A Riveting Report of Rescue Efforts

CNN.com - Transcripts: "JEANNE MESERVE"

Most of the U.S. 24-hour news coverage of the aftermath of hurricane Katrina is rehashed bits and clips. But CNN reporter, Jeanne Meserve, provided what has to be the most riveting reports I have heard. It is perhaps the most honest bit of reporting I have heard on this story...

If you didn't get a chance to see and hear the reports on "Newsnight with Aaron Brown" on Monday and Tuesday, I would recommend that you read the transcripts. It gets to the very core of what has turned out to be a horrible, human disaster. Hearing her reports really puts a human face on this - something all the news media's, hyped coverage has totally failed at doing.

As I left tonight, darkness, of course, had fallen. And you can hear people yelling for help. You can hear the dogs yelping, all of them stranded, all of them hoping someone will come.

We are sometimes wacky thrill seekers. But when you stand in the dark, and you hear people yelling for help and no one can get to them, it's a totally different experience.

Tip: Visit the transcript site, and search for the word "Meserve". That will get you to the place in the transcript where you can begin reading her reports.

Life Expectancy Calculator

How Long Will I Live? - Life Expectancy Calculator

Take 5 minutes, complete this little survey and find out how much longer before you kick the bucket :)

Amateur Radio Saving Hurricane Victims

ARRLWeb: Amateur Radio Volunteers Involved in Katrina Recovery

Cell phones, wireless internet, and everything else high-tech doesn't mean much in a crisis when the power goes out, the infrastructure has been damaged or is overloaded with traffic.

The linked article provides an insight into how amateur HAM radio operators are saving lives and keeping desparate lines of communication open to the areas hardest hit by hurricane Katrina. (gotta loves the geeks!)

A call for help that involved a combination of cell telephone calls and Amateur Radio was instrumental in saving 15 people stranded by floodwaters on the roof of a house in New Orleans.

See Computer Chess Player Thinking

Thinking Machine 4: Play the Game

This site allows you to play chess and actually see the computer player's 'thinking' process as it decides on a move...if only you could think to so many moves ahead!

Excellent Sat Imagery Source: MODIS

MODIS Rapid Response System

Everything about this site and the imagery it offers is really astounding. It has satellite imagery that focuses on natural disasters and weather events.

A very neat element is that each image has an accompanying world file so that it can be easily incorporated into your own mapping applications.

If you are looking for HUGE, satellite wallpaper for 4 monitors...the 250m images would be a great choice for browsing. (they are simply gi-normous).

The gallery is a great place for browsing...so much detail.

The MODIS Rapid Response system has been developed to provide rapid access to MODIS data globally, with initial emphasis on 250m color composite imagery and active fire data.

Good Source of Satellite Weather Imagery

NOAA Environmental Visualization Program:

This site has a great repository of color/colorized satellite imagery of weather events and other regional activity. You can get the wallpaper size images by looking for and clicking the link below the image in the text "Data Elements: See this higher resolution image. "

"Multi-Dimensional Imagery from polar orbiting and geostationary satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-NOAA. This home page will offer enhanced NOAA Imagery and NOAA Imagery fused with other environmental data sets or modeled output.

We ask that you credit NOAA for any DMSP, GOES or NOAA Polar Orbiting Satellite Imagery that you display on the air or within public or private presentations. The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) requires that you display the words 'copyright 2004 EUMETSAT' on all METEOSAT imagery.

Katrina Satellite Pic - (1920x1200)

Katrina1615z-050829-1kg12.jpg (JPEG Image, 1920x1200 pixels)

Here is a great satellite shot of hurricane Katrina.

25 SQL Commandments

Database Programming and Design:

If found these little tips to be a nice little refresher...

These hints--many of them previously unpublished--can help you avoid the plague of poorly written SQL statements

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities:

Review: Open Office vs MS Office

Alice Hill’s Real Tech News - Independent Tech � Open Office 2.0 Kicks MS Office Around the Block

Here is a decent review/comparison of Microsoft Office and Open Office.

Newest Cyber Celebrity: Cell Phone Thief

LongIslandPress.com :: View topic - Long Island Trash....

So this kid steals a camera phone....What's interesting is that
this kid isn't too smart, and takes a whole mess of pictures with it.

The owner of the phone assumes his phone is lost forever...until he checks his email (where the photos are automatically sent - along with the thief's email address & name... haha). Oh, did I forgot to mention that the thief was also crazy enough to use the phone to make a crappy video of him & his girlfriend having sex. (also sent to the owner's email) LMAO!

You can read all the details of the theft, the thief's personal info, pictures, sex vid, ensuing drama and hopefully his arrest at the link provided above.

The original story was originally posted to a forum and has started taking on a life of it's own, as it is now on countless blogs and other sites. This just might be one of those Internet stories that is going to stick for a while (maybe it will even hit Keith Olbermann's Oddball segment).

This story is just too funny.

The Nine (make that 10) Planets Solar System Tour

The Nine Planets Solar System Tour:

This website is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each planet and the major moons in our solar system. Each page has my text and NASA's images, some have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related information.

Nice Dual Monitor Earth Wallpaper (2560x1024)

This black & white, image of Earth's Northern Hemisphere, makes a very nice dual-monitor wallpaper (2560x1024).

The large number of storms in this image make for an interesting wallpaper.

Here is a projected image of the entire Earth at night. (2400x1200)

Note:
The link provided goes directly to an image. It is completely possible that the image could be changed to something other than what it currently is...So don't be shocked if this site owner switches it to something else just to be a jokester.

Video: Mesh 3D Mapping & Real Video

Lean Back Vids � Video Blog (Vlog) � The Mirror World

This site has a very nice quicktime video, which demos incorporation of 3D mapping (using Google Earth) into 'live'/'real' video movies/clips. I think it is an interesting concept that will start to catch on as the higher resolution satellite imagery, elevation, and urban structural models become more widely available.

Take a virtual tour around Seattle using Google Earth and stop by to see some videos from our archive. GeoVlogging is the process associating a geographic location to a video blog post. In our first virtual voyage, you’ll be able to watch time pass over Lake Union and share in some of our Seattle experiences.

HARD Ass Su Doku Puzzles

Sudoku Programmers :: View topic - list of hard sudokus

These puzzles are absolutely friggin' hard. Be prepared to spend a lot of time and Aspirin on these puzzles....argggh they are tough.

Su Doku Solver

Su Doku Solver

If you're hooked on Su Doku and need a hint (or solution) to a tough puzzle, this open source solver comes in very handy.

Your Age On Other Worlds

Your Age On Other Worlds

Enter your birthday to find out how old you are in another planet's years.

I won't hit my first birthday on Pluto until March 29, 2225...

The Spamhaus Project

The Spamhaus Project:

Spamhaus tracks the Internet's Spammers, Spam Gangs and Spam Services, provides dependable realtime anti-spam protection for Internet networks, and works with Law Enforcement to identify and pursue spammers worldwide.

