rambling on through the world

this isn't good... Pope's Health 'In a Bad Way'

The next office that they have to check out is the new pseudo CIA that Rummy created when the others (NSA, CIA, etc.) wouldn't give him the answers he wanted regarding Iraq. Congress Shuts Pentagon Unit Over Privacy By CARL HULSE WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 — A Pentagon office that became steeped in controversy over privacy issues and a market in terrorism futures was shut down by Congress today as the Senate passed and sent to President Bush a $368 billion military measure that eliminates money for it. The Pentagon spending plan for 2004 adopted by the Senate says that the office, the Information Awareness Office, which had been headed by Adm. John M. Poindexter, should be "terminated immediately" while a few projects under its control could be shifted elsewhere within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The House passed the measure on Wednesday. "They turned the lights out on the programs Poindexter conceived," said Senator Ron Wyden, Democr...

The joy of powerpoint!! The Level of Discourse Continues to Slide By JOHN SCHWARTZ Is there anything so deadening to the soul as a PowerPoint presentation? Critics have complained about the computerized slide shows, produced with the ubiquitous software from Microsoft, since the technology was first introduced 10 years ago. Last week, The New Yorker magazine included a cartoon showing a job interview in hell: "I need someone well versed in the art of torture," the interviewer says. "Do you know PowerPoint?" Once upon a time, a party host could send dread through the room by saying, "Let me show you the slides from our trip!" Now, that dread has spread to every corner of the culture, with schoolchildren using the program to write book reports, and corporate managers blinking mindlessly at PowerPoint charts and bullet lists projected onto giant screens as a disembodied voice reads • every • word • on • every • slide. When th...

Interesting article about security in the Windows environment. It notes a particuliar theme that I have heard mentioned a number of times - MS puts out a patch and within weeks a hacker has reverse engineered that patch to create a virus since they know that people are slow as snot about updating their computers. To Fix Software Flaws, Microsoft Invites Attack By STEVE LOHR Microsoft's Security Response Center in Redmond, Wash., is the computing equivalent of a hospital emergency ward. When a problem comes in the door the center's director, Kevin Kean, and his staff must swiftly make an assessment: Is the security weakness detected in a Microsoft software product only minor? Or is it possibly so serious that, if exploited by a vandal's malicious code (as happened last month with the Blaster worm) it might crash computers and networks around the world? If the threat appears grave, the problem goes immediately into the center's emergency operating room, where i...

Hmmph, the Defense Intelligence Agency says that the intelligence provided by the people that - in effect the Bush Admin paid - wasn't accurate about the state of Iraq weapons. What a surprise.... Agency Belittles Information Given by Iraq Defectors By DOUGLAS JEHL WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 — An internal assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that most of the information provided by Iraqi defectors who were made available by the Iraqi National Congress was of little or no value, according to federal officials briefed on the arrangement. In addition, several Iraqi defectors introduced to American intelligence agents by the exile organization and its leader, Ahmad Chalabi, invented or exaggerated their credentials as people with direct knowledge of the Iraqi government and its suspected unconventional weapons program, the officials said. The arrangement, paid for with taxpayer funds supplied to the exile group under the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, invo...

FILE SHARING A CRIME? UM implements digital music firewall across campus

Not only do they want to be scumbags - they want to be EFFICIENT sumbags!! Washington Insiders' New Firm Consults on Contracts in Iraq By DOUGLAS JEHL WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 — A group of businessmen linked by their close ties to President Bush, his family and his administration have set up a consulting firm to advise companies that want to do business in Iraq, including those seeking pieces of taxpayer-financed reconstruction projects. The firm, New Bridge Strategies, is headed by Joe M. Allbaugh, Mr. Bush's campaign manager in 2000 and the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency until March. Other directors include Edward M. Rogers Jr., vice chairman, and Lanny Griffith, lobbyists who were assistants to the first President George Bush and now have close ties to the White House. At a time when the administration seeks Congressional approval for $20.3 billion to rebuild Iraq, part of an $87 billion package for military and other spending in Iraq and Afgh...

