] Why The Vacuum Tube?
]
] Before we go further, someone undoubtedly will ask,
] “Why the vacuum tube?” A quick answer would be: “The
] tube looks cool!” But the real answer does not stop
] here; there are more legends about the tube that wait
] to be unveiled.

From Wilpig:
] well computers just took a step backwards, thank you
] Aopen. The latest line of motherboards use vacuum
] tubes again.

This is very cool actually. Tubes do sound good. No bullshit! There is a reason why tube amps are still made..

TubeSound Technology

The "files" will open up the secret history of the Middle East like a field of sunflowers.

Could this be the reason why some nations so vehemently oppose military action, or seek to postpone it indefinitely?

The Man Who Would Be President

Salon interviews Phoebe Gloeckner, writer and artist of a graphic novel series based loosely upon her own life. She has some very interesting views on the catharsis of creating art and how it affects not only the viewer, but the creator as well. The interview itself is a very good read, even if you never pick up a copy of the "Dairy of a Teenage Girl" series.

"OK," she says, taking a deep breath. "I believe that all art is about the artist," she says. "So, yeah, my work is about me. But being an artist -- art is artifice, it's creation. By reading that book, you're not experiencing what I experienced. You're perhaps experiencing my interpretation of it, but you're bringing yourself to it. In that way, I always hesitate to say this is a true story. I'm not attempting in any way to make documentary. You can never represent everything. It's always a selective process.

"I mean, really, my motivation is, 'This all happened to me. I feel really totally fucked-up. I don't understand any of this. Let's look at it. Let's not look at it sideways or make it look prettier, but let's just look at it for what it is.' I think the reason people relate to it is because I don't avoid things that may seem unpleasant. I don't really judge things ... I just look at them."

Not your mother's comic book

] Apache Server Status for www.nbc.com
] Server Version: Apache/1.3.27 (Unix)
] Server Built: Feb 3 2003 13:53:06
] Current Time: Friday, 14-Mar-2003 17:33:41 PST
] Restart Time: Friday, 14-Mar-2003 00:00:04 PST
] Parent Server Generation: 6
] Server uptime: 17 hours 33 minutes 37 seconds
] Total accesses: 12672600 - Total Traffic: 40.5 GB
] CPU Usage: u1474.56 s373.32 cu15.51 cs6.74 - 2.96% CPU
] load
] 200 requests/sec - 0.7 MB/second - 3434 B/request
] 497 requests currently being processed, 967 idle servers

Admins take note.. Leaving your server-status open is lame. Leaving your server-status open when you have extended status on, is really lame. Want to see who is browsing www.nbc.com? No problem! Just a little information leakage..

I hit reload a bunch of times watching for the Restart Time and PSG to change, as that would indicate a different server in a SLB rotation. I only saw two machines. I also noticed that the Server Build time changed, which indicates that they do not compile their binaries on a seperate machine and use some package management scheme to manage the software on the boxes. Sloppy.. Sort of like leaving your server-status open for the world to see.

As a side note, you can go to Google and search for "Apache Server Status for" and find many of these.. Although at this one, you will actually see some serious traffic taking place.

Wonder how long before this gets closed..

FYI NBC, in httpd.conf:

&lt Location /server-status&gt
SetHandler server-status
Order deny,allow
Deny from all # Or you could just use
Allow from all # these to limit by network
AuthType Basic
AuthName "Some AuthName"
AuthUserFile /some/place/where/you/have/a/htpasswd
Require valid-user
&lt/Location&gt

Apache Status - www.nbc.com

] State Sen. Leonard T. Connors Jr. and Assemblymen Jeffrey
] W. Moran and Christopher J. Connors, all R-Ocean, are
] asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to
] investigate how someone was able to videotape on the
] grounds of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant without
] being noticed.
]
] In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Thomas J.
] Ridge, dated Wednesday and made public yesterday, the
] lawmakers write: "The inquiry is to report to your
] Department of Homeland Security an alarming security
] issue at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station and
] urge your immediate help to take priority steps to
] improve security at this facility.
]
] "The video depicts a vehicle entering the Oyster Creek
] grounds without being confronted by security forces. The
] vehicle drives around the first inner perimeter of the
] plant and up to the loading dock, again without
] challenge. The (News 12 New Jersey) team contends that
] this vehicle, a truck that could carry a large payload of
] explosives, was close enough to do considerable damage to
] the plant if, in fact, this staged event were a real
] terrorist attack," the legislators wrote.

This does not suprise me in the least.

Good thing I keep my KI pills handy...

] MySQL still lacks many features big customers want, but
] the software maker and CEO Marten Mickos have dazzling
] opportunities ahead.

