We primarily use data reported via the World Meteorological Organization's Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) program to provide a snapshot of current weather conditions at sea, worldwide. This data can also be used to track the progress of ships at sea. Many ships do not report their weather observations to WMO, or report only sporadically; these ships will not have records in our database. Additional information comes from the YOTREPS network of cruising yachts; YOTREPS positions are updated only once per day.

Weather observations and positions of ships at sea

Enjoy superior comfort, upscale amenities, and polished professional service — at speeds up to 150 mph — aboard Acela Express. The Acela Express experience includes:

* A faster trip with fewer stops
* Reserved First Class and Business Class seating
* At-seat electrical outlets for your laptop or DVD player
* Adjustable lighting and large tray tables
* Conference tables
* Quiet Car
* Cafe Car
* At Seat Cart Service on select trains

I took the Acela from New York to Washington for the first time last night. This is the way to travel! Comfortable seats, leg room, tables, power, and no TSA. It's totally hassle free travel. You can even get bottled beer in the Cafe Car to enjoy while watching the world go by at 150mph.

It's a little pricey, but the value is there. If only it went down to Atlanta...

Amtrak - Northeast Acela Service

Reminder time...

The 3 crazy 2500 miles, 14 days, 3 people, 1 rickshaw, 0 preparation, 1 BIG adventure.

Raising $5000 for Mercy Corps.

Adam is doing this right now...

Go Adam!

Quake City Madcaps - Racing India in a tuk tuk

The 3 crazy 2500 miles, 14 days, 3 people, 1 rickshaw, 0 preparation, 1 BIG adventure.

Raising $5000 for Mercy Corps.

A friend of mine is racing a rickshaw across India to raise money....

Quake City Madcaps

Tom Perkins had done it all. He'd made a fortune, conquered Silicon Valley, even been Danielle Steel's fifth husband for a time. His venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, was an early backer of Genentech, Netscape, and Google. But when he turned 70 a few years ago, Perkins decided to do something even grander and a bit crazier: He would build the biggest, riskiest, fastest, most technologically advanced, single-hulled sailing mega yacht in the world. The 289-foot Maltese Falcon, launched in spring 2006, is that engineering dream come to life.

If the 1,367-ton Falcon were anchored in New York Harbor, its masts would nearly reach the tablet in the arm of the Statue of Liberty. The exterior has teak decks, a varnished cap rail, and exquisitely finished surfaces — all attributes of a classic ship — yet the overall look is sleek, metallic, and ultramodern, almost foreboding. When Darth Vader builds his own intergalactic yacht, it will look like this.

Wow. Tom Perkins wins..

I want one!

Tom Perkins, Silicon Valley Pirate

Traffic has become increasingly congested and tempers flare as slower drivers occupy what has been historically referred to as the “fast lane”. It’s time to get that Left Lane back! It is our considered opinion that not only will traffic move more smoothly and more quickly once the Left Lane is used in the way it has been designed but also headaches, frustration, bad tempers and road rage will all be greatly reduced when this pressure valve is released. It’s time to reduce this unnecessary stress. It’s time that…

Left Lane Drivers Unite!

We invite you to join Left Lane Drivers of America, a growing, grassroots effort to reclaim the Left Lanes on our freeways and multiple lane highways. To do this, those of us who are genuine “Left Lane drivers” are politely but firmly reminding others what the Left Lane is for. We are doing this with the copyrighted ™ Windshield Decal (which also serves as the Trademarked Logo for LeftLaneDrivers.org). This not-so-subtle reminder reads correctly when seen through a rearview mirror (see above), making slower drivers in front of you more aware of the need to leave the Left Lane open to faster moving traffic.

Left Lane Drivers Unite!

"This fire has danced around like nothing I've ever seen," Los Angeles City Council Member Tom LaBonge told reporters, adding that the fire had destroyed a terraced garden known as Dante's View.

The park is in the Hollywood Hills, about 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. It includes golf courses, tennis courts, the city's zoo and botanical gardens and the copper-domed Griffith Park Observatory.

The bright orange glow of the fire provided a striking backdrop for the white facade of the observatory into the evening hours.

Visitors and nonessential workers were ordered to leave the zoo when the fire broke out, but none of the facility's animals were being evacuated, spokesman Jason Jacobs told CNN.

As I pointed out the last time Los Angeles was on fire, there is a theme song for just this occasion...

