Hulleye Comes By!

so today we shall go see if earth is mostly harmless or not. i’m quite in the mood for a pan galactic gargle blaster as it is. ctu should invest in some vogons and buy some poetry off them.

latest mind boggling moronic puzzle. http://members.cox.net/damsarabi/main.html

please feel free to help me out on this one. im still stuck on clue #3.

time wasting link of the day.

kevin smith’s (genius behind jay and silent bob, mallrats, dogma, clerks, chasing amy, daredevil: visionaries, and green arrow: quiver) review of episode iii: revenge of the sith. (caution: contains spoilers)

“Revenge of the Sith” is, quite simply, fucking awesome. This is the “Star Wars” prequel the haters have been bitching for since “Menace” came out, and if they don’t cop to that when they finally see it, they’re lying. As dark as “Empire” was, this movie goes a thousand times darker - from the triggering of Order 66 (which has all the Shock Troopers turning on the Jedi Knights they’ve been fighting beside throughout the Clone Wars and gunning them down), to the jaw-dropping Anakin/Obi Wan fight on Mustafar (where - after cutting his legs and arm off, Ben leaves Skywalker burning alive on the shores of a lava river, with Anakin spitting venomous sentiments at his departing mentor), this flick is so satisfyingly tragic, you’ll think you’re watching “Othello” or “Hamlet”.

read rest of the review here.

pacman, simon, frogger, space invaders, moon patrol, donkey kong, tetris, duck hunt, pong, asteroids, and star castle.

link: http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/games.shtml

a map of the star wars universe. requires flash. courtesy wired.

so we’re moving on. big deal. who the hell gets sentimental about thrift stores (soul sucking registration may be required)? as an employee of the company, i understand the needs of the company as well and what hardships we go through. this isn’t a sell out, but a way to keep in business.

“…after 70 years of propping its doors wide open in a community of desperate need, the Goodwill store at the corner of Jarvis and Adelaide Sts. is shutting down.

“This place will be missed, especially by those like me,” said Lewis, a single mother of two teenagers who has eked out a living with the help of the outlet, which sells goods for $2 a pound. “The inner city loses out. We’re the ones who lose out; we’re the ones who suffer.”

Goodwill, present on this corner since 1980, is moving its operations to three new locations in the GTA this weekend. The retail store will move north to Bloor St. E. near Sherbourne St., the pound store will reopen in Scarborough and a new drive-through donation centre will open on Richmond St. E.”

PYROFUSION: a room-temperature, palm sized nuclear fusion device has been reported by a UCLA collaboration, potentially leading to new kinds of fusion devices and other novel applications such as microthrusters for MEMS spaceships. The key component of the UCLA device is a pyroelectric crystal, a class of materials that includes lithium niobate, an inexpensive solid that is used to filter signals in cell phones. When heated a pyroelectric crystal polarizes charge, segregating a significant amount of electric charge near a surface, leading to a very large electric field there. In turn, this effect can accelerate electrons to relatively high (keV) energies (see Update 564, http://www.aip.org/pnu/2001/split/564-2.html). The UCLA researchers (Seth Putterman, 310-825-2269) take this idea and add a few other elements to it. In a vacuum chamber containing deuterium gas, they place a lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) pyroelectric crystal so that one of its faces touches a copper disc which itself is surmounted by a tungsten probe. They cool and then heat the crystal, which creates an electric potential energy of about 120 kilovolts at its surface. The electric field at the end of the tungsten probe tip is so high (25 V/nm) that it strips electrons from nearby deuterium atoms. Repelled by the negatively charged tip, and crystal field, the resulting deuterium ions then accelerate towards a solid target of erbium deuteride (ErD2), slamming into it so hard that some of the deuterium ions fuse with deuterium in the target. Each deuterium-deuterium fusion reaction creates a helium-3 nucleus and a 2.45 MeV neutron, the latter being collected as evidence for nuclear fusion. In a typical heating cycle, the researchers measure a peak of about 900 neutrons per second, about 400 times the “background” of naturally occurring neutrons. During a heating cycle, which could last from 5 minutes to 8 hours depending on how fast they heat the crystal, the researchers estimate that they create approximately 10^-8 joules of fusion energy. (To provide some perspective, it takes about 1,000 joules to heat an 8-oz (237 ml) cup of coffee one degree Celsius.) By using a larger tungsten tip, cooling the crystal to cryogenic temperatures, and constructing a target containing tritium, the researchers believe they can scale up the observed neutron production 1000 times, to more than 10^6 neutrons per second. (Naranjo, Gimzewski, Putterman, Nature, 28 April 2005). The experimental setup is strikingly simple: “We can build a tiny self-contained handheld object which when plunged into ice water creates fusion,” Putterman says. (http://rodan.physics.ucla.edu/pyrofusion )

courtesy: american institute of physics

click on it if you can’t read it fools!

