Security

Image via Wikipediahttp://blogs.ajc.com/bob-barr-blog/2011/03/18/authority-to-strip-search-passengers-at-will-claimed-by-feds/ 

"In a breathtaking statement delivered in an official court proceeding, the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims authority to strip search every airline passenger; and to begin such a practice without even soliciting comment from the public."
 

Color

http://battellemedia.com/archives/2011/03/why_color_matters_augmented_reality_and_nuanced_social_graphs_may_finally_may_come_of_age 

I completely agree on this what this review says. Mobile, GPS equipped, internet devices are going to lead to an explosion of new stuff as big as the one created by HTTP. This Color thing is likely an example of this next generation of ideas.

"...if Color is used by a statistically significant percentage of folks, nearly every location that matters on earth will soon be draped in an ever-growing tapestry of visual cloth, one that no doubt will also garner commentary, narrative structure, social graph meaning, and plasticity of interpretation. Imagine if Color - and the fundaments which allow its existence - had existed for the past 100 years. Imagine what Color might have revealed during the Kennedy assassination, or the recent uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, or hell, the Rodney King beating?" 

Google needs to get on this idea...

I installed the Color application on my Droid 2, but it is no were near ready.  It immediately freezes up when launched.  I can't post a review of it since it appears it does not get far enough to be acknowledged as installed, I just see an initial screen, then nothing.  Wait for an update or two, or for another, more fully cooked, implementation of this fine idea. 

Netflix Down

>art of Netflix web server system was down the other night, no streaming. I actually did try to get on it too, so I noticed the problem while it was happening. I was frustrated by two things when my PS3 couldn't connect to the service. One was that I was paying a monthly fee for this, and that implies that I should be able to use it at anytime during the month that I have paid for. But the other thing was that there was no simple way to know whether or not the trouble was at my end. On Netflix website that evening there was absolutely no sign of trouble. Couldn't they post some sort of status? Some acknowledgement that they knew there was a problem?

Netflix has offered an account credit to those impacted, via an email today. So that takes care of one of the problems I had with the whole thing...

Panic

Image via Wikipedia

This morning I received the following email, on the heels of the unfortunate explosions over the weekend at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

from: Trudie <+++++@gmail.com>

to: jsexton@agora.rdrop.com 

date: Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 8:00 AM 

subject: ground containation

Dear Jeff

Please tell me as soon as possible, how to protect my family from  fallout on the Oregon Coast.  And how long should we not let the children on the lawns.

When will we be able to eat the fruits of our trees?

How long will the soil be  contaminated ?

How long should we not grow vegetables & fruit?

How long shall we keep our dogs inside ?

Please answer as soon as possible since the rdiation cloud will be here on Wednesday

Thank you so very much

Trudie

Normally I would assume this was some sort of spam. However, I do have these old webpages online:

http://www.rdrop.com/~jsexton/cd/

This material has been sitting out there since the '90s and still gets a fair amount of traffic. It's simply astonishing that someone would write to some random person via email rather than simply inquire with local authorities, if that's what this email is really about.

Meanwhile...

Shame.

Yep, That's an MS Phone Alright

Image via WikipediaProblems updating the new Microsoft phones?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/04/windows_update/

Shocking!
Shocking I say!
I am shocked that enough people own these phones that the update problem was even noticed....

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