Jonathan Davis

Two views on Network Neutrality

2006-07-24T10:43:00.001-07:00

Here are two views on Network Neutrality.

First, a funny view that isn't far from the truth, thanks to The Daily Show and the PC guy from the Apple commercials.
[LINK]

Second is a serious article on how the lack of Net Neutrality will affect mobile phones:
[LINK]

If you haven't already contacted you representatives, now would be a good time to let them know that net neutrality must be kept to allow fair competition on the internet.

Apple gives windows the boot

2006-04-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Apple realized that there really was a desire to boot Windows on their machines and have decided to publicly support it. Not only do they help with partitioning, they also provide a complete driver disk.

Did I mention that my next laptop will be a MacBook Pro? Now if only they would hurry up and release a 17" widescreen.

I love Apple's spin on this:

"Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS."

Don't believe me?

Link to Apple's Site

Treo - 7:30am

0-60 in 4 seconds and gets 50 miles to the gallon?

2006-03-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

Link
Gee...I wonder why Ford, GM, Nissan, and Toyota didn't think of this...{extreme sarcasm)

That's right, here is a car that get's 50 miles to the gallon and does 0-60 MPH in 4 seconds. For those who aren't sure, that's right on par with most Italian sports cars. But...did I mention that it get's 50 miles to the gallon?

A gallon of what you ask?
racing fuel? (that is what the previously mentioned Italian car ask for)...
liquid nitrogen?
jet fuel?

No, it does it all while running on Soybean Bio Diesel.

Who built it you ask?
German Engineers?
Rocket Scientist?
Aliens?

No, high school drop-outs, gang members, and someone named "Cheeseborough".

I would comment, but I wouldn't want to manipulate your opinion. (extreme sarcasm, bordering on cynicism)

Treo - 12:50

What has John Dvorak been smoking?

2006-02-16T07:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1925239,00.asp

Will Apple adopt Windows? John thinks yes. I think John needs to lay off the green stuff.

Apple has just spent alot of time and money making a transition that will be great for the company. Because of their decision to use Intel architecture, you will see their market share (and their stock prices) double in the next 2 years. Why?

Because now that I can (or at least will be able to) run windows on a Mac, guess what my next purchase is going to be. That's right...a MacBook Pro. I can run windows, linux, and Mac OSX all on one machine, which gives me the best of all worlds. I can use Final Cut Pro, the Macromedia Suite (which by the way has always had both PC and Mac installs on the same disk), various unix and linux security tools, and ANY other program made for a computer, all without ever putting my new laptop down.

I know there are alot of people who agree with me.

From now on, every time Microsoft has another security scare, there will be a new burst of normal users willing to lay down the cash to switch to Mac's...If the decide they don't like OSX, no biggie, they install Windows, and go back to the familiar life they know.

Blogging Article in American City and County

2006-02-08T05:42:00.000-08:00

http://americancityandcounty.com/mag/government_public_discourse/

I'm very curious to get reactions to this from the blogging community.

Let me be frank...

2005-12-21T06:39:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be brutally honest for a minute or two. I despise people who play an argument both ways, just to be difficult, for media attention, or because they are complete asses.

Let me set the stage for you.

The Zimbabwe government intentionally destroyed entire towns of homes, which were mostly built out of junk, and made no plans to help people find new housing. Granted...it wasn't the best living conditions, but at least these people had something... The UN estimates that 700,000 people we displaced. The UN then begins to build shelters for these people, and the Zimbabwe government calls the emergency two roomed houses "substandard and a mockery to Africans" and also "below human dignity". So let's compare...NO HOUSING...some housing...and then you tell me which is "substandard".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051221/wl_nm/zimbabwe_un_dc

Article in GoTriad

2005-12-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

If you have a chance, read my article this week in GoTriad:
http://www.gotriad.com/article/articleview/17048/1/17

I would be every interested to know your opinion on it.

Denver Rocks (Pun Intended)

2005-10-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

[LINK] (Picture Gallery)

In September I was asked to speak at a conference in Denver. I spoke about blogging to a few hundred government webmasters. I also learned something...there is a reason Greensboro truly is "Blogsboro", we live in a bubble. Everyone had so many questions about blogging, and the concept of a "blogger meet-up" was like candy to a few I talked to.

