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Monthly Archives: March 2010
Sarah Palin joins Rep. Dana Rohrabacher: Drop the charges against Navy Seals
Libertarian Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher was one of the first prominent elected officials to call on the Military to drop charges against the three Navy Seals, on trial for allegedly punching an Islamic Terrorist in the stomach.
From the Chicago Tribune, March 8:
The charges against the SEALS stem from the alleged mistreatment of Ahmed Hashim Abed, the accused mastermind behind the 2004 ambush and slaughter of four American security contractors whose bodies were dragged through the streets of Fallujah. The SEALS captured Abed in September.
One of the SEALs, Matthew McCabe, is accused of striking Abed in the midsection, and all three are charged with dereliction of duty for failing to safeguard the detainee.
Rohrabacher and other GOP lawmakers have called the trio "heros" not criminals.
Now another libertarian-leaning Republican has come to the defense of the Seals.
From Sarah Palin's Facebook page:
Stand Up for SEALs Standing Up for Us
First the Obama Administration opened up the possibility of prosecuting CIA interrogators doing their jobs seeking information from terrorists. Then they tried to go after the Bush Administration lawyers who acted in good faith to protect us in the months after 9/11. Now some of the military brass are court-martialing three brave Navy SEALs for allegedly throwing a single punch at Iraqi terrorist leader Ahmed Hashim Abed. This is wrong. The Washington Times got it right: Save the SEALs.
These brave warriors belong in combat, not in the courthouse. They captured the most wanted terrorist in Iraq. We may never know how many other heroic missions they undertook on behalf of our country. The charges should be dropped, and they should be returned to their unit – with our gratitude for their service.
Stand up for the SEALs who are standing up for us!
- Sarah Palin
For Twenty Bucks, You Can Snuggle Up With The Android Mascot [Android]
Maybe sleep deprivation finally got to me or maybe these are really the cutest Android pillows I've ever seen. I just wanna grab a pair and snuggle up for a quick nap.
The pillows measure twelve by twelve inches, are handcrafted, and can be purchased for twenty bucks a piece. [Etsy via Technabob]
Poll finds "Massive" gap between Republicans and Democrats on National Security
Americans have the impression that Democrats are the AntiWar Party
From Eric Dondero:
During the 2008 campaign, at the height of American concerns over winning the War in Iraq, and well into 2009, the two parties were completely tied on the polling question which party is better able to handle National Security. Now a brand new poll released Monday, shows the GOP has opened up a "massive gap," over the Democrats on that same question.
From the Washington Times, March 8:
On the national security front, a massive gap has emerged, with 50 percent of likely voters saying Republicans would likely do a better job than Democrats, a 14-point swing since May. Thirty-three percent favored Democrats.
"The erosion since May is especially strong among women, and among independents, who now favor Republicans on this question by a 56 to 20 percent margin," the pollsters said in their findings.
A May 2009 survey by the pollsters found the public saw the Democratic and Republican parties as equally able to handle national security (41 percent trusted Democrats more, and 43 percent trusted Republicans more.) On conducting the war on terrorism, the two parties were tied at 41 percent.
The poll finds other devastating news for the Democrats.
In the wake of the Ft. Hood shooter, and the Christmas Day bomber, and growing concerns among Americans over Islamic Terrorism, the poll finds, an even wider gap.
"Keeping America safe": Democrats now trail by 13 points (34 percent to 47 percent.) The gap was just 5 points in July 2008.
Gays in the Military has become a cause celebre' among Democrats. The Obama administration has recently allowed female sailors on Navy submarines. Under Obama, "multiculturalism," and recruiting and retaining Muslim recruits is now amongst the highest of priorities of the Armed Services. And now these same poll numbers show Americans believe the Obama administration and Democrats to be less friendly to the US Military, than Republicans.
And the margin isn't even close.
"Ensuring a strong military": Democrats trail by 31 points (27 percent to 58 percent.)
Dems take classes to learn how to "Talk Tough!" on Terror
So how are the Democrats in Congress reacting to the harsh news of this new poll? They're sending some of the members in tight races to a "National Security class," to learn how to "talk tough" on terrorism and on other key national security issues. The "Third Way" class is being run by national security moderate Rep. Jane Harmen of California, along with consultants and pollsters. Ironically, Harmen had been shunned by the administration and leftwing Democrats in 2008 and 2009 for views judged "too rightwing," on foreign policy matters.