OK - so this is the story. The White House get's pissed that someone tells the world that they were wrong and then a story comes out with the name of the guys wife (and I still don't understand how this was important) who was UNDERCOVER for the CIA.... and we are to believe that the reporter just stumbled on it?? And then, the White House says that the Justice Department - which need I remind you is lead by a man who lost an election to someone that was DEAD and who was then appointed to the post by George Jr. (Shrub) - is the one that should lead the investigation? When Clinton got a blow job - we needed special prosecutors. When a CIA operatives life may have been put on the line - that isn't important enough? Hmmmm, priorities, priorities, priorities...... White House Denies a Top Aide Identified an Officer of the C.I.A. By ERIC LICHTBLAU and RICHARD W. STEVENSON WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 — The White House today dismissed as "ridiculous" the suggestion th...

complete and total proof that the french are morons.... Europe Heat Wave Killed Some 19,000

Hmmm - what a surprise. The weapons hunters haven't found anything in Iraq. Geez, I guess if they would have then Shrub and Dick and Rummy would have been swining from chandeliers! Draft Report Said to Cite No Success in Iraq Arms Hunt By DOUGLAS JEHL and JUDITH MILLER WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 — An early draft of an interim report by the American leading the hunt for banned weapons in Iraq says his team has not found any of the unconventional weapons cited by the Bush administration as a principal reason for going to war, federal officials with knowledge of the findings said today. The long-awaited report by David Kay, the former United Nations weapons inspector who has been leading the American search for illicit weapons, will be the first public assessment of progress in that search since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1. Mr. Kay's team has spent nearly four months searching suspected sites and interviewing Iraqi scientists believed to have ...

This is VERY cool news from the city... City Unveils Plans to Turn Old Rail Line Into a Park By WINNIE HU The Bloomberg administration moved ahead yesterday with its plans to transform an abandoned elevated rail line into a 1.6-mile-long park and make it the centerpiece for new commercial and residential developments along the western edge of Chelsea. At a news briefing, city planning officials unveiled a detailed proposal to carve out a special redevelopment district along 10th and 11th Avenues, between West 16th and West 30th Streets. The plan is part of the city's overall effort to encourage and control development on the West Side, Manhattan's most undeveloped area. Zoning there would be changed from manufacturing and commercial uses to allow up to 4,200 units of new housing, primarily along the avenues. Running through it would be the High Line, a railroad viaduct from the 1930's that extends from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street. Development along th...

NCAA says no to ACC championship game with just 11 teams in conference

interesting first step for a music company. BMG Offers Legal Song Sharing

Wow - take a look at what the people across the pond are saying about our move to electronic voting! There are an excellent collection of links at the bottom of the article that will let you review a number of other stories. It's always interesting to read news about the US from a place as different as Russia - very different and fascinating take on the news. Chris Floyd's Global Eye - The St. Petersburg Times - Russia

Mike and Mike in the morning are AWESOME!! Are Mike and Mike metrosexuals?

Stuck looking for a present for me - here's a hint!! Sebastian

With God as my witness, I thought those turkeys could fly...... Gordon Jump dies at 71

interesting story about what is coming out of the NYC 311 center. Local - 311: Making a better city

Hmmm, how odd is this? The Dept of Sanitation was wildly off on the numbers that they generated for how much they thought they would save by eliminating recycling?? NYC recycling fiasco

Coker feels offense careless, not productive enough

hard to be critical of a victory - but when we have been groomed with such an offensive amount of success in cane-land...well, this "slower" offense could cause you at least a little bit of concern when you stop to think about it. Warning: Don't let score fool you

the man is BACK!!! UM's Geathers ready to show his mettle

further proof of miami's status as a third world country. Jurors plead guilty to fixing trial

My email to Carly Fionarina regarding recent ads by HP: Carly - I need you to clarify something about your new ad campaign for HP. In particuliar, the statement that "nanotechnology is the building block of life". Last time I checked - that was inaccurate. As a matter of fact, atoms, molecules, or even DNA could be considered the building blocks of life - but something that you want to eventually sell and make money on.... I don't think so. Please make sure to have a competent fact checker review all information before your ad agency makes HP look stupid. I realize that most people won't catch this faux pas - but then again, the people that don't catch it won't be buying nanotechnology - will they?? Thank you - Rob

