Rogue SEAL team in action

It's reported that a rogue SEAL team has taken over a US Navy nuclear submarine.

There's even photographic evidence to prove it.




Click the picture for a larger view.



Peter

Afghan roadside assistance

Or, how not to help!





*gigglesnort!*

Peter

Mac mania under the microscope

I'm sure many readers, like myself, have shaken their heads in mystified wonder at the cult-like adoration of Apple computers (and other electronics) by their users. I've never been that fascinated with any of the tools I use, whether they're computers, hammers, firearms, vehicles or whatever: but there seems to be a kind of person that falls madly in love with Apple and "preaches the Apple gospel" from then onwards, forever.

There's a new documentary coming out that seeks to analyze this phenomenon. It's called "Macheads", and is due for release in mid-year. There's an article about it here, and the trailer below gives some initial insight into the world of the Machead.





Strange . . .

Peter

Another masterpiece from Oleg Volk

My buddy Oleg has for many years produced outstanding posters and photographs supporting the Second Amendment to the US Constitution and the right to keep and bear arms. Visit one of his Web sites for an interesting dual perspective on the issue.

His latest, dealing with the epidemic of university and school shootings, is a masterpiece. (Click on the image for a larger view: click that larger view for a huge poster that can be printed.)




Says it all, doesn't it? Oh - and I'm fortunate enough to know the two ladies posing for him. If you think they can't or won't use those guns if necessary, think again! I'd love to be around to witness the poor unfortunate mugger or wannabe rapist who thinks he can take them on.

Peter

Potential risks of cellular and mobile phones

This is going to be a tricky post to write, because there's an enormous amount of confusion, doubt, uncertainty, partisan bickering and plain old obfuscation in the field. I'm no expert, but there's enough smoke out there to make me seriously concerned about the possibility of a real fire beneath it all.

We've read of the potential radiation hazard from cellular telephones. There's no authoritative ruling that it's dangerous, but some scientists make a persuasive case that it is. (Their conclusions, needless to say, are denied by the manufacturers and vendors of such devices.) Even regulatory authorities are noncommittal about it - see the US Food & Drug Administration's Q&A page, for example.

The spread of wireless computer networks - including in the home - is giving rise to more concern. There's persuasive evidence that a home wireless router emits a lot more radiation than previously thought, and no-one is sure what this may do to our health. According to one report such devices emit the same kind and levels of radiation that are found near cellular telephone masts. People living near the latter have complained about numerous symptoms including dizziness, fatigue, headaches, memory problems and nausea: some "experts" have claimed a correlation between proximity to such masts and an increase in the rate of cancer and heart disease. The report comments that "we are all now living in a soup of electromagnetic radiation one billion times stronger than the natural fields in which living cells have developed over the last 3.8 billion years".

Now a new report claims that wireless telephones, the kind found in almost every home today, may also present risks. Many of them have so-called "base stations" into which the phone is plugged to recharge. According to the report:

These phones operate using the same technology as wi-fi computer systems and mobile phones - with the base station acting like a miniature mobile phone mast.

A recent survey by the Dutch Electrohypersensitivity Foundation has found that digitally enhanced cordless telephones - Dects - are the main source of radiation in homes that have them.

The researchers claimed that they frequently cause headaches, fatigue, heart palpitations and concentration and sleep problems.

According to cancer specialist Professor Lennart Hardell from the University Hospital, in Orebro, Sweden: "The risks are the same as for mobiles, but they haven't been studied because researchers thought the Dect operated like a landline."

One of the few scientists to have included cordless phones in his studies, Professor Hardell's research suggests that habitual users have a three-fold risk of acoustic neuroma (a benign tumour between the ear and brain) and a four-fold risk of a malignant brain tumour.

But other experts dispute his findings.

And therein lies the problem. Some experts say they're dangerous - others deny it. For every report alleging potential or actual problems, there's another one (or two, or three) to reject its conclusions.

