Category: Technology

In The Beginning »

In the beginning GOD created the Bit and the Byte. And from those he created the Word.

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Blog Upgrades »

I ran through the upgrade process on my Mother’s blog. That went very well, but I was holding my breath as I upgraded the Deep Something blog. It is a significantly more complex site. However, the upgrade went very smoothly. There are one or two minor problems that will have to be corrected. I think I know how to resolve these fairly quickly tomorrow. There is a file uploader that I use for the photo gallery that isn’t working, so I’ll have to do some research on that. There is an option to it using the Flickr photo system, and there are plugins for that too.

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SAIC Pulling in Big Bucks for Shoddy Gov’t Work »

In 2002, the National Security Agency (NSA) hired Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) “to help it build a state-of-the-art tool for plucking key threats to the nation from a worldwide sea of digital communication,” in a project code-named “Trailblazer.” More than three years later, the project has yet to get off the ground, but has cost taxpayers $1.2 billion.

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Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely »

As the old saying goes, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” There is no clearer example of this than the Bu$h Administration’s lack of concern for laws and the Constitution. We have seen, over and over again, in the past how government agencies, authorized to snoop, always overstep. Now we begin to learn that the NSA has been spying on its own people, journalists, and even Congressmen. So, it’s no wonder Bu$h gets his way, Karly Rove probably has a dossier on most members of Congress and the Government.

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What Democrats Stand For »

What do Democrats stand for? It seems a common refrain, or assumption, that Democrats do not have an overall theme or narrative, and I will certainly agree that the party as a whole does a rather bad job of articulating the message. But it lodged in my brain, and after a half hour of thought I realized that I, at least, know what I stand for. And it’s not complicated.

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A Martian Post Card »

It took NASA’s Spirit rover a year and a half to get to the top of Husband Hill in the Gusev Crater on Mars. It finally made it, and, like all mountain climbers, took a photo.

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Tom Delay Wants to Sneak Through Another Federal Giveaway To The Oil Companies »

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) said yesterday that conservative leaders plan to use the post-Katrina gas price woes to push through “a sweeping new energy bill.” But yesterday, a watchdog group released internal oil company memos showing “how the industry intentionally reduced domestic refining capacity to drive up profits,” in spite of the fact that “the oil industry blames environmental regulation for limiting [the] number of U.S. refineries.”

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How Do Touchscreens Work? »

A touchscreen’s main components are a touch sensor, controller, and software driver, combined with a display and computer processor. The sensor is a touch-responsive glass panel, usually employing one of three technologies: resistive, surface wave, or capacitive.

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The Good and Bad of Diesel »

Diesel fuel has approximately 18% more energy per unit of volume than gasoline. It also takes less refining to make diesel. In addition, diesel engines are actually more efficient than gasoline engines. As a result, people with diesel engines enjoy better gas mileage.

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Cell Hell, or How Cingular Ruined My Day »

All about my brief experience with Cingular.

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HP Job Cuts »

Hewlett-Packard Co. said Tuesday it will cut 14,500 jobs. I am sorry for the people affected, but I’m also wondering if the job cuts include any of the people I ‘ve run into in my dealings with HP:

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Mind Over Machine? »

Well, after nearly 26 years of experimentation, a professor at Princeton University has determined something most of us already knew…our thoughts can have an effect on machines. I think we all know the applies mostly to office machines. Most of us are already familiar with the universal principle that the greater our need for the copier to work, the greater the likelihood it will break down.

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