the trailer is out. go watch it immediately!

why doesn’t he just retire with his legacy? why does he have to pass it on? isn’t he rich enough already? doesn’t industrial light and magic make money from almost every movie out of hollywood already? i agree, the clone wars was a good show and had a good following, but he’s got to learn when to stop. no star wars fan wants to see the charm of it degrade any further than it already has. the only true digitized version of the “original” star wars came out on laser disc close to a decade ago. the remastered digitized versions had added scenes and hence cannot be called “original”. the trailer for episode iii looks pretty bad ass. hopefully it will save grace for lucas and make up where episode i and ii lacked. read related article over at bbc.

so i’m a toronto metroblogger now. do go ahead and check it out.

everyones survival guide. learn to make a fire with a coke can and chocolate.

an overly excited jon s. von tetzchner, ceo, opera software, proclaimed at an internals company meeting that if the download numbers of the new opera 8 web browser reach 1 million within the first four days of the launch, he will swim from norway to the usa with only one stop-over for a cup of hot chocolate at his mother’s house in his home country, iceland. the new browser was released tuesday and was downloaded 600.000 times in the first 48 hours since release. as of saturday when the challenge ended, the browser downloads had well surpassed 1 million downloads. the ceo held true to his words and is on his way to the US with his wetsuit and his pr manager in a rowing raft. that’s some very cold waters that he’s swimming across. you can track his progress here.

following up on my previous post about security and how badly our resources are spent, here we have some serious terrorist threats from seaworld. also now you know why it takes so long for you to get past security queue’s at airports.

biometrics, the science of identifying individuals by their physical characteristics, are playing more and more in the eyes of national security. the oldest method of biometric identification is fingerprinting. the fbi has some big databases. one of the largest it keeps is of fingerprints, known commonly as the IAFIS or the integrated automated fingerprint identification system where it stores close to more than 47 million prints. here is a slate article that streamlines the entire procedure and laws (read as ‘power’) the fbi has in documenting, keeping and using these prints.

“…If a suspected criminal is found to be not guilty, his or her prints are supposed to be removed from the system, but that doesn’t always happen. You can also petition to have your prints removed if you received an official pardon for your crime or if the laws governing the severity of your crime have changed since your arrest.”

“…How do you know if you’re in the FBI database? According to Department of Justice rules, you have the right to submit your own fingerprints for a background check on yourself. (This allows you to contest anything that might be on your rap sheet.) Just write out a formal request and send it to the FBI, along with a full set of fingerprints and a money order for $18.”

security. we all need it. some kids need their blankets or soft toys, some hollywood stars need their bodyguards, some presidents need their secret service, some networking administrators need their lockdowns and policies. as always though, increasing security is always a trade off with something else, be it anonymity, or convenience or whatever the situation may be. the world has changed after 9-11 rather significantly.

this is a very intriguing essay on security and tradeoffs by an anonymous cso.

On any given day, we CSOs come to work facing a multitude of security risks. They range from a sophisticated hacker breaching the network to a common thug picking a lock on the loading dock and making off with company property. Each of these scenarios has a probability of occurring and a payout (in this case, a cost to the company) should it actually occur. To guard against these risks, we have a finite budget of resources in the way of time, personnel, money and equipment—poker chips, if you will.

If we’re good gamblers, we put those chips where there is the highest probability of winning a high payout. In other words, we guard against risks that are most likely to occur and that, if they do occur, will cost the company the most money. We could always be better, but as CSOs, I think we’re getting pretty good at this process. So lately I’ve been wondering—as I watch spending on national security continue to skyrocket, with diminishing marginal returns—why we as a nation can’t apply this same logic to national security spending. If we did this, the war on terrorism would look a lot different. In fact, it might even be over.

the whole article is definitely worth reading.

happy saturday to all. much required rest recieved.

was going through my page statistics. what i want to know who the heck this is.

Returning Visits: 0
Location: Massachusetts, Cambridge, United States
Hostname: CHILLI-GARLIC-SAUCE.MIT.EDU (18.240.2.123)
Entry Page: halai.blogspot.com/
Exit Page: halai.blogspot.com/
Referring URL: www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=6069006127657490084

that’s one kick ass host name. was going through my orkut list but realized i’m too old to know kids in university anymore. so whoever you are, kudos.

the world of robotics is getting crazier by the day. this has started to get close to scary now. welcome to a new world order. honda has been developing useful robots for close to twenty years. here is a chronology of all the robots that they have developed.

“The main concept behind Honda’s robot R&D was to create a more viable mobility that allows robots to help and live in harmony with people.
Research began by envisioning the ideal robot form for use in human society.
The robot would need to be able to maneuver between objects in a room and be able to go up and down stairs. For this reason it had to have two legs, just like a person.
In addition, if two-legged walking technology could be established, the robot would need to be able to walk on uneven ground and be able to function in a wide range of environments.
Although considered extremely difficult at the time, Honda set itself this ambitious goal and developed revolutionary new technology to create a two-legged walking robot.”

here is a bad ass video of ASIMO running at 3 kph.

