The $8 billion iPod

Copyright math.

You gotta love it. If only the industry weren't actually trying to use it to lobby for laws that strip our rights that is.

Bruce fires the first volley and it's over

The Economist is hosting a debate between Bruce Schneier and former TSA boss Kip Hawley, on the proposition 'changes made to airport security since 9/11 have done more harm than good'.

Here we go.......... starting with Schneier:

Let us start with the obvious: in the entire decade or so of airport security since the attacks on America on September 11th 2001, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has not foiled a single terrorist plot or caught a single terrorist. Its own "Top 10 Good Catches of 2011" does not have a single terrorist on the list. The "good catches" are forbidden items carried by mostly forgetful, and entirely innocent, people—the sorts of guns and knives that would have been just as easily caught by pre-9/11 screening procedures. Not that the TSA is expert at that; it regularly misses guns and bombs in tests and real life. Even its top "good catch"—a passenger with C4 explosives—was caught on his return flight; TSA agents missed it the first time through.

In previous years, the TSA has congratulated itself for confiscating home-made electronics, alerting the police to people with outstanding misdemeanour warrants and arresting people for wearing fake military uniforms. These are hardly the sorts of things we spend $8 billion annually for the TSA to keep us safe from.

Don't be fooled by claims that the plots it foils are secret. Stopping a terrorist attack is a political triumph. Witness the litany of half-baked and farcical plots that were paraded in front of the public to justify the Bush administration's anti-terrorism measures. If the TSA ever caught anything even remotely resembling a terrorist, it would be holding press conferences and petitioning Congress for a bigger budget.

And now some Hawley:

More than 6 billion consecutive safe arrivals of airline passengers since the attacks on America on September 11th 2001 mean that whatever the annoying and seemingly obtuse airport-security measures may have been, they have been ultimately successful. However one measures the value of our resilient society careening through ten tumultuous years without the added drag of one or more industry-crushing and national psyche-devastating catastrophic 9/11-scale attacks, the sum of all that is more than its cost. If the question is whether the changes made to airport security since 9/11 have done more harm than good, the answer is no.

Risk management is second nature to us. At the airport we see a simple equation: "I pay a cost in convenience and privacy to get reasonable certainty that my flight will be terror-free." Since 9/11, the cost feels greater while the benefits seem increasingly blurred. Much of the pain felt by airport security stems from the security process not keeping up with its risk model. In airport security, we have stacked security measures from different risk models on top of each other rather than adding and subtracting security actions as we refine the risk strategy. This is inefficient but it does not create serious harm.

A note doesn't have a sex

One of the most prolific bass players in American history, having played on over 10,000 recordings over 55 years, including very famous rock albums, TV shows and movies.

Her name is Carol Kaye.

Shelf life

The latest fun video from Simon's Cat.

I'm back

Did you miss me?

In case you hadn't heard, I came down with some unidentified intestinal ailment last Friday. It started out as feeling kinda 'meh' just before lunch, then lunch seemed to cure what ailed me, then by mid-afternoon, I was getting flushed and achy with flu-like symptoms. By suppertime, I had to scramble to get out of some commitments and by 9pm - the first wave hit. Full on fever, accompanied by many urgent visits to the bathroom. Repeat at least every hour and you get an idea what I did all weekend. No food, little sleep, and a fire hose for a butt. Yeah, I don't mind painting that mental image for you because I lived it. A doctor's visit produced some antibiotics and a warning not to starve, which apparently would only make matters worse. Must not starve. Good words of advice. Unfortunately, by this point, all food looks like..... dare I say it? Crap.

Weekend ruined. Right into Monday too. I tried going to work yesterday. Lasted one hour. At least by yesterday, I was hungry again and ready to start tempting my innards with actual food instead of tea or PowerAde (for the minerals and other things).

Let's just say that when things returned to solid matter today, there was much rejoicing. I wouldn't wish that experience on my worst enema..... ENEMY!

Catnigma

This video reminded me of that scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the apes discover the monolith.

I'm guessing that as soon as this video was over, the cat killed its owners....

Dancers wink in and out

Fantastic dance video of Japan's Wrecking Crew Orchestra, using electro-luminescent wire suits.

Prometheus couldn't come fast enough

Dear Ridley Scott,

If I could contribute any money to help get the Prometheus movie released sooner, let me know.

Sincerely,

Karl

10 word movie review for Super 8

Best way to get the girl - make a zombie movie.

Alternatively...

When the Air Force comes to town, something is up.

Looks like someone made a choice

Walking past a mid-aisle display of mini-eggs chocolates, Darlene and I noticed that someone had left behind a deli container of vegetables.

I guess whoever it was made a decision.

She thought it was really fun and told me to snap a picture.

Things said by Republican party folk about women

If I never actually saw the people who said these things say them with my own eyes, I never would have believed it was true.

But it is true.

