The BBC reports that the US has obtained a letter, supposedly from Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri and addressed to AQ ambassador to Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which informs al-Zarqawi and his followers that their current tactics risk alienating the Muslim masses. He goes on to say that alienating the Muslim masses is bad, because the masses will ultimately be involved in the future government of Iraq.
In this letter, al-Zawahiri supposedly moans about AQ's ravaged finances and leadership, and states that they've virtually resigned themselves to defeat in Afghanistan.
The letter, which the US says they obtained in June, is certainly encouraging, if it's the genuine article. Supposedly, the US announced they have the letter and gave some details regarding it's contents only to head off some leaked information about it.
I'm hopeful, but far from convinced. Was this letter, in fact, written somewhere in Fort Meade, MD? Or if it did come from al-Zawahiri, is it disinformation intended to lull US forces a bit?
I question everything I hear in this war.
UPDATE: Now AQ says the letter was a fake. Well, what else were they going to say? This clears up nothing.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Terrorist help wanted
Business is apparently booming (sorry) at Al Qaeda, as they are now advertising for help. It looks like they're really trying to build up the entertainment and marketing divisions, as the openings are for Web- and TV-production types.
The Web has made entrepreneurs of everyone, but this is nuts.
Terrorists have always succeeded by using a society's tools to conceal themselves - the PIRA moving with freedom around England, Hamas wannabes working at falafel stands in Jerusalem, the Viet Cong infiltrating cities ahead of Tet, etc. Today's "productivity tools" - laptops connected to the Web, pay-as-you-go mobile phones, the emphasis on collaboration and the ability to work remotely, etc - give bad guys an unprecedented ability to move around and blend in.
I'm certainly not advocating that any of these tools be eliminated or more actively governed. It simply strikes me as massively ironic that these wonderful innovations that make my life and the lives of many of us so much simpler, can be turned around and used against us so effectively.
So, no call to action here. Just a random observation.
The Web has made entrepreneurs of everyone, but this is nuts.
Terrorists have always succeeded by using a society's tools to conceal themselves - the PIRA moving with freedom around England, Hamas wannabes working at falafel stands in Jerusalem, the Viet Cong infiltrating cities ahead of Tet, etc. Today's "productivity tools" - laptops connected to the Web, pay-as-you-go mobile phones, the emphasis on collaboration and the ability to work remotely, etc - give bad guys an unprecedented ability to move around and blend in.
I'm certainly not advocating that any of these tools be eliminated or more actively governed. It simply strikes me as massively ironic that these wonderful innovations that make my life and the lives of many of us so much simpler, can be turned around and used against us so effectively.
So, no call to action here. Just a random observation.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
New and improved NHL? Maybe...
Bob Sturm, cynic of the highest order when it comes to the massively-changed NHL, likes what he saw on opening night:
This is great news, and I hope we keep hearing reviews like this. Stay tuned...
If you read my comments regularly, one of my main questions was “will the intimidation and physicality of the sport I love still be there if you place all these new rules in the game?” Again, if one game is any indication, yes. There were plenty of big hits thanks to Brendan Morrow, Sean Avery, Steve Ott, and others. And there was a fair amount of bad feelings between the teams after whistles, which I endorse.
This is great news, and I hope we keep hearing reviews like this. Stay tuned...
If it's wrong here, why isn't it wrong there?
One of the more vocal groups in this country is the gay population. Whether its AIDS activism or fighting for gay marriage, these folks are generally right out in front of the cameras and microphones. And most of their main issues come down to gay rights and the fight against discrimination based on sexual preference.
Before I go any further, let me say that I have no problem with most of this agenda. The only time I start to tune out is when I hear that we're not spending enough on AIDS research, which, fortunately, has sorta dropped off the radar in the past few years. When it comes to gay civil unions and eliminating prejudice of any sort, I'm a supporter. Like Depeche Mode said, people are people.
