| Home | Recent Comments | Categories |
Jonathan Schwartz’s Weblog
[Quote:]
I was on a plane flight with an executive from the hospitality industry not too long ago, who told me a very interesting story - about the impact of flat panel televisions on hotel room occupancy. According to this exec, flat panel TV’s drove down industry occupancy rates.
No, seriously.
Apparently the space savings and lower power consumption of a flat panel TV (think about it, they’re quite a bit smaller and draw far less energy) allowed hotels to skip having to put giant media cabinets in their rooms. And they could save on their total power (and air conditioning) envelope, as well. Which freed up space, power and budget for more rooms. Which led to a glut of new rooms, and the rest falls into place.
It reminded me of a conversation I had with a CIO at a large financial institution in midtown Manhattan a few months back. She’d just been promoted to be the CIO of her company, and in one of her first meetings with the CEO, brought him a picture of the roof of their building.
Care to guess why?
Java call stack - from HTTP upto JDBC as a picture
The picture in this article demonstrates the change from programming in the ’90’s to programming today. We’ve abstracted away quite a lot. The stack trace looks horrible, insane and disgusting at the same time if I put on my sysadministrator or architect hat, but as a programmer it shows how much I don’t have to take care of any more when I’m developing stuff - after all, the developer only has to write the “business logic” part. Nevertheless, if I didn’t know the virtual machine handles this with remarkable efficiency (it would be nice to see the runtime stacktrace instead of the virtual stacktrace the picture shows) I’d scream.
|
Reminder to Self: Slow Down on the Caffeine
[Quote:]
It’s about time to have another photo of this unique Philippine mammal.
Early this year, I took a vacation back to the Philippines especially to the island of Bohol particularly to see this fascinating animal. It’s one of the smallest prosimians - some of them can fit inside your palm.
This species of tarsier is most commonly found on Samar, Leyte, Bohol, and Mindanao in the Philippines. They are found in areas of tall grasses, bushes, bamboo shoots, and small trees in tropical rainforests. They are arboreal and nocturnal. They spend the day hiding in dense vegetation and sleeping in trees. At night they emerge to move about and hunt for prey.
What’s interesting is … this particular group of tarsiers that I photographed are what the natives call ’showbiz tarsiers’ as they are the ones being shown to tourists. Their behaviour has been so screwed up … they are now diurnal instead of nocturnal … but for a purpose though: to educate people about these animals. They are not particularly endangered (although it is vulnerable and threatened because of habitat destruction); people actually say you can find them easily if you know where to look … but because it is unique and this particular species only found in the Philippines, people need to be educated and its preservation is important because it is part of the Filipino heritage.
It was also proclaimed by presidential decree that Philippine Tarsier is a specially
protected faunal species of the Philippines and that tthe hunting, killing, wounding, taking away, possession of the Philippine Tarsier and the conduct of activities
destructive of its habitats are prohibited. However, the possession of the Philippine Tarsier for educational, scientific or conservation-centered research purposes maybe allowed upon certification by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary.
|
They are made out of meat
Bush’s Most Radical Plan Yet
[Quote:]
If you’ve got something to hide in Washington, the best place to bury it is in the federal budget. The spending plan that President Bush submitted to Congress this year contains 2,000 pages that outline funding to safeguard the environment, protect workers from injury and death, crack down on securities fraud and ensure the safety of prescription drugs. But almost unnoticed in the budget, tucked away in a single paragraph, is a provision that could make every one of those protections a thing of the past.
The proposal, spelled out in three short sentences, would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member panel called the “Sunset Commission,” which would systematically review federal programs every ten years and decide whether they should be eliminated. Any programs that are not “producing results,” in the eyes of the commission, would “automatically terminate unless the Congress took action to continue them.”
[..]