Attendees to the class learn how to use key phrases that will win swing voters concerned about Defense-related issues.
For example, Democrats learn how to say "I’m going to fight for American interests abroad." Whereas a Republicans would generally say, "I’m going to fight to defend American values."
Responds Ken Spain, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee in Politico:
"The fact that Democrats have to train their own candidates on how to talk about defending America is an indictment not just of their candidates but of their policies, as well. Our candidates’ message is simple: Stop treating terrorists like common criminals, don’t import terrorists into our communities and listen to our military and intelligence officials instead of attacking them."
Connecting the Quantum Dots to More Than Double Hard Drive Capacity [Science]
Scientists have developed a new type of semiconductor structure—using microscopic crystals called magnetic quantum dots—that could more than double current hard drive storage capacity. That's just for starters.
The crystals themselves aren't new; they've been around for over a decade in computer chips, solar cells, and LEDs, according to CBC News. This particular application, though, is unprecedented:
The new work, reported today in the journal Nature Materials, describes a class of quantum dots that not only control electrons, but also have good magnetic properties allowing them to read the electron's spin.
The research team claims it's the first successful synthesis of magnetic quantum dots above room temperature.
The breakthrough came after two years of research, when the team was able to get the right concentration of manganese combined with the germanium matrix of the quantum dot. Makes perfect sense! But however high-level the science, the end result is clear: a new breed of semiconductor could be on the way, bringing with it speed, efficiency, and storage increases bordering on the exponential. The only question now is how long? [CBC News]
Tomorrow We’ll Find Out How Cisco Intends To “Forever Change The Internet" [Internet]
Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM PST Cisco Systems will be making an announcement which will "forever change the Internet." This means we've got a nearly all night to speculate, make bets, and daydream of life changing technologies. [ZDNet]
Pivot Shows Again that Microsoft Is Kicking Serious Ass [Web]
According to Microsoft, Pivot's "a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online," enabling "spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of [invisible] patterns and links." According to me, it's awesome.
Pivot allows you to create and access data collections made from massive amounts of web information in a visual way. It keeps the same interface independently of the content of the collection, allowing you to dive in the data with ease, zoom out, reorder the collection in any way you want, filter data with one click, and establish relationships between different data sets with ease.
To do this, it uses meta-information within an open XML structure to make those collections—which vary in complexity. Then it allows the user to manipulate the data view using Seadragon, a display technology specifically designed to move around titanic amounts of data and graphics in real time.
Like Windows Phone 7 or Natal, Pivot shows that Microsoft is using those research doublons in creating truly amazing stuff these days. Download and try it in your PC now. Unfortunately, there's no Mac OS X version yet. [Microsoft Pivot]
Ohio Governor’s race: Republican John Kasich boosts lead over Democrat incumbent
The fiscal conservative ticket of John Kasich and Mary Taylor now have a commanding lead over embattled incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland.
From Rasmussen late last night:
Republican challenger John Kasich has extended his lead over incumbent Democrat Ted Strickland to 11 points in Ohio’s gubernatorial race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Ohio voters finds Kasich leading Strickland 49% to 38%. Six percent (6%) prefer another candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided.
Last month, Kasich held a six-point lead - 47% to 41% - over Strickland...
Ohio is currently suffering from an 11% unemployment rate. Kasich and Taylor (current State Auditor) are promising a lean budget and a reduction, and possible elimination of the state income tax to boost economic growth.
Critics have charged Strickland with special favors for unions, cronyism in state appointments, and even covering up of Ohio voter fraud to help Obama's presidential campaign.
Turn Your Old Computer Into A Brand New Hookah [DIY]
What, you've got a broken, old computer, but what you really want is a shiny, new hookah? Well, with a little bit of effort you can turn that old gadget into some peculiar-looking smoking paraphernalia. [Instructables via Nerd Approved]
Sewage treatment plant
Good day to all CR4 Members,
I'm no expert on Sewage treatment plant but given a task to conduct preliminary plant sizing. I can easily arrived on the flow rate (m³/day).
Does anyone of you gents have rule of thumb on the plant space? say m²/m³ of sewage? I know that the plant space will b
EPA Approves Surface Coal Mining in Ohio
Today the EPA approved a permit for surface coal mining in Ohio. This is a big blow to the environment, to future generations of Americans, and to the natural resources of the United States. This is our country, but it seems that Big Coal and other polluters feel they own it, and can ruin our country however they wish.
