Happy Anti-Corruption Day

Today is the U.N.'s Anti-Corruption Day. The U.N. has published a survey of 69 countries, and 48 of them feel that corruption is higher now than it was three years ago. They feel that corruption is highest in the political parties.

Were these red countries or blue countries?

Win 98: Always on My Mind

By Jim Rapoza, "eWeek", 11/14/05 issue:

But a funny thing happened with Windows 98—in many ways, it has become the most successful version of Windows ever. It's certainly had the longest life span so far for a Windows version. Amazingly, you can still use Windows 98 and get by quite nicely, seven years after its release.

In fact, I still use Windows 98 often. The main system that sits in my home office still runs Windows 98 SE. My wife uses it for Web browsing and her daily office chores, and I use it for the Web and gaming.

Give. Me. A. Human.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are everywhere. You can't order a pizza without pressing the '*' key -- it's a real rectal irritant -- specially on a cell phone. Paul English, founder and CTO of Kayak.com feels your pain. He's go a great list of companies, their phone numbers, and what you need to do to get a living, breathing person.

Pumpkin pie recipe for techs and engineers

This pumpkin pie recipe's step-by-step instructions were written for techs, engineers and others with an analytical mind.

Another for the TDay DIYers. If you are going to go to all this trouble, and need another stomach to feed, call me.

Roast turkey recipe for techs and engineers

This easy-to-follow recipe shows you how to roast a traditional Thanksgiving turkey. This article's step-by-step instructions and detailed images were designed for those with an analytical mind.

I prefer to order my turkey all ready cooked, but for the DIYers...

History's Worst Software Bugs

What seems certain is that bugs are here to stay. Here, in chronological order, is the Wired News list of the 10 worst software bugs of all time … so far.

Feeling Safe Now?

Fearless Leader has taken some steps to improve your safety. Yes, he's created yet another federal agency, charged with stopping those nasty terrorists in their tracks. He has created the Information Sharing Council , and they report directly to Him. But in the next breath, He says we need to remain vigilant . I wonder if he knows that the movie "Chicken Little" opens today....

Trade Groups Speak Out Against Patriot Act

"Frankly we are in a different situation than we were immediately after 9/11," Hackett said. "Congress has now had more of a chance to review the act. ... I think the business community has said it's time now for Congress to be a little more deliberate in its process."

Why Do-It-Yourself Photo Printing Doesn't Add Up

Printers return relatively low profit margins. But the ink, ounce for ounce, is four times the cost of Krug Clos du Mesnil Champagne, which sells for around $425 a bottle. Ink is about the same price as Joy perfume, considered to be one of the more pricey fragrances, at $158 for a 2.5-ounce bottle.

Secure Flight

Bruce Schneier was a member of the Secure Flight Privacy/IT Working Group. He got pretty disgusted when the TSA couldn't even answer:
   What is the goal or goals of Secure Flight?
   What is the architecture of the Secure Flight system?
   What is the oversight structure and policy for Secure Flight?

"So far, however, Secure Flight is being developed without the authorization and guidance of a clear, comprehensive and published policy document issued by a politically accountable senior official, stating the goals of Secure Flight clearly and to the exclusion of other goals, until such time as that basic policy document is amended."

File this one under YTD@W (Your Tax Dollar at Work) -- another fine security product of BushCo Inc., a subsidiary of Halliburton.

Wanted: Flipper. May Be Armed.

File this one under "Too Weird to be Fiction"...

Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing.

ADDED 12/5 : Apparently this is a hoax.

Nanowires for detecting molecular signs of cancer

While initial rounds of cancer testing today identify only whether or not cancer is present, nanowire arrays have the potential to immediately fill in details on exactly what type of cancer is present. Nanowires could also track patients' health as treatment progresses. Because the arrays detect molecules suspended in fluids, drops of blood could be tested directly, in a physician's office, without any need for biochemical manipulation.

Images of Rita's Damage

Shots pulled from the AP wire.

NASA's Katrina Images

This site includes satellite products and photos from the International Space Station.

FBI Targets Internet Porn

"I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."

According to FBI headquarters, the war against smut is "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Gonazalez and FBI Director Robert Meuller. Although law enforcement agencies have always been aggressive when it comes to prosecuting exploitative child pornographers, this new initiative is unique in that it targets Internet pornography featuring consenting adults.

That's Your Tax Dollar, Making You Safe.