The man behind the sunset commission is Clay Johnson, the most influential member of Bush’s inner circle whom you’ve never heard of. The two Texans have been close friends since 1961, when they met as fifteen-year-olds at Andover prep school and later roomed together for four years at Yale. When Bush was elected governor of Texas in 1994, he put the buddy he calls “Big Man” — Johnson is six feet four — in charge of all state appointments. Johnson, a former executive at Neiman Marcus and Frito-Lay, refers to Americans as “customers” and is partial to Chamber of Commerce bromides such as “We’re in the results business.” He is also partial to giving corporate lobbyists a direct role in gutting regulatory protections. One of his first acts in Texas was to remove all three members of the state environmental-protection commission and replace them with a former Monsanto executive, an official with the Texas Beef Council and a lawyer for the oil industry. Overnight, a commission widely respected for its impartiality became a “revolving door between the industry lobby and government,” says Jim Marston, the senior attorney in Texas for the nonprofit organization Environmental Defense.
[..]
Johnson continued his anti-regulatory efforts in the early days of the Bush presidency, when he helped place industry champions in positions throughout the government. As director of OMB, an obscure but powerful arm of the White House, he has implemented a “Program Assessment Rating Tool” to evaluate federal programs and cut funding to those that are “not getting results.” In reality, though, Johnson uses PART to slash government efforts that don’t fit the administration’s political agenda. This year’s budget eliminates twenty percent of the programs that were rated most effective, including efforts to improve the environment and education, and increases funding for programs that received the lowest possible rating — including an attempt to reduce the number of poor people claiming a low-income tax credit.
[..]
The Sunset Commission would go even further. The panel — which will likely be composed of “experts in management issues,” according to one senior OMB official — will enable the administration to terminate entire government programs that protect citizens against injury and death. Consider what America might look like if Reagan had wielded such an anti-regulatory ax twenty years ago. Abolishing the EPA would have increased air pollution, causing tens of thousands of children to develop chronic respiratory diseases. Terminating the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would have eliminated many protections we now take for granted — including air bags, child safety seats and automatic seat belts. And getting rid of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would have forestalled workplace regulations that have prevented illnesses among millions of farmworkers.
Even if such regulations remain on the books, eliminating entire agencies would leave no one to enforce them. “And if there’s no cop on the beat, who’s going to follow the law?” says J. Robert Shull, senior policy analyst at OMB Watch.
Daily Kos: Florida must be stopped!
[Quote:]
Once again, Florida is at the center of a terrorist plot to attack the United States.
Seven terrorists were recently arrested after planning attacks in the United States that would include toppling Chicago’s Sears Tower.
This is not the first time Florida has been at the center of attacks on the United States. Indeed, the original 9-11 hijackers all were trained, equipped and financed in Florida, and Jeb Bush’s State Government helped out with many of the financial and training logistics, as well as helping to provide medical care to at least one of the Terrorists.
How long are we going to let Jeb Bush and his Outlaw State thumb their noses at us? How long are we going to sit by while the world’s most dangerous Terrorists are given harborage by Jeb Bush?
No, I say it is time to attack the Terrorist State of Florida. Here is my five-point plan:
1. We must bomb their largest city with a display of military might I’ll call “Shock and Awe.” But we will let the people of Florida know we’re attacking Jeb Bush and not them. (Don’t worry, they won’t resent it.)
2. We must dissolve Jeb Bush’s crooked State Government and give them no means to support their families. (Don’t worry, they won’t turn against us.)
3. Then we must capture Jeb Bush, who will likely be hiding in some kind of Spider Hole, like the Fugitive Terrorist he is. We can then put him on trial. (Don’t worry, it won’t turn into a kangaroo court.)
4. Then we must democratize Florida, so it can be a beacon of freedom in the otherwise totalitarian American Southeast. (Don’t worry….it’ll work.)
5. Then, if we have more time and resources (which we surely will), we can convert them to Christianity and cut a deal with whichever citizens take up arms against us. (Don’t worry, it’ll just be a few Bitter Enders who are in their Last Throes.)
This plan may sound Difficult and Expensive, but it is really simple and cheap. The Citizens of Florida will undoubtedly welcome us with Rose Petals and the war itself could be paid for with Florida’s plentiful Citrus Revenues.
