Book: First Rate Madness

Are good leaders mentally ill?  Interesting book considers the hypothesis:

In times of crisis, [Nassir Ghaemi] concludes, "we are better off being led by mentally ill leaders than by mentally normal ones".

Undersea Cable map

Thanks to chuckbag for finding another undersea cable map

Landing of the (last) space shuttle Atlantis, as seen from the International Space Station

Awesome pic of the landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, as seen from the ISS.

A robot that flies like a bird | Video on TED.com

A robot that flies like a bird | Video on TED.com

How the RIAA internet would work

The God complex & politicians

TED has an important talk from Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God Complex.

Over simplifying, the God complex is the belief that we can know everything about complex systems,

This is an important concept to keep in mind when listening to politicians drop sound bites and one liners.  For example, a typical party line is that lowering taxes (always) creates jobs.  There is logic to this statement, and I would generally agree that lower taxes are better than higher taxes.  But, the tax code is too complex for one person to fully understand.  Combined with the amazingly complex system of "the economy," I don't believe it is possible to make such broad (and often times) absolute statements like "doing X always leads to action Y"

EFF's response to .secure

The EFF has a response to the proposal for a new .secure TLD. 

Equal Time for Creationism

A common argument for teaching Intelligent Design creationism is to teach it along side evolution and let the kids decide.  There isn't enough evidence for either one, so lets teach both.

Why stop at evolution.  There are other areas that have alternate theories:

Modern Cablemap

A follow up to a previous post, this is a modern cable map.

Can Monkeys own copyrights?

Seems that a monkey was using an idle camera to take self portraits:

So, when websites started using the images, you can imagine what happened.  The Carter News Agency is asking sites to remove the images.  The justification: TechDirt doesn't own the copyright. 

Question is: who does.  If no one, then what authority does Carter have in asking TechDirt to remove the images.  Does the request imply that Carter think that it owns the copyrights?  If so, how.  If not, then the request is baseless.  In fact, making false DMCA take down claims (which has not (yet) happened) is itself illegal.

Stuxnet: the long story

Wired has a great piece on the Stuxnet virus that targeted the uranium enrichment facility at Ntanz, Iran.

Watch Porn: Thomas Prescher Triple Axis Tourbillon Regulator

In this case, watch is a noun, not verb
Thomas Prescher Triple Axis Tourbillon Regulator

Check out the video

.secure domain...first thoughts

Some in the federal government are talking about creating a new top level domain: .secure

Access to this domain might require validated digital credentials and provide services for banking and critical infrastructure, but might also require voluntarily giving up Fourth Amendment rights (read: deep packet inspection, lack of anonymity).

Perhaps this is a better options than the Internet Kill Switch?

Copyright Cartel: "Child pornography is great"

While Torrent Freakmay not be the most neutral reporter of news, this article is beyond belief.  (well, given the source of the quote, I guess it is believable).

In short, the copyright cartel (this time in Europe) is trying to associate child pornography with peer-to-peer file sharing in an effort get lawmakers to pass legislation controlling what we do online.

Nice business these guys are in.

Wireless power

Tesla technology coming to life: pulling power out of the ether.  This technology may not provide power as Tesla had imaged, but it is impressive nonetheless.  The technology has the potential to capture up to a couple of milliwatts from RF broadcasts (radio, TV, radar, etc).  Combine this with other power generation/collection (such as solar or small scale wind) and a good storage technology (supercapacitor) and this might be a way to provide power small sensors.  Imagine having thousands of weather sensors providing massive widescale weather information.  Maybe this could improve weather forecasts?

Now, if we could only increase the current power available over electricity over glass, my life would be easier.

ISPs and the copyright cartel collude to monitor your traffic

After many years of negotiation, the ISPs have finally caved into the copyright cartel and established something innocuously called the "Copyright Alert System."  This will notify consumers of accusations of copyright infringement. 

Without any due process, you can be accused of, and potential have your service suspended because of, accusations of copyright infringement.  If you cry foul, you'll have to pay for an independent review.

This is called extortion.

Up against a ceiling

While it's obvious the debt ceiling must be lifted, I can't help but stop in awe at the succinct wisdom of our first president:

To contract new debts is not the way to pay old ones.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to James Welch, Apr. 7, 1799

Allowing Congress to continuously raise the debt ceiling is like allowing a college kid to set his own credit limit.

But what is the alternative?

On political parties

John Adams on political parties:

There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.

A sentiment that George Washington shared in his farewell address:

However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

Places I'd like to vist I : Paro Taktsang

Beautiful picture of Paro Taktsang, a Buddhist temple in Bhuta.

Is the sky really falling this time?

Disconcerting article from Market watch....Age of America Nears End.  The IMF is estimating that China's share of world GDP will surpass that of the US by 2016.

Previously, in the late 80s, the big scare was that Japan would surpass the US.  But, the Lost Decade may have killed that prediction.