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    <title>Gray Watson Blog</title>
    <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/atom.xml" rel="self" />
    <id>urn:uuid:256comgraywatsonblog</id>
    <updated>2007-06-12T13:06:48Z</updated>
    <subtitle>
      Gray Watson's collection of links, tidbits, and meandering notes from
      my daily wanderings about the Net.  My favorite topics seem to be: 
      space, alternative energy, politics, and various computer stuff.  It is
      updated semi-consistently and semi-rationality.  YMMV.  Best if eaten
      by date on package.
    </subtitle>
    <author>
      <name>Gray Watson</name>
    </author>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070612_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#12_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-12T13:03:00Z</updated>
      <title>Nerves Run on Sound?</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Interesting
and controversial theory that <a
href="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/nerve_communication"
>nerves run on sound waves</a> not electricity.  Seems that scientists
have not been able to explain how anesthetic blocks pain receptors.
This <a
href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&amp;cmd=Retrieve&amp;dopt=AbstractPlus&amp;list_uids=17293400&amp;query_hl=38&amp;itool=pubmed_docsum"
>new paper</a> implies that electricity is a byproduct and not the
main signal carrying source which the traditional <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hodgkin-Huxley_model"
>Hodgkin-Huxley model</a> of our nervous system. <p class="bc"> But
Jackson and Heimburg say that the inability to explain how anesthesia
works, combined with other counterintuitive aspects of the theory,
mean that nerves don't rely on electricity to carry messages. </p><p
class="bc"> For example, the Hodgkin-Huxley model still hasn't
accounted for observations made a century ago by scientists Hans Meyer
and Charles Overton. They demonstrated that the strength of an
anesthetic could be predicted by its solubility in olive oil rather
than its chemical structure. The more soluble the anesthetic, the
stronger it was. </p><p class="bc"> Since olive oil is similar to the
lipid molecules that make up nerve cells, Jackson and Heimburg started
questioning the generally accepted belief that anesthetics block
electrical pulses by fitting themselves into pain receptors on
cells. That seems next to impossible, they said, because anesthetic
molecules come in many shapes and sizes, and it's difficult to imagine
that they all happen to physically fit into all receptors. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070610_6</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#10_6" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-11T02:18:00Z</updated>
      <title>Advances in Fuel Cells</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  More news
about <a href="http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/684/" >advances in
fuel cell technology</a>.  <a href="http://www.acumentrics.com/"
>Acumentrics Corporation</a> is improving the solid-oxide fuel cells
and are producing kilo-watt sized units which are twice as efficient
as generators and can use: natural gas, hydrogen, bio-diesel, propane,
ethanol, or biogas. <p class="bc"> Acumentrics manufactures 5000-watt
solid oxide fuel cell systems (SOFC) for power applications. They are
also developing <a
href="http://www.acumentrics.com/products-fuel-cell-home-energy.htm"
>combined-heat-and-power units</a> (which are like boilers that
produce electricity) for the home market. In 2000 they acquired a
novel fuel cell technology. Since then, they have increased the output
of a single fuel cell tube from 1 watt to 60 watts. Today they have
over 30 units working in the field, including ones that power
visitor's centers at Exit Glacier National Park in Alaska, and
Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio. </p><p class="bc"> One of their key
innovations was making ceramic fuel cell technology shatter
resistant. It is shatter resistant because of its shape -- it is a
tube, not a thin sheet as most others have used --with a special
composition of layers that prevents them from flaking off. Solid oxide
fuel cells must handle temperature swings from 20 to 800 degrees C.
Many other solid oxide fuel cells crack when they are cycled on and
off, because of thermal shock. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070610_5</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#10_5" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-11T02:04:00Z</updated>
      <title>Google Continually Tweaks Search
Ranking</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Interesting glimpse behind the vail at
<a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/business/yourmoney/03google.html"
>some of the science behind Google's ranking algorithm</a>.  The team
responsible is continually taking user feedback and looking for ways
to improve the search experience -- to move from 'get me what I typed'
to 'get me what I want'.  <p class="bc"> Mr. Singhal is the master of
what Google calls its "ranking algorithm" -- the formulas that decide
which Web pages best answer each user's question. It is a crucial part
of Google's inner sanctum, a department called "search quality" that
the company treats like a state secret. Google rarely allows outsiders
to visit the unit, and it has been cautious about allowing Mr. Singhal
to speak with the news media about the magical, mathematical brew
inside the millions of black boxes that power its search
engine. </p><p class="bc"> Google values Mr. Singhal and his team so
highly for the most basic of competitive reasons. It believes that its
ability to decrease the number of times it leaves searchers
disappointed is crucial to fending off ever fiercer attacks from the
likes of Yahoo and Microsoft and preserving the tidy advertising gold
mine that search represents. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070610_4</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#10_4" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-10T14:11:00Z</updated>
      <title>Sun's ZFS Filesystem in OS X
Leopard</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Rumors are out there that <a
href="http://www.macrumors.com/2007/06/06/zfs-to-become-default-file-system-in-leopard/"
>Sun's ZFS filesystem will be used in the next OS X version
Leopard</a>.  <a
href="http://opensolaris.org/os/community/zfs/whatis/" >ZFS</a> is
Sun's next generation filesystem with some very cool features which
include: transactional operations, large scalability, backup/revoery
check-pointing, data replication, pipelined IO, .... Leapard's famed
backup systems sound like they will be utilizing these features. <p
class="bc" >Perhaps overcome with excitement (and forgetting that
Apple doesn't like such pre-emptive disclosures), Sun's Jonathan
Schwartz announced today at Sun event in Washington D.C. that Apple
would be making ZFS "the file system" in Mac OS 10.5 Leopard (video
link, requires RealPlayer).  In fact, this week you'll see that Apple
is announcing at their Worldwide Developer Conference that ZFS has
become the file system in Mac OS 10. </p><p class="bc"> Rumors of
Apple's interest in ZFS began in April 2006, when an OpenSolaris
mailing list revealed that Apple had contacted Sun regarding porting
ZFS to OS 10. The file system later began making appearances in
Leopard builds.  ZFS has a long list of improvements over Apple's
current file system, Journaled HFS+. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070610_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#10_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-10T14:04:00Z</updated>
      <title>Internet's Black Holes</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Interesting
study nicknamed "Hubble" which is <a
href="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/hubble"
>charting the regions of the Internet which come and go</a>.  Looking
at the internet from a network of cyberspace probes, a research team
from the <a href="http://www.nanog.org/mtg-0706/bassett.html"
>University of Washington</a> looked at 1,500 sites every 15 minutes
and found that 10% of them couldn't be reached now and then as the
packets fell into "routing black holes". <p class="bc"> "A single
unresponsive ping is likely to mean there are widespread problems,
Katz-Bassett said. The larger system, which Katz-Bassett plans to
build over the summer, would treat an unanswered ping as a canary in a
coal mine, instantly triggering multiple probes from around the
net. </p><p class="bc"> Routing problems can be caused by a number of
factors, ranging from problems with a particular router, often a new
one, to ironic problems with a technique called "multi-homing" --
which supposed to make it easier for packets to reach their
destination by allowing an internet site to simultaneously have a
number of different addresses and network connections. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070610_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#10_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-10T13:55:00Z</updated>
      <title>Virtual Desktop for Macintosh</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> 
Parellels has put out a new version of its <a
href="http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/" >OS
virtualization software for Macintosh</a>.  You can run Windows and
Linux virtual OS sandboxes on your Mac at the same time.  Very cool.
