Peter's Place

Our very good friend, the UAE, has seized all history textbooks from an American -operated private school, because it considers that the textbooks "smell of racism." Just what did the UAE's Ministry of Education find to be offensive and racist? According to the Khaleej Times , the textbooks presented Islam and Muslim countries in the Middle East in a negative light and Israel in a positive light. To wit, "Israel is one of a few democracies in North Africa and the Middle East today. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Morocco are all kingdoms; the country of Syria has sponsored terrorism by giving aid to radicals in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, known as the PLO." Further, the article reports that "While there are clamour for change in the Middle East, one has to understand that these are the books coming from the so called 'free world'. This is a typical example of how textbooks are used to manipulate the thoughts of young minds," affirmed [Asst....

This is just an interesting example of how free-form thought on the Internet can produce surprising results. For instance, in my last post, I was trying to find a web site that spoke about suicidal ideation, and I came across this site: Understanding Chronic Pain I knew that there was some sort of a relationship between pain and depression . For instance , people who are depressed often experience headaches, back pain, joint pain, and abdominal pain. Of this list, I would say that the major symptom in my case is the back pain that I have -- nothing else can explain it. In fact, one study states Up to two-thirds of those with unexplained pain meet the criteria for major depression Now, take what they have to say about chronic pain and depression : Consider some of the more devastating psychological effects of chronic pain: 1. Loss of mobility. Chronic pain and suicide ideation have been shown to be strongly related. However, recent research shows that chronic pain is usu...

Well, the good old George W. Bush-defended UAE has continued its policy of censoring web sites. This time, they've struck out against one of the sites I regularly visit: Boing Boing . I've recently blogged about United States hypocrisy regarding its chastising of US search engine companies operating in China and adhereing to Chinese local laws governing censorship of the Internet. But now, the UAE, which censors the Internet for its citizens, has been granted control of perhaps the six largest US shipping ports. Where's the public outcry from the administration/government officials here? I certainly can't find any. Can you? In its article , Boing Boing points out that US President George W. Bush has recently defended a UAE takeover of control and administration of six of the United States's international shipping ports: "I think it sends a terrible signal to friends around the world that it's OK for a company from one country to manage the port, but n...

I used to be an ardent support of the police -- those uniformed women and men in blue whose jobs it is to protect our lives. But lately, and especially after some recent interactions I've had with them lately -- including one where a certain Town of Harrison Police Department Detective commanded patrol officers not to render any aid or assistance to me in my request to be taken to a psychiatric hospital because I was feeling suicidal (with the assistance of a patrolman who ignored the detective's orders, I was helped to a psychiatric facility where I was treated for my chronic depression / suicidal ideation on an inpatient basis for approximately two months) -- has both left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, as well as shattered my faith in the police to be fair and honest. This story is just one of what I'm certain are thousands of incidents that occur aross our country on an all-too-frequent basis. CBS 4 - South Florida's Source for Breaking News, Weather, and S...

True or false: We live in a free society? Sadly, the answer to that question, in my opinion, is becoming more false than true as time marches on, especially in today's day and age. And now, we're going to have to pay -- out of our own pockets, so to speak -- for some of the restrictions that are increasingly being placed upon us. Thanks to Nelson Minar , a Google employee , for the heads-up on this story : College campuses in the US are being asked to foot the bill to allow law enforcement to eavesdrop on their students' online conversations. What's that, you didn't know that law enforcement was eavesdropping on the online activities of the American higher education system? The Electronic Frontier Foundation explains it all. Additional resources on this or related topics include Wikipedia's article about the current controversy of the United States spying on its citizens;the Foreign Policy In Focus think tank's wonderful article by a retired U.S. Army ...