So, it's interesting to me that the gay activist lobby is silent on the treatment of gays outside of this country, especially in the Muslim world. There, gay civil unions are not much of a cause. Gay men and women in these countries are more preoccupied with keeping their heads on their shoulders.
The point I'm making, and the point of the New Republic article linked here is, if prejudice against gays is wrong in the US, and the gay activists certainly waste no time telling us that it is, then why are the gay activists not even more incensed with the treatment of their compadres in the rest of the world.
Wrong is wrong, isn't it?
Before I go any further, let me say that I have no problem with most of this agenda. The only time I start to tune out is when I hear that we're not spending enough on AIDS research, which, fortunately, has sorta dropped off the radar in the past few years. When it comes to gay civil unions and eliminating prejudice of any sort, I'm a supporter. Like Depeche Mode said, people are people.
So, it's interesting to me that the gay activist lobby is silent on the treatment of gays outside of this country, especially in the Muslim world. There, gay civil unions are not much of a cause. Gay men and women in these countries are more preoccupied with keeping their heads on their shoulders.
The point I'm making, and the point of the New Republic article linked here is, if prejudice against gays is wrong in the US, and the gay activists certainly waste no time telling us that it is, then why are the gay activists not even more incensed with the treatment of their compadres in the rest of the world.
Wrong is wrong, isn't it?
Northern Ireland - the fight is now w/ the crooks
While it looks like the political fight over the Six Counties of Northern Ireland is winding down, "peace" is proving to be elusive. Instead of the Brits vs. the real Republicans (if there ever were any), it appears to be the new Northern Ireland govt vs the crooks who have used The Troubles as cover for their illegal activities for years.
One of the Brits main targets, for years, has been a guy named Thomas "Slab" Murphy. Slab (a nickname he inherited from his dad) is probably the lead PIRA figure in the legendary "bandit country" of South Armagh. However, his main business has long been suspected to be cross-border smuggling between the Republic and the North. His family estate, conveniently straddling the border near Crossmaglen, is suspected to be ground zero of the illegal operation, and has been rumored to be the focal point of the PIRA's South Armagh Brigade, one of the most active PIRA units at the height of The Troubles.
The Brits and the Northern Ireland government may have put a bit of a crimp in Slab's operation with this series of raids. However, Slab has proven himself a survivor and will, no doubt, be a thorn in the sides of all of the governments involved for some time to come, as will others of his ilk.
One of the Brits main targets, for years, has been a guy named Thomas "Slab" Murphy. Slab (a nickname he inherited from his dad) is probably the lead PIRA figure in the legendary "bandit country" of South Armagh. However, his main business has long been suspected to be cross-border smuggling between the Republic and the North. His family estate, conveniently straddling the border near Crossmaglen, is suspected to be ground zero of the illegal operation, and has been rumored to be the focal point of the PIRA's South Armagh Brigade, one of the most active PIRA units at the height of The Troubles.
The Brits and the Northern Ireland government may have put a bit of a crimp in Slab's operation with this series of raids. However, Slab has proven himself a survivor and will, no doubt, be a thorn in the sides of all of the governments involved for some time to come, as will others of his ilk.
Good heavens! Sturminated!
Wow! Been blogging a week and now I've been linked by both Glenn Reynolds and Bob Sturm! This is big!
Thanks, Bob!
Thanks, Bob!
Anti-spyware fight gets a little more serious
The Federal Trade Commission is taking action to shut down one of the most egregious distributors of spyware and adware.
Cases like this are no-brainers. There are no redeeming qualities to the shenanigans perpetrated by firms like Odysseus Marketing (the subject of the article above), and their activities are universally despised. However, I'm not sure that this sort of action really helps against the somewhat more benign - relative to Odysseus, at least - spammers and adware distributors.
Regardless, it has to be done. Hats off to the FTC for at least appearing to throw the book at a couple of these low-lifes.
