From SecurityNewsPro.com today:
AOL’s Top Spam Dishes In 2005:
“Spam is always a favorite food in the tech world and 2005 was no different. AOL published their top recipes for the delightful dish for the past year. Topping the list were things like Donald Trump and ‘penis patch’ but there were others.
“Here’s the Top 10 List as presented by AOL:
“1) Donald Trump Wants You - Please Respond (popular recognition)…”
Interesting take. And how many of these have you gotten this year? All of them, I’ll bet.
30 December 2005
Yum, Yum!!
19 December 2005
Rain Numbers - 19 December 2005
.63", for today
8.5", for the storm
11.75", for the month
14.81", for the (rain) year
New Horizons
From the Washington Post today:
NASA Readies to Launch Pluto Mission:
“NASA is making final preparations to launch the fastest spaceship ever made on a 10-year odyssey to Pluto, the scarlet-colored ‘ice dwarf’ that shines brightly in the chill wilderness of deep space nearly 4 billion miles away.
“Pluto is the only planet that has never yet had a human-engineered visitor, but if all goes well, New Horizons, a piano-size spacecraft wrapped in thermal blankets, will spend five months in close flyby, taking pictures and gathering data on features such as the planet’s atmosphere, its surface geology and its temperature.
“‘We really expect the mission to be transformational,’ said New Horizons lead scientist Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado. ‘This is the capstone of the original visits to the planets. It takes us 4 billion miles away and 4 billion years back in time.’
“The $700 million mission is the first space expedition aimed specifically at a celestial body beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt, a remote region filled with debris from the creation of the solar system. Pluto is also the solar system’s only known ‘binary planet,’ orbiting the sun in tandem with a moon, Charon, that is more than half as big as Pluto itself. Two other tiny moons were discovered earlier this year.
“NASA plans to launch New Horizons from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as early as possible during a 29-day window that opens at 1:24 p.m. on Jan. 17. If liftoff occurs during the first 11 days, the spacecraft will reach Pluto in the summer of 2015. Launching later will result in substantial delays; starting the voyage on Valentine's Day would mean arrival as late as 2020.…”
AIX Rising?
From Sci-Tech Today recently:
IBM Creates Unix Collaboration Center:
“IBM (NYSE: IBM) today opened a research center designed to drive innovation for the company’s Unix-based AIX technology and to help develop and test new applications and middleware for the AIX OS.
“The Austin, Texas-based AIX Collaboration Center (ACC) represents a $200 million investment by Big Blue, which hopes to build on the momentum of its pSeries Unix machines. The idea is to foster collaboration among customers, developers, software vendors, and academics.
““Focus areas include systems-level innovations for key technology areas like virtualization, performance, and scalability,’ said Karl Freund, vice president of IBM's pSeries server division.…”
Another One? Again???
From the Daily Times (Pakistan) today:
Microsoft warns of ‘critical’ flaw:
“Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday warned users of its Windows operating system of a “critical” security flaw in its software that could allow attackers to take complete control of a computer.
“The world’s largest software maker issued a patch to fix the problem as part of its monthly security bulletin. The problem mainly affects the Windows operating system and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser. Computer security experts and Microsoft urged users to download and install the patch available at www.microsoft.com/security.
“Microsoft said the vulnerability exists in its Internet Explorer Web browser, which an attacker could exploit to take over a PC by running software code after luring users to malicious Web pages. Microsoft also issued one other security warning it rated at its second-highest level of “important.” A vulnerability defined as “important” is one where an outsider could break into a machine and gain access to confidential data but not replicate itself to other computers, Microsoft said.
“Microsoft defines a flaw as “critical” when the vulnerability could allow a damaging Internet worm to replicate without the user doing anything to the machine. The “critical” flaw affects Internet Explorer which is a part of Windows while the “important” flaw is a vulnerability in the fundamental code that the higher level functions of Windows are all based on.”
Just as well they're discontinuing “support” for the Mac version of IE…
Afghan parliament meets for first time in decades
From Reuters UK today:
First Afghan parliament in decades sworn in:
By Sayed Salahuddin
KABUL (Reuters) - “Warlords, former communists, women’s rights activists and technocrats were sworn in on Monday as members of the first Afghan parliament in more than 30 years amid hopes of national reconciliation after decades of bloodshed.
“‘I thank God that today I am participating in a ceremony that is a step towards rebuilding Afghanistan after decades of fighting,’ former King Zahir Shah, overthrown in 1973 by his cousin, Daud Khan, who dissolved the last parliament.
“‘The people of Afghanistan will succeed!’ the 91-year-old Zahir Shah told the assembly to applause.
