Cowabunga! Tropical Storm Zeta and Surf Mapping from scripps.edu

Ok, so I'm a junkie for data visualization stuff.

So I read google news, check out the Zeta update and whammo! Purty pitchers!

This is via globalsurfnews.com in reference to Tropical Storm Zeta

The animated image is at scripps.edu. Their flow cytometry work also provides some decent visualization.

Convivial Systems: Broadband, Ivan Illich, and Architecture

I've been writing and reading a lot about wireless broadband (one project) and also Economic Development (another project).

I remembered a wonderful book - Deschooling Society, by Ivan Illich.

At the opposite extreme of the spectrum lie institutions distinguished by spontaneous use-the "convivial" institutions.

Telephone link-ups, subway lines, mail routes, public markets and exchanges do not require hard or soft sells to induce their clients to use them. Sewage systems, drinking water, parks, and sidewalks are institutions men use without having to be institutionally convinced that it is to their advantage to do so.

Of course, all institutions require some regulation. But the operation of institutions which exist to be used rather than to produce something requires rules of an entirely different nature from those required by treatment-institutions, which are manipulative.

The rules which govern institutions for use have mainly the purpose of avoiding abuses which would frustrate their general accessibility. Sidewalks must be kept free of obstructions, the industrial use of drinking water must be held within limits, and ball playing must be restricted to special areas within a park. At present we need legislation to limit the abuse of our telephone lines by computers, the abuse of mail service by advertisers, and the pollution of our sewage systems by industrial wastes.

The regulation of convivial institutions sets limits to their use; as one moves from the convivial to the manipulative end of the spectrum, the rules progressively call for unwilling consumption or participation. The different cost of acquiring clients is just one of the characteristics which distinguish convivial from manipulative institutions.

From Deschooling Society

I went to the school he founded (CIDOC) in the 70s. Although I learned a language, the real "take-away" were Illich's ideas.

Happy New Year

Rural America: Jobs And Wireless Broadband

Slashdot reports on "Outsourcing To Rural America."

I will fess up that I helped with the first wave of this in the early 80s moving call center operations to the Dakotas for New York banks.

As rural networks are deployed, this finally gets back to a rant of mine from 1993 on In-Situ Ville in a presentation on "The Information Superhighway". The concept: ubiquitous networks can drive *smaller* business and social structures as well as Big Boxes. Think new corner groceries and local manufacturing - village smithys.

More applications of rural wireless broadband at "WiFi Cloud Covers Rural Oregon" in Wired.

Interesting piece in the New York Times on "Rural Living" up in Maine, with quotes from carriers.

Summing it up: population density drives wires only so far.

The other trend? Wireless Broadband will begin to resemble component stereo systems. Network suppored services and customer care will differentiate, but the bandwidth per se will become a commodity.

Update on 23 December 2005:
Wonderful interview "Widening the Internet Highway to Rural America" on NPR, covering the work done by West Virginia Broadband on a shoestring budget.

Wireless Internet Service Providers Association - WISPA + Katrina

Met some very interesting folks today, associated with the Wireless Internet business. They're at wispa.org. Also found a neat piece there regarding Katrina, reading in part:

Responding to this need, dozens of rural WISPs have poured into rural Louisiana to help out. As of midday Thursday (right after Katrina hit), WISPs were providing service to more than 1,100 evacuees.

The article has interesting links to more background....

I live in a part of the world where the "big one" is an earthquake on the New Madrid Fault Zone. Reliable wireless sounds pretty good to me.

Its interesting how good people with good tech can form rapidly around a problem.

I had written about the Hurricane Wiki on 23 September 05, which used Google Maps in a similar vein of "good deeds".

From Rageboy: Lincoln Group And Iraq Media

Classic Chris Locke blog on the Lincoln Group. (You know... the people putting articles in the Iraq press.) I'm curious though. This seems a typical effort by armies on the ground and I'd be surprised if the US hadn't done this.

For some history, try out http://www.psywar.org/.

Italy Redneck Olympics 2006: Washers!

At last!