Given that I am using my new MacBook Pro (which I love) as my
development desktop but will be installing and running in live service
on a Linux varient (CentOS?), I could see having a virtual Linux
instance for testing.  <p class="bc"> Parallels Desktop for Mac
enables you to run Windows, Linux, and more side-by-side with Mac OS X
on any Intel-powered Mac, without rebooting. With Parallels'
award-winning virtualization technology, you can run Mac OS X and your
favorite Windows applications at the same time. You can even
drag-and-drop files between desktops! </p><p class="bc"> The latest
release of Parallels Desktop for Mac comes packed with 50+ new
features and enhancements, including SmartSelect, Snapshots, and 3D
graphics. Learn more about the new capabilities in the latest release
of our award-winning product. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070610_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#10_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-10T13:46:00Z</updated>
      <title>Wind Turbine Sales Growth</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Article by the Boston Globe about the <a
href="http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/06/04/sales_soar_to_new_heights_for_wind_turbine_systems/"
>growth in home wind turbine installations</a>.  Many are it it for
the bill savings and off-the-grid capabilities but many more are out
to save the planet -- my big reason for <a href="/solar/" >my solar
array</a>.  I've been thinking of a home turbine but haven't pulled
the trigger on a system yet.  <p class="bc"> Usually a home is
connected to both a turbine and the local power grid . When the wind
dips below an average of 8 miles per hour, a home will then draw power
from the utility company. If a system produces more electricity than
it uses, the excess can be sold back to many utility companies, which
is called net-metering. </p><p class="bc"> According to Durrenberger,
the average price of a wind turbine sufficient to power a
1,500-square-foot home that uses 9,000 kilowatt-hours a year is
between $11,000 and $14,000. His Skystream 3.7 is designed to replace
one-third to one-half of a home's power usage. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070603_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#03_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-03T17:58:00Z</updated>
      <title>7.7T SAN/NAS For US$4,200</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
 Cool post to Slashdot talking about a <a
href="http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/30/0135218" >7.7
terabyte SAN/NSA for US$4,200</a>.  <p class="bc"> Get a <a
href="http://www.lime-technology.com/wordpress/?page_id=24"
>CoolerMaster Stacker enclosure</a> (just the hardware not the
software) that can hold up to 12 SATA drives. Install <a
href="http://www.opensolaris.org/os/" >OpenSolaris</a> and create <a
href="http://www.opensolaris.org/os/community/zfs/whatis/" >ZFS</a>
pools with RAID-Z for redundancy. Export some pools with Samba for use
as a NAS. Export some pools with <a
href="http://blogs.sun.com/erickustarz/entry/iscsi_storage_with_zvols"
>iSCSI</a> for use as a SAN. Run it over Gigabit Ethernet. Fast,
secure, reliable, easy to administer, and cheap. Usable from Windows,
Mac, and Linux. As a bonus ZFS let's me create daily or hourly
snapshots at almost no cost in disk space or time. </p><p class="bc">
Total cost: 1.4 Terabytes: $2,000. 7.7 Terabytes: $4,200 (Just the
cost of the enclosure and the drives). That's an order of magnitude
less expensive than other solutions.  Add redundant power supplies,
NIC cards, SATA cards, etc as your needs require. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070603_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#03_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-03T17:53:00Z</updated>
      <title>Virgin Galactic Update</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Here's an
update on the Scaled Composites' progress towards <a
href="http://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-06/ff_space_virgin"
>Virgin Galactic</a>.  They are designing a expanded SpaceShipTwo
spaceship and White Knight Two mother ship.  Very exciting. <p
class="bc"> Like its X Prize-winning predecessor, SpaceShipTwo will
fling passengers to the edge of space at 3,000 mph. But while the
original craft was barely a three-seater, the new version is designed
for six passengers and two pilots. New features maximize the wow
factor: bigger windows, more room for weightless floating, and
Virgin-cool details sprinkled throughout. </p><p class="bc"> The SS2
is simply a bigger version of the original rocket, but the jet-powered
WK2 is a total redesign. The first mother ship had a single
fuselage. The new one accommodates the expanded ship with twin hulls
that hold the SS2 suspended between them. The interior of one hull is
a replica of the SS2: Passengers will ride along in training for a
full-on space voyage the next day. FAA permitting, the second hull
will carry cut-rate day-trippers into the stratosphere. The vehicle is
being engineered to perform zero-g aerobatic swoops on the way down.
</p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070603_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/06/#03_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-06-03T17:41:00Z</updated>
      <title>Graphic War Story</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  This piece
entitled <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/world/middleeast/23search.html"
>As Comrades Search, Fatal Bomb Wreaks Havoc</a> from last week's New
York Times is still with me.  Make sure to play the <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2007/05/22/world/20070523_SEARCH_FEATURE.html"
>audio and photos multimedia piece</a>.  So very powerful.  To think
what our kids are having to put up with over there in name of our
failed policies.  <p class="bc"> The bomb was the third planted away
from a road that the soldiers had discovered since May 12, when they
began searching for three soldiers from their unit who had been
captured after an ambush that left four Americans and an Iraqi soldier
dead. </p><p class="bc"> After the attack on Saturday, the reality of
the threat set in: the fields they had been crossing on foot for
months might now be as dangerous as the roads they had learned to
avoid. What they had just witnessed -- a homemade land mine, or what
the military calls a dismounted improvised explosive device -- could
be anywhere. </p><p class="bc"> Some of the soldiers began to move
more slowly. Seeking cover, they traced one another's footsteps to an
abandoned house. Sergeant Simonovich continued to kneel alone. </p><p
class="bc"> I'm worried about my guy out front, Sergeant Wisniewski,"
he said.  His Ohio accent was thick enough to sound southern. Blood
had splattered his face, which was bruised but intact. "I have a
question," he said, pointing to the left side of his head. "Is my ear
still there?" </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070524_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#24_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-25T03:33:00Z</updated>
      <title>Executive Pay Catastrophe</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  More
terrible news about <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/25/business/25execs.html" >how
CEO pay is growing faster than 2nd or 3rd tier executives</a>.  I've
always hated the levels of executive compensation.  This pay race
between the public companies is completely out of control.  10-20
times the base workers salary is typical in Europe while in the US it
often 10 times more.  Concentrating that much wealth in so few people
is not healthy for our economy or society.  I was watching a Discovery
program last night about the mega-yachts being built these days.  That
the market for these 10 to 100 million dollar play things has sprung
out of nowhere in the last decade.  I blame the boards for the
incestual relationship with the top executives and the unreasonable
need to pay these guys a ton that will allow them to retire
immediately.  Plus you have all of the loan forgiveness and other
mechanisms for paying CEOs that are "off the books". <p class="bc"> As
executive pay has surged in most American companies, attention has
focused on the growing gap between the earnings of top executives and
the average wage of workers in cubicles or on the shop floor. Little
noticed, though, is how much the gap has also widened between the
summit and the next few echelons down. </p><p class="bc"> "It's
executive pay chasing executive pay" said Mark Van Clieaf, managing
director of MVC Associates International, a consulting firm that
develops compensation plans.  "But nobody looked at hte issue of
internal pay equity, so the disparity just kept getting bigger". </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070524_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#24_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-24T17:08:00Z</updated>
      <title>Old Steel Mill Retools as
Wind Farm</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Cool story about how a old decaying
steel mill site near Buffalo has <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/nyregion/22wind.html" >been
replaced by eight new wind turbines</a>.  The turbines wil harness the
winds off Lake Erie and are expected to produce 56 gigawatt hours of
electricity a year.  They used about $300,000 in state and federal
assistance to research wind patterns and evaluate the environmental
impact. <p class="bc"> Christine Real de Azua, of the American Wind
Energy Association, said Steel Winds, as this wind farm is known, is
the largest to rise in a city, and according to the state Department
of Environmental Conservation, it is the first to rise on land
overseen by New Yorkies.) </p><p class="bc"> The turbines, owned
jointly by BQ Energy of Pawling, N.Y., and <a
href="http://www.upcwind.com/" >UPC Wind</a> of Newton, Mass., are
able to produce a total of 56,000 megawatt-hours of electricity a
year, enough to provide power to 7,000 homes, said the project
manager, Mark Mitskovski. The companies involved in the project plan
to sell the energy to individual customers or utilities. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070524_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#24_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-24T17:04:00Z</updated>
      <title>Ethics Overhaul Elusive in House</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> 
Just so that we don't forget, the Democrats are not the bastion of
ethical correctness since they are <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/washington/23lobby.html"
>struggling to make improvements in House ethics rules</a>.  Just
disgusting.  It seems to be that "being right" is more important the
doing the right thing for the country.  No shock of course -- just
disappointment that the Dems are living up to my low expectations.