My first entertainment-related post, and it has to be a downer. The first time I saw Don Knotts on television was as his portrayal of landlord Ralph Furley in the 1980s hit sitcom, Three's Company . Knotts was a prolific entertainer; he has 113 entries in the Internet Movie Database . Thanks for all the laughs, Don. I'll certainly be one of those who will miss your slapstick wit. BBC NEWS | Entertainment | US comedy star Knotts dies at 81

This is kind of interesting. I've been participating in distributed computing projects for some time now. For instacen, I've been searching for signs of Extraterrestrial Intelligence using my home computer for some time now. In fact, I've been a member since 16 October, 1999 , and I've even started a SETI@Home team . But back to this interesting distributed computing project. This is what it's all about (taken from their web page): The M4 Project is an effort to break 3 original Enigma messages with the help of distributed computing. The signals were intercepted in the North Atlantic in 1942 and are believed to be unbroken. Ralph Erskine has presented the intercepts in a letter to the journal Cryptologia. The signals were presumably enciphered with the four rotor Enigma M4 - hence the name of the project. Neat, huh? I think I'll join in helping to crack an unsolved mystery . M4 Message Breaking Project

Trevor Clarkson dishes out the skinny on making money on the 'net with web sites. The long and short of it: Chances are, you shouldn't quit your day job, but you might be able to afford to go out once a month or so. SKETCHi Studios » blog » Quick Guide to Internet Advertising

OK, you know that blogging has gone mainstream when mainstream, major celebrities start blogging. I mean, we all know that lesser-known celebrities like Margaret Cho have blogs and have been blogging for a while. But when MC Hammer starts a blog? Look out, world! By the way, I think Hammer's blog is a great example of what can be done with mobile blogging and photoblogging. I also think that they need to come up with new terms for mobile and photo blogging ... maybe m-phlogging? Moblogging? Mobbing? Phoblogs? Hrm ... it needs work, it definitely needs work .... Blogging = Mainstream. What's your blog (leave a comment with your blog's address)?

Lately, the United States recently warned China that it needs to do more to open up its markets to US companies. (I'll leave the dicsussion over discussion over the United State's hypocritical actions regarding censorship where it stands now in my previous post .) Now, the United States is being accused, by Venezuela, along similar lines: Venezuela's National Aviation Institute said in a statement: "We have exhausted all avenues with the US aeronautical authority. "We have been forced to reduce the frequency of flights of US airline companies from the US." The institute accused the US aviation authorities of failing "to give Venezuelan airlines the rights they deserve under bilateral agreements". BBC NEWS | Americas | Venezuela cuts US airline flights

We are Americans, but we also are human beings who live on a planet with hundreds of other nations, and myriad other life forms, all of whom we must get along with if we are to evolve and continue our existence. - Peter C. Frank (yes, that's a quote I came up with -- I should search the web to see if anyone else has published this before I have, though ...)

Well, it seems that one of my favourite organizations, the Empire State Pride Agenda , has finally grown a set . I was really dismayed when Matt Foreman (note: Matt, you need to add some more stuff to your Wiki bio), its former Executive Director, left ESPA to head the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force ( NGLTF ). I mean, it's great for Matt -- I've had a few conversations with him (Matt, that is) at various lobbying events and I think he has a great mind, a level head, and is really committed to the cause. But I knew nothing of ESPA's replacement for Matt as its new ED, Alan Van Capelle , and very little about Joe Tarver , its spokesperson. I have to admit that I haven't really been all that active in the gay rights struggle since my car accident, so I haven't been paying all too much attention. But from what I recall, nothing that ESPA has done -- until now -- has really stood out in my mind. I think it's great that Mr. Van Capelle has called the Democra...

The United States is becoming one of the biggest hypocrisies of the modern era. Take its position on censorship, for instance: Neither the congressional critics nor human rights activists were impressed. They accused the tech firms of helping Chinese authorities spread disinformation and become more repressive. . . . . . U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, who chaired the House subcommittee hearing, compared the tech company's actions to IBM's collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II. Smith, a New Jersey Republican, dismissed the claim by firms that they have to obey local laws. "If the secret police a half century ago asked where Anne Frank was hiding, would the correct answer be to hand over the information in order to comply with local laws?" Smith asked. "We must stand with the oppressed, not the oppressors." (Read more on CNN and Arstechnica .) Contrast this with recent action taken by the United States Government: US intelligence agencies have been...

