Category Archives

Internet

A long, strange journey

General Entertainment, Internet, News, Technology, Unexplained, Want by
  • Comments Off on A long, strange journey

It’s been a very bizarre trip for cold fusion.

Odd topic, no?

Well, actually no as I’ve covered it once before.  At the time (March 2010) I was fresh off of watching a video clip that had infuriated me.  60 Minutes had interviewed several scientists who had been involved with the 1980s announcement by Fleischmann and Pons of their – several times now proven – findings with a room temperature fusion reaction.  The general consensus was that maybe, just maybe, the science actually worked and “oh, by the way” Fleischmann and Pons were perhaps the victims of some world class backstabbing.  The resigned look of both bitterness and “I freaking told you so” on Fleischmann’s face says everything.

But, looking back from where the field is now in 2012 does provide a little hope.  Dubbed “Low Energy Nuclear Reaction” or LENR now, cold fusion is bubbling back up to the mainstream.

I started hearing about LENR on some fringe-y sites here and there via the work of Dr. Andrea Rossi.  His E-Cat system caught my eye – and the eye of researchers, industrialists and politicians from Sweden to Massachusetts.  Skeptical myself, you can imagine my surprise when I started seeing it pop up in financial network reports.  And presidential candidate interviews.  And most recently in a ringing endorsement from NASA:

We could really use this one, Universe.  Please don’t let me down.

The waiting game

Cars, Internet by
  • Comments Off on The waiting game

2012 has become the year of nautical tracking, it would seem:  my new favorite pastime is tracking the progress of Wallenius-Wilhelmsen ship Don Juan as it makes its way through the North Sea and eventually on to Nova Scotia, New York and Baltimore.  Why, you ask?  Because my new car is aboard and having its VIN allows me to do so!  The folks over at the Swedespeed Volvo forum have put together a comprehensive thread on the subject of tracking custom orders.

You’d better believe I’ll be checking in with the Southampton radar information when it will be catching a view of Don Juan on Sunday.  As I said to Kate, GPS and the internet would have made the pirate’s life so much easier…

A book to remember

Architecture, Art, Books, Internet, Movies by
  • Comments Off on A book to remember

Since I will most likely forget by the time I get to reading it, I want to remind myself publicly to pick up a copy of 1Q84.  This NPR review explains why.

Its mention coincides nicely with Kate’s question:  “Did you see the time-lapse video of Tokyo set to the score of Blade Runner?”

android dreams from Samuel Cockedey on Vimeo.

The answer to which is now “Yes.” What a perfect companion to Murakami’s book.

Love for sheets with a ‘z’

Cars, Internet by
  • Comments Off on Love for sheets with a ‘z’

Amen, Jalopnik. Your description of the feeling I get when I see a Sheetz come into view is absolutely spot-on. As I beat the pavement from campus to campus, I can always rely on Sheetz to get me warm sustenance in the form of a delicious pretzel sandwich with little hassle and consistent results. A perk to PA’s roads can’t be discounted!

Wired93: lucky seven

Internet, Music, Print, Technology, Television by
  • Comments Off on Wired93: lucky seven

I’m writing this from the living room in Maryland, where the power is resoundingly out this afternoon.  One conclusion that can be drawn from this incident is that, unlike 1993, there is very little reason to have a computer without internet connectivity in 2011.  I can’t even remember the last time I wrote while offline – how will I link?!

Pages 84 – 89 (review pages):

  • WatchIT!TV, a full-size, 16-bit PC expansion card that allowed for analog television tuning – and the author’s awesome VCR recording pass-through
  • “Information plugs us into the world of computerized productivity, but the open space of books balances our computer logic with the graces of intuition.” – The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality
  • Wired began using Music Access to provide samples of reviewed albums by 900 number at a cost of 95¢/min
  • Ambulance: An Electronic Novel, which came packaged on 2 high-density floppies and required 2 MB of RAM
  • touch tone dialer (?)
  • page 89’s ad for OMD’s new album – and that is all that needs to be said

Site love

Books, Fashion, Internet by
  • Comments Off on Site love

 

The site:  Full-Stop

Why I went: article on creating fashion mood boards based on book covers – something that reeks of Kate

Why I stayed: the first look (above) was inspired by The Virgin Suicides <- te amo

Why I’ll return:

“Full Stop aims to focus on young writers, works in translation, and books we feel are being neglected by other outlets while engaging with the significant changes occurring in the publishing industry and the evolution of print media.”

The Singularity will be tweeted

Internet, Technology by
  • Comments Off on The Singularity will be tweeted

The power of elites, based on money and nominal authority, will be complemented and balanced by people representing new forms of power and influence. Individuals and groups will self-organize into power blocs of an unexpected nature, and wield influence.

Wired put up a great guest column by Craig Newmark that’s got my brain all twitchy.  I write about it now having not fully digested it, so this post is both an encouragement for others to go read what Newmark has to say – and a reminder for me to re-read it thoroughly.  However, it plays out fast and likens Ben Franklin to DARPA and caffeine consumption to social networking with quite a bit in between.  Could we have already stumbled into the dreams of Ray Kurzweil?

Ready, aim, fire

Internet, Technology by
  • Comments Off on Ready, aim, fire

Well, this ought to be entertaining:

Salutations Lulz Lizards,

As we’re aware, the government and whitehat security terrorists across the world continue to dominate and control our Internet ocean. Sitting pretty on cargo bays full of corrupt booty, they think it’s acceptable to condition and enslave all vessels in sight. Our Lulz Lizard battle fleet is now declaring immediate and unremitting war on the freedom-snatching moderators of 2011.

Welcome to Operation Anti-Security (#AntiSec) – we encourage any vessel, large or small, to open fire on any government or agency that crosses their path. We fully endorse the flaunting of the word “AntiSec” on any government website defacement or physical graffiti art. We encourage you to spread the word of AntiSec far and wide, for it will be remembered. To increase efforts, we are now teaming up with the Anonymous collective and all affiliated battleships.

Whether you’re sailing with us or against us, whether you hold past grudges or a burning desire to sink our lone ship, we invite you to join the rebellion. Together we can defend ourselves so that our privacy is not overrun by profiteering gluttons. Your hat can be white, gray or black, your skin and race are not important. If you’re aware of the corruption, expose it now, in the name of Anti-Security.

Top priority is to steal and leak any classified government information, including email spools and documentation. Prime targets are banks and other high-ranking establishments. If they try to censor our progress, we will obliterate the censor with cannonfire anointed with lizard blood.

It’s now or never. Come aboard, we’re expecting you…

History begins today.

Lulz Security,
http://LulzSecurity.com/

I’ll be keeping an eye out for all manner of juicy leaked documents.  If governments thought WikiLeaks was a nuisance…