Many of the major free GPL licensed programs are now available in both Windows and Linux versions. In the past they were only available for Linux/Unix users. If a small business wanted to they could replace Microsoft Office and most of their other commercial applications with free GPL licensed alternatives and still keep Windows. Here are a few examples:
At home, I use Gimp on both my Windows computer and my Linux computer. I have a few other free open source GPL licensed programs on both computers too such as Open Office, Firefox, Abiword. Those programs are all available in both Windows and Linux versions. The Windows computer has mostly free GPL licensed software on it and does not have much of the usual commercial software such as Microsoft Office.
I have occasionally heard the Business Software Alliance (BSA) commercials on late-night talk radio on AM radio stations. It offers listeners large cash rewards for turning in software piracy offenders such as their employer. I don't recall all the details, but it sounds like an offer that would be especially appealing to disgruntled employees or recently fired employees (assuming their employer uses pirated software). Any small business owner hearing that commercial would probably wonder if they have any disgruntled employees that might turn them in for the large cash reward.
I do not own a small business with computers, but when I heard the BSA commercial, my thought was of all the software which I have purchased over the years, but did not keep the receipts. I realized, if the BSA were to ever come knocking, I would need the receipts to prove that I am not a software pirate. At that point I felt a sudden revulsion to the whole idea of commercial software and felt a strong desire to find free open-source, GPL licensed software replacements for those few remaining commercial software programs that I do use. Each time I hear that commercial, I feel a strong urge to get those companies software off of my two computers. By the way, at home I have one Linux computer and one Windows computer. My Windows computer has mostly free open-source GPL licensed software on it instead of the usual Microsoft Office and other commercial software on it.
The point is that, when using a cell phone, people may no longer able to be able to just quietly call the police, hide, and hope they arrive in time. People won't always be able to dial 911. They will be forced to defend themselves with their guns, instead.
I am not trained in the use of firearms, have not been in the military and am not a gun enthusiast or a hunter, so I would have preferred to be able to just hide and dial 911 and hope the police arrive in time. But, if I can't quietly call the police, I might possibly be forced to defend myself with the one dusty old rarely used gun that I do own. Thanks to the FCC, Verizon and to blind people, many of us will now be forced to depend on our guns instead of calling the police.
By not being able to quietly call 911, more people may now be forced to "shoot the bad guys." It is not necessarily that they would prefer to "shoot the bad guys."
By the way, I have had an intruder in my home once, back in the 1970s. I was at home by myself with the doors locked and was quietly sitting in a chair. Then, I was startled by a voice coming from a dark doorway. The light was such that I cold see the person's face, but could not instantly make out the dark policeman's uniform. He had said something and was demanding to see my drivers license. I quickly realized it was a policeman. He said that they had received a call about a burglar at this location. I said that I couldn't remember where I had put my wallet and started looking for it, when I found it, I showed him my drivers license.
He quickly realized that I really lived there and apologized for startling me. If I remember correctly, he said something about the lack of numbering on most of the houses and that the caller said there was a gray Saab parked in front of the house (I had my gray Volvo out front). When he arrived, he had discovered the door knob mechanism sprung on the side door and the door unlocked. I explained to him, that a couple of days earlier I had accidentally locked myself out of the house and had become so angry and frustrated, that in a fit of anger, I lost it and had grabbed the door knob with both hands and twisted the handle as hard as I could which sprang the mechanism in the door, opening the door. I had not yet replaced the door handle and its internal locking mechanism. I realized it was an honest mistake on the policeman's part, so I never complained about the incident. We all make mistakes.
I did not own a gun at the time and almost never drink. If I did and had heard him coming through the dark room, I would have assumed he was a burglar. He had alreadly assumed that I was a burglar. One of us could have shot the other which would have been one innocent person shooting another. Cell phones did not exist back then, but I have been in the situation of having an armed intruder in my home.
I have read a few Sci/Fi stories and seen a few Sci/Fi movies about that kind of thing. Perhaps someday we will be able to learn college subjects such as Calculus by downloading an implantable memory of the subject. In the future, college students might be able to choose between downloading calculus in a few hours or spending several semesters taking several calculus courses. That might work best with subjects such as algebra, calculus, physics, electronics and computer programming.
It would probably be less appropriate for subjects which require a person's personal ethical evaluation of the subject material, such as history, economics, religion and political science. I could just imagine a pastor telling members of his congregation to just have their children download a church approved implantable memory of what need to know about the bible. He might go on to say, "That way there is less danger of them asking too many questions and loosing faith. For the same reason a dictator might require that all children, download implantable memories for subjects such as history, economics and civics. "Don't ask questions, just download the government approved memory into your brain."
If such downloadable memories do ever become widely available, I hope there will also be free creative commons or GPL licensed versions those subjects. Anyone here want to donate a memory or two? I don't think anyone would be interested in mine, especially since I don't have much of a life and also because I am not the ultimate expert an any particular subject.
That was also mentioned in the "As We May Think" article in the July 1945 Atlantic Monthly. Just in case you don't happen to have a copy of the July 1945 issue of Atlantic Monthly here is a link:
I see that Microsoft is looking into this now. I hope that there will eventually be an open-source, GPL licensed alternative for backing up the contents of our brains. If so, I would also like to be able to encrypt the backup with GnuPG which is a free implementation of the OpenPGP.
The Bush administration and Dick Cheney would probably require some kind of built in back door for easy warrantless access by the NSA. They might demand government access, in the name of looking for terrorists, child molesters or perhaps even critics of Bush administration. Another problem might be, that during the discovery phase of a trial, courts might demand a copy of the backed-up contents of various defendants brains. Lets hope that there wasn't anything somewhere in our lives that court system or the government wouldn't approve of. Would courts demand the encryption keys to the backup copy of the memory of my life?