A useful article from the Hitachi company's Global Storage Technologies division, containing sound samples of noises made by hard drives that are defective, dying, and experiencing problems -- which could help you determine whether your hard disk drive ( HDD ) is on its way out and it's time to get a replacement .

You know, I need a new computer. The one I'm currently using is about eight years old. I heard recently that Dell was going to start selling computers without an Operating System , so I wouldn't have to pay the Microsoft Tax . I thought this was a turning point for Dell, in trying to prove that they're being a a consumer-friendly, and technologist-friendly company. I was wrong. First, Dell's Chairman announced that they would consider using AMD processors in their computers, moving away from being an all- Intel shop. Apparently, this was just another rumor . And now this: Dell is suing an individual over a web site, just because that individual -- who happens to be named Paul Dell -- is using his name in the web site. That's two strikes against my purchasing a Dell computer. Unlike baseball, I think that's two strikes too many, and I think I'll be looking at other companies for my new computer -- perhaps even a white box where I won't have to pay th...

OK, I've got what I think would be a good routine for Kathy Griffin . For those of you who are living in a cave and don't know about her, she's this ultra-cool, hip, gay-friendly actress/comedienne who doesn't mind taking people to task -- especially hoity-toity A-list celebrities. You can get a taste of what she's like from this AskMen.com article or this interview from Metroline . She's one of my favourite people. So, here's the routine that I could totally see her doing. The inspiration came when I was watching one of her shows and she started talking about some donut shop in Texas (Kathy Griffin likes donuts ): Speaking of Krispy Kreme, what the fuck is up with that name? I mean, you all know that I love donuts. But let's think about this. First of all, Krispy Kreme is a Southern corporation. They're located in North Carolina -- you know, home of organizations like "Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan." Speaking of the KKK, thin...

OK, the title might not be completely accurate, and perhaps misleading, but I've got to give a really big "hats off" to our Brazilian brethren. You see, it seems that they've almost completely eliminated their reliance on foreign oil in the automotive market. How, you might ask, have they done this? The answer is simple: they use a byproduct of their sugar cane crop . Score one for the environment, at least in Brazil. Now, in reading all about this eco-friendly phenomena, it makes one wonder why so-called "advanced" nations, like the United States , the United Kingdom , and Germany , and other leading first world nations? My guess is that these first-world nations hold the almighty dollar (Euro, Pound, or whatever currency they worship) in higher regard than the health and well-being of our beloved planet Earth. But it is perhaps here, in the United States, that we have the poorest record on protecting mother earth. Simply put, the Big American Corporatio...

OK, Firefox did something tricky when it rolled out version 1.5 that had me winding up with a bit of egg on my face. One of my favourite features of Firefox is its ability to automatically find RSS feeds . When Firefox does find an RSS feed, it displays an icon typically used to represent an RSS feed ( ) in the statusbar, at the bottom of the screen. This has been a feature of Firefox ever since about version 1.0 , but instead of calling it by its rightful name, Firefox decided to call this "Live Bookmarks," and has decided , at least for the time being, to keep itself limited to using RSS as Live Bookmarks. Now, when version 1.5 came out, Firefox did something sneaky, and this is what left me with egg on my face: they moved the RSS feed indicator icon from the statusbar to the URL bar (that's where you type in the URLs to access web pages). Now, noticing that my RSS feed icon was no longer being displayed on the statusbar, like a good little soldier, I went and filed a ...

This is the web site/blog of one of my cyber-pals. Like me, he's kind of a technologist. He's intelligent, witty, on-point, and thought-provoking. A champion of personal liberty and exposer of governmental fraud. He's well-researched (but then, what geek isn't?) And, he's not conceited; in fact, he's probably humble (he describes himself as a "royal pain in the ass"). I bow to his royalty (being royal myself, that's probably one of the best compliments I can muster forth). We disagree at times but, on most of the important issues, we pretty much agree, especially with regards to personal freedom and civil liberties. He is a patriot who loves his country, and freely exercises his right to criticize the stupidity that exists at all levels of our government. He is IO Error . Here's a sampling: If it hasn’t happened to you already, it will soon. Police will knock on your door, tell you they’re looking for a criminal who may be in the neighborhood, ...