On the last day of the conference I teamed up with a couple of friends, one of which lived in the area, and we went to the mountains.

When we left Denver we were at 5,200 feet, and it was 86F degrees. We drove to Mt. Evans which tops out above 14,220 which is also the highest paved road in North America. We had to stop at about 13,000 feet because of snow on the road.

We stopped along the way at Bear Creek, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Goliath Peak. After hiking at Goliath Peak (12,220 feet) I have a whole new appreciation for low oxygen at high altitude.

By contrast Mount Mitchell in NC has a height of 6,684 feet.
If I ever decide to move across country, Colorado will have my attention.

Treo - 12:30

Hilarious Video

2005-10-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Picked this up from Greensboro is Talking…

And you think you have a bad job...[LINK]

Do not watch this video if foul language offends you, you’ve been warned.

Treo - 6:02

Define Double Speak

2005-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

"Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a "communication bypass". Such language is associated with governmental, military, and corporate institutions. Doublespeak may be in the form of bald euphemisms ("downsizing" for "firing of many employees") or deliberately ambiguous phrases ("wet work" for "assassination"). " - Google

[LINK]
"A Roman Catholic high shool has ordered it's students to remove their online diaries (BLOGS) from the internet, citing a threat from cyber predators."

"Thompson said students aren't being silenced, but rather told they cannot post online writings about school or their personal lives."

What does a catholic high school boarding student have to talk about besides themselves and school?

What's more, why are they not teaching these students how to deal with online advances, what information is unsafe to give out, and how to keep themselves from becoming a victim? That is what these students need to know, not only for now, while they are in school, but also for the future. The same principles apply to dealing with spammers, phishing, and scammers all of which every online American deals with on a daily basis. Why not educate rather than regulate these students, and help them prepare for their own future.

Are they going to also ban instant messaging, chat rooms, message boards, and email? All of these have come under fire in the past for exposing minors to unwelcome advances.

Treo - 5:33

Christine Todd Whitman

2005-10-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

Sandy Carmany discusses a session, chaired by Christine Todd Whitman, that she attended at the recent NCLM conference.

The points that Sandy recaps, could not be more correct. I was at the conference, I only wish I could have attended that session.

I also learned that I am a RINO.

(At time of writting the NCLM site was unavailable.)

Converge South

2005-10-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging live from Converge South. Currently Stewart Pittman is talking about how blogging has changed journalism, specifically as how it related to Hurricane Katrina.

The entire team which put this conference together should be highly commended. Classes all seem to be well attended, and people are really involved in watching the discussions.

Most of the attendees in this class are Journalism students here at NC A&T, and it excites me that these future journalist are truly understanding the power of blogs...something that most media outlets are still coming to terms with.

Treo - 11:45

Google your blog

2005-09-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

[LINK] That's right, Google finally has fully integrated Blog searching. Now go play.

10:10 PM

Michael Moore...I shouldn't even give him this attention

2005-09-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

[LINK] Michael Moore has "A letter to all who voted for George W. Bush..." on his blog which just left me sitting in awe.

I don't understand how anyone can actually look at this guy with admiration. Before I go to far though, I have to admit he and I agree on one concept:

"When men who never served in the military and have never seen young men die in battle send our young people off to war, do you think they know how to conduct a war?" I've been saying this for a long time.

However, we also have a lot of major disagreements:

"You have voted for politicians for the past 25 years whose main goal has been to de-fund the federal government."
I never voted for Clinton, who raped the military of good people, cut their money to the bone, and then pushed military equipment off the end of an aircraft carrier because it "wasn't needed". I wonder how many people who are currently serving in Iraq agree with that decision. Don't argue the whole "we shouldn't be in Iraq" thing, because like it or not, countries go to war, and sooner or later all of that was going to be needed.