Oh, I almost forgot about the RFID chips that may supposedly eventually implant in our foreheads or the back of our hands. They might even try to tie the two technologies together in some privacy invading way that the average citizen would not like.
I look for the new 80 Plus rating whenever I buy a new power supply for a computer. The 80 PLUS performance specification requires power supplies in computers to be 80% or greater energy efficient at 20%, 50% and 100% of rated load. Many computers come with much less efficient power supplies. I used an 80 Plus rated power supply in the most recent computer that I built. On my slightly older computer, the power supply recently died and I replaced it with an 80 Plus rated power supply.
Another problem is the energy consumption of inefficient auxiliary equipment with transformers which consume power even when the device is off. Those cheap poorly designed external transformers are sometimes called "vampire taps." The Smart Strip Power Strip could probably help there. When the Smart Strip senses that you've turned your computer off, it automatically shuts off your peripherals, too, preventing them from drawing an idle current. It does that by sensing the flow of electrical current through the strip's control outlet.
By the way, I live in the U.S., where we use 120 volts.
I switched to more energy efficient computer hardware, but did not just suddenly go out and buy new computer hardware all at once. I waited until each item became semi-obsolete or quit working, then I replaced it with a more energy efficient replacement. Perhaps the author should have suggested that people do it that way.
There are other advantages besides just saving money. For one thing, during power failures, my computer can now run much longer from UPS power. There is at usually least one thunderstorm, every summer, which knocks out the electricity for an hour or more. There are also usually other thunderstorms that are so loud and close, that I pull the power plug and unplug from the Internet, to avoid damage. I can now keep on working longer from UPS power while waiting for the worst part of the storm to pass.
An energy efficient computer is also usually quieter, because less powerful fans can be used.
With my purchasing choices as a consumer, I am sending a message to manufacturers that energy efficiency counts. I do not want a 500Watt power supply and dual power hungry high-end video cards. By purchasing energy efficient products, I am telling them that I want good performance with minimal power consumption.
One thing that the author did not mention was 80 PLUS certified power supplies. They are much more energy efficient that many of the other power supplies. I used one of those when I built my latest computer from scratch. Like the author, I also use a Kill-A-Watt meter. I also save energy by using CFL light bulbs.
I once had the power steering go out while I was going around a curve when one of the two fan belts broke. I could still steer the car, but required much more muscle power to turn the wheel. It was much worse than driving a large heavy vehicle which just did not have power steering. That was back in the early 1970s in a 4,500 pound vehicle. Someone trying to outrun the police would be driving much faster and perhaps with their car barely under control, so conceivably that might be just enough to make them loose control. If the fleeing suspect was an elderly woman, she might not be strong enough to turn wheel quickly enough.
Many years ago, I used to dive an old late 1950s dump truck which did not have power steering. When the truck was fully loaded, it took real muscle power to turn the wheel, especially when moving slowly. If I remember correctly, it took more muscle power than the 4,500 car did when the power steering failed.
Factors such as the type of vehicle, the age and sex of the driver and how close they are to other vehicles, would all probably be a factors in deciding if the microwave radiation zapper could be used safely in a specific situation. Police departments would probably have strict guidelines in where and when officers could use such a device.
In Iraq, that would most likely be countered by installing older pre-1972 engines in newer cars. The article said the device did was not effective against cars made before 1972. Back then gasoline powered cars used points and condenser type ignition systems. Unfortunately, the bombers in Iraq would probably also start a black market of kits for installing the older points and condenser type ignition system in newer cars. A faraday cage might be an even simpler alternative.
There would also be the problem of what to do about older cars and trucks with diesel engines. Diesel engines are compression ignition engines and don't use spark plugs or any kind of electrical ignition system. Many or all of the older diesel engines had a mechanical type of fuel injection system. I am not sure what type of fuel injection system is used on newer diesel engines.
In the U.S., perhaps that device could be mounted on police helicopters as a quick safe way to end a high speed police chases. A low flying police helicopter might be able to point the device at the speeding car and zap it. The turbine engine in the police helicopter would most likely not be affected. In rural areas, they could choose a moment when no other cars or people are nearby. They would not want to zap someones pace maker. I am not sure if the device could be used safely in large cities.
In rural areas, perhaps they will also have special police cars with a large ray gun like device on the roof. I wonder if the police officers in the car might need to wear special protective uniforms, for safety, which have metallic microwave blocking layers (possibly grounded to their car's battery)? I am not sure about the physics or electronics of that.
I have an old diesel powered mid-1970s backhoe. Like any diesel engine, it does not have a distributor or spark plugs. Diesel engines use compression ignition instead of spark plugs. It has a purely mechanical type fuel injection system. When I turn the key off, the engine just keeps on running while the electrical system has been turned off. To actually turn the engine off, I need to hold down a small lever, which is hooked to the fuel injection system, for several seconds. I am not sure if the newer diesel vehicles have any microprocessors or electronics in their fuel injection systems or not. The old ones at least were purely mechanical.
The article said that the microwave radiation system would not affect cars manufactured before 1972. Apparently, the old points and condenser type ignition systems used in gasoline engines built before 1972 are not affected.
When flying in a small airplane back in the early 1980s, I was surprised to learn that it's engine used dual-magnetos. Magnetos had also been widely used in old antique cars, back before being replaced by distributors with points and condenser. Magnetos spun a magnet inside a coil to generated their own electricity and used a contact breaker and had ignition wires going directly to the spark plugs. I doubt that engines with magnetos could be stopped by microwave radiation pulses. Do newer airplanes still use magnetos? Do they now use microprocessors or fancy electronics somewhere in either the fuel system or ignition system? In the airplane, the key could be turned to different positions to choose to use either magneto or both magnetos at once. If the rest of the electrical system failed, the magnetos could generate their own power and keep on working.