Mr. Bill's PSA

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
-– George W. Bush, on "Good Morning America", Sept. 1, 2005,

Mr. President, Mr. Bill, from "Saturday Night Live" knew. Over a year ago.

25 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath

Such timeless classics from our President, like:

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
-– "Good Morning America," Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina.

Or this classic from Tom Delay:

"Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?"
-– said to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9, 2005

And let's not forget this one, by Wolf Blitzer:

"You simply get chills every time you see these poor individuals...many of these people, almost all of them that we see are so poor and they are so black, and this is going to raise lots of questions for people who are watching this story unfold."
- commenting on New Orleans' hurricane evacuees, Sept. 1, 2005

Yes, you can find these treasures and more, just by clicking on this post's title.

Diebold Insider Speaks Out

One of the greatest threats our democracy has ever known.

I mentioned something about Diebold's now famous quote last year, where the CEO promised to deliver Ohio's vote to GeeDubya. Indeed, he did.

"Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job."

Brownie was deputy director of the agency under Joe Allbaugh -- because he was Joe Allbaugh's college roommate, you see, and Allbaugh was Bush's campaign manager in 2000, which made both of them qualified to manage disasters.

FEMA was faulted a decade ago, after hurricane Andrew tore up Florida, and created what used to be the most costly disaster in U.S. history. That was back when Bush the First ruled the land. Ironic, isn't it? Both Bushes failed miserably in Gulf Wars and Gulf coast hurricanes.

Lessons Ignored

It's now 4 years since terrorists brought home what, perhaps, should have been obvious. Their first attack, from the parking garage, taught them some valuable lessons concerning the design of their target. Their second attack was successful.

Every time I wrecked a motorcycle, a race car, a boat -- every time I ended up in the hospital because of something that I had done -- my father would be the one to come and pick me up when I was discharged (mom generally was too upset). Every time I got in the car with dad he'd always ask the same thing: "Did you learn anything?" The one time I told him I didn't think I had, he pulled the car over and slapped me toothless.

It's OK to screw up. Everyone does, everyone will. But if you don't learn from it, and take action to keep that from happening again, well, that's just plain stupid and unforgivable.

Read Bruce Schneier's essay, printed in today's "Minneapolis Star-Tribune". You can read it HERE

San Fransisco Quake

Comparing the government reaction this past week to the
government reaction the last time an American city was destroyed

- San Francisco, April 18, 1906.

The earthquake struck at 5:13 AM.

By 7 AM federal troops had reported to the mayor.

By 8 AM they were patrolling the entire downtown area and
searching for survivors.

The second quake struck at 8:14 AM.

By 10:05 AM the USS Chicago was on its way from San Diego to
San Francisco; by 10:30 the USS Preble had landed a medical
team and set up an emergency hospital.

By 11 AM large parts of the city were on fire; troops
continued to arrive throughout the day, evacuating people
from the areas threatened by fire to emergency shelters and
Golden Gate Park.

St. Mary's hospital was destroyed by the fire at 1 PM, with
no loss of life, the staff and patients having already been
evacuated across the bay to Oakland.

By 3 PM troops had shot several looters, and dynamited
buildings to make a firebreak; by five they had buried dozens
of corpses, the morgue and the police pistol range being
unable to hold any more.

At 8:40 PM General Funston requested emergency housing -
tents and shelters - from the War Department in Washington;
all of the tents in the U.S. Army were on their way to San
Francisco by 4:55 AM the next morning.

Prisoners were evacuated to Alcatraz, and by April 20 (two
days after the earthquake) the USS Chicago had reached San
Francisco, where it evacuated 20,000 refugees.

In 1906, the technology was primitive.
Why did it take five days for the cavalry to get to the Battle of New
Orleans last week?

