I'm a blog virgin but I thought this would be a great way to document my trip and the sometime exciting preplanning that comes along with it. I leave on February 7th Six more weeksEnough exclamation points. I thought I would start with a ooppps long entry of my travel past. This is my second solo trip. My first one was going out west to British Columbia last summer. I went to w
Yearly Archives: 2009
Joshua Tree
By MelisseBoulders piled high precariously balanced rounded sensuous forms textured perfectly for traction. A playground extraordinaire picking our way scaling rock faces up and down. Quito bounds from top to rock top. Testing limits while staying safe. Joshua trees unique to the area cartoonlike in form spike the crystal blue or moody sky. Creosote Jojoba cholla acacia yucca prick
Cerro Chato
Hola EveryoneHope everyone has had a good couple of days post holidays. Of course we have been having more fun. On Saturday we went to Ecocentro Danaus. Itrsquos a small wildlife center with a hiking trail. It was not far from town only 3km so we decided to walk there. The walk wasnt long but it was alongside a busy road so unfortunately it wasnt super pleasant but we made the mos
Republican Peter Hoekstra blasts Obama for downplaying Terrorist attack
Says Attack at Detroit Airport linked to other recent Jihadist attacks
From Eric Dondero:
The Yemen-based branch of Al-Qaeda may be responsible for the latest attack on the United States. According to various source, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was on a terror list linked to the Yemeni-branch, and is said to have had numerous contacts with Yemeni Terrorist leader Anwar al-Awlaki.
The leading Republican on the House Intelligence Committee is asserting that the Obama administration is not acting agressively enough to investigate. One day after the latest attack he's criticizing the administration for their slowness to react, and ineptitude in connecting the dots.
From Rep. Peter Hoekstra, Twitter account:
Administration says attempted terrorist attack. No. It was a terrorist attack! Just not as successful as they (AQ) planned.
From the Detroit Free Press:
“It’s not surprising,” U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Holland Republican, said of the alleged terrorist attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight in Detroit. A Nigerian who authorities said had told them he was ordered by al-Qaida to detonate an explosive was in custody. Reports linked the explosives to Yemen.
“People have got to start connecting the dots here and maybe this is the thing that will connect the dots for the Obama administration,” said Hoekstra.
A Connection to the Ft. Hood shooting?
The attack at the Detroit Airport amounts to what is the 3rd Muslim terrorist attack on US targets. In May a homegrown Islamic-convert terrorist shot up a Military Recruiting facility in N. Little Rock, AR killing 1 soldier and seriously injuring another. In November, Major Malik Nidal Hasan killed 13 soldiers at the Army Base in Ft. Hood, and injured 42 others.
Now Rep. Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee is suggesting a possible connection. Radical Yemeni Cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki was the spiritual leader of Ft. Hood Terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan. He's also identified as the spritual leader for Flight 253 suspect Abdulmutallab. Continuing from Freep:
Noting that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan – the Army officer who is accused of killing more than a dozen people at Fort Hood, Texas, last month – was allegedly linked to a radical cleric now in Yemen, Hoekstra said this latest incident could be “one more indication” that the al-Qaida branch there is planning attacks.
According to the NY Post:
Abdulmutallab reportedly had links with US-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, according to Sky News sources.
Al-Awlaki, who is thought to have died in a Yemeni airstrike on an al Qaeda meeting December 24, also had links with the shooter who killed 13 people and injured 30 others at a US army base in Texas on Nov. 5.
The latest news suggests that Al-Awlaki actually survived the drone attack, but that two of his closest associates were killed.
Note - Rep. Hoekstra, a fiscally conservative/strong on defense Republican, is a candidate for Governor of Michigan. He is leading all potential challengers, Republican and Democrat, in the latest polling.
Taylor Bryant, Libertarian for State Senate – Georgia
From Dan Sheill:
There's a special election in Georgia on January 5. The Libertarian Party has a candidate in the race. And there's no Republican even running.
Libertarian Taylor Bryant, an auto technician, is running in the election for a Augusta area seat.
He is up against three Democrats. He is the only free market-oriented candidate in the race. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, a runoff election will be held on February 2.