The 1960s Batman series came to be thanks to Hugh Hefner

Hugh Hefner is passionate about comic books. One of his early projects was cartooning. In 1965, at the Chicago Playboy club, Hef held a Batman themed party to celebrate the campy-ness of the comic. He had actors attend the party dressed as Batman and Robin, using the goofy “Golly gee whiz” lines from the comic. Old Batman movie serials were screened as well.

An ABC executive was attending and when he saw the crowd’s positive reaction to the goofy Batman and Robin, he called ABC with an idea for a new Batman TV show. So was born the lovable 1960′s Batman series.

Things I learned this week 25 Mar 2012

• There used to be an estimated 50 million bison roaming North America before Europeans settled here. Now there are a few thousand.
• Mitt Romney says he has made "enough" money that he is incorruptible.
• Almost all women are wearing the wrong bra size. Oprah said 80%. The reality is probably closer to 95%.
• Americans have access to a free version of TurboTax.
• RCMP in BC are posing as panhandlers at intersections to catch drivers on cell phones.
• Our cell providers seem to think that a $10/month fee for 150MB of data for a tablet is a good deal.
• Some companies think it's OK to ask prospective employees for their Facebook passwords as a condition for getting the job.
• It takes 2900 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans.
• The iPhone now outsells the Blackberry in Canada for the first time ever.
• In a move to recoup their unwise investment in 3D, theatres will soon have the same price for both 2D and 3D films. 2D prices will increase and 3D prices will decrease. In other words, those who dislike 3D will be punished.
• William Shatner is 81.
• The muppets finally got a star on the walk of fame.

We have a winner

Lester Sucre, who is 36, has been arrested and is supposedly being charged for beating up a 13 year old boy in Calgary. What did the boy do? He was aiming a snowball at his friend, threw it, missed and hit the side of a passing van. For that, the van stopped, the passenger got out, chased the kids and threw one boy to the ground before repeatedly beating on his face. The assault only stopped after staff at the Peter Lougheed Hospital saw the attack and intervened.

Really Lester? Really? You win the prize for dirt-bag of the year and the contest is now officially closed.

Let the cat be your guide

I think this may be the best gift for a manager or executive I've seen yet.

The Practical Lexicon Episode 6

Could this be the lost episode? Yeah, this brings us up to speed with all the episodes, except you'll notice that I lost count during this taping (thinking it was episode 5). In this episode, I debrief Bernie on my attempt to engage City Hall with the PRT idea. Not only do the Transit planners in Calgary not seem to be interested in PRT, they seem to prefer the idea of urban gondola. [shudder]

Episodes 8 and 8a are coming soon.

SOPA was nuthin'

The latest news from boingboing contributing writer Cory Doctorow:

"Cary Sherman, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has reminded the nation that at his instigation, the largest ISPs in the USA are set to disconnect their customers, and their customers' families, if the companies that Sherman represents makes a series of unsubstantiated accusations of copyright infringement against them. The ISPs came to the agreement (with nary a mention in the mainstream media) after pressure from the Obama administration. This "five strikes" rule is the same system that has been decried around the world, including in the EU and the UN, as being a gross violation of human rights.

Sherman's role as Witchfinder General for the nation's Internet access kicks off in July 2012. After that, if you get on his bad side, he can cost your children their ability to complete their education, he can cost you your job (if you are part of the growing proportion of people whose livelihood depends on the Internet), cut you off from civic and political engagement, lock you away from online access to your bank account and utilities and information about consumer rights, and, if you live remotely from your family, he can cost you your ability to stay in touch with them.

Oh, and if you have VOIP for your home phone service, Sherman will take away your 911 access too. Because burning to death is only too good a fate for people accused, without proof, of copyright infringement.

But of course, Sherman represents a sober-sided and cautious industry, the sort of people who claim that the Internet has cost them more jobs than they had ever created, and that an iPod's worth of songs is worth $8 billion, so they'll never abuse this power............ right?

Thanks, ISPs, for capitulating to some of the worst companies in the world. Thanks, Obama administration, for turning America's attorney general's office into a revolving door career opportunity for entertainment industry lawyers. And thanks, RIAA, for making the case that your companies are too dangerous to peacefully co-exist with the Internet. SOPA was just the beginning, suckers."

Defending ACTA with lies

Here's a clip of a Danish TV show (English subtitles available) discussing the ACTA treaty, which Denmark has fiercely advocated in favour of.

It starts with some folks quoting dodgy statistics about the extent and cost of piracy, and then demonstrates that these statistics are patently false. Finally, it brings out those responsible for quoting the stats and gets them to admit their errors.

"Listen up youngsters!"

Yeah, the TED speeches are incredible. I concur. But The Boss gives a keynote address at SXSW that will blow your pants off. Like, right off. Breeze between your legs.

In it he claims that The Animals' "We gotta get out of this place" is the sum total of every song he ever wrote.

Karl's 10 word movie review of Sunshine

Will science save humanity or will religion screw it up?