What are we supposed to do while the boffins are making up their minds? I don't know about you, but I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to make some changes to the way I use such technology.

Cellular telephone use is easy - I only use one when I'm traveling. That's such minimal use that I don't think I need to worry.

I've switched off my wireless network at home. If I want to connect my notebook to the Internet I'll carry it to my desk and plug it into my ADSL modem/router directly. It's less convenient, but it may save me health problems later on.

As for my telephones, I've used these and predecessors like them for many years:




That's about to change. I'm going to buy a couple of traditional corded telephones, put one on my desk and one on my bedside table, and relegate the cordless handset to another room for those times when I need to walk around with a phone. If I need it, I'll simply ask my caller to hold on for a moment while I go and get it.

I may be over-reacting. I simply don't know . . . but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I hope you'll think about this and draw your own conclusions. It might be "much ado about nothing" - but it might be something that will directly affect your health, your future, and ultimately your life. I urge you to follow the links I've provided above, and do a search for information about the radiation problem from cellular phones, wireless routers and telephones. Read it for yourselves so that you can make an informed decision.

Food for thought.

Peter

Wondering what to do with those old matches?

You could always ask this gentleman . . .




Yes, that car is made out of matches. Nine hundred and fifty-six thousand of them, to be precise (well, give or take a few here and there!).

According to the Daily Mail, Michael Arndt used 1,686 tubes of glue, spent about $9,000 and took six and a half years to complete it.

No word on whether or not Mr. Arndt has a girlfriend. If not, then in order to get one I daresay he'll have to exercise matchless ingenuity!



Peter

Specially for dog-lovers

I may be late with this story, but I've only just read about it.

Last Christmas the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Auckland, New Zealand, had a fund-raising brainwave.





Yes, they recorded a song that only dogs can hear! It was a great success, so much so that they're thinking of releasing it in the UK and USA this year.

In a BBC report a spokesman described the reactions of their canine listeners:

"The most violent one was a dog that physically attacked the radio when it was played and went quite beserk and totally destroyed it."

"On the other side of the scale, they just lay down and did nothing."

Thanks to YouTube, you can find out how your canine companions like doggy music. Call them over, turn up the volume, click "Play" . . . and post a comment to let us know what happens!




Peter

Fun With Miniatures

In the European market Samsung launched an advertising campaign for their ultra-slim cellphones using the catch-phrase "Millimeters Matter".

This inspired some rocket scientist types to create their own expression of that reality.







Peter

Bruce Schneier hits a home run

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Bruce Schneier's Web site. He's an authority on security, cryptography and related areas.

In a recent article in his Crypto-gram newsletter he considers the competing demands of security versus privacy - and makes some very interesting points.

We've been told we have to trade off security and privacy so often -- in debates on security versus privacy, writing contests, polls, reasoned essays and political rhetoric -- that most of us don't even question the fundamental dichotomy.

But it's a false one.

Security and privacy are not opposite ends of a seesaw; you don't have to accept less of one to get more of the other. Think of a door lock, a burglar alarm and a tall fence. Think of guns, anti-counterfeiting measures on currency and that dumb liquid ban at airports. Security affects privacy only when it's based on identity, and there are limitations to that sort of approach.

. . .

The debate isn't security versus privacy. It's liberty versus control.

. . .

You're expected to give up control of your privacy to others, who -- presumably -- get to decide how much of it you deserve. That's what loss of liberty looks like.

Brilliantly analyzed and cogently argued. Read the whole thing and keep it in mind the next time you hear some official mouthing off about giving up your privacy in the interests of security.

They're lying.

Peter

Weekend Wings #7: Aerotoxic Syndrome?

The reality of so-called "aerotoxic syndrome" has been debated for years. The airline industry, aircraft manufacturers and regulatory authorities appear to have avoided the issue, uttered pious platitudes or flat-out denied its existence for many years. However, the weight of evidence has grown so strong that it's now a major issue. I'd like to devote this "Weekend Wings" to the issue.

