Before September 11th, back when I still supported the ACLU, I would have
strongly supported this action. After all, airlines were relatively safe
from terrorism, despite their poor security; the ID requirement was
useless. But now, everything has changed. Airports need to be locked down
so that fanatics cannot use our devices of mass transportation to knock
down any more buildings. And to that end, preserving the I.D. requirement
at airports is necessary.
Fortunately, Mr. Gilmore is inadvertently doing a huge favor for the entire
nation. By publicly challenging a very important airline security policy,
he is allowing the courts (hopefully not the wacky "anti-God" court in
California) to set a precedent allowing airlines to protect themselves from
terrorists. And that will help us all be safer in our offices and in our
planes.
In the galaxy there are only three universal truths. First, life is short. Second, people are stupid. And third, with the exception of a scant few, sequels to good movies suck--hard. So, as George Lucas revels in the foregone prosperity of the most successful mistake anyone will ever make, the world anxiously awaits his blunder: the Star Wars prequel, Episode I-- The Phantom Menace.
This is a disaster disguised as a 6'4" Irish Jedi. Trying to top the original trilogy is a lot like Jesus following his famous blood-into-wine trick by changing mucus into a carton of Strawberry Quik. There's no doubt that it's an equally impressive feat, but certainly some schmuck in the back row would look around, raise his hand and yell, "What, that's it? You suck!" Well, George Lucas is bigger than Jesus--and we're all definitely bigger schmucks.
What has happened, then, is that the epic Star Wars mystique and current sci-fi technology have combined to create the most impossible of expectations. Nerds haven't played with themselves this much since Nintendo invented the Game Boy. In essence, we've seen everything and we know how every effect is done. Aliens blowing up the Empire State Building? Computers. Keanu Reeves' The Matrix? Computers. Dirk Diggler's 12-inch pepe? Hopefully computers.
The fact that we've been spoiled by special effects has not gone unnoticed by Lucas and Co; they're betting $115 million that we can't tell the difference between a digitally created Gungan and a child in a muppet suit. That certain characters in The Phantom Menace are completely computer-generated only adds to the nosy manner in which we will watch this movie. "Hey, did you see how that Ithorian pod racer anally probed Watto and Jar-Jar Binks? It was clearly fraudulent."
For those with few expectations, however, not to mention an entire new generation of Star Wars fanatics who know little in the ways of the Force, the prequels will certainly not disappoint. But for those galaxy freaks who still subscribe to the Mark Hamill Nose-Job-of-the-Month Club, their eyes and ears are in for a world of pain. Harvard-bound Natalie Portman is no 1977 Carrie Fisher and Ewan McGregor certainly isn't Sir Alec Guinness.
In casting seven-year-old Jake Lloyd (Schwarzenegger's kid in Jingle All the Way), Lucas has done nothing more than doom the young Anakin to child actor Hell, where he will likely meet Webster and the cast of Different Strokes. Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok, now Anakin's Rodian friend Wald) return from the original trilogy, which once again proves my theory: the only roles for midgets in Hollywood outside of really bad porn are as characters in a Star Wars film.
Our only hope, then, lies with Jedi Masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu, played by ex-Darkman Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson, respectively. It is the daunting duty of these talented men to guide us through this intergalactic adventure, all the while distracting us from other "real" characters that look unimaginably fake. Bigger does not necessarily equal better, and just because you can do something with special effects doesn't mean that you should. Lucas could digitally recreate a robotic Elizabeth Hurley for all I care, but if it looks like a giant turd, I don't want to see it.
So, if you're not impressed with The Phantom Menace, remember, Jesus had some other pretty cool tricks up his sleeve (there was that whole body-into-bread deal, and the resurrection thing, too). Give Lucas some time, because when he's done counting your money, production will begin on another big mistake. Don't get me wrong--I can't wait to see this movie. But for those of you who decide that overanalyzing the prequel is the way to go, may the Force be with you...morons.
Let me begin by saying that I am no big fan of the USian intelligence
services. Because of their sheer incompetence and gross neglect, I lost
many dear friends on 9/11/2001, a day that will live in infamy. I also
consider myself a privacy advocate, and resist the incursion of big
government and big business into my personal life.
However, I am forced to question why the public suddenly cries out for
oversight of Echelon and other NSA/CIA/FBI counterterrorism operations.
Where are the victims of rogue G-men? Why have I never seen a
single credible complaint against these intelligence agencies for
violation of privacy? In other words, what's the harm of allowing them to
intercept the transmissions that they intercept, if at best they are
keeping us safer and at worst they are doing nothing at all? Obviously
this isn't a monetary argument, as nobody actually knows what the NSA's
budget is. To paraphrase Lisa Simpson - if a tree can hear everything you
say, but it doesn't tell anyone you know, does it make a sound? The good
Lord can hear you having phone sex on those 976 lines you call, so why does
it matter if some government agent you'll never even meet can hear you
too?
Although I don't want to be monitored, I'll gladly give up the right to
complete privacy to stop the chance of a single future terrorist attack.
After all, if we have nothing to hide and are not stigmatized for what we
say in private, what does it matter who's listening?
WTC Survivor
Scalability issues
on
Hawaii Wi-Fi
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Things may have changed in recent years, but I recall reading a while back
that there is a frightningly small amount of bandwidth between the
continental U.S. and Hawaii. Although this guy may be able to share his
little T1 with about 30-40 people, I can attest (from personal experience)
that 1) he is going to need to start installing more lines to go past that,
and 2) the more lines he needs, the higher the marginal cost will get,
because the wired links between the U.S. and Hawaii max out at about
36Mbps. That 36Mbps needs to be split amongst all of the 1337 wireless
jockeys on the island, as well as all other voice and data telephone
traffic. When the population (about 650,000 as of the last census) is
taken into account, that doesn't leave a lot of room left for his project
to grow. Which is, IMHO, unfortunate.