Unless I misread the obvious message from Torino, Washers will be a demonstration event in Italy's 2006 Olympics. My maternal grandfather (Ralph) was a big fan of the sport and it has a following here in Southern Illinois.

Other demonstration events include Cricket, LaCrosse, Tug-of-War, and Rugby. The IOC has more demos that died at their site. Why modern power boating didn't make the cut is beyond me... erm... yeah.

Or check out the real Redneck Olympics in Georgia.

Coffee Improves Memory: From the "Well DUH" Division

Researchers found that caffeine improves short term memory. I found the best reportage from the Seattle PI.

More technical data at medpage.

Funniest report is from Reuters UK:

Participants... were subjected to a 12-hour period without caffeine and a four-hour period without nicotine...

What they didn't say is that conclusive tests were run in French suburbs a few weeks ago.....

Dishes For The Double Wide

From boingboing... 5000 Satellite Channels in West Virginia. Media frenzy.

SETI Security Risk

Odd piece at slashdot regarding the potential threat of alien radio signals downloading 'puter virus to earth receivers via SETI. The ubergeeks discount the risk, but evil code worked wonders in Independence Day, so what do they know!

War Blinking? Chase Blink, Security, and New War Driving

I dunno... I saw an ad for the new Chase blink card. Went and read Chase's FAQ.

Of course it is secure.

But why do I see the forces of entropy and chaos at work?

OMG... Conspiracy sites, already fueled with RFID will love this. And of course, the Slashdot crowd. The new Artful Dodger has to be giving this the once over.

Harry Potter And Cleolinda Jones

I took a pass today on the opportunity to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Recovering from Thanksgiving still.

For others who may be incapacitated from the holiday and need a Harry Potter fix:

I recommend Cleolinda Jones' parody of The Prisoner of Azbakan. Smooking brilliant parody. Plus she has a book now - "Movies In Fifteen Minutes" - which was recently favorably reviewed on Slashdot.

Sustainable Architecture

Interesting piece on Sim Van der Ryn in the New York Times this week (although I find 15,000 square foot residence and sustainable architecture cause damn near terminal cognitive dissonance...)

I'd suggest also a browse at Treehugger.com for some rounding out of opinions on sustainable design. Also the echos of The New Alchemy Institute still communicate a vision from when we all hoped.

Pleased to see sites like http://www.oceanarks.org/ still fighting the good fight.

And we should still hope, just with a lot more do-ing.

Pesticide Testing And Children: Proposed EPA Rules

Late Thursday night, I heard Alex Jones on Coast To Coast AM say that the EPA was considering rules to allow for pesticide testing on children. Did some checking, damn if there isn't something to it.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported

The Environmental Protection Agency's new rules on human testing, which the agency said last week would categorically protect children and pregnant women from pesticide testing, include numerous exemptions, such as one that specifically allows testing of children who have been "abused and neglected."

The blogs are alive with the sounds of Murtha today but this issue merits action.

The proposed EPA testing protocol smells particularly Orwellian... with a grand peppering of cynicism, a dash of eugenics, and a whiff of selective family values.

Comments to the EPA can be made through Organic Consumers Association.

PS: Would very much appreciate correction to this post w.r.t. any errors of fact.

-30-

Sony BMG's Rootkit: Can You Hear Them Now?

"Most people, I think, don't even know what a Rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"

Thomas Hesse, Sony BMG

From "Sony Music CDs Under Fire From Privacy Advocates." Morning Edition, 4 November 2005

Oil Investment Spam: Why Does This Disclaimer Cause Flashbacks?

Statements contained in this press release that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of management with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, or described pursuant to similar expressions.