Mr. Moore goes on to droan yet again about how Bush didn't do enough to repair the levees and rescue the people of New Orleans.
My recommendation would be for Mr. Moore to go to: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700.asp and complete course IS00700. It's a free course and if you pass the test you get a nice (read "very small") certificate saying that you understand the National Incident Management System. With that understanding Mr. Moore might understand why the argument of "it's all Bush's fault" doesn't fly. The responsibility falls to the local municipality first(mayor), then the New Orleans director of Homeland Security (appointed by the governor), then the Governor, and then finally the feds.

Also, please tell me why the Louisiana National Guard requested 700 buses when there were 569 buses available to Mayor Nagin. These buses were eventually flooded, and never used.

Just for the record, assuming that buses still carry 40 adults like they did when I was in school those 569 buses could have carried 23,329 people to safety, without overcrowding a single bus. (If anything their capacity has increased.)

I voted for Bush because he was better than the crap the Democratic party offered. I didn't like voting for Bush and if it wasn't for the fact that I knew it would be a close race, would have voted independent, just to protest.

CC Michael Moore
7:15pm

Giving Blood - Follow Up

2005-09-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so maybe the nurse wasn't as good as I thought.

Thursday night I had to call the United Healthcare Nurses line (something I've never done before) because my arm was swelling and in quite a bit of pain. The pain was extending from my wrist to my shoulder and was significant enough to keep me awake.

From what I can tell the nurse pushed the needle in either to far, or caught the very side of my vein. Either way, I bled out into my arm and now have a bruise that extends around half of my arm, and about 12 along the length. My elbow is still pretty sore.

I've given blood quite a few times, and this is the first time I've ever had a problem. I guess it was just my turn.

2005-09-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

Giving blood...post #2

I'm still bored so if they will let me I'm going to blog from the chair.

If I was honest my biggest fear isn't the blood or the needle, it's my body freaking out for no reason. I really can't think of anything worse than passing out. I've never passed out while giving blood before, so it really is a ridiculous worry, but go figure.

Scarborough Fair is playing on the staticky radio, a good song to be so mellow/depressing. Oldies go right along with the doctors office theme.

Someone just passed out in the chair. I smile for reasons only known to me, and the reader of this.

In the chair now, I've got good veins...and here comes the needle...good nurse...

There was a girl here who had to endure the stick twice bacause they couldn't find the vein the first time. Dedication is putting up with that twice without complaint.

Out of the chair and no passing out. I made it through again.

2005-09-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

Giving blood...

So I'm waiting in line to give blood and have nothing better to do than blog. The Red Cross should really consider providing magazines for the wait...I mean everyone has that slightly-panick-stricken look on their face, just like the waiting room of the doctors office. They might as well finish off the effect with three year old magazines.

Of course one major difference is the musical chairs we are currently playing as each person moves to get into "the chair".

No matter how many times I give blood, I am always intrigued by the slight edge I feel as my turn approaches. I'm not afraid of needles, but there is something very unnatural about sticking one into a major artery.

With that said, if you haven't made an appointment yet to give blood, do so. There are a lot of people who need a pint more than you do.

7:15pm

2005-09-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Trying a new blogging utility

I just found a great new blogging utility for my Treo. U*Blog works with any of the major blog hosting companies and if you have a Treo, it shouldn not be missed!

Macromedia comes through

2005-09-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, I'm a big Macromedia fan. I've used their products extensively for 5 years, and have nothing but praise for their latest version of software about to be released (I'm a beta tester).

I have to say that this time, they have even suprised me. Sue asked me to find out whether Macromedia would donate a few copies of Contribute for http://ncdisasteraid.org/ to help with administration of the site. After only a single email Todd Silliman from Macromedia came through with three copies of Contribute overnighted to help with the cause.

That Rocks!

9:45pm

Firefox Plugin Request

2005-08-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

OK, Firefox developers, here’s your chance to really impress me. Create a toolbar which allows me to add web domains to my host list with a corresponding address of 127.0.0.1 (loopback). Why is this important I can see you asking, so let me explain how I see it working…

I go to a website which has many annoying flashing advertisements, by grabbing a tool from the toolbar and dragging it over the advertisement (think Macromedia Dreamweaver’s link tool) I can add that advertisement to the block list. From that point, I never have to look at that advertisement again.