U.S. Special Forces The Pentagon announced today the formation of a new 500-man elite fighting unit called the United States Redneck Special Forces. These Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas boys will be dropped off into Iraq and have been given only the following facts about terrorists: The season opened today. There is no limit. They taste just like chicken. They don't like beer, pickups, country music or Jesus. They are DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for the death of Dale Earnhardt. We expect the problem in Iraq to be over by Friday. Also check out the Top 10 Worst Games, Best Names .

There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. - Victor Hugo I found this quote on Margaret Cho's Marriage Equality Resource Site . She has a great commentary on gay marriage, taken from an NPR interview on November 19, 2003 (NPR clip ).

There are two contradictory statements in this article, and I don't think anyone's had the chutzpah to point it out: Statement #1: Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has announced that he expects to hold a vote in June on the measure, which would prevent states from allowing gay marriages. While the bill is unlikely to get the two-thirds majority needed to be approved, it will be an important test for lawmakers on gay rights before the midterm elections in November. Statement #2: Gay rights groups criticized the Republican move, and suggested the timing was purely political. Now, why do I think that these statements are contradictory? The reason is simple: gay rights groups don't want to know that the Democrudic Party really isn't that much better than the Republican't Party when it comes to gay rights, especially the right of same-sex couples to marry . I think it's great the Senators will be forced to go on record as to whether or not they support same-sex marriage. I...

Anything that the government does with respect to the LGBT (that's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community is of interest to us, but this report should be of interest to a segment of the population that, unfortunately these days, probably doesn't get along all too well with the LGBT community: Republicans . (For the record, I firmly believe that Southern Conservative Democrats began a takeover of my party -- the Republican Party -- which they completed with the election of President George W. Bush; I am actively trying to wrest control from these hatemongers and bring the Republican Party back to its original owners, the Moderate Republicans .) You see, a report has just been issued by an independent party that the federal government has spent approximately $363,000,000 over the past decade -- all in just one area: keeping gay men and lesbians out of the armed services. As a Republican, to me, this is appalling. Spending what amounts to an average of $36million per ...

Well, I did it. I survived! Another wretched day. But this one was supposed to be special: Valentine's Day. But I got through it, all by my lonesome. Alone. For the ninth year in a row. I'm still seeing commercials on television that are advertising for VD (have you ever noticed that the initials for Valentine's Day -- the day of love -- are the same as for Venereal Disease ? Kind of makes one wonder .... But I've digressed. So I'm still seeing comercials for VD on television. One, in particular, from WalMart of all stores, really got my ire. I don't remember the script verbatim, but it went something like this: WalMart, fortunately we've got what you need in order to show your love. (or was it to show how much you love your loved one? -- can somebody who's seen this commercial post a comment with the verbatim wording. Thanks -Peter) The gist of this advertising is that you need to purchase something in order to show your love to your loved one. This...

I want to indulge ... I really want to indulge ... chocolate ... ice cream ... and other fun stuff. Anybody out there want to treat me? You can make a donation to my Paypal account using your Visa, Mastercard, or Paypal Account (click the DONATE button below). I know. It sounds crazy: $1,000 for an ice cream sundae? But, the sundae is The Grand Opulence Sundae from famed Serendipity of New York City and it's made up of the best of the best. DailyOlive.com: Got $1,000? Why Not Try a Golden Opulence Sundae?