Ok. Babelfish to Greek:

Οι δηλώσεις που περιλαμβάνονται φύσης σε αυτό το δελτίο τύπου που δεν είναι βασισμένες στο τρέχον ή ιστορικό γεγονός είναι προνοητικής. Τέτοιες προνοητικές δηλώσεις απεικονίζουν τις τρέχουσες απόψεις της διαχείρισης όσον αφορά τα μελλοντικά γεγονότα και υπόκεινται σε ορισμένους κινδύνους, αβεβαιότητες, και υποθέσεις. Εάν ένας ή περισσότεροι από αυτές τις κινδύνους ή αβεβαιότητες υλοποιήσουν ή εάν ελλοχεύουσες υποθέσεις αποδεικνύονται ανακριβείς, τα πραγματικά αποτελέσματα μπορούν να ποικίλουν υλικά από εκείνους που περιγράφονται εν τω παρόντι όπως προσδοκώνται, θεωρημένος, υπολογισμένος, αναμενόμενος, ή περιγραμμένος σύμφωνα με τις παρόμοιες εκφράσεις.

And back to English:

The statements that are included nature in this bulletin of type that is not based on the running or historical make are pronoitjki's. Such pronoitjke's statements portray the running opinions of management with regard to the future makes and being in certain dangers, uncertainties, and affairs. If one or more from these dangers or uncertainties materialises or if lurking affairs are proved innacurate, the real results can vary materially from those that are described en tw paro'ntj as they are expected, considered, calculated, expected, or described according to the similar expressions.

There, that's better. "The running opinions of management with regard to the future..." Priceless

Photo courtesy Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Story Title I Wish I'd Written: What Makes Someone French?

Dunno. Top 10 reasons?

10. Just got my teeth cleaned, check this out, yo!
9. Dinner cost $65 bucks and I'm supposed to stand in the hall?
8. It feels good.
7. I have a big day tomorrow and I want to remember you.
6. My parents are upstairs and this is all we can do.
5. Q: Voulez vous? A: Oui
4. My tests came back negative, let's do it!
3. I really love you, whatever your name is.
2. Everyone else is doing it.
1. I'm sick and tired of instant messages!

The original thoughtful article is from the New York Times "What Makes Someone French", discussing culture.

Ad Review: The Gate thegateworldwide.com

Ok, as far as getting me to read their copy, thegateworldwide.com did a bang up job in the NY Times today.

Why? The photo shows a cow on Madison Avenue with a gun at its head. Copy about killing sacred cows. Who don't they want for customers? Vegans, sure. But Hindoo? Omnivores like me? Pacifists?

What could have been an affirmation of interesting spin turned into another simple minded p.o.s. involving killing an animal for the pumping of bidnez. Right up there with good old Hardee's and the chicken ad.

Look: I frickin' eat meat, wear leather shoes, and all that. But this just offends me. And, by the way, I did and still do find the old National Lampoon advertisement "buy this magazine or we'll kill this puppy" funny.

I checked out the gate website and judge it a Flash in the pan. And after all that advertising spend in the NYT... another boring "ain't we too cool" site.

Dear God, when bad things happen to good code, do I *really* want swinging doors and chartjunk?

Strunk & White, Ed Tufte, hell, Samuel Johnson, Chris Locke... shakes head.

-30-

Broadcast Television Time Shifting

Major broadcasters announce time-shifting of hit programming at Indiantelevision.com.

Now, when will they bring back Uncle Miltie or old Johnny Carson or....?

On Bathrooms, Coffee, and Dress Codes

While waiting for a friend to finish a medical exam...

In the Waiting Room
Noticed two cups of coffee on a ledge in the waiting room. Cold enough that the ersatz cream had separated. Dr.'s staff paid no nevermind. Hmm.

In the Men's Room...
On the "May 2004"(this is November 2005) on the back of the door:

"Please fixed the lock. This door needs a proper lock when a person is trying to their personal business."

Oh, and the form on the back of the door had "Form Revised 09/19/03".


The Best
And the buzz amongst the staff: a minor revision to the daily color-coded dress code. Each day of the week, these folks have to wear the right color.

That's surely trying to their personal business.

Electronics & Software For Baby Boomers: A Void?

Over the last few weeks, I've seen many articles on kid-friendly electronics in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and elsewhere.

Given the rapid growth of the 50+ population, why development and promotion of Boomer-friendly interfaces and products amazes me.