NOLA's Fate Was Sealed

*CHRONOLOGY....Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and
flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration.
Read it and weep:*

* • January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as
head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster
management.*

* • April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush
administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May,
Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are concerned that
federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized
entitlement program...." he said. "Expectations of when the federal
government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have
ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."*

* • 2001: FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one
of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this
country."*

* • December 2002: After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh
announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises
companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his
deputy, Michael Brown, who, like Allbaugh, has no previous experience
in disaster management.*

* • March 2003: FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and
folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is
refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.*

* • 2003: Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's
preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of
Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response
and recovery.*

* • Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation
funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom
Rodrigue: "You would think we would get maximum consideration....This
is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for
it."*

* • June 2004: The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee
construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency
management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: "It appears that the money
has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security
and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay."*

* • June 2005: Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the
hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control
Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage
in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.*

* • August 2005: While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion
catastrophe, Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain,
plays the guitar for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and
continues with his vacation. When he finally gets around to
acknowledging the scope of the unfolding disaster, he delivers only a
photo op on Air Force One and a flat, defensive, laundry list speech in
the Rose Garden.*

Levee Breach WAS Predicted

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
- President Bush, September 1, 2005

Well, he got the first three words right.

Police chief- Lockerbie evidence was faked

A former Scottish police chief has given lawyers a signed statement claiming that key evidence in the Lockerbie bombing trial was fabricated.

The retired officer - of assistant chief constable rank or higher - has testified that the CIA planted the tiny fragment of circuit board crucial in convicting a Libyan for the 1989 mass murder of 270 people.

Smart (sorta) Door

Ignore the audio -- just watch this, and think about "Star Trek Bloopers".

How Many...

... Americans (not coalition) dead and wounded in Iraq? I see that the number of American troops killed in Iraq is something over 1800, as of 8/13/05. But I was curious how the numbers stack from various sources, so...


1,861 killed, 18,219 evacuated

1,862 killed, 13,877 wounded

1,861 killed, 14,021 wounded


I'm having some trouble finding any official government data that shows totals -- oh, I can get a list of names from the Pentagon and do my own totals -- but no easy numbers. I can't help but think our government doesn't want me to know just how costly this war has become in terms of American lives.

Another MSIE Hole

A vulnerability has been reported in Internet Explorer, which can be exploited by malicious people to compromise a vulnerable system.

yawn... Yeah, I know -- this happens all the time. Micro$oft is upset, calling the reporting of this hole "irresponsible". The exploit was known, and sample code published, so the discoverers took it to the streets first rather than to Micro$oft. Micro$oft has no cure. But I do. Stop using their browser and use Firefox instead.

3rd Annual Defcon Wifi Shootout Contest

The final result was a full 11 Mbps data transfer rate over a distance of 125 miles, a new world record for an unamplified wireless networking connection.

Bad news for anyone thinking that distance makes their wireless connection secure.

NASA's World Wind

World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth. Leveraging Landsat satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data, World Wind lets you experience Earth terrain in visually rich 3D, just as if you were really there.

Virtually visit any place in the world. Look across the Andes, into the Grand Canyon, over the Alps, or along the African Sahara.

It's about 180M to download and 2G to install (with all possible options). DSL or better required. I have found an excuse to get a better video card.

Top 10 Dot Bombs

From CNET. I still miss the sock puppet...

Profiling Humor

Origin unknown. Ucomics seems to be owned by uClick, LLC, in Kansas City, MO.

Remote Controlled Humans

If you apply a current behind the ear it will throw you off balance and cause you to stumble in that direction. No correlation has been made to cell phone use while driving. Yet.

Cisco Plugs the Hole

Cisco has released a patch for the vulnerability exposed July 27, 2005 at the Black Hat security conference.

Fireplace Burns... Water

No idea how you would roast marshmallows in it, but...

The Aqueon Fireplace uses a 220V supply to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen. It then ignites the hydrogen immediately and adds the oxygen back in to color and highlight the flame. It requires no venting, since it produces no byproduct other than water vapor. It's free-standing. All the heat produced is released into the room -- 31,000 BTU per hour.

BlueTooth + CellPhone == BAD

Equipped with this software running on a Linux laptop and a suitable Bluetooth antenna, it is possible to connect to cars that have an unsecure Bluetooth hands-free unit. After this, it is possible to eavesdrop on the discussion inside the car, or use the hands-free unit to talk to whoever is in the car.

Kiteboarding in a Hurricane

I can't describe this one -- you just have to watch for yourself.

Cold War Black Projects

Remembering our Cold War Warriors of NEVADA on the 50th Anniversary of Area 51 - Battleground of the Cold War

In God We Trust -- All Others We Monitor

Interesting Puzzle

I wondered why those two were wearing clothes...

Micro$oft "Genuine Advantage"

Micro$oft began requiring serial number authentication of it's Windows XP operating system in order to gain access to updates. This was an anti-piracy move on The Evil Empire's part. It took hackers 24 hours to break it:

Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:

javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')

It turns off the trigger for the key check.

