Category: Sign of the Apocalypse

We’ve had some difficulties over the weekend with our web hosting service, and the site’s been available. Sorry about that. Looks like things are back to normal now.

[edit: make that unavailable.]

In a direct challenge to the core of the open source movement, the SCO Group has challenged the code of Linux 2.4 and 2.5 kernels as being built on proprietary Unix System V code. But instead of filing a lawsuit just yet, the SCO Group is offering an opportunity to Linux users to avoid being brought to court: admit your wrong-doing and pony-up just $700 to make good. That offer is only good until Oct. 14th though, and goes up to $1400 thereafter. RedHat has filed a suit for declaratory judgement on behalf of their own business and Linux users generally, and they’ve set up a fund for that purpose. Read the full story from Internet Week.

In my opinion this is the worst possible form of IP blackmail. If SCO Group’s got merit to the claim, let the court sort it out. If they win, they can charge whatever they want, and the open source community will just come up with alternative code. But charging before they’ve convinced a court that they actually own the code, and making it a “pay less now on the off-chance we’re right” system is blackmail. We’re lucky that someone like RedHat has found a way to make money out of Linux, since otherwise they wouldn’t be able to put up the cash for this lawsuit. Three cheers for RedHat for operating in such a fair and balanced manner!

“One of the latest Manhattan flash mobs brought together more than 250 strangers at the Hyatt Hotel. They fanned out along the block-long balcony overlooking the hotel lobby and, at a precise moment, burst into 15 seconds of loud, unexplained applause, then drifted off into the night.” – The Advertiser on “flash mobs” which are random groups of people organized by SMS to arrive at some location and do…something….and then leave just as suddenly as they arrived.

Some would see it as performance art, I simply see it as a sign that we as a society have acheived so much empty wealth that we’ve got nothing better to do with our time.

The National Do Not Call Registry opened today, and was promptly Slashdotted. But once things settle down, you’ll be able to register your phone number to recieve no telemarketting phone calls (save for politicians and charities) for five years, starting October 1. And if you live west of the Mississippi, you don’t even have to wait for the web site to start working again — just dial the number on this page from the phone number you wish to protect, and unlike the web registration, you won’t have to provide an e-mail address. I just did it, and it’s fantastically easy.

Wired 11.06: Martha Stewart is Editing Your Life (That Includes You,

Is there anything that you think ought to be invented to make all of us happier?
I have a dream – a computer screen that can be anywhere. It would be voice-activated – I’d like to be able to talk to my screen, on my refrigerator or on my wall. I’m busy, I’m always running around, so I want instant on/off. I know it can be done. The homemaker doesn’t want to wait. She wants to make time to do other things. Have you talked to anybody about this? I’ve talked to Steve Jobs, and to Bill Gates’ crew, about a technology for the homemaker, but they’re not interested. So I’m developing my own software, a home organizer. It tells you what kind of curtain you could make and gives you a pattern and the yardage. It gives you proportions with which you can design your room. It also tells you how much water your house used last August – no need to go back to the paper file. I want my utility company, my insurance company, to send me everything via computer. I call it living by synopsis. It’s very simple, but I think it will be very big. I’ve been thinking about this for five years, and we now have an outline for it. I presented it to John Doerr’s guys [at the VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers], and they said, well, that’s rather ambitious. It’s not ambitious, it just takes a long time.

According to CNN.com Defense Dept. funding arm DARPA is pursuing technology that would allow a person to record everything they do — every sight and sound, every contact, every vital sign, and every interaction with another person or computer. DARPA claims the system, called LifeLog, would have nothing to do with recent moves towards data mining for national security, though the uses for that purpose are pretty obvious. Right now though, the system is being designed for those who agree to wear a camera and other sensors, ostensibly as a way for people to better remember their Kodak moments.

Like Hot or Not of the mind, Ideas Happen is a website where people can post their ideas and have others rate them with the “feelin’ it or not feelin’ it” scale. The top twelve ideas get $25,000 from Visa. Proposals range from entreprenuerial endeavors such as creating a “therma coil manifold” like Gomer here from Kentucky, to non-profit wedding planning for poor folk.

While IdeasHappen is probably one of the stupidest ways I can think of to waste $300,000, it can be entertaining to page through some of the ideas, especially the ones with video. After watching a few dozen, you’ll probably realize that whatever stupid idea you have is better than most on the site. Hurry up though — only six days left to enter your big idea!

“Sorry officer, I was trying to pick up that blonde in the Miata and I didn’t notice your foot.”

As a transportation engineer with more than a passing interest in road safety, I was surprised today to discover a service that essentially encourages more cell phone use in cars. Not just talking mind you, but SMS-messaging while you drive! Now I don’t know if you can SMS to a central number and just specify the licence plate to get your message out, or if you must go to their Web site to do this, both are easily done with modern phones.

The service is called DriverSMS.com and allows drivers to register their licence plate numbers so that other drivers can send them messages without knowing their cell phone numbers. I discovered through a ZDnet story that this isn’t even that new, even though in Australia there was already legislation discouraging use of phones while driving (though I don’t know if that covers texting while driving). The number of jurisdictions clamping down on handheld phone use has only increased since that time, but perhaps everyone will have a passenger on hand for this purpose (maybe it will promote carpooling, another of my interests! Ok, maybe not).

What really amused me is that while the ZDnet article (in Oct 2001) talked about the service as a way to vent your road rage, the Web site now seems to be aimed more at the singles market, and I quote:

“I noticed you today in your car… would you like to meet for coffee?”

This is the kind of message Australian DriverSMS subscribers receive on their mobile phones from other drivers.

YOU MAY HAVE A MESSAGE WAITING FOR YOU!

If you have not yet registered, all messages sent to you by other Australian drivers have been archived since August 2001.

There you have it, finally an easy way to connect with all those people who have lusted after your fine form from the next car over, but didn’t know how to start stalking you. I’m sure the DriverSMS people would be interested in discussing overseas franchises.

Last week, the US Department of Defense distributed thousands of decks of cards to US troops that have pictures and names of the top 55 most-wanted members of the Iraqi government. In doing so, naturally created a very hot collectible. A check on eBay turned up everything from “electronic copies” in PDF format (which, BTW you could just as easily get from the DoD website) to uncut sheets of supposedly original cards and decks in original packaging. Prices for these items have gone up to $400 or more, and will likely go much higher for actual mint copies. No doubt this is just the boost the economy needs — it’s better than printing money!

Link courtesy of Memepool