Then again, the House has just <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/25/washington/25lobby.html"
>lifted the veil on some lobbyist contributions</a>.  There's a step
foreword. <p class="bc"> The Democratic leaders were forced to scrap a
promise to double the current one-year lobbying ban after lawmakers
leave office. Now, they are struggling to pass legislation requiring
lobbyists to disclose the campaign contributions they "bundle" --
collect and deliver -- to lawmakers. Failing to deliver on both
measures would endanger similar provisions already passed by the
Senate. </p><p class="bc"> Other House rules changes this year appear
to have done little to alter business as usual on Capitol Hill. House
Democrats voted along party lines on Tuesday to block the censure of
one of their most powerful members, Representative John P. Murtha of
Pennsylvania. He was accused of violating a new ethics rule that
prohibits lawmakers from swapping pork for votes. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070517_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#17_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-17T19:48:00Z</updated>
      <title>Harvard Demonstration Tests</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Very
cool set of surveys designed to <a
href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/" >test various
conscious-unconscious divergences</a>.  I just took the race test.
Very interesting.  It says I moderately "prefer" Europena-American
face types.  I'm not surprised given how white my neighborhood is here
in Massachusetts.  <p class="bc"> It is well known that people don't
always 'speak their minds', and it is suspected that people don't
always 'know their minds'. Understanding such divergences is important
to scientific psychology. </p><p class="bc"> This web site presents a
method that demonstrates the conscious-unconscious divergences much
more convincingly than has been possible with previous methods. This
new method is called the Implicit Association Test, or IAT for
short. </p><p class="bc"> In addition, this site contains various
related information. The value of this information may be greatest if
you try at least one test first... </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070516_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#16_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-17T00:38:00Z</updated>
      <title>Church Going</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> I've become a fan of <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens" >Christopher
Hitchens</a> recently.  I certainly don't believe in everything he
says -- we definitely disagree on the "war on terror" for example.
Also, for his arguments to be more respected, he needs to be more
respectful of people's beliefs.  That said, he is much more eloquent
than I at describing the atheist dogma. I was listening to his debate
with Al Sharpton just now and he quoted Philip Larkin's poem <a
href="http://www.artofeurope.com/larkin/lar5.htm" >Church Going</a>.
Hitchens was using the poem to try to explain why people need to
believe in religion. <p class="bc"> A serious house on serious earth
it is, In whose blent air all our compulsions meet, Are recognized,
and robed as destinies.  And that much never can be obsolete, Since
someone will forever be surprising A hunger in himself to be more
serious, And gravitating with it to this ground, Which, he once heard,
was proper to grow wise in, If only that so many dead lie round. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070516_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#16_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-16T20:36:00Z</updated>
      <title>48% of American Adults Reject
Evolution</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  A Newsweek poll in March showed that
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17879317/site/newsweek/" >48% of
American Adults reject evolution</a>.  What an absolutely terrible
prospect.  It basically says that 48% of the people reject science --
listen to the teachings of the ignorant.  I certainly respect people's
beliefs but not when the fly in the face of scientific evidence.  It
seems to me that the "Intelligent Design" theory is the crib notes of
life -- it is far too simplistic and human.  I wrote a lot more
commentation on creationism and evolution in <a
href="http://256.com/gray/thoughts/2005/20050824/intelligent_design.shtml"
>Intelligent Design is Not Intelligent</a>. <p class="bc"> A belief in
God and an identification with an organized religion are widespread
throughout the country, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. Nine in
10 (91 percent) of American adults say they believe in God and almost
as many (87 percent) say they identify with a specific
religion. Christians far outnumber members of any other faith in the
country, with 82 percent of the pollam. Nearly half (48 percent) of
the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution; one-third (34
percent) of college graduates say they accept the Biblical account of
creation as fact.  </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070515_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#15_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-15T15:23:00Z</updated>
      <title>Microsoft Attacks Open Software</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  In yet another attempt to hold off the Open
Software movement, <a
href="http://www.technologyreview.com/Wire/18737/" >Microsoft has
claimed Linux violates patents</a>.  They are obviously scared and
will use legal means to try to keep their monopoly.  They are trying
to scare corporations from using open software.  This may help their
bottom line in the short-term but they will lose in the end.  Other
sources: <a href="http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7269"
>Dailytech</a>. <p class="bc"> Microsoft is the dominant maker of
software that powers servers and desktop PCs, but the company views
the free or low-cost Linux operating system alternatives ''with a
great deal of concern,'' said Al Gillen, an analyst at the technology
research group IDC. </p><p class="bc"> ''It's one of the few operating
systems that represents a viable threat that Microsoft has a great
deal of difficulty containing,'' Gillen said, because the developers
share their code.  ''Microsoft can't drive a company out of business
and make Linux go away,'' the analyst said. </p><p class="bc">
Instead, Microsoft has struck a number of patent-licensing deals with
companies that use open source code, most notably Novell Inc. last
November. In one aspect of the deal, Microsoft agreed to sell Novell's
flavor of Linux, called Suse. It also agreed not to sue the customers
who bought it, even though it claims the open-source software
infringes on its patents. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070514_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#14_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-14T12:57:00Z</updated>
      <title>Funny Bumper Stickers</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">


Here's a good collection of anti-Bush bumper stickers:
<ol class="tight">
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/screwed+elephant/-/pv_design_prod/pg_1/p_storeid.109015021/pNo_109015021/id_17707144/opt_/fpt_/c_360/"
>Of Course It Hurts: You're Being Screwed by an Elephant</a> </li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/pro-war+pro-life/-/pv_design_prod/pg_1/p_storeid.14083930/pNo_14083930/id_5487785/opt_/fpt_/c_360/"
>You Can't Be Pro-War and Pro-Life</a> </li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/handbasket/-/pv_design_prod/p_storeid.24723753/pNo_24723753/id_7716217/opt_/pg_/c_/fpt_"
>Where Are We Going And Why Are We In This Handbasket?</a> </li>
<li> <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/the_peace_store.22285717">
We're Making Enemies Faster Than We Can Kill Them</a> </li>
<li> <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/designedforyou.42760658"
>Impeachment: It's Not Just for Blowjobs Anymore</a> </li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/Civil%20Liberties%20Anyway/-/pv_design_prod/p_storeid.33324319/pNo_33324319/id_2784089/opt_/pg_/c_/fpt_"
>That's OK, I Wasn't Using My Civil Liberties Anyway</a> </li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/religion+iran/-/pv_design_prod/pg_1/p_storeid.36930977/pNo_36930977/id_9437876/opt_/fpt_/c_360/"
>If You Want a Nation Ruled By Religion, Move to Iran</a> </li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/bridge+century/-/pv_design_prod/pg_1/p_storeid.67997326/pNo_67997326/id_13697185/opt_/fpt_/c_360/"
>The Republican Party: Our Bridge to the 11th Century</a> </li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/bush+office+gasoline/-/pv_design_prod/pg_1/p_storeid.57009042/pNo_57009042/id_12388075/opt_/fpt_/c_360/"
>When Bush Took Office, Gasoline Was $1.46/gal</a> </li>
<li> <a
href="http://www.cafepress.com/buy/End+of+an+Error/-/pv_design_prod/pg_1/p_storeid.89854771/pNo_89854771/id_15999746/opt_/fpt_/c_360/"