Read more about this ruling and listen to Lisa Jackson speak at the National Press Club at Climate Files Radio.
The press release for this decision is here.
EPA Approves Ohio Surface Coal Mine — “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded its review of a Clean Water Act permit application for Oxford Mining Company’s proposed Kaiser Mathias mine in Tuscarawas County, Ohio and has approved the project.”
This is the EPA not relying on science for its decisions. This is the EPA stalling a real decision on surface coal mining, while global warming continues to escalate and the government officials spin their wheels in Washington. Lisa Jackson claims the EPA cannot regulate coal mining. That’s not ‘Yes We Can’, that’s a weak excuse to allow coal lobbyists to continue their choke-hold over the federal government. They are selling out future generations for more coal profits.
It’s time we take our country — literally — back from the polluters.
PM camshafts
I want to know which cars use the PM camshafts
Newegg Confirms That Counterfeit Intel Core i7 Processors Were Shipped [Intel]
There have been allegations that someone's been supplying online retailer Newegg with fake Intel Core i7 processors and then proceeding to threaten anyone who reports on the issue. Here's what Newegg has to say:
Newegg is currently conducting a thorough investigation surrounding recent shipments of questionable Intel Core i7-920 CPUs purchased from Newegg.com.
Initial information we received from our supplier, IPEX, stated that they had mistakenly shipped us "demo units." We have since come to discover the CPUs were counterfeit and are terminating our relationship with this supplier. Contrary to any speculation, D&H Distributing is not the vendor that supplied us with the Intel Core i7-920 CPUs in question.
Newegg's top priority is to proactively reach out to all customers who may have been affected to ensure their absolute satisfaction. We have already sent out a number of replacement units and are doing everything in our power to resolve the matter promptly and with the least amount of inconvenience to our customers.
We have always taken pride in providing an exceptional experience for each customer, and we apologize for any inconvenience to our valued customers. We take matters like this extremely seriously, and are working in close cooperation with Intel and the appropriate law enforcement authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident.
Kudos to Newegg for handling the entire matter so well and apparently taking good care of the customers affected.
See HP Slate. See HP Slate Run Flash. [Hp]
Adobe's got a video out that proves the HP Slate can run Flash and AIR just fine, thankyouverymuch. To which we say: no kidding! It's a Windows 7 device. What's of some concern might be HP's own marketing clip:
The Adobe clip shows real-use situations with Flash, and it looks great. The HP clip, though, is totally rendered: screen, hand, everything fake.
There could be lots of reasons for that, of course. But hopefully it's not that HP doesn't trust its Slate enough yet to film actual behavior.
Also making a debut appearance, in the first video: the Slate's on-screen keyboard, which doesn't seem to have solved any of the problems the iPad's poses.
Apple may have a head start with the iPad, but HP's clearly staking out their tablet territory by stressing Flash so heavily this early. Let's hope it plays as well in real life as it does in simulations. [Engadget]
NASA Enterprise Data Center Plans Have Changed
NASA rethinks $1.5B enterprise data center contract, Washington Technology
"NASA has announced it's reworking its strategy for acquiring an enterprise data center, and has postponed the release of a final request for proposals for what could have been a $1.5 billion contract. NASA said its plans for the NASA Enterprise Data Center (NEDC) program didn't meet its enterprise needs. The agency said it made the decision after a reassessment in light of leadership changes and new requirements from the Office of Management and Budget regarding cloud computing, greening information technology, virtualization, and federal data center guidance."
NASA Reworks $1.5B Enterprise Data Center Plans, Web Host Industry Review
"NASA said it is looking to develop a data center plan that will consolidate all data centers, systems, applications, as well as include a data center architecture and full enterprise assessment. This would give the agency the chance to design an infrastructure strategy according to its business requirements and use technologies like cloud computing to cut energy costs."