Things with big buttons. Things with fonts that scale. Things with voice chips confirming what's going on. Sensible integration of home electronics remotes.

I ain't saying it isn't happening, but I read and listen pretty broadly. I don't see people going for the greying (or, shining, w.r.t. yrs truly here) segment. And the need will be apparent to any at the parent's(or their own)weekend event when the VCR still blinks 12:00.

Got Net? On Newspaper Archive Fees

At last week's Southern Illinois Business Expo I spoke with a presenter about Internet marketing and print media. I asked:

If we're bullish on Internet marketing, why does an archive search and retrieval in the local paper cost money?

Many newspapers provide the search then charge for the retrieval of older articles. If I want to publicize my business (or my town, or whatever) and I got coverage in August 2004, someone who wants to read about da bidnez is going to pay $2.95 in the Southern Illinoisan, $5 for a day's use of the Harrisburg Daily Register, and so on.The Marion Daily Republican uses the same service as the Register, same rates.

MAKE IT UP WITH VOLUME?

Yes, there are bulk discounts. For only $1,995 one can receive the Southern Illinoisan's archive (1000 articles @ $1.99 per) or the Register's/Republican's $20/month ($240/year) for "all you can eat" archive retrieval.

As an example, the New York Times charges $3.95 for one article, and $49.95 for 1200 articles/year. The Chicago Tribune goes for $3.95 quantity 1 and $359/year (1200 articles). {Memo to self: perhaps this ties into automobile towing conspiracy.}

Contrast this with the Seattle Times and others. Their fee? Zip, nada, nil, goose egg. They want you to register with them. Name/address/email. A menu to tell 'em what you want and what you don't.

And, gentle reader, always keep a yahoo or hotmail or whatever second email for this purpose, right?

But how do they make money if its "free"?

CONTEXT ADS

As Yogurt The Wise said: "Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs-the T-shirt, Spaceballs-the Coloring Book, Spaceballs-the Lunch box, Spaceballs-the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower."

Well, advertising actually. The Seattle Times automatically serves up content-sensitive ads. Same thing Google AdSense does on this blog. A machine reads the content and serves up what's likely to tickle the reader's fancy.

When the reader clicks the ad, the Seattle Times gets $$ for serving them the ad. So I look up a street festival in 1997, and I might get an ad for this year's festival, or where to get a great deal on a Haloween costume.

And there's a *whole* lot of other things that go into making that sausage: advertisers bid for location on pages & etc. & etc.

So if someone retrieved an archived article about the "Marion Hub Of The Universe" they might get an ad for a local store if they were reading a "shopping" article, or an ad for an accountant if they were reading an article about a business start up.

What else does the newspaper get when it gets people registering in greater numbers?

Information about their readers. What they read, when they read, what they buy, when they buy. And then, the paper can help their advertisers better target their message. Its all about the money. And if my business had coverage in the newspaper, I could expect that more people would be able to read about that business.

In any event, a more lucid writer than I*,Dan Gilmore's "On Grassroots Journalism" covered this very well in "Newspapers: Open Your Archives". He also takes the point (paraphrasing) that print information is history and should remain available "forever"; I strongly agree.

I'm curious: just *how much* money is made from archive fees? I'll bet you that more money's made from the ads.

PS: And I would not mind having my fancy tickled, let me assure you.

PPS: That's His Girl Friday (in the public domain, available from archive.org as a download) with Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy, and Rosalind Russell. It was remade into "The Front Page" several times. I got the DVD for $1 at a local Kroger.

* low bar, that

Southern Illinois Business Conference Expo at the Williamson County Convention Center Pavilion

What's this doing in a technology and culture blog? Well, tech and culture need a healthy environment for sustainable growth. And communicating to and from markets, partners and customers feeds that growth.

A dance, if you will.

That's why I attended the Business Expo at the Williamson County Pavilion Friday 7 October 2005.

All in all, a good idea and interesting experience. I will do it again.

However....

INVISIBLE

As far as I can tell, the search engines could not find it. Why?

