Month: August 2003

why say it if it’s not verifiably true?

I was looking over the iSchool website: there’s a lot of interesting work going on over there.

But then I discovered they have their mailing lists open for public access and made the mistake of reading some of them. there was some discussion of the Slammer worm and how the MSFT monoculture perpetuates it. The IT director for the iSchool responded thusly:

One report I read claimed that last year there were more security incidents associated with “open source” software such as Linux and MySQL than even in Microsoft software.  I have no idea is that is true or not, but the point is that there are security incidents and bugs associated with all software. 

If it may not be true, why repeat it? This is how people respond when their version of the truth comes under fire.

On a related note, I was looking at their documentation for how to access their VPN, and they have instructions for all the popular operating systems. The OS with the least steps is — wait for it — OS X, but I noted they got progressively more complex with each version, from WIN98 to XP. This is progress??

if the cap fits

CNN.com – Democrats start group to try to ‘recall’ Bush – Aug. 20, 2003

“What we hope to do is to remind people that all of the things that are being said about Gray Davis as the reasons for the recall can be applied to George Bush,” Lux said Wednesday. “For example, they say Davis turned big surpluses into deficits in a matter of a couple of years. That’s the same thing that happened with George Bush.”

And I don’t recall Gray Davis getting into any expensive and bloody overseas adventures . . .

twist and shout

News: Unique ‘twisting tower’ for Dublin

Dublin: A stunning design for a twisting tower has won a design competition for a site at Britain Quay in Dublin’s docklands.

The competition was held by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, and was won by Craig Henry Architects and Burdon Dunne Architects out of well over 500 entrants. They propose to build a 25-storey tower, twisting as it rises. The tower will contain a mix of uses, including residential, office, retail and cafes/restaurants. But the most unusual aspect of the tower is what will sit at the very top – a new recording studio for Irish band U2.

Evidently, they’re not retiring anytime soon . . . .

dashboard flight recorder?

‘Black box’ for cars a surprise – The Washington Times: Nation/Politics

[ . . . . ] the devices are finding [their] way into courtrooms as evidence in criminal and civil cases, leading some privacy advocates to question how the recorders came to be installed so widely with so little public notice or debate.

“It’s like having a government agent driving around in the back seat of your car,” said Bob Weiner, Miss Zimmermann’s defense attorney and a former prosecutor. “I think it’s a tremendous invasion of privacy.”

Most people apparently don’t even know whether the vehicles they drive are equipped with event data recorders. Nearly two-thirds of people surveyed by an insurance industry group knew nothing about them.

“The real issue is one of notice, and the problem arises from the fact that information is being collected about people’s driving behavior without them knowing,” said David Sobel, general counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a District-based public research center that focuses on civil liberties issues. “If drivers knew about the device, they could at least then begin asking questions.”

I have wondered about transponders in cars, to used as data gathering tools on freeways to gauge volumes and average speeds, but a data recorder that the consumer isn’t even aware of and that can be used against them in court is another matter. I’m OK with collecting information in the aggregate but collecting data on individuals (perhaps even remotely: imagine a highway data collection system that could gather data as you drive by it, tying it to your car tag and VIN. From there, it seems a small step to being able to govern your speed remotely: cut a speeder down in his tracks.) is instrusive. I have a 1995 and a 1998 car: I suppose they’re both full of stories about my driving.

a $17.95 lock for a $5000 item?

CNN.com – Arrest makes Segway history – Aug. 20, 2003

Segway.com offers a front-page link for buyers to insure their machines, and a $17.95 lock appears at the top of its list of accessories.

And you have to wonder what someone was thinking to buy a $5000 Segway for $75: “gee, that looks like a good deal. I’m sure this fellow pushing a highly-publicized state of the art invention down the sidewalk is the real owner.”

There’s a more detailed story in Wired that explains how the thief was tricked into meeting a self-styled “Hercule Poirot” who offered to help him hack into the digital key system and get it working. In that story, the price was $800: still nowhere near what one should expect to pay for one of these.

command line goodness

bash-2.05a$ softwareupdate
Software Update Tool
Copyright 2002 Apple Computer, Inc.

Software Update found the following new or updated software:

- AirPortSW-3.1.1
AirPort Software (3.1.1), 7940K - restart required

To install an update, run this tool with the item name as an argument.
e.g. 'softwareupdate <item> ...'

This has been available all this time? I had no idea.

Swiped from Forwarding Address: OS X

validating [x]html

I decided to track down all the niggling little things that were causing this index page to flunk as valid XHTML. Turns out most of the problems were due to code from other sources (Google and Amazon, to name the two main offenders).

Hunting down just what a SHORTTAG YES offense is and how to remedy it was a bit of a snipe hunt, but the work is done and the validation button is in place.

NYTimes: the DVD comes of age

The New York Times: Movies

I just joined the Modern Age the other week when I bought a DVD player (that isn’t in a computer: I have two of those). I have to say, I’m sold. I may never go to a theater again, though since I have only been once since 1997, that’s not saying a lot.

I like everything about the experience: the quality of the picture and sound, the control of the presentation (no more tedious trailers and promos for coming attractions), and of course, the extras/easter eggs.

I signed up for NetFlix as well, so it may be time to catch up on all the stuff I missed or never saw.

And this review of the state of the art in the Times looks worth a read. Imagine my surprise to that adult entertainment is working on interactive features, once again pushing the envelope (how else did streaming video get so good, so fast?).

Brave New World‘s feelies can’t be too far behind . . . .

“We already shoot our girls against a black background for our interactive DVD’s,” Joone said. “That way, when we perfect hologram technology, we can cancel out the black background and bring the subject into three-dimensional space. Men will love it. They’ll sit in front of their giant-screen TV, turn off the lights and the only thing lit will be the girl.”