Cool, and/or Fun Tech

Okay, so here are two interesting tech items, and an interesting tech story thrown in for fun.

First, the "Star Trek Communicator" that we all have known and loved is making it's "debut."  I suppose this is a niche' market, and only (or perhaps, mostly) those daring a brave souls who seek out new life at Trek Conventions will purchase them.

Second--and far more important in my mind is my recommendation for a piece of software I have come to love.  Have you seen those panoramic photos, stitched together from several separate photos, and wished you had the skill, the patience, and the photoshop to do that? Or tried the pan-stitch software that came with your new camera, only to be disappointed with the quality, or the linearity, or other limitations?  Search no more!  Start creating your own Panaoramic photographs using Autostitch.  This software is apparently the product of an academic effort, designed to find better ways of automating the stitching process.  I have used it quite often, and as many would guess, most often for photographs up at the lake.

What to do with these photographs?  Certainly, if you have the right Epson or HP wide-format printers you can print them at home, but I recommend checking out your local Copier Store such as Kinko's, or check out the many online companies such as Shutterfly, Adoramapix, or even WalMart.  Or for those of you that haven't yet discovered the joys of Picasa by Google, download it, and see not only how easy it is to order your panoramic print online from any number of places, but see how simple and easy they have made editing any photograph.

Finally, the funny story:  Many of us have iPods, and not everyone can keep up with ther perverbial Jones' but that apparently doesn't deter apple from pushing for iPod Envy.  As this story at the "Crazy Apple Rumors Site" tells it, Apple at first thought about paying college students to look down their noses at fellow students with obsolete (read, "soooo last generation") iPods. My favorite lines?

“That is categorically false,” a visibly angry Schiller said. “We never paid anyone to do that.

“We were going to, but then we realized we didn’t have to. They were already doing it for free.”

So there ya have it, my tips, pointers, and story for the day.

Enjoy!-

Voters like to be monitored...

Those that follow my comments here, and on other blogs, know that I at times wage a battle of logic against the illogic of the left.  In fact, I find it amusing that I am so often called names, when I employ their tactics against themselves (for reference to this, go read some of the comment battles at The Lobby.)

One of the on-going battles from the left is the sense that Americans are outraged at the government's apparent monitoring of our lives.  The self-absorbed left somehow believes that the US government is actually so interested in the mundane aspects of our daily lives that they listen to us, and track information about us, and our "normal" conversations.  The left seems to think that most Americans would rise up against such government monitoring, even though the monitoring is done in the interest of national security, and thus, the safety of our populace.

Well, I for one wouldn't want to extrapolate too far, or draw too many generalizable conclusions about these views from just one election, but I do find the situation in Philadelphia interesting.  Today, Tuesday, 16 May 2006, Pennsylvania (my once and future home) held their primary elections.  While there were many outcomes that may take the headlines, including the ouster of several incumbents, the silent yet critical news story may be about the referendum.  Yes, THE referendum.  The Associated Press ran a story (found at mcall.com) that said:

 As police warn of a rising tide of gun violence, voters this week will get a chance to weigh in on whether Philadelphia should become the next big city to add public surveillance cameras to its crime-fighting arsenal.

A referendum on the ballot in Tuesday's primary will ask voters whether they think the city's charter should be amended to allow officials to use video surveillance to ''fight crime and violence'' in a way that ''protects civil liberties and legitimate privacy interests.''

As of this moment, reports are that the city, a city (like so many other cities around the nation) dominated by the left and the Democrats, has voted overwhelmingly to allow video surveillance.

The outcome, as listed at Phlly.com, at this time, is:

Referendum - Video Surveillance - Ballot Issue

Philadelphia, 1543 of 1681 Precincts Reporting - 91.79%

Name Votes Pct Yes 62,518 79.12 No 16,498 20.88

Note, this is with nearly 92% of the votes counted.  Assuming every remaining vote goes against the ballot, those rougly 8,000 votes wouldn't be enough to stop it.

Yes, Philiadelphia has voted to allow their government to monitor their activities, and record them, to provide a sense of security.  They are sacrificing security over privacy and personal rights.

Actually, I would be more opposed to this, than even the NSA listening.  Partly because of my libertarian leanings, but also because a local law enforcement officer is more likely to have personal connections with the individuals monitored, and thus the potential is far greater for personal malfeasance.

Yup.  The left likes to whine and complain about the Republicans and the Right.  They like to scream about individual rights, but put their own lives at risk and they give up those rights faster than Kennedy grabs a whisky bottle.

Language Log: Is Mark Steyn guilty of plagiarism?

Language Log: Is Mark Steyn guilty of plagiarism?

Those who know me, know my record with plagiarists. I post this link to the Language Log, in an attempt to warn all, students and others, about the problems of plagiarism, and most importantly, about the broader impact it has, beyond the classroom.

The Pro

MANPADS Protection--is it time?

Many of you, dear students, won't know what MANPADS is, and that is quite understandable.  It is defined as a "Man-portable Air Defense System."  That obviously includes such systems as Stinger missiles.  Interestingly, we as a nation are now more concerned about them as an attack rather than a defense, system.  Misnomer aside, this article "ATA Position: Counter MANPADS Deployment" outlines the case from the position of the Air Transport Association.

"Among the terrorist threats we are confronting, the risk of a MANPADS attack on a commercial airliner is an extremely serious concern. So too, however, are threats from other types of weapons and tactics that might be utilized by those intent on harming our nation by attacking our aviation system. Therefore, it is critically important in confronting all of these threats that we be guided by the best intelligence and law enforcement information available. With this information, we can apply a systematic risk management program to determine how to best marshal available resources."

The article outlines the case for MANPADS protection, but also lists a series of questions that must be addressed before any real action can be taken to protect civil travel from such threats.  The questions are listed at the end of the article, and I encourage all of you to go read them.  They are thoughtful and I believe useful in helping to frame a realistic debate on the benefits, approaches, and effectiveness of MANPADS defense.

I look forward to reading your thoughts on the threats to our commercial air system.  How much do you think we should spend on systems like these?  Are you willing to pay more for your airline ticket for this level of safety?  And what is your answer to the liability question?

Enjoy!