I have upgraded to Mac OS X 10.1 this morning. Real smooth, and many of the changes made were obviously based primarily on end user feedback. Many things that bothered me have been changed or enhanced in ways that make them more better. I like it when things are more better.
Recently, perhaps as a result of the giant emotional upheaval that I, and the rest of our country have been through, I have a real visual focus kicking in. Perhaps also spurred by photographs over at exitwound and harrumph. I have a sudden urge to make beautiful interesting things that some might call inspiration.
Microsoft stands by IIS, despite Gartner recommendation "Microsoft says its Internet Information Server (IIS) is as secure as comparable products from other vendors." Well, in that case, Microsoft lies. It's not as secure.
U.S. official: Special forces in Afghan operations We have already been on the ground in Asia.
Bush urges religious tolerance. I am so happy that he is hammering this issue over and over because it is so important. I've got a longish write up about how I feel currently about what we have done so far and how I think we should be following up going forward with the rest of the world and inside the US. I'm hoping to have time to post it tonight. I'm quite tired, at the end of an 8 month project. Quite literally the end.
The Onion | 26 September 2001. I can't believe some of the stuff they came up with. This is some really funny stuff right when I needed it, Thanks.
Rival Schools, a band formed out of the ashes of NYC bands like Quicksand, just released United by Fate, their debut CD. If you liked Quicksand, you'll love this record. It is quickly becoming my favorite CD released this year. Like so many times in my life, I had a chance to see them a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't heard them yet, and so didn't know if I should go or not. I went to a dinner party and out afterwards instead. I am regretting not going to see them after the dinner party now.
Script Menu Oh yeah, baby, oh yeah.
AppleScript - Mac OS X v. 10.1 The Applescript Studio link doesn't work yet.
Damien has been dealing with "a fairly nasty attack on my name, email adress, character, and domain". This is worth a read.
Mac OS X 10.1 Installer Music "Sources running final build of the new OS say that that the new installer plays Viennese electronica/dance band Kruder and Dorfmeister's "Sofa Rocker-Sofa Surfer" off their double album The K&D Sessions."
Dave says, "The point behind that is that people are saying our strategy is stupid, and missing that our strategy might not be what you think it is. In other words, you might be the stupid one."
I've been thinking along exactly these same lines. I hear people making all sorts of statements about what we are doing, how it is wrong, how we should be doing this or that instead. I hate to say this, but I find that it's mostly people in the pacifist camp making these sort of statements. We haven't done anything visible yet, which I think is very telling. I give this administration, which I disagree with on almost every domestic issue, all the credit in the world in this situation. Are you mad because they haven't released their proof about who is involved/culpable in the act? Well, do you really have enough information about the investigation and our strategy to be mad?
I read The Free Lunch by Spider Robinson on Saturday while waiting for the cable guy that never showed. A nice diversion from my current state of mind.
Oracle boss urges national ID cards, offers free software Every time I hear this idea, I see people whose political stances I normally agree with immediately and vehemently disagreeing. Maybe I do not understand something about this issue, but it seems to me that we already have a somewhat national id system in our driver's licenses. Because these vary on a state to state basis, they are much more difficult to track on a national level. In many cases, including here in Georgia, fingerprint data is included in the existing ID. So what's the big deal here? I think this idea provides additional security, and would not necessarily cause any issues for law abiding citizens. Please educate me as to why this is a bad idea.
Commentary: Another worm, more patches "Gartner recommends that businesses hit by both Code Red and Nimda immediately investigate alternatives to IIS, including moving Web applications to Web server software from other vendors such as iPlanet and Apache."
Anguish for Vast Toll of Children Left Behind I've cried a couple of times since this whole awful situation came about, but this article really struck me where it counts. These kids will never be the same because of this, and there was nothing that they could do about it. Losing a parent is the single most life altering event that a child could possibly experience. It matters not whether they have adequate care from loving people, the kids will always be missing something. How uncompassionate are the people who would do such a thing, rob children of their parents? My anger does not fade, in fact it is enhanced with each day that goes by, with each heartbreaking story that I hear. I will not forget.
Apple - Mac OS X 10.1 "AppleScript also uses the Internet standard SOAP and XML protocols to enable communication across your network so you can send AppleScript events from one Mac OS X system to another."