i put the cell phone industry right up there with the big pharma's and the oil companies as far as being scum bags. in the case of cell phone companies, they have treated us - the customers - as shit for waaayyyy too long. This new regulation from the government will let that behavior come home to roost. The execs at the cell phone companies better be sweating what's really gonna happen come late November. One of the biggets reasons people never switch is because so many people know the number - that is no longer a problem. And even better is that the way that the cell phone companies work - they rely on keeping us around for and avoiding this churn to make money. Their past actions are now going to come back to hit them where it hurts - right in the wallett. Phone number rule spawns wireless ad war

thing is, i don't know how i feel about this. i know that there is a need for the government to do this kind of research - i mean, this very research may lead to saving my life or that of others... but there are some pretty big privacy issues as well. JetBlue admits it shared data

Brock's girlfriend.... Miss LA USA 2003

Hurricane Brock

30 carries , 188 yards for an average of 6.3 yards per carry. Yeah, Jones up there at V Tech is a stud.

yeah - this couldn't have been any fun..... Unlucky Concorders get from JFK to London - in 10 hours

Face of Mount Rushmore Moving Slightly

Wall St. bloodhounds track IMs for clues

The op-ed piece in the NY Times by the former ambassador, Joe Wilson, who was sent to Africa to investigate the claims of Iraq trying to get nuclear materials. Interesting in the fact that he - after being sent by the Bush admin - said that there was no proof of any of these rumors. What I Didn't Find in Africa

Interesting take on the furor over the NYSE compensation issue. One the one side - the NYSE is a private company. What the hell is it anyone's business what the compensation is for the CEO? On the flip side - they do position themselves as the "gold standard" of exchanges, and with that, just like for a sports figure or celebrity - they have to be cleaner and better then those that they serve. How can they tell companies to be better corporate citizens when they do things like this?? And on a whole other side - the fact that the board of the NYSE is such a bunch of incestious bastards does nothing to make them look anything even approaching credible! Grasso's compensation

Is VoIP pioneer Cisco losing momentum?

Hmmm, I wonder who is more to blame here. Is it the warlords and drug dealers that are back doing their thing in the wild west that most of Afghanistan qualifies as? Or coud it be the new neo-Taliban (I like that, it looks/sounds like neo-conservative, the name for the cabal running DC now. Of course, those are both a takeoff on NeoNazi - but we won't go there...wink wink) that are rearing their ugly heads? Or could it simply be our screwed up governemt with Bush and his merry pranksters running amok as they exercise their demons of being dorks and picked on in school. I don't care what they say about Rummy, Rice, and Cheney - if they were in high school with me.... it would have been swirly time. The only decent one of the lot is C. Powell - but the rheotoric of the rest of them drowns him out. I mean, look at the link just a couple below where they are now saying that there was no effort by the administration to portray Saddam as having something to do with 9/11. Sor...

Dream ticket for the Dems in 2004 - Dean for President and Gen. Clark for VP. A pair of Washington outsiders - one strong on domestic issues, and the former commander of NATO could hardly be questioned on defense. I would love to see this pairing - wonder if the two ego's could exist in the same room to make the killer ticket happen....... Besides - how funny would it be to have a Prez and VP with the names Howard and Wesley!?!?

All K2 has to keep on doing is that sick blocking - and the catches will come as the teams realize that they have to triple him, Hester, Beard, Parrish, Geathers, and Gore to try and stop us. Once they get done trying to triple team those six guys and then blitz Berlin to slow him down - it's game over with a pass to Kyle COBIA!!! Winslow Flattered, Frustrated by Steady Attention

hmmmm - the rankings put out by a Va Tech grad have VT moving from a ranking of 106 to #2 - on an off week? Wow. If a U Miami grad had that kind of input to the BCS rankings and that happened, there would be cries of foul play stretching from Tallahassee to South Bend! But, in the end, all is right in the world with Miami ranked #1!!!!!!!!! Pre-BCS projections crazy as ever

Hmmm - so the Administration is doing the old two step shuffle. Wow, I can't believe that they have the gall to say that they didn't try to say that Iraq was connected DIRECTLY to 9/11. What a joke, just a sad sad joke..... Bush: No Proof of Saddam Role in 9-11

as an FYI - Sandy Hook (the north end of the northern tropical storm warning) is actually a few miles north of my office - but south of my house. Tropical Storm Advisories

The day may finally be near when digital technology eviscerates a $60 billion ad business. How will the networks survive? Forbes.com: ZAP! :

Megachurches, Megabusinesses

wonder if it has anything to do with them getting thumped by an unranked team - at home?? quiet in texas

Isabel's project path continues to slide to the south of us. weather.com - Projected Path

Let's just HOPE!! Is IT's Spending Drought Over at Last?

