Fans of the cult-hit series Firefly will be pleased to learn that the show has been picked up by the Sci Fi Channel--just two months before the release of Serenity, a Universal Pictures film based on the series.

SciFi picked up the rights to show the 1st season of Firefly, including the 3 unaired episodes. They also will be showing them in order.

This move scares me. With the movie coming out in 2 months, you'd think Fox would adopt a "wait and see" attitude about the show. Why are they selling rights to a show that could get very popular? If they had any plans to restart the show after the movie, you'd think they'd want to keep the 1st season.

[ Well, the article says nothing about whether they've acquired rights to the whole franchise. As in, this says nothing about potential future episodes. I'm glad that (hopefully) more people can be exposed to such a good show. Still, I have a feeling Fox is probably assuming they'll get more out of buyers now, when the hype is high, than if the movie's not well recieved... it's a hedge.

Anyway, I'd *love* to see SciFi run with the series. As long as the writers and actors are willing to keep it up, the production values can be lower... it was never driven by flashy SFX (even though it had them) but by rich characters and stories. Someday those gou cao de jackasses at Fox will keep a quality show around.

(and, yes, I *have* been waiting a while to use one of the chinese quotes from the show in this context... ;)

-k]

Firefly picked up by SciFi Channel

Although extensive official secrecy was empowering when governments had more information than non-governmental actors, it now often amplifies intelligence shortfalls and prevents governments from partnering with and fully engaging non-state actors in open knowledge networks. In a networked information environment, we can learn more by developing close and cooperative links with the thousands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating throughout Africa, for example, than by relying on a small number of political and intelligence officers reporting from African capitals.

[ Reading this article, I couldn't help being reminded of Snow Crash, in which the US governement is pretty much completely marginalized and exists with a culture of extreme secrecy and strict monitoring, but accomplishes nothing. Meanwhile, the CIC hackers are essentially just guys who are good at getting and finding information, and they hold a fairly decent bit of power for precisely that reason.

Anyway, there's something to be said for what they're proposing, though I haven't really got the initiative to fully reason out the implications. -k]

The Perils of Secrecy in an Information Age

Now, after three billion years, the Darwinian interlude is over. It was an interlude between two periods of horizontal gene transfer. The epoch of Darwinian evolution based on competition between species ended about ten thousand years ago when a single species, Homo Sapiens, began to dominate and reorganize the biosphere.

Since that time, cultural evolution has replaced biological evolution as the main driving force of change. Cultural evolution is not Darwinian. Cultures spread by horizontal transfer of ideas more than by genetic inheritance.

[ Very interesting... I'm very interested in a more complete development of this line of thinking... -k]

The Darwinian Interlude, by Freeman Dyson

Nice lecture. Isn't the usual "use tables for layout stupid" and "Structure should be seperated from content" rant. This site actually shows you how to break an existing webpage down to its basic structure and built it back up with CSS, DIVs, and more.

I've been working today on using some Javascript to make the Recommendation page have more, but hidden, options. Inserting this into a page that uses tables for layouts is a bitch.

-Memestreams includes CSS defined inline with each page.
-Memestreams uses Tables instead of DIVs for layout. The main page is over 30k, most of it table formatting. I know Tom has a good Co-Lo deal, but the bandwidth savings here will help Memestreams users.

[ I only wish he had said : "The only problem with CSS is that all browser manufactuers are FUCKING ASSHOLES and don't properly support the spec. You'll spend more time dealing with silly goddamn tricks than laying out your page."

Fuck IE. Fuck Firefox, Mozzilla, Safari, and every browser on the planet. There's a spec. If you're gonna call it a standard, then bloody fucking comply with it.

I dare you to try and align a div with the BOTTOM of the screen. Check it out, it's awesome! -k]

Why tables for layout is stupid: problems defined, solutions offered

While I don't really care about forwarding voice mail, the use of DTMF tones to create a reliable datalink layer is something I was trying to do. A pair of FSR radios, some DTMF chips and some PICs and I have a reliable, low speed (~45bps) data communcations with around a mile range for under $50. This is far more flexible then the model airplane remote controls that cost over $75.

Cisco has some info on it too.

[ This wouldn't have anything to do with advanced remote package delivery systems, would it? -k]

AMIS: DTMF Data Link (kind of) [ZIP]

Security experts familiar with the cards' radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, described by Chase as "contactless functionality," expressed some concern over the devices' security strength. Some have suggested that they may make it easy for perpetrators to commit fraud or identity theft.

Saw an add for ChaseBlink tonight. This ought to be interesting... Contactless credit card purchases. No signature. No pin. Just waive it over the reader. I can tell you how I'd have designed it, but I would be suprised if there were no vulnerabilities here.

While this is rather elaborate, a computer controlled rfid device connected to increasingly common cellular wireless internet systems relays the transaction to another reader, maybe taped to a chair in a shopping mall foodcourt.

[ I just got one of these in the mail. I had been a BankOne customer, and then Chase bought them up. So my BankOne visa is now a Chase visa with Blink. I'm not 100% happy about it. I think this one may end up getting cancelled, since I'm not *really* into walking around with a foil wrapped credit card. Still, if anyone's got a reader, we might be able to play with it... i'm kinda curious what's on there.

-k]

CRM News: RFID : Chase Bank Rolls Out Contactless Credit Cards

The trade group sent a wake-up call to the photofinishing industry when, in 1999, it sued Kmart Corp., alleging that the discount store violated federal copyright law by copying images without the permission of the copyright owners.

In 2000, Kmart settled the case by paying $100,000 and agreeing to implement procedures to guard against the unlawful copying of professional photos.

...

Watson said the manager of the photo department "felt" that three of the photos were possibly taken professionally. "I offered to sign anything, but there was just no way around it for them," Watson said. "They were not going to print them.

Decius Writes:
Man, I hate this crap. People that work behind the counter at Kinkos and Walmart do not understand copyright law and they are not well equiped to make spot judgements about what is and is not illegal. The result is that copyright enforcement consists of "I think you look like a punk kid so I'm not going to copy this." As a rule, I don't use Kinkos anymore because everytime I go in there I have some busybody trying to prevent me from doing business with them.

The absolute most annoying case was when I was required (by law) to make color photocopies of a government ID and the idiot at Kinkos insisted that I was commiting a crime and threatened to call the police.

There is a fundamental policy flaw in this, but I'm not sure where to pin it. The government has never required cash register clerks at these outlets to act as judge, jury, and executioner for copyright law. These companies have gotten sued by copyright owners who were not satisfied with actually suing the person who violated their copyright, but wanted to go after someone with big pockets (very honorable, indeed). The companies settled, partially because its cheaper then a suit, and partially because they didn't have the forsight to go through with a suit.

There ought to be a law which limits the liability of printing services.

SignOnSanDiego.com - Snap judgments

High school students often roll out of bed with the roosters so they can pack in a full day of school, sports and homework. But that early start could be hindering their performance by slashing their sleep cycle and by forcing them to work when they are at their wooziest, suggests a new study.

[ Shit, I coulda told you that. -k]

Too early for teens

[ So true. -k]

Dilbert is funny once in a while...

[Still technically a maybe, but nonetheless, fuck. -k]

Apple to ditch IBM, switch to Intel chips | CNET News.com