Spamhaus even has a list/database (ROKSO database) of the top known spammers and spam gangs with very detailed dossiers on each. Some even have the spammer's pictures, licenses, passports (fake and real), etc.

80% of spam received by Internet users in North America and Europe can be traced via aliases and addresses, redirects, hosting locations of sites and domains, to a hard-core group of around 200 known spam operations ("spam gangs"), almost all of whom are listed in the ROKSO database.

Sodium Party - A Nerdy Good Time

Sodium Party:

A guy hosts a sodium party to experiment with dropping large chunks of sodium into water...thus creating some pretty amazing explosions.

The entire thing is available on video and a VERY interesting read. The video clips are fun to watch.

Recommended GIS Blog: Mapping Hacks

Mapping Hacks

The website for the book "Mapping Hacks", has a very nice GIS blog as it's homepage. It is updated frequently and has some of the most interesting and unique GIS links, which are hard to find anywhere else.

(I would recommend this book to any GIS, GPS, or just a frequent map user.)

For FireFox users, the blog is a little tricky to subscribe to (free and no registration required, of course) as you must do it manually (bummer - but worth the 1 minute effort).

Manual Instructions on creating a "Live Bookmark" to the blog in FireFox:
- FireFox
- Bookmarks (on the top toolbar, next to 'Tools')
- Manage Bookmarks
- File
- New Live Bookmark
- Enter the Name that you would like to give the bookmark (i.e. "Mapping Hacks Blog")
- Place the following in the 'Feed Location' box:
http://mappinghacks.com/index.cgi/index.rss
- Drag and drop the new Live Bookmark to wherever you want it in your bookmarks (somewhere in the 'Bookmarks Toolbar Folder' is always a convenient location for blog links)
- Close the Bookmarks Manager
- Your done - now you have immediate access to the most recent 30+ blog entries on the site

Petition: Open Access to State-collected Geodata

Open Access to State-collected Geodata

An online petition has been created in support of Open Access to government collected geodata. If the statements on the site are something you support, your online signature is requested.

"We believe that state-collected geodata should be openly available to citizens. Please sign up below to support this manifesto.

"All government-collected geodata should be open, that is, available for free distribution and re-use under a ShareAlike license."

DIY; Make Your Own Network Cables

How to Make a Category 5 /5e Patch Cable

For goodness sake, don't buy pre-made network cables. The prices are simply outlandish for pre-fab cables. This site has very simple pictures of the wire orders.

Stop by radio shack (suprisingly competitive pricing on this stuff), and buy yourself a 100 ft. of Cat 5 network cable ($0.10 - $0.30 per foot), a box of cable ends (about 12 for $5), and a cable end crimper ($10-$30).

Yes, your up front your will be higher - but you won't be shelling out $20 for a 6 foot cable ever again. And this way, you can make your cable as long as necessary, instead of having to reconfigure a setup because your cables aren't long enough. It also spares you from those troubling moments when the dog eats your cable.

(or just buy a wireless router and cards for your machines)

Tip:
To connect a computer to a router -> both ends are ordered the same (using 568-B order is the most common)

To connect 2 computers directly (or an Xbox directly to a computer) the ends are different - one is 568-B the other is 568-A

High-Resolution Wallpapers

InterfaceLIFT: High-Resolution Wallpaper:

432 free desktop backgrounds of various resolutions and sizes.

Google Talk - Google's IM & VOIP

Google Talk

Is this yet another Instant Messenger client. Perhaps...but I'm definately trying it out. The IM client is very lightweight and clean...very Google. It includes voice communication.

I've got it working with Trillian Pro using the Jabber plugin.

"Google Talk is in beta and requires a Gmail username and password."

Here's a pretty thorough review from Download Squad.

Overview of Current CSS Layout Techniques

particletree � An Overview of Current CSS Layout Techniques:

"Learning how to use CSS for creating web sites is a pain in the ass. It’s not easy and it will hurt you. Over the last several years I’ve been asked by many web designers and developers about how to best get started with building web sites using CSS and standards. Usually, I’ll just send them 300 links and wish them a lot of luck. This overview is sort of my penance."

DIY: Microwave Grape Plasma

Microwave Grape Plasma:

"How to make a glowing ball of plasma in your microwave with a grape."

Screenshot

ND GIS Users Conference 2005

North Dakota GIS Users Conference 2005

"North Dakota GIS Users Conference 2005 to be held October 24-26 at the Comfort Inn in Bismarck, North Dakota. There is no cost to attend. The GIS Day conferences of past years have been replaced with the North Dakota GIS Users Conference to allow cities, counties, tribal organizations, and business to offer their own GIS Day activities. GIS Day this year is November 16.

The theme is "Strategic Thinking" with a planned focus on emergency management, data sharing and distribution, industry trends, and education."

Database Poisoning Day - November 13

Boing Boing: Pledge to poison a registration database this November 13!

If you would like to help send a message to the online news sites that annoy the heck out of you by requiring free registration, sign up with fake info on November 13.

A list of the primary culprits is on the linked page.

To evade registration - use BugMeNot (FireFox extension).

Canada Proposes Surveillance State on Web

Michael Geist - Canada's Big Brother Plan to Reshape the Internet

Canada is moving towards allowing law enforcement to tap Internet connections of private citizens without ANY judicial review or oversight. Wow - since when does Canada take public policy advice from China? And when is the U.S. going to follow suit?

"Law enforcement authorities would also have access to a new “preservation order” that could be used to compel ISPs to preserve Internet usage information for up to three months, forcing ISPs to store far more data than is currently the case.

Among the most troubling aspects of the lawful access proposals are a series of new powers that are not accompanied by any judicial oversight. Law enforcement authorities, including the police, CSIS agents, and even Competition Bureau authorities, will have the right to obtain ISP subscriber information simply upon request without a warrant. In fact, the proposals even envision ISPs responding to such requests in certain situations within 30 minutes based solely on a phone call."

Corporate Logo Image Library

www.logotypes.ru

The site has a catalog of about 5000 corporate logos available for preview and download. I'm not sure what you would really want them for...

Run Your Oown Webserver From Home/Office

DSL/Cable Webserver - Run your own webserver from home on DSL or Cable!

The site is a good starting & reference point for anyone thinking of hosting their own MapServer or other web mapping application.

"Here you will find all the information you need to setup and maintain your own webserver at home or office on your DSL or Cable connection. If you already have DSL or Cable modem, you already have most of the necessary equipment; all you need to do is set it up."

Google & MSN Maps/Earth via Flash

Neave Lab › Flash Earth

This site simply blew me away. I'm not big into flash...but this was just so slick and intuitive. Plus, it was seemless - seemless! The user has NO need to understand what is going on behind the scenes - it just happens.

All I can say is, wow. I think I need to look into Flash a bit more.