From the Augusta Chronicle:
he's hoping the low turnout will give him a boost if the Democratic vote gets split three ways, and he can garner about 90 percent of the Republican vote and support from the small-government-minded Tea Party contingency.
Back in November, a similar situation occured in North Carolina for a Mayor's seat. No Republican was on the ballot, only 4 Democrats and 1 Libertarian in Durham. The Libertarian ended up in the second round. In the final voting against the well-known Democrat he received 27.
Learn more at his website.
Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, father of Muslim Terrorist suspect, feared son was a Jihadist
Flight 253 Terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab was the son of a prominent banker in Nigeria. The Mutallabs come from Northern Nigeria, a region of growing radical Muslim violence.
The elder Mutallab served on the Board of Directors of the First Bank of Nigeria out of Lagos.
From MyLive.com (via AP):
In Nigeria, a prominent banker said Saturday that he was meeting with security officials there because he feared his son was the suspect. Alhaji Umaru Mutallab told The Associated Press said his son was a one-time university student in London who had left Britain to travel abroad. He said his son hadn't lived in London "for some time" but he wasn't sure exactly where he went to.
"I believe he might have been to Yemen, but we are investigating to determine that," the elder Mutallab said. He said he would provide more details later Saturday as he learned more from authorities.
Meanwhile, Mutallab says he feared his son had recently become a radical Islamist. From the Voice of America:
He said his son had been studying in London and then left there to travel. The Nigerian newspaper This Day reports the father had expressed concern about his son's extreme religious views.
More according to AllAfrica.com:
Mutallab has been uncomfortable with the boy's extreme religious views and had six months ago reported his activities to United States' Embassy, Abuja and Nigerian security agencies.
The older Mutallab was said to be devastated on hearing the news of Abdul Farouk's attempted bombing arrest
Photo - Map of Nigeria, including Muslim dominated north in green.
Editor's Note - More news on Mutallab including details on explosive device PETN used in bombing at our sister site Worldwide Liberty.
Geert Wilders proclaims Jasper Schuringa a Hero deserving of Royal Dutch Honor
Dutch libertarian Member of Parliament Geert Wilders called Jasper Schuringa a National Hero for saving a Delta flight from Amsterdam, from a Muslim Terrorist attack.
From Deep Faith news, Amsterdam, 3 hours ago:
Shortly before landing passengers smelled smoke, they saw a glow and they heard something that sounded like firecrackers went off. "First there was a sort of bang and then there was smoke," said Dutchman Peter Smith.
Schuringa told CNN that he heard a bang. "Somebody started yelling fire, fire!" Then he saw smoke and he noted that the Nigerian did not move. Then he began to suspect that something was not right. He jumped over the passenger next to him and hurried to the Nigerian.
They appeared to have his pants open and a burning object between his legs to keep. "I took that thing off him, tried to extinguish fire with my hands and threw it away." Schuringa the Nigerian pulled from his place, and dragged him to the front of the plane. The Nigerian seemed stunned. "He stared into nothing."
According to the American media Jasper Schuringa, is now called a hero...
PVV leader Geert Wilders called Jasper Schuringa Saturday in a comment a hero. "He deserves a royal honor." Wilders says it will ask the Dutch government to award such grant.
Wilders is the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party. The PVV is pro-free market, and pro-civil liberties, yet stridently opposed to Islamization of Europe. Wilders is currently well ahead in polling to be next President of the Netherlands.
Partij voor de Vrijheid PVV (Party for Freedom)
Jasper Schuringa identified as Dutch Hero savior of Terrorist Flight
Just Breaking from the Dutch Pres...
Dutch Citizen Overpowers Terrorist on Flight to Detroit
Elsevier, Dec. 26:
Schuringa, an entrepreneur from Amsterdam, saw Abdulmutallab rise from his airplane and something lit. He dove right on top of the terrorist and held in a headlock Abdulmutallab until after landing, he told the CNN.
By his heroic action Schuringa was burned and lost his shoes.
After landing, he was treated like a hero, says Lydia Faber, partner at the media company of the Amsterdam redlayed to the Telegraph.