Windows Me has to be the worst operating system ever released. After weeks of rebooting my computer several times a day just trying to do basic work, I finally managed to damage some component of the start up/logon process. Now, I cannot log onto the machine as myself. During the same several week long time frame, I have also been using my Powerbook G4 every day. It has crashed twice. Of course, I can't get database work done right now, which is what needs to get done. So I'm angry that Microsoft's product, which I paid for like an idiot, is of substandard quality. The answer, of course, is to spend more money upgrading to Windows XP, throwing good money after bad. I wish we could demand that they improve the products we already have purchased so that they are usable before we buy a new version. I'm also angry that Microsoft's Database Client Tools only work on their operating system platform. If it weren't for that one simple app, I would be using the Mac full time. It's a spin cycle of lock in.
Mixmaster Mike's new dj compilation, spin psycle is the type of high quality stufff we have come to expect from him. For those unfamiliar with Mixmaster Mike, he has djed for the Beastie Boys for the last four years.
Fighting Terrorism on a Global Front By Kofi A. Annan
"Of this solidarity, let no one be in doubt."
From Brent, ways to spend money to help the economy.
Powell battles Pentagon over terrorism strategy This just underlines for me, again, how complex an issue this situation is when looked at as a whole and taking into account the world's economy.
Prepare for Casualties, Bush Says, While Asking Support of Nation "We are in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith." WORD.
Wow, this article is a really good critique of six different tacts our country could take in the face of the current situation. (Via a jaundiced eye)
Another Reason the Compaq-HP Merger Is a Bad Idea. The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of this merger.
cflib.org, the Cold Fusion common function library project.
One thing that I have noticed, with the lack of my site, is just how much I use the link box to navigate through my daily surf. I miss it so much, in fact, that I have now built a local copy on my Titanium.
I haven't been able to get to this site since Monday, and I assumed that it was down. Others, however, can see this site without issue, so I will attempt to update it blindly until such a time as I can see it again. I assume that this is somehow Nimda related, and that is what my hosting provider has told me is crippling my access to the site.
missing pieces over at {fray} has some amazing first hand accounts by New Yorkers posted.
Sharon puts Arab support for US at risk. WHAT is the deal with this? Israel has been acting in a manner which I do not think our government finds helpful this week. If they aren't going to be outright helpful, by taking part in talks, they should, right now, be chilling out and letting us pursue this situation. Do we have so little influence with them?
Filling the Void. I like the idea of this, and I'd even advocate it as a permanent replacement. I'm going to start posting on non-WTC related topics again to day. Not that I have forgotten, not that it's crept away from the front of my consciousness, but that it's getting unhealthy in my head. As it should be, it's virtually all I have thought about and dreamed about for the last week. I find myself at the end of this week resolved. First resolved to help in any way I can to heal the damage done to our country, to New York and to Washington, to the families and friends that lost people, and to our financial straits. Second resolved to work towards a solution to the problem of terrorism on this planet. We can clearly no longer treat our involvement with the rest of the nations and peoples on this planet as a trivial matter that will not have a direct effect on us each personally. Nor should we turn the other cheek in this matter, but use a combination of all the means at our disposal including diplomacy, financial, technology, and, where necessary, devastating violence, to put an end to this threat to the planet.
The only thing I can say to you, the cowardly, weak person that sent me the very disturbing email that we "got what we deserved" from the University of Wisconsin Library is that you should at least have the decency to engage me in conversation in a way in which I can respond to you directly. I feel sorry for you. Not that your opinion about the US and this incident is different than mine, in this country we accept those opinions. That you have no regard for the completely 100% innocent people whose lives were taken and the loved ones of those same people. In turn, more lives will be lost as a result of this incident in other countries. Some of these people will not be innocent, but some will and that is a shame. I doubt you fully understand the situation because your email didn't show that understanding. I'm sure you are getting what you wanted, a public response to your email, a rise out of me. I, however, have no other way to respond.
I find this FOXNews story to be very inappropriate. I do not think that this is the time or the place for this sort of journalism. Not only that, as a New York State certified environmental asbestos licensee (I worked for two different environmental engineering companies in the early nineties.), I can tell you for a fact that asbestos is most definitely dangerous, and that it should not be used in any form in which it can become friable.
Bin Laden: Child of Privilege Who Champions Holy War. Elsewhere, I've seen references to the fact that he was trained in many of the tactics he uses by the CIA. This article, which is sort of a biographical piece, seems to ignore that fact.