>1/20/09: End of an Error</a> </li>
</ul>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070514_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#14_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-14T12:52:00Z</updated>
      <title>New Mileage Ratings</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  The
Environmental Protection Agency is coming out with <a
href="http://www.wired.com/cars/futuretransport/news/2007/05/hybrid_mpg"
>revised mileage ratings</a> that will effect all cars and take some
of the shine off hybrid ratings.  The Prius went from 60/51 to 48/45
while the Civic Hybrid went from 51/49 to 40/45.  <p class="bc"> Now,
after more than 20 years of producing mileage estimates that were far
above what most drivers experienced, the EPA has added new testing
procedures that more closely match what the average driver will
experience. The EPA created an online calculator based on the revised
testing methodology that generates more realistic expectations for
today's vehicles.  </p><p class="bc"> The two top-selling hybrid
vehicles, the Prius and Honda's Civic Hybrid, will lose 12 and 11
miles per gallon respectively from their city driving estimates. Other
vehicles are downgraded between 2 and 4 mpg (see chart).  Overall,
vehicle city mileage estimates dropped by about 12 percent, and some
vehicles are expected to be rated 30 percent lower, according to EPA
documents. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070509_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#09_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-09T16:50:00Z</updated>
      <title>15% of Americans Offline</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> 
Interesting study which reports that <a
href="http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/31920/113/" >15% of
Americans have neither Internet nor cellphone</a> and that almost 50%
have a "distant or non-existent relationship to modern information
technology".  I'm not sure that it is a bad thing.  Is it really a
requirement to have one of the two?  Actually, is it really necessary
to have a cellphone?  Internet I wouldn't personally live without but
a cellphone I have a love/hate relationship with.  Here's the Pew
Internet &amp; American Life Project <a
href="http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/213/report_display.asp"
>report</a>. <p class="bc"> 31% of the U.S. population is estimated to
cover the et and connected gadgets and can be subdivided into four
distinct groups: There are "omnivores" (8%) who "voraciously"
participate in cyberspace, "connectors" (7%) who connect to people and
manage digital content using [information and communication
technologies&#93;, "lackluster veterans" (8%) who were amoung the early
adoptors of the Internet and are less avid about cell phones and
"productivity enhancers" (8%) whose main focus is personal and
professional communication. </p><p class="bc"> The middle range of
technology users accounts for 20% of the U.S. population. The group of
"mobile centrics" (10%) has a preference for cell phones, use the
Internet less often and contains a large share of African Americans,
according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Another 10%,
are "connected but hassled" and find connectivity intrustive. </p><p
class="bc"> The third group of technology users makes up almost half
(49%) of the American population and is believed to own relatively few
technology assets. Researchers of the survey said that only 14% of
this group has broadband Internet access at home. Besides 15% of
people who are "off the network", this group includes "inexperienced
experimenters who occasionally use [information and communication
technologies&#93; (8%), "light but satisfied" users who do not rely on
technology as a central part of their daily lives (15%) and
"indifferents" who find connectivity simply annoying. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070509_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#09_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-09T14:26:00Z</updated>
      <title>Lithium Battery Research</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  In another
example of how we are still pushing forward on battery technology,
researchers at US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory
are presenting papers at a conference about how they have developed <a
href="http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/News/2007/news070508.html" >new
layered materials to improve rechargeable lithium batteries</a>.  I
have long argued that Hydrogen was a dead end considering that it is a
battery and not a fuel like gas.  You have to use energy to make
Hydrogen.  Lithium batteries (or whatever is next) should exceed
Hydrogen's storage capacity and not have to deal with its
explosiveness, high-pressure, and cooling issues.  Here's their <a
href="http://www.electrochem.org/meetings/scheduler/abstracts/211/0305.pdf"
>paper in PDF</a>.  Other sources: <a
href="http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/31939/118/" >tgsdaily</a>.
<p class="bc"> In recent tests, the new materials yielded
exceptionally high charge-storage capacities, greater than 250 mAh/g,
or more than twice the capacity of materials in conventional
rechargeable lithium batteries. Theories explaining the high capacity
of these manganese-rich electrodes and their stability upon
charge/discharge cycling will be discussed at the Electrochemical
Society meeting. </p><p class="bc"> In addition, the overall battery
cost is reduced by focusing on manganese-rich systems, instead of the
more expensive cobalt and nickel versions of lithium batteries. </p><p
class="bc"> Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that incorporate the
new materials with increased capacity and enhanced stability could be
expected in a diverse range of applications from consumer electronics,
such as cell phones and laptop computers, to cordless tools and
medical devices, such as cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators. In
larger batteries, the technology could be used in the next generation
of hybrid-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles. </p>

</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070509_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/05/#09_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-05-09T12:49:00Z</updated>
      <title>Car Buying Tips</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Very interesting
and amusing article from Edmunds.com about a guy who goes <a
href="http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html"
>undercover as a car salesman</a>.  He worked at a real dirty dealer
and then a "no-haggle" dealer which was better but not completely
aboveboard.  Edmunds also has <a
href="http://www.edmunds.com/caradvice.html" >tips and advice</a> for
buying and selling a car. <p class="bc"> The first numbers that go on
the 4-square come from the customer. The down payment and the monthly
payment are only what they would like to pay. Now, it's time to get
the numbers that the dealership would like the customer to pay. These
numbers are called the "first pencil" and they come from a sales
manager in the tower. Michael said that the first pencil was the
dealership's starting position. "You have to hit them high," Michael
explained. "You have to break them inside -- make them understand that
if they want our beautiful new car, they're going to have to pay for
it." </p><p class="bc"> Here's how we were supposed to get the first
pencil from the tower. After the customer test-drove the car we
brought them into a sales office and offered them coffee or a Coke to
relax them. Then we filled in the information about the car on the
4-square. We then picked up the phone and called the tower. Michael
held his hand like a phone receiver with his thumb and little finger
sticking out. "You say, 'Yes sir. I have the Jones family here with me
and they have just driven a beautiful new whatever model, stock number
blah blah blah.' Then you say, 'Is it still available?' Of course you
know it is. But you want to create a sense of urgency. So you pause,
then say to the customer, 'Great news! The car's still available!'
Then the tower will give you the first pencil. Write it in each of the
boxes." </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070426_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#26_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-26T13:02:00Z</updated>
      <title>Tillman Death Tragedy</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  A lot more
pressure is coming on Defense Department PR folk after hearings have
been held on <a href="http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3074651"
>Pat Tillman's death</a> and Jessica Lynch's rescue.  Both of these
events were heavily rewritten by PR idiots.  Lynch's rescue was not
that exciting and Tillman got a silver star for attacking the enemy
when he died when he was shot in the head 3 times by friendly fire.