The parents of Schuringa indicated they were "very proud" of him.
A friend of Schuringa, Kasem Challiou, says that the terrorist had packed explosives.
"It definitely was not fireworks, but very serious," says the friend of Schuringa, who spoke after the failed attack.
Other media identify Schuringa as a "film director" who was traveling to the US to visit friends.
LINKS
The Right Guy who has dubbed Jasper an "honorary libertarian Republican."
No Riddle Today
Click here to view the embedded video.
I ran out of time, kind of bad planning on my part. Sorry.
How about a dance of Saturn moons instead?
Santa goes viral | Bad Astronomy
The Science of Avatar (Part I) | The Intersection
So I finally saw Avatar–the 3D IMAX version–and it exceeded my expectations; not as a result of the much-hyped new technology, but because this story resonates. Though it takes place on an imagined world called Pandora, many themes speak directly to 21st century planet Earth. I’m certainly not about to spoil the plot for those yet to see the film, but would like to emphasize I’m particularly appreciative that James Cameron and his crew got so much of the science in this film right.
Several details struck me as well-researched and extremely innovative and I will do a post in the coming week on some of the most interesting examples. First, I’m curious to learn what aspects of this sci-fi movie appealed most to our readers in the science community. (There are likely posts around the internet about this already, but as I’ve been spending much time offline, have not yet checked). So leave your impressions in comments and we’ll return to the Science of Avatar next week….
Get your mass handed to you | Bad Astronomy
If you want to lose weight, then you should avoid this Ebay auction, where someone has a Higgs boson up for bids.
The Higgs boson, for those not up on their Standard Model of Particle Physics, is the subatomic particle that is theoretically responsible for giving all the other little particles their mass, and its detection is one of the main goals of the Large Hadron Collider. Come to think of it, the folks at CERN could’ve saved a lot of cash had they simply bid here instead of building a bazillion dollar machine to look for the Higgs. But then how would Brian Cox find work?
And I love that graphic. 10∞? That’s a big number. You’d think magnifying the Higgs by that amount would make it look bigger.
Anyway, read the whole thing, because it’s pretty funny. Of course, this is a joke, and Ebay will no doubt take it down soon, so look before it’s gone and you’re doomed to travel the Universe forever with your mass kicked.
Tip o’ the spin 1/2 lepton to BABloggee Martin Kielty.
Presente, passato… Futurismo! – interactive itinerary near Udine
Presente, passato… Futurismo!
Percorso interattivo alla scoperta del “movimento”
December 18, 2009 – January 31, 2010
Curated by the Associazione culturale MACS
Villa Ermacora – Martignacco (Udine)
Dubai Skyline Sunset Time Lapse Provokes Inevitable Oooooohniiiice [Architecture]
I'm a sucker for architecture. And I'm a sucker for time lapse photography. So yes, I'm going to get this prettyful time lapse view of Dubai's skyline—from author of the 2.3-gigapixel Burj Dubai photo—and suck hard on it.
Gizmodo reader Gerald Donovan took more than nine hundred images over the course of an hour and twenty minutes to create this timelapse at sunset.
A Surprisingly Meme-Savvy Health Care Company [It’s The Weekend]
I want to believe that Medica really did try to cut health care costs with the light saber app, waving their humming iPhones over financial statements while wearing robes. Now that would be a board meeting. [Thanks DaSazonator and Sam]
Holiday Flowchart: Inappropriate Times To Use Your Smartphone (Around Family) [Humor]
By now you're probably wise enough to know when not to whip out your smartphone around your significant other, but what about when you're bored at home for the holidays? Follow this flowchart to determine when you've crossed the line:
Click the image to view a larger version.
Based in New York City, Shane Snow is a graduate student in Digital Media at Columbia University and founder of Scordit.com. He's fascinated with all things geeky, particularly social media and shiny gadgets he'll never afford.
The New, Terrifying, No-Electronics US Flight Security Rules [Terror]
That failed terrorist attack yesterday might make international flights a whole lot less enjoyable. Passengers are reporting that new restrictions are in place, and their severity varies flight-to-flight. Among the reports, a rumor: No electronics allowed.Updated:
Update 2: The TSA also released this statement, which seems to confirm that electronics usage policies will be on a case-by-case basis (emphasis added):
"Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in."
