Watch this airspace

Economist.com has a story about four different wireless technologies that can really make a difference in how we use wireless today. One of the interesting things I saw in this article is they mention a company called SkyPilot Networks. I got an e-mail message today from a recruiter at SkyPilot, asking me if I would be interested in a Software Architect job. They seem to be doing some interesting stuff.

Changing the color of Money

The Financial Times has a story about the treasury department's decision to change the color of our money. The reason they give is that because our money is all green, and all bills are the same size; foreign tourists have a hard time telling which bill is which. You know, I thought the great big numbers in each of the four corners would give someone a clue about how much the money is worth...

Another security breach at SFO

Sea Lion Breaches Security at SFO, he was finally picked up near American Airlines gate 64. I guess he had a flight to catch...

Slim Devices SliMP3 - Electronics Reviews - CNET.com

CNET.com has a review of a new device called the SliMP3. It's a very small piece of hardware with an RCA out, and Ethernet. It allows you to plan MP3s from a network connected server in your house. For $250.00 it's pretty cool.

Secrecy News 06/18/02

Secrecy News 06/18/02 reports in an article titled "Death Is A Master From Palestine", that some of the suicide bombers are using new and scary techniques to kill people. One of the things that struck me by this article is the fact that many of the recent suicide bombers have been infected with Hepatitis or HIV. I wonder if they are being infected as part of their preparation for the bombing? People as biological weapons....

'Thinking' robot in escape bid

theage.com.au has a story about a expierimental robot that forced it's way out of the paddok it was being kept in, found the entrace to the building, and made it out to the parking lot before being recaptured.

infoSync : Get ready for 802.11b SD Cards

infoSync has a story about a company who has just released a reference design for 802.11b on an SD Card form factor.
SD Cards are about the size of a postage stamp, and are starting to get wide acceptance as a format for handheld devices. You can find SD Card slots in Palm, Windows CE, and Linux handhelds.

How Yoda became an action star

Entertainment Weekly's EW.com has a story about how Yoda was transformed from a puppet to a computer generated character in the latest Star Wars movie. By far, the best quote in the story is this: ''George told me, 'You don't understand,''' says Coleman. '''The fans WANT this. They've been dying for this. I can't tell you how many letters I get. They want to see Yoda throw it down.'''

Salon.com Technology | Stalker tech

Salon.com is reporting on a project at UCSD that provides accurate location tracking by WI-FI radios. This technology works without GPS, and allows a resolution of less than one floor.

An alternative view of the Replay TV issue...

Using Replay TV to skip commercials is not theft. Actually it should be completely legal, as the people of the united states have already paid for programming on the public airwaves. First, the people of the US gave the broadcast companies access to the public airwaves. This access wasn't granted so that the broadcasters could then "sell" us programming. This access was granted so that the broadcasters could present us with content. We also granted the broadcasters the right to present us with advertising to help them meet the costs of producing the content they are presenting over the public airwaves. If you accept this premise, then using a Replay TV to skip advertising is not theft in any way. The people have already paid for the content of a TV broadcast with a very valuable public resource, the RF spectrum it is broadcast on. So there really is no contract between the TV viewer and the broadcaster when it comes to advertising. In effect we have already paid our share. Let me present you with some analogies: If I attend a conference, I will generally pay a fee to go to that conference. Then I am free to attend the seminars and go to the Vendor area. If I opt not to go to the vendor area no one accuses me of stealing the content at the trade show. I already paid for it, and when I did I accepted the fact that the conference organizers will provide a place for advertising. I can choose to submit myself to that advertising if I wish to, but there is no requirement to do so. If I pay to watch a movie in the theater I can opt to arrive late and miss the 15 minutes of previews and advertisements that precede the movie. Again the movie company and the theaters don't bar me from watching the movie because I missed the advertisements. Both of these examples are very similar to television. I pay for the right to be exposed to content (conference seminars in once case, and a movie in the other). At the same time I acknowledge the fact that there will be advertising present. In both cases I have to decide to expose myself to the advertising. It is not shoved down my throat, and I am not accused of stealing the content by anyone if I choose to ignore the advertising. Television is the same kind of situation. The public has already paid for the content of TV shows. We paid for this content by bartering the use of very valuable public RF spectrum to the broadcast companies. At the same time the public acknowledged the right of the broadcasters to present advertising in the content that they are obligated to provide. There is no contract between a person and the broadcasters to watch the advertising. There is no theft if a person decides to skip the advertising presented to him. In fact people have been doing just that for years. I often wait for an advertisement so that I can use the restroom, or get a snack. I'm not stealing the content of a television broadcast when I skip an advertisement, I already paid for the content along with everyone else in the country. If the broadcast companies find that they are loosing ad revenue because a significant number of people are skipping their advertising they will have to find another way to pay for the costs of producing their content. There are many ways they can do this, but it has nothing to do with the people watching the show.

Today is Mom's Birthday

Today is my Mom's birthday. I hope she has a good one.

PCWorld.com - Enova's Dongle Encrypts All Data on Disk

This is really cool. It allows you to encrypt your entire hard drive including the boot sector without a performance hit.