This is one of the funniest things that I have read in a while - and it's no surprise that it comes from Bill Maher.... While the rest of the world honored the second anniversary of 9/11 by cracking down on terrorism, the people responsible for the attacks zeroed in on the real problem facing the world, Barbie. That's right, Saudi Arabian police declared Barbie "offensive to Islam" as well as a "Jewish" doll and banished her from the kingdom. Barbie was then whisked to the French Riviera in a private jet, where she was plied with cocaine and drinks, then raped all night by 2,000 Saudi princes. Barbie, a Jewish doll? Oh, I guess there's some evidence of that -- it's true when you put Ken on top of her she just lies there. But maybe that's because Ken is gay, which probably doesn't go over well in Mecca either. Guys, if you're worried that Barbie is offensive, you have no idea how offensive to Islam we can be. We've got Christian...

Isn't this interesting. A scientest funded by the government gets results that the government wanted. Hmmm - and then he had to retract them, What a surprise, giving monkeys lethal does of speed kills them. The government could have given me the money and I could have told them the same thing without killing any monkeys!! Wired News: Ecstasy Study Botched, Retracted

Improvements in the forecasting of hurricanes - Improved Forecasting Helps Hurricane Experts See Into Storms' Futures By ANDREW C. REVKIN As Hurricane Isabel churns toward a probable collision with the Middle Atlantic coast on Thursday, it is providing the first significant test of a new government effort to provide five-day forecasts of hurricane movements. And federal officials said yesterday that this season's storms had already bolstered recent conclusions that a five-day hurricane forecast is now just as reliable as a three-day forecast was 15 years ago. Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said that the average error range on the 19 five-day forecasts generated since Sept. 6, when the center started issuing advisories on Hurricane Isabel, had errors that were typical of a two-day forecast in his early days at the agency, 30 years ago. "I don't want to brag about that yet," Mr. Mayfield said, explaining th...

Excellent - even borderline explosive - article from of all place, the NY Times. While they may not be known as a great sports newspaper - they do have some good thinkers over there!! To Keep Title Would Be to Lose Integrity By WILLIAM C. RHODEN EIGHT months ago, Maurice Clarett scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl to propel Ohio State to a 31-24 victory over Miami and an undisputed national championship. The game was an example of how enthralling intercollegiate sports can be. Now I feel Ohio State should entertain the possibility of returning the championship trophy. Karen Holbrook, the first-year president of the university, should insist that this option be put on the table. Earlier this week, Clarett was suspended by Ohio State for the remainder of the football season for violations the university said it uncovered during a two-and-a-half-month investigation. Athletic Director Andy Geiger said the university had determined that Cla...

New York City - how it's recovering from 9/11 and the previous 30 years of change as well. Economist.com

Chatting with Brock

Portis had 12 carries for 129 yards - in the first half, then was injured and missed the second half. Shit - he keeps performances like this up and Jamal Lewis's record could be in jeapordy he knows it!! Recap - San Diego vs Denver

Not the most inspiring quote about Lamar Odom's chances of doing well and being mature in Miami. "There are no guarantees. Hopefully, the light switch will go on." I mean, he had trouble because of the vice and sin of Vegas and LA - and he thinks going to MIAMI is a good idea?!?!? The Miami Herald | 09/14/2003 | The ultimate fast break: Odom's escape

The only - and I repeat the ONLY reason that I was happy to see FSU beat GT (other then College Pick Em :) was so that the Cane's can knock off a higher ranked opponent when we make our trip up to Tallahassee 'Noles escape Yellow Jackets' upset bid

Perry is the ONLY Heisman candidate at this time - as far as I am concerned. Heisman Watch

please, oh pleasssseeee let the coke head be ready for the game against ND so that they can get their clocks cleaned again!! Smoker's status uncertain for ND game - Sunday September 14, 2003 7:39PM