Update: According to @charleneli, here's the situation:
New flight rules - Body search, no electronics apply only to int'l flights to US. Just landed in ORD from Canada, missed connection
Again, these are isolated incidents, and there's still no official word from TSA. But in certain instances, some passengers are reporting that electronics usage on inbound U.S. flights is restricted. We'll let you know if an official announcement comes.
The New York Times is reporting that no one will be able to move from their seats during the last hour of flight. That means no bathroom breaks, no accessing carry-on luggage, nothing. When that plane starts descending, you're planted.
Multiple sources, among them Xeni Jardin of Boing Boing, have also been told that no electronics are allowed on international flights. None. So you can't even play video games to distract yourself from how badly you have to pee.
From what we can tell, this is largely restricted to inbound international flights. TSA hasn't made any announcements yet either, so hopefully this is either a temporary measure, or the restrictions will be less severe once the official policy becomes clearer.
So much for using those free in-flight Wi-Fi codes we told you about. If you're flying today, tell us what you hear. [Business Insider, New York Times, @xenijardin]
Image via Bekathwia
WTF: AT&T Stops Online NY iPhone Sales Due to Network Frailty? [Att]
Consumerist is investigating readers' complaints regarding the inability to purchase an iPhone through AT&T's website when using an NY zip code. So far they've discovered that, according to a CS rep: "New York is not ready for the iPhone." Updated.
The conversation Consumerist's Laura Northrup had with an AT&T customer service representative after confirming that iPhones could not be purchased online when using any New York zip code almost plays out like an SNL skit:
Daphne: Welcome to AT&T online Sales support. How may I assist you with placing your order today?
Laura: Hi, I was looking at the iPhone 3Gs and the system tells me that I cannot order one in my ZIP code. My zip code is 11231. (Brooklyn, NY) Is this true? Are iPhones no longer available in New York City?
Daphne: I am happy to be helping you today . Yes, this is correct the phone is not offered to you because New York is not ready for the iPhone.
Daphne: You don't have enough towers to handle the phone.
Laura: Thank you for your help. So the phone is not available to people anywhere in the city?
Daphne: Yes this is correct Laura.
Yikes. We know that AT&T's aware that it sucks in NY, but is the solution to a localized network strain from heavy data usage to stop online sales of a particular phone? Doesn't exactly seem like the most sensible of ideas, especially since there are plenty of iPhones in AT&T's brick-and-mortar New York stores.
Something else that's peculiar about this "sales ban" is that folks in San Francisco, another spot where data puts a huge strain on AT&T's network, are still able to purchase the iPhone online:
A possible explanation to things comes in the form of whispers regarding some kind of New York-based online sales fraud, but somehow the answer to the old ""Is it the network?" still seems to be a loud, angry "Yes!"
I'm definitely curious to hear if AT&T makes an official statement on this issue and what the, probably innocent, explanation is. Hell, I'd be happy with just another Luke Wilson pep talk. [Consumerist]
This Camera Sees Color as Well As You Can [Cameras]
Ferrari’s New Driving Simulator Generates More Horsepower Than a Small Sedan [Simulators]
While a majority of those people playing Gran Turismo will never race a Civic, let alone the supercars featured therein, you can bet 100% of the people "playing" Ferrari's new racing rig will end up on the track some day.
This is because Ferrari's 200-ton racing simulator is designed to throw as realistic a simulation as possible at the drivers, who will eventually sit behind the wheel of a real, live Formula 1 race car.
The rig is comprised of 10 computers, sporting 60GB of RAM. The hydraulics it uses to simulate motion generate force equal to 174 horsepower—a whopping 34 more than the current Civic I just mentioned in my lame lead-in joke above.
A 180-degree track view is displayed to the driver using five 3D video monitors. Real engine and track sounds are pumped into the cockpit via a 3,500 watt Dolby surround sound system. This thing is unsurprisingly not available to the public and that geeky image at the top of the page is all Ferrari is giving up for now. [Jalopnik, Gizmag via DVICE]