When I was teenager, I remember my uncle showing me an old magneto which had come from an old car. He said "hold these two wires for a moment. Don't worry its not hooked to a battery, I just want you to hold them while I spin the shaft slightly." Of course, a magneto doesn't need to be hooked to a battery, or anything else, to produce high voltage ignition pulses.
I had not noticed that they were talking about portable external hard drives. But, what I said might still work. I have an external USB enclosure, in which, I had installed one of my old leftover IDE hard drives, that I had laying around. I already had Linux on that computer and the GParted partitioning program installed on it. I was able to use GParted to delete the old partition in the external hard drive and create a new one of the type that I wanted. I suppose the GParted-LiveCD could probably have handled that or other external hard drives too, although I am not totally sure.
Ooops, I had not noticed that they were talking about portable external hard drives. Well, I do also have a external USB hard drive too. It is one where I had to insert an old IDE hard drive, that I had laying around, into the external USB controlled enclosure. Afterwards, while running Linux, I used the GParted partitioning program to delete the old partition and replace it with a Linux EXT3 partition.
I wonder about possibly booting a computer from a GParted-LiveCD and reformatting it with the GParted partitioning program on the live CD instead instead of doing it from under Windows. That might be safer. I am not sure if the Linux live CD let a trojan on the hard drive autorun or not (probably not). It is a free live CD which runs Linux and contains GParted which is an easy to use partitioning program. Afterwards, the self-booting CD could be removed and Windows booted instead.
I am not an expert or a technician, but it is something that I have occasionally used on my two computers at home when repartitioning, replacing or adding a second hard drive. They were both Linux computers however, so haven't actually tried it on my only Windows computer.
I recently installed a new Maxtor hard drive in my computer at home, although I don't think it was one of the ones that they were talking about. They mentioned both Maxtor and Seagate.
Lets see, what did I do? I installed the hard drive, then I inserted the Linux installation CD and chose the option to manualy repartition. I deleted the partition that came with the hard drive and replaced it with several primary and Logical Linux EXT3 partitions and a Linux swap partition. When installing Linux, I let it install the first stage of the GRUB boot loader in the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard drive. Then, I copied many gigabytes of stuff from my old hard drive onto the new one. I doubt that their trojan horse virus would have survived all that repartitioning and overwriting of the MBR. Most likely the Windows virus would not have able to run under Linux anyway?
One of the articles mentioned two specific URLs that were being used to send data back to China. Just now, just to be safe, I added two lines two my hosts file which say to send any information for those two URLs to the 127.0.0.1 loopback address of my computer (instead of to China). That should work on either a Linux or Windows hosts file.
There is probably nothing to worry about on my Linux computer, but, what concerns me more is the possibility of China or someone inserting a trojan into the electronics or firmware of the hard drive instead. How would I ever know if something like that was there?
Where I live there are still two grocery stores in town that do not use discount cards, so I do most of my shopping there and frequently pay with cash. One is Albertsons and the other is the New Frontiers health food store. I have always disliked grocery stores who want to charge me more if I won't identify myself with a discount card.
Maybe it was all those gun magazines which you purchased at the grocery store where you used your shopper's discount card and paid by debit card. Or perhaps it was that subscription of yours to that gun magazine. Either that, or maybe it was when you purchased ammo at Wall-Mart and paid by charge card. Then there is also that monthly NRA magazine that gets mailed to you, through the postal system, each month. They might have also have seen how often you visit gun related websites. If you purchased a gun safely at a book store, you may have used that discount card you paid for and paid by charge card. If so, your transaction might possibly have ended up in a database somewhere.
The permit that you recently received to hunt Elk might strongly suggests that you have a hunting rifle. Does hunting quail or rabbits require a permit (I am not a hunter myself)? If so then they can safely assume that you have a shotgun. Here in Arizona, many average people have taken the course that is required to get a concealed weapons permit. If your wife has a concealed weapons permit, she probably sometimes carries a gun in her purse.
Te Bush administration is also trying to make the argument in court that the constitution does not protect the privacy of email. Data mining software might have noticed that email message where you were bragging to you friends about the size of the Elk that you recently shot. With these data mining techniques, they might be able to identify most gun owners.
Albertsons is the only major grocery store chain, where I live, which does not use shoppers discount cards. I shop there and usually pay cash. They would never know if I had ever purchased falafel. The local health food store also does not use shoppers cards. I would not want big brother to notice that I have never purchased any liquor and think that I might be Moslem or Mormon (I'm not either). At least, that occasional ham sandwich would show that I am not Moslem or Jewish. Of course that ham sandwich could have just been a trick fool big brother, did I ever actually ate that ham sandwich?
When most stores first came out with those shopper's discount cards, I disliked being told that if I refused to use the card, I would need to pay more. Do they really need to track my purchasing habits a database somewhere? Before long at the mall, a book store chain was selling discount cards to their regular customers. Big brother now probably knows that I read magazines and about ham radio, Linux, investing and dieting. Of course, I would pay cash and not pull out my discount card, if I were to ever purchase any books which might suggest inappropriate political or religious beliefs. Will cash be illegal someday?
PBS recently had a one hour episode of Frontline about Dick Cheney on October 16, 2007. It well researched and went into great detail about Dick Cheney and David Addington's quest to expand presidential power in ways that were both legally and constitutionally questionable. Expanding presidential power was a major part of their efforts to perform domestic spying and to be allowed to use torture on suspected terrorists.
If I remember correctly, that episode of Frontline did not say very much, about the alleged manipulating of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. Most of its criticisms of Dick Cheney were for different reasons than what were mentioned in the Washington Post article.
You mentioned Dick Cheney and constitutional power. Did you see the recent Oct. 16, 2007 "Cheney's Law" episode of Frontline on PBS? That week's episode was about Dick Cheney and David Addington's secret behind-closed-doors battle to expand presidential power. It details how much of what they have been doing is on shaky ground legally and constitutionally. Their actions frequently involved rejecting congressional authority and doing whatever they wanted based on their own creative legal theories.