I have not verified this hack -- I don't do XP.

Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System (V-MADS)

Active Denial Technology is a breakthrough non-lethal technology that uses millimeter-wave electromagnetic energy to stop, deter and turn back an advancing adversary from relatively long range. It is expected to save countless lives by providing a way to stop individuals without causing injury, before a deadly confrontation develops.

An energy beam weapon that cooks the skin to a depth of about 1/64th of an inch. Pain is immediate, but no serious damage occurs if you leave the beam immediately. Long-term effects on the eyes and brain are unknown, and I doubt anyone cares, since V-MADS will certainly be less damaging than an M-16. Sixteen have been ordered and sent to Iraq.

Sounds of Saturn

Saturn is a source of intense radio emissions, which have been monitored by the Cassini spacecraft. The radio waves are closely related to the auroras near the poles of the planet. These auroras are similar to Earth's northern and southern lights. This is an audio file of radio emissions from Saturn.

This sounds like something straight out of an Ed Wood movie, but when you realize you are actually listening to a planet it gets damned sp00ky.

Dude! Yer Goin' ta Hell!

Just one more story about Dell's Customer Abuse Department. This guy claims there are 2.6M angry Dell customers out there, but I can't verify his number. Google for "Dell customer service problem" without the quotes, however, and you get something more like 3.3M -- and you can tell by the site titles these are NOT happy people.

The Wages of SPAM...

... are death. Perhaps. From F-Secure's blog:

Russian media reported today that the owner of the American Language Center, Vardan Kushnir, had been killed. According to the reports, Kushnir's body with massive head trauma was found in his apartment in Moscow... The American Language Center provides English language courses for Russian speaking people. In order to get new customers, the Center reportedly organized the largest SPAM campaign in Russian history.

Why Microsoft AntiSpyware Is Untrustworthy

Just when you think Microsoft did something important the right way, it does the worst possible thing. What is going through the company's head?

Bottom Line: Who in their right mind would trust Micro$oft in the first place?

The Day the Music Died

Today the Supreme Court has decided in favor of MGM and declared that Grokster can be held liable for copyright violations committed by Grokster users. The Grokster software uses no central server, allowing users to access and share files truly peer-to-peer. A victory for the RIAA and the MPAA; a blow to innovation.

The ATV Paper Model

This may be a bit geeky, for some, but I found it tres kewl. The ATV is the Automated Transfer Vehicle -- a vehicle under development by the European Space Agency that will be used to transfer materials to the International Space Station. Currently the Russians are doing this with their Progress craft. Thanks go out to my old buddy, Lloyd Johnson, for pointing me to this site.

Ridin' w/ Radar Roy

In 1997 Radar Roy retired as a Deputy Sheriff Lieutenant after being involved in law enforcement for almost 20 years.

During Radar Roy's career he was a certified traffic radar instructor and trained hundreds of officers in the correct operation of traffic enforcement equipment and enforcement.

Combine Radar Roy's law enforcement experience with his contacts in the industry, and you can be sure that all the products offered on RadarBusters™ are the best protective devices available, and have been personally tested by him.

I can't vouch for this stuff, but he looks like he's on the level. Stealth coatings, active laser jammers (active radar jamming will get you a HUGE ticket) and other goodies for the speed demon in us all.

DHS Enforces Copyright

Quoting from Bruce Schneier's blog, "Schneier on Security":

Agents shut down a popular Web site that allegedly had been distributing copyrighted music and movies, including versions of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Homeland Security agents from several divisions served search warrants on 10 people around the country suspected of being involved with the Elite Torrents site, and took over the group's main server.

Gosh! I feel more secure all ready, knowing those pirates have been hunted down.

W2K and IE7 -- Not!

Since Windows 2000 is no longer a mainstream product (more than 5 years old), the support is moving to "extended support". That means Micro$oft isn't going to provide new releases of it's browser or media player for W2K. OOooooo, Hurt Me!

If you aren't all ready using Firefox and Media Player Classic , well....

PGP use ruled relevant in child abuse case

The case, although never put before a jury, could establish the precendent that the use of an encryption programme might be admitted as evidence of criminal intent, as least in Minnesota. The attitude seems to be "if you have nothing to hide why do you need secrecy tools".