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1113938110902, originally uploaded by halai.

friends, romans (catholics), countrymen…welcome to the dark side of the force.

[asad i.]

USDA is trying it’s level best to develop corn starch that they would feed to their cattle to get their shit smelling better.

“The scientists don’t measure odor per se, but the compounds that might cause odor. Starch that is not digested produces many odor-causing compounds in manure. If more starch is digested, less starch is available to cause odor. Starch from dry-rolled corn does not get digested as thoroughly as that in the high-moisture corn, so cattle fed high-moisture corn are less likely to produce foul-smelling manure.”

Universal automobile surveillance comes to the United Arab Emirates:

IBM will begin installing a “Smart Box” system in vehicles in the United Arab Emirates next year, potentially generating millions in traffic fines for the Gulf state. The UAE signed a $125 million contract with IBM today to provide the high-tech traffic monitoring and speed-enforcing system in which a GPS-enabled “Smart Box” would be installed in cars to provide a voice warning if the driver exceeds the local speed limit for wherever he may be driving. If the voice warning is ignored, the system would use a GSM/GPRS link to beam the car’s speed, identity and location to the police so that a ticket could be issued. The system would also track and monitor any other driving violations, including “reckless behavior.”

This kind of thing is also being implemented in the UK, for insurance purposes.

Why don’t they just stick some UPC codes on the back of our necks?

jesus christ : super cop - courtesy bandbaja

This gallery of covers from old Superboy comics has some great examples. Look at issue #87 — “Superbaby in The Thought Monster of Krypton.” The villain is a dinosaur like creature whose every thought is displayed on an organic TV screen mounted on its head. Superbaby comments: “Funny animal! Its head look like TV screen. Him thinking him want to eat me. But me not afraid! Me play with him!”

polygamy is bountiful, and they blame the muslim world for being backward.

Stella Awards [Saira Q.]

Annual Stella Awards

Once again it’s time to review the winners of the Annual Stella Awards. The Stellas are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonalds for making the coffee too hot. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States.

7th Place

January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running amok inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering that the misbehaving tyke was Ms.
Robertson’s son.

6th place

19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles, California, won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently did not notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal the hubcaps.

5th place

Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He could not reenter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family were on vacation and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for 8 days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the house owners’ insurance company, claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

4th place

Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor’s beagle.
The beagle was on a chain in its owner’s fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been a little provoked at the time as Mr. Williams, who had climbed over the fence into the yard, was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

3rd place

A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500, after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx.
The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

2nd place

Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, sued the owner of a nightclub in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out two of her front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying to crawl through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge.
She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

1st place

This year’s winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr.
Grazinski purchased a brand new Winnebago motor home. On his trip home from an Oklahoma University football game, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver’s seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway, crashed, and then overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner’s manual that he actually could not do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago motor home. The company actually changed its manuals on the basis of this suit just in case there were any other complete morons buying its recreation vehicles.

from slashdot:

“The Globe & Mail and Fortune Magazine both wrote a piece on Google, arguably one of the most important companies in the world, and its influence and impact on the Internet. In particular, they mention the effects of Google’s recent new services, like Blogger and Maps, as well as their take on how Google threatens the Microsoft Corporation. “If Sergey and Larry stick to their corporate mantra — Don’t be evil — and are able to stem degeneration into the typically corrupt corporate ethos, who knows, they may just succeed in assuming the fair and honourable dominion over the world’s information they so naively set out to achieve eight years ago in their garage.”"

whichever of you don’t have a gmail account yet, let me know. gmail just did something much cooler than revamping email.

there’s a new feature in gmail called Web Clips, which displays little headlines above your inbox or message and is fed via, um, feeds.

it looks like this.

you can add your own feeds and/or choose from their selection. it also swaps between feed headlines and ads, which is pretty clever, because it gets you looking at the ads a lot more.

dodaz
Originally uploaded by halai.

last men standing…or not. wedding fever is spreading like cancer among the dodaz.

foremail_front
Originally uploaded by halai.

You are invited to a screening of

Death in the Garden of Paradise

on the 25th of April at 6:45pm at the Royal Ontario Museum Theatre.

A film based on the deaths of painter, Zahoor ul Akhlaq and dancer Jahanara Akhlaq, who were murdered in their home in Lahore, Pakistan on January 18th, 1999. The camera roams through spaces of the home and city: through markets, shrines, mythic paradise gardens, and a necropolis in the desert. In interweaving paintings, documentary footage, dance videography and still photographs, the film comprises an intensely personal memoir on culture, dislocation and mortality.

Tickets are available through the Hot Docs box office.

Further details available at the website: Hot Docs Website