Back in High School, I vaguely recall learning that writers of the constitution carefully divided power among the three branches of government: the president, congress and the judicial system. It was a carefully calculated balance of power, that prevents any one branch of government from having too much power and gaining total control. It seems to me the Cheney and Addington's attempts to expand presidential power and defy congress would be contrary to what the writers of the constitution really wanted.
It also describes the unorthodox legal maneuvering used for activities such spying on Americans after 9/11.
I do not know much about law or the constitution, but the show was interesting. I plan to order the DVD of the show or read the transcript, to refresh my memory of various details. Here is a link to the transcript.
I only drive into town only about once per week, so I never know when I would get a chance to return a rented DVD to a store. Even then it is not always to the same part of town, so would any grocery store allow me to keep rented DVDs for a week or two? The mail does arrive every day and Netflix would not charge me late fees anyway, so it would be the only practical solution for me. I not want to spend an hour making a special trip to town, each time, just to return a rented DVD. Burning gas and wasting time by making unnecessary trips into town in not a way to save money.
When I do get into town, it is usually just before going to work, so I usually do not have time for any leisurely shopping for stuff like DVD rentals anyway. Late at night, I do have plenty of time for shopping on-line and could make my selections then. I plan to give Netflix a try sometime.
I do not have anything to hide, but the article got me wondering about my home computer setup. Only one of my computers is connected to the Internet. I have three computers all going through a KVM switch connected to just one keyboard, monitor and mouse. One of the computers uses Linux and is the only one that is used for email and browsing the Internet. They could try to install a keystroke logger and spyware on that computer, if they have a Linux version of their trojan. Perhaps they have some kind of unpublished zero-day Linux exploit that they could use to hack into a computer which has no ports open to the outside world.
Also attached to the same KVM switch, is a Windows XP computer with gets connected to the Internet briefly only about once a month for security updates and is not used for email or Internet browsing. The third computer attached to the KVM switch is a small semi-obsolete Linux box which has not been connected to the Internet for several years.
I use a manual ethernet switch box to keep the Windows XP computer disconnected from the Internet most of the time. I do not have a microphone or camera hooked to any of the three computers.
Hypothetically speaking, if I were someone who wanted to come up with secret plans, records, maps or documents, I would not do it on the newer Linux computer which is connected to the Internet. I would probably do it on the older non-networked semi-obsolete Linux box.
The government would probably still think of something. Perhaps some government agent would break in to install a hardware type bug with its own little antenna in the keyboard. In the future, they might be able to send a remote controlled robotic insect flying through an open window and have it crawl directly into the keyboard or a computer. Alternatively, from a nearby location they might just try to monitor the electromagetic signals radiating from the monitor. That is probably easier with a CRT monitor than an LCD monitor, although I once read on Slashdot, that the metal fittings on some LCD monitors can radiate enough of a signal. It would probably be difficult to eavesdrop on an un-networked computer in a basement fallout shelter with thick masonry walls and heavy radiation absorbing roof which would probably greatly dampen the signal (in my non-expert opinion).
Perhaps most criminals and terrorists have never heard of spyware and keystroke loggers and are such doofuses that such measures are rarely necessary.
Will such hardware and software eventually be banned, due to insufficient provisions for government accessible back doors? Even without the help of spyware and keystroke loggers, they could still keep an eye on our interests and political views by just monitoring which what websites we typically look at.
A rabbit ears antenna on top of my old 13-inch TV lets me now receive 5 channels. I do not have cable and do not wish to pay a monthly fee for satellite. February 17, 2009 is when over-the air analog television broadcasts are scheduled to end here in the U.S. Those 5 analog channels will soon be gone. The new ATSC digital channels are now being broadcast over the air in most major cites. However, where I live up in the mountains of northern Arizona, only one station currently broadcasting the new digital signal (it is split into two channels). I am not sure if I will be able to receive even that, because of the hills between me and that transmitter. So I will soon be going from 5 channels to just 1 or 2 channels or possible none.
I will eventually buy an inexpensive box that converts the new digital signals into the old anlog NTSC signals that my old 13-inch TV can handle. Then I hope to be able to receive the one or two digital channels that I might have a chance to receive here.
I don't watch much TV now and will soon be watching even less when I just have 1 or 2 channels. Perhaps, I will rent DVDs instead and get more of my news from the Internet and late-night talk radio. I might also find myself reading more instead. Yes, I could afford satellite TV, but just dislike the idea of unnecessary monthly fees of any kind and don't want to face the temptation of being able to waste too much time on the huge selection of too many good movies and TV shows.
You could also compare it with the NorhTec MicroClient which also uses a 500MHz AMD Geode LX800 CPU and which, they claim, only consumes 0.9 watts of power. The options you choose would probably affect its power consumption. It runs on 12-Volts which might make it suitable for a solar project that has 12-volt deep cycle batteries.
For ranchers or other people who live in remote locations far from any power lines, it might be useful. Some of those people rely on solar panels, backup generators and deep cycle batteries for their power. They do not have power to waste.
If either the peak-oil pessimists or the global warming people turn out to be correct, then such extreme energy efficiency might possibly become necessary somewhere within my lifetime. Perhaps neither scenario will ever really happen.
My 20-inch LCD flatscreen monitor (not a wide sceen) uses about 38-Watts while I am at the computer and then only uses 1-Watt when it goes blank in the sleep mode. It spends the majority of the day with the screen blank and only using 1-Watt. I do not personally know much about either company or their computers.
Slashdot Mirror
Many of the major free GPL licensed programs are now available in both Windows and Linux versions. In the past they were only available for Linux/Unix users. If a small business wanted to they could replace Microsoft Office and most of their other commercial applications with free GPL licensed alternatives and still keep Windows. Here are a few examples:
At home, I use Gimp on both my Windows computer and my Linux computer. I have a few other free open source GPL licensed programs on both computers too such as Open Office, Firefox, Abiword. Those programs are all available in both Windows and Linux versions. The Windows computer has mostly free GPL licensed software on it and does not have much of the usual commercial software such as Microsoft Office.