MySQL vs. PostgreSQL. Anyone seen a good _recent_ comparison? I have used both. Both rock. Both come with highly recommended from me. I have no religious preference to either.

For those who are curious, currently MemeStreams is using a PostgreSQL database for its backend.

Fortune.com - Fast Forward - Can an Open-Source Database Threaten Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM?

] March 14 -- U.S. officials fear that once President
] Bush signals the U.S. is headed to war, Saddam Hussein
] will strike pre-emptively, administration sources told
] ABCNEWS.

I think this is highly likely. The bullet points on this page are the key thing to be interested in. Here are my "gut feelings" in regard to them..

] Specific new evidence indicates that Iraqi activity in the
] Western desert shows the strong likelihood Scud missiles are
] hidden there. These missiles could easily reach Israel
] carrying chemical or biological warheads which could draw
] Israel into any war.

The entire region's response to the war will change drasticly the second Israel is involved. That will likely be the point where things become truly out of control.

] Detailed new intelligence from the southern Iraqi oil fields
] shows that many of the 700 wells have now been wired with
] explosives. These explosives appear to be connected to a
] central command post, so Saddam could easily set the
] wells ablaze.

One way or another, oil prices will go crazy before all is over. Setting the oil fields ablaze is something we are prepared for. We got experience putting them out in Kuwait, and we were not prepared for it to happen at the time. This time we are. I don't think its going to be too signifigant to anything other then the environment, which will be the biggest loser if Saddam sets another one of his blazes. The costs will be very high if we do not have control of these fields within a very short period after this happens.

] Near the border with Kuwait, where 135,000 U.S. troops are
] now stationed, recent surveillance indicates Iraqi artillery
] batteries have been moved dangerously close. The artillery
] is capable of firing shells filled with poison gas.

Those artillery are going to make their first few shells count.. They will be the only shells they get off before they are taken out with incredible speed and accuracy. If there is one thing we are good at, its bombing things. Saddam knows this well. He also knows that if we go in at all, it will be his last days as the ruler of Iraq. Its likely those first few shells will be poison gas.. The Administration couldn't be happier. The second Saddam uses any WMD, Bush gets his "justification" for all this.. Although that will likely have a very limited effect on global impressions of this war. By the time the first shot of anger fires, everyone will have their minds made up already about where they stand.

Bush is going to go through with this one way or the other.. I'm confident of that. I don't think anyone has any power to stop it at this point. The war machine is in motion. Lets just hope this dosen't start WW3 or put us in a worse position then we are right now. The administration wants to shrink the gap. Lets hope they are not being cocky, and that they can actually pull it off. All we can do is hope. Like it or not, we don't have control over this situation. All acts of protest have been completely ineffective, but thats another story...

ABCNEWS.com : Saddam Could Launch First Strike

] The U.S. Congress on Thursday took the first
] step toward curbing a government computer system that
] will perform intensive background checks on American
] citizens who are traveling by air.

Senate scrutinizes air travel database | CNET News.com

quoted:
===

Players take target practice on Sharon, Israeli leaders
The terrorist group Hezbollah, backed by Iran and based in southern Lebanon, has begun marketing a computer game simulating attacks on Israeli soldiers and allowing target practice using Israeli officials such as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The game, "Special Force," took two years of development by the Hezbollah Central Internet Bureau, according to a report today in Lebanon's Daily Star.

According to the report, the game, which hit the market two weeks ago, places players in different stages of Hezbollah operations against the Jewish state. Players face the same conditions as Hezbollah terrorists, including geographic locations, mines, the number of Israeli troops and even the weather conditions. Special Force also offers a training simulation, where players can practice their shooting skills on targets such as Sharon and other Israeli political and military figures.

On the cover of the game's box, a message to users says "the designers of Special Force are very proud to provide you with this special product, which embodies objectively the defeat of the Israeli enemy and the heroic actions taken by heroes of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon." It adds: "Be a partner in the victory. Fight, resist and destroy your enemy in the game of force and victory."

What platform is this game?

Now we got the US Army and Hezbollah producing video games. What a surreal world we live in..

WorldNetDaily: Hezbollah's new computer game

] "This is the kind of record I want to make, going
] forward," Ms. Merchant said. "I've been writing things
] that are much more obscure and sort of shelving them,
] thinking I can't get this past a corporate boardroom and
] I won't even try."
]
] "I understand that the larger labels are just interested
] in the projects that can generate the most capital for
] their quarter," she continued. "But I didn't want to
] subject the music to that kind of corporate boardroom and
] radio censorship. Why subject myself and the work that I
] do to that kind of environment when it really doesn't
] matter any more?"

Just the first of many, I'm sure.

Natalie Merchant, No Strings Attached