So, how many people can say they walked away from $3.6 million to do something they really believed in? Unfotunately, the story took a sad turn. This guy is a hero in the truest sense.

SI.com - NFL - CNN: Former Cardinals safety Tillman killed in action - Friday April 23, 2004 10:53AM

inignoct wrote:
] ] A cargo worker whose photograph of flag-draped coffins
] ] bearing the remains of U.S. soldiers was published on a
] ] newspaper's front page was fired by the military
] ] contractor that employed her.
] ]
] ] Tami Silicio, 50, was fired Wednesday by Maytag Aircraft
] ] Corp. after military officials raised ''very specific
] ] concerns'' related to the photograph, said William L.
] ] Silva, Maytag president. The photo was taken in Kuwait.
]
] The picture can be found here :
] http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2001906044.jpg

I'm just memeing Kerry's post here. I don't have much to add. There is an interesting question here. Societies with informational superiority are less likely to be violent because they are apt to have a better understanding of the cost. This is a long term good, but right now you have a problem with information poor societies which don't understand the human cost of violence. This is another good arguement for pursuing internet access in the third world, even if it results in 419 spam.

RE: Boston.com / News / Nation / Woman fired by military contractor for published photograph of flag-draped U.S. coffins

(U:) This matter has been resolved. I filed a complaint with the management of my apartment complex, they complained to Infinite Energy, and then I finally got someone who was actually willing to get things fixed up. In the final analysis I have not been charged any fees. However, they were geared up to disconnect me AGAIN 2 weeks after the initial disconnection. I received another final notice the day before I spoke to the manager who finally resolved the issue. A major pain in the ass this all was....

Infinite Energy sells natural gas in apartment complexes in Georgia. As they have lock in exclusive contracts with complexes their customers don't have any choice but to do business with them. As a result they have piss poor customer service because they just don't care.

Unfortunately, the only way to avoid them is to rent from a complex that doesn't use them, or not to rent. Do you rent in Georiga? Do you know of a property management company that doesn't deal with these people?

I sent them a check, which they cashed but failed to post to my account. Then they disconnected my service. They did send me a final disconnection notice, but it was a non descript envelope that ended up on my bill pile because it looks like a bill. Georgia law requires this notification to occur by phone or certified mail.

I haven't had a shower since Monday. I didn't realize the gas had been disconnected till yesterday. I spent the entire day yesterday dealing with their lazy customer service reps, who had my cashed check 30 seconds away from them on their terminals, but still insisted on making me jump through multiple hoops and broken fax machines to prove to them that I paid them before they'd bother to look there. (And when they DID get my fax they did nothing with it at all. I had to call back in 5 hours later and prod them, and at that time they couldn't find the fax.)

They're supposed to turn my gas back on today. I have to be home between the hours of 8 AM and 5PM. As I can't cook in my apartment I suppose that also means I'm not supposed to eat.

Thank you, infinite energy, for fucking up my life for several days because you are too lazy to double check your data entry. No company in a competitive marketplace would ever disconnect a paying customer.

(U:) Insult to injury. Infinite Engery is claiming that it is my fault that they misfiled my check because they mis-interpreted my handwriting of the account number on the check. This, of course, ignores the fact that the check came with their bill stub, which includes the account number. So, they are billing me for the disconnection and reconnection. Which, of course, gives me the motivation to file a complaint with the Georgia PSC over both their misleading disconnection notice and their failure to take responsibility for the mistake. I can't imagine that the PSC will be as disingenuous about this as they are being unless they've been thoroughly bribed. We shall see...

Fuck Infinite Energy

] I was just out in Silicon Valley, checking in with
] high-tech entrepreneurs about the state of their
] business. I wouldn't say they were universally gloomy,
] but I did detect something I hadn't detected before: a
] real undertow of concern that America is losing its
] competitive edge vis-à-vis China, India, Japan and other
] Asian tigers.

NYT: Losing Our Edge?

] "The objective of this technology is to bring an ID
] system to a global level that will destroy the need to
] carry ID documents and credit cards," Chase said.
]
] During a recent American radio interview, Chase said the
] CEO of VeriChip, Dr. Keith Bolton, had told him that the
] company's goal was to market the VeriChip as a global
] implantable identification system.

This doesn't appear to be a hoax.

Don't these people understand how easy it is to break the security of this?

WorldNetDaily: Paying for drinks with wave of the hand

] Rumsfeld told reporters at a briefing yesterday that he
] may have used the phrase "take that to the bank" but that
] no final decision had been made to go to war.
]
] "To my knowledge, a decision had not been taken by the
] president to go to war at that meeting," Rumsfeld said.
] "There was certainly nothing I said that should have
] suggested that, and any suggestion to the contrary would
] not be accurate."

Thats fucking classic. Congradulations dumbass, you are no longer credible.

Pentagon Deleted Rumsfeld Comment (washingtonpost.com)

The slides from Greg Conti's talk about Network Security Data Visualization are available here.

Greg gave a very good talk. Many links and references to visualization tools.

Interz0ne3 Network Security Data Visualization

Stools that look like big escape keys.

escape button

] "There's no shortage of general technicians, but there is
] a big shortage of qualified people to work on drivability
] and emissions issues," says Robert Rodriguez of
] Automotive Service Excellence. The Leesburg, Va.,
] organization certifies repair shops and technicians.
]
] These specialist technicians need advanced reading,
] problem-solving, and basic electronics skills, he says.
] "The best people to find are those who have worked in the
] IT [information technology] industry," he says.

This is a very interesting article about the technologies in new cars and their associated repair expenses. A combination of government regulation, oligopoly pricing ($3000 headlights?!), and technological change (the author mis-explains the advantages of LEDS) has created a situation were damaged cars are more frequently totalled. Its also created a job market which is egar to hire IT people misplaced by outsourcing.

New cars are getting too expensive to fix | csmonitor.com

DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS
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DomoKun Developers Video [WMV]