Month: August 2006

Making sure children are scientifically illiterate

(via Tingilinde)

This just in – some scientists really dislike the way creationists handle the evolution issue.  I mean, what with the attempts to get evolution removed from science books and the push to get His noodly appendagecreationism-is-science put in science books under the guise of intelligent design, some scientists get rather bothered by the whole fight and the wrongheadedness they feel the creationists show.  Take for example, this writing by Lawrence M. Krauss about the recent school board elections and evolution vs. creationism/intelligent design debate.

Voters in Kansas ensured this month that noncreationist moderates will once again have a majority (6 to 4) on the state school board, keeping new standards inspired by intelligent design from taking effect.

This is a victory for public education and sends a message nationwide about the public’s ability to see through efforts by groups like the Discovery Institute to misrepresent science in the schools. But for those of us who are interested in improving science education, any celebration should be muted.

. . .

But perhaps more worrisome than a political movement against science is plain old ignorance. The people determining the curriculum of our children in many states remain scientifically illiterate. And Kansas is a good case in point.

The chairman of the school board, Dr. Steve Abrams, a veterinarian, is not merely a strict creationist. He has openly stated that he believes that God created the universe 6,500 years ago, although he was quoted in The New York Times this month as saying that his personal faith “doesn’t have anything to do with science.”

“I can separate them,” he continued, adding, “My personal views of Scripture have no room in the science classroom.”

A key concern should not be whether Dr. Abrams’s religious views have a place in the classroom, but rather how someone whose religious views require a denial of essentially all modern scientific knowledge can be chairman of a state school board.

I have recently been criticized by some for strenuously objecting in print to what I believe are scientifically inappropriate attempts by some scientists to discredit the religious faith of others. However, the age of the earth, and the universe, is no more a matter of religious faith than is the question of whether or not the earth is flat.

Read the whole thing to see if you pick up just a bit of the hostility I think is there.  And join the debate – which is right, creationism/intelligent design or evolution?  Or maybe it’s something else, like Pastafarianism.

[tags]Creationism vs. Evolution, Intelligent design hackery?, His noodly appendage, Some scientists dislike creationists[/tags]

Super compact 9V USB charger

(via MAKEzine blog)

I’ve seen a lot of 9V battery based USB chargers.  Most seem built around an Altoids mint container.  This one is far smaller, and doesn’t have room to actually hold the 9V battery.  Basically, you plug the battery in on one side and the USB device which needs charged in the other.  I’ve skipped all the other 9V USB guides, but I may try to put one of these together just for those occasions when I have something which charges or runs off a USB connection.  It even has a cool little LED so you can tell when it’s working.

One of the really cool things about this is the charger itself is built from the shell of a 9V battery.  Instructions and images are given for disassembling one battery to build the charger.  Obviously, then, you need a non-disassembled battery to hook up and provide power for the USB port.

[tags]9V USB charger, YAN9VUSBC (Yet another 9 volt USB charger)[/tags]

More guitar playing madness

If you just haven’t learned enough about playing guitar, then try getting in on this offer, from the February 1968 issue of Popular Mechanics.

PLAY GUITAR IN 7 DAYS OR MONEY BACK

TOP GUITARIST ED SALE’S famous 66 page secret system worth $3.00 teaches you to play a beautiful song the first day and any song by ear or note in seven days. Contains 52 photos, 87 finger placing charts, etc. plus 110 popular and western songs, (words and music); a $1.00 Chord Finder of all the chords used in popular music; and a $3.00 Guitarist Book of Knowledge.

TOTAL VALUE $7.00 —ALL FOR ONLY $2.98

SEND NO MONEY! Just your name and address, pay postman: $2.98 plus CO.D. postage. Or send $3.00 with order and I pay postage. (Sorry, no C.O.D. outside Continental U.S.A.—please remit with order) .
10-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
ED SALE, Studio 154-B, Avon By The Sea, N.J. 07717

[tags]Play guitar, Modern Mechanix[/tags]

On the effectiveness of aluminum foil hats

(via Neatorama)

Time for all the nutjobs to pay attention! Some of the fine thinkers at MIT have taken the time to do an empirical study on the effectiveness of, well, like the headline says – aluminum foil hats. Since I know some folks use these fancy hats to block the UFO mind-reading rays (and probably the President Bush mind reading rays, the use of which was instituted shortly before he started using the weather controlling hurricane creating rays), you should probably spend some time finding out what protection they provide.
Here’s the abstract:

Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government’s invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.