“The inauguration was the culmination of a U.N.-backed plan to bring democracy drawn up after U.S.-led forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001 and security was tight after a spate of Taliban suicide attacks and threats to the assembly.…”
18 December 2005
Rain Numbers - 18 December 2005
6.15", for today
7.87", for the storm
11.12", for the month
14.18", for the (rain) year
It was an intense evening: whilst I was at St Michael’s for the joint Christmas Pageant, Bob reported he’d noticed 3/4" of rain in one 15 minute period, and a rain intensity reading of 2.74"/hour…
The (Somewhat Abbreviated and Hacked off at the Knees) Bem Sex Role Inventory Test
| Feminine You scored 40 masculinity and 56 femininity! |
| You scored high on femininity and low on masculinity. You have a traditionally feminine personality. |
 |
| My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender :
|
| Link: The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test written by weirdscience on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal’s Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Roman Republic
1352 - Innocent VI is elected Pope
1787 - New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the United States Constitution
1865 - History of slavery in the United States: William Henry Seward proclaims that the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution has been ratified by the legislatures of 27 of the then 36 states.
1892 - The first performance of Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker is held at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg
1926 - The first performance of Leoš Janáček’s opera The Makropulos Affair is held in Brno, Czechoslovakia
1966 - Saturn’s moon Epimetheus is discovered by Richard L. Walker
1997 - HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium
2001 - The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan, New York City, is damaged by fire
2002 - The film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is released worl
2002 - 2003 California recall: Governor of California Gray Davis announces that the state would face a record budget deficit of $35 billion, roughly double the figure reported during his reelection campaign one month earlier
Births
1610 - Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange, French philologist (d. 1688)
1661 - Christopher Polhem, Swedish scientist and inventor (d. 1751)
1856 - Sir J.J. Thomson, British physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1940)
1863 - Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria (d. 1914)
1870 - Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), British writer (d. 1916)
1886 - Ty Cobb (Tyrus Raymond Cobb), American baseball player (d. 1961)
1890 - Edwin Armstrong, American inventor (d. 1954)
1897 - Fletcher Henderson, American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer (d. 1952)
1917 - Ossie Davis, American actor (d. 2005)
1928 - Józef Glemp, Polish cardinal
1939 - Michael Moorcock, British author
# 1939 - Harold E. Varmus, American scientist and Nobel Prize laureate
1943 - Keith Richards, British guitarist (The Rolling Stones)
1946 - Steven Spielberg, American film director
1946 - Steve Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist (d. 1977)
1950 - Leonard Maltin, American film critic
1961 - Brian Orser, Canadian figure skater
1971 - Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Spanish tennis player
Deaths
1737 - Antonio Stradivari, Italian violin maker (b. 1644)
1787 - Francis William Drake, British Admiral and Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1724)
1869 - Louis Moreau Gottschalk, American composer and pianist (b. 1829)
1936 - Andrija Mohorovičić, Austro-Hungarian-born Yugoslav seismologist (b. 1857)
1971 - Bobby Jones, American golfer (b. 1902)
1990 - Paul Tortelier, French cellist and composer (b. 1914)
1991 - George Abecassis, British Formula 1 driver (b. 1913)
Holidays and Observances
R.C. Saints - Gatianus of Tours
17 December 2005
Rain Numbers - 17 December 2005
1.72", for today
1.72", for the storm
4.96", for the month
8.02", for the (rain) year
I Don’t Know Why the Prez Is So Hot and Bothered…
…about protecting the country from terrorists by wiretapping international communications without a warrant; it looks as if our “educational” system is on track to ruin the country without any terror help at all:
From the Bad Astronomy BABlog: The Sun of all fears
14 December 2005
Which of C.S. Lewis's Narnia Books Are You?
I’m not quite sure at all how this one worked out the way it did…
 | You scored as The Horse and His Boy. You are the horse and his boy. This is my personal favorite Narnia story. Though not as well known, the story is an important link to the other chronicles and a good read. Interesting fact: The Horse and His Boy is the only story to take place entirely in the lands surrounding Narnia.