My guess:

I was searching "williamson county business conference october", and the engine wanted "expo" as a search term."Expo" did work. Methinks "META TAGS" did wound; they help drive traffic to a website. Not a major problem but someone needs to vet web copy for "searchability".

NB: And if the "Williamson County Pavilion" has its own site, I am a mooncalf lost in the Internet. It has no website, as far as I can tell.

AUDIENCE? WHAT AUDIENCE?

I spoke with a number of enthusiastic and informed booth folk (many of them the Business owner or a principal, major PLUS there!). They had a general complaint of lack of traffic; particularly the lack of consumer traffic.

One problem:Vote Suppressed

The September 18 Southern Illinoisan Article (click fast before the link expires) stated "The expo is designed for business owners and not open to the general public" which may have, erm, rather cooled the avid civilian crowds.

Second problem(and this could be me):

I found the Southern Business Journal website difficult to navigate/cluttered. And when I did find the Events link (subtle graphics, in my opinion) it dumped me to a registration form.

I only wanted to know what was going on.

Name: I Want To See
Employer: The Schedule
Address: Not A Form, IL 62911
Phone: 867-5309

EYE TEST

There were a lot of full page trees who died in service to this event. The SI had several full page ads; however, as I enter my.... not golden, more rusty than golden.... rusty years, the message (who's really wanted here at this event) and the clarity of the font listing seminars.... dicey, that.

So for example: List the Day's Seminars then List Seminars in Larger Font Underneath so geezers can read it.

Was:

Oct 6 Something Interesting
Oct 6 Something Else
Oct 6 Something Else

Suggested form:

THURSDAY
Something Interesting
Something Else
Something Else

SCHEDULE FEWER CONCURRENT SEMINARS, START EACH DAY WITH A KEYNOTE

There was a mix of content; but it appeared (this is a survey, not a census) at about 1pm on Friday that there were a lot of chairs and not enough people. And some seminars with near identical topics ran concurrently.

Perhaps develop thematic "tracks" like:

• business marketing and promotion,
  
• employee benefits,
  
• government resources,
  
• company stories

Even large established trade shows (in my addled recollection) tend to run only a couple of concurrent seminars, until things get VERY BIG.

For the keynote, if all else fails (meaning this kindly) get a politician or a head of the organizing group(s). Hizzonor or even a TV anchor (ok, stretching it here).

MISSING IN ACTION

Did I miss the Southern Illinois Tourism Presence? Maybe.

How about Wine Trail representation?

Food services/catering? Could have had more representation, as well as some just plain restaurant folks who want to promote meeting business on site.

Marion Main Street? I wish I had seen them; the area needs balanced growth.

I drove over there and registered at the door. Well worth the trip, and I hope that everyone involved understands that repetition will increase participation.

That, and a clearer message delivered in a convenient form.

From The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy
Prosser: But the plans were on display.
Arthur Dent: On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar.
Prosser: That's the display department.
Arthur Dent: With a torch.
Prosser: The lights had probably gone.
Arthur Dent: So had the stairs.
Prosser: But you did see the notice, didn't you?
Arthur Dent: Oh, yes. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign outside the door saying "Beware of the Leopard." Ever thought of going into advertising?

Not that anyone asked: My qualifications for hand-waving about this include being "the customer" (weight gain & water retention) at a number of trade shows over the last 20 years, and being "the vendor" (thankless job, shin splints and boredom) at many others. And its easy to criticize the work of others; trade shows involve cat herding. And I think the organizers did a solid job; I just want the bar raised for next time.

Image: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, LC-USF34- 026826-D "Interior of Oke-Doke dance hall. Williamson County, Illinois", 1939, Arthur Rothstein. American Library Of Congress, American Memory

Digital Media: Blog Publishing And Mark Twain

But the truth is, that when a Library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of it, the deep unconscious irony of it delights me and doesn't anger me.

- Mark Twain Letter to Mrs. F. G. Whitmore, 2/7/1907 From Twainquotes.com

The use of censoring software in public speech has, I do believe, gotten a tad over-heated. I'm in a conversation now about the "banning" of blogsearch.google.com at a local library. Not search words like nudie or whatever but the entire search engine.