Cases like this are no-brainers. There are no redeeming qualities to the shenanigans perpetrated by firms like Odysseus Marketing (the subject of the article above), and their activities are universally despised. However, I'm not sure that this sort of action really helps against the somewhat more benign - relative to Odysseus, at least - spammers and adware distributors.
Regardless, it has to be done. Hats off to the FTC for at least appearing to throw the book at a couple of these low-lifes.
Earthquake prediction
Man, science is cool.
Here's an article from Wired that describes a new system, developed in Sweden, that appears to accurately predict the time and place of major earthquakes.
If this is for-real, this device could potentially save millions of lives.
Here's an article from Wired that describes a new system, developed in Sweden, that appears to accurately predict the time and place of major earthquakes.
If this is for-real, this device could potentially save millions of lives.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Humiliation by robot - harsh
This dude got up on Monday and decided to rob a bank in Tucson. I guess people still get away with bank robberies, but it sure seems like they get caught more often than not. In fact, I would bet that failed bank robberies generate more "stupid crook" stories than any other type of crime.
Regardless, I sorta doubt that this guy's plan included being handcuffed to a fence and having his mouth probed by a robot.
My last trip to the dentist worked out much the same way.
Regardless, I sorta doubt that this guy's plan included being handcuffed to a fence and having his mouth probed by a robot.
My last trip to the dentist worked out much the same way.
A whole new flying fish (rimshot!)
Alaska Airlines has unveiled a new 737 paint scheme designed to scare the you-know-what out of my 5 year old. Or maybe it's designed to promote the Alaskan fishing industry and it just happens to scare the you-know-what out of my 5 year old.
Either way, the new "Salmon Thirty Salmon" (man, their writers are worse than mine) is now making stops at airports around the Western US. It's actually kind of cool, right up until the point when you realize that your tax dollars paid for this spiffy paint job, to the tune of approx $500K.
Either way, the new "Salmon Thirty Salmon" (man, their writers are worse than mine) is now making stops at airports around the Western US. It's actually kind of cool, right up until the point when you realize that your tax dollars paid for this spiffy paint job, to the tune of approx $500K.
The Texas Rangers get younger at that position
John Hart has resigned/been fired as the Rangers' GM. This move was WAAAYYYY overdue. Just about every move Hart made blew up in his face. He handled the media and fans by ignoring them. And he seemed to spend more time scouting golf courses than ball fields.
Hart was a known, if unloved, quantity. Now we've got Jon Daniels as GM, a 28 year old with 5 years of baseball experience. In truth, JD (as Hart kept calling him during the press conference) looks about 18. But, hey, if Theo Epstein can do it as a 28 year old, so can Daniels, right?
So, where should JD start? Here's my two cents:
1. Sign some friggin' pitching. I know, I know. That's so obvious that it's ridiculous to even say it. And here come the arguements why this is so hard: the Launching Pad in Arlington, the heat, not enough talent out there on the market, money, yadda yadda yadda. Enough excuses! There are some guys out there. If you need to money-whip them to get them to surrender their ERA, then do it. I know the Rangers have tried to get top-name pitchers in the past (Johnson, Schilling, Hampton, etc), but enough is enough. No more excuses.
2. Trade some of the outfield. This is one area where the Rangers have got a little something, at least in left and right field. Package Kevin Mench and someone and get a real center fielder and leadoff hitter.
3. Figure out why this team, which can hit like crazy, seems to go to sleep at the plate with runners in scoring position. Is this Rudy Jaramillo's doing? Is it some sort of karma thing? I'm mystified. These guys can HIT, but only with bases empty.
4. Don't schedule day games after Memorial Day. I know this isn't the GM's call, but SOMEONE needs to wake up out there. The only people who like August day games are sadistic dermatologists.
That's a start. This team has some real talent, but was completely let down by the pitching staff this past year. Address the rotation and get lucky with the bullpen, and next year might be a lot of fun.