NCBI ROFL: Beer Consumption Increases Human Attractiveness to Malaria Mosquitoes. | Discoblog
“Malaria and alcohol consumption both represent major public health problems. Alcohol consumption is rising in developing countries and, as efforts to manage malaria are expanded, understanding the links between malaria and alcohol consumption becomes crucial. Our aim was to ascertain the effect of beer consumption on human attractiveness to malaria mosquitoes in semi field conditions in Burkina Faso. We used a Y tube-olfactometer designed to take advantage of the whole body odour (breath and skin emanations) as a stimulus to gauge human attractiveness to Anopheles gambiae (the primary African malaria vector) before and after volunteers consumed either beer (n = 25 volunteers and a total of 2500 mosquitoes tested) or water (n = 18 volunteers and a total of 1800 mosquitoes). Water consumption had no effect on human attractiveness to An. gambiae mosquitoes, but beer consumption increased volunteer attractiveness. Body odours of volunteers who consumed beer increased mosquito activation (proportion of mosquitoes engaging in take-off and up-wind flight) and orientation (proportion of mosquitoes flying towards volunteers’ odours). The level of exhaled carbon dioxide and body temperature had no effect on human attractiveness to mosquitoes. Despite individual volunteer variation, beer consumption consistently increased attractiveness to mosquitoes. These results suggest that beer consumption is a risk factor for malaria and needs to be integrated into public health policies for the design of control measures.”
Thanks to Amy for today’s ROFL!
Related content:
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Beer goggles proven to exist; “beer before liquor, get sick quicker” hypothesis remains untested.
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Beer consumption and the ‘beer belly’: scientific basis or common belief?
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Shrew pursue taboo dew brew.
Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: ethanol
TiVo Posts $10.2 Million Loss, We Contemplate Dusting Off Our Funeral Garb [TiVo]
We've remarked in the past that TiVo is slowly dying and the latest numbers from the company aren't making us any more optimistic:
For the quarter ended Jan. 31, TiVo posted a loss of $10.2 million, or 9 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $3.6 million, or 4 cents a share.
Youch. Doesn't help that the company is struggling more and more to even find any new subscribers. [WSJ]
Remainders – The Things We Didn’t Post: Hello, Goodbye Edition [Remainders]
In today's Remainders: comings and goings. Google Latitude refuses to Buzz off; Dell's super skinny Adamo XPS vanishes into thin air; cable subscribers say Hello to channels they never knew existed; and some users just can't part with their iPhones.
Raditude
Amidst all the buzz around the launch of Google Buzz, a few peopled stepped back and asked how Google Latitude fit into the company's ambitious new social platform. In an interview with eWeek, Google Latitude project manager Steve Lee explained that the plucky Latitude was still being developed independently of Buzz. Latitude, he explained, is about "friend-finding," whereas Buzz is about "creating conversations." On the future of both: "Down the road, there might be points of integration between Buzz and Latitude, but they are separate products and have different use cases." So there you have it: Latitude lives on. [eWeek]
Cable Costs
In the last decade, the number of cable channels served to your TV has probably tripled. I remember when I used to just have MTV. Now I have MTV, MTV2, MTV Tres, MTV Hits, MTV Jams—at some point, no matter how many rap music videos you watch, you have to ask yourself if there's a better way. A la carte cable has been tossed around as one solution for as long as there have been cable packages, but the answer is always the same: it isn't financially feasible for the content providers. But it's still a nice thought, so if you want to pretend to dine a la carte, here's your menu (these are, of course, the wholesale subscription fees, but it still gives you an idea of the prices the different channels command). As Peter Kafka notes, about 40% of your monthly cost goes to sports channels. Fine if you're a big sports fan, sort of irritating if you're not. [All Things D]
iLove
Yeah, yeah, we love our iPhones too, but this is just weird. A recent survey of 200 iPhone-owners at Stanford University showed just how strongly people feel about their smartphones:
Nearly a quarter of those surveyed reported that the iPhone felt like an extension of their brain or body.
Ok, kinda bizarre, but the idea of iPhone as a brain-enhancer is sort of understandable. Less understandable, however:
There was also a tendency among the survey participants to anthropomorphize their iPhones and treat it differently than other electronics. For example, 3 percent of the students said they don't let anyone touch their iPhone; another 3 percent have named their iPhone; 9 percent have patted their iPhone and 8 percent admitted that they have at some time thought "My iPod is jealous of my iPhone.
