17 February 2003

SJ Mercury: Disk-drive capacity continues to grow. Dan Gillmor. The kinds of files we store keep getting bulkier, but the disk-drive wizards are moving fast enough to stay ahead. In the next few years, given their continuing innovation, they're likely to do something I didn't imagine possible until recently -- give us so much storage at such a low cost that we genuinely don't know how to use it all. [Tomalak's Realm] So, another technology milestone is reached, in a low-key way.  The cost of hard drive storage has dipped below 1 dollar per gigabyte.  It seems only yesterday that we marked 1 dollar per megabyte (early 90's, probably).  I also remember installing a 10MB drive in my first IBM PC, effectively turning it into a PC XT.  Now (after less than 2 years), I have exhausted the capacity of my 10 GB drive, and need to look at going to a larger one - not a huge expense either. 11:48:52 AM    comment []

Here's Andrew Sullivan's tribute to Brave Tony Blair: WINSTON BLAIR: I would vote for him next time, regardless. Because of speeches as magnificent and as brave as this one: Yes, there are consequences of war. If we remove Saddam by force, people will die and some will be innocent. And we must live with the consequences of our actions, even the unintended ones. But there are also consequences of "stop the war". If I took that advice, and did not insist on disarmament, yes, there would be no war. But there would still be Saddam. Many of the people marching will say they hate Saddam. But the consequences of taking their advice is that he stays in charge of Iraq, ruling the Iraqi people. A country that in 1978, the year before he seized power, was richer than Malaysia or Portugal. A country where today, 135 out of every 1000 Iraqi children die before the age of five - 70% of these deaths are from diarrhoea and respiratory infections that are easily preventable. Where almost a third of children born in the centre and south of Iraq have chronic malnutrition. Where 60% of the people depend on Food Aid. Where half the population of rural areas have no safe water. Where every year and now, as we speak, tens of thousands of political prisoners languish in appalling conditions in Saddam's jails and are routinely executed. Where in the past 15 years over 150,000 Shia Moslems in Southern Iraq and Moslem Kurds in Northern Iraq have been butchered; with up to four million Iraqis in exile round the world, including 350,000 now in Britain. This isn't a regime with Weapons of Mass Destruction that is otherwise benign. This is a regime that contravenes every single principle or value anyone of our politics believes in. There will be no march for the victims of Saddam, no protests about the thousands of children that die needlessly every year under his rule, no righteous anger over the torture chambers which if he is left in power, will be left in being. I rejoice that we live in a country where peaceful protest is a natural part of our democratic process. But I ask the marchers to understand this. I do not seek unpopularity as a badge of honour. But sometimes it is the price of leadership. And the cost of conviction. But as you watch your TV pictures of the march, ponder this: If there are 500,000 on that march, that is still less than the number of people whose deaths Saddam has been responsible for. If there are one million, that is still less than the number of people who died in the wars he started. Something about Britain seems to bring my homeland the leaders they need when crisis beckons and nerves fail. Churchill - too late but just in time. Thatcher - way before her time. Blair - the Gladstone of the new century. As Glenn would say, Read The Whole Thing. - 1:57:31 AM 1:03:05 AM    comment []

Time to crank up the old weblog again;  I notice that my previous posting was on Saturday, November 23, nearly 3 months ago.  A lot has happened since then, mainly that I nearly died, and getting better has been my priority since then.  I'm glad to report that I am better, as good as new, maybe more so.  More about that later. The world is still on the brink of war, as it was back in November, but it seems that the only person who is killing and torturing Iraqis is still Saddam Hussein.  I join with Andrew Sullivan in saluting Tony Blair (who really is one of the most interesting stories in this whole situation).  Quoted in full in the next post, since that last link doesn't seem to work. Then, the Cricket World Cup has begun, with an appalling display from all concerned over the Zimbabwe issue (except for Andy Flower and Henry Olonga).  Today's match against New Zealnd has been a huge disappointment for fans of the SA team - after a brilliant innings from Herschelle Gibbs which should have set up an easy victory (306 for 6!), some pretty inept bowling and a dropped catch from the normally reliable Mark Boucher saw NZ come through in a rain-shortened innings.  The much-maligned Duckworth-Lewis system was not responsible - SA did it to themselves, and now face the very real prospect of not getting through to the next round, the Super Sixes. And then there were yesterday's mass anti-war demos, all over the world, pretty dignified and well-behaved for the most part, except in Athens, where it was a convenient excuse for a full-scale riot, with burning vehicles, broken shop-windows and various other acts of mindless vandalism - how that contributes to preventing a war, beats me.  Funny, I didn't notice any demos against Saddam Hussein's murderous regime - how is that?  Mark Steyn had something to say about this yesterday, in a piece entitled "Marching for Terror". Then there are stories today about more high-level corruption in South Africa - so what's new?  It will be ignored, like water off a duck's back.  The odious Tony Yengeni has pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud, but escapes the more serious allegation of corruption - that means it didn't (and doesn't) happen, right? Meanwhile the lead article on the M&G web-site (which was also featured in The Observer today) is yet another description of how corrupt and morally-bankrupt Africa's leaders are: The laughing stock of Africa Africa is a tragic place: it is racked by war, corruption, Aids, famine and repression. Yet Africa's leaders do very little to alleviate this situation. Africa's leaders are worthy of little but international contempt. Outside their own continent Africa's politicians have become a laughing stock. I will be accused (again) of being anti-African, anti-South African.  So be it.  I didn't write it, it comes from an impeccable left-wing source, and a guy who has clearly been around Africa, and obviously cares, as I do.  I still need to write of my near-death experience, and of my impressions and responses of being back in South Africa - being on one's back in an ICU, with pipes up your nose and down your throat, unable to talk, gives you lots of time to think.  Let us now review Tony Blair's words (I thought Jack Straw did a pretty good job in the UN Security Council on Friday too). 12:05:56 AM    comment []