Sometimes, all you can do is shake your head and wonder. I mean, the she went to he lying scumbag fucktwit cops to try and score???? US student tries to score dope at cop shop | The Register

"If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?" - Laurence J. Peter "You know that children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers." - John J. Plomp

OK, this really gets my goat up. First, we have the United States blocking the United Nation's acceptance into its Economic and Social Council of two international LGBT groups. Thankfully, not everyone in Congress was asleep when that happened, and Secretary of State Condoleezza-Rice has been asked to explain the United State's action in blocking these groups. But now, we have this proposed legislation. From the article: Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., is drafting a bill that would force Internet companies including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft to keep vital computer servers out of China and other nations the State Department deems repressive to human rights . The emphasis is mine. See, here we have lawmakers in Washington trying to say that we're better than other countries because they are repressive to human rights. But just a few weeks prior to this wonderful act, we have the United States siding with countries such as Iran, Egypt, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe -- all of which have...

C|Net's news.com.com service ran this article , wherein they selected a bunch of random computer geeks and asked them what the first computer they ever used was. It's nice to be nostalgic once in a blue moon, isn't it? Of course, I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't report that the reason C|Net ran this article is because of the recent 60th anniversary of ENIAC , the world's first computer. Check out Wikipedia's page on ENIAC , the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer . So, what was your first computer? Leave a comment and let me know. I'd like to know both the first computer you ever used (if you can remember), and the first computer you've owned. To answer my own question, the first computer that I ever used was a Commodore PET -- back in fourth grade, in elementary school. I don't remember if it was the CBM 3000 series (aka the Commodore PET) or the CBM 4000 series. But in any event, it was a Commodore PET, even if they tried to ...

Be Very Afraid This could happen. It's quite possible. Especially given the erosion of our privacy rights. This is just one scenario of what life could be like in the future -- the very near future. So be afraid. (WS, shockwave movie)

So how many of you out there have are taking advantage of the broadband wireless service that your mobile provider is offering? What's that, you don't know what I'm talking about? Of course not, and if the mobile phone providers had their way, they'd keep it like that. But ah, enter BBC News -- that pesky little news service that likes to keep its readers well-informed (unlike the news services here in the US, with the possible exception of the NYTimes ). 3G, or the next generation in wireless technology (it actually stands for "3rd Generation") allows broadband data transmission over a wireless network, for far cheaper than older (2G and 2.5G) technology would allow. That's why Sprint (one of the few carriers actually touting 3G technology) is hyping its video feeds on their new phones (although Sprint is charging and arm and a leg for the 3G service. Of course, Sprint is getting to provide better services at a reduced cost to them but, instead of loweri...

I'd like to take a moment to go on a brief sojourn to a web site I discovered, which I originally found out about from Uncensored BBS (which I've previously blogged about). It's a web site about hunting down humans. Now before you PETA people get all bent out of shape, let me explain why hunting down humans is a good thing. You see, it all started quite some time ago. I can't remember exactly when; it's been at least a decade, maybe two. People would pick up the phone and dial a number, and a computerized menu system would great them. At first, I thought this was a great idea -- I no longer have to deal with a snotty human begin over the phone who hates their job, just to get information. Over time (especially within the past decade), these computerized menu systems have gotten so convoluted and complex that it's become almost impossible to get the information you're seeking, and finding a human being seems almost preferable. But here's the catch: th...

I'm glad that Blizzard Entertainment woke up and smelled the coffee. Or maybe it was the potential loss of money from a boycott from the LGBT community that they were smelling. Whatever the case, I'm glad that LGBT characters can feel free to be who they are, just as in real life, in their World of Warcraft MMORPG (that's Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). I own a few Blizzard games (World of Warcraft is not one of them, at least, not yet). Aside from issuing a formal apology to Ms. Andrews, I'm glad to see that Blizzard is taking the LGBT gaming community seriously, by announcing that their employees will be mandated to undergo sensitivity training. While I think it's important to stick with their guidelines, the Blizzard administrator who started this ruckus could have handled it in a less threatening manner, and I think that's really what this whole ruckus was all about. Now I can purchase those Blizzard Entertainment games that are on my Amazo...