Gimp for Windows
I have occasionally heard the Business Software Alliance (BSA) commercials on late-night talk radio on AM radio stations. It offers listeners large cash rewards for turning in software piracy offenders such as their employer. I don't recall all the details, but it sounds like an offer that would be especially appealing to disgruntled employees or recently fired employees (assuming their employer uses pirated software). Any small business owner hearing that commercial would probably wonder if they have any disgruntled employees that might turn them in for the large cash reward.
I do not own a small business with computers, but when I heard the BSA commercial, my thought was of all the software which I have purchased over the years, but did not keep the receipts. I realized, if the BSA were to ever come knocking, I would need the receipts to prove that I am not a software pirate. At that point I felt a sudden revulsion to the whole idea of commercial software and felt a strong desire to find free open-source, GPL licensed software replacements for those few remaining commercial software programs that I do use. Each time I hear that commercial, I feel a strong urge to get those companies software off of my two computers. By the way, at home I have one Linux computer and one Windows computer. My Windows computer has mostly free open-source GPL licensed software on it instead of the usual Microsoft Office and other commercial software on it.
The point is that, when using a cell phone, people may no longer able to be able to just quietly call the police, hide, and hope they arrive in time. People won't always be able to dial 911. They will be forced to defend themselves with their guns, instead.
I am not trained in the use of firearms, have not been in the military and am not a gun enthusiast or a hunter, so I would have preferred to be able to just hide and dial 911 and hope the police arrive in time. But, if I can't quietly call the police, I might possibly be forced to defend myself with the one dusty old rarely used gun that I do own. Thanks to the FCC, Verizon and to blind people, many of us will now be forced to depend on our guns instead of calling the police.
By not being able to quietly call 911, more people may now be forced to "shoot the bad guys." It is not necessarily that they would prefer to "shoot the bad guys."
By the way, I have had an intruder in my home once, back in the 1970s. I was at home by myself with the doors locked and was quietly sitting in a chair. Then, I was startled by a voice coming from a dark doorway. The light was such that I cold see the person's face, but could not instantly make out the dark policeman's uniform. He had said something and was demanding to see my drivers license. I quickly realized it was a policeman. He said that they had received a call about a burglar at this location. I said that I couldn't remember where I had put my wallet and started looking for it, when I found it, I showed him my drivers license.
He quickly realized that I really lived there and apologized for startling me. If I remember correctly, he said something about the lack of numbering on most of the houses and that the caller said there was a gray Saab parked in front of the house (I had my gray Volvo out front). When he arrived, he had discovered the door knob mechanism sprung on the side door and the door unlocked. I explained to him, that a couple of days earlier I had accidentally locked myself out of the house and had become so angry and frustrated, that in a fit of anger, I lost it and had grabbed the door knob with both hands and twisted the handle as hard as I could which sprang the mechanism in the door, opening the door. I had not yet replaced the door handle and its internal locking mechanism. I realized it was an honest mistake on the policeman's part, so I never complained about the incident. We all make mistakes.
I did not own a gun at the time and almost never drink. If I did and had heard him coming through the dark room, I would have assumed he was a burglar. He had alreadly assumed that I was a burglar. One of us could have shot the other which would have been one innocent person shooting another. Cell phones did not exist back then, but I have been in the situation of having an armed intruder in my home.
None of the versions allow you to remember anything about Linux or open-source GPL licensed software or Google or anything critical of Microsoft.
I have read a few Sci/Fi stories and seen a few Sci/Fi movies about that kind of thing. Perhaps someday we will be able to learn college subjects such as Calculus by downloading an implantable memory of the subject. In the future, college students might be able to choose between downloading calculus in a few hours or spending several semesters taking several calculus courses. That might work best with subjects such as algebra, calculus, physics, electronics and computer programming.
It would probably be less appropriate for subjects which require a person's personal ethical evaluation of the subject material, such as history, economics, religion and political science. I could just imagine a pastor telling members of his congregation to just have their children download a church approved implantable memory of what need to know about the bible. He might go on to say, "That way there is less danger of them asking too many questions and loosing faith. For the same reason a dictator might require that all children, download implantable memories for subjects such as history, economics and civics. "Don't ask questions, just download the government approved memory into your brain."
If such downloadable memories do ever become widely available, I hope there will also be free creative commons or GPL licensed versions those subjects. Anyone here want to donate a memory or two? I don't think anyone would be interested in mine, especially since I don't have much of a life and also because I am not the ultimate expert an any particular subject.
That was also mentioned in the "As We May Think" article in the July 1945 Atlantic Monthly. Just in case you don't happen to have a copy of the July 1945 issue of Atlantic Monthly here is a link:
As We May Think (from July 1945 issue of Atlantic Monthly
Of course there was also the "The Final Cut" with Robin Williams from 2004.
The Final Cut
Then there are also various Science Fiction books and articles such as "The Heaven Virus."
The Heaven Virus
I see that Microsoft is looking into this now. I hope that there will eventually be an open-source, GPL licensed alternative for backing up the contents of our brains. If so, I would also like to be able to encrypt the backup with GnuPG which is a free implementation of the OpenPGP.
The Bush administration and Dick Cheney would probably require some kind of built in back door for easy warrantless access by the NSA. They might demand government access, in the name of looking for terrorists, child molesters or perhaps even critics of Bush administration. Another problem might be, that during the discovery phase of a trial, courts might demand a copy of the backed-up contents of various defendants brains. Lets hope that there wasn't anything somewhere in our lives that court system or the government wouldn't approve of. Would courts demand the encryption keys to the backup copy of the memory of my life?