If you or your loved ones spend much time aboard jet airliners, this is a critically important subject that you should be following.

Until the 1960's most airliners took their cabin air directly from the outside atmosphere, compressed it, heated it and circulated it. However, with the advent of higher-pressure engines it became more economical to divert so-called "bleed air" from them (already heated by compression), cool it and send it into the cabin. Initially about half the air was drawn from this source with the rest coming from outside air: but before long it became the norm to filter and recirculate cabin air rather than draw it in from outside, again for economy reasons. Today most airliners appear to draw about half their cabin air from engine "bleed air" and the balance from recirculated air. Boeing has a page on its Web site describing the process.

This works fine . . . as long as the air isn't polluted. Tragically, it appears that engine oil compounds and byproducts are increasingly implicated as pollutants in engine "bleed air", to the point where they are major contributors to health risks. These threaten not only flight safety, but also the long-term health of those exposed to them.

Australia seems to be taking a leading role in highlighting and exposing the problem. According to a recent report:

Australian pilots are demanding a royal commission after research revealed the harmful genetic impact of breathing in toxic fumes on aircraft.

There are fears for the long-term health of passengers who may have been exposed to the chemical-laced fumes on commercial flights without knowing it.

Because of a design flaw in modern jet aircraft, unfiltered air is pumped directly from the engines into the cabin. If there is an oil leak, the air becomes laced with chemicals including tricresyl phosphate (TCP), which attacks the nervous system and can cause brain damage.

. . .

Professor Clement Furlong, from the University of Washington in Seattle, said results from blood and gene tests had shown that exposure to TCP adversely affected a person's genes.

The issue is being raised in many other countries. Recently the Daily Mail in England carried an alarming story about the problem. The author (a pilot who claims he was disabled by engine oil fumes) points out that:

. . . it is now generally accepted . . . that vaporised jet oil contains neuro-toxic, immuno-toxic, and potentially carcinogenic organophosphates that are related both to the deadly nerve gas sarin, and to the chemicals found in anti-malaria and anti-nerve drugs implicated as causing Gulf War Syndrome when given to troops in the first Gulf War.

The problem is common in the USA as well. There have been numerous lawsuits by cabin staff alleging that their health problems were caused by cabin air pollution from engine oil byproducts. In 2001 Alaska Airlines settled a class action lawsuit out of court dealing with the issue. As recently as November last year the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) reported that five US Airways cabin staff were sickened on a flight from New York to Boston. There are many more examples that I won't cite due to space limitations.

In response to all this evidence there are increasing demands for the airline industry, manufacturers and regulators to improve standards. The AFA has called for the improvement of air quality aboard aircraft, and the American Lung Association of California has called for the establishment of indoor air quality standards for airlines. Pressure groups have been established to represent airline staff and passengers, including GCAQE, the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive, the Aerotoxic Association and AOPIS, the Aviation Organophosphate Information Site. These groups are providing a valuable service by bringing together all relevant information and making it available to interested persons and parties. In particular, the last-named has links to literally hundreds of reports, articles and developments in the field.

To understand the problem in greater detail, I highly recommend two movies available on the Internet. The first, by AOPIS, may be found here. It seems to cut off after about ten minutes, but those ten minutes are very important! The second, a 22-minute in-depth news report by an Australian television station, may be found here. As you watch pilots, flight attendants, passengers, doctors and scientists discuss the issue you'll get a much better idea of its scope and importance.

I can't stress too strongly that if you or your loved ones are exposed to this danger, you should view both of these movies. They are vital to a proper understanding of the problem.

The authoritative journal Flight International recently compared the situation to that facing the tobacco industry in the 1970's:

At present the commercial air transport industry - including the manufacturers - are where the tobacco industry was in the 1970s and 1980s when it was officially denying that its products were a major cause of lung cancer while it was - simultaneously - frantically planning its own damage-limitation strategies.

