Google to the RESCUE

It seems like the end of days. A massive earthquake in Haiti, a minor fart in Illinois, and now an earthquake in Chile that has launched a Tsunami across the Pacific. This tsunami threatens a quarter of the globe. The Chilean government has declared a state of emergency and 500 people were originally declared dead. However, in these dark times there is a light. Google has launched a site where people in Chile, around Chile, or concerned with Chile can input information about themselves. This information is being posted on a Google Map of the areas affected.

Lots of little locations, those are all people

This is an outstanding action that Google is taking. They are helping people, who are confused and decimated by the quake, locate their lost and loved ones. Google has released a statement saying that this information isn't secure and that it can be viewed by any other parties and that Google will make no efforts to verify that the information is accurate. It may seem cold, but think about it. Having to verify countless calls, emails, and whatevers to ensure that the map is correct is incredibly difficult to do, so the responsibility falls to the individuals. Google may not be going the extra mile, but they are lending a HUGE helping hand.

Sbom Trams

I want to address the incredibly cool actions of smart mobs. Since this is my blog and I don't have to ask permission to write about things I'm going to.

Big whoop, wanna fight about it?

Smart mobs are large groups of people that show up in random places and do random things. Sometimes they show up and dance, watch the numbers grow:

It is almost like the excitement is a parasite. It starts with the actual mob but then regular folks join in because they feel less socially threatened because a large group is already performing. It's like a parasite of fun.

Unlike THE Parasite, who feasts off of the life energy of humans

Sometimes smart mobs, also known as flash mobs, because they appear and then they vanish as if they were never there, show up and freeze in place for a certain amount of time:

And they don't move for anything. That mail guy, other people, or traffic:

This is a flash mob performance known as critical mass, when huge amounts of people show up in various places.

However, in a serious side note, ninjas have learned how to masterfully use flash mobs to covertly assassinate pirates. If you suspect that you or a friend may be a pirate you will want to be on the look out for this:

just like that 30 pirates...gone

Big Change for Microsoft

Microsoft has announced that it will be releasing an update for its operating systems which will allow users to choose web browsers. You are most likely saying, "what's the big deal? I could always choose my web browser." Well first of all, shut your mouth, I haven't finished yet. Second, the update that Microsoft is planning on releasing will make it so that Internet Explorer will no longer be the default web browser, which means a user will be able to choose their default browser from the start without having to change it later on. This is a big deal for Microsoft, which always likes to endorse only its own products.

You know, a Microsoft Monopoly

The article suggests that over half the world's internet users have IE, but it most likely does not take into account users who have multiple browsers but choose not to use IE because it is inferior

om nom nom

and allows angry Chinese hackers to attack Google through it.

This guy

So now that Microsoft is offering a choice, what does the rest of the world think? The article suggests that they will now have to make a choice, which is true. However, I don't think that most of the world is dumb enough to have trouble with that, especially when you can have every web browser if you so please. This update should be a nice change. It used to be that you had to be happy with IE until you could replace it with something else.

Deal with it

Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin visited our university the other day and we had a chance to listen to her speak about the things she has learned and researched. Temple Grandin was an odd looking woman and I was not entirely sure what to expect from her, as I am always hesitant about speakers that schools bring in.

Temple Grandin (not the horse)
also, that horse has a nice comb over

You could possibly see why I might be unsure of her. I also deduced that she was autistic because I don't really know of people who talk about autism without somehow being associated with it. So now I am even more unsure of this speaker. However, she knows more about animal and human behavior than anybody I know including myself. She is smarter and more clever than anyone I know. She was also funny and it was impossible for me to understand how this lady could be autistic because she was just so intelligent and I think the problem there is that most people have a view of autism as people who can never become as intelligent or successful as regular folks. Those views are dead wrong

Pictured: my ideas about autistic people

She talked to us about how she figured out how to get cattle to be more cooperative when being moved from different pens. She also explained to us about how to use the obsessions that sometimes go along with autism to teach that person all the things that any other person would want to learn, even to a deeper extent. Check this out.

If you want to get to know some more about this woman I suggest her website. You can purchase her books, see the movie made about her, and you can read some of her featured articles. DO IT! it will change your views and enlighten you a bit.

Australia's turn

It just seems like somebody kicked the bees nest of internet issues because they seem to be everywhere in the news these past couple of weeks. First we all heard of the Chinese attacks on Google, then Iran blocked some Google of its own, and now there are hackers attacking the Australian web and Australia has asked Google to block some content on Youtube in Australia. This internet world is going to hell as fast as fiber optics can get you to Facebook.

fast

Recently, Australia experienced a large scale Distributed Denial of Service attack on several of its government websites. Several sites were down intermittently between February 10th and 11th. Although the reports are still unsure if the attacks brought down the websites or if an administrator brought down the sites in defense, Unlike most attacks a hacker group has stepped forward and claimed responsibility for the attack.

They have stated that their attack was in response to the Australian government attempting to filter the country's internet to ban inappropriate sites. Assuming that these hacker live in Australia means that the rest of the world can only assume one thing, these hackers are more skilled, more undetectable, and more dangerous than any other hackers in the world. If only because they live IN Australia. As anyone will tell you, everything in Australia is evolved to be deadlier, more cunning, and creepier than anywhere else in the world. Don't believe me? Read what my inspiration Cracked.com has to say about Australia.