Oh, I almost forgot about the RFID chips that may supposedly eventually implant in our foreheads or the back of our hands. They might even try to tie the two technologies together in some privacy invading way that the average citizen would not like.
I look for the new 80 Plus rating whenever I buy a new power supply for a computer. The 80 PLUS performance specification requires power supplies in computers to be 80% or greater energy efficient at 20%, 50% and 100% of rated load. Many computers come with much less efficient power supplies. I used an 80 Plus rated power supply in the most recent computer that I built. On my slightly older computer, the power supply recently died and I replaced it with an 80 Plus rated power supply.
Another problem is the energy consumption of inefficient auxiliary equipment with transformers which consume power even when the device is off. Those cheap poorly designed external transformers are sometimes called "vampire taps." The Smart Strip Power Strip could probably help there. When the Smart Strip senses that you've turned your computer off, it automatically shuts off your peripherals, too, preventing them from drawing an idle current. It does that by sensing the flow of electrical current through the strip's control outlet.
By the way, I live in the U.S., where we use 120 volts.
What is 80 PLUS
Smart Strip Power Strip
I switched to more energy efficient computer hardware, but did not just suddenly go out and buy new computer hardware all at once. I waited until each item became semi-obsolete or quit working, then I replaced it with a more energy efficient replacement. Perhaps the author should have suggested that people do it that way.
There are other advantages besides just saving money. For one thing, during power failures, my computer can now run much longer from UPS power. There is at usually least one thunderstorm, every summer, which knocks out the electricity for an hour or more. There are also usually other thunderstorms that are so loud and close, that I pull the power plug and unplug from the Internet, to avoid damage. I can now keep on working longer from UPS power while waiting for the worst part of the storm to pass.
An energy efficient computer is also usually quieter, because less powerful fans can be used.
With my purchasing choices as a consumer, I am sending a message to manufacturers that energy efficiency counts. I do not want a 500Watt power supply and dual power hungry high-end video cards. By purchasing energy efficient products, I am telling them that I want good performance with minimal power consumption.
One thing that the author did not mention was 80 PLUS certified power supplies. They are much more energy efficient that many of the other power supplies. I used one of those when I built my latest computer from scratch. Like the author, I also use a Kill-A-Watt meter. I also save energy by using CFL light bulbs.
I once had the power steering go out while I was going around a curve when one of the two fan belts broke. I could still steer the car, but required much more muscle power to turn the wheel. It was much worse than driving a large heavy vehicle which just did not have power steering. That was back in the early 1970s in a 4,500 pound vehicle. Someone trying to outrun the police would be driving much faster and perhaps with their car barely under control, so conceivably that might be just enough to make them loose control. If the fleeing suspect was an elderly woman, she might not be strong enough to turn wheel quickly enough.
Many years ago, I used to dive an old late 1950s dump truck which did not have power steering. When the truck was fully loaded, it took real muscle power to turn the wheel, especially when moving slowly. If I remember correctly, it took more muscle power than the 4,500 car did when the power steering failed.
Factors such as the type of vehicle, the age and sex of the driver and how close they are to other vehicles, would all probably be a factors in deciding if the microwave radiation zapper could be used safely in a specific situation. Police departments would probably have strict guidelines in where and when officers could use such a device.
In Iraq, that would most likely be countered by installing older pre-1972 engines in newer cars. The article said the device did was not effective against cars made before 1972. Back then gasoline powered cars used points and condenser type ignition systems. Unfortunately, the bombers in Iraq would probably also start a black market of kits for installing the older points and condenser type ignition system in newer cars. A faraday cage might be an even simpler alternative.
There would also be the problem of what to do about older cars and trucks with diesel engines. Diesel engines are compression ignition engines and don't use spark plugs or any kind of electrical ignition system. Many or all of the older diesel engines had a mechanical type of fuel injection system. I am not sure what type of fuel injection system is used on newer diesel engines.
In the U.S., perhaps that device could be mounted on police helicopters as a quick safe way to end a high speed police chases. A low flying police helicopter might be able to point the device at the speeding car and zap it. The turbine engine in the police helicopter would most likely not be affected. In rural areas, they could choose a moment when no other cars or people are nearby. They would not want to zap someones pace maker. I am not sure if the device could be used safely in large cities.
In rural areas, perhaps they will also have special police cars with a large ray gun like device on the roof. I wonder if the police officers in the car might need to wear special protective uniforms, for safety, which have metallic microwave blocking layers (possibly grounded to their car's battery)? I am not sure about the physics or electronics of that.
Faraday CageI have an old diesel powered mid-1970s backhoe. Like any diesel engine, it does not have a distributor or spark plugs. Diesel engines use compression ignition instead of spark plugs. It has a purely mechanical type fuel injection system. When I turn the key off, the engine just keeps on running while the electrical system has been turned off. To actually turn the engine off, I need to hold down a small lever, which is hooked to the fuel injection system, for several seconds. I am not sure if the newer diesel vehicles have any microprocessors or electronics in their fuel injection systems or not. The old ones at least were purely mechanical.
The article said that the microwave radiation system would not affect cars manufactured before 1972. Apparently, the old points and condenser type ignition systems used in gasoline engines built before 1972 are not affected.
When flying in a small airplane back in the early 1980s, I was surprised to learn that it's engine used dual-magnetos. Magnetos had also been widely used in old antique cars, back before being replaced by distributors with points and condenser. Magnetos spun a magnet inside a coil to generated their own electricity and used a contact breaker and had ignition wires going directly to the spark plugs. I doubt that engines with magnetos could be stopped by microwave radiation pulses. Do newer airplanes still use magnetos? Do they now use microprocessors or fancy electronics somewhere in either the fuel system or ignition system? In the airplane, the key could be turned to different positions to choose to use either magneto or both magnetos at once. If the rest of the electrical system failed, the magnetos could generate their own power and keep on working.