Who’s with me?

10:47pm

Intel compiler causes programs to run slower on AMD processors

2005-07-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

[LINK] From Slashdot, AMD is claiming in it's anti-trust suite against Intel that the Intel compiler deliberately causes programs to run slower or even crash when those same programs are run on AMD processors. All allegations can be read in the court documents.

I'm curious, who uses the Intel compiler? If this is widely used compiler, what programs could this affect?

If this compiler is used for firmware updates and the like, I could even see why the compiler would need to run differently, and this is a non-issue.

More importantly, if it's true, both that Intel does cripple programs running on AMD, and that the compiler is used for standard programs, I hope Intel get's reamed for it, and I wonder how long it will be before we hear rumors of a class action lawsuit.

Macromedia

2005-07-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

I just received in the mail my free version of DreamweaverMX 2004 because of some beta testing I did with Macromedia...Ask me if I'm happy.

The Big Link

2005-06-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

The Big Link...

Jonathan rants...Rant number 3

2005-06-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Begin rant number 3 (you don’t have enough to do?)

Democrats...a couple of hints...

You're a lost puppy, everyone knows it, and you can't quite seem to figure out how to lose the funk of another lost election. PLEASE make sure your next candidate is a strong leader, and I'll go ahead and tell you, Hillary is NOT it. I have nothing against a female as president, however, I do have a problem with nominating someone specifically because they are female and you somehow think that makes you more "progressive".

Ideally, the candidate would have a strong lengthy military record (unlike a certain John Kerry). Why is this important you ask? Someone who chose the military life understands the importance of a strong military, but understands even more the cost of war. This person has sent people into war in Vietnam, Kuwait, or Iraq. He knows the lives he lost, and he knows the importance of accomplishing the task at the same time. We know that we can't turn a blind eye to the world and its problems, 9/11 taught us that all to well, but we can't keep slapping the world in the face either. OK, so why else military? The military, as screwed up as it seems right now, builds leaders. It brings out the worst, and the best in the person, and leaves them somewhere in the middle when it's all done. That kind of person is confident in their abilities, but humble enough to get help when their abilities fall short, and even more important, willing to get everyone to the table to make a decision (translate this as BI-PARTISANSHIP).

Oh yeah, one more thing…when they begin campaigning, stay out of their way…they’ve spent 20-30 years of their life motivating others, they don’t need the help of a lost puppy, in fact the lost puppy needs them.

Is this really to much to ask?

End rant number 3

Jonathan rants...Rant number 2

2005-06-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

Begin rant number 2 (you mean you're still reading this?)
Why is it such a surprise that Billy Graham could be a democrat? Last time I checked, the Republican Party wasn't the "christian" party with the democrats being the “sinners." In fact, the democrats usually push strongly for the type of socio-economic relief programs that the christian church has always tried to support. With that said, I certainly didn't vote for John Kerry, but if the Democratic Party ever shows me a strong leader, with a level head, I'll vote for them in a heartbeat. Frankly, I'm sick of voting for the lesser of two evils, as I have ever since becoming old enough to vote.
End rant number 2

Jonathan rants...Rant number 1

2005-06-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

OK, so I have to let a couple of things out...and let me warn you, if you are a "right wing nut job" or if you're "somewhere out in left field" you should probably stop reading now.

First, it does not go against my religious beliefs to say that Sue is absolutely right (wow, that's twice I've complimented her tonight.) I'm sick of these conservative freaks taking every action of the government as a direct attack on their religion. This country was founded on principles of religious and moral freedom. To say that the only book a person should be able to "swear to tell the truth" on is the Bible is bunk. (I can hear the hushed whispers already and smell the smoke as it rolls off the hot heads reading this.) But, I'm not going to argue the whole morality of what books is used, let's approach this from a more realistic (thus pragmatistic) standpoint.
If John Doe is a Muslim, and he is asked to swear in court on a Bible, that he will tell the whole truth, what difference does it really make to him if he lies? In his opinion, he might as well be swearing on the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. He has no respect for the Bible, and has no reason to respect his oath. By asking him to swear on the Quran, you're asking him to swear on the roots of his beliefs, something much deeper than the stack of paper his hand is resting on. It's not the paper the Bible or the Quran is printed on that makes it valuable; it's the belief of the "truth" that is contained in it.
End rant number 1