Pictured: L33t H4ck3r

The Australian government has come out saying that this attack was the wrong move to make to oppose the filter, which has been tested as being 100% effective for blocking the selected content. However, I think the Australian government is a bit 6's and 7's since it seems that national attention has been drawn to the issue thanks to the hacks.

So thank you Australian hackers. Thank you for standing up for your rights just as our Forefathers in America did for theres. Thank you for bring international attention to yet another country trying to censor is people. Thank YOU for fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way... in Australia.

Pictured: Awesomeness...See also: USA

Google vs Iran

A few weeks after China ticked off Google by attacking Google's servers searching for personal information pertaining to civil rights activists Iran is now in on the censorship. With upcoming protests approaching on one of Iran's most important political holidays Iran disabled many gmail accounts, presumably in an attempt to halt communication between certain opposition leaders. However, Iran's communication agency announced that Google's email services would be permanently down. Google made a statement saying that whenever their services are blocked they try to solve the problem as quickly as possible, but unfortunately sometimes it is out of their hands. So here we have another fascist country engaging in despicable censorship through Google. We seem to be reaching an age of a new kind of Berlin wall. Instead of concrete, iron, and guns the world is starting to see rerouted, deleted, and blocked data. Hopefully we Americans won't have to worry about this extensively until we descend into a similar dark age that China, Iran, and other fascist countries of the world have decided to keep themselves in.

china! again!

So Apple released its iPad to a dull murmur and an awkward cough and shuffle of the crowd, and just a short week later a Chinese company is preparing a lawsuit against Apple claiming that the iPad's design and name are identical to the Chinese's P88 Touch PC. Hmmmm, iPad.....P88 Touch PC... I can see why the Chinese would think the names are the same. It's probably some kind of translation difference.

As far as the identical appearances go, I'm pretty sure the Chinese are just looking for a new way to bring in revenue now that Google is planning on leaving. Here we have the notoriously unexciting iPad

squarish, touchable, unexciting

and the P88 Touch PC

squarish, touchable, unexciting

My God! APPLE MUST HAVE STOLEN THE SCHEMATICS TO THE PC88! How else could Apple have created something as squarish, touchable, and unexciting as the PC88? If you haven't been able to sense the sarcasm by now let me examine a similar lawsuit that was brought against the We Make Boxes company back in 1756. We Make Boxes patented this box..

Square, packable, useful

We Make Boxes most unknown competitor from China, You Make Boxes:We Distribute to Masses...(rough translation) designed this box and then sued WMB because they claimed WMB stole their design, which looked like this...

square, packable, useful(slightly less)

Needless to say nothing happened because neither of those companies exist. The idea however, is the same. There are only so many ways you can design successful product. There are bound to be similarities eventually. Besides, read the entire story and you become acquainted to the information that it is typical for China to develop aesthetically identical but technologically inferior copycats to popular products called Shanzhai Goods which are then delivered to the poorer parts of southern China. In my opinion Apple has nothing to worry about except the mundaneness of the iPad. However, I may have to fear a vicious counter attack from the Chinese, but I doubt it...this sarcasm probably flew over their heads, (get it ;)

There's a chinese lawyer behind that

Too little Not soon enough

I just read an article about how the United States is planning on switching over the electrical system to a smart grid. The professionals say that by switching the US over to a smart grid that carbon emission will be reduced by 12% by the year 2030!

Hooray! we are all saved...

The smart grid is supposed to allow power companies to manage power on a higher level. During peak usage hours they will be able to spread the usage across different lines and over different areas allowing them to reduce critical load on any given line. During hours with minimal usage the companies will be able to subsidize mainstream power sources with natural sources like wind and solar power, which means the guys at the power plant can ease up on the smog producing habits.

Not producing smog

The only thing about this that sucks is that it is having a minimal impact at best on the environment. 12% by 2030? 12% of what? Total emissions that are produced every year? Total emissions of a certain industry? Assuming that we are already at "screw the earth" levels (100% emissions) then subtracting that 12% does not make for an especially eco-friendly punch. The professional clarify that it the smart grid would cut emission from US utilities only and that 12% would be equal to 66 coal plants or 442 million metric tons of carbon emissions. Seems like a lot until you look at the US's total emissions. According to wikipedia the United States ranks second in emission next to China (go figure) with an emission of 5,752,289,000 metric tons.

thats over 5 billion!

Reducing utility emissions by a measly 12% does not even make a dent, especially when you figure that China is still in the process of building coal powered plants, although they are technically cleaner, they still are COAL plants.

In my opinion a smart grid that reduces emissions by 12% is not a good start, it would make a better addition to a system that was already good. For example, if a majority of the grid was drawing from wind and solar sources and we wanted to increase the reduction abilities of an already very clean system. But we don't have that system and 12% isn't even a start, it's an excuse to say that the US is doing "something" to help the planet. And it will only be 12% by 2030! and thats only if the entire grid becomes smart...that's less than a percent a year! That's not worth publishing an article about, that's not even worth writing to mom about.

Sorry mom

Stop it