Therefore it follows that you should be transmitting your credit card and bank account information in clear text every time you transact online. In Minnesota anyway.

Security Advisory from Mozilla

(May 8, 2005) The Mozilla Foundation is aware of two potentially critical Firefox security vulnerabilities as reported publicly Saturday, May 7th. There are currently no known active exploits of these vulnerabilities although a "proof of concept" has been reported. Changes to the Mozilla Update web service have been made to mitigate the risk of an exploit. Mozilla is aggressively working to provide a more comprehensive solution to these potential vulnerabilities and will provide that solution in a forthcoming security update. Users can further protect themselves today by temporarily disabling JavaScript.

Woman Arrested on Cocaine Charges

A woman... arrested after a drug-sniffing dog discovered 33 pounds of cocaine in her vehicle... Roseville Police Chief Richard Heinz said the cocaine had a street value of $7 million to $8 million.

Campers, that works out to over $533 per gram . A report by the DEA claims that the street price of coke is $22 a gram and falling fast. Demand is down and supply is up. If you can't see what's wrong with this picture speak to any teenager. I'm sure they can tell you.

Phishers Using New Methods To Steal User Information

During every week in February and March, Websense reported 10 new keylogger variants as well as more than 100 new Web sites set up to infect computers with the malicious programs. That is an increase from last November and December, when Websense found only 2 new variants and about 15 new Web sites per week.

Lock down your registry and understand your process list. This isn't rocket science, but it isn't RealityTV either.

His Name is Michael Delhi

To hit the 10,000 mark, Delli will need to hire between 2,000 and 3,000 workers over the next 8 months, CEO Kevin Rollins told reporters in Bangalore, according to numerous media reports. Despite push-back from customers and some employees, Dell has been relentless about offshoring customer support work. It currently employs far more staffers outside of the US than at home.

Click HERE for a Dell tribute.

US prison rate soars even higher

The US prison population has risen further, with one in 138 people now in jail, new official figures reveal.

There are more than 2.1 million US citizens in jail - more than in any other country, the Bureau of Justice Statistics says.

At this rate we will all be in prison in another 30 years -- either as guards or as inmates. Looking forward to meeting you there.

Rates in other countries --
US: 726 people per 100,000
UK: 142
China: 118
France: 91
Japan: 58
Nigeria: 31

Intel Offers Reward for Original Moore's Law Text

Moore's Law, the 40-year-old prediction that computer chip performance would double every year or two, may have found a place in history as an accurate forecast. Original copies of the declaration, however, are lost. And a hunt on eBay has begun.

Intel Corp. has posted a $10,000 reward for an original copy, in mint condition, of the April 19, 1965, issue of Electronics, the technical publication in which Intel's founder, Gordon Moore, made his famous forecast.

I understand the University of Illinois has all ready had their copy come up missing as librarians around the country scramble to protect their historic treasure.

The Stompbox

These web pages are about a project I've been working on. Put briefly, it's a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) router. In more human terms, it's a compact little box that gets data from cellular towers and re-shares it for multiple computers to use.

To use it all you do is plug it in to the cigarette lighter of a car (or a 12v supply when at home). It automatically boots up and links in to Verizon's "Broadband Access" service, turning itself into an access point. Turn on your laptop, join the network and voila -- you're on the net! It's just like using a hotspot (such as they have at Starbucks and airports), but it goes anywhere you car goes.

RCA Synthesizer: 50 Years Later

The Princeton, NJ chapter of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) is celebrating 50 years of the RCA Synthesizer on Thursday, April 14.

Apparently the actual MKII has been dismantled.

A Wuhshun Inwenshun

Sorry for that -- my best attempt to sound like Checkov.

"Everyone knows that Russians are good at maths," said lieutenant general Boris Miroshnikov of Department K. "Our software writers are the best in the world, that's why our hackers are the best in the world."

Seems like a pretty odd boast from here.

Business Adoption Of Windows XP SP2 Still Low, Survey Finds

The survey of 136,000 PCs at 251 companies in North America found that Windows XP SP2 had been deployed on only about 9% of those computers.

On April 12 Micro$oft will be turning OFF the feature that has automatically blocked XPsp2 from the Windows Automatic Update. Get ready for it. Now.

Unsafe. Period.