The fact that they knew all this and still lied to the families and
the American people is terribly unfortunate. Other sources: <a
href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/jan-june07/tillman_04-24.html"
>PBS</a>, <a
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6584494,00.html"
>Guardian</a>. <p class="bc"> "I'm still confused as to why they chose
to lie and try to make me a legend when the real heroics of my fellow
soldiers that day were, in fact, legendary," Lynch said in her
testimony this morning. "The American people are capable of
determining their own ideals for heroes, and they don't need to be
told elaborate tales." </p><p class="bc"> Kevin Tillman was far more
critical, as was his mother, Mary Tillman. He read an abridged version
of the Silver Star award his brother was awarded posthumously: "Above
the din of battle, Cpl. Tillman was heard issuing fire commands to
take the fight to an enemy on the dominating high ground. Always
leading from the front, Cpl. Tillman aggressively maneuvered his team
against the enemy position on a steep slope. As a result of
Cpl. Tillman's effort and heroic action, the trail element of the
platoon was able to maneuver through the ambush position of relative
safety without suffering a single casualty." Tillman said that the
story "inspired countless Americans, as intended. There was one small
problem with the narrative, however: It was utter fiction."
</p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070426_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#26_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-26T12:43:00Z</updated>
      <title>Apple Retail Thrives</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Great article
about the <a
href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/19/8402321/index.htm"
>Apple retail store success</a>.  I remember thinking that it was a
good idea because I had seen and heard so much crap from CompUSA and
related stores about Macintoshes.  They weren't selling them right and
they weren't trained to do so. <p class="bc"> "I started to get
scared," says Jobs. Looking angularly trim in his trademark mock
turtleneck and jeans (shopping, one is reminded, has never been
integral to his lifestyle), Jobs is describing what he saw circa
2000. The company was increasingly dependent on mega-retailers -
companies that had little incentive, never mind training, to position
Apple's products as anything unique. "It was like, 'We have to do
something, or we're going to be a victim of the plate tectonics. And
we have to think different about this. We have to innovate here.'"
</p><p class="bc"> The leap into retail, though, would be from a
standing start. "We looked at it and said, 'You know, this is probably
really hard, and really easy for us to get our head handed to us.' So
we did a few things. No. 1, I started asking who was the best retail
executive at the time. Everybody said Mickey Drexler, who was running
the Gap (Charts)." Drexler agreed to join Apple's board. Next, Jobs
went looking for the one right person to run Apple retail. The answer
was Ron Johnson, then a merchandising chief at Target (Charts) who was
pushing that company's hugely successful foray into affordable design. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070418_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#18_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-19T00:09:00Z</updated>
      <title>Amazing Team Hoyt</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  So I stumbled
across this amazing story today about <a
href="http://www.teamhoyt.com/history.shtml" >Dick and Rick Hoyt</a>
the amazing father/son marathon/ironman team.  Rick is physically
handicapped from an accident during birth but his parents never gave
up on him.  During a fund-raising event, Rick told his father that he
didn't feel handicapped during the competition and they have been
competing ever since.  Dick has swum, biked, and pushed Rick in over
200 triathlons, including four grueling <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon" >15-hour
Ironmans</a>.  Makes me feel like a complete slug.  Good for them.
Sources: <a href="http://cjcphoto.com/can/" >copy of SI piece</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Hoyt" >Wikipedia</a>, <a
href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/3/3_2/team-hoyt-doing-it-tough-.shtml"
>Cool Running</a>. <p class="bc"> This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick
and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of
more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in
1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't
keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not
pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time. </p><p class="bc">
``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the
Century.'' </p><p class="bc"> And Dick got something else out of all
this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a
race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you
hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably
would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each
other's life. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070418_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#18_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-18T23:55:00Z</updated>
      <title>Conservatism's 3rd Failure</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> 
Interesting article in the Glob entitled <a
href="http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/04/14/conservatisms_third_failure/"
>Conservatism's third failure</a>.  Although I don't agree entirely
with the premise (or the scorecard), I think that the article makes
good points.  What I see as the failure of Conservatism with the W
Bush administration is not in terms of popularity and power but a
forsaking of their Conservative roots -- less government, fiscal
responsibility, more state and less federal power.  <p class="bc">
Now, the third era of conservative Republican rule is collapsing --
with the most spectacular melange of overreach, incompetence, economic
distress, and sheer corruption of all. But who, and what, will succeed
Bush? The forces of privilege and inequality are now so deeply
entrenched in America that it will take a Democratic successor at
least as bold as FDR or LBJ to change course. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070418_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#18_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-18T23:02:00Z</updated>
      <title>Cool Macintosh App</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Just found this
cool <a href="http://www.readpixel.com/wakeonlan/" >Macintosh
Wake-on-Lan</a> freeware application.  It is from the same guys who
wrote <a href="http://www.readpixel.com/spyme/" >SpyMe</a> which is a
shareware (and resonably priced) replacement for Apple Remote Desktop.
Their WakeOnLan application surveys the local network and tracks all
of the machines that are online.  It allows you to send them the
magical <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_on_lan"
>wake-on-lan packet</a> which if you have your Mac (or PC) <a
href="http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=152171"
>configured correctly</a> it will wake up out of sleep.  I've been
using it to wake up my main desktop computer downstairs so I can copy
files to/from it from my portable in my office.  Very cool.
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070411_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#11_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-12T00:20:00Z</updated>
      <title>Nuclear Power and Global
Warming</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Nuclear power is starting to <a
href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-nuke9apr09,0,720144.story"
>enter the global warming debate</a>.  Some politicians are arguing
that we are trading one evil (oil) for another (nuclear).  I disagree.
Nuclear power failures are like airline crashes.  We take oil spills
and refinery explosions in step.  Large portions of our planet are
polluted with oil derivatives and yet we worry about nuclear waste.
It would be interesting for the federal government to take their
nuclear experience from their naval vessels and federalize the nuclear
power grid.  Nuclear sites could be housed on current or former
military bases.  <p class="bc"> "I've never been a fan of nuclear
energy," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has called it
expensive and risky. "But reducing emissions from the electricity
sector presents a major challenge. And if we can be assured that new
technologies help to produce nuclear energy safely and cleanly, then I
think we have to take a look at it." </p><p class="bc"> The public's
attitude toward nuclear power is more favorable when such energy is
seen as part of an effort to fight climate change. Polls over the
years have shown that a slim majority backs nuclear power, but a Los
Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey last summer found that a larger
majority, 61%, supported the increased use of nuclear energy "to
prevent global warming." </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070411_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#11_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-12T00:11:00Z</updated>
      <title>Red Cross on Iraq</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  The Red Cross has
released its <a
href="http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/iraq-news-110407"
>report on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq</a> (<a
href="http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-report-110407/$File/Iraq-report-icrc.pdf"
>report pdf</a>).  Not much to be surprised about.  So much pain,
destruction, and death.  Other sources: <a
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6543377.stm" >BBC</a>. <p
class="bc"> Shootings, bombings, abductions, murders, military
operations and other forms of violence are forcing thousands of people
to flee their homes and seek safety elsewhere in Iraq or in
neighbouring countries. The hundreds of thousands of displaced people
scattered across Iraq find it particularly difficult to cope with the
ongoing crisis, as do the families who generously agree to host them.
