Eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. The film is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry.

Hopefully this will stir up some serious shit when it is released.

An Inconvenient Truth - Trailer

The Defense Science Board will conduct a summer study on a topic that would have been inconceivable when the Defense Department established the board 50 years ago this year: the military implications of Internet search engines, online journals and "blogs."

The terms of reference are available.

Defense Science Board to Study Impact of MemeStreams on War in Iraq

According to this AP item, Microsoft and Yahoo may soon build massive data storage facilities in a rural corner of Washington state known for wide open spaces and potato farms. Coincidentally (hmmmm?), the site is not far from a large NSA data-mining facility.

What cat? What bag?

Boing Boing: MSFT, YHOO to build data centers near NSA's in WA?

The US Census Bureau, due to issues related to the separation of church and state, does not ask questions related to faith or religion on the decennial census. Accordingly, there are few sources of comprehensive data on church membership and religious affiliation for the United States. Perhaps the leading organization to address this gap is the Glenmary Research Center, which publishes Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States, 2000. The following series of county-level choropleth maps, which reveals the distribution of the larger and more regionally concentrated church bodies, draws on this resource. The maps are in GIF format.

Map Gallery of Religion in the United States

To those of you who don't know, our country has never been served by a more competent and professional military. For that reason, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent statement that "we" made the "right strategic decisions" but made thousands of "tactical errors" is an outrage. It reflects an effort to obscure gross errors in strategy by shifting the blame for failure to those who have been resolute in fighting. The truth is, our forces are successful in spite of the strategic guidance they receive, not because of it.

Why Iraq Was a Mistake

Brokers that disclose bugs to their selected list of subscribers are necessarily withholding important information from the rest of the public. Brokers may eventually issue public advisories, but in the meantime, only the vendor and subscribers know about the problem.

An interesting discussion of bug brokers.

Wired News: Bug Bounties Exterminate Holes

In January, a vulnerability in WMF surfaced that let attackers use the Windows' graphics rendering engine that handles WMF images to launch malicious code on users' computers via these images. A number of security researchers posted information about the vulnerability to their mailing lists. Within a few hours, researcher H.D. Moore posted a working example of a WMF exploit--a piece of code written to take advantage of a software flaw--on his Metasploit Web site. Some defended the action, saying it offered insight into the rules security pros needed to put on intrusion-detection systems to avoid getting hit. Others argued that what Moore did enabled the average hacker to more easily exploit the flaw.

Information Week published a long, sensational, and patently dishonest article on security research today. This text makes it seem as if malware authors used the information H.D. Moore published. The fact is that this vulnerability was being exploited by criminal organizations in the wild before anyone in the security research community knew about it. The article fails to make this fact clear because it doesn't fit into the narrative that the reporter is aiming for and undermines the questions the reporter is raising. Would any major news media organization be interesting in a peice that discusses whether intentially dishonest reporting is good or bad for society?

InformationWeek | Security | The Fear Industry | April 17, 2006

Thirteen minute video of various Rube Goldberg machines from Japanese TV.

Incredible Machines - Google Video

"Have you, like me, been recalling the great protest songs of the Sixties, and wondered where the new protest songs are? Yesterday, I found out."

Not really.. But I'm all about music with message, even though I'm more into Bad Religion than stuff that came from the hippie movement. However, I do have a sweet spot for Neil Young.

It started as a rumour - gossip shared by fans on internet chat sites. Could it true, they asked? Could Neil Young, a cultural lodestone for a generation of country rock fans, really be turning his attention to President George Bush and the war in Iraq? Now Young himself has confirmed it. Not only has he recorded an entire album about the conflict, but in one of the songs he spells out who he thinks is to blame for the ongoing chaos and violence and what the consequences for that person should be. That track is called "Impeach the President".

"I just finished a new record - a power trio with trumpet and 100 voices," the 60-year-old says in a ticker-tape message posted at the bottom of his official website. "Metal folk protest? It's called Living with the War."

I liked the sentiment, but I didn't care much for Let's Roll as a song. I was also somewhat miffed when Young came out supporting the Patriot Act.. I'll be interested in seeing what the lyrics are like.

Independent Online Edition | Neil Young sets his sights on Bush

The explosive idea of forcing Internet providers to record their customers' online activities for future police access is gaining ground in state capitols and in Washington, D.C.

Top Bush administration officials have endorsed the concept, and some members of the U.S. Congress have said federal legislation is needed to aid law enforcement investigations into child pornography. A bill is already pending in the Colorado State Senate.

Youch! I think the sheep are primed and ready for this step.

This follows the line we have been singing for awhile now. When the draconian shit starts happening, its going to be done in the name of "protecting the children".

ISP snooping gaining support | CNET News.com