EFF Needs Your Support in the Fight for Bloggers' Rights! EFF is a donor-funded nonprofit group of passionate people—lawyers, technologists, volunteers, and visionaries — who depend on your support to continue successfully defending your digital rights. Litigation is particularly expensive; because two-thirds of our budget comes from individual donors, every contribution is critical to helping EFF fight —and win—more cases. EFF: EFF Needs Your Support in the Fight for Blogger's Rights!

I can't tell if it's still snowing outside -- it's dark out. And besides, I'm afraid to look out the window. But here's the clincher from this article: we set a new record. Wheeeee! The National Weather Service said 26.9 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park, the most for a single storm since record-keeping started in 1869. The old record was 26.4 inches in December 1947. What was that about global warming again??? Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Record-Setting Snow Buries Northeast

OK, although the author still comes out in favor of Firefox, I have to take issue with a few things that she's said in her article: Tabbed browsing : This nifty feature lets you have multiple Web pages up in one window. IE 7 also will let you save a group of Web pages as a "favorite." Firefox also lets you save a group of web pages that are opened in tabs -- add SHIFT to your CONTROL-D combination (or select "Bookmark all tabs" from the "Bookmarks menu" and you'll be able to bookmark all open tabs in the current window. This feature comes in very handy, especially for corporations in specific industries, when you consider the following : Home Page Here you are able to specify the page (or tab group) that Firefox will show when you launch it or press the Home button. Enter the address in the Location(s) field. Click Use Current Page(s) to use the page you're currently visiting. You can also use multiple home pages . If more than one ...

One of my pet peeves is the improper use of vocabulary, and bad grammar. Unfortunately, the reporters over at News 12 Westchester set both of these pet peeves off. I sent this e-mail to News 12 Westchester, Cablevision's Channel 12 news service, in response to their confusing and freely interchanging the terms "blizzard," "winter storm," and "Nor'Easter": Dear News 12 Westchester : Your reporters, throughout the day, are intermingling the terms "blizzard," "winter storm," and "Nor'Easter." It is my understanding that this storm meets the definition for a blizzard, and not a Nor'Easter.  According to weatherquests.com, a Nor'Easter is A cyclonic storm occurring off the east coast of North America. These winter weather events are notorious for producing heavy snow, rain, and tremendous waves that crash onto Atlantic beaches, often causing beach erosion and structural damage. Wind gusts associat...

My sister and her boyfriend begin digging out from all the snow. Local news reports, for the first time, that pavement has been spotted. . . .

Metro North Railroad is experiencing difficulties (from their web site ): MTA Metro-North Railroad WEATHER February 12, 2006 10:42 AM Because of weather-related problems, service has been temporarily suspended on the Harlem Line. Metro-North is running bi-hourly (every two hours) local diesel service on the New Haven Line. Next trains leave at 11:55 AM from New Haven and 11:40 AM from Grand Central. Hudson Line trains are running on a regular Sunday schedule. Weather related delays are possible.We will keep you updated on service throughout the day. To give you an idea of the types of problems that Metro North is experiencing, the New Haven line, where they're running bi-hourly diesel trains, is normally an electric train system, utilizing overhead catenary power line system. My neighbors across the street. The fuzziness of the image is actually being caused by all the snow that is still coming down, which my phone camera can't quite pick up because of...

So, here's the current update on the blizzard we're having (they're calling it a Nor'Easter but ... it's really a blizzard, since this storm came from the west, not the ocean): All bus service in Westchester County is canceled for the day. School districts are already posting closings for tomorrow . News 12 Westchester has a listing of all worship/educational/business closings that have been posted to date. Front yard and across the street.