</p><p class="bc"> Health-care facilities are stretched to the limit
as they struggle to cope with mass casualties day-in, day-out. Many
sick and injured people do not go to hospital because itre frequently
threatened or targeted.  treatment plants, primary health-care centres
and hospitals rely mainly on back-up generators, which often break
down owing to excess usage or fall victim to the chronic fuel
shortages. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070405_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#05_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-05T19:31:00Z</updated>
      <title>Cape Wind Inches Closer</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
 The Cape Wind turnbine project is one step closer
to reality by getting a <a href="http://www.capewind.org/news766.htm"
>Determination of Adequacy</a> from the state Office of Environmental
Affairs.  Here's the full statement from the <a
href="http://www.mass.gov/envir/press/pressreleases/033007_capewind.pdf"
>Environmental Affairs Secretary Bowles</a>.  Great news although I'll
believe it when I can see those blades spinning!! <p class="bc"> "My
obligation under MEPA is to ensure that the impacts of construction
and operation of the portions of the project within Massachusetts's
jurisdiction have been adequately avoided, minimized, and mitigated. I
find that they have," said Secretary Bowles. "Based on the air quality
benefits, as well as the compensatory mitigation measures detailed in
this Certificate, I find that the environmental benefits and
compensatory mitigation provided by the project are adequate to
mitigate the impacts of the project occurring in Massachusetts." </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070403_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/04/#03_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-04-04T03:35:00Z</updated>
      <title>More 9/11 Details</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  I have a friend who was on flight 1989, the only 767 out of Logan
the morning of 9/11 going to California which was not hijacked.  I
just finished <a
href="/gray/thoughts/2001/20010912/delta_flight_1989_9_11/scrapbook/"
>scanning in her scrapbook</a> from the time.  Some interesting pieces
and memorabilia that take me back, at least partially, to my feelings
on the day. Also, I just came across fascinating account from the <a
href="http://www.3dlanguage.net/9-11_story.html" >Flight 1989
flight-deck</a> written by one of her pilots. <p class="bc"> I can't
tell you how it felt to watch that United 767 hit the side of that
building over and over again. We saw that plane on the ground at
Logan. We probably walked past the crew, and the terrorists (something
that haunts me to this day). We saw him taxi out. We were flying the
same plane to the same place. The only difference was the paint
job. It was only then that I realized how close we had come to being
that crew. I still wait to hear that our plane was on the list, but
the terrorists missed their connection or somebody forgot the Koran. I
realized also that I wouldn't be doing any sleeping. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070330_4</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#30_4" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-30T19:21:00Z</updated>
      <title>Efficient products</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Here's a good
store for <a href="http://www.positive-energy.com/" >energy efficient
products</a>.  I just bought 3 of their <a
href="http://www.ec-securehost.com/positiveenergyconservationprod./VENTILATION.html#PEHL"
>dryer and exhaust vents</a> to stop the cold air getting in those
areas and a <a
href="http://www.ec-securehost.com/positiveenergyconservationprod./LAUNDRY.html#PESPX"
>Spin-X laundry spinner</a> to drop our drying times.  Here's <a
href="http://www.cetsolar.com/" >another decent site</a>.
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070330_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#30_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-30T16:57:00Z</updated>
      <title>Spin-X Spindryer</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  In looking on some
green sites I just found the <a href="http://www.spin-x.com/" >Spin-X
spindryer</a>.  What a cool device.  Instead of using heat (in our
case natural gas) and exhausting inside air from a typical dryer, you
use high RPM spinning to get a good bit of the water out of the
clothes <i>before</i> they go into the dryer. Here's some <a
href="http://www.peakoil.com/fortopic4871-0-asc-0.html" >discussion on
the topic</a>. <p class="bc"> Your problems: Despite the relative
speed of your washing machine, 8 lbs. of wash after being removed from
your washing machine, will contain as much as 1/2 gallon of water and
soap deposits that the Spindryer can remove. In order to dry that much
water, your clothes dryer has to tumble the washing for a considerable
period of time, while drying it with hot air. This extended period of
drying time costs time and money, not to mention the excessive
mineral, soap and detergent deposits that are dried into your
clothing. </p><p class="bc"> The Advantages of the Spin-X Spindryer:
This Spindryer has a remarkable super speed of 3,300 RPM, and in a
short period of time will remove 50% or more of the water and soap
deposits left in your clothes by your washing machine. Your clothes
are tumbled in the dryer for a short period of time, saving you time
and Energy, giving you softer clothing, and saving you money at the
same time. </p>


</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070330_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#30_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-30T16:41:00Z</updated>
      <title>Outside refrigerator air</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  For a
while I've been wanted to run ducts to my refrigerator.  In the winter
I could use outside air to keep things cool and shut down the fridge
motor for months.  In the summer I could route hot air from the heat
exchanger outside instead of heating the house with it.  Here's a site
which sells <a href="http://www.freeaire.com/" >equipment for large
walk-in type refrigerated rooms</a>.  Here's some discussions about
what I want: <a
href="http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2004/2/12/133750/122"
>otherpower.com</a>, <a
href="http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Refrigerator_20Cold_20Air_20Vent"
>halfbakery.com</a>.  <p class="bc"> "Free Cooling" In colder
climates, the Freeaire taps into the greatest source of refrigeration
ever created: winter. The Freeaire can use cold outside air to cool
the space, simply using what Nature has so kindly made available, to
give the entire compressor system a winter vacation. </p><p
class="bc"> Save Energy. All year long a Freeaire system saves large
amounts of electrical energy by running all the refrigeration
equipment, condensing fans, compressors, evaporator fans and door
heaters for a cooled space only as much as it has to. Using outside
air cuts energy use even more drastically. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070330_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#30_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-30T15:50:00Z</updated>
      <title>Underground house</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  So I've always
wanted to have an underground house.  Here's an <a
href="http://www.williamlishman.com/underground.htm" >interesting
design</a> for one which incorporated interconnected rounded "igloo"
type structures buried.  So much of the energy from an aboveground
house is wasted heating and cooling the world.  A structure wrapped in
the earth would have probably use 1/4 of the heating and cooling
costs. <p class="bc" >Once the metal frame was completely covered,
Gunnite concrete was sprayed over the entire interior surface, and
trawled smooth. The inside layer was concrete mixed with marble powder
to form a smooth white surface . The exterior of the house was covered
in a waterproof tar, buried in dry sand and a membrane layer of rubber
sheeting was placed over the entire area to act as an umbrella to keep
the sand mass dry. The sand mass is crisscrossed with air ducts that
circulate warm air from the solariums located at either end of the
house. Topsoil was then replaced over top of the membrane, covered
with grass seed and gardens and now must be mowed on a regular
basis.</p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070329_5</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#29_5" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-30T01:21:00Z</updated>
      <title>Greywater Recycling</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Interesting.
Just found this site which specializes in <a
href="http://www.bracsystems.com/home.html" >greywater recycling
equipment</a>.  They basically take the output from clothes washing,
bathroom sinks, and showers (called greywater as opposed to output
from kitchen sink and toilets) and recycle it for use in toilets and
for irrigation.  Why such systems are not mandated for new California
construction, I'll never know.  <p class="bc"> Brac systems can help
you save 35% to 40% on your annual water bill, and while saving money,
you will also help save the environment and provide a better future
for our children and their children to come. With this amount of
savings, your Brac Greywater Recycling System pays itself. </p><p
class="bc"> "<a
href="http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/index.shtml" >UNESCO has
predicted</a> that by 2020 water shortage will be a serious worldwide
problem." </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070329_4</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#29_4" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-29T12:04:00Z</updated>
      <title>Get What You Paid For</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  So I just got a MacBook Pro and all of a sudden we have
multiple Macs in the house and I thought it would be good to share a
printer.  I went online, did some research and settled on Trendnet's
TE100-P21 print server.  Man did I make a mistake.  After struggling
with it for a couple of hours and doing a lot of web searching because
the manual is just CRAP, I got it working -- barely adequately.  In
the morning I decided to look at the price of the Apple Airport
Express which is a wireless router, music conduit, and print server.
