Don't Give Them What They Want

The obligatory link: Please Bomb Me!

Victor Davis Hanson has interesting takes on a pretty regular basis, but this one struck me. Basically, he puts forth the idea that Iran is trying to get itself bombed in order to raise morale and its standing in the middle east. In addition, he's got a bit of the history of that country's doings. Definitely worth a read.

It's Spring, And Spring Means...

Cherry blossoms.

お花見 (ohanami) n. - cherry blossom viewing

夜桜 (yozakura) n. - cherry trees at evening

All of the links go to GIS.

An Inside Look At The Technical Revolution

The obligatory link: A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection

The linked article and the quotes at the bottom of the post are the work of Mr. Peter Gutmann.

Warning, this is extremely geeky. If the link title did not immediately draw your attention, I wouldn't suggest going back to it now. For those who are still left, though, the article is almost a play-by-play of Vista, and the current evolution of Operating Systems and content protection. There are enough amusing anecdotes and quotes to keep it interesting... if you're into technology.

For those who want the boiled down version, here you go: Microsoft went so incredibly overboard on the content protection for Windows Vista that many of the systems work very poorly, if they even work at all. Take the idea of buying a brand new model of car the day it comes out, multiply by 20 or so, and that's the amount of headache Vista is causing at the moment.

To put it in the words of the article writer, "Just to make this point clear, the level of security that Vista is trying to achieve to protect video and audio is more extreme than anything the US government has ever considered necessary for protecting its most sensitive classified data."

Finally, a few selected quotes, both for humor and informative value:

"Amusingly, the Vista content protection docs say that it'll be left to graphics chip manufacturers to differentiate their product based on (deliberately degraded) video quality. This seems a bit like breaking the legs of Olympic athletes and then rating them based on how fast they can hobble on crutches."

"If it's possible to convince Vista that what it's communicating is premium content, the video (and/or audio) surveillance content will become unavailable, since it's unlikely that a surveillance center will be using DRM-enabled recording devices or monitors. I can just see this as a plot element in Ocean's Fifteen or Mission Impossible Six, “It's OK, their surveillance system is running Vista, we can shut it down with spoofed premium content”."

"I can just imagine the corporate sick day that must have taken place at ATI, nVidia, Intel, VIA, and SiS when it came time to put someone's name to this gem, which gives Hollywood veto rights over your production lines and sales and distribution channels."

"From a chess-playing perspective it appears that the content owners' threat modelling never went any further than “ Hey, I can move my rook over there!”. There doesn't seem to have been any consideration of what could happen during any subsequent moves, or maybe no-one wanted to think about it. "

"The worst thing about all of this is that there's no escape. Hardware manufacturers will have to drink the kool-aid (and the reference to mass suicide here is deliberate [Note L]) in order to work with Vista"

Finally, in a grand display of scientific geekery merging with technological geekery to form a giant mecha of omni-geekery, we have this gem, the explanation of Note C: "Note C: In order for content to be displayed to users, it has to be copied numerous times. For example if you're reading this document on the web then it's been copied from the web server's disk drive to server memory, copied to the server's network buffers, copied across the Internet, copied to your PC's network buffers, copied into main memory, copied to your browser's disk cache, copied to the browser's rendering engine, copied to the render/screen cache, and finally copied to your screen. If you've printed it out to read, several further rounds of copying have occurred. Windows Vista's content protection (and DRM in general) assume that all of this copying can occur without any copying actually occurring, since the whole intent of DRM is to prevent copying. If you're not versed in DRM doublethink this concept gets quite tricky to explain, but in terms of quantum mechanics the content enters a superposition of simultaneously copied and uncopied states until a user collapses its wave function by observing the content (in physics this is called quantum indeterminacy or the observer's paradox). Depending on whether you follow the Copenhagen or many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, things then either get weird or very weird. So in order for Windows Vista's content protection to work, it has to be able to violate the laws of physics and create numerous copies that are simultaneously not copies.
(Someone has pointed out that Microsoft is trying to implement a quantum encryption channel in software that attempts to make premium content non- observable, detecting problem states and discontinuing transmission if any are observed)."

Mr. Fusion, Is That You? (What Have You Done With Your Hair?)

The obligatory link: The prophet of garbage

I can't say I ever really thought of "Back To The Future" as science fiction, though the claim could certainly be made. Follow the link, though, and you'll find that someone has apparently turned into science fact what was science fiction when the movie came out in 1985. Next thing you know, he's going to tell us that we don't need any roads.

Read-Worthy

I have a few things kicking around that aren't going to garner posts from me, but they are worth a read. So I'll go ahead and link 'em up.