Taliban anticipating massive US attack, vows revenge. Well, now this is a new stance from them in this incident. If you are so worried about our attack, why don't you give us enough access to your country to hunt down the coward that hides there, but sends others to kill innocents in our country? I can only imagine how much this will anger other Americans once it is distributed by the major media outlets.
When I went to bed last night, they were reporting the story below. I guess it did not turn out to be true. I'm surprised that these news organizations are so very comfortable reporting unconfirmed stories then retracting them. People's lives are involved here. I can only imagine how the loved ones of the missing police officers might feel in this situation. Shame on you ABC.
ABCNEWS.com : 10 Cops Discovered in the Rubble. There's still hope here.
United States Department of State: Patterns of Global Terrorism (1999 but still a good read.)
Terror groups hide behind Web encryption (USA Today)
This Boston Herald article has additional investigation details from this morning.
The horror and immensity of it all. I find myself struggling with comprehension, and somehow wishing that I could see the Pentagon or Manhattan first hand. Of course, after talking to folks in Manhattan yesterday (everyone I know is ok), there are things to be seen there now that no one should ever have to see. You can donate to the Red Cross Disaster fund here. I wish somehow that there was more I could do, something I could lift or carry, anything. I know that I have to wait, like everyone else that isn't in these two cities, for our government to figure things out and then take care of these people. My thoughts are with those who have lost someone they were close to today, and will be forever.
If articles like this and this are any indication, this prediction that I made during MacWorld in July is unfortunately proving accurate.
Mathowie talks about shower based brainstorms. I couldn't agree more. Almost every difficult programming problem that I have solved in the last few years has been solved with an idea that came to me while in the shower.
According to the Dischord News page, there will be a new full length and a mini-cd single from Fugazi released on my birthday.
Cryptonomicon cypher-FAQ . Among the things I learned by reading this document was the fact that he is writing additional novels on cryptology. These will form a series, and "certain family names keep popping up"
If I ever had the time, which it feels like I won't, and I was going to make the perfect home portal page to start my browsing with, it would be Superbe.
The Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen DVD. I got curious after seeing this listed as a feature on discs I was looking at buying.
Well, I've been working on getting unpacked, and shopping for the immediate items of furniture that I think I should have. There is a huge difference between a one bedroom apartment and a two bedroom house in terms of room. Since I have only dialup access at home currently and was quite busy, I didn't sign on all weekend. I've become quite spoiled with high speed everywhere. Since Earthlink and Bell South can't get to my Static IP DSL install for at least another week, I'm going to have to either spend more time in the office to do my personal stuff or deal with the slow dialup. On Friday night, I got the pool completely cleaned out and got the chemical balance where it was supposed to be. This led to two days of swimming in the pool. I'm really going to enjoy having it.
I slept in a house which I own by myself for the first time in my life last night. I woke up this morning to birds chirping, and Loofa, my cat, attempting to get to the birds through the bedroom window. I guess she hasn't had too much bird experience living in apartments. It felt great to wake up in my house. Of course, when I got out of bed and saw the hundred or so cardboard boxes full of my life, reality set in. One thing I should say is that moving into a new house in the middle of the week, then returning to work, is not a good idea. I can't concentrate at all. Finally, I had pool school this morning. I learned about Ph and Chlorine, and filters and cleaning. A pool is a lot of work, but of course I knew that. I'm just hoping to get three of four weeks of swimming in before I have to close it. Well, back to work.
Nathan's new feature article on Web Graphics: A Review of Web Based Color Pickers , is a ridiculously thorough review of 32 color pickers.
I see a lot of links to the HP/Compaq merger. I wonder what Microsoft thinks of the two makers, who control something like 68% of the consumer PC market, becoming one company. Suddenly, Microsoft is almost beholden to a single vendor in that one space. For the record, I think that this is a bad merger, and unless it is executed in a very very careful manner, it could prove to be the death of both companies.
American Head Charge(Produced by Rick Rubin) File under industrial metal. Real good.
One more note. Choosing a satellite TV programming provider is a confusing process. It's difficult to compare DirectTV and DISH Network side by side. In the end, I went with DISH Network because it seemed to offer more programming for less money. Both are cheaper for the same amount of channels than my current digital cable AT & T setup.
Tomorrow is d-day for moving into the house. Needless to say I am tired, have not been using the net, and probably will not be posting much for the next couple of days as a result. Packing has gone well, but I can't say enough how much I am not a fan of moving. I've never done it well. There are stories there, but why bore you with the details of previous idiocy when there is plenty current idiocy to report?