I suggest we set up our green zone at Disney World…
Template for News Stories on Government Data Gathering
[Quote:]
NSA warrantless wiretaps. NSA collection of phone records. CIA gathering of financial records.
The stories are endless. To help out reporters, I thought I’d just write a quick and easy template to make reporting a little bit easier. So here it is:
Under a top secret program initiated by the Bush Administration after the Sept. 11 attacks, the [name of agency (FBI, CIA, NSA, etc.)] have been gathering a vast database of [type of records] involving United States citizens.
“This program is a vital tool in the fight against terrorism,” [Bush Administration official] said. “Without it, we would dangerously unsafe, and the terrorists would have probably killed you and every other American citizen.” The Bush Administration stated that the revelation of this program has severely compromised national security.
“This program is a threat to privacy and civil liberties,” [name of privacy advocate] said. But [name of spokesperson for Bush Administration] said: “This is a very limited program. It only contains detailed records about every American citizen. That’s all. It does not compromise civil liberties. We have a series of procedures in place to protect liberty.”
“We’re not trolling through the personal data of Americans,” Bush said, “we’re just looking at all of their records.”
The [name of statute] regulates [type of record] and typically requires a [type of court order]. Although the [name of agency] did not obtain a [type of court order], the Bush Administration contends that the progam is “totally legal.” According to the Attorney General, “we can [do whatever we did or want to do]. The program is part of the President’s emergency war powers.”
Sharing
[Quote:]
|
Van onze b.centen
[Quote:]
Een vriendin van mij werkt in het hoger, onderwijs, een Hogeschool ergens in dit land.
De directeur van de instelling ging onlangs met pensioen, na een lang dienstverband, en mijn vriendin organiseerde het feest. Ze voerde de Feestcommissie aan, zogezegd.
Officieel, vanuit het ministerie van Onderwijs, staat voor een dergelijk afscheidsfeest het feestelijke bedrag van € 138.000 (en nog wat).
Daar kan je een heel leuk feest voor geven.
Nou was het probleem, dat door privé-omstandigheden de directeur geen feest wilde.
Hij wilde een klein kado, maar meer niet.
Prima, dan niet.
Ministerie gebeld.
Hij wil geen feest.
Ja, maar het geld staat ervoor.
Maar hij wil het niet!
Het is al gestort op uw rekening.
Maar we hoeven het niet, we willen maar een klein deel, voor een kado. Kan ik de rest terugstorten?
Nee mevrouw, dat is niet mogelijk. Het is al afgeboekt.
Probleempje.
€ 138.000 op de feestcommissierekening van mijn vriendin, en het kan niet terug, maar het wordt ook niet besteed aan een feest.
Weten we het goed gemaakt, zeiden ze op school. We hebben een groot probleem met de wc’s voor invaliden, er kunnen geen rolstoelen in de toiletten. Laten we eindelijk aangepaste toiletten laten maken, houden we nog geld over ook! En we zeuren er al jaren om bij het ministerie.
Gebeld met het ministerie.
Mogen we aangepaste toiletten laten maken?
Nee, geen sprake van, daar is deze pot niet voor. Dat komt uit een heel andere pot.
Maar uit die pot komt niks!
Dan moet u zich tot een andere afdeling wenden.
Dat doen we al voortdurend.
Einde telefoongesprek.
Het verhaal is nog veel langer (geld mag niet op spaarrekening gezet worden, er komt nog een bedrag bij voor een ander niet geëffectueerd afscheid en nog zo wat), in elk geval heeft mijn vriendin nu een enorm bedrag op een rekening waar ze niks mee kan of mag doen, wil de directeur geen feest en ligt er alweer een blauwe envelop op mijn mat.
godverdomme Verdonk!
Als er twee woorden zijn waar ik boos over kan worden, zijn het wel politiek haalbaar. Klik de link en lees waarom. Maar kijk vooraf even naar deze foto:
Sir, would you please fill out this form?
[Quote:]
Yesterday the Iraqi minister of national security admitted that insurgents are a step ahead of the government when it comes to intelligence. As bleak as this confession may sound I think it’s admirable of the government to admit such a fact because the first step in solving a problem is through recognizing it and never through denying it or speaking big empty words.