ScanIT, an Internet security consultancy, reports Microsoft's Internet Explorer was unsafe 98 percent of the time, during 2004. The data were collected from 195,000 internet users who used ScanIT's online security checker. The reported 98 percent unsafe rating is based on security holes being found in fully-patched installations of Internet Explorer on every day of the year 2004, except the week between October 12 and 19.

A fully-patched installation of Internet Explorer doesn't mean that the user is safe from malware. For over half of 2004, 54 percent of the time (200 days), a worm or virus was in the wild that could take advantage of additional vulnerabilities for which a patch was not available from Microsoft.

Follow the link to test your own browser.

Solar Death Ray

I recall at least one of these in every science fair, some 45 years ago. I think it was an early fascination with such devices that made me the man I am today.

Check out his photo gallery of targets.

DNA Activation

Sorry, but I can't link to these people because I'm afraid I'd improve their rankings in some way. But I'm going to quote a little from their site:

Imagine if you woke up one morning and realized that you had dormant superhuman abilities that were waiting to be unleashed.

That once you activated these abilities, you could manifest anything you desired in your life, live a life without drama, create your ideal physical body, become immune to all dis-ease, and REVERSE the aging process.

Imagine if you realized that you could actually change your blueprint of life, your DNA, to enable you to expand your creative potential, provide access to your subconscious mind, and become intuitive, clairvoyant, and know instantly what your purpose is in life.

Wow! And you don't even have to get bitten by a radioactive spider!

Xtreme Pickup

The International CXT, RXT and MXT. When size simply says it all.

Xtreme Urban Vehicle

Not your soccer-mom's SUV -- if you have to ask about gas mileage you can't afford it.

Trust No One

More than a third of the Internal Revenue Service employees and managers who were contacted by Treasury Department inspectors posing as computer technicians provided their computer logins and changed their passwords...

Bad as the results were, they represent a 50 percent improvement when compared with a similar test in 2001, when 71 employees cooperated and changed their passwords.

Radiation Detectors

Bruce Schneier is a well known and respected authority on cryptography and security. He often finds government WOFTAM , and this one is a classic:

Robert Bonner, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told a Senate subcommittee on homeland security that since the first such devices were installed in May 2000, they had picked up over 10,000 radiation hits in vehicles or cargo shipments entering the country. All proved harmless.

The Bush administration is requesting $125 million for fiscal year 2006 to continue the acquisition, deployment and enhancement of such technology. It has 400 units deployed.

This regime is going to waste another $125 million MTDs on units that are proven to deliver an overwhelming number of false positives -- which require investigation, by people who are doubtless overworked.

And can someone explain to me how this is a GOOD thing!?

Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam

Since October 11, 2004, Mount St. Helens has been in a constant eruptive state. Watch the events as they unfold.

Dell and the (un)American Dream

An amazing 30,600 of Dell's 55,200 workers are employed in foreign countries. Dell could find only 24,600 positions in 2004 for US workers, despite incredible incentives from states such as North Carolina. Foreign staffers now make up 55 per cent of Dell's workforce compared to 51 per cent of the workforce in 2003, according to a recent filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

New Ohio Law Requires eBay Sellers to Get Licensed and Post Bond

A new Ohio law, already signed and in effect, requires eBay sellers to become licensed, and to post a $50,000 bond. The new eBay auction law was signed by the Ohio governor in February, and will be effective on May 1st. In addition to the ilcense and the $50,000 bond, because the new Ohio eBay law is founded on the Ohio auction laws, it also requires eBay sellers to attend auction school and pass an exam, and to serve as an apprentice auction seller for one year. eBay sellers failing to get the Ohio auction license face up to 90 days in jail and a $1000 fine.

I really, really wish CongressCritters would try and get a clue before they run off and pull this sort of crap.

Phishers Use Wildcard DNS to Build Convincing Bait URLs

This is good. This method is going to fool most of the people, most of the time.

Dell 'bait and switch' alleged

One plaintiff alleges that a laptop advertised for $599 and an $89 printer, cost her over $1,300. Another claims that Dell supplied two PCs of an inferior specification to that ordered. One of the two law firms representing the plaintiffs said it has investigated over a hundred complaints since August.

I know of one person who tried to order the low-priced advertised special but terminated the order process when told that a memory upgrade was going to cost over $300. The class action lawsuit mentioned in this article has been filed in California.

Spyware Snags Blogger Users

Dozens of blogs hosted by Google Inc.'s Blogger service can install programs that are widely considered to be spyware and adware onto visitors' computers, warn users and spyware researchers. In many cases, users are discovering the offending sites as they browse among blogs through Blogger's navigation bar.