Another blogger meetup

2005-06-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sue is talking about a meet-up with people from Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Greensboro sometime this summer. I think it's a great idea, but can't help but ask..."what about the Charlotte and Asheville bloggers?" I don't see any reason why we can't have it here in Greensboro, and get most of the state to come. It wouldn't be very fair for us to leave them out...

Seriously though, how cool would it be to get 50-75 bloggers together for an afternoon of ~~lying~~ telling stories. Go put your name down as attending…you know you want to.

So maybe it's not just the brits...

2005-06-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

[LINK] Prophet Yahweh is currently in Nevada calling down UFO's, which he is in telepathic contact with, from space. He is also willing to travel to any city to "demonstate" his ability.

Got to love those brits

2005-06-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

[LINK]
It seems the Brittish Potato council protested the term "couch potato" outside of Parliment yesterday. Apparently they want the term replaced by "couch slouch" in the Oxford English Dictionary.

This week's Big Link

2005-06-14T06:04:00.000-07:00

THE BIG LINK

Apple "goes to the dark side"

2005-06-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

So Apple has finally made the switch.

Engadget does a great job at blogging the announcement.

So, here's my take on this. No one in their right mind believes that OS-X will run on just any intel based PC, no matter how beautiful that would be. I would love the option to install OS-X on one of my PC's and would buy a copy tomorrow. Also, can you imagine the competition this could create for Microsoft, if people suddenly had a real option for a switch. However, Apple, unlike Microsoft makes money on hardware as well as software, so you can be sure there will be some type of DRM system in-place to make sure OS-X is running on a Mac, and not my spare Dell.

Over the next two years, Apple and all of the Mac developers have a huge task ahead of them, and I imagine it will most likely slow some development plans down, at least for awhile. However, my guess is that in two years, with a complete new arsenal (and lower prices), Apple will truly be ready to make a stong attack on the Microsoft empire.

Which brings up the question: Will Microsoft continue to develop products like Microsoft Office-Mac Edition for such a closely encamped enemy. Maybe it will be a good time for Apple to release a strong competitor to the Office suite.

I've said it for many years and I'll say it again. I'll be happy to switch from Microsoft, just as soon as you show me something better. Apple, may have finally answered my call. I will get all of the power of Linux (which I really do like) and the usability of Mac OS-X.

New to blogging...a challenge

2005-06-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

While I have kept an online journal of sorts for years, I have just recently created a blog. I'm amazed at how connected the blogging community is, yet I seem to find it hard to get fully plugged in.

Questions fill my head like:
Which blogs should be daily reads, and which are just filler?
How do I become connected into the blogging community?
~~Why do they add salt to my Smuckers "Natural" peanut butter?~~

So here is my challenge, I know there are enough long-timers out there like BlogMomma (Sue's place), Ed Cone, and many others that we can get a decent "how to" posting going. Give us the information!

I will at least keep a running post with this same title that will map my progress as I enter the blogging world.

Web Developer Tool

2005-06-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

[LINK]
Web developers, should take note. This tool plugs into Firefox, and provides some great tools. It even allows you to view the CSS that an object is inheriting, just by clicking on the object.

Serious about cheese

2005-06-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

[LINK] Only in the UK...

Just sleep on it...

2005-06-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

[Link] OK, here's a short review...A study finds that drinking a protein shake with dinner that includes high levels of tryptophan helped the study participants, who had trouble sleeping, to feel more alert and aware the next morning. The study indicates that tryptophan helped those people sleep better.

Here's a little secret...trytophan is the chemical in many protein sources, most notably milk (which is only activated by warming the milk) and turkey. So what they are saying is that when you eat alot of turkey, or drink warm milk that you will get sleepy and then sleep really well, waking refreshened in the morning.