(Source code also available on Neave Lab's site)

WiGLE - Plotting WiFi on Maps

WiGLE - Wireless Geographic Logging Engine - Plotting WiFi on Maps:

"Worldwide database and mapping of 3,608,479 wireless networks, since September 2001."

If used with JiGLE (it's Java, desktop client), a GPS unit and a laptop - you can map your own WiFi hotspots in your area or wherever you take your laptop.

The database is extremely comprehensive and it isn't all that difficult to use.

You can find a installation & usage demo video at:
http://www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=security/hackingillustrated

The only significant downside (but easily overcome) is that it uses it's own, custom generated maps that aren't part of any real standard or easily convertable to a typical format for GIS use. The reason for this seems to be that the developers have created their own mapping engine for the desktop clients (map viewing programs).

That doesn't mean you can't use the WiFi points in the database in a standard GIS application, such as ArcGIS. You just need to download the points and create a shapefile (or other) from them on your own. Go to the Query page (must be registered) and perform your query. Download the points (includes Lat/Long) and you can then build your shapefile (or other) from that.

Their is an API available & published on the site, so that you can write a script/program to download this information with little to no user interaction and create/update your shapefiles on the fly.

If you are very ambitious you could create a program that converted the mappacks to a standard GIS format...but you'll have to dig through the JiGLE code to figure out the internal workings/format of the mappack files.

Universal Product Code Secrets (Bar Codes)

totse.com | Cracking the Universal Product Code

A very nice article on how bar codes work. It doesn't really get into some of the newer bar code technologies, but covers the basics very well.

Sure this article could have a dark side to it (what doesn't when it comes to information). But I find this sort of info interesting. Understanding how something so pervasive in our society works is important.

Sorting Algorithm Demo

The Improved Sorting Algorithm Demo:

"This page has visualizations of some comparison based sorting algorithms."

Books: "Beginning MapServer" Finally Released

Amazon.com: Books: Beginning MapServer: Open Source GIS Development

A book that I have been waiting to be released for some time now has finally been released.

"Beginning MapServer: Open Source GIS Development (Paperback)", Bill Kropla ($30 on Amazon)

I haven't read it yet, but being the first non-textbook to cover MapServer in such an exclusive manner, I would think that this is a going to be a must have book for any current (or future) MapServer user.

US NameVoyager

The Baby Name Wizard: NameVoyager

This is one slick site. It shows you the popularity of about 5000 baby names in the US since the 1880's. It requires Java, and is well worth a look. I need to look into how they did the site - that is really nice.

"Explore the sea of names, letter by letter...watch trends rise and fall, and dive in deeper to see your favorite name's place in the historical tides.

The Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager is an interactive portrait of America's name choices. Start with a "sea" of nearly 5000 names. Type a letter, and you'll zoom in to focus on how that initial has been used over the past century. Then type a few more letters, or a name. Each stripe is a timeline of one name, its width reflecting the name's changing popularity. If a name intrigues you, click on its stripe for a closer look."

Google Forgets to Erase White House from Imagery

Ryan Hemelaar’s Tech Blog :: Google Forgets to Erase out Detailed Shots of White-House :: August :: 2005:

"Google has recently updated and added new data for over 100 cities in their Google Earth program. In this it includes the Washington DC area, and Google has forgotten to erase out the roof of the white-house (which they have done previously)."

Seriously - does anyone think that having Google scribble out the building will have any real impact...on anything? It is the equivalant of putting your hands over your eyes and thinking noone can see you.

Firefox Extensions FAQ

Firefox Extensions FAQ - The Extensions Mirror

A very comprehensive, yet simple FAQ for FireFox extensions.

f you have wondered how you might be able do a certain task and/or add a specific ability to FireFox - skim through this listing and it will point you to the right extension for the job.

Linux on Laptops

Linux on Laptops

"This is an index of information and documentation of interest to those who now use or are considering using the Linux operating system on a notebook or laptop computer."

Wink - Animated Presentation Software

Wink - [Homepage]:

"Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screenshots, add explanations boxes, buttons, titles etc and generate a highly effective tutorial for your users."

Hacking Hotel Pay Per View

I-Hacked.com Taking Advantage Of Technology - Hacking Hotel PPV

"So, you are sitting in your hotel, there is NOTHING on the 13 free channels and you really want to catch that.. eh hum new movie out right now, but you dont want to pony up the $10 or whatever they charge for pay-per-view movies... Well you are in luck! It is VERY easy to get free PPV in **MOST** Hotels. The funny thing is, you can do it a couple different ways. In the following article I will present the two most popular -- other ways are up to you to figure out!"

US Air Traffic Flow - NASA Animation

facet24.mov (video/quicktime Object)

NASA has put together a nice animation of air traffic flow over the US.

What I found interesting is the modification made to the geographic features of the US in order to better show the traffic patterns and reduce the overall clutter of the traffic west of the Mississippi. It almost looks like a cartogram of some form. But I would guess the distortion is more intentially done to adaquately portray specific regions and separate neighboring flight paths.

Nice Wallpaper - Excellent Earth Images

Le Forum Microsoft Windows : Th�me de bureau, styles visuels - News - Astuces - Tutoriels

The site has 120 very nice wallpaper images. The earth/moon images are simply amazing.

Earth/Moon 1

Earth/Moon 2

Earth 3

Essential freeware for the PC user

Brilliant Ignorance: Essential freeware for the PC user

A nice list of free software. You certainly don't need all of it, but most of this bloggers recommendations are on my own list.

Tutorial: How To Build A Computer

How To Build A Computer - Wikibooks

Building your own computer from individual parts not only saves you cash, but helps teach you the basics about computers that at least one person in every household should know.

Topics:
1 Choosing the parts
2 Building the physical computer
3 Choosing and installing the computer's software
4 Optimizing and Overclocking

So tell your kid to quit playing outside and build you a new computer :)

10 Google Map Implementations

lifehack.org � Essential Resources for Google Maps

A listing of 10 Google Map implementations. It certainly is not a comprehensive list. Nor would I agree that they are the top 10. However, each is worth checking out.

DVD Shrink is No More

DVD Shrink: Shrink your DVDs to fit DVDR!

Well, the handy little program, DVD Shrink, which could be used to easily create a backup copy of a movie, is now offline. Not sure why...but the site says that it "is no more."

That doesn't mean you can't still find it...

Download Here

I'm sure if you dig around you'll be able to find it. It just won't be as easy as before.

Gov't Open Source Conference

News4Neighbors | Government Open Source Conference GOSCON:

"This October 13th - 14th, Oregon State University's Open Source Lab is hosting a conference on government use of open source software (OSS). The Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON) will be held in Portland Oregon and is targetted at CIO's and Public Administrators in city, county and state governments throughout the United States. With a low cost of only $150 for both days, the conference is an affordable way for managers to come up to speed on the issues surrounding OSS.
"

Creepy Video: Rubber Johnny (Work Safe)

Rubber Johnny

The only thing to say about this little video is that it is creeepy.