Sometimes bragging backfires

Lately, a bunch of provincial government signs have appeared along Stoney Trail (Calgary's ring road) bragging about the construction of said road. One can assume this might have something to do with an expected election call in the next few weeks. I would caution that this may backfire.

Unfortunately for the government, when I see the signs, I am not reminded of how great it is that we have a ring road. Instead, I am reminded of how long it took to build said ring road. I am reminded of how the road was done piecemeal, with traffic lights and incomplete bridges, ramps and intersections after the road opened. We still have a traffic light controlled intersection in the west leg at Nose Hill Drive. I am reminded of how we still don't have a solution for the southwest leg of the ring road through or around the Tsuu Tina first nation and how this is affecting traffic in the entire southwest quadrant of Calgary. I am reminded of the dangerous schmozzle on the ring road's opening where the ramp from the ring road to highway 2 north was so short, that merging onto the highway was a dance with death. I am also reminded of the growing traffic on the road at rush hour, demonstrating that perhaps the province was a little short-sighted in only making 2 lanes per direction when they should have gone with 3 lanes.

So maybe the signs aren't such a good idea.

Karl's 10 word movie review of The Tree of Life

Eclectic tale of life in the context of the universe.

No, that doesn't capture enough. Let's see.

Family story told with surreal style, CGI dinosaurs and galaxies.

Nope. That'll never do the movie justice either.

How about: Darlene said 'I hope the whole movie isn't like this...'

Hi-tech transit and fun too

For people who would argue that PRT doesn't work, has no real world applications yet and isn't practical, I give you Heathrow airport's PRT.

PRT is alive and well and is eliminating thousands of bus trips per year at the airport.

Roadway definitions

• Roads run between two distant points, such as two towns.
• Streets are paved and lined with buildings.
• An avenue is traditionally a straight road with a line of trees or shrubs running along each side, which emphasize arrival at a landscape or architectural feature.
• A boulevard is usually a widened, multi-lane arterial street with a median and landscaping between the curbs and sidewalks on either side.
• A court is a short street that ends as a cul-de-sac.
• A drive can be short for driveway, a private road for local access to one, or a small group of structures. Other times it refers to meandering, rather than straight, roads and highways.
• An expressway is a divided highway meant for high-speed traffic.
• A freeway is a road designed for safe high-speed traffic through the elimination of intersections at the same grade or level.
• A parkway is a broad landscaped roadway in a park or connecting parks from which trucks and other heavy vehicles are excluded.
• A highway is a main road intended for travel between destinations like cities and towns.
• A lane is a narrow road or street usually lacking a shoulder or a median.
• A way is a minor street off a road in a town.

Slow - texting

Wildrose party bus paint job maybe not proofed?

Hey Danielle, nice.... umm........................ wheels!

Selling something

Contender for prize for 'F' for effort on kijiji.

Wireless router works. Does it now? I certainly hope so. Try not to be too specific about the router. Brand, model, speed, age. These trivial things do not interest me in the slightest.

Also, there are times when the included picture is worse than having no picture at all. This is one of those times. No picture would have made this the perfect advertisement.

I would call your number, but am not convinced you would expend the energy required to answer the phone.

One is sunny. The other.... not so much

Chestermere and Brooks are only 170kms apart.

Today they look very different from each other.

Things I learned this week 18 Mar 2012

• In 1980, CEOs of large US companies received an average of $624,996 in annual compensation, or 42X the pay of typical factory workers. In 2010, CEO pay had skyrocketed to $10.8 million, or 319X the median worker's pay.
• The use of bitumen was important in creating Egyptian mummies. The word mummy is derived from the Arab word mūmiyyah, which means bitumen.
• Environmentalists refer to oil sands as 'tar sands', claiming that the petroleum industry changed the name to make it sound nicer, but in reality, oil sands is the more technically correct term. The sand contains oil, not tar. If you want to be most accurate, the sand contains bitumen.
• Australians withdrawing cash from an ATM machine could soon avoid the out-of-network fees in exchange for watching a commercial.
• Belgian copyright collecting society SABAM, are demanding that public libraries pay royalties when volunteers read to groups of small children. €250 per year from each library.
• Dick Cheney is afraid of Canada. He cancelled his Toronto visit because it's too dangerous.
• Li-Fi is the transmission of wireless data using LEDs. It transfers data quicker by varying the intensity of light. Li-Fi can also be used in hospitals and schools because there's no radio waves.
• A POTATO is a person over thirty acting twenty one.
• 35 countries (and counting) have banned plastic shopping bags. Canada is not one of them.
• The police in Canada want to pay for the new online spying bill with a tax on your internet bills.
• Cambridge University scientists are using picosecond pulses of a green laser that passes through the cellulose in the paper, but vaporizes the toner. This is laser-ablating the toner off of sheets of previously printed paper, leaving them ready to be reused.
• The average member of Congress gets a 1,452% salary hike when she or he leaves office and becomes a corporate lobbyist.

Siri reveals secret of iPhone time change