If 19 out of every 200 people are patting their iPhones, I shudder to think of the weird technolust that will go down when the iPad arrives next month. [LiveScience]
Image credit Mat Honan
RIP XPS
It's not every day that we get really excited over a new laptop's design, which is why Dell's insanely thin Adamo XPS was such a breath of fresh air. It seems, however, that it was just a little too thin for its own good; today the Adamo XPS disappeared from Dell's website. CrunchGear followed up with a Dell chat representative and confirmed that the XPS is gone for good. True, it never seemed like the healthiest machine, but it did turn heads with its unique design, and we're sad to see it go. As CrunchGear mentions, last year's SXSW saw the debut of Dell's Adamo line, so maybe they're just clearing the way for their next skinny system. [CrunchGear]
Pennsylania Troopers raid Philly Bars and Taverns looking for un-registered Beer
From Eric Dondero:
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was organized immediately after Prohibition officially ended in 1933 as a means for regulating the wine, beer and spirits industries, and collecting revenues for the State. The Board is controlled by three appointees from the Governor's office. Democrat Ed Rendell is currently serving as Pennsylvania Governor, and has served in that capacity for nearly 8 years. All three current Board Members were appointed (and re-appointed) by Gov. Rendell.
Last week Pennsylvania State Troopers conducted raids in the Philadelphia area of bars for not filing the proper paperwork and failing to pay a small fee registering the names of certain exotic beers that were for sale.
From Philly.com (Daily News), March 8:
IT WAS ELIOT NESS and the Untouchables, as played by the Keystone Kops.
More than a dozen armed State Police officers conducted simultaneous raids last week on three popular Philadelphia bars known for their wide beer selections. The cops confiscated hundreds of bottles of expensive ales and lagers, now in State Police custody at an undisclosed location.
The alleged offense: Although the bar owners had bought the beer legally from licensed Pennsylvania distributors and had paid all the necessary taxes, the police claimed that nobody had registered the precise names of the beers with the state Liquor Control Board - a process that requires the brewers or their importers to pay a $75 registration fee for each product they want to sell in Pennsylvania.
However, it turns out that the Troopers and the LCB may have made some paperwork errors of their own. Continuing:
More than half the beer removed by the State Police was properly registered - but the cops couldn't find it on their lists because of "clerical errors" or "blatant ineptitude" between the police and the Liquor Control Board, with whom the officers were conferring by telephone.
For instance, the cops grabbed Monk's Cafe Sour Flemish Red Ale.
The beer has been sold throughout the state at dozens of restaurants and distributors for the last seven years. The brand appears on the state's online list as "Monk's Café Ale." It's on tap seven days a week at the Center City bar after which it was named: Monk's Cafe, at 16th and Spruce streets.
But that wasn't enough to keep the State Police from confiscating 20 bottles and three kegs of the supposedly illegal ale at the three bars...
The raids have even Pennsylvania liberals scratching their heads. From noted blogger Joel Mathis of Cup o' Joel
And it’s in situations like these that I realize conservatives have a point when they speak of government bureaucracies having tyrannical tendencies. If you step back and think about it, it’s kinda weird that brewers would have to register each and every single variety of beer they produce — no matter how small the batch — if they want to sell it in Pennsylvania. And it’s even weirder that the state’s public safety resources are devoted in any measure to confiscating beer that might’ve been improperly registered. Good lord: Don’t we have more than enough car accidents and homicides to track and solve?
In fact, the State Police raid appears to have been the result of a clerical error — one that the police say might take months to resolve. It’s enough to turn you into a libertarian.
The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania has had a platform item for decades in favor of complete privatization of the LCB. Republican legislators and even former Republican Gov. Dick Thornbergh have tried unsuccesfully in the past to privatize the Board.
Why Isn’t the iPad Getting Some of the iPhone’s Default Apps? [Apple]
Recently we saw the first iPad ad, but in it we didn't see some of the default apps found on the iPhone. Why aren't the Stocks, Calculator, Clock, Weather and Voice Memos apps on the iPad? Here's a possible explanation.
According to Daring Fireball, it boils down to design and Steve Jobs' perfectionism:
Ends up that just blowing up iPhone apps to fill the iPad screen looks and feels weird, even if you use higher-resolution graphics so that nothing looks pixelated. So they were scrapped by you-know-who. Perhaps they'll appear on the iPad in some re-imagined form this summer with OS 4.0, but when the iPad ships next month, there won't be versions of these apps. At least that's the story I've heard from a few well-informed little birdies.
Part of me hopes those little birdies are wrong. I'm far too attached to the Clock and Calculator apps and would dread having to find alternatives in the App Store. [Daring Fireball]