It works safe - i.e. no porn or nudity - just freakish.

Knoppix 4.0 DVD Released (Live Linux)

Knoppix 4.0 DVD

The DVD version of Knoppix has been released. It is a "Live DVD" version, meaning that if your computer has a DVD drive (and your computer is able) then you can boot directly into Linux from the disc. I'm downloading it now, so I haven't had a change to check it our for myself quite yet, but I'm sure it will be good.

Booting a Live Linux CD/DVD does NOTHING to your system. So Windows users are safe to try, experiment and just plain use Linux without having to install anything. (If you have an older computer, you may want to stick with the CD versions as their is obviously less bloat)

To download Knoppix, you can either go to it's website and download from one of the dozen of listed "mirror's" that are actually serving the beast for download. Or you may want to download it using BitTorrent. IsoHunt.com currently has over 90 seeders and another 700+ leachers, so you should be able to get it very fast.

Note - the disc comes in English and German versions. So be sure to grab the correct language.

Complete Listing of DVD Contents

A few screenshots

Test Your Firewall (No thinking involved)

Test Your Firewall

This site will test whether or not a hacker or virus can get to your computer by simply having your computer connected to the internet. It's a free and very simple procedure (one click), and it provides very understandable explainations to whatever it finds.

There is no thinking involved - so test your darn computer already.

There are 2 tests you can run, "Simple Probe" and "Port Scan". Each can take up to 5 minutes and will present you a simple report when finished.

If it finds a vulnerability, you need a firewall. If you are running Windows XP, you have a firewall built in but it probably isn't enabled. Otherwise I would recommend that you use ZoneAlarm. There is a free version available for non-commercial use.

Note: Setting up ZoneAlarm is very easy. However, it's job is to watch incoming and outgoing internet traffic and block suspicious/bad activity. The first couple of days of using ZoneAlarm (or other) can be a bit frustrating to non-geeks, as it will ask you if a certain program should or should not be accessing the internet. It isn't difficult - you just need to pay attention to what the program is telling you.

Additional Note:
If you install a firewall such as ZoneAlarm, and it constantly prompts you about oddly named programs accessing the internet, you should do a Google search on the name of the program. You can usually tell from the first 10 results whether or not the program is good or bad. If it is a virus or other bad program, you know you need to clean up your computer.

Computer clean up and firewall tips can be found in a little newsletter I posted a couple months ago. In it you will find links to ZoneAlarm and other free cleanup software.

GDAL 1.3.0 Released

GDAL: GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library

Here's a little news for the über-geek, mapping crowd - GDAL 1.3 was released today. This is a foundational piece of software for using imagery in most open source mapping applications.

This is mostly something MapServer users and mapping application developers need to check out. However, if you deal with imagery and are looking for a free (yet very robust and powerful) solution to manipulating it - check into GDAL.

Also of note is that it seems VB6 support has been added. Hmm - I'll have to check that out as that might make for an easy means to plug GDAL's functionality into ArcView and possibly elliminate some of the need for users to buy some of the extensions in order to handle certain imagery formats, etc. (Throw that little project on the pile ;)

The lead developer of this software, Frank Warmerdam, was recognized for his significant contribution to the open source, mapping community at the 2005 MapServer Conference in Mpls, USA.

Overview of Changes (1.3.0 release and earlier)

Sean Gillies Review/Comments

Worm Puts CNN in Freak Out Mode

CNN.com - Worm strikes down Windows 2000 systems - Aug 16, 2005:

Today CNN went on at least a 1-hour live, "Breaking News" alert (aka. freak out the public over nothing because we don't do real news mode) this afternoon, because their system admins didn't run Windows update and they were infected with a computer virus/worm.

I can understand when my grandma's computer gets infected with garbage. But at CNN, ABC News, etc?! Don't they have a couple dozen professional computer geeks on staff?

So they had a few computers crash because of a worm and lazyness - big deal. It happens to thousands of Windows users every day - perhaps more like every minute. But apparantly until Wolf Blitzer loses one of his monologue, never-ending-take-a-breath-already-questions due to a computer crash, it apparantly ain't news.

If a corporate network got infected because of this, they should find a new network team. The patch for the worm was available and notice was given 2 days ago. Wait, before CNN goes after them, they should really fire the producers for reporting on junk and calling it news. (Has anyone ever reported getting eye cancer from watching cable news?)

It will be funny to see if this is even mentioned in tomorrow's news in any substantial way. Today it was an Earth-shattering computer virus that will eat your children. Tomorrow it will be back to the normal 4-hour, in-depth coverage of Paris Hilton's boob job.

Perhaps the bright side of this story is that there wasn't any real news to cover so this was just filling time. But we all know that those national/world stories just weren't sexy and/or easy enough to "sell" in a 30-second sound bite.

SPAM on My Blog - Who's the Jackass!?

MikeJuvrud

So some jackass spammer got the wise idea to post their dirty little spam messages in the comments of my blog. (see previous 2 posts). More than likely it is an automated bot that discovered my blog allowed posting of anonymous comments.

As a result of this scum, you must now be registered with Blogger.com to post a comment. So if you get pissed enough at my comments to warrant a comment of your own, you'll have to register first. (You can register (free) when you want to post a comment.)

I suppose this was innevitable. But to the bastard who is peddling this trash (and it is trash) - why don't you grow some balls and post your real name and contact info.

There is definately one thing worse than a spammer...someone who buys from a spammer!

Gmail Exceeds 2GB of Storage (Free)

Welcome to Gmail

Gmail accounts are contstantly increasing in allowed size limits as Google adds addional storage capacity. Currently every Gmail account can have OVER 2,500 Megabytes of storage. (Good luck filling that up, pack rats)

For those not in the know, Gmail is a free web-based email service (similar to HotMail, except I don't get SPAM in Gmail, it is easier to use, has less crap/clutter everywhere, can be checked directly from my FireFox status bar, never expires, and isn't from Micro$oft).

If you don't have a Gmail account and want one...I have 50 invitations - so just post a comment or send me an email and I'll hook you up (I'll need an email address to send you the invitation).

iStampede = Daft School Officials

The CNN.com Panic ensues in rush for cheap laptops

By this evening's news everyone will have heard about the iStampede for the $50 iBook laptops in Virginia.

My only question is this...who are the IDIOT school officials selling the damn laptops for $50. Have any of them taken a high-school level economics course and heard about supply and demand. What is it about this situation that just might indicate this school district could have raised more money (for the school district) through this sale? Possibly the roiling masses outside headed through the gates? hmmm.

If they were going to have a give away of computers (which this essentially was), wouldn't it have been a good idea to perhaps randomly select interested, current students (with a focus on seniors going to college) before opening it up to the public mob? And if they were going to sell to the public...you would think they would have charged something closer to a market rate in order to get a fair return on their initial investment. Perhaps they could have gone all out and had an auction?