In fact the minister’s statement was pretty close to what we wrote in our earlier post, both accounts define the weakness point of this particular operation and that of the government’s efforts to fight the insurgency in general which is intelligence.
To discuss this point we should go back few years in time to know the intelligence system worked in Iraq and why we still be behind the insurgents in this regard if we did not take the right measures.
As we all know, the bulk of the insurgency is made up mostly of the security corps of the past regime, mainly the secret service, special republican guards, military intelligence and former ba’athists and these corps collectively were the ones in charge of collecting and analyzing intelligence for the regime and over years, these corps were able to build a massive database that contained lots of information about every single citizen in Iraq.
I recall those years when everyone had to fill countless inquiries (general information forms) every now and then; for example if I moved from one city to another, applied for a job, moved from one school to another, rented a house or a shop, started a new business or even signed up for a phone line I would be asked to fill many of these forms to many entities. Not to mention the inquiries every citizen had to routinely fill and these inquiries would come from the police station, local ba’ath HQ, the district council and every other authority you can think of.
these inquiries in addition to asking regular questions like number of family members, their jobs, working places etc, etc, they also went as far as asking detailed questions about relatives as far as of the 6th degree, like “do you have any relatives that had been executed?” or “do you have any relatives living abroad? And why?”.
The data collected in this manner were used to keep track of citizens and determine how this or that one should be treated (given or denied a job, admitted to college or not, promoted or not).
You can imagine now how much information the past regime had about the people of Iraq, and where did that huge database go?
It was kept by the same people who were in charge of it before, hard disks and box files were all taken home and the rest was burned and soon many of those personnel became the core of the local insurgency so it’s somewhat correct to say that those intelligence collectors did not lose power because they retained one of the most powerful weapons in the kind of warfare we’re fighting here.The regime was toppled and places were switched; the jobless former officers became in control of a huge information treasure while the new administration was left with office drawers void of files!
So this imbalanced possession of information needs to change, and to change soon and a plan to build a new database should go simultaneously with the plan to collect weapons. We need to do this because the insurgents are hiding amongst us, they look and dress like normal civilians, they drive civilian vehicles, not tanks and they operate from normal houses, not military bases.
Building a new database can be done through reasonably simple procedures and from the base up by a simple campaign coordinated the authorities, the district councils (Mukhtars) and food ration distribution points.Of course this should not be done in the same totalitarian demeaning manner that Saddam adopted; just decently detailed records of who lives where and who works where will be enough and can be of great help to our counterterrorism efforts.
Tale of a Lost Cellphone, and Untold Static
[Quote:]
Three weeks ago, Mr. Guttman went on a quest to retrieve a friend’s lost cellphone, a quest that has now ended with the arrest of a 16-year-old on charges of possessing the missing gadget, a Sidekick model with a built-in camera that sells for as much as $350. But before the teenager was arrested, she was humiliated by Mr. Guttman in front of untold thousands of people on the Web, an updated version of the elaborate public shamings common in centuries past.
The tale began when Mr. Guttman’s best friend Ivanna left her cellphone in a taxicab, like thousands of others before her. After Ivanna got a new Sidekick, she logged on to her account — and was confronted by pictures of an unfamiliar young woman and her family, along with the young woman’s America Online screen name.
The 16-year-old, Sasha Gomez, of Corona, Queens, had been using the Sidekick to take pictures and send instant messages. She apparently did not know that the company that provided the phone’s service, T-Mobile, automatically backs up such information on its remote servers. So when Ivanna got back on, there was Sasha.
Using instant messages, Mr. Guttman tracked down Sasha and asked her to return it. “Basically, she told me to get lost,” Mr. Guttman recalled. “That was it.”
So he set up a no-frills Web page with a brief account of what happened, and posted the pictures of the girl and her family. Within hours of putting up the Web page, Mr. Guttman was fielding hundreds of e-mail messages from those nursing their own bitter memories of a lost cellphone, a BlackBerry or a digital camera that went unreturned.