So I just got back from Mohegan Sun , a casino located on an Indian Reservation in Connecticut (this is the thing now in the Northeast -- open a casino on an Indian Reservation to get around the state's anti-gambling laws). But Mohegan Sun is more than just a casino -- it's an experience! They offer great shopping , great eats , great sleeps , events and entertainment , great pampering , meeting and convention space , socializing and, of course, gambling ! Oh, and get this ... they also have a nightlife (cue Alicia Bridges -- I love the nightlife , I got to boogie, on the disco 'round oh yeah!)! Speaking of gambling, I swiped my player's club card through their promotion thingee setup and won $100 -- just for swiping my card through a machine! Not bad, right? I actually came out ahead this trip. The trip cost me $35 -- that $35 included round trip bus fare, a $10 gambling credit, and a $10 credit for food or merchandise, or entry into one of the four buffets that th...

OK, weather report , from Peter's Bones: It's definitely going to snow. Probably some time within the next 36 hours. Sorry I can't be more specific than that. But I need to go grab another bottle of ALEVE now ... the pain is amazing. I'm beginning not to like winters so much. At least, my body doesn't. My heart, that's another matter. Oh well. Enjoy the snow , people. And the Winter Olympics .

Another magazine article showing that Mozilla's Firefox web browser provides users with a safer browsing experience. From the article: During Levy's and Gribble's most recent crawl of October 2005, 1.6 percent of the domains infected the first IE configuration, the one mimicking a naïve user blithely clicking 'Yes;' about a third as many domains (0.6 percent) did drive-by downloads by planting spyware even when the user rejected the installations. Firefox survived relatively unscathed. Only .09 percent of domains infected the Mozilla Corp. browser when it was set, like IE, to act as if the user clicked through security dialogs; no domain managed to infect the Firefox-equipped PC in a drive-by download attack. CRN | Web Browsers | Spyware Barely Touches Firefox

QOTD = Quote Of The Day This is from the sysop of Uncensored BBS : It just occurred to me that if the shortened form of "she/he" is "s/he" ... then the shortened form of "she/he/it" could be "s/h/it".

This is very comforting information, especially given the current weather conditions where I live: Port Chester, NY 21ºF Partly Cloudy Wind: W at 5 mph Humidity: 58% Today Chance of Snow Showers 35º | 25º globeandmail.com : World at its warmest of past 1,200 years, researchers show

A great article that explains the difference between open source, and free software. It also offers a selection of open source software that people who are used to running Microsoft Windows can use -- software that most people would think is beyond their comprehension but, in fact, is not. Reommendations include the open-source web browser and e-mail client Firefox and Thunderbird, respectively, as well as the Linux OS, and OpenOffice, an open source replacement for Microsoft Office . The final recommendation is GIMP, an open source replace for Adobe Photoshop. However, as this article explains, I don't think that GIMP will ever replace Adobe's PhotoShop application. I hope that Adobe is able to bring its impressive and very useful suite of applications and development platform over to Linux, and perhaps, release its source into the open, even if it's as an older version. FOXNews.com - Technology News - Open-Source Users Break Free From Commercial Software

My grandfather told me that his oncologist thinks that the Malignant Melanoma in his foot, which now has recurred three times over two years, has spread to other parts of his body -- namely, his groin. The doctor who he saw today, who removed the stitches from his foot where the cancer was removed a few weeks ago, personally called his primary physician to schedule an immediately appointment for extensive testing. Of course, the way he told me leaves something to be desired: "I think it's time that you seriously start looking for a place of your own...."

OK, as a former law student, I think it's a good idea for companies to have written policies covering the use of employee blogs. But I don't think that the policies should so prohibit an employee from posting negative information about the company, provided it's both true and that it specifically states that it's the employee's personal opinion. Kind of a freedom of speech type of thing. But I do think that companies should be allowed to limit information posted on employee's blogs that is sensitive or confidential. Additionally, I don't think that employees should be allowed to post personal attacks against others on their blogs. What do you think about employee blogs, and what do you think the guidelines should be? Employee blogs--the new legal frontier | News.blog | CNET News.com