A Political History of SF - Talking about the history of libertarianism in science fiction. Not to be missed for any SF fan. It has the added bonus of mentioning many books, so its probably a good place to start if you're looking to put together an SF reading list.

Lottery can become a game of no chance - About how the state lottery commission in Texas lets those scratch-'em games go on long after all the prizes worth talking about have been claimed. "Idiot tax", anyone? Oh, and a note to the couple of people from the lottery commission there who have dropped by just to read this, welcome.

Al Gore An Energy Hog? Say It Ain't So! - Brainster, on that champion of conservation, Al Gore.

Also, since I have a bit of space on this one, I'd like to thank everybody who's turned up and kept coming back. If I had anything remotely resembling artistic talent, I'd do a "Thanks for 200 hits" image... but I don't. I know, it's not a lot, but I did manage it in the shortest month of the year, thanks to you all. Before I start sounding too much like a mangaka in an afterword, I'll cut this short. Let's go for 300 in March.

Self Defense With A Stick

A friend of mine linked me to this the other day, and I thought I'd pass it along, for the amusement value, if nothing else.

Self Defence with a Cane (part one) (part two)

Be Equipped If The Following Should Happen

The obligatory link: What To Do In An Emergency

The link is the important one here. And remember, "If you spot terrorism, blow your anti-terrorism whistle. If you are Vin Diesel, yell really loud."

Short Shots

There are a few targets of opportunity that I couldn't pass up, so here we go.

The obligatory link #1: Bush sends congress $2.90T spending plan

I took one look at that and thought, "Geez, here we go..." On the second look, though, I think my brain came closer to shutting down as I tried to grasp $2.90T. Taking it another way, let's say that random sports figure A plays for 20 years and makes $20M a year. That's only $400M, after 20 years... we're still off by four zeroes going that route. No, I really can't conceive of that amount of money. Then I remember how much of it they're spending on stuff that they're not actually allowed to under the Constitution... Is that steam coming out of my ears?

The obligatory link #2: Super Bowl Ads of Cartoonish Violence, Perhaps Reflecting Toll of War

Brainster already hit this, but it made me twitch when I read it, so I'm going to hit it, too. Honestly, this guy is nearly as desperate to talk up his angle on the world as all the media people were to talk up how "there were two black coaches in the Super Bowl". It's this kind of idiocy that I just can't take. I mean, is there any actual thought involved in this? "A rock" sounds too much like Iraq? Give me a break, seriously... These are commercials, produced to run during a game, not during the breaks of a political debate.

All that said, I didn't see a single one of these commercials. Nor did I see any of the game. I know, I know, it's unnatural for a red-blooded American male not to partake of watching football. Oh well, I'm sure I'll survive having missed it. Besides, it's not like I'll be able to make it through the day without someone telling me who won... so, did I really miss anything?

The obligatory link #3: Experts say bundle up

Somehow, I get the feeling that mothers the world over knew this years ago... Still, it's apparently news to the folks who run the Lansing State Journal in Lansing, MI. Maybe global warming kept it warm up there for their whole lifetimes until now? The truth is, though, that they probably bundled up.

Flash Gaming

The obligatory link: Dig Your Own Grave - Cubefield

Cubefield - A simple enough game, really. Guide your "ship", and I use that term loosely, with the left and right arrow keys through fields of blocks. If you crash, it's game over... and you keep playing until you crash. The early portion isn't terribly difficult.

High scores are available on the site, though if you want something to shoot for right off, I racked up 329k on my first play through.

Tattooed Monks?

I actually saw this yesterday linked off of the Volkswagen Polo ad. It's the cute short story of a young boy who goes to a monastery to train. Anyway, with no further ado, here's your link.

Short Shots

The Hotline, a blog affiliated with the National Journal, says that "freshmen" is out and "new" is in for referring to the freshman class of electees. I've seen some pretty meaningless semantics in my time, but this one has to rank up there.

In checking around on how people found me, I noticed that one person had gone so far as to translate my page into Japanese via Google for their reading pleasure. Problem was, any time that I'd used any Japanese, it came out wholly garbled as incomprehensible gibberish. On the plus side, however, I took a look at the blog roll, and noticed that Google's translation had completely kanjified the link to the Radio Patriots, as follows: 無線の愛国者 (Musen no Aikokusha, musen being the word for wireless or radio, and aikokusha being patriots, or those who love their country).

In continuation of the above, something interesting happened on the way to translating the title tag. Hakkiri Shinasai remained unchanged, but the Please Make It Clear portion was actually translated as "Sore wo meikaku ni sasenasai".

Every time I see a story about how Americans are spending more time on the computer than they are with their family (such as this one from the Denver Post), I get the feeling that I'm skewing the curve for you all.

