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January 2004 Entries
Israel and the Wall

Den Beste has a great article up on the wall that Israel is building to disengage from the Palestinians.  It's pretty long but it's one of the better summaries I've seen on the situation.  Some of the articles he links to are also very interesting.  (Last November the BBC suddenly “discovered” that money going to the Palestinian Authority was being passed to a terrorist group.  Hello!)  I can't even begin to summarize all the points he makes but the basic point is the Israel's wall is radically changing the situation in the area.  Hamas is beginning to negotiate directly with Israel and the Arab states are considering formally recognizing Isreael as a country and absorbing Palestinian refugees.  The wall is going to give Israel a way to disengage from the West Bank and Gaza and protect itself.  The Palestinians are probably going to end up in a civil war when Arafat dies.

Den Beste also links to an article about Hamas.  The article says:

Israel dismissed as ridiculous Monday a proposal from the main Palestinian militant group, Hamas, to declare a 10-year truce if the Jewish state withdrew from territory occupied since 1967.

Top Hamas official Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi told Reuters late Sunday Hamas had come to the conclusion that it was "difficult to liberate all our land at this stage, so we accept a phased liberation."

"We accept a state in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. We propose a 10-year truce in return for (Israeli) withdrawal and the establishment of a state," he said in a telephone interview from hiding in the Gaza Strip.

It's really stunning to read this quote.  He really says “difficult to liberate all our land at this stage.”  What he should have said was, “we'll take this for now and  then kill the rest of you later.”  Israel declined the proposal.

posted @ Saturday, January 31, 2004 10:26 AM | Feedback (0)
Don't Negotiate!

How complicated is that?  Israel has had a policy for years of not negotiating with people that take hostages.  And very few Israelis are taken hostage (there has to be come cause and effect there).  So finally Israel releases 400 prisoners in exchange for one businessman and the bodies of three dead soldiers.  And what does Hamas do? 

In another sign the Islamic militant group is changing course, its leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin declared Friday that his group is making an all-out effort to kidnap Israeli soldiers to use as bargaining chips for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Nice.  And Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, their first in six months.  Looks like things might be heating up in the Middle East again.

posted @ Friday, January 30, 2004 1:07 PM | Feedback (0)
Want an imaginery girlfriend?

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time!  I read about this a while back but didn't really believe it.  But the list of imaginary girlfriends on eBay brought forth a full-throated cackle!  Two pages of girls willing to be your imaginary girlfriend.  Bids range from $50 to $300.  I'd just love to have that in my eBay profile: Previous auctions won - Imaginary girlfriend.  Hey!  Let's pick one at random (a Hooters girl!) and look at her feedback.  (More cackles)  It's a bunch of stuff like “great product quick delivery thanks” and “there should be a rating higher than "positive" for transactions like this”   Ha!  Here's what you get if you win:

If you win this auction I will set up times for webcam "dates"... email you...send you a personalized 8x10 to put by your bed...some nice 5x7's for your office desk and if you are a really good boy one of my favorite shirts with my perfume on it. I will write you a loving letter every week for 4 weeks.  You will have my full attention for 4 wonderful weeks as my "boyfriend"

And the pesky little disclaimer:

Please understand: I will not become your REAL girlfriend. This is pretend. Everything is done online or through the mail and there will not be any "in person" meetings.

She should have run an ad:  Stalkee needs wackos to pursue me.  Sane guys don't waste my time!

America is such an amazingly strange place.  Here's what else she says in her description:

HI ...I'm Angelea.  I was one of the very first imaginary girlfriends. I chose the imaginary girlfriend auction as a way to get publicity (which I did) and also because I thought it would be lots of fun (it is).  Now everyone is doing it and its not so nice anymore. I am actually shocked at what some of these girls are willing to do for a bid.

“I am actually shocked at what some of these girls are willing to do for a bid.”  That from a girl auctioning herself off as an imaginary girlfriend.  (more cackles!)

“there should be a rating higher than "positive" for transactions like this”  (still more cackles!)

posted @ Thursday, January 29, 2004 3:50 PM | Feedback (10)
10 Myths by John Stossel
I've been reading a lot about John Stossel lately.  Hmm, that must mean he has a book out.  And he does -- what do you know!  It's called Give Me a Break : How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media...  I'm not sure if he really did those things but he seems like a pretty sharp guy.  I just found an article of his about what he calls the top 10 most reported myths.  His #10 myth is Getting Cold can give you a Cold.  I also liked his myth about Republicans and small government.  After watching Bush spend money the last few years I can certainly agree with it.  It's a neat article to read and I learned a few things while reading.  He's going to announce his #1 myth on TV sometime soon.  Hopefully he'll update the article soon after.
posted @ Monday, January 26, 2004 3:06 PM | Feedback (2)
McDonalds <> Subway

