Tuesday, January 29, 2002

Thought for the day: Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,-- One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. Alfred, Lord Tennyson comment () trackback ()  10:39:41 PM     Bush warns on terror. President Bush's first State of the Union address warns Americans that "tens of thousands" of terrorists still threaten the US. [BBC News: world] If he were to abolish the IRS, that would take care of 100,000 of them! comment () trackback ()  10:28:42 PM     Nathan Cochrane on Japanese vs. Chinese DVD players, region coding [Politech] The Japanese manufacturers need to decide who their customers are. The Chinese make DVD players for consumers, so it's natural that their products are more successful with consumers. The Japanese make players for media corporations that are hostile to consumers, but they still sell the players to consumers. Consumers aren't stupid, naturally they're going to prefer the products that are actually made for them. comment () trackback ()  9:47:58 PM     TCP/IP Enabled Lego Brick [Slashdot] The link goes to an article about the brick, which is apparently only able to respond to pings so far. That's pretty impressive for a lego, but I think the Newton web server is still more impressive. comment () trackback ()  2:51:47 PM     Now that I'm working with Radio remotely much more, it's especially nice to have the "Update Radio.root" page. It's certainly faster than connecting to my home system via Timbuktu! I do sort of wonder why there's no link to that page in the desktop website interface, though. I added a link, but it seems like the kind of thing that ought to already be there... comment () trackback ()  2:42:19 PM     BBC bans non-PPC 2002 devices for security reasons [PDABuzz.com] At first I thought I was misreading the headline, but the BBC actually thinks Microsoft has the only secure PDA operating system! I'd love to know what gave them that idea. Perhaps a large contribution by Microsoft to some bureaucrat's retirement fund? A more practical approach to PDA security would be to simply tell employees to keep their PDAs under their direct control at all times. The whole point of a PDA is that you can carry it everywhere with you, thus removing the need for security. Of course, any sensitive information on my Newton is encrypted use Triple DES. Can an iPaq do that? comment () trackback ()  12:19:40 PM     Verizon Launches Faster Wireless. Available in N.E., Western U.S. [allNetDevices Wireless News] Users can either get Net access via the Kyocera 2235 wireless phone or use a special modem that can be connected to handhelds and laptops that accesses the Web via the wireless system. That modem, the Sierra Wireless AirCard 555, costs $299. I wonder if this modem will work with my Newton? I still have a Ricochet modem gathering dust in my apartment, and I'd like to replace it. Of course, the service isn't actually available in Los Angeles yet. Since Verizon feels that Portland, Maine is a more important market, it may be a while before it is. comment () trackback ()  9:40:06 AM     An old man with a curious little metal cross. Vin Suprynowicz - An old man with a curious little metal cross - part of The Libertarian series. Vin comments on the case of retired Marine Corps Gen. Joseph J. Foss, who was given trouble at airport security because he was carrying the Medal of Honor that he was given in 1943 by President Franklin Roosevelt. I'll tell you what would make us a whole lot safer in our skies: Spotting an 86-year-old Marine Medal of Honor winner in line about to board one of our planes, security personnel should have approached him, asked if he still felt steady enough of eye and hand to help out, and then handed him a loaded Colt .45 and asked if he'd be willing to carry it at the ready for the duration of his flight. [End the War on Freedom] comment () trackback ()  9:24:27 AM     El Al Passenger Brings Gun to NYC. An Israeli passenger unwittingly carried a gun in his hand luggage on a flight from Tel Aviv to New York, and Israeli airport officials were trying to determine Tuesday how their extensive security checks failed to find the weapon. [AP World News] A single flight was accidentally made safe from hijacking, and people act like that's a bad thing. No wonder terrorists can turn airliners into cruise missiles. comment () trackback ()  6:06:47 AM     Milosevic trial in trouble. The place Slobodan Milosevic should have gone on trial for mass murder and other war crimes was in Serbia because then, and only then, can Serbian society itself drive a stake through the heart of its own darkness. There are a lot of good people in Serbia who are quite capable of doing just that. [Libertarian Samizdata] For some reason murderous dictators never bother making murder legal, so when they eventually lose power they've broken the laws of their own country many times. This means that Milosevic and his accomplices could be tried by a Serbian court for crimes against Serbia's laws. "War crimes" trials are just an excuse for a military victor to continue the ancient practice of imprisoning or killing defeated enemies. comment () trackback ()  5:58:50 AM

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