We're not talking anything remotely on the same scale here, but the problem itself - a serious health issue - and the stage that research into it has reached, makes a close parallel with the tobacco industry's predicament at that time. What is vastly different is that if you want to go on flying healthily, you could be completely protected from this threat, but only once the industry admits it exists.

Perhaps it'll take massive lawsuits such as those that erupted over the risks of smoking to finally get the airlines and manufacturers to improve the situation.

Even more worrying is that cabin air pollutants aren't the only risk to health. According to a report in the authoritative periodical Airline Business:

Air cabin quality is only one of a number of airline health issues. In November the Washington-based Aviation Consumer Action Project (ACAP) joined forces with Unite, a union representing airline laundry workers, to demand improvements in onboard hygiene and cleanliness. This followed a survey of union members at Royal Laundries, which services 150 airlines in the USA, who claimed they were instructed to repackage used airline blankets and headphones without cleaning them. At the same time, laboratory tests at Superior Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio, on blankets "obtained from several of the largest airlines in the world" revealed the presence of pathogens including Pseudomonas paucimobilis. This has been known to cause infections in the lungs and eyes as well as cause contamination of the blood system, says Unite.

These findings, the two organisations say, back earlier research by a number of US television stations. In 1997, WBNS-TV of Columbus, Ohio, revealed that 78% of surfaces, including blankets, pillow cases, tray tables and head rests, were contaminated with disease-causing microbes.

The study, conducted with the help of Superior Laboratories, covered all 10 major carriers serving Port Columbus International Airport and dozens of flights within the USA and to Canada. Regardless of the airline, or the cabin class, all items were "just as unclean" and had been "rarely, if ever cleaned or disinfected". Among the pathogens WBNS detected was Escherichia coli, which is potentially lethal.

Labelling the airlines "germlines", the ACAP and Unite have called on the US DoT inspector general to investigate "charges of grossly unsanitary conditions on airliners" and an end to airline exemption from "enforceable sanitary codes".

Having failed to obtain any action from the DoT, which argues that this matter is out of its remit, Unite is now issuing passengers with their own test tubes, swabs and an address of a testing laboratory. "Passengers can now see how dirty aircraft are for themselves," says a spokesman.

I hope you'll take the time to follow up on this issue, read the articles linked above, and become part of the growing movement to solve this problem before any more people are sickened, injured or even killed by it. I think it's very important indeed.

Peter

Anyone for a swim?

In Newfoundland?

In sub-zero temperatures?

Temperatures so cold that when waves break on the shore, they do this?





Y'know, I'd heard about how cold it gets up there in winter, but I'd never have believed this without video evidence!

I'm getting cold just watching it . . . and as for that idiot in shorts and a T-shirt (4.03 and 4.20), what the heck is he trying to prove?

Brrr!

Peter

EDITED TO ADD: It seems that the user account of the person who posted that video on YouTube has been suspended or withdrawn for some reason, so the video is no longer viewable. It showed waves breaking in the form of ice, building up a heaped barrier of the stuff all along the coastline and against a harbor wall. The video may become viewable again if the user's account is reactivated by YouTube.

Stockbrokers And Superstition Redux

A couple of days ago I blogged about the problems of belief in witchcraft, witch-doctors and the madness that sometimes accompanies such credulity.

In response, a friend (thanks, Dave!) sent me a link to a recent BBC report about Indian stockbrokers.

Indian brokers at the Bombay Stock Exchange are calling on the authorities to bring in religious experts to change the direction of a bronze bull statue.

They say the posterior of the bull, placed at the footsteps of the exchange building, points towards the traders which makes it inauspicious.

. . .

They want the religious experts to consult astrological charts to see if its rear end should point in a more auspicious direction.

Ah . . . er . . . um . . . well, yes!

If a bull's backside pointed in your direction makes your trading day unlucky, may I suggest another consideration?

If its horns were pointed towards you instead it'd be a damn sight more unlucky!

Either way, you'd end up in the s***, I suppose . . .



Peter

Saturday humor

Be warned.