When I was teenager, I remember my uncle showing me an old magneto which had come from an old car. He said "hold these two wires for a moment. Don't worry its not hooked to a battery, I just want you to hold them while I spin the shaft slightly." Of course, a magneto doesn't need to be hooked to a battery, or anything else, to produce high voltage ignition pulses.
I had not noticed that they were talking about portable external hard drives. But, what I said might still work. I have an external USB enclosure, in which, I had installed one of my old leftover IDE hard drives, that I had laying around. I already had Linux on that computer and the GParted partitioning program installed on it. I was able to use GParted to delete the old partition in the external hard drive and create a new one of the type that I wanted. I suppose the GParted-LiveCD could probably have handled that or other external hard drives too, although I am not totally sure.
Ooops, I had not noticed that they were talking about portable external hard drives. Well, I do also have a external USB hard drive too. It is one where I had to insert an old IDE hard drive, that I had laying around, into the external USB controlled enclosure. Afterwards, while running Linux, I used the GParted partitioning program to delete the old partition and replace it with a Linux EXT3 partition.
I wonder about possibly booting a computer from a GParted-LiveCD and reformatting it with the GParted partitioning program on the live CD instead instead of doing it from under Windows. That might be safer. I am not sure if the Linux live CD let a trojan on the hard drive autorun or not (probably not). It is a free live CD which runs Linux and contains GParted which is an easy to use partitioning program. Afterwards, the self-booting CD could be removed and Windows booted instead.
I am not an expert or a technician, but it is something that I have occasionally used on my two computers at home when repartitioning, replacing or adding a second hard drive. They were both Linux computers however, so haven't actually tried it on my only Windows computer.
GParted-LiveCD
Screenshots of GParted-LiveCD
I recently installed a new Maxtor hard drive in my computer at home, although I don't think it was one of the ones that they were talking about. They mentioned both Maxtor and Seagate.
Lets see, what did I do? I installed the hard drive, then I inserted the Linux installation CD and chose the option to manualy repartition. I deleted the partition that came with the hard drive and replaced it with several primary and Logical Linux EXT3 partitions and a Linux swap partition. When installing Linux, I let it install the first stage of the GRUB boot loader in the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard drive. Then, I copied many gigabytes of stuff from my old hard drive onto the new one. I doubt that their trojan horse virus would have survived all that repartitioning and overwriting of the MBR. Most likely the Windows virus would not have able to run under Linux anyway?
One of the articles mentioned two specific URLs that were being used to send data back to China. Just now, just to be safe, I added two lines two my hosts file which say to send any information for those two URLs to the 127.0.0.1 loopback address of my computer (instead of to China). That should work on either a Linux or Windows hosts file.
There is probably nothing to worry about on my Linux computer, but, what concerns me more is the possibility of China or someone inserting a trojan into the electronics or firmware of the hard drive instead. How would I ever know if something like that was there?
Where I live there are still two grocery stores in town that do not use discount cards, so I do most of my shopping there and frequently pay with cash. One is Albertsons and the other is the New Frontiers health food store. I have always disliked grocery stores who want to charge me more if I won't identify myself with a discount card.
Is big brother in your grocery cart?
Maybe it was all those gun magazines which you purchased at the grocery store where you used your shopper's discount card and paid by debit card. Or perhaps it was that subscription of yours to that gun magazine. Either that, or maybe it was when you purchased ammo at Wall-Mart and paid by charge card. Then there is also that monthly NRA magazine that gets mailed to you, through the postal system, each month. They might have also have seen how often you visit gun related websites. If you purchased a gun safely at a book store, you may have used that discount card you paid for and paid by charge card. If so, your transaction might possibly have ended up in a database somewhere.
The permit that you recently received to hunt Elk might strongly suggests that you have a hunting rifle. Does hunting quail or rabbits require a permit (I am not a hunter myself)? If so then they can safely assume that you have a shotgun. Here in Arizona, many average people have taken the course that is required to get a concealed weapons permit. If your wife has a concealed weapons permit, she probably sometimes carries a gun in her purse.
Te Bush administration is also trying to make the argument in court that the constitution does not protect the privacy of email. Data mining software might have noticed that email message where you were bragging to you friends about the size of the Elk that you recently shot. With these data mining techniques, they might be able to identify most gun owners.
Is big brother in your grocery cart?
Albertsons is the only major grocery store chain, where I live, which does not use shoppers discount cards. I shop there and usually pay cash. They would never know if I had ever purchased falafel. The local health food store also does not use shoppers cards. I would not want big brother to notice that I have never purchased any liquor and think that I might be Moslem or Mormon (I'm not either). At least, that occasional ham sandwich would show that I am not Moslem or Jewish. Of course that ham sandwich could have just been a trick fool big brother, did I ever actually ate that ham sandwich?
When most stores first came out with those shopper's discount cards, I disliked being told that if I refused to use the card, I would need to pay more. Do they really need to track my purchasing habits a database somewhere? Before long at the mall, a book store chain was selling discount cards to their regular customers. Big brother now probably knows that I read magazines and about ham radio, Linux, investing and dieting. Of course, I would pay cash and not pull out my discount card, if I were to ever purchase any books which might suggest inappropriate political or religious beliefs. Will cash be illegal someday?
Is big brother in your grocery cart?
PBS recently had a one hour episode of Frontline about Dick Cheney on October 16, 2007. It well researched and went into great detail about Dick Cheney and David Addington's quest to expand presidential power in ways that were both legally and constitutionally questionable. Expanding presidential power was a major part of their efforts to perform domestic spying and to be allowed to use torture on suspected terrorists.
If I remember correctly, that episode of Frontline did not say very much, about the alleged manipulating of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. Most of its criticisms of Dick Cheney were for different reasons than what were mentioned in the Washington Post article.