I don't know about you, but I sure am glad they spent their time and research dollars to tell me that. I will certainly sleep better tonight.

Verizon Wireless and ALLTEL Merger?

2005-06-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

[Link] It seems that Verizon may be looking to aquire ALLTEL to increase their market share and thier network. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the "My network is bigger than yours" battle they have been in with Cingular.
Let's not forget, this would be the third major merger in the wireless industry. I can't help but wonder how much this will harm the competitive nature which allows me to save a little money each time my contract expires.
At the same time, maybe some good will come of this. While I'm not currently with either of those carriers, a larger network coverage area is always something to consider next year when once again, I am free to roam.

This week's Big Link

2005-05-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Big Link

Stop that or you'll go blind...

2005-05-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, so "it" really will make you go blind...

Now we know why Bob Dole wears glasses.

Who Woots?

2005-05-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

I mentioned Woot the other day to a gadget-nut-friend-of-mine, assuming he knew what I meant, and was supprised to find out that not everyone knows. So here is a shameless pitch:
Woot!, (RSS)

I had a blood test done this morning...

2005-05-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

Apprarently I passed, because they did find blood.

My Grandmother who is currently in the hospital likes to call the nurses vampires.
Somehow, that was much funnier this morning when the nurse, who was taking my blood, stared wide eyed at the little vial as it filled. I decided it best not to explain my stiffled laugh to the nurse, especially while she had a sharp object in her hand.

Update on a previous post

2005-05-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

To update a previous post the US Army missed its recruiting goals by 42 percent in the month of April. That is a huge jump from its miss of 27 percent in February. (Thanks Sue)

I heard from quite a few ~~angry~~ people offline who said I was completely missing the real reason for the shortage of recruits. The real reason, they contend, is the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have too many people opposing the military.

Let me give my rebuttal quickly, because I’ve also heard from people about the length of my previous post. History shows that during wartime, recruitment generally goes up, not down. If this were a pre-Vietnam war, recruitment would not be nearly as large of a problem. However, since Vietnam, minds and hearts have changed, so we now have the current predicament.

I wonder, by how far will the military miss its recruitment goals before politicians try to create another law establishing a draft? More importantly though, how far will this go, before the rest of Washington really gets behind the idea? My guess is that once it reaches 20 percent for the year (it is currently at 16 percent) the noise will again begin, when it reaches 27 percent, CNN will devote an entire day to the draft as politicians try to make a decision. Who wants odds?

Getting back to the article, while I wouldn’t normally admit this Bill Maher is, in my opinion, correct. He was a little harsh about this, but I do think that the military has recruited all of the “easy” targets, and must now find a new way to recruit more people who wouldn’t currently be willing to sign on the dotted line.

One new idea the Army has put into action is a very short enlistment option. Rather than the usual 4 year enlistment the

Army will allow a recruit to signup for 15 months.

A quick aside…

For those that don’t know, when a person signs a contract in the military, no matter how many years they sign up for, that person is signing an eight year contract. If I were to signup tomorrow for 2 years, my contract would make it clear that I was signing up for 2 years of Active Duty and then 6 years of Inactive Duty, during which time I could be called back into Active Duty. Is that clear as mud? I haven’t heard a single reporter cover this aspect when they ~~bitched~~ complained about people having to stay in Iraq even though their Active Duty contract was up.

Another aspect to consider is the fact that the 15 month hitch will only replace the grunts, ground pounders, and any other, unskilled soldier. A four year commitment is required for any technical or skilled trade within the military. What the Army now needs to figure out is: how are they going to keep their skilled soldiers, to whom the warming economy, ~~and better chances of living,~~ will begin to call away?

Convergence

2005-05-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't heard yet, Greensboro is going to host a conference dedicated to creativity and diversity on the web. Besides the fact that blogging has strong roots in the Greensboro community, this will really give people a chance to expand their horizons on uses for the web. Any ideas and/or help are always greatly appreciated, I can put you in contact with the right person.

Blowing things up

2005-05-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

So maybe it's because I'm a guy, or maybe it's my pyrotechnics (and maybe a little pyromania) background, but there is nothing like watching a building getting blown up.