Well, can you really trust them now? Maybe those hats work, and these guys are just part of the conspiracy? And why aluminum foil and not tin foil? Things that make you go hmmmmmm?

[tags]Aluminum foil hats, Protecting the brain from the UFO mind-reading rays[/tags]

Top 10 Ubuntu hacks

This one gets a posting just because I know folks who are using or at least trying out the latest Ubuntu distribution. If you are just getting your Ubuntu install running, or are thinking of trying Ubuntu out, be sure to check out the LifeHacker list of 10 essential Ubuntu applications and tweaks.

8. Add NTFS Read/Write support

If you’re switching from Windows, chances are you’ve got lots of data stored on an NTFS (New Technology File System) formatted drive that you’re not ready to get rid of. This used to be a major problem, since Linux isn’t able to write files to NTFS drives. Or at least that used to be the case. Luckily the Linux-NTFS project has built a driver to overcome those limitations.

HOWTO: NTFS with read/write support using ntfs-3g (easy method)
[Ubuntu Forums]

[tags]Ubuntu, Apps and tweaks[/tags]

Today in History – volcano go boom

Today’s History Channel lead story is on the August 24th, 79 A.D. eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in southern Italy, destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum.  The people in the region lived there to take advantage of the fertile ground.  They had no idea why the land was so fertile.

The ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum thrived near the base of Mount Vesuvius at the Bay of Naples. In the time of the early Roman Empire, 20,000 people lived in Pompeii, including merchants, manufacturers, and farmers who exploited the rich soil of the region with numerous vineyards and orchards. None suspected that the black fertile earth was the legacy of earlier eruptions of Mount Vesuvius. Herculaneum was a city of 5,000 and a favorite summer destination for rich Romans. Named for the mythic hero Hercules, Herculaneum housed opulent villas and grand Roman baths. Gambling artifacts found in Herculaneum and a brothel unearthed in Pompeii attest to the decadent nature of the cities. There were smaller resort communities in the area as well, such as the quiet little town of Stabiae.

At noon on August 24, 79 A.D., this pleasure and prosperity came to an end when the peak of Mount Vesuvius exploded, propelling a 10-mile mushroom cloud of ash and pumice into the stratosphere.

Also of note today in history is the last tank produced by Cadillac came of the line today in 1945, and in 1954 the Communist Control Act was passed, coming to effect not long after the disgrace of Sen. McCarthy (who, BTW, was correct on many of his accusations).
Read the entire account and see what else of note occurred today in history, thanks to The History Channel.

[tags]Today in History, The History Channel, Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii[/tags]

Radical gaming ideas

This list started with mention of a game from a co-worker. His idea for the game differed from mine, but I decided to try coming up with a few games that matched my idea of some new games that I haven’t seen done before.

  • Fag hunter

    • You are a British man, looking for your next cigarette fix

  • Put that bitch in her place

    • You are a young test lab intern, and there has been a breach. You have to capture all the female pups used in lab tests and put each back in the right cage.

  • Work that ass hard

    • You are a farmer working hard to save the family farm. Your tractor is broken, so you have to use your old mule to try to maintain the fields and bring in the harvest.

I’m working on more, but these are the starting ideas I have. I could see a series of mini-games coming from this. Maybe a bunch of online Java games. Hmmmm, I think I just came up with a reason to learn Java.

Feel free to add any similarly themed games in the comments.

UPDATE (2006-08-24 22:36): Some more game ideas from one of my brothers.

  • Beat your meat

    • You are out for dinner at a restaurant that lets you cook your own steak. Before throwing it on the grill, you want to pound it a bit with a tenderizing mallet

  • Trim the Queen’s bush and pound it in

    • You are head gardenkeeper for the Queen of England. One of your biggest responsibilities is keeping the Queen’s favorite rose bush properly trimmed and staked properly

  • Clean up the seaman spill

    • You are a helicopter emergency rescue pilot. You have to get your team to naval disaster sites to rescue the men and women of the navy who are in the water. Some rescues take place in icy waters, giving a time limit. Other missions take place in shark infested waters where you get a mission bonus for saving a certain percentage of the seaman.