I can't believe my eyes. The coaches dropped Ohio State after they won. I figured that they were all worshiping at the feet of the Buckeye God - I guess there is hope in this world..... College Football Rankings

I was wrong - the Canes had 7 penalties for 75 yards Game Summary

some good general game info - including Jason Geathers coming back. Can't WAIT for him to get back into game form and contribute. Gore hits 100 yards in first three games

Gore's feat a first among Miami RBs

UM trio makes most of chance

Defense punctuates UM's win

I love the quote at the bottom - "the only "harm" is loss of monopoly profits" Phone Cos. Ask Court to Stop FCC Rules

life is good when adam ant can make it in the news..... you're going to have to look hard. MTV.com - For The Record

OK - R. Kelly may need more supervision during interviews then Jeremy Shockey - The new issue of Blender magazine features an interview with R. Kelly, who discusses how pending child-porn charges have destroyed his image. "Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through," he said

this will make you laugh your ass off - if you like college football.... Weekend Pickoff: Irish upset isn't in the cards - Friday September 12, 2003 11:17AM

Micheal Dell Says Some Tech Firms Doomed

interesting read...... Mr. Bush, You Are A Liar

from www.fireronzook.com this gator fans ain't happy

Interesting story from the times - Cellphones That Reach Alter Egos By DAVID POGUE On Oct. 1, Cingular will begin selling a unique $40 cellphone cradle called the FastForward. What it does can be described by a single sentence: whenever you slip your cellphone into it, the FastForward automatically routes incoming cell calls to your home or office phone. The implications of this simple idea, though, constitute a much broader topic. In fact, you could write a whole column on it. For you, the consumer, this elegant device confers a number of benefits. First, you save all kinds of money, because the rerouted calls don't use up any of your monthly cellular minutes. Incoming calls behave exactly as though your callers dialed your home or office number directly. Second, the FastForward means that your friends and family have to memorize only one phone number for you instead of two, three or four. When you're out and about, their calls to your cell number ring the ...

TiVo Sales Remain Tepid Despite Fanatic Fans

An editorial about the upcoming elections and their perceptions (pretty fired up ones) about our last ones.... oh, and this quote - "We know that Bush never reads any book that doesn't have pictures of goats in it" Global Eye -- Last Rights

Last Flight Of The Concorde

honestly, i didn't believe it when i read it, but what the hell.... First Snow Falls In Colorado

excellent - the decision is final... Canes vs. Noles on Labor Day in 2004 and 2005!! CanesTime.com: Are You Ready For Some Football?

At Miami we don't rebuild - we RELOAD

interesting article about hybrid cars. Where High-Tech Cars Still Sputter

it's official..... Ohio State's Clarett Suspended for Season

After 9-11, Iraq Is Proving Ground for American Empire

now we know where james stewart has been - don't we?? ugghhh

i would only read this to mean that maurice is done and gone. big question is now - how does that affect OSU and how other teams plan to defend them? will the other teams in the big ten respect their running attack or will they just key on krenzel and make his life a living hell?? Ohio State Coach Says Clarett Can Leave

Blogs Starting To Make Their Mark in the Workplace

CRM News: Voice-Activated Services Gaining Attention

maybe a good time to buy stock in broadcom?? Small wireless chip poised to make mark

short - and interesting - article about moving IT jobs overseas IT Jobs That Belong Overseas

I got no shame - I love "Newlyweds" on MTV. Can this marriage be saved? MTV's "Newlyweds" serves up a riveting spectacle of jealousy, cluelessness and raw onions with its running battle between popster Jessica Simpson and boy-band hubby Nick Lachey. - - - - - - - - - - - - By Heather Havrilesky Sept. 9, 2003 | Americans are hopelessly romantic about marriage. Little girls grow up daydreaming about their weddings, believing that their lives from that special day forward will be summed up with the phrase "happily ever after," when the truth is much uglier and more complicated and often includes words like "debt consolidation," "ectopic pregnancy" and "compulsive infidelity." For those of us who've sidestepped enough flawed long-term relationships to adjust our expectations considerably, transforming ourselves from dreamy princesses in white to financially solvent pragmatists in sensible shoes, the tearf...