Los Angeles is Burning, Again. (plus theme song!!)

“We had a flurry of phone calls from travelers in Europe asking where they could buy our laptop cases. Some were even calling directly from Heathrow wondering if we sold the cases there at the airport,” says David Sebens, VP of sales and marketing at ZERO Halliburton.

The Salt Lake City-based company makes a line of high-end aluminum laptop cases with a shock-absorbent polyurethane foam interior. More closely resembling a portable bomb shelter than a briefcase, the bag also has an aura of geek chic that makes it popular among the techie crowd. The company, which sells thousands of the cases each year, says it has seen a spike in demand in the past week.

DAMN THE TSA! DAMN THEM TO HELL!

Decius bought a ZERO Halliburton years ago, which he almost never used. I took custody of it about a year ago. Since that time, I have truly fallen in love with it. Love. Pure love.

Not only does it fit my 17" Powerbook perfectly (few cases fit it at all), but it protects the hell out of it. The internal padding does an amazing job of absorbing sock, and the aluminum can stop anything up to a carbine round. (No, I have not tested this.)

But the best thing about it, is the fashion statement. And I'm not much one for fashion. It stands out. When you trod along kicking the Halliburton, people notice. You can watch their eyes drift down to the case. One look at it says a thousand words. Words like "bomb", "cocaine", "unmarked $20 bills", "negotiable bonds", "guns", "classified documents", "plutonium", etc.. When I plod around the campus I attend classes at, I get asked at least once a week, without fail, "what's in the case?" I have about a dozen answers. "Schemes and plans" tends to be my favorite.

Now, thanks to TSA, everyone is going to have one. It's like when your favorite band gets popular with people you hate. I feel it coming. DAMNIT.

Update: Must... fight... turning into hipster.. must.. not.. turn.. into.. hipster..

ZERO Halliburton going mainstream. NOOOOO!!!!

A German computer security consultant has shown that he can clone the electronic passports that the United States and other countries are beginning to distribute this year.

"The whole passport design is totally brain damaged," Grunwald says. "From my point of view all of these RFID passports are a huge waste of money. They're not increasing security at all."

Although countries have talked about encrypting data that's stored on passport chips, this would require that a complicated infrastructure be built first, so currently the data is not encrypted.

Grunwald's isn't the only research on e-passport problems circulating at Black Hat. Kevin Mahaffey and John Hering of Flexilis released a video Wednesday demonstrating that a privacy feature slated for the new passports may not work as designed.

As planned, U.S. e-passports will contain a web of metal fiber embedded in the front cover of the documents to shield them from unauthorized readers. Though Basic Access Control would keep the chip from yielding useful information to attackers, it would still announce its presence to anyone with the right equipment. The government added the shielding after privacy activists expressed worries that a terrorist could simply point a reader at a crowd and identify foreign travelers.

In theory, with metal fibers in the front cover, nobody can sniff out the presence of an e-passport that's closed. But Mahaffey and Hering demonstrated in their video how even if a passport opens only half an inch -- such as it might if placed in a purse or backpack -- it can reveal itself to a reader at least two feet away.

Using a mockup e-passport modeled on the U.S. design, they showed how an attacker could connect a hidden, improvised bomb to a reader such that it triggers an explosion when a passport-holder comes within range.

Wired News: Hackers Clone E-Passports

Dear Visitor,

Ever since time immemorial, Lebanon has been and still is the meeting of great civilizations and culture. This marvelous land, rich in its cultural heritage and beautiful landscapes, archaeological treasures and varied cuisine, the warmth and hospitality of its people, is a country that has long been destined for tourism.

Beirut and all of Lebanon welcome the world with heartfelt smiles and opened arms to come visit its sunny shores, beautiful mountains, and lush green valleys. Our reputation for world-class hotels, sumptuous restaurants, classic historical sites, breathtaking eco-tours, delightful rural destinations, fantastic cultural events, and exciting entertainment is alive and only getting better!

I hope that these qualities combined with the country's relaxed and family-oriented way of life will make you feel at home in Lebanon.

The policy of the new government is to enhance the promotion of tourism in different sectors and to encourage investments in the country in order to make Lebanon a first class tourism destination in the Middle East.

You are most welcomed in our country.

Ahlan Wa Sahlan
Joseph Sarkis
Minister of Tourism

Ministry of Tourism :: Destination Lebanon