The Burlington Industries headquarters building was destroyed yesterday. What does it say about a structure that cost millions of dollars to build, yet only last 34 years?

Anyone know what they are planning to build there?

Space Elevator

2005-04-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

There is a group of science minds working on creating an elevator to space. While it sounds really cool, I can't help but laugh...

The elevator would work by running on a 62,000 mile long "ribbon" of Carbon Nanotubes. In addition to its length, the ribbon would be 3 feet wide and thinner than a sheet of paper. It sounds like a really awesome idea, but I can't help seeing a few major holes.
First, NASA is spending $11 million over the next four years, just to create a carbon nanotube "wire" 1 meter long. Additionally, with the current means of creating carbon nanotubes, only 2% of the nanotubes created can actually be used. Granted, technology keeps making developments, and this year’s super technology is next year’s common household item, so I won't harp on this one.

Let's look at the math behind the science...Assuming a ribbon 3' wide, 62,000 miles long (327,360,000 feet), and .0032 inches thick (.000267 feet) which is the thickness of 16 lb. (very thin) paper. The project would require over 262,215 cubic feet of Carbon Nanotubes, weighing over 35,129,049 pounds. I think those numbers speak for themselves...

Now, let's bury ourselves (me included) in physics for a second. It the earth spins at 1041 mph (it does, I checked) then the tip of a 62,000 mile ribbon would be spinning at over 17,265 miles per hour. This does not include the movement of the earth around the sun.

Someone with a physics or engineering degree...I could really use some help here... Considering that we have (theoretically) created a 62,000 mile lever weighing 35 million pounds, moving at 17,265 mph, what kind of forces are we exerting on this planet we call home?

What point am I trying to make? Just think of our world as a really big and fast merry-go-round and this space elevator as an adult trying to hang on to childhood memory (and his life).

Ok enough about the whole cantilever our planet into an unknown orbit thing... Let's now imagine that we have built this system, and everything is stable (planet rotation wise).

Another interesting characteristic of Carbon Nanotubes is their conductivity of heat and electricity. In fact, nanotubes are even better conductors of heat than diamonds (makes sense since they are both made of carbon), which are at least 2-3 times better at conducting heat than copper. Our atmosphere is about 375 miles thick, after which point the temperature slowly drops to -459 degrees Fahrenheit. The ribbon would act much like a heat pipe, sucking heat from inside our atmosphere out to space, cooling the environment directly around the ribbon considerably.

Someone with a science (meteorological) degree, I could use some help here as well…Consider the constant leaching of heat to outer space, and the cooling of the atmosphere around the ribbon, what are the possibilities we’re looking at here? If my guesses are right, the cooler air would be a magnet for atmospheric instabilities, causing common repetitive lightning storms. (Think non-moving cool air mass over the Pacific Ocean at the Equator.) Also, this begs to question, how much could this affect the earth’s climate over the life of the ribbon?

Ok, enough about the Space Elevator, my head is hurting so much from thinking about this, I can’t even craft a decent joke about the Tower of Babel.

Is a military draft imminent?

2005-03-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

The Army missed its recruiting goals last month, and not by a few recruits, but by 27 percent. The Army also expects to miss its goals in March and April. This begs to question; how will the US stay one of the world’s military superpowers and how did we find ourselves in this predicament?

Let’s cover the basics first; the concept of the volunteer army is a great one, as long as the military meets its quotas, everyone is happy. Many very intelligent people have sat down and decided the military on average lost X number of people last month, and thus to maintain (or grow) the military size they need Y number of people to join next month.

In the past, as the news went out that our country was on the warpath, young warriors began lining up at the local recruitment stations. These young men gladly took their place in an Army the rest of the world would often envy. Towns and cities saw their young men off with a huge party, watched the papers and mailboxes each day for news from the front lines, and then welcomed the survivors home as heroes.

So why now, does a whisper of war send people running, what has changed? Why is the military now barely able to meet quotas? Why are soldiers who served their time being called back? I believe that we are only seeing the beginning of the problem. Quotas will continue to go unmet for some time to come, even after Iraq and Afghanistan are committed to the history books.