The result of this is searches for things like "cancer support group" or "name of local congressman" is blocked. Heck, try "cookies for grandma" and a screen pops up that makes me feel like Aunt Sally found me reading Hustler at the Kitchen Table. I've met the local congressman a few times, and he may laugh at off color jokes, he could only be construed as pornographic if under the influence of some *very* odd medication.

I feel empathy for the people administering this. The fear mongers have good people twitching with concerns about pornography and impure thoughts far beyond the actual menace. I refuse (so far) to flame the folks trying to do their job under these digital draconian measures.

So, watch this space for future developments.

My take: If you find a couple of ticks, don't kill the zoo.

And if you find a surly teen (redundant) searching for porn at the library, throw him out/embarass him. At some point erotica became pornography; tastes vary and its pretty dumb to do some things in public (e.g., the Library).

But the search for the modern version of dirty playing cards will continue no matter which version of god or mammon we consider for guidance.

Visualization Software: Eye Candy 101

Since about 1984 or so I have been fascinated with the visualization of complex data.

I believe the canonical authority remains Edward Tufte at Yale. He's best known for The Visual Display Of Quantitative Information. I'll cover that at a future date.

I did today find this satellite constellation visualization software from Lloyd Wood
at the University Of Surrey(UK).

Image credits to SaVi and The University Of Minnesota's Geometry Center. Here are more examples.

What Would Steve Wright Do?

In keeping with the hard hitting copyright issues in a networked digital world...

I pondered AP's copyright notice today:

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Isn't it hard for them to make a living like that?

They might as well blog.

Public Domain Felix from The Felix The Cat Page

Robo Carp?

The Mississipi River (et.al) now has Asian Carp escaped from Catfish ponds. These carp mess up the indigenous ecosystem, and now threaten the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Fishery Management site has video of Asian Carp leaping.

Now with RoboFish, maybe we can make a bad problem worse (Jurassic Park with Techno); think RoboFish targeted to Asian Carp's "smell"/DNA signature. And imagine a programming error with the 1.1 code release....

Perhaps grief for Noodling afficianados. More Noodling reviews at Johnsjottings.com.

From Wikipedia.org: "Noodling is the practice and sport of fishing for catfish using only one's bare hands. Noodling may be called grabbling, graveling, hogging, or tickling, depending on what southern state you're in (Kentuckians call it dogging, while Nebraskans prefer stumping)."

Other ecosystem car wrecks are discussed at http://www.protectyourwaters.net/, "The Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers web site is part of the ANS Task Force public awareness campaign and is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand the U.S. Coast Guard. "

Those Wacky RIAA Types: At It Again

RIAA Goes After Satellite Radio is discussed at Slashdot.

Wouldn't the industry be more profitable if it worked on getting costs out of its distribution, helping with Internet innovations, and stopped slapping consumers?

Anyone who can remember the quote (memory here not what it was) from a Rapper in the mid-1990s talking about how the Music Industry was the fat man with holes in its pockets?

For extra fun try NPR's Justice Talking "The First Amendment in a Digital Age" which aired on 16 September 2005 with Jack Valenti, Floyd Abrams (Pentagon Papers), and Lawrence Lessig (Creative Commons).

Photo from Steve Schoenherr at his Recording Technology History site.

Digital Media: Monk & More

Heard lovely T. Monk music on NPR yesterday afternoon.

There's a new recording from the Library of Congress of 1957 Jazz at Carnegie Hall.

More about Thelonious Monk at The Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz (source of this photo).

Quite a group of people in that concert: John Coltrane, Shadow Wilson, Thelonious Monk and Ahmed Abdul-Malik.

This stuff is ephemeral; we're lucky to have it.

Acetate tapes. Imagine.

Einstein Draft

Wired News reports that an Early Einstein Manuscript has been found.

The Einstein Archive is at the Lorentz Institute of the University of Leiden. One page is shown here.