Karzai: War not getting at terrorism cause
[Quote:]
One of America’s closest allies says the war on terrorism fails to address its root causes.
Experts agreed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying Friday the major military offensive against the Taliban will not fix
Afghanistan’s larger crises — a lack of reconstruction and jobs, a booming drug trade, and a weak government.“You won’t win unless you can convince people that progress is being made,” said Marvin Weinbaum, a former State Department analyst now a scholar at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.
“One of the things we recognize is that we have failed to improve on the development side, especially in the south. In the areas with the greatest need, we have not gotten the reconstruction that was necessary.”
World Cup fans fail to lift local sex industry
[Quote:]
The hordes of beer-swilling men who have descended on Germany for the World Cup are proving a disappointment for the host nation’s sex workers, preferring to party in public rather than spend time with prostitutes.
While some larger red-light establishments in host cities have seen their cash tills ringing, a lot of prostitutes say the anticipated boost for Germany’s liberal sex industry has failed to materialize.
“The pent-up sexual demand of horny fans from around the world which has been widely anticipated has not materialized at all,” said Karolina Leppert, president of Germany’s association for sexual service providers BSD.
“Business is pretty dead, even the regulars stay away because of all the crowds and the hype,” said Leppert, who has been working as a dominatrix in Berlin for eight years.
They should have held a Republican Convention instead.
I guess it’s no surprise if you see the fans:
|
Belgian government chooses OpenDocument
[Quote:]
In a blow to Microsoft, Belgium’s government departments will be instructed to use an open file format for internal communications
The OpenDocument Format (ODF) is to be the standard format for exchanging documents within the Belgian government. This proposal, which is expected to be approved by Belgium’s Council of Ministers on Friday, increases the pressure from governments worldwide on Microsoft to embrace open standards.
From September 2008 onwards, all document exchanges within the services of the Belgian Government will have to be in an open, standard format, according to the proposal now before the Belgian Ministers. Only ODF is accepted as such a standard in the proposal. Earlier drafts of the Belgian proposal had treated ODF and Microsoft’s own Open XML format (which is to be included in Office 2007) on equal footing.
‘Meerderheid SGP’ers is voor vrouw als lid’
[Quote:]
Een ruime meerderheid van de kiesverenigingen van de SGP steunt het voorstel om vrouwen de mogelijkheid te geven lid te worden van de christelijke partij. Dat meldt het Reformatisch Dagblad vrijdag na een rondgang langs de circa 220 kiesverenigingen van de SGP.
De krant verwacht dat het voorstel van het SGP-hoofdbestuur zaterdag tijdens een partijvergadering in Gouda wordt aangenomen met circa 70 tot 75 procent van de stemmen. Het voorstel om de statuten ten aanzien van vrouwen te wijzigen, heeft minimaal twee derde van de stemmen nodig om te worden aangenomen.
Als dat gebeurt, kunnen vrouwen binnenkort lid worden van de SGP, binnen de partij discussiëren, meestemmen en in plaatselijke besturen worden gekozen.
Maar als je denkt dat daarmee een dikke eeuw achterstand met de rest van nederland wordt ingelopen, vergeet het maar:
Zij kunnen echter geen voorzitter van een kiesvereniging worden en komen niet in aanmerking voor een plek in een gemeenteraad, Provinciale Staten, Eerste of Tweede Kamer.
Ik weet niet of ik nou hoopvol moet zijn dat de beschaving z’n intrede doet bij de zwarte kousen, of teleurgesteld dat ze het nog steeds niet snappen.
American Health Care
Two patients limp into two different American Medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement.
The first patient sees the family doctor after waiting a week for an appointment, then waits eighteen weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn’t reviewed for another month and finally has his surgery scheduled for 6 months from then.
The second patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week.
Why the different treatment for the two patients?
The first is a Senior Citizen.
The second is a Golden Retriever.
|
Sounds extremely familiar! Then again, my company runs 25 datacenters globally, and yes, I’ve seen the roofs of most.