Hart was a known, if unloved, quantity. Now we've got Jon Daniels as GM, a 28 year old with 5 years of baseball experience. In truth, JD (as Hart kept calling him during the press conference) looks about 18. But, hey, if Theo Epstein can do it as a 28 year old, so can Daniels, right?
So, where should JD start? Here's my two cents:
1. Sign some friggin' pitching. I know, I know. That's so obvious that it's ridiculous to even say it. And here come the arguements why this is so hard: the Launching Pad in Arlington, the heat, not enough talent out there on the market, money, yadda yadda yadda. Enough excuses! There are some guys out there. If you need to money-whip them to get them to surrender their ERA, then do it. I know the Rangers have tried to get top-name pitchers in the past (Johnson, Schilling, Hampton, etc), but enough is enough. No more excuses.
2. Trade some of the outfield. This is one area where the Rangers have got a little something, at least in left and right field. Package Kevin Mench and someone and get a real center fielder and leadoff hitter.
3. Figure out why this team, which can hit like crazy, seems to go to sleep at the plate with runners in scoring position. Is this Rudy Jaramillo's doing? Is it some sort of karma thing? I'm mystified. These guys can HIT, but only with bases empty.
4. Don't schedule day games after Memorial Day. I know this isn't the GM's call, but SOMEONE needs to wake up out there. The only people who like August day games are sadistic dermatologists.
That's a start. This team has some real talent, but was completely let down by the pitching staff this past year. Address the rotation and get lucky with the bullpen, and next year might be a lot of fun.
Metaphysics and the war on terror
This from the BBC today regarding the terror war in SE Asia.
Australia wants Indonesia to do more to clamp down on Jemaah Islamiah, the group responsible for bombings on Bali. JI, as it's known to its friends, is a particularly militant offshoot of Al Qaeda. It operates primarily in Indonesia and supports a Muslim caliphate across SE Asia. They're not so worried about what to do with the hundreds of millions of Hindus, Buddhists, and people of other religions who currently reside in the region. Like most radical Islamic groups, they have one solution for these kinds of details.
The upshot of the BBC article is that Indonesia says they can't ban JI, as JI doesn't officially exist. Which begs the question: If a radical Islamic terrorist explodes in the forest, is his love-shack in Paradise paneled with real wood, or veneer?
The Australian PM, John Howard, says that banning the group probably won't do any good. You think?
BTW - I don't intend to offend anyone in the Muslim community. I am, however, hoping to offend the radical Muslim community, just as I hope to offend the radical Christian community, radical Jewish community, and radical other random community. You might say that I am against radicals of any stripe.
Australia wants Indonesia to do more to clamp down on Jemaah Islamiah, the group responsible for bombings on Bali. JI, as it's known to its friends, is a particularly militant offshoot of Al Qaeda. It operates primarily in Indonesia and supports a Muslim caliphate across SE Asia. They're not so worried about what to do with the hundreds of millions of Hindus, Buddhists, and people of other religions who currently reside in the region. Like most radical Islamic groups, they have one solution for these kinds of details.
The upshot of the BBC article is that Indonesia says they can't ban JI, as JI doesn't officially exist. Which begs the question: If a radical Islamic terrorist explodes in the forest, is his love-shack in Paradise paneled with real wood, or veneer?
The Australian PM, John Howard, says that banning the group probably won't do any good. You think?
BTW - I don't intend to offend anyone in the Muslim community. I am, however, hoping to offend the radical Muslim community, just as I hope to offend the radical Christian community, radical Jewish community, and radical other random community. You might say that I am against radicals of any stripe.
Times get tough(er) in Zimbabwe
The IMF has issued a warning regarding Zimbabwe's economy. The Mugabe govt offers a rosier picture. Which one do you believe?
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
U2 is the Conan show on Thurs!
TIVO alert of the highest order!
Conan O'Brien is basically turning over his show to the lads from U2 on Thursday night.
As mentioned in the MSNBC article, we'll know on Friday if it's just good old Bono or Nobel Laureate Bono. If he wins, does it add to or detract from the band's street cred?