I also believe we can begin to understand the recruitment problem with two simple concepts. Each concept is completely independent, yet offers the same results, a reduced number of people willing to sign on the dotted line. The end result will be a draft, if not now, then during the next major war.

Problem One – Our History
As most people who were alive during the 60’s and 70’s remember the US was at war, in Vietnam and Cambodia. Not only were we at war, but with a drafted military. Of those military men and women who served, over 50,000 lost their life, many for a war they never believed in.

Those people who were left in the states saw a war killing their fellow American’s and many took to the streets in strong protest. At Kent University, four protestors were shot and killed while nine others were wounded during such protest. Many more protestors were arrested or beaten during the melee. The resulting outrage closed over 400 college campuses and sent over 100,000 protestors to Washington. All of this happened in the name of “peace”.

On the front lines soldiers were fighting a disjointed war which included the battle at Hamburger Hill. Forty-six men and 400 others were wounded while taking a hill, and after taking the hill, were ordered to abandon it by their commander. Additionally, the South Vietnamese people the soldiers are fighting to protect were often hostile towards the US military presence there, due to the unconventional warfare tactics used by the NVA and Viet Cong who labeled Americans as “baby eaters” (another blog) among other things.

By the time the US finally began moving personnel out of Vietnam, news of events such as My Lai, where US troops slaughtered an entire village, had taken front stage. Horrified by the news of these events people began questioning how badly they wanted their troops back after all. Instead of parades, parties, and awards welcoming these young soldiers home, many were shunned, jeered, or ostracized by the masses.

In addition to their social problems, many medical conditions began appearing among the veterans. Diabetes, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and soft tissue sarcoma, among others were all traced back to a chemical named Dioxin, the key ingredient in Agent Orange a widely used chemical during the war.

These soldiers, now veterans, had been forced into war, and when they returned, were ostracized by their family and friends, diagnosed with incurable diseases, and left to remember the horrors of war alone.

Now a generation later, many of those that protested, have left an indelible mark on their children, who are now old enough to enlist. One which clearly reads:

“War is bad, should be avoided at all cost, and whatever you do, don’t trust the government to take care of you.”

Those veterans who fought have left also left a mark, one that reads:

“War is a dark secret which should never be told. It should be avoided at all cost, and most importantly, don’t trust your country to take care of you.”

Gone are the days where everyone knew that war was a necessary evil not to be taken lightly, enjoyed, or sought after, but necessary none the less. The distrust and aversion that started over a generation ago became an epidemic which now runs rampant throughout our society.

Problem Two – Our workforce

During the 1990’s there was a change in the US labor markets. While it had started years before, during the 90’s there was a strong blurring of the lines between blue-collar and white-collar laborers. This new breed of employee, called a gold-collar worker, took on the management ability and education of the white-collar and the action of the blue-collar worker. Thus the “knowledge worker” was born.

Before the birth of the knowledge worker, each year between 70 and 90 percent of graduating high school seniors would enter the blue collar workforce. These blue collar workers were the life blood of the military as the benefits it offered far outweighed those offered by most employers. Education, full medical coverage, housing and board, not to mention the experience gained, made the military an easy choice. Additionally, leaving a full time job didn’t mean losing a career. Blue-collar workers didn’t have an investment in four years of college, and jobs were much easier to come by.

With the birth of the knowledge worker, those entering blue-collar labor began decreasing rapidly and will continue to decrease over the next few years. By 2015 it is estimated that 85% of the U.S. working population will be considered knowledge workers. Knowledge workers aren’t as easy to recruit, because many have invested in training, and their career paths. Joining the military, means to the gold-collar worker, walking away from a career, and an industry which continues to evolve in their absence, making reentry into their field difficult at best.

As the number of gold-collar workers continues to increase and the number of blue-collar workers decreases, the recruiting stock which the military has relied on for so long will diminish, and with it the ability to keep a strong military. Additionally, without a major makeover of public opinion in regards to the military, no amount of TV and print ads will draw the numbers needed by the military to thrive, forcing the government to continue trying to open a master lock with a skeleton key.