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Peter Nixon
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Monday, 30 September 2002
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I must apologise to my loyal reader (me, and perhaps "Goss") that I have missed posting for three days in the last week, and so some of my news is old. Quality not currency, please!
That's clearly bullshit.
8:22:46 PM 
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Give 'em hell, Al. With a series of fiery speeches, the former vice president recovers his voice, his backbone and his place as the 2004 Democratic front-runner.
[Salon.com]
8:20:22 PM
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Jailbait. How antiabortion zealots posing as underage girls tried to entrap Planned Parenthood workers.
[Salon.com]
8:09:59 PM
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Profits from piracy. Evidence is mounting that cracking down on software copyright infringement may not be good for business. Case study: Microsoft in China.
[Salon.com]
7:40:04 PM
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CNN: UN backs dwarf tossing ban. "The pastime, imported from the United States and Australia in the 1980s, consists of people throwing tiny stuntmen as far as possible, usually in a bar or discotheque." Thanks Daypop!
6:55:40 PM
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Carl Sandburg. "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."
[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
6:53:09 PM
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This is a couple of days late but I still thought it of interest.
Prince Charles found himself embroiled today in an embarrassingly public dispute over his habit of writing letters tilting at red tape, political correctness and the creeping invasion of a "blame culture" in Britain.
By Alan Cowell. [New York Times: International]
6:47:19 PM
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Saturday, 28 September 2002
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Kids I feel I should divulge here.
When I was much younger than I am now, I knew a theological student who was a great fan of Kierkegaard.
He (the student) very much turned me on to this quite orthodox protestant (now there's an oxymoron!) Christian philosopher, also known as the father of existentialism, a very not Christian philosophical position one would think.
I came to very much admire Kierkegaard.
3:08:55 AM
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Gore blasts Bush's war plans. The former vice president takes the gloves off, saying Bush has squandered the world's goodwill, is failing to focus on the war on terrorism and could be creating a global "reign of fear." [Salon.com]
2:47:04 AM
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Old men take longer. At long last, Peter Gabriel releases a new record. Is it worth the wait? If you have to ask you're missing the point. [Salon.com]
2:44:14 AM
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Spain's José Garcia Acosta (Ibanesto.com) claimed stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espagna on Friday after a 170-kilometre-long group and eventually solo breakaway. Despite losing four seconds to main rival Aitor Gonzalez (Kelme), Roberto Heras (US Postal retains the overall lead.
[Eurosport: Cycling]
2:39:50 AM
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Thursday, 26 September 2002
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Hydrotopia. Say goodbye to fossil fuels. Author and environmentalist Jeremy Rifkin explains why hydrogen is the next great power source.
[Salon.com]
10:03:38 AM
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Here's one for "goss". The kind of song he's been looking for by John Howard Payne.
(What is it about that name that just sounds right?)
[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
7:00:21 AM
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More support for Big Bang by looking through Polaroid glasses. Although the theory of the Big Bang is on pretty solid ground, there are other competing cosmological theories out there. So any observations that have the capacity to test the Big Bang theory are very welcome - but also hard to do!
Now new data is available from the Degree Angle Scale Interferometer (DASI), a big telescope near the South Pole, and it reveals just what the Big Bang model predicted.
The new data reveals that the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) is polarised.
The polarisation of the CMBR is not uniform across the sky but patches are polarised in particular directions. (See the first picture at this page for the polarisation map). The levels of polarisation are exactly those predicted by Big Bang models.
"If you had any doubts that this radiation is from the Big Bang, this should quash them," Dr Michael Turner of the University of Chicago told the New York Times.
(Read the technical paper) [David Harris: Science news]
6:16:13 AM
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'Work for nothing' claim dismissed by Chamber of Commerce, despite research showing most Australians work longer hours than they are contracted for.
I can only quote Mandy Rice-Davies on the news that an industry group has said this, "Well they would, wouldn't they?"
[Sydney Morning Herald]
5:39:12 AM
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Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Physical cryptography. An epoxy resin token containing tiny glass spheres can be used as a device to encrypt information very securely, according to a fascinating paper published in Science today. The advantage of the system is that it is next to impossible to forge the token.
Shining light through the token creates a characteristic pattern that can be used to confirm the token is the key to accessing some secret information. However, even if you analyse the token, it is not possible using current technology or computational resources to mathematically or physically reverse the process and work out how to replicate the token. This difficulty in reversing a process is the basis for existing mathematical encryption schemes. The mathematical functions used to do this are called "one-way".
The difference here is that the encryption happens via a "one-way" physical process that can not be copied. Even trying to examine the insides of the token will destroy it, so no replica can be made while keeping the original intact and the owner unaware of the forgery.
This new approach to encryption adds to the tools that can be used to keep information safe. Even if mathematical techniques for cracking existing "one-way" encryption schemes are discovered, technology is still so far short of being able to replicate these physical devices that information will remain secure.
More at Nature Science Update
More at New Scientist [David Harris: Science news]
12:52:23 AM
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Niels Bohr. "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth."
[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
12:31:46 AM
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Monday, 23 September 2002
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"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press 3." --Alice Kahn
[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
12:28:48 AM
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Sunday, 22 September 2002
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"You know there is a problem with the education system when you realize that out of the 3 Rs, only one begins with an R." -- Dennis Miller
[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
11:03:21 AM
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Carl Jung. "Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent." [Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
9:38:30 AM
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Friday, 20 September 2002
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Thursday, 19 September 2002
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P. G. Wodehouse. "The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun."
[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
11:49:40 PM
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Wednesday, 18 September 2002
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Monday, 16 September 2002
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Having a bad reaction to money. A significant number of Europeans could have allergic reactions to their new currency, according to a study in Nature.
