Have you ever read George Orwell’s book, 1984? Fifty-six years ago, Orwell created a fictitous world where Big Brother (the government) delved so deeply into its citizens lives that it could completely control them. Do you remember when, two years ago, Congress shut down the Total Information Awareness program because it collected too much private […]
Archives for February 2006
To Fly or Not to Fly: Aviation Weather Forecasts for Non-Pilots
When I am planning a cross country flight, friends and relatives often express concern about the weather and offer to share weather forecasts with me. Frequently, they are worried because the TV weather person said something like, “snow tonight, continuing into tomorrow.” I very much appreciate the feelings and motivations behind their concern. Weather is […]
Beautiful Clouds
I pulled the camera out on yesterday’s flight home from Syracuse, NY and got quite a few pictures that please me very much. Here is my favorite:
Illegal weed moves into state’s produce top 10 – Feb 17, 2006
CNN.com – Illegal weed moves into state’s produce top 10 SPOKANE, Washington (AP) — Law enforcement officers harvested a dubious record last year — enough marijuana plants to rank the illegal weed as Washington state’s No. 8 agricultural commodity, edging out sweet cherries in value. The more things change, the more they stay the same. […]
Mazda Plans Dual-Fuel Car in Japan
I have always liked the looks of the Mazda RX-8 but lamented the lack of a convertible roof. Now I have another reason to like the car. One of these days, I might have to buy one. FOXNews.com: Mazda Plans Dual-Fuel Car in Japan Mazda said the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, based on its popular RX-8 […]
Who is in Charge in the White House?
Since I wrote yesterday’s article on trust, it is becoming widely apparent that Cheney’s staff managed most, if not all, of the press on this incident independently from Bush’s staff. Articles such as the New York Times’ Handling of Mishap Creates Strain in the White House have the details. The disconnect between Bush’s and Cheney’s […]
Who Can We Trust?
When my children were small, I taught them to tell the truth. They learned that they need to be truthful with the little things in life so that they will have credibility when it comes to the bigger things. I also helped them see that it is far better to volunteer information about something they […]
A Llama for Your Mama
According to this article at Reuters.com “Chatting over a llama is certainly a novel way to meet people in a relaxed environment, and participants can enjoy a romantic picnic afterwards — carried by the ever obliging llamas in their backpacks,” said owner Mary Walker [of Lakeland Llama Treks].
Breaking News
Exciting, Breaking News, from the Weizmann Institute. Scientists have finally figured out how a material cracks: Physicists attempting to find a formula for the dynamics of cracking, to allow them to predict how a crack will advance in a given material, have faced a serious obstacle. The difficulty lies in pinning down, objectively, the fundamental […]
WordPress 2.0.1 Released
If you are considering starting your own blog, WordPress is excellent software with which to do it. Installation is trivial. Once installed, WordPress pretty much gets out of your way and simply allows you to write. The software handles the grungy details of making your web site look nice without distracting you from your creative […]
On Designing Software
Oftimes, it seems like Scott Adams’ Dilbert is created by a documentary filmmaker rather than by a comic strip artist. The January 29, 2006 strip is all too apropos:
