Is this the long awaited "Domino Effect"?

Does Lebanon show that the neo-con's had some of there malarkey proven correct? With the fall of Lebanon it appears that their is a domino effect at work here. While it isn't that simple, this has been brewing for awhile now. I do give the devil his due. Some of what they said is coming true. Egypt also has said today that it will have some form of opposition parties in it next election. So change is in the wind in the Mid-East. But at a very high cost in blood.

Powell Finally Speaks Out

Colin Powell has broken his silence with an interview in the
Telegraph of London. While it is tantalizing. It is way to short and
really says nothing that has not been alluded to in the press before now,
about the tensions with Rumsfeld.

Kyocera Solar Panel

Here is the press release for the MyGen Meridian Building-Integrated Solar PV Module System I showed below.

Solar Power

I've thaught for a long time that one way to help solve the energy problems in the world is, at least in the US, to mandate that all new construction should have X% of roof space as solar panels. Now a company has produce a panel that works and looks pretty good.

Kyocera solar tiles

(english tanslantion)
Kyocera (or Kyoto Ceramic as their full name is) is one of world leaders in the domain of solar panels, and presents today a very interesting concept to promote the use of solar energy in private homes, without forgetting the design aspect of a house, as the panels have the shape of a roof tile.

Tin Foil Hat Society

As have been reported in other blogs. The government is testing a new system of Passports. This E-Passport will allow them to scan you passport and get your vital information from it at a distance through RFID's. Claiming that this will help streamline traveling through Customs. As the blog I mentioned above discussed, there are some problems with what the Europeans are employing in their system. Like basic protections such as encryption and the ability to turn on and off the electronic information to make it more secure. All of which would potentially make them incompatible with the proposed American system.

And now Wired is also running an article in which they voice concern that this information in the American version will have no electronic security of the information encoded on these passports. Making Identity theft potentially very easy.

Well if they do implement this system, without what I feel is basic protections such as thin wires woven into the cover, as I have heard that the European system does to prevent remote access of the info. I'm going to add tin foil to the inside of my passport cover.

High Art for the Kitchen

Knife Block, designed by Raffaele Iannello

MARS

Mars is becoming a very interesting place now, with possible life and evidence of frozen seas of water below the surface.

The BBC is also reporting that this image is evidence that below the surface is pack-ice. With only a light coating of dust a few inches thick is all that is needed to prevent the thin atmosphere from evaporating of this water.

India moving itself towards Knowledge Superpower

India, like China seems to be taking a long range view of itself. In this case The New Scientist has a series of articles on India as a rising knowledge superpower.

India: The next knowledge superpower

There's a revolution afoot in India. Unlike any other developing nation, India is using brainpower rather than cheap physical labour or natural resources to leapfrog into the league of technologically advanced nations. Every high tech company, from Intel to Google, is coming to India to find innovators. Leading the charge is Infosys, the country's first billion-dollar IT company

Condi as VP??

Now here is a wild story: Condi to replace Cheney next year? I don't know about this one, it seems far fetched. But as you think about it. It is possible. George W. has acted as if he is closest to Rice, than anyone else in his administration. And I don't think anyone would have said the Dick would of stayed for the full 8 years of two terms. And now with her as Sec. of State, she will get needed diplomatic experience that would place her in a good position to take over the job.

Dean/Perle Debate

While it is alway a good Idea to talk. When it degenerates to throwing of shoes at one another it is not productive. Dean Debates Perle; shoe is thrown

New twist on the Gannon - White House Scandal

The Daily Kos is linking to another blog on Gannon and his inside connections with the White House

They seem to intimate that the white house was feeding high level classified information to Gannon in violation of National Security Laws and was connected to the Dan Rather Scandal.

Cicero Quote

A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murder is less to fear -- Cicero (c. 106-43 B.C.)

Follow-up on Big Brother

County Pulls Out of Deal to Track Students

So Life is on Mars NOW!

Researchers Claim Evidence of Present Life on Mars

More Evidence that the Daft is coming.

An Overstretched Army Scrambles to Fill Its Ranks

Guard Balls!

I saw these and thought of the TV show "The Prisoner" staring Patrick McGoohan. With their menacing bouncing bubble sentries.

Rotundus: Big Black Rolling Ball


Robotus have repurposed their would-be Mars bot into a potential high tech guard dog called something like 'Big Black Rolling Ball'

Are we being primed for another war?

In a desturbing blog form Defense Tech. The head of the Space Warfare Center say's, THINK ATTACK FIRST:

Major General Daniel Darnell, head of the Air Force's Space Warfare Center, has some advice for satellite companies. If there's trouble with your orbiter, your first response should be “think possible attack.”

It just looks as if we are being primed for another ill-advised foreign intervention, and they are setting out possible ways to give us an excuse.

