4th of July?" At first I didn't understand what motivated this, but then I remembered that I posted a message with that title two years ago. Since it is still being read, I thought I would repost it: ]]> Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:56:03 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C1394585068/E20070706015603/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C730209590/E20070705100803/index.html In the Life, the gay and lesbian TV news magazine, is scheduled to air on Friday, July 6, at 10 PM on WQED TV (channel 13). The show is titled "Gender Revolution" and will be hosted by Charles Busch. ]]> Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:08:03 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C730209590/E20070705100803/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070702103103/index.html As of July 1, 3,580 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 26,350 have been wounded. 11,831 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 66,807 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:31:03 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070702103103/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C730209590/E20070620103755/index.html On Saturday, Dallas elected a political newcomer over the three-term openly gay City Councilman Ed Oakley to be mayor of the city. The vote was 58 to 42 percent. It had been wrongly predicted to be a close race. ]]> Wed, 20 Jun 2007 09:37:55 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C730209590/E20070620103755/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C728646943/E20070619100259/index.html Information Week reported on a YouTube video that shows a Pittsburgh law firm, Cohen & Grigsby, holding a conference in which they tell attendees how to avoid having to hire American workers while minimally satisfying the requirements of the law. ]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:02:59 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C728646943/E20070619100259/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070606025114/index.html As of June 5, 3,497 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 25,830 have been wounded. 11,622 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 64,575 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:51:14 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070606025114/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070529235510/index.html As of May 29, 3,467 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 25,549 have been wounded. 11,476 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 64,575 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Tue, 29 May 2007 22:55:10 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070529235510/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C581382724/E20070528134041/index.html After Allegheny County passed a smoking ban in restaurants and bars last October, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco paid the legal bills for Mitchell's Bar & Restaurant and the Smithfield Cafe to challenge the local law, which was struck down by the state Commonwealth Court, which ruled that it was prohibited by the state's Clean Indoor Air Act (1988), which allows indoor air to be polluted by tobacco smoke. ]]> Mon, 28 May 2007 12:40:41 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C581382724/E20070528134041/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C2129834616/E20070528131220/index.html A "creationist" museum opens today in Petersburg, Kentucky. It is based on the absurd premise that Genesis is literally true and the earth only 6,000 thousand years old. Scientists know for a fact that the earth is billions of years old. ]]> Mon, 28 May 2007 12:12:20 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C2129834616/E20070528131220/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070527124452/index.html This is the first time that the U.S. has had two consecutive months with over 100 casualties in Iraq. The U.S. has had over 100 casualties in four of the past eight months. ]]> Sun, 27 May 2007 11:44:52 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070527124452/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070510233754/index.html The Democrats should give Bush money for an orderly withdrawal of our troops from Iraq and they should give him a deadline, after which further funds will not be provided. They should tell him there will be no compromise. He's had three years to do what he wants in Iraq and the country is far worse off than when he launched his unprovoked invasion. It's time to tell him he's out of time. Congress has the sole Constitutional authority over funding and they should use it. ]]> Thu, 10 May 2007 22:37:54 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070510233754/index.html http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070502033432/index.html As of April 30, 3,351 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the war began and at least 25,090 have been wounded. 11,215 of the wounded were hurt seriously enough that they could not be returned to duty within 72 hours. Over 62,760 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Iraq Body Count website. ]]> Wed, 02 May 2007 02:34:32 -0500 http://homepage.mac.com/duanewilliams/iblog/C319559455/E20070502033432/index.html