This might just render you helpless with laughter.

(How do I know this? Trust me. I know this.)

(Note: Use your mouse to raise the volume on the video - the control's in the bottom right-hand corner. It's rather quiet.)







Peter

The sweet goodness of golden syrup

Living here in the USA I've been introduced to many things to put on pancakes: maple syrup, molasses, preserves, and so on.

However, it seems that few, if any, in this wonderful country have been exposed to the delights of Tate & Lyle's Golden Syrup.




I grew up with the stuff in South Africa. I still drool as I recall the rich, sweet goodness of it drizzled onto hot pancakes or stirred into thick porridge. Yummy indeed!

The reason I mention it is that this year marks the 125th anniversary of its introduction. The Daily Mail has an excellent article about its history, traditions and production - very interesting to those who like social history. For example:

• It accompanied Scott to the Antarctic;
• It was beloved of servicemen in both World Wars (and was packaged in cardboard "cans" during World War I due to the shortage of tin);
• The factory was hit by six high-explosive bombs, sixty-one incendiaries and a parachute mine in World War II, enduring 69 consecutive days and 79 consecutive nights of air-raids;
• It ages as well or better than fine wine - connoisseurs know to look for the oldest tins they can find, as it seems to taste better the older it gets (forget the "sell by" date!);
  
• The factory produces 20,000 tons of the stuff each year (the equivalent of forty million tins of the size illustrated above).

If you've never tasted it, may I recommend that you buy a can and try it for yourself? It's very different to most American syrups, and in my humble opinion is actually better than most of them. Let me know what you think of it. It's available from Amazon and other retailers.

Peter

The trials and tribulations of a householder

Every now and again someone hits the nail on the head.

Sometimes it's screamingly funny.

The latest person to make me laugh out loud while nodding my head in understanding and approval is Richard Glover, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald. He bravely tackles the subject of keeping house.

A few excerpts to whet your appetite:

At home, we've just swapped over to the new energy-saving lightbulbs. They're an amazing piece of technology: every time you turn on a light switch, the room gets darker. Fit the whole house with them and you end up in total darkness.

. . .

The bank may enjoy flexing its muscles about the mortgage but if it doesn't act fast there'll be nothing left. Each evening I fix one thing, only to have two more things go wrong. If I stop the tap dripping in the bathroom, two fresh leaks spring forth from the washing machine. I'm like the kid in front of the Dutch dyke not knowing which hole to plug first.

. . .

Due to the mid-summer rain, the lawn now needs cutting every 30 minutes. It's like painting the Harbour Bridge: as soon as you've finished, it's time to start again. Leave it for five minutes and it's waist-high. Children and dogs get lost in it. A herd of bison grazes up by the clothesline.

Wonderfully funny stuff. Read the whole thing and laugh!

Peter

Best Valentines Day card ever?

From The Sniper, with a hat-tip to Tam for finding it first:





*gigglesnort!*

Peter

And you thought 18-wheelers were bad!

In some parts of the world the standard American 18-wheeler heavy truck would be looked upon with disdain.

The good people at Dark Roasted Blend (one of the most interesting Web sites I've ever discovered) have just published a fascinating post on "monster truck trains". To whet your appetite, here's the two-way mammoth from Emirates Truck Factory, which can carry up to 2,290 metric tonnes (over 2,500 US tons) (click for larger image):




Then there's the South African "road train", which I recall seeing in that country on several occasions as I drove around the highways and byways:




See here for the full article. I hope I never have to get past one of these beasts in my little pickup - it would be daunting, to say the least!

Peter

Hairy take-off

Having posted a couple of videos of "interesting" landings, here's one of a Russian-built Ilyushin 76 jet freighter taking off from an Australian airport. One of the problems with the Il-76 is that it accelerates relatively slowly . . . and when it's heavily loaded (as this one was, with a full cargo plus fuel for an eleven-hour flight) it's even more so.