The case of the man (and I use that term loosely) who attacked a gay bar outside of Boston and fled to the south, where he shot and killed a police officer, gets weirder and weirder. For those of you who didn't hear about it, Jacob D. Robida walked into the Puzzle Lounge gay bar in the suburbs of Boston, asked if it was a gay bar, and when he was told that it was, started attacking the patrons with knives and gunshots. And people still don't think we need hate crimes legislation . More information about hate crimes can be found at: The Anti-Defamation League Defining Hate Crimes Wikipedia's page on hate crimes Prosecutor: Teen in gay attack left note -- Queer Lesbian Gay News -- Gay.com

OK, time for some acronym definitions: NWS = Not Work Safe WS = Work Safe The URL I'm posting is probably NOT WS. But it's funny as all hell. It's a video, about webcam size, and is great humour for today's office worker. After watching it, though, you might not be too inclined to using punctuation in your e-mails. Enjoy !

I've long been an advocate of using the Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email client. Part of the impetus behind my advocacy of these open-sourced programs is that they're more secure, due to the nature of open source software in general. For perhaps one of the first times in recent history, someone (who isn't being paid by a software company) has taken the time to look at the response times of software vendors in patching security flaws in their products. The result: open-sourced Mozilla programs are patched about 3-4 times faster than closed-sourced Microsoft programs. Security Fix - Brian Krebs on Computer and Internet Security - (washingtonpost.com)

The 2005 Vaporware awards from Wired Magazine are always a hoot. Take a look: Ladies and gents, welcome to the 2005 Vaporware Awards -- the prize that celebrates the tech products that were promised last year but never delivered. We have a few surprises this year -- wait 'til you find out the winner; you'll never guess what it is. Full article

OK, how stupid is this? "As with Social Security and Medicaid, we do not need to cut Medicare, but we do need to slow its growth, and this budget begins to do just that," Mr. Bolten said at a televised briefing. Really, really bright there. Just when the baby boomers are about to enter the age range where they're eligible to receive Medicare benefits, we're going to cut back the growth of Medicare. So we're going to have MORE and MORE people on Medicare, but we're going to spend LESS and LESS. It's bad enough that Medicare only pays a PORTION of SOME of the medical services that one might require (I should know -- I'm disabled, and I'm on Medicare, and you really don't want to see the bills I get in the mail from my medical service providers). But now, we're going to have MORE people getting Medicare, with LESS money being provided by the government to pay for what Medicare does cover. Absofuckingbrilliant (tm)! Bush's $2.77 Trillion Bu...

For those of you who are old enough, remember 300 baud modems, back in the day? Remember logging in to a BBS (bulletin board system) and engaging in scintillating conversation? Well, those days never ended, really. Citadel , an Open Source collaboration software application, provides one with the ability to run a BBS, right on the Internet. One such BBS, Uncensored , has undergone a transformation from the back-in-the-day dial-up to being a web-based browser. If you want that "old school" feel, you can still telnet in . Or, if you're a bit more savvy but still want the old-school, you can log in via SSH. If you need an SSH client, take a look at puTTY , an open-source SSH client for multiple platforms. To log in via SSH, connect to "bbs@uncensored.citadel.org" Once you've logged in, check out the "rooms" -- especially the ones I've created, like the "Lavender Lounge."

OK, so I didn't quite get this in the right order. But anyway, I'm back to starting a blog. One of these days I'll have money again and I'll be able to get my domain name back, and put up a better blog. But this will have to do for the time being. So welcome, enjoy, and feel free to share; just keep it civil.

My attention was drawn to this statement: Second, we will pilot new technology that uses microphones to instantly direct video cameras to the source of gun shots, ensuring that shooters are seen as well as heard. I think that's a totally great idea. I don't like guns, granted. But I see some flaws with this technology. The first, of course, is cost. It's going to be quite costly to implement such a system in as large as city as NYC, covering all areas. That's the second concern, not every area is going to be covered. And finally, the technology: I find it difficult to believe that a system has been developed that will allow a video camera, operating on a mechanical basis, to "instantly" be directed to the source of gun shots. What I do like about this, is that it will apply equally to all gun shots, including those by the police. This will help protect both the police in their legitimate use of police weapons, and the public in the illigitimate use of police ...