Which of C.S. Lewis's Narnia Books Are You? created with QuizFarm.com |
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Listening to: Orleans - Dance with Me
via FoxyTunes
13 December 2005
Howling Up a Storm
Spotted in The Internet Scout’s blog, a post from 29 November 2004:
What’s in a howl
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Listening to: G. Palestrina - Benedictus For Holy Week
via FoxyTunes
12 December 2005
Some Important Films
The Vatican Film List from Decent Films Guide
“Some Important Films”
for the 100th Anniversary of Cinema
Pontifical Council for Social Communications
1995
Religion
Andrei Rublev * Andrei Tarkowsky (1969, USSR)
The Mission * Roland Joffé (1986, UK)
La passion de Jeanne d’Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc) * Carl T. Dreyer (1928, France)
La vie et la passion de Jésus Christ (Life and Passion of Christ) * Ferdinand Zecca and Lucien Nonguet (1905, France) -Identified on the Vatican film list as La Passion Pathé
Francesco, giullare di Dio (The Flowers of St. Francis / Francis, God’s Jester) * Roberto Rossellini (1950, Italy)
Il vangelo secondo Matteo (The Gospel According to Matthew) * Pier Paolo Pasolini (1964, France/Italy)
Thérèse * Alain Cavalier (1986, France)
Ordet (The Word) * Carl T. Dreyer (1955, Denmark)
Offret - Sacrificatio (The Sacrifice) * Andrei Tarkowsky (1986, Sweden/UK/France)
Francesco (St. Francis of Assisi) * Liliana Cavani (1989, Italy/Germany)
Ben-Hur [A Tale of the Christ] * William Wyler (1959, USA)
Babettes gæstebud (Babette’s Feast) * Gabriel Axel (1987, Denmark)
Nazarín * Luis Buñuel (1958, Mexico)
Monsieur Vincent * Maurice Cloche (1947, France)
A Man for All Seasons * Fred Zinnemann (1966, UK)
Values
Gandhi * Richard Attenborough (1982, UK/USA/India)
Intolerance * D. W. Griffith (1916, USA)
Dekalog (The Decalogue) * Krzysztof Kieslowski (1987, Poland) -Identified on the Vatican film list as Il Decalogo
Au Revoir, Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) * Louis Malle (1987, France)
Dersu Uzala * Akira Kurosawa (1974, Japan)
L’albero degli zoccoli (The Tree of the Wooden Clogs) * Ermanno Olmi (1978, Italy/France)
Roma, città aperta (Open City) * Roberto Rossellini (1946, Italy)
Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries) * Ingmar Bergman (1957, Sweden)
Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal) * Ingmar Bergman (1957, Sweden)
Chariots of Fire * Hugh Hudson (1981, UK)
Ladri di biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) * Vittorio de Sica (1948, Italy)
It’s a Wonderful Life * Frank Capra (1946, USA)
Schindler’s List * Steven Spielberg (1993, USA)
On the Waterfront * Elia Kazan (1954, USA)
Biruma No Tategoto (The Burmese Harp) * Kon Ichikawa (1956, Japan)
Art
2001: A Space Odyssey * Stanley Kubrick (1968, UK/USA)
La Strada * Federico Fellini (1954, Italy)
Citizen Kane * Orson Welles (1941, USA)
Metropolis * Fritz Lang (1927, Germany)
Modern Times * Charlie Chaplin (1936, USA)
Napoléon * Abel Gance (1927, Italy)
8 1/2 * Federico Fellini (1963, Italy)
La grande illusion (Grand Illusion) * Jean Renoir (1937, France)
Nosferatu * F. W. Murnau (1922, Germany)
Stagecoach * John Ford (1939, USA)
Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) * Luchino Visconti (1963, Italy/France)
Fantasia * (1940, USA)
The Wizard of Oz * Victor Fleming (1939, USA)
The Lavender Hill Mob * Charles Crichton (1951, UK)
Little Women * George Cukor (1933, USA)
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Listening to: Joan Osborne - St. Teresa
via FoxyTunes
11 December 2005
If You Were in Beowulf…
I like the dragon part; I’m not so keen on the mutually-insured destruction,but it is Beowulf…
 | You scored as The Dragon. Ancient, chaotic, and a bit mysterious is the Dragon figure. Awakened from your happy slumber upon a pile of gold, you go about the country slaying its occupants. Beowulf manages to kill you, but not before you ensure his death. Congrats.
If You Were in Beowulf... created with QuizFarm.com |
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Listening to: Los Straitjackets & Raul Malo - Black Is Black
via FoxyTunes
10 December 2005
Which Narnia character are you?
I’d have had to go out and shoot myself if I’d been Susan…
You scored as Peter. You are Peter, the High King, just, loyal, and courageous!
Which Narnia character are you? created with QuizFarm.com |
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Listening to: Peter, Paul And Mary - Wedding Song (There Is Love)
via FoxyTunes
01 December 2005
Grown-ups and Children
On the spine of this month’s Real Simple:
All grown-ups were once children. (But few of them remember it.)
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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