I remember the first time I saw the "Tiger" image in HyperCard and being wowed. (Simple mind, that.)

But these kinds of data/images are just, to me, engaging.

After The Bubble: New Venture Sources

Ok.... I found this in the mail today. All of you entrepreneurs, light up. Peace in the land. Hallelu! Amen! MAKEMONEYFAST. Dunno, maybe Tom DeLay's people could use this.

From:Madam Ann Martin
Av.14.ruom19.treich ville
Abidjan Ivory Coast right about here West Africa
Email.ADDRESSREMOVED@yahoo.fr

Dearest In Christ, I am the Madam Ann Martin from Kuwait. I am married to Mr. Greg Martin who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2003.We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $2.Million in a Bank here in Abidjan. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next Eight months due to cancer problem. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want a church that will use this fund for orphanages, widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavor that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that "Blessed is the hand that giveth". I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don't want my husband's efforts to be used by unbelievers.
I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that "the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace". I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank in Abidjan. I will also issue you an authorisation letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of this fund. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is my shephard. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that Wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and Truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life.Contact me on my email any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply. Remain blessed in the Lord. Yours in Christ,
Madam Ann Martin

"Marketing 1601" Article Pulled For Fact Checking

"Marketing 1601: Burger King Doesn't Do Email" was published by me on Saturday without sufficient fact checking. My staff (looks at empty room) failed me. I believe that the company of interest was Carl's Jr.... more to follow. The offensive "Chicken Ad" is explained here.

Fast Innovations In Weather Maps

Ok, I was impressed with the Wired News Hurricane Wiki article, and stumbled onto yet another use of weather graphics at hainsworth.com today. Speed of innovation with networked tools is really pretty impressive.

Five Cents A Glance: Chicago's Museum Of Broadcast Communications Et. Al.

While in transit today, heard that the new Chicago Museum Of Broadcast Communications will be providing digital content.


Some other sources for digital museum media include the Museum Of Television and Radio (NY and LAX) and museum.media.org.

Great emphemeral public domain material's also at http://www.archive.org/ with movies and audio files.

This digital magic bears some very analog Copyright encumberances (including a FAX requirement). Its not that people and organizations don't merit copyright protection; we're still doing this with sharp pointy sticks.

Ted Nelson (at Oxford , site in rewrite) or in Japan has long proposed mechanisms of networked copyright way back when I had hair in Project Xanadu. We still need these mechanisms.

Now, there are many places and points I've missed in this note; however, the flow and "fairness" of balancing access and copyright process causes blisters. I think I'll go ponder for a bit on this one. I'm interested also in how the broadband providers stand on this issue; seems in their self-interest to improve the state of the art.

Maybe Steve Jobs is onto something?

Performance Test Lab

I get a crushing chest pain when I read the words "Performance Test Lab". They have no standard meaning.

After reading about Red Hat and H-P's project on Slashdot, I conducted a Google survey of "Performance Test Lab".

Bonafide, guaranteed, unscientific mix of signal and noise. I assure you, this has no standard meaning.

Windows.....250
Macintosh...241
Linux.......189
Unix........169
SAN.........163
Oracle......106
Browser......94
TCP/IP.......75
Solaris......67
Firefox......54
Ethernet.....51
EMC..........49
MySQL........43
Cisco........43
Explorer.....37
Novell.......35
Amiga........32
DB2..........32
Fibrechannel.24
Opera........24
Sybase.......17
PS2..........16
Token Ring...15
Gameboy......14
AS/400.......14
NAS..........13
Symbian......13
Wang.........12
ATM..........12
MVS..........10
IPv6..........9
Citrix........8
FDDI..........7
Teradata......6
VMS...........6
SNA...........3
VM............3
BeOS..........1
Infiniband....1
TPF...........1
Beowulf.......1
Grendl........0 (Chuckle)
X.25/Arcnet...0
SMDS..........0 (Muahhaha)
PDP or Nova...0 (Sigh)

Back Again

There comes a time when innovation has recycled great ideas. This is not one of those times.