Where are the "save the children" arguments?! This was money for the damn school district...and they just threw it away. And where are the tax payers demanding that the school officials be removed from office for not adaquately safeguarding the best interest of the district's tax dollars. Only in government...

Let's check back in a year and see how much this district is asking to increase the tax levy because they need more money.

$50 iBooks cause stampede!

[UPDATE/REVISION]
A reader posted a note (see comments) stating that seniors did receive first pickings on the laptops (last week) before the hoards got their chance. Thanks for the correction! Perhaps there was a tiny bit of sanity in the deal.

(However, that doesn't let the school officials anywhere near off the hook for the poor planning and lost opportunity)

World Place Names & Locations

NGA: GNS; GEOnet Names Server

Perhaps the most comprehensive and up-to-date list of place names and locations (points: latitude/longitude) throughout the world (excluding United States and Antarctica). Includes a single download for the entire world.

All downloads appear to be delimited text files, formatted for easy import into Excel, database or other.

"The GEOnet Names Server (GNS) provides access to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names' (US BGN) database of foreign geographic feature names. The database is the official repository of foreign place-name decisions approved by the US BGN. Approximately 20,000 of the database's features are updated monthly."

World Sunlight Map

World Sunlight Map

"A world map showing current sunlight and cloud cover"

The site also offers the map in Mercator and Peters projects along with a dawn/dusk view of the earth, current phase of the moon and a short summary of how the whole thing works.

The developer is even gracious enough to allow his compiled imagery to be freely used on 3rd party sites (with very reasonable usage limits).

All in all a very impressive impressive web mapping implementation.

Google Maps Worth the Hype?

edparsons.com � Blog Archive � Google Geography Apps - Do they justify the hype ?

Ed Parsons has a nice little opinion piece on the affect Google Maps really has on the GIS industry vs the availability and usability of geographic data to the general public.

"I don’t think [Google is] very much bothered about the traditional GI[S] industry, it is too small and too inward looking for them to care.

What they have done with great success is make “fit for purpose” geographic information available to the general public in a form that is easy to use"

FCC Wants GPS Tracking of WiFi Phones

FCC wants to tap into wireless | Tech News on ZDNet

Now I'm not quite sure what to make of this move, but the FCC apparantly is looking into requiring GPS receivers in any Voice Over IP (VoIP) phones (internet phones). Is this necessary? Can't they simply stick with triangulation? Isn't the relative accuracy of triangulation comparable to GPS coordinates provided by a low-end receiver?

It is obvious that the public wants emergency services to be able to locate and get to a caller when there is trouble. But is GPS tracking the right approach?

My biggest concern with this type of use of GPS is that once implemented it isn't difficult to rationalize the next step, which would be to require that they be built into every new car.

How far away is it that their will be passive GPS tracking of cell phones, car and eventually most persons?

Windows Key Shortcuts

Windows Key Shortcuts

A quick and simple review of what that windows key on your keyboard does.

Article: Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

The Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

A brief but very elegant explanation of the Public Land Survey System from NationalAtlas.gov.

Cadastral Information For GIS

Cadastral Information For GIS Specialists - Welcome & TOC

Perhaps the best and most comprehensive review of the Public Land Survey System (core of all property boundariers in most US states).

"This educational module is associated with the other modules under the general topic of Learning the Cadastral Data Content Standard. But this module is different, in that the main topic here is cadastral information, not the Standard. This module focuses on the uses of cadastral information and data specifically for GIS Specialists throughout the United States. The purpose is to provide information and examples about the kinds of cadastral data typically used, and how that data relates to GIS lands and resources applications. The goal is to enable GIS Specialists to gain a much more clear and practical understanding of the cadastral information they work with every day."

Illinois Charges $750 for PLS Data!?@

Illinois Public Land Survey System

I can't believe this (wait I can) - the State of Illinois charges $750 for their Public Land Survey System polygons (statewide). This is a foundational element of all other GIS data for the state. The odd thing is that this appears to be the only dataset they charge for, (here are their paultry datasets and terrible website) [Note: the data in question is only SECTION level!]

Does anyone else agree that this is nonsense...or I am out on a limb here?

Why did I need the data? I was helping put together a plat book for a 4-H group (non profit org) in an Illinois county. So I went to grab the base data for the county...and banged my head against the sad state of public GIS data & policy. So if I have to pay for the data...it's going to come out of the 4-H'ers pockets. bah humbug!@

Why can't all states be more like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin?! Apparantly Illinois hasn't figured out that making this PUBLIC data easily and freely available enhances GIS efforts outside of their little empire and the return to the public is significantly greater than the few thousand dollars they might collect for the data.

This is the same type of thing that Europe does (and I hear that Canada is slowly starting to move away from). (If you ever wondered why Europeans do so much analysis of US data, it's the only data they can get their hands on without a significant grant and/or fight).

For specialized data, I can understand a fee - but PLSS polygons!?

Solution?
We (the public/GIS users) need to create our own "open" dataset. Has anyone else had enough of these useless restrictions on access/use & hassles to acquire the most basic of GIS data. I will look into requesting the original Plat surveys for the Illinois county in question (and others). If it's not too outrageous I will just scan, rectify and digitize them myself. Once done, they should be posted online with an open license (perhaps with a caveat that any government agency would be required to pay a "reasonable fee" per user of the data ;)

This PLSS data would be a good example to demonstrate that within a short period of time of having it online and minimum cost, it will likely have been corrected by the users so that it is more accurate & up to date than the crap the state is hoarding.

Apologies:
Sorry if I pissed anyone off with this little rant. It is just extremely frustrating to deal with the unnecessary and irrational roadblocks that exist in the GIS field.

Images: Plane struck by lightning

Plane struck by lightning imagery

Now this is a freaky pic & video:

"The images below show an aircraft being affected by a lightning flash. To the authors knowledge, nobody on the plane was injured. It is unknown if the aircraft experienced any damage. According to the scientist who acquired this imagery, the airplane itself triggered the lightning discharge."

CSS Sample Sites

css thesis: sites, that's all.

This site has a collection of a excellent CSS examples, which are very nicely done. All of these sites look extremely professional and most important - clean.

Tech PDFs

Food for Thought

The site has a good variety and nice selection of tech PDF. Sure some are old - but it is a good collection.

Some of the Topics: Computer Programming, Operating systems, Cryptography, Security, Networking, Engineering, etc.

Sunflower Oil Cooled PC

HWspirit.com

"Air cooling, water cooling, phase-change cooling... all of them are already too familiar and even boring. So why not to think of something new to experiment with, how about a computer fully (or almost fully) immersed in a vegetable oil. Does it sound crazy to you, well it is a bit strange and you may call it even a weird idea, but it really works. "

This would be a fun project for a science class.