You mentioned Dick Cheney and constitutional power. Did you see the recent Oct. 16, 2007 "Cheney's Law" episode of Frontline on PBS? That week's episode was about Dick Cheney and David Addington's secret behind-closed-doors battle to expand presidential power. It details how much of what they have been doing is on shaky ground legally and constitutionally. Their actions frequently involved rejecting congressional authority and doing whatever they wanted based on their own creative legal theories.
Back in High School, I vaguely recall learning that writers of the constitution carefully divided power among the three branches of government: the president, congress and the judicial system. It was a carefully calculated balance of power, that prevents any one branch of government from having too much power and gaining total control. It seems to me the Cheney and Addington's attempts to expand presidential power and defy congress would be contrary to what the writers of the constitution really wanted.
It also describes the unorthodox legal maneuvering used for activities such spying on Americans after 9/11.
I do not know much about law or the constitution, but the show was interesting. I plan to order the DVD of the show or read the transcript, to refresh my memory of various details. Here is a link to the transcript.
Cheney's Law
I only drive into town only about once per week, so I never know when I would get a chance to return a rented DVD to a store. Even then it is not always to the same part of town, so would any grocery store allow me to keep rented DVDs for a week or two? The mail does arrive every day and Netflix would not charge me late fees anyway, so it would be the only practical solution for me. I not want to spend an hour making a special trip to town, each time, just to return a rented DVD. Burning gas and wasting time by making unnecessary trips into town in not a way to save money.
When I do get into town, it is usually just before going to work, so I usually do not have time for any leisurely shopping for stuff like DVD rentals anyway. Late at night, I do have plenty of time for shopping on-line and could make my selections then. I plan to give Netflix a try sometime.
I do not have anything to hide, but the article got me wondering about my home computer setup. Only one of my computers is connected to the Internet. I have three computers all going through a KVM switch connected to just one keyboard, monitor and mouse. One of the computers uses Linux and is the only one that is used for email and browsing the Internet. They could try to install a keystroke logger and spyware on that computer, if they have a Linux version of their trojan. Perhaps they have some kind of unpublished zero-day Linux exploit that they could use to hack into a computer which has no ports open to the outside world.
Also attached to the same KVM switch, is a Windows XP computer with gets connected to the Internet briefly only about once a month for security updates and is not used for email or Internet browsing. The third computer attached to the KVM switch is a small semi-obsolete Linux box which has not been connected to the Internet for several years.
I use a manual ethernet switch box to keep the Windows XP computer disconnected from the Internet most of the time. I do not have a microphone or camera hooked to any of the three computers.
Hypothetically speaking, if I were someone who wanted to come up with secret plans, records, maps or documents, I would not do it on the newer Linux computer which is connected to the Internet. I would probably do it on the older non-networked semi-obsolete Linux box.
The government would probably still think of something. Perhaps some government agent would break in to install a hardware type bug with its own little antenna in the keyboard. In the future, they might be able to send a remote controlled robotic insect flying through an open window and have it crawl directly into the keyboard or a computer. Alternatively, from a nearby location they might just try to monitor the electromagetic signals radiating from the monitor. That is probably easier with a CRT monitor than an LCD monitor, although I once read on Slashdot, that the metal fittings on some LCD monitors can radiate enough of a signal. It would probably be difficult to eavesdrop on an un-networked computer in a basement fallout shelter with thick masonry walls and heavy radiation absorbing roof which would probably greatly dampen the signal (in my non-expert opinion).
Perhaps most criminals and terrorists have never heard of spyware and keystroke loggers and are such doofuses that such measures are rarely necessary.
Will such hardware and software eventually be banned, due to insufficient provisions for government accessible back doors? Even without the help of spyware and keystroke loggers, they could still keep an eye on our interests and political views by just monitoring which what websites we typically look at.
A rabbit ears antenna on top of my old 13-inch TV lets me now receive 5 channels. I do not have cable and do not wish to pay a monthly fee for satellite. February 17, 2009 is when over-the air analog television broadcasts are scheduled to end here in the U.S. Those 5 analog channels will soon be gone. The new ATSC digital channels are now being broadcast over the air in most major cites. However, where I live up in the mountains of northern Arizona, only one station currently broadcasting the new digital signal (it is split into two channels). I am not sure if I will be able to receive even that, because of the hills between me and that transmitter. So I will soon be going from 5 channels to just 1 or 2 channels or possible none.
I will eventually buy an inexpensive box that converts the new digital signals into the old anlog NTSC signals that my old 13-inch TV can handle. Then I hope to be able to receive the one or two digital channels that I might have a chance to receive here.
I don't watch much TV now and will soon be watching even less when I just have 1 or 2 channels. Perhaps, I will rent DVDs instead and get more of my news from the Internet and late-night talk radio. I might also find myself reading more instead. Yes, I could afford satellite TV, but just dislike the idea of unnecessary monthly fees of any kind and don't want to face the temptation of being able to waste too much time on the huge selection of too many good movies and TV shows.
You could also compare it with the NorhTec MicroClient which also uses a 500MHz AMD Geode LX800 CPU and which, they claim, only consumes 0.9 watts of power. The options you choose would probably affect its power consumption. It runs on 12-Volts which might make it suitable for a solar project that has 12-volt deep cycle batteries.
For ranchers or other people who live in remote locations far from any power lines, it might be useful. Some of those people rely on solar panels, backup generators and deep cycle batteries for their power. They do not have power to waste.
If either the peak-oil pessimists or the global warming people turn out to be correct, then such extreme energy efficiency might possibly become necessary somewhere within my lifetime. Perhaps neither scenario will ever really happen.
My 20-inch LCD flatscreen monitor (not a wide sceen) uses about 38-Watts while I am at the computer and then only uses 1-Watt when it goes blank in the sleep mode. It spends the majority of the day with the screen blank and only using 1-Watt. I do not personally know much about either company or their computers.
NorhTec MicroClient - New Version