b.cognosco

I've just spent a couple of hours cleaning up old posts so my archive pages would work. I decided to go back through the old posts and have Radio generate weekly archive pages. So I started going back to each eweek and editing one post. But I found a lot my my old stuff was poorly formatted. I must have found a dozen or so open blockquote tags, which causes the indent to run on down the page to all the subsequent posts. I spent about an hour going through and checking all the archive pages, editing old posts, and republishing the page. Finally go it all cleaned up.

I also decided to start using Marc Barrot's activeRenderer to keep a collection of link pages. I used aR to create the Archive, MapInfo, and Presentations pages on the site since they're link-driven and keeping an OPML file seems the easiest way to manage them.

I'm really starting to like the Outliner. I've been using Radio for about six months and I'm only now getting the hang of it. This points out one of the problems with the outline paradigm -- it takes a while to get your arms around it. And I'm a reasonably thoughtful and computer savvy person, though I'm not a programmer. But working your way through all the idiosyncrasies of Radio, then learning about renderers, then learning about the Outliner is a daunting task. There is definitely room for some sort of training and support with these products. But they sure are nice when you begin to understand them and they work like their supposed to.

Christmas Wishlist: Cantenna

8:11:53 PM

comment []

This is definitely going on my holiday wishlist!

Readymade Pringles antenna for Don't-DIYers.. I'm going to get one of these readymade Pringle can antennas for $20. They look cool, too! What a great idea. Link Discuss (Thanks, May!) [Boing Boing Blog]

KM is 'The Game'

7:30:35 PM

comment []

Something to play besides mini-putt when I have spare computing time...

KM Quest. Someone recently made reference to a new knowledge management game called KM Quest. This looks very interesting, and a lot of work has been spent on it, although I still don't know how it works. To quote: KM Quest has... [Column Two]

Ashcroft Reverses View on Privacy Now That He's the Watcher

4:53:13 PM

comment []

It's enlightening to go back and read the statements made by Atty Gen Ashcroft in 1997 regarding the Clinton Administration's desire to increase electronic surveillance. My, how one's view changes when one is no longer the watched, but rather the watcher.

If you've never read the Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2002, you should. How do you know when a politician is lying? When his lips are moving...

Watching Big Brother
Drudge links to articles and documents showing Ashcroft's changing view of Internet privacy. (He also links to this article about the RIAA vs. the US Navy.) Meanwhile, Newsweek follows up on Safire's great column exposing the Pentagon's Information Awareness Office. [EdCone.com]

Humans Are the Weakest Link

3:28:25 PM

comment []

Once again, the human factor proves to be the weakest link in protecting our privacy. All the computer security in the world doesn't help when the people who are supposed to be protecting us are selling out to their own avarice and greed.

Cops Bust Massive ID Theft Ring. Federal prosecutors have arrested and charged a credit bureau helpdesk worker and two accomplices who allegedly stole more than 15,000 credit reports and sold them to other crooks for $60 a pop. Michelle Delio reports from New York.
[...] Posing as employees of those companies, the criminals would then obtain and download customer credit records, which contained sensitive information such as bank account, credit card and social security numbers.
These records were then sold to a network of criminals who would use them to drain bank accounts, open new lines of credit, order new checks and other activities.
"With a few keystrokes, these people were able to pick the pockets of millions of Americans," Comey said.[...]
[Wired News]