That leaves the residents of the island who hunger for faster speeds two
options: 1) put up with 4.5sec latencies and use satellites to move data
between Hawaii and the rest of the world, or 2) beg their sugar daddies in
D.C. for a few million dollars to upgrade the island's aging hardwired
links. Or 3) route low-latency traffic (games, ssh, etc.) over the T1, and
route downloads over the satellite.
Gary Gygax is a bit of a personal hero of mine; I recently completed a
research project in which I charted the life and times of Mr. Gygax. Some
of the more interesting biographical links I referenced are:
Slashdot Mirror
Fortunately, Mr. Gilmore is inadvertently doing a huge favor for the entire nation. By publicly challenging a very important airline security policy, he is allowing the courts (hopefully not the wacky "anti-God" court in California) to set a precedent allowing airlines to protect themselves from terrorists. And that will help us all be safer in our offices and in our planes.
WTC Survivor
In the galaxy there are only three universal truths. First, life is short. Second, people are stupid. And third, with the exception of a scant few, sequels to good movies suck--hard. So, as George Lucas revels in the foregone prosperity of the most successful mistake anyone will ever make, the world anxiously awaits his blunder: the Star Wars prequel, Episode I-- The Phantom Menace.
This is a disaster disguised as a 6'4" Irish Jedi. Trying to top the original trilogy is a lot like Jesus following his famous blood-into-wine trick by changing mucus into a carton of Strawberry Quik. There's no doubt that it's an equally impressive feat, but certainly some schmuck in the back row would look around, raise his hand and yell, "What, that's it? You suck!" Well, George Lucas is bigger than Jesus--and we're all definitely bigger schmucks.
What has happened, then, is that the epic Star Wars mystique and current sci-fi technology have combined to create the most impossible of expectations. Nerds haven't played with themselves this much since Nintendo invented the Game Boy. In essence, we've seen everything and we know how every effect is done. Aliens blowing up the Empire State Building? Computers. Keanu Reeves' The Matrix? Computers. Dirk Diggler's 12-inch pepe? Hopefully computers.
The fact that we've been spoiled by special effects has not gone unnoticed by Lucas and Co; they're betting $115 million that we can't tell the difference between a digitally created Gungan and a child in a muppet suit. That certain characters in The Phantom Menace are completely computer-generated only adds to the nosy manner in which we will watch this movie. "Hey, did you see how that Ithorian pod racer anally probed Watto and Jar-Jar Binks? It was clearly fraudulent."
For those with few expectations, however, not to mention an entire new generation of Star Wars fanatics who know little in the ways of the Force, the prequels will certainly not disappoint. But for those galaxy freaks who still subscribe to the Mark Hamill Nose-Job-of-the-Month Club, their eyes and ears are in for a world of pain. Harvard-bound Natalie Portman is no 1977 Carrie Fisher and Ewan McGregor certainly isn't Sir Alec Guinness.
In casting seven-year-old Jake Lloyd (Schwarzenegger's kid in Jingle All the Way), Lucas has done nothing more than doom the young Anakin to child actor Hell, where he will likely meet Webster and the cast of Different Strokes. Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok, now Anakin's Rodian friend Wald) return from the original trilogy, which once again proves my theory: the only roles for midgets in Hollywood outside of really bad porn are as characters in a Star Wars film.
Our only hope, then, lies with Jedi Masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu, played by ex-Darkman Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson, respectively. It is the daunting duty of these talented men to guide us through this intergalactic adventure, all the while distracting us from other "real" characters that look unimaginably fake. Bigger does not necessarily equal better, and just because you can do something with special effects doesn't mean that you should. Lucas could digitally recreate a robotic Elizabeth Hurley for all I care, but if it looks like a giant turd, I don't want to see it.
So, if you're not impressed with The Phantom Menace, remember, Jesus had some other pretty cool tricks up his sleeve (there was that whole body-into-bread deal, and the resurrection thing, too). Give Lucas some time, because when he's done counting your money, production will begin on another big mistake. Don't get me wrong--I can't wait to see this movie. But for those of you who decide that overanalyzing the prequel is the way to go, may the Force be with you...morons.
However, I am forced to question why the public suddenly cries out for oversight of Echelon and other NSA/CIA/FBI counterterrorism operations. Where are the victims of rogue G-men? Why have I never seen a single credible complaint against these intelligence agencies for violation of privacy? In other words, what's the harm of allowing them to intercept the transmissions that they intercept, if at best they are keeping us safer and at worst they are doing nothing at all? Obviously this isn't a monetary argument, as nobody actually knows what the NSA's budget is. To paraphrase Lisa Simpson - if a tree can hear everything you say, but it doesn't tell anyone you know, does it make a sound? The good Lord can hear you having phone sex on those 976 lines you call, so why does it matter if some government agent you'll never even meet can hear you too?
Although I don't want to be monitored, I'll gladly give up the right to complete privacy to stop the chance of a single future terrorist attack. After all, if we have nothing to hide and are not stigmatized for what we say in private, what does it matter who's listening?
WTC Survivor
That leaves the residents of the island who hunger for faster speeds two options: 1) put up with 4.5sec latencies and use satellites to move data between Hawaii and the rest of the world, or 2) beg their sugar daddies in D.C. for a few million dollars to upgrade the island's aging hardwired links. Or 3) route low-latency traffic (games, ssh, etc.) over the T1, and route downloads over the satellite.