The commentary from the Australian controllers filming the take-off is funny and (at one point) rather profane: but given the closeness of the call, that's not surprising. (If you're at work you might want to turn your speakers down - there's a very rude word near the end.)

Here's how it went.





Close call, I'd say!

Peter

Of witches, witch-doctors and the disposal thereof

It may sound strange to Western ears, but belief in witchcraft, the power of witch-doctors and the traffic in muti (medicine, potions, call it what you will) conveying power or warding off evil is rampant across much of the globe.

I was reminded of this by a recent outcry in Sweden concerning plans by a music group to stage the burning of a witch as part of their act. Local womens groups are up in arms at the proposal. However, such acts are horrifyingly commonplace all over the world, even today - as are murders committed by alleged witches or witch-doctors. It amazes me how little people in the First World realize this.

To give some examples: today the BBC reports on efforts to persuade the King of Saudi Arabia to halt the execution of a woman convicted of witchcraft by an Islamic court. I've just run a quick search on the IOL Web site with the keywords "witch killing" and found 51 reports from the past decade - on this one news site alone! It cites incidents in Nigeria, Tanzania, multiple cases in South Africa, Zaire and Malaysia, not to mention a spill-over case in London, England. Try it for yourself - click on any one of those links, type "witch killing" into the search box and spend a while looking through the results. Remember, this is one news site in one country. There are many, many more such reports.

I've personally witnessed this fixation on witch-doctors and witchcraft in many Third World countries. Even educated professionals with multiple university degrees are so indoctrinated about this from their youth that they can't shake it off. For example, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa is the biggest and most active on the African continent. It's up-to-date and thoroughly modern . . . but if you walk down Diagonal Street to reach it, you'll pass many "muti shops" where stockbrokers and traders will buy "medicine" to guarantee good fortune for the day's trading or bad luck to their competitors. Another example: white members of the South African national soccer team were dumbfounded in the 1990's to find that their (black) coach had put packets of muti into the toes of their football boots. They took them out - whereupon the black members of the team refused to play unless they put them back, because if only some of the team used the "medicine" their defeat was certain!

We have similar problems in the West, but we tend to ascribe them to psychological issues rather than witchcraft (for example the tragic case of Andrea Yates). Nevertheless, the outcome is the same. More credulous members of our society will fit right into the "witchcraft" idiom. You don't believe me? I have news for you, my friend. Go to New Orleans and look around the "voodoo" stores downtown - and the number of customers! Visit a local spiritualist center and check out the "seances". Look at the number of people around you who wouldn't think of letting a day go by without consulting their horoscope, or biorhythms, or some other fancy forecasting method, and conduct their lives accordingly. It's all BS, of course, but try to convince them of that!

We've got a long, long way to go before we can uproot ignorance and superstition from our society. I suppose the best way is still humor. I recall with glee the "Not The Nine O'Clock News" version of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Macbeth and Banquo meet the three witches on the "blasted heath". The chief witch turns to Banquo and says to him, "Thou shalt not be King, but thou shalt be Royal."

His reply? (In a falsetto, gay voice) "Oh, I'm going to be Queen!"



Peter

An historic date in figure-skating

On February 14, 1984, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won the gold medal in pairs ice-skating at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics with their interpretation of Ravel's "Bolero".

Not only did they gain twelve out of eighteen perfect scores for technical performance, they became the first couple in the history of the sport to obtain nine perfect scores - the maximum possible - for artistic impression.

Torvill smiled as the gold medal was hung around her neck and Dean had to fight back tears as he stood on the Olympic podium to receive his award.

"Tonight we reached the pinnacle. I don't remember the performance at all. It just happened," Dean said.

"But I think it was the most emotional performance we have ever given. What just happened out there - getting the medals - that is what we've worked for so hard for so long."

Torvill added: "I just don't believe it. I don't think we'll get to bed tonight at all . . . "

Seems to me that's a fitting memory with which to commemorate Valentine's Day . . . so here it is.





Peter