Typewriter to Keyboard Mod

the typewriter-keyboard conversion

I don't know why, but I am just fascinated with this mod. A guy took an old-style typewriter...and converted it to a computer keyboard.

This look so tedius I would love it. Seriously - this would be a fun little deal. Plus, it is the perfect skill level (beginner) for me to learn a bit more about electronics & circuit boards.

10 Big Myths about copyright explained

10 Big Myths about copyright explained

An informative and concise article explaining US copyright protection and usage.

DIY Car PC

The Coolest Car in the World

This is the type of car repair and maintenance that I could get into. Changing the oil...not so much.

Peform Liposuction on Adobe Reader 6

How to use liposuction to repair Adobe Reader 6

This is a very simple little hack that you can use to dramatically reduce the time it takes for Adobe Acrobat to open your PDF documents. (No installation of anything required...and cuts in half load times).

Study Results: Violent Video Games != Aggression

No strong link seen between violent video games and aggression:

"Results from the first long-term study [Univ of Illinois] of online videogame playing may be surprising.

Contrary to popular opinion and most previous research, the new study found that players’ “robust exposure” to a highly violent online game did not cause any substantial real-world aggression."

Busting the Biggest PC Myths

Busting the Biggest PC Myths

PC World mag has a nice article on debunking old computer myths. Very informative and an interesting read.

Build Your Own Render Farm

Build Your Own Render Farm

If you are into creating your own animated films or other extreme graphic operations - this article is for you. It's all about setting up your own cluster and using multiple machines to process your jobs.

Even if you're not into it - it's a very cool article on building what would have been a supercomputer 10 years ago out of junk and/or cheap parts.

300GB Hard drive $99 (AR)

Seagate 300GB Ultra ATA/100 - $99!

Seagate 300GB for $149.99-$50(MIR)=$99.99

Yeah, yeah - mail in rebates suck. Aand, yes, SATA drives are better. With that said, it's still a good deal.

Create Your Own Wireless Hotspot

Linux scripts make wireless management a snap

"Setting up a wireless Internet Service provider (WISP) for your office or neighborhood doesn't have to be a taxing or expensive ordeal. If you build your network from easy-to-buy equipment and use Linux™, you can use the power of shell scripts to make network management easy. This article gives you the tips and scripts you need."

Free Desktop Wallpaper (High Res. & Widescreen)

Vladstudio.com {free desktop wallpapers, high resolution and widescreen - now with 1920x1200 & 2560x1600, dual monitor, web design, user interfaces, skins, icons, logotypes, and more}

Phallic Logo Awards

B3TA : FEATURES : PHALLIC LOGO AWARDS

Yes, you read the title correctly. There is apparantly a graphic design competition for the most phallic logo. The "meat" of the contest is to design a logo and get it approved without the client realising it's a big spurting penis.

All of the entries are hilarious.

Google Finds Admin Passwords

johnny.ihackstuff.com :: I'm j0hnny. I hack stuff.

Here is a link to a site that helps you build your Google hacking skills. Hopefully, you will pay attention to the vulnerabilities it exposes so that you don't fall victim to the same technique.

How To Type With One Hand

How To Type With One Hand - About One Hand Typing, Keyboarding and Keyboards

For anyone with a disability this site might be useful. It has a lot of nice info on training someone how to effectively type with one hand.

Turn your old PC into a File Server

Tech Manifesto � Turn your old PC into a File Server:

"If you want to give that old computer new life on your home network, try using it as a file server for music or pictures or whatever so that no matter where in the house you are you can access your massive digital library from any computer. Here’s what you’ll need to do…"

FedexFurniture.Com - Real Box Furniture

FedexFurniture.Com

So his entire apartment is furnished with furniture made out of FedEx boxes (desk included). Yes, that is weird. However, what tips the scale for me is the fact that FedEx is trying to prosecute (really!) this guy for doing so.

WTF?! FedEx needs to lay off this kid.

Just to spite the idiots at FedEx - I recommend you check out this guys site and browse the furniture pictures. If you can figure out what FedEx's problem is - let me know.

Book: Spring Into PHP 5 (Beginners)

Amazon.com: Books: Spring Into PHP 5

This looks like a good book for a non-programmer who wants to start doing a little web programming. I haven't read it - but it looks good. Maybe I'll order it and let you know what I think.

PHP Manual

PHP: PHP Manual - Manual

World Facts - in 'real' time

worldometers.info

An interesting site that posts the real-time extrapolations of major world facts relating to population, environment, education and consumption.

Company Logo Gone Wrong

DSCN0276 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I guess it's not only company names that don't translate as intended...it happens to logos too.

The logo is of a pharmacy in Japan, I think. Here is there site:
http://www.kudawara.com/

After looking at their logo, it's even a little funnier that you must "enter" their website...hehe.

Hacking Google Maps - Tutorial/Article

XML.com: Hacking Maps with the Google Maps API

This is a nice article on how to use the Google Maps API. It only requires a moderate skill level so give it a shot.

The Blogs of War

Wired 13.08: The Blogs of War: "A Line in the Sand"

Wired magazine actually has a decent tech-related story. (of course that's after I cancelled my subscription).

The article covers blogs by US soldiers in Iraq. The whole article was very interesting, but you'll have to Google for the blogs. Apparantly the author of the article couldn't take the time to post links to the mentioned blogs. (I mean it's not like you would expect a tech magazine to post links to the mentioned material)

Note: Wired magazine sucks - 200 pages of ads, 20 pages of content of which only 2 pages are readable tech articles. Don't waste the trees it takes to print this trash mag.

Cool Web Shorts - Balancing Point

Rock On, Rock ON : Balancing Point

I highly recommend that you check out these short films. Very interesting, great tunes and just nice to watch.

"A short film that is played entirely in reverse and involves the "reverse destruction" of balanced rock sculptures. There is one character in the movie that appears to magically create these sculptures. Although the film is played in reverse it appears as the man who is doing his magic is going forwards in time."

RFID License Plates

Wired News: Brit License Plates Get Chipped

Britain is testing a license plate that broadcasts the vehicles VIN and other information. The US is "interested"...

"Active RFID is already enjoying limited use on U.S. roadways. Under a new program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is issuing RFID tags to foreign freight and passenger vehicles as they enter the country."

Finding warez using Google

Finding warez using Google | The days start here

This site is an interesting sample of using Google China to find warez.

Free wi-fi cafes & other wireless hotspots

Free wi-fi cafes & other wireless hotspots | MetroFreeFi.com

"While Starbucks and other national chains charge subscriptions for wireless Internet service, a growing number of locally owned restaurants, cafés and businesses in metro areas are giving it away using Wi-Fi networking technology.

All that most of them ask is that you buy something – a sandwich, a cup of joe or an oil change."

