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| "Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind... War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today." -- John F. Kennedy |
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Sun works to converge Linux, Solaris |
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| Topic: Computers |
3:59 pm EDT, May 14, 2002 |
Sun Microsystems is working hard to ensure that Linux and Solaris play well together.
The server seller is continuing its effort to integrate Linux interfaces into its Solaris operating system, a move that would make it easier to bring programs based on the Linux operating system to Solaris machines. But Sun has also begun work to bring Solaris features to Linux, said Vivek Mehra, vice president and general manager of Sun's Cobalt group. The work indicates that Sun's push to embrace Linux is becoming more than just a publicity stunt. For years, Sun dismissed Linux as an inferior relation to Solaris, but the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company this year bowed to market forces and announced full-fledged Linux support. Sun works to converge Linux, Solaris |
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Out of Silicon Valley, and Looking Homeward |
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| Topic: Society |
3:41 pm EDT, May 14, 2002 |
"Engineers and entrepreneurs from India and China who work in Silicon Valley are quietly fueling a high-tech revolution in their native countries in ways that challenge traditional notions of a "brain drain." ... [They are] "agents of global economic change." "The 'brain drain' from developing countries such as India and China has been transformed into a more complex, two-way process of 'brain circulation' linking Silicon Valley to select urban centers in India and China." The precocious New America Foundation has just agreed to a deal with Basic Books to publish jointly up to 10 books a year covering public policy and current affairs. Until now, fellows at the three-year-old think tank primarily have relied on op-eds and magazine articles to express their deep thoughts. The Hudson Institute has a bestseller on its hands -- in Japan: a new collection of essays called "The Re-Emerging Japanese Superstate in the 21st Century." [ Originally from Jeremy. I predicted this when I was in Asia, but the locals didn't believe me at the time. ] Out of Silicon Valley, and Looking Homeward |
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All Over the Area, Data Centers Assume New Identities |
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| Topic: Economics |
3:39 pm EDT, May 14, 2002 |
Not long ago, the Washington region was one of the hottest spots in the nation for building bunker-like warehouses for the powerful computers that send, receive and store data on the Internet. Now, with many of those data centers gone dark, the region has become a magnet for bargain hunters. Only 34.7% of data-center space is being used. About 1/3 of the excess is for sale, at a 50-90% discount off the construction cost. The data centers originally blossomed as the Internet bubble grew. The theory was that Internet traffic would continue to double every six months ... "There was sort of an ad hoc land-grab mentality." ... "The heyday of telecom expansion is not what it was and will not be coming back." All Over the Area, Data Centers Assume New Identities |
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Talks With Iraqi Opposition Intensify |
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| Topic: Current Events |
10:00 pm EDT, May 13, 2002 |
Senior U.S. officials have been stepping up discussions with Iraqi opposition groups, including several newly prominent in U.S. thinking, as the Bush administration proceeds with plans for toppling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In one unpublicized meeting, a U.S. team, including a senior CIA official, met secretly in Germany last month with Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, leaders of two Kurdish parties based in northern Iraq that allied with the United States after the Gulf War in 1991, according to sources familiar with the session. ... Even as it expands its contacts with Iraqi exiles, the administration is deeply divided over which groups to court and how helpful they could be in any move against Hussein. ... a military strike in Iraq now not envisioned until at least next winter ... ... The unpublicized meetings provide a rare glimpse at the influential but largely unreported role General Wayne A. Downing, former commander of all U.S. Special Operations forces, has assumed since he joined the White House after Sept. 11 to head its counterterrorism efforts. ... A possible invasion of Iraq could involve several roles for the Iraqi opposition ... Also exploring the option of encouraging elements of the Iraqi military to mutiny against Hussein ... [Originally from Jeremy. Sadly, no mention of the fact that while the U.S. courts Kurds in Iraq it continues to arm Turkey who has been waging a long ethnic-cleansing war against Kurds there.] Talks With Iraqi Opposition Intensify |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
9:55 pm EDT, May 13, 2002 |
"At its best, the Internet can educate more people faster than any media tool we've ever had. At its worst, it can make people dumber faster than any media tool we've ever had. The lie that 4,000 Jews were warned not to go into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 was spread entirely over the Internet and is now thoroughly believed in the Muslim world. Because the Internet has an aura of "technology" surrounding it, the uneducated believe information from it even more. They don't realize that the Internet, at its ugliest, is just an open sewer: an electronic conduit for untreated, unfiltered information." Absolutely mandatory read for those trying to understand the impact of the Internet on modern society. Global Village Idiocy |
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Evolutionary Origins of Morality : Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives |
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| Topic: Science |
5:08 pm EDT, May 13, 2002 |
Introduction to an Imprint (U.K.) book by Leonard D. Katz. Apparently charting the course of human morality. Some good reference material here, particularly the book by Antonio R. Damasio: Descarte's Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. I found that book particularly interesting reading. This is going on my Amazon Wish List. Here is the Amazon URL for the book if you are interested: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/090784507X/qid=1021323893/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_67_1/002-8955812-7312820 Evolutionary Origins of Morality : Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives |
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What it takes to make the world a safer place |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
12:55 am EDT, May 13, 2002 |
Chart showing the amount of $$ to fix alot of the global problems. It's worth noting that if it is accurate then U.S. military expenditures are half of the total military expenditures. What would happen if you chopped that in two and use one half to deal with the job fallout from lost military jobs and the other half to directly address some of these issues? Think about it. What it takes to make the world a safer place |
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Monthly Review May 1998 Albert Einstein |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
12:29 am EDT, May 13, 2002 |
Albert Einstein on socialism. Worth a read. Regardless of your particular political stance it's interesting to read this article that is 50 years old and still relevant. Monthly Review May 1998 Albert Einstein |
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