This blog isn't going to do that to you, but if you browse blogs using the "Next Blog" button in the upper right corner of your screen, well...

Easter Eggs

Follow the link to an archive of over 7700 eggs, but meanwhile, try this one --

a) Open a new Word document and write: =rand (200,99)
b) Press "Enter"
c) Wait for three seconds and look again.

Stupid Computer Tricks

Photographic proof that there are lusers who should never be allowed near a computer.

Was That a Pop-Up... ?

Probably not. I've been getting a few pop-unders. Since Micro$oft has decided to use pop-up blocking technology, the scumversives (my term for pop-up advertisers) are using other methods to get their message in your face. Follow the link (above) to the article in MacFixIt.

Browser URL Spoofing Vulnerability

There has been a lot of discussion lately about a vulnerability in every browser except MSIE. Most folks are telling you that it can't be helped and just be careful. Yeah, right. Here's a fix for Mozilla's Firefox browser.

Future Homebuilding

Known as Contour Crafting, the process is the brainchild of an engineering professor, Behrokh Khoshnevis, of the University of Southern California.

Professor Khoshnevis believes that his technology will make it possible to build a house from foundation to roof in less than 24 hours: "Our goal," he says, "is to be able to completely construct a one-storey 185-square-meter home on site in one day, without using human hands."

Think of a giant inkjet printer, with a print head as wide as your house. The print head is on rails and a gantry, so it can be raised as it moves back and forth. Now, instead of ink, use cement. The professor has developed a process that includes plumbing and electrical -- even interior finishing.

How the SB Ads Ranked

Seems Napster had the rankest ad of them all. The alcoholic pilot jumping from his plane for a beer ranked #1.

Super Bowl Ads

We all know the REAL reason for watching the Super Bowl -- it's the ads. If you skipped the game on TV you can still see the ads, here, without all the annoying "athletics". They even have the ads that were banned from the game.

Phishing Flaw in Firefox

I've not tried this in Opera or in Micro$oft's Internet Explorer. I browse with Firefox, and indeed the test shows I'm vulnerable. Unfortunately the solution isn't very elegant.

TALON on It's Way to Iraq

I wrote about robot warriors bound for Iraq back in November. The U.S. has said it will be sending nearly two dozen TALON units to Iraq this spring. The mfgr claims better accuracy, since "the platform is stable and aiming is electronic". Yeah, and I suspect, too, in no small part, because it's not afraid it's going to get shot if it just stands there, out in the open. Notice the file name -- lemming.htm. I guess cannonfodder.htm was used elsewhere.

Unit cost: Nearly a quarter mil.

BillG Does Teen Beat

Shots from a 1983 photospread. Why are his eyes like that? Why is there a Mac in the background?

Blocking MSIE from your Site

Tired of all the web sites that force you to use MSIE? Well, here's a guy who has discovered several ways to prevent MSIE from accessing your site.

MTD @ Work

My Tax Dollar, once again, pissed in the wind. Having spent a little time with Texas state gov't and IT development, I can see how such projects often fail. Too often the project design occurs in the legislature -- bills are passed into law, requirements are made, and solutions are mandated before a problem is defined. What we used to call "AB Project Management" -- ass-backwards. I can't wait for Round #2.

Hacking Micro$oft's DRM

"In this case, they're using technology meant to secure content. It just shows that the more bells and whistles you add to the technology, the more you open doors for the bad guys."

"All told, the infection added 58 folders, 786 files and an incredible 11,915 registry entries to my test computer. Not one of these programs had showed me any license agreement, nor had I consented to their installation on my computer."

There are alternatives to the Windows Media Player. You should be using them.

Wetback "How to" Manual

The Mexican government has published 1.5 million copies of a pamphlet detailing the hazards and hardships of crossing illegally into this country. This has upset a few people here.

FCC Opens Doors to Access BPL

"...we believe that, on balance, the benefits
of Access BPL for bringing broadband services to the public are
sufficiently important and significant so as to outweigh the limited
potential for increased harmful interference that may arise."

Access BPL, or broadband over power lines, would deliver broadband Internet to anyone who has electric service. Those against it have been crying about the increased radio interference caused by the power lines "leaking" the signal. The FCC has released a formal ruling on the issue and they do not agree.