I still need 2 tickets to the show in Dallas on Oct 29. Can anyone hook me up?
Conan O'Brien is basically turning over his show to the lads from U2 on Thursday night.
As mentioned in the MSNBC article, we'll know on Friday if it's just good old Bono or Nobel Laureate Bono. If he wins, does it add to or detract from the band's street cred?
I still need 2 tickets to the show in Dallas on Oct 29. Can anyone hook me up?
Microsoft props from.. a Mac publication??
Here's something you don't see every day: A columnist for a Mac publication giving Microsoft big props for anything. In this case, Giles Turnbull is comparing and contrasting Microsoft's communications style with that of Apple, and is finding that Microsoft is WAY better.
Without much fanfare (like, none), Microsoft has encouraged some of their top geeks to start blogging. If you do a search on Windows Vista blogs or Office 12 blogs or blogs for any other new Microsoft product, you'll find more often than not that the top developers are sharing the real behind-the-scenes story of the development effort. These accounts include the good and the bad, the big wins, and the failures.
This is quite something. We've never had this kind of access to a major product development effort ever, in any industry. Imagine GM or Lockheed or Black and Decker being this open about a new product. It'll never happen.
Microsoft gets beaten up often and on many fronts. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, it's deserved. But Microsoft does do some things right. This new direction on communication (and it's way too widespread for it to be anything other than a direction from the company itself) is a great example of how things are supposed to work in the technology business.
Windows Vista and Office 12 will have bugs, and you'll hear about every one of them in the mainstream media. But, because of this openness during development, Microsoft will have performed more optimization, done more debugging, and incorporated more user feedback than any other product team in history.
I think I'm gonna go buy me some MSFT stock...
Without much fanfare (like, none), Microsoft has encouraged some of their top geeks to start blogging. If you do a search on Windows Vista blogs or Office 12 blogs or blogs for any other new Microsoft product, you'll find more often than not that the top developers are sharing the real behind-the-scenes story of the development effort. These accounts include the good and the bad, the big wins, and the failures.
This is quite something. We've never had this kind of access to a major product development effort ever, in any industry. Imagine GM or Lockheed or Black and Decker being this open about a new product. It'll never happen.
Microsoft gets beaten up often and on many fronts. Sometimes, maybe most of the time, it's deserved. But Microsoft does do some things right. This new direction on communication (and it's way too widespread for it to be anything other than a direction from the company itself) is a great example of how things are supposed to work in the technology business.
Windows Vista and Office 12 will have bugs, and you'll hear about every one of them in the mainstream media. But, because of this openness during development, Microsoft will have performed more optimization, done more debugging, and incorporated more user feedback than any other product team in history.
I think I'm gonna go buy me some MSFT stock...
Celebrating the magic of Pol Pot
The next time you're in Phnom Penh, be sure to stop by the Khmer Rouge Cafe.
Located across the street from cozy little Toul Sleng (the famed S-21 that would haunt the nightmares of it's survivors, if there were any), the cafe offers delicacies like salted rice-water and dove's eggs, served by friendly guerrillas in torn black pajamas with red and white checked kerchiefs, just like those sported by the real KR as they rumbled ominously into town in April 1975.
You can't make this stuff up, folks.
UPDATE: The cafe is closed, at least for now. Seems the proprietor didn't get a license. He vows to reopen once he does, though, so don't cancel those Royal Air Cambodge tickets yet. Oh, wait, Royal Air Cambodge is bankrupt. Never mind...
Located across the street from cozy little Toul Sleng (the famed S-21 that would haunt the nightmares of it's survivors, if there were any), the cafe offers delicacies like salted rice-water and dove's eggs, served by friendly guerrillas in torn black pajamas with red and white checked kerchiefs, just like those sported by the real KR as they rumbled ominously into town in April 1975.
You can't make this stuff up, folks.