Getting Naked - THG Reviews Nudity in Games

Tom's Hardware Guide Games & Entertainment: Getting Naked - Introduction

Tom's Hardware Guide has gotten on the 'ol Hot Coffee bandwagon (nudity in Grand Theft Auto 'crisis') and put up a review of all the video games and nudity 'patches'.

Check out the article so you can get yourself some polygon nipples ...

SQL Tutorial

SQL Tutorial - SQL reference and programming examples

"Whether you are a beginner seeking SQL help, or a data warehousing veteran looking for a SQL reference, you have come to the right place. This SQL tutorial site lists commonly-used SQL commands, and is divided into the following sections:

* SQL Commands: How SQL statements are used to store, retrieve, and manipulate data in a relational database.
* Table Manipulation: How SQL statements are used to manage tables inside the database.
* SQL Syntax: A single page that lists the syntax for all the SQL commands in this tutorial."

SQL Database Reference Material

Welcome - SQL Database Reference Material - Learn sql, read an sql manual, follow an sql tutorial, or learn how to structure an SQL query!

"Welcome to SQL.org! Our goal is to build a resource that will help those using or wanting to make use of an SQL database find the resources and reference materials they are looking for: an sql tutorial, manual, introduction, SQL hosting provider, or someone to help them out. We hope to provide a broad range of material so that we can be as useful to those who are just beginning to learn SQL as we are to experienced SQL fanatics. Our materials are currently limited to MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, mSQL and Microsoft SQL, as well as materials that are applicable to any SQL server or relational database."

FOSS C++ IDE

- Code::Blocks

Code::Blocks is an open-source, cross-platform IDE capable of handling multiple C++ compilers including the free MS Visual C++ Toolkit and Digital Mars. You can download it bundled with the MingW compiler as well.

CableYoYo - Ultra-thin Cable Management

RadTech Products - CableYoYo - Ultra-thin Cable Management

This is a cable management product that just might be worth trying out...

DIY: Highspeed Photography

Welcome to my Highspeed Photography site

The images and techniques shown on this site for photgraphing high-speed events are very interesting.

Examples: Photos of the effects of shooting (with an air rifle) a water balloon, light bulbs, sugar cubes, etc; water dropplets; other water 'events'; etc.

Some of the pictures (use the links on the left of the site) are just amazing. My favorites are definately the water drops.

Health Sec. Seeks Identity Chip Implants

RedNova News - Health - 'Health Chips' Could Help Patients in US

Now this is just perverse and insane (so only a matter of time before it becomes reality), but the former US health secretary, Tommy Thompson, wants to implant an identity chip into every American.

Thompson, is now a shill for the company manufacturing the chips and is intending on publishing a proposal for the implantion of America in the next couple of months.

I give it 5-10 years before this type of thing becomes a standard option. Here's how I see it playing out: The "save the children" call will rise up from a small segment number of parents - then it will move to the criminal justice system - then it will only be a natural argument to move to the general population. Oh, why not throw in GPS tracking while they are at it (i'm sure it's already on the drawing board).

We are borg...resistance is futile...

List: BitTorrent Sites & Search Engines

BitTorrent torrent sites & search engines // Zeropaid.com

The page has compiled a list of the major Bittorrent sites and search engines.

Learn to Program

Learn to Program, by Chris Pine

The is a very elegant and simple tutorial for wannabe programmers. It really is something that everyone can at least go through...and at least absorb some of the concepts.

Free Online Language Courses

Free Online Language Courses

I haven't tried any of the courses - but it might be worth checking out. There certainly are a lot of languages listed...

Firefox Tweak Guide

TweakGuides.com - Firefox Tweak Guide

FireFox About:config Reference

About:config entries - MozillaZine Knowledge Base

A reference to all of the about:config entries and what each one does. Handy to check out for Firefox tweaking.

Flexible Computer Keyboard - $40

Flexible Computer Keyboard - full size 109 key

"The Super Kool Keyboard is a Virtually Indestructible Keyboard, a silicon-based flexible computer keyboard, features a unique combination of durability and soft, comfortable feel. "

Dead Hard Driver Recovery Story

My dead hard drive story

This is a story of how one über geek, who couldn't stand the thought of losing his saved games, repaired his "dead" hard drive.

Who says you can't put humpty dumpty back together again...

200GB Maxtor HD for $70 (no rebates)

Outpost.com�|�MAXTOR

Maxtor 200GB L01P200 Ultra Series 8MB Buffer UATA133 - Retail
# Capacity: 200GB
# Seek Time: <9ms
# 7200RPM
# 8MB Buffer
# Ultra ATA 133 Interface
# Ultra Quiet Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) Motor
# 1 Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty
# MXT-L01P200
# No Rebate Required!
# Limit One Per Customer/Household

Viruses Already for Next Windows Version

Windows Vista tool targeted by virus writers: ZDNet Australia: News: Security

OK - now this is a little ridiculous...but hackers have ALREADY come out with Virus crap for Windows Vista (the next version of Windows to come out in 1+ years).

MS Access Technique Samples

Microsoft Access Database Solutions & Downloads - Downloadable Database Examples

"Here you will find Microsoft Access Database examples and sample files available to download. These files are intended to demonstrate particular examples and functionality available within the Microsoft Access development area. All files are zipped using WinZip and are created in Microsoft Access 2000 unless otherwise stated, they should also operate using Microsoft Access 2002 (XP) or Microsoft Access 2003."

Ubuntu Linux - Great for Beginners

Ubuntu - Linux for Human Beings

I admit to being a bit of a Linux newbie. As such, recently someone recommended that I try "Ubuntu" Linux. So I downloaded the DVD, boot-disc version...and it is really sweet. EVERYTHING loaded perfectly from boot and I didn't have to do ANYTHING!

The DVD version is both a boot disc and an install disc. So you can decide whether to install it or simply boot from the CD/DVD. (If you install it, you can choose to keep your current Windows install and dual-boot to either operatin system.)

For now I am just booting from the DVD...and it is really a sweet version of Linux. It comes with all the essentials: an office suite, image editor, web browser, the whole works.

If you haven't had the guts to try Linux and want a very similar experience to Windows, I would recommend that you try Ubuntu. All you need to do it download it, burn it to a CD or DVD (depending on which download you pick), and boot from the disc. I know it's hard to believe - but it just boots right into Linux and you are ready to roll (zero intimidation factor).

(It recognized all my devices automatically and even my printer...I literally had to do NOTHING to get up and running with this distribution - simply amazing)

[Note: I know there are other distributions out there that do the same and possibly better...but Ubuntu really made me feal right at home and wasn't intimidating to start up or use]

Bootable Linux CD w/ MapServer + Goodies

Sourcepole - GIS Knoppix

If you're into Web mapping and haven't gotten around to trying the Open Source mapping applications, GIS Knoppix is the easiest way to get started.

GIS Knoppix is a free download that when burned to a CD, will allow you to boot into Linux (from the CD) and comes with MapServer, MySQL, QGis, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, GRASS and all the other goodies that a mapping person should be aware of.