A trip to the Mac store and US$100 later (only ~$35 more than the
stupid Trendnet) and I was plugging in the Airport Express.  It just
worked seamlessly.  My Macs detected the printer type correctly,
added the right drivers, and printing was done.  15-20 minutes later
after playing around with the security settings via the remote setup
utility (extremely slick) and my wireless network was up too.  Apple
may be a tad more expensive at times but you get a lot more bang for
your buck.  Now I will <i>start</i> at the Apple Store before going
somewhere else to save a buck.
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070329_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#29_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-29T19:32:00Z</updated>
      <title>US Congress Stands Up</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  The US
Congress has finally stood up and <a
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6507801.stm" >tied funding
of the Iraq war to withdrawal</a>.  Bush will most likely veto the
bill but it is important point to be made -- that the president must
plan for a horizon with this war.  Good for them.  <p class="bc" > The
vote of 51 to 47 links funding for the war to a goal of getting US
combat troops out of Iraq by March 2008. The House has passed a
similar bill. </p> <p class="bc"> The Senate bill approves US$122
billion in funds - mostly for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - but
also orders the president to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within
120 days of passage of the bill.  It sets a goal of pulling all combat
troops out of Iraq by the end of March of next year, but does not
explicitly demand their removal. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070329_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#29_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-29T19:17:00Z</updated>
      <title>TJ Maxx Data Theft</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  More information
is coming out about the <a
href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198701100"
>TJ Maxx data theft</a> which has been happening for over a year.
They announced in a SEC filing that 45 million credit and debit card
numbers have been stolen from its IT systems.  They estimate that
hackers had penetrated their systems for over a year, stealing credit
cards and other financial information.  <p class="bc"> As a result,
TJX is a company under siege. The company recorded a fourth-quarter
charge of about $5 million to cover the costs of containing and
investigating the breach, as well as improving the security of its IT
systems, communicating with customers, and paying legal fee. The
U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation of
TJX. While the FTC wouldn't reveal the nature of the investigation or
when it began, it's likely the result of the data breach. And lawsuits
have begun to fly, including one by the Arkansas Carpenters Pension
Fund, which owns 4,500 shares of TJX stock. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070329_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#29_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-29T19:02:00Z</updated>
      <title>Plastic repair company</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Very cool
looking site which specializes in <a href="http://urethanesupply.com/"
>plastic repair kits and supplies</a>.  They talk a lot about
automotive repairs (fenders, etc.) but they have information about
identifying and welding many different plastics for everything from
toys to lawn mowers. <p class="bc"> Our web site gives you all the
information you need to do your repair [many products&#93; and, it
requires absolutely no thinking on your part. It's all spelled-out for
you in simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that are so
easy, an eight year old could do it. Not only that, you can purchase
everything you need to get the job done right... and it's ALL just a
click away. </p>

</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070328_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#28_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-28T12:01:00Z</updated>
      <title>Cult of Macintosh</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Given the fact that I have recently moved to using a
Macintosh MacPro portable from as my desktop, I thought it was apt to
post this line to a story about the <a
href="http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2007/03/73005/"
>status of the cult of the Macintosh</a>.  I do miss some of the UI
features of my FreeBSD/X11 desktop, but the integration and the
(unfortunate) need for MS Office crap is a vast improvement.  It is
interesting to hear about how Wall Street and other analysts are now
reevaluating the Mac because all of a sudden with the hype around the
iTv and the iPhone, the iPod does not seem like a fluke.  As far as I
can tell, the introduction of the Intel Macs has also meant a lot of
desktop/laptop sales. <p class="bc"> There's been a distinct sea
change in the way people think about Apple in the last few weeks.
Recently, people have been saying the strangest things about Apple and
the Mac. Everything is topsy-turvy. Pundits aren't trotting out the
old conventional wisdoms any more. They're saying odd stuff, like Macs
are good for business; Macs can save money; and that Apple's stock --
at $90 a share -- is a bargain. </p><p class="bc"> In fact, there
seems to be a widespread re-evaluation of Apple going on, a cultural
shift that's changing the way people think about the company. It's
been building for a while but it has reached a tipping point in the
last couple of months. Here's what people are saying now. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070322_7</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#22_7" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-22T18:26:00Z</updated>
      <title>Space Shuttle Challenger Accident</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> 
Very old URL here about the <a
href="http://history.nasa.gov/rogersrep/v1ch3.htm" >Space Shuttle
Challenger accident</a>.  Still very interesting.  Lots of timing
details and images. <p class="bc" > At 45 seconds into the flight,
three bright flashes appeared downstream of the Challenger's right
wing. Each flash lasted less than one-thirtieth of' a second. Similar
flashes have been seen on other flights. Another appearance of a
separate bright spot was diagnosed by film analysis to be a reflection
of main engine exhaust on the Orbital Maneuvering System pods located
at the upper rear section of the Orbiter. The flashes were unrelated
to the later appearance of the flame plume from the right Solid Rocket
Booster. </p><p class="bc"> Both the Shuttle main engines and the
solid rockets operated at reduced thrust approaching and passing
through the area of maximum dynamic pressure of 720 pounds per square
foot. Main engines had been throttled up to 104 percent thrust and the
Solid Rocket Boosters were increasing their thrust when the first
flickering flame appeared on the right Solid Rocket Booster in the
area of the aft field joint. This first very small flame was detected
on image enhanced film at 58.788 seconds into the flight. It appeared
to originate at about 305 degrees around the booster circumference at
or near the aft field joint. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070322_6</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#22_6" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-22T18:10:00Z</updated>
      <title>NY Times Must-Do List</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Excellent
list of <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/opinion/04sun1.html"
>Congressional must-do items</a> by the New York Times.  I could not
agree more.  I am pessimistic that any of these will get done.  Their
list includes the following entries: <ol class="tight"><li> Restore
Habeas Corpus (remove Illegal Enemy Combatant status) </li><li> Stop
Illegal Spying (obey the FISA laws) </li><li> Ban Torture, Really
(stop breaking international human rights laws) </li><li> Close the
secret C.I.A. Prisons (stop bringing us down to the moral level of our
enemies) </li><li> Ban Extraordinary Rendition (another violation of
international law) </li></ol>

</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070322_5</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#22_5" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-22T17:45:00Z</updated>
      <title>US Blocked Lebanon Truce</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  In another
example of <a
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6479377.stm" >Neocon
failures</a>, former UN ambassador John Bolton has corroborated the
reports that the US intentionally avoided a cease-fire in the
Israeli/Lebanon conflict because it expected Israel to eliminate
Hezbollah's military capability.  The US, UK, and Israel where the
only 3 nations at the UN to not support a cease-fire.  Israel did
billions of dollars of damage to Lebanon, killed thousands, and made
homeless tens of thousands, all in our name backed by our jets,
missiles, and fuel.  Now Hezbollah is more powerful than ever since
they arguably "won" the conflict and have recently challenged the
fragile government of Lebanon for more power.  Oh, and we have
promised billions of dollars to help rebuild the country so again we
are paying for both sides of the war.  And we wonder why they hate us?