Just when you think you've seen everything, you find out that police in Tijuana are having their firearms confiscated and replaced with slingshots. Granted, the issue at hand is serious enough for Tijuana, but on the face of it, there's something amusing about the mental image.

Having been a sometimes writer as a hobby, I have to hand it to this guy, who managed to convince a publishing house to turn out copy of a novel done entirely as text messages, including crappy spelling and grammar. It should probably go without saying that I have no desire to read such a thing, however... (but I said it anyway, in the interest of completeness.)

For those who like shooters for the PC, I'd highly suggest this site. Demos of various games, and freebie full versions where applicable. If I might make a couple of suggestions, Perfect Cherry Blossom is, in my estimation, the best of the Touhou top-shooters. There is a fan translation patch that works on the demo here. Other worthy contenders for playtime are (though certainly not limited to these alone) Tyrian 2000, Warning Forever, and any of the other Touhou top-shooters that happen to be laying about there.

State of the Union

Due to work, I haven't had a chance to go over the speech in full yet myself. However, Neal Boortz has already gone over the text, and has a few insights I wish he didn't have to share, regarding freedom, liberty, security, democracy, and republic.

The obligatory link: State of the Union Speech

Things Worth Seeing

A few things worth your reading time, if I may... Not in any particular order, but if you're only going to read one, it really ought to be the first one.

From the Radio Patriots, Mark and Andrea, the obligatory link #1: It always ends with one word.

From RealClearPolitics, the obligatory link #2: Thomas Sowell's Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

From the Richmond TimesDispatch, the obligatory link #3: Non-father must pay past-due child support, Ark. court says

From KSTP Channel 5 (Minneapolis), the obligatory link #4: Kids kicked off bus (for speaking English!)

Science and Technology

A few disparate stories of interest, or at least amusement.

Obligatory link #1: Riddle of Homer's Odyssey island solved?

The short version: A group of Britons think they may well have found the location of the island of Ithaca.

Obligatory link #2: Hitachi develops system that reads what people think from their blood flow

The short version: They hope to adapt this knowledge into technology to allow the handicapped to control various devices by thought, after a fashion. Very cool.

Obligatory link #3: Doom for Hubble's iconic pillars

The short version: We won't see a visual difference for another thousand years, but the hydrogen formation referred to as the Pillars of Creation is almost certainly already destroyed. (Speed of light thing... The images are good, though.)

Obligatory link #4: Two charged with hacking into high school computers to fix grades

The short version: Are they going to go after Janek's little black box next? It's on the table, between the pencil jar and the lamp.

Short Shots

Due to Blogger downtime, all I've got is a few shorts for your reading pleasure.

Dunkin' denial leaves customer steaming - about a man who was refused service at the drivethrough... his vehicle was a motorized wheelchair.

Bangor makes it illegal to smoke in cars - Welcome to the continued advance of the nanny state.

The pros and cons of fighting in the NHL - In which John Buccigross pushes what may be an entertaining book entitled "The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retalition in the NHL."

Food For Thought

The obligatory link: Frozen in time

I'm not going to try to comment on this one, primarily because I'm not sure how to go about doing so yet. However, it's certainly worth seeing and thinking about, so please read it.

A Time-Waster Is Fine, Too...

Here are a couple little time-wasting flash games for your enjoyment, or headache-inducement, whichever comes first:

Squares 2 - Best I've managed on this is ~12,900 points. It's not a great score, really...

Irritating Game - The point here is to keep both of the two balls in the air by controlling the paddles with your mouse or trackball. The trick is not to over-reach to save one, and thus lose the other. I know, it sounds easy, but I'm moderately proud of the 32.7 seconds I've managed to keep it going. It speeds up as time goes by, after all. Also, in the bottom left-hand corner, there's an option to switch between French and English language for the explanation.

Short Shots

Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time today, so here are a series of shorts to tide you over:

T.O.L.1: School accuses 5-year-old of sex harrassment
A five year old, really? This is exactly the kind of ridiculous situations that "zero-tolerance" policies lead to. Which, of course, it just another way of saying "the adults don't have to utilize what little brainpower is available to them".

T.O.L.2: George S. Patton, Jr. 11 Nov. 1885--21 Dec. 1945
Third Wave Dave has an excellent post about General Patton, 61 years after his death. Good reading.

T.O.L.3: WVW student to keep Mohawk
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a story about knowing when to leave well enough alone... particularly when you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest.

One Man's Countdown To World War III

Many thanks to Brainster for bringing the following to the attention of the CPR crowd. I promise you an interesting and thought-provoking read if you follow the link:

A post by Teflon, entitled "The Countdown to World War III Continues"