You DON'T need to know how to use Linux, so don't be intimidated by that. The only prerequisite is that you know how to burn a CD. It is suprisingly easy to get going and risk free (it doesn't bother your Windows install...infact, nothing is installed at all).

So download it, burn it to a disc and boot your computer with the CD in the drive. If nothing else, at least you can say you tried it.

Linux Newbie Guide

Linux Newbie Guide by Stan, Peter and Marie Klimas

It's not a slick tutorial with tons of pictures. However, it does very simply cover all the questions a new Linux might have...and suggested solutions.

It's a straight forward noob guide to Linux...nothing snazzy, but worth a gander.

What Business Can Learn from Open Source

What Business Can Learn from Open Source

This is a very interesting and enjoyable article/essay by Paul Graham on the whole Open/Closed Source issue and the strengths/weaknesses of both.

Highly recommended read!

"[T]he biggest thing business has to learn from open source is not about Linux or Firefox, but about the forces that produced them. Ultimately these will affect a lot more than what software you use."

Canadian ISP Secretly Blocks Union/Cancer Sites

Report - Telus blocking of Labor Union Web Site Filters 766 Unrelated Sites (PDF)

About a week ago, Telus, a large Canadian ISP serving Alberta & BC, admitted that it was secretly blocking the IP address of it's Labor Union's Web Site from it's 1 million customers during a strike situation. The ISP did NOT notify any of it's customers that it was blocking the site...

Not only was the ISP adopting the Internet filtering tactics of Communist China...it was stupid as well. The effect of blocking the IP address of their Union's site, resulted in over 700 unrelated Web Sites being blocked from their customers as well, including a non profit, Cancer site.

Here is what the targeted Union published on their site regarding this action:

July 29, 2005
After an out of court settlement today, TELUS acted quickly to remove the restrictions it placed on nearly one million customers. TELUS customers, and other Internet Service Providers who provide ADSL connections through the TELUS network are now able to connect to Voices For Change through its domain name www.voices-for-change.com.

July 25, 2005
Customers who use telus.net as their Internet Service Provider are unable to access this website due to censorship by TELUS. When support was called on July 23, they claimed not to be blocking access. Numerous TV, radio and print media have picked up this story, after receiving calls from outraged TWU members. The story will become national when Global National airs a story tonight. TELUS has since admitted to blocking this site, although support was still denying the blocking after the fact.

This is happening in Canada? WTF?! And our goodly, Northerly neighbors are putting up with it? I would like to think that if an ISP attempted that here in the States, they would be left with a fraction of their customers...

The company is trying to spin the story (on it's own website's press section) as that it was for "the safety of their team members." Bullshit! (as if I even need to say it).

[From Telus Press Page]
Dated: 11:00am MDT July 30, 2005

"...TELUS has re-enabled access to the voices-for-change.com website from the TELUS network for TELUS customers and Internet service providers. TELUS' decision to disable access to the Voices for Change site was based on an overriding need to protect the safety and privacy of our employees who were being targeted and the subject of intimidation."

That too is bullshit - they only unblocked AFTER slashdot (here, and here) ran the story and they realized that their communist tactics were getting major, worldwide attention.

I would say that any ISP that takes Internet content filtering into their own hands needs to first be boycotted and publicly disgraced.

Perhaps more ominous to a "filtering" ISP are the consequences of any filtering action it takes. Once they take responsibility for filtering the content of the Internet - do they not expose themselves to the liability of allowing 'unwanted' content thru to their customers. Once they start filtering, they will not be able to stop...especially if you are to consider saving the poor children ;)

Google Advanced Operators (Cheat Sheet)

Google Guide Quick Reference: Google Advanced Operators (Cheat Sheet)

Firefox Flash Popups

Firefox popups | www.petebevin.com

Original Source Article (a bit more technical/background)

Well, it's taken almost a year, but the scum of the Earth has apparantly found a method to get a popup or two to happen in FireFox.

See the above link for the original article.

(In case the article/link dies - I'm posting the instructions here as well.)
" 1. Type about:config into the Firefox location bar.
2. Right-click on the page and select New and then Integer.
3. Name it privacy.popups.disable_from_plugins
4. Set the value to 2."

That simple little adjustment will prevent Flash popups. (I would expect the next FireFox update to contain this option very shortly).

WindowsITPro Writer Calls for Boycott of IE7

IE 7.0 Technical Changes Leave Web Developers, Users in the Lurch:

A rather prolific Windows blogger & journalist has called for a general boycott of Internet Explorer 7. I couldn't agree more with what he had to say.

"My advice is simple: Boycott IE. It's a cancer on the Web that must be stopped. IE isn't secure and isn't standards-compliant, which makes it unworkable both for end users and Web content creators. Because of their user bases, however, Web developers are hamstrung into developing for IE at the expense of established standards that work well in all other browsers. You can turn the tide by demanding more from Microsoft and by using a better alternative Web browser. I recommend and use Mozilla Firefox, but Apple Safari (Macintosh only) and Opera 8 are both worth considering as well."

I haven't used Internet Explorer in a LOOONG time. FireFox just has too many extensions (not to mention tabbed browsing) that I just couldn't browse without anymore. Plus - the only time I ever see a popup is when some poor soul has me clean up their computer...

So ditch Internet Explorer and start using any of the other browsers. (www.GetFireFox.com)

The Linux Documentation Project

The Linux Documentation Project

Lots of helpful tutorials, tips, guides and other goodies.

GPSBabel - Convert GPS Data

GPSBabel - convert, upload, download data from GPS and Map programs

GPSBabel is a very handy oolkit (free/open source) for working with the multitude of GIS datasets floating around. It mainly converts between the various GPS unit formats (not to/from ESRI shapefiles).

"GPSBabel converts waypoints, tracks, and routes from one format to another, whether that format is a common mapping format like Delorme, Streets and Trips, or even a serial upload or download to a GPS unit such as those from Garmin and Magellan. By flattening the Tower of Babel that the authors of various programs for manipulating GPS data have imposed upon us, it returns to us the ability to freely move our own waypoint data between the programs and hardware we choose to use.

It contains extensive data manipulation abilities making it a convenient for server-side processing or as the backend for other tools."

Web Development Cheat Sheets

Cheat Sheets - ILoveJackDaniels.com

This site has a few very nicely done "cheat sheets" for the following:
- JavaScript
- MySQL
- mod_rewrite
- CSS
- PHP
- RGB Hex Colour Reference

Worst Web Design Firm Ever

Webdoctor

Perhaps this Web design company (out of the UK) is actually a 14-year old kid's project...however it is just soooo bad!

155 mph Crash Pictures - Bike vs Car

sandstorming 3.0. � 250 KM/h Crash Pictures

What do you get when a motorcycle collides with a car at 155 mph? Well, check out these pics for the creepy reality of it all.