How the coins cause a reaction
Some of the new Euro coins are made of two alloys: one in a central pill and the other a surrounding ring. Seeing as the alloys are different, they create an electrical voltage just like a battery does. A person touching both the inner pill and the outer ring will have a very small current flow through their fingers or hands. Although this current is too small to feel, it does cause corrosion and nickel ions from the alloys are released. This increases the chance of a reaction from allergic people. [David Harris: Science news]
12:20:11 AM
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Man the more I read about LBJ the more I like him. "The guns and the bombs, the rockets and the warships, are all symbols of human failure. They are necessary symbols. They protect what we cherish. But they are witness to human folly."
Lyndon B. Johnson (address, Johns Hopkins University, April 7, 1965) [Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
12:16:51 AM
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Sunday, 15 September 2002
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Friday, 13 September 2002
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Thursday, 12 September 2002
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Wednesday, 11 September 2002
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I suppose I could have linked directly to the Salon piece, but I wanted to include David Harris's comments.
Buzz Aldrin strikes back at conspiracy theorist. Buzz Aldrin has punched a moon conspiracy theorist in the face after being asked to swear on a bible that he actually visited the moon.
As much as I hate violence, I can hardly blame Aldrin for his act. After embarking on one of the most ambitious and personally risky projects of the era, he has to spend more than three decades dealing with people so stupid that they go to any effort to resist accepting the facts, and for no apparent reason. (I guess stupidity works that way...)
(And do I even get into the issue of the downright rudeness of some young upstart verbally assaulting a 72-year-old man?)
(Or maybe wonder about the nerve of the conspiracy theorist to call police because he was upset with Aldrin's response?)
[David Harris: Science news]
11:46:32 PM
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OK here's a long post.
I have to do a September 11 thing I suppose.
Frankly I don't want to. It's my birthday (DH Lawrence's too). Last year I had worked a good day, come home to my family, my sister Helen came for dinner, we ate too much, drank too much - it was great. Helen went home and the nuclear family watched the video of Buena Vista Social Club. Wonderful.
Then we stopped the video. It was late night here, but just the right time in New York. Felicity doesn't even remember watching the Buena Vista Social Club. She stayed glued to the TV for two days I think, in a kind of fascinated horror or horrified fascination.
Don't get me started on the politics of empire.
Here's some science stuff.
Science of September 11. A set of press releases were issued late yesterday regarding aspects of science arising from the September 11 events of 2001. Following are some links to the releases...
New simulation shows 9/11 plane crash with scientific detail
Engineers, computer scientists and graphics technology experts at Purdue University have created the first publicly available simulation that uses scientific principles to study in detail what theoretically happened when the Boeing 757 crashed into the Pentagon last Sept. 11.
New DNA typing method could ID remains of some 9/11 victims
A new DNA analysis technique under development at Ohio University may help authorities identify the remains of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks when conventional tests don't work. The method could offer forensic scientists a new tool to examine badly degraded remains - such as those at the World Trade Center disaster site - and could help police name perpetrators of crimes.
New lightweight materials may yield safer buildings, longer-lasting tires
Researchers say they have developed the world's strongest, lightest solids. Called aerogels, the sturdy materials are a high-tech amalgam of highly porous glass and plastic that is as light as air. In light of the events of Sept. 11 and a heightened interest in homeland security, these new materials show promise as lightweight body armor for soldiers, shielding for armored vehicles, and stronger building materials, the researchers say.
Satellite data could track vulnerable areas, terrorist threats
Orbiting 500 miles above the planet, satellites give scientists a "big picture" view of changes to the Earth's landscape - from suburbanization trends to shoreline erosion. Now, an Ohio University researcher is using the technology to try to detect a more dangerous activity: terrorism and the areas of the country most vulnerable to potential attacks.
People who 'gave up' after 9/11 more likely to remain distressed
The Sept. 11 attacks of 2001 left a lingering psychological impact on the nation according to new research published in the Sept. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). While 17 percent of the U.S. population living outside New York City reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress two months following the attacks, 6 percent continued to report symptoms six months afterward.
[David Harris: Science news]
11:37:09 PM
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Senator Hillary Clinton was booed when she walked on stage last October at a rock concert in Madison Square Garden to benefit 9/11 victims. It was shown live by VH1 but, when the Viacom-owned cable channel replayed it sound technicians replaced the booing with cheering and applause. And that version is the permanent record VH1 put onto its DVD of the event. [via InstaPundit] [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
10:43:26 AM
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Tuesday, 10 September 2002
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Mark Twain. "Why not go out on a limb--that's where all the fruit is!" [Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
9:42:19 AM
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Monday, 9 September 2002
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Sunday, 8 September 2002
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Kato and Felicity have just left for Australian National Road Titles 2002. Goodness knows how Kato will do! He has been so sick and had so much trouble with cramps and other problems he is a lot less prepared for this than he planned to be.
11:33:19 PM
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Saturday, 7 September 2002
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Albert Schweitzer. "You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it's a little thing, do something for others - something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it." [Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
10:41:30 AM
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Thursday, 5 September 2002
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Wednesday, 4 September 2002
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Love is, above all, the gift of oneself. Jean Anouilh [Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
12:26:43 AM
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Emagic offers Logic Platinum for OS X This is also great news! As I have said audio has been very backward in OSX, and now the strategy of buying Emagic may bear some fruit for Apple, Emagic and the audio and music industry/community. I say this as someone who does not even own hardware that can support OSX! [The Macintosh News Network]
12:17:15 AM
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