[tags]Radical game ideas, Games that sound dirty but aren’t[/tags]

Prohibited and allowed items for flying

(via LifeHacker)

If you will be flying in the near future, you should probably check the TSA guidelines for permitted and prohibitted items on flights.

Due to enhanced security measures liquids, gels, lotions and other items of similar consistency will not be permitted in carry-on baggage. These types of items must be packed in your checked baggage.

Additionally, liquids, gels and lotions purchased beyond the checkpoint but must be disposed of before boarding the aircraft.

To ensure the health and welfare of certain air travelers the following items are permitted.

  • Small amounts of Baby formula and breast milk if a baby or small child is traveling
  • Liquid prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger’s ticket
  • Up to 5 oz. (148ml) of liquid or gel low blood sugar treatment
  • Up to 4 oz. of essential non-prescription liquid medications including saline solution, eye care products and KY jelly
  • Gel-filled bras and similar prostethics
  • Gel-filled wheelchair cushions
  • Life support and life sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs carried for medical reasons

You are permitted to bring solid cosmetics and personal hygiene items as such lipstick, lip balm and similar solids. Please remember these items must be solid and not liquid, gel or aerosol.

Please keep in mind, that while we can not provide an exhaustive list of items covering all eventualities, all liquids, gels, or aerosols of any kind are prohibited at security checkpoints, in airport sterile areas, and aboard aircraft. You can pack these items in your checked baggage.

I think my stance on this is well known.  I will leave it at my request for balance in spending and restrictions.  You can read my other posts for more details.  This is just something of a public service message, providing you information on how to find out more.
Note that the TSA page does not directly address the question of snakes on this page.  So if you have some snakes you want to have travel with you, it might be wise to call ahead and see if you are allowed to have them on the plane.

[tags]TSA permitted and prohibited liquids guide, Snakes on a plane[/tags]

IBM to buy ISS – $1.3 billion in cash

Having worked in computer security in the past, I like to know what’s going on in the security community in case I manage to get a job back in that industry.  So when I read that IBM is buying Internet Security Systems, Inc. for $1.3 billion in cash, I figured I should post about it, in case either of my readers like to keep up with these things and haven’t heard yet.  The article comes from an Australian paper, so I don’t know if that cost is in Australian or US dollars, but I’m guessing it’s US dollars.

With revenue growth sluggish at IBM Corp., Big Blue is buying its way to getting bigger.

The company’s recent acquisition roll continued Wednesday with a deal to spend $1.3 billion in cash for Internet Security Systems Inc., which performs network monitoring and analysis services for companies.

The deal values ISS at $28 a share, almost an 8 percent premium over its $26 closing price Tuesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. If the acquisition is approved by shareholders, the companies expect it to close in the fourth quarter.

[tags]IBM, ISS, Internet Security Systems Inc., IBM buys ISS, Security news[/tags]

Dan Gilmor’s comment on the Floyd Landis Tour de France drug uproar

I agree with Dan here – I don’t care if athletes are using drugs.

But for the cycling world, Thursday’s announcement was a measure of achievement. Cycling is doing more to test its biggest stars at its biggest event than most other professional sports. The depressing news of Landis’ drug test is a reminder that the entire professional sports world should be doing more to catch cheaters.

The real story here is not what our media watchdogs and sports authorities say. It’s blatant, gross hypocrisy.

Right now I’m using a performance-enhancing drug, which I need to function well. It’s called caffeine, and is part of the coffee I drink each morning.

Later I’ll use a drug that helps me relax. It’s called alcohol, and it comes in the wine I’ll drink with dinner.

Drug laws are insane enough. Sports drug bans are beyond hypocritical, because they punish one kind of enhancement while pretending that all others are okay.

I don’t care at all if professional athletes use drugs. They have already been modified in all kinds of other ways — such as diets, blatantly unhealthy, that turn pro football linemen into people the size of large refrigerators.

As I said, I agree with him. I’m not bothered by professional athletes taking drugs and I’m not been bothered by college athletes getting paid. People complain that this will result in the biggest colleges always having the best athletic programs, but why is it so wrong for colleges when pro sports have it (NY Yankees, anyone)?

[tags]Dan Gillmor on Tour de France drug ruckus, Athletes and drugs – so what?[/tags]