Scott sent me an interesting item.  It's an article about someone who ate noting but McDonalds food for 30 days.  Even in that short a time he had some amazing health problems.  His cholesterol jumped from 165 to 230 and his liver had “virtually turned to pate”.  I guess you won't see this guy in any McDonalds ads anytime soon.  One my soft-of resolutions for this year was to cut down on fast food.  This article helps.

posted @ Monday, January 26, 2004 11:42 AM | Feedback (1)
Did I get had?
I think I'm going to take that Bush post down until I can verify it.
posted @ Saturday, January 24, 2004 5:12 PM | Feedback (0)
What's $44 Trillion Among Friends
Your parents are going to bankrupt the country.  Well, mine are too but I like blaming yours.  Paul O'Neill commissioned a study to see how bad it's going to be when the baby boomers retire.  Hey, we're only $44 trillion short.  They used GAAP accounting to see what the U.S. budget looks like.  There are laws requiring businesses to use GAAP accounting.  And those pesky lawmakers didn't make the U.S. government follow those same laws.  There's no accrual for the future expenses assoicated with the baby boomers retiring.  And we're $44 trillion short.  Fortune got their hands on the study and wrote an article on it (available only to subscribers).  You can find a (probably illegal) copy of it here.  Remember this when you vote this November.  This is probably one of the biggest threats facing America over the next 50 years and our politicians are ignoring it.
posted @ Tuesday, January 20, 2004 9:21 PM | Feedback (0)
Scientific Atlanta 8000 + Everest = Sucks!

I've been a very happy ReplayTV owner since 2000.  Finally in late 2003 my ReplayTV box broke down.  It would still record but wouldn't dial out and get a channel lineup.  Early this year I switched from Time Warner to Everest here in Kansas City.  Overall I like Everest.  I like the cable television, phone server and Internet connection.  I also pay them $13/month for a Scientific Atlanta 8000.  It's a Digital Video Recorder like a ReplayTV or TiVo.  Unfortunately, after using a Replay for a while, using an SA8000 is like going back to the stone age.

Before I start I want to describe one feature I do like.  I can record one channel while watching another.  I think I can actually record two channels while watching another but I haven't tried.  My comments on this device are specific to it's use with Everest.  I know there are multiple software versions out there with different features.  I'm pretty sure Everest has given me the worst software.

So here's the scenario.  I set my SA8000 to record the Jayhawk's basketball game.  The game starts at 3:00PM and I set it to record until 5:30PM.  Then I keep myself busy until 3:30 or so and then turn on the TV.  I see the show being recorded on the list of recorded shows.  I can either select the show or just hit the play button.  The result is the same in either case.  It starts playing at the current time instead of the beginning of the game.  WTF?!?  Can you imagine any scenario where I'd want to start watching a show I was recording in the middle?  If I wanted that I'd just tune to that channel directly.  So I choose the show and then start rewinding immediately, all while trying not to see the screen.  It's challenging and certainly a humorous sight to see.

And I watch the game ... hopefully enjoying a Jayhawk victory.  So let's assume that a few things happened during the game and I fell further and further behind live television.  It's 5:29 and I'm just starting to watch the second half.  No problem since it's recording right?  Nope.  At 5:30 it stops recording.  And stops playing.  The first time it happened I was a little shocked.  When I choose the show and hit play guess where it started playing?  Did it pick up where it left off?  Oh no.  It started at the beginning!  Arrrgggh!  Now I had to fast forward until I got back to where I was.  How could they get these backward?  It has a feature to change the screen colors but won't start playing a recording show at the beginning.  Who prioritized those features?

And the fast forward and rewind should both be faster!  And if you're fast forwarding and hit play, it should rewind just a bit for you.  Replay has done this for years!  If you've never had one of these boxes I'm sure you'll be happy.  If you're replacing one of these boxes, prepare to be disappointed.

I read a rumor that Everest may be doing a software roll out early this year.  Please hurry up.  I've already started shopping for a $600 box to replace your $13/month box.  It's worth that much to me.  I sent Everest an email about this but haven't hear back.  I'm not sure if it's their fault of Scientific Atlanta's.  But I'm guessing this is Everest's problem.

UPDATE:  As of August 2004 Everest rolled out new software that fixes the “playback stopping when the recording stops“ bug.  I still don't see why they can't start playing at the beginning though.

posted @ Tuesday, January 20, 2004 8:34 PM | Feedback (3)
A Few Cool Interviews

FrontPage Magazine has some great interviews with some interesting authors.  I'm not familiar with FrontPage Magazine.  It appears to be run by David Horowitz.  I'm mostly ambivalent about Horowitz though his bio is intriguing. 

The first interview is with Andrew Sullivan.  Mr. Sullivan is a blogger that I read fairly regularly.  He's a conservative, gay, Catholic.  Which gives him a pretty interesting outlook on the world.  I don't always agree with everything he write but he certainly makes me think.

The second interview is with Daniel Pipes.  Mr. Pipes is a scholar of Middle Eastern history.  He's also one of the most literate, vocal opponents of what he calls “militant Islam”.  His web site is full of interesting articles.  One of his answers in the interview was very direct:

FP: Let us suppose you became Bush’s main advisor in the War on Terror; what steps would you suggest he immediately take?