UPDATE: The cafe is closed, at least for now. Seems the proprietor didn't get a license. He vows to reopen once he does, though, so don't cancel those Royal Air Cambodge tickets yet. Oh, wait, Royal Air Cambodge is bankrupt. Never mind...
Funny list
Monday, October 03, 2005
Digital music sales growing
As reported by the BBC, digital music sales are growing quickly. This takes me back to a post from a few days ago, where I talked about the role of the music "business" and the need (or not) for copyright protection.
I am more than willing to pay for music I like. I think iTunes and the other online music stores have proven that most people are as well. The piracy issue is still predominantly present in the third world, where it always has been. They're not selling illegal copies of music in Hong Kong any faster today than they were twenty years ago.
Oh sure, there are plenty of people in the developed world who download music (and movies and books and everything else) illegally. But there were plenty of people who made tapes of CDs (I know I did), shared videotapes, and passed books around before, too. It's easier now, and more people are doing it, but I'm not so sure it's a larger percentage of the market than it ever was. Jack Valenti will have you believe that it's friggin' Armageddon for the entertainment industry, but I sorta don't think so.
The other day, I ended with "I better be able to do what I want with music I buy", or words to that effect. I'd like to expand on that a bit now.
Once I buy a song on CD or .mp3, I should be able to listen to that song wherever I want, on whatever device I want, as many times as I want. I'm spending $0.99 (or whatever) for that song and, just like the pair of jeans, can of creamed corn, or bag of potting soil I buy, it's now mine to do what I want with it (within certain bounds, of course - I understand why I can't use iTunes to score my $100 million summer blockbuster movie).
Some of you may have read about the "broadcast flag". I encourage you to learn more about this atrocious piece of legislation - remember, I'm the guy who fundamentally supports copyright protection, and I think the broadcast flag is dumb, dumb, and dumb.
The right that I've expounded on above is threatened by the broadcast flag. Make sure your representative is not on this list of supporters of the broadcast flag and, if he/she is, let them know that this is a BAD idea.
I am more than willing to pay for music I like. I think iTunes and the other online music stores have proven that most people are as well. The piracy issue is still predominantly present in the third world, where it always has been. They're not selling illegal copies of music in Hong Kong any faster today than they were twenty years ago.
Oh sure, there are plenty of people in the developed world who download music (and movies and books and everything else) illegally. But there were plenty of people who made tapes of CDs (I know I did), shared videotapes, and passed books around before, too. It's easier now, and more people are doing it, but I'm not so sure it's a larger percentage of the market than it ever was. Jack Valenti will have you believe that it's friggin' Armageddon for the entertainment industry, but I sorta don't think so.
The other day, I ended with "I better be able to do what I want with music I buy", or words to that effect. I'd like to expand on that a bit now.
Once I buy a song on CD or .mp3, I should be able to listen to that song wherever I want, on whatever device I want, as many times as I want. I'm spending $0.99 (or whatever) for that song and, just like the pair of jeans, can of creamed corn, or bag of potting soil I buy, it's now mine to do what I want with it (within certain bounds, of course - I understand why I can't use iTunes to score my $100 million summer blockbuster movie).
Some of you may have read about the "broadcast flag". I encourage you to learn more about this atrocious piece of legislation - remember, I'm the guy who fundamentally supports copyright protection, and I think the broadcast flag is dumb, dumb, and dumb.
The right that I've expounded on above is threatened by the broadcast flag. Make sure your representative is not on this list of supporters of the broadcast flag and, if he/she is, let them know that this is a BAD idea.
Asteroid Impact Alert!!!
Calling Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck! NASA has released a warning about a possible Earth vs. asteroid collision. Oh, wait, it's not predicted until 2029 and the likelihood is somewhere around 1 in 60, with a disclaimer that the odds will probably grow longer as it gets closer.
Just in case, let's have Tea Leoni on standby.
Just in case, let's have Tea Leoni on standby.
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