<p class="bc"> At the time US officials argued a ceasefire was
insufficient and agreement was needed to address the underlying
tensions and balance of power in the region. </p><p class="bc"> Mr
Bolton now describes it as "perfectly legitimate... and good politics"
for the Israelis to seek to defeat their enemy militarily, especially
as Hezbollah had attacked Israel first and it was acting "in its own
self-defence".  Mr Bolton, a controversial and blunt-speaking figure,
said he was "damned proud of what we did" to prevent an early
ceasefire. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070322_4</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#22_4" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-22T15:30:00Z</updated>
      <title>Linux Syslets and Threadlets</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
 Interesting page about <a
href="http://kerneltrap.org/node/7753" >Linux's "Syslets" and
"Threadlets</a> which gives come background into the thread models of
the modern Linux kernel.  Syslets are in-kernel calls that can be
scheduled asynchronously without a userspace context switch and have
seen good performance improvements over traditional mechanisms.
Threadlets are similar in that they allow a thread's code to be
executed but don't allocate a new thread structure until necessary.
Very cool stuff. <p class="bc" > Announcing the third version of his
<a href="http://kerneltrap.org/node/7737" >syslets subsystem
patches</a>, Ingo Molnar [interview&#93; noted that he has implemented
many fundamental changes to the code including the introduction of
threadlets, "'threadlets' are basically the user-space equivalent of
syslets: small functions of execution that the kernel attempts to
execute without scheduling. If the threadlet blocks, the kernel
creates a real thread from it, and execution continues in that
thread. The 'head' context (the context that never blocks) returns to
the original function that called the threadlet." As threadlets are
only moved into a separate thread context if they block, Ingo refers
to them as 'optional threads'. He also describes them as 'on-demand
parallelism', "user-space does not have to worry about setting up,
sizing and feeding a thread pool - the kernel will execute the
workload in a single-threaded manner as long as it makes sense, but
once the context blocks, a parallel context is created. So parallelism
inside applications is utilized in a natural way." </p>


</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070322_3</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#22_3" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-22T15:21:00Z</updated>
      <title>1-Wire Hardware Shop</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Dan just
pointed me to a <a href="http://www.hobby-boards.com/" >great weather,
sensor, hobby hardware store</a>.  Dan's the author of <a
href="http://www.klein.com/thermd/" >thermd</a> which takes 1-wire
temperature and other data and graphs it.  He's got his home monitored
to the hilt and I'm jealous.  I've been wanting to do it for a while
as well as add monitors and automation to my HVAC units and lights.
I've got a bunch of hardware that I've not hooked up yet (not a
priority) as well as a weather station.  Hope to do it sooner.

</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070322_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#22_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-22T15:11:00Z</updated>
      <title>Broadband Download Limits</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> 
Interesting piece about how <a
href="http://www.boston.com/business/personaltech/articles/2007/03/12/not_so_fast_broadband_providers_tell_big_users/"
>broadband providers are disconnecting high volume users</a>.
Broadband providers are finding that that top 0.1% of users are taking
a large amount of the bandwidth of their systems and are starting to
issue warnings and disconnect their services which is permitted under
their acceptable-use-policies.  I actually don't have a problem with
this. <p class="bc"> Feddeman declined to say where Comcast draws the
line on too much Internet usage, instead saying the amount of data
that could trigger a warning call would be roughly the equivalent of
13 million e-mail messages or 256,000 photos a month. Although those
files vary in size, a typical photo file size is 1 to 2 megabytes,
meaning that excessive users are downloading hundreds of gigabytes per
month. </p><p> Matt Davis, a research director at IDC Corp., said that
because of the way cable high-speed Internet works, a person using a
huge amount of bandwidth will slow service for hundreds of
customers. </p><p class="bc"> "You look at it and see there's some two
to three people in the neighborhood or a college dorm . . . and what
they're doing is impairing the customer experience for the rest of the
people off that node," Davis said. "Then it's a business decision: Do
you alienate a small percentage of customers to make your other
customers happy?" </p>

</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070322_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#22_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-22T13:06:00Z</updated>
      <title>Popcorn machine</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  So we hold a movie
party every year for our community down in Wareham.  Lot of fun.  I've
been looking for <a href="http://popthis.com/" >popcorn machine</a>
and <a href="http://www.snappypopcorn.com/" >popcorn supplies</a> for
some time and these look like good sites.  No experience with them
yet.  Ooooh.  They have <a
href="http://www.snappypopcorn.com/star-wars-poppers.html" >Star Wars
popcorn machines</a> and <a
href="http://popthis.com/funcakbreqan.html" >funnel cake machines</a>.
They also have corn dog, shaved ice, and cotten candy equipment and
supplies.  Weeeee.
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070320_2</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#20_2" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-20T18:02:00Z</updated>
      <title>Bee Colony Decline</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  I've read a
couple of stories of the <a
href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07060/765728-57.stm" >decline in
bee colonies</a>.  Since 1971, half of the bee colonies in the US have
vanished.  Although some are from natural or understood reasons, a
recent acceleration of the decline has caused alarm in scientists who
are calling it <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder" >colony
collapse disorder</a>.  Makes me interested in starting a bee colony
myself as a civic duty.  Other sources: <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/science/24bees.html" >NY
Times</a>.  <p class="bc"> Penn State scientists estimate that the
number of colonies [in Pennsylvania&#93; has dropped to about 35,000, down
from 80,000 in the late 1980s.  Those declines could have serious
consequences for farmers across the state who rely on honeybees to
pollinate many of their crops. </p><p class="bc"> Pollination refers
to transfer of pollen from the male portion of a plant blossom to the
female part. That is done by wind, hummingbirds and a variety of
insects, and is necessary for plants to produce their fruits or
vegetables and their seeds. </p>

</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070320_1</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#20_1" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-20T17:56:00Z</updated>
      <title>Fight Against Malaria</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  They have
begun using <a
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6468381.stm"
>genetically modified mosquitos</a> to fight Malaria in Africa.
Malaria still causes over a million deaths every year.  The WHO is
also <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5350068.stm"
>encouraging the use of DDT</a> even with the environmental impact.
<p class="bc"> A genetically modified (GM) strain of malaria-resistant
mosquito has been created that is better able to survive than
disease-carrying insects.It gives new impetus to one strategy for
controlling the disease: introduce the GM insects into wild
populations in the hope that they will take over. </p>
<p class="bc"> The insect carries a gene that prevents infection by
the malaria parasite. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>

    <entry>
      <id>urn:uuid:20070312_5</id>
      <link href="http://256.com/gray/blog/2007/03/#12_5" type="text/html" />
      <updated>2007-03-12T17:37:00Z</updated>
      <title>Geothermal Kit</title>
      <content type="xhtml">
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">  Cool <a
href="http://www.arit.com/terralink.htm" >geothermal heating/cooling
kit</a>.  I've been thinking of doing this for some time.  Basically
the concept is to drill wells or run piping around your land and use
it to heat and cool your home.  The idea is that you are heat
exchanging with 50-55 degree ground temperatures instead of air
temperatures.  The heating loop requires compression to extract the
heat from the ground but cooling is a simple fluid exchange --
extremely efficient. <p class="bc"> What is included with your kit?
Closed Ground loop designs for, horizontal, pond, slinky flat or
radiator loops, specifically for your project.  All ground loop 3/4"
ID (optional 1/2" or SDR11 sizes available), piping pre-charged with
required antifreeze, and comes with easy to use compression couplings,
no fusion welding needed. (25 year limited warrantee, longer or
additional pipe circuits may be required in high unbalanced operating
conditions such as Florida or Canada or poor heat transfer conditions
such as sand or gravel subsoil's, please call to confirm). </p><p
class="bc"> All pumps and manifolds, fully assembled, in a heavy gauge
powder coated metal cabinet. (10 year limited warrantee, 1 year on
pump(s)), ready to connect to your supplied heat pump control, now
with standard flush and fill ports, for the professional. </p>
</div>
</content>
    </entry>
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