Pipes: That’s easy: I would advise him to surround himself with leading moderate, anti-Islamist Muslims and announce that the “War on Terror” has been redefined as the “War on Militant Islam.” That would have many and profound implications, such as (1) indicating that this is a war of ideas as well as of guns, (2) permitting us to focus on that population which supports militant Islam, (3) pointing out the key role of moderate Muslims, and (4) specifying that the immediate war goal must be to destroy militant Islam and the ultimate war goal the modernization of Islam.

That's certainly not a politically correct answer but I think it correctly highlights the problem we face.  Many good things to read on his site and in the interview.

posted @ Tuesday, January 20, 2004 8:16 PM | Feedback (3)
A Perfect Lie Detector

A company in Israel developed a lie detector they claim is 90% accurate against “real criminal subjects”.  It's simple enough you can wear a pair of glasses with the detector in them.  All it needs to do is hear the voice and it can determine whether the subject is lying.  As a bonus it can also determine if the subject really loves you.

So how different is a world were no one can lie?  Trials and the legal system and mostly gone.  We suddenly need a lot fewer police.  Contracts become much simpler.  I just want to ask a car dealer “Is that your lowest price?” and know if he's telling the truth.

If that sounds intriguing you should read The Truth Machine by Thomas Halperin.  His novel invisions that world and the changes that would result.  It's a good book and a great social commentary.  It sure would make Poker a different game.

posted @ Monday, January 19, 2004 7:52 PM | Feedback (1)
Go Poland!

Our Forgotten Allies by Ralph Peters is a great editorial.  It discusses the cooperation between Poland and the U.S. over the years.

THE decisive turning point in the West's long struggle against Islamic conquerors came on the afternoon of Sept. 12, 1683, during the last Turkish siege of Vienna. Severely outnumbered Polish hussars - the finest cavalry Europe ever produced - charged into the massed Ottoman ranks with lowered lances and a wild battle cry.

Led by the valiant King Jan Sobieski, the Poles had marched to save Vienna while other Europeans looked away. The French - surprise! - had cut a deal with the sultan. (To Louis XIV, humbling the rival Habsburgs trumped the fate of Western civilization.)

Poland has done some great things.  And been totally screwed as a result.

posted @ Sunday, January 18, 2004 2:31 PM | Feedback (1)
Site Upgrade
I just upgraded the site to the latest .text build.  As a bonus, the page handler doesn't grab EVERY .aspx page on the site now.  Which means Sean's pictures are visible again.  They're linked to on the right.  For anyone that stumbles here from SQLTeam.com, Sean was a co-founder of the site who died in an automobile accident in September 2000.  (Please ignore the format and broken links on those pages.  I'll fix 'em).
posted @ Sunday, January 18, 2004 2:03 PM | Feedback (2)
Powers of Ten
This is pretty darn cool!  Someone at Florida State created a “viewer” program (called Powers of Ten).  It starts out 10 million light years from earth and zooms in by a factor of ten each time.  It goes all the way down to the sub-atomic level.  Pretty darn cool!  (Thanks Mike)
posted @ Sunday, January 18, 2004 1:56 PM | Feedback (0)
Cultural Failure
Den Beste has an interesting article up on the failure of Arab/Islamic culture.  He made this claim in an earlier article and is now defending it.  This is one of the most interesting pieces I've read in a while.  He quotes a journalist who spent some time in Saudi Arabia to reinforce his points.  Take a second and take a gander.
posted @ Saturday, January 17, 2004 12:43 PM | Feedback (1)
Why Chimps Struggle with Language

New Scientist has an interesting article on the specific facets of our intelligence that let us speak.  And keep chimps from speaking.

posted @ Friday, January 16, 2004 1:09 PM | Feedback (1)
Catching Up

So I'm way, way behind on posts.  My email is full of things that I email myself from work to post in the evenings.  And then I never get to it.  So here goes in no particular order...

Hmm.  That seems to be all I can find right now.  Guess I wasn't as far behind as I thought.

 

posted @ Monday, January 12, 2004 9:26 PM | Feedback (0)
How fast was the Iraq War?

The Command Post has a funny post up.  How long was the “war“ in Iraq?

  • It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation.
  • In fact, it took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!
  • It took less time to find Saddam's sons in Iraq than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.
  • It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Teddy Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.

Ha!

posted @ Monday, January 05, 2004 4:43 PM | Feedback (0)
Can you vote out Democracy?
France is facing an interesting struggle with their Muslim minority.  It centers around head scarves for women but runs much deeper than that.  What happens when Muslims are a majority in France?  What happens when they want to vote down democracy?  How should a democracy react when a significant portion of their citizenry is advocating a change of government?  How does an Islamic France integrate with the EU?
posted @ Monday, January 05, 2004 4:35 PM | Feedback (2)
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