Analysis from Debka

DebkaFile has an interesting take on killing of Former PM Rafiq Hariri: Syrian Military Intelligence Eliminates Hariri

Former Lebanon PM Killed

I find it interesting that this man was killed. The question that comes to mind is why? And why now? According to the BBC article on the event. He had resign from the goverment last October and was at odds with Syria. But why kill him now?

The Future of the First Amendment

What America's High School Students Think About Their Freedoms

Edward R. Murrow's Ghost: Dead in the Newsroom

I was listening to Clyde Lewis' late night radio show "GroundZero". And his opening subject caught my attention.

There is going to be a conflict over who or what can be called a reporter and who or what has the right to publish, report or otherwise inform. Beware of the new form of the media. The "Official State Media."

In his related article off of his site called Zeitgeist: Controlling the Spirit of the Times. He explores and warns about government influence of what is shown in the media and the decline of journalistic standards. And when you have a survey of high school students concerning their knowledge and understanding of our first Amendment rights. It is disturbing when the University of Connecticut gets these kind of results:

32% said that the press has too much freedom. Only 10% felt it has too little freedom.

36% said that the government should approve newspaper stories before they are released.

74% said it should be illegal to burn or deface an American flag as a political statement.

75% mistakenly believe that burning the flag is already illegal.

17% said that people should not be allowed to express unpopular views.

Nearly half of the students think that the government has the right to restrict indecent material on the Internet.

But most telling is their indifference.

75% of the students take the First Amendment for granted, or have no opinion at all.

Big Brother is Here Update

Wired is also reporting on this school district: School RFID Plan Gets an F

Big Brother is Here.

Slashdot is reporting that: Students and Bodies Tracked Via RFID Tags

"The Brittan School District in Sutter County, California, is requiring students to carry RFID-tagged identity badges on them at all times. Readers are currently installed at the doors to all classrooms. Readers were removed from bathrooms when parents protested. The school district is meeting next week to consider parents objections to the system."

The Draft is Coming

Rummy has said publicly that he is considering an increase in the size of the army. The Senate grilled his staff about the strain on National Guard and Reserves.

Army Won't Rely On Guard, Reserve

Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the committee's top Democrat, told Harvey and Schumacher that it was imperative to build up the active-duty Army to prevent having a "hollow Army" and to lessen the pressure on the Reserve and Guard.

"A permanent addition to the force is needed," said Skelton, who has been pushing for such an increase for a decade. As for the Guard and Reserve, Skelton said: "You're wearing 'em out, secretary, that's the bottom line."

The draft is coming and will be here by the end of the summ in order to make up for the loss of National Guardsmen and Reserve coming off of their limit of two years, mandated by law.

I'm not the only one

I guess that others are commenting on the fact both the Administration and news media are rolling out the same rhetoric as they did before the invasion of Iraq. Curry in his Daily Source Code podcast had a brief comment on this from Europe.

What I’m really surprised about is that there isn’t more comment on this. I mean they have been telegraphing their intentions since they came into office. And one by one they are following through on what most would agree was their intentions in the international arena. (i.e. 1. Removing Saddam from Iraq, 2. Dealing with the Iran & Syria. And 3. Iignoring North Korea and the Hermit King since it is too tough a situation to deal with.)

Here we go again!

Bush: World Must Speak with One Voice on Iran Nukes

President Bush (news - web sites) said on Wednesday Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a "very destabilizing" force and that it was important for the world to speak with one voice against Tehran's program.

Rising Military Power of India

Last June I noticed an article on Defence Tech's Blog entitled: India 1, USAF 0.

Basicly one of the major tenents of the USAF was that our pilots could and would beat anyone else because they were the best trained. Not any more.

Now I've come across this article: Smarter, Sharper.

And to my eyes it looks as if the Indians are transforming their military along the line of the US. I feel that these actions are not as the article suggests to deal with the Pakistani's, but as a counter to China in the region and to the North of India.

Furthermore this should signal to the Pentagon that our technology will not always give us the advantages that they claim in public. As we see in Iraq and Afganistan there are real limits to these technologies.

Radio to the MP3 degree: Podcasting

USAToday: Radio to the MP3 degree: Podcasting

Where the Name comes from.

I've gotten a few questions as to where my name for this site comes from. To begin with I'm a fan of the short lived SciFi show FireFly. In which the mega-corp. of BlueSun is ever present.

And the 2600 part refers to 2600 The Hacker Quarterly While I'm not a hacker I am something of a techno geek.

Solo Around the World

How many of us can say that we have gone for it? Well I admire anyone who can say that they will live life to its fullest. And Ellen MacArthur is certainly one of those.



Ellen races to yacht record

New Start.

Hello. I'll be using this space to post news and comments that I hope you will find of interest in the future.