Friday, December 07, 2001

Devin, it must be humiliating to be so wrong. Arafat denounced the terrorist attacks as soon as they took place, and his police arrested 80 people suspected of involvement before the Israelis even began attacking his infrastructure. Currently the Palestinians are holding 180 people suspected of involvement in the attacks.

But "began attacking" is a misnomer, as the IDF has consistently attacked Palestinian Authority infrastructure since September of 2000. While claiming they want nothing more than a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Middle East, the IDF keeps Palestinian-controlled areas in a state of constant provocation. Anytime the Palestinians lash out, the Israelis use it as a justification to destroy more infrastructure, all the while insisting that Arafat bring the region under control. We saw this very clearly in the first days of the conflict. Several Israeli soldiers were captured and killed in a Palestinian-controlled area. The Palestinian Authority arrested the men responsible and put them in the local jail, which the IDF promptly destroyed with attack helicopters. More than anything else, this erodes the Palestinian public's confidence in Arafat to lead and protect, and incites them to more violence against the Israelis. The duplicitousness comes into play when the Israelis tell the Palestinian Authority and the world that they're holding the PA responsible for policing its own people, but behaves in such a way that the PA can't effectively do anything. The duplicitousness also comes into play when Sharon or anyone in the Israeli government claims to want peace.

You shouldn't worry about the power vacuum created by the inevitable collapse of Arafat's regime. Sharon and the IDF are deliberately destabilizing the Palestinian Authority, so that they have a pretense for the reoccupation of the Palestinian-controlled territories. Then everything will back just as it was in 1992, and all the Israelis will be happy again, or at least as happy as they were before the Oslo Accords.

And so, in conclusion, Devin, don't be a Playah Hatah!

As for Jeremy's Japan fetish: Jeremy, if you want to know more about a culture, you need look no further than their weirdass pornography. My theory is that the Japanese are such a bunch of jerks about World War II because we never really made them admit they lost. MacArthur felt that there was no way for us to effectively occupy and rebuild Japan without the full support of the Emperor. And the full support of the Emperor meant we couldn't do anything to make him lose face in front of his people. This meant that we couldn't try him for War Crimes like we should have, we couldn't kick him in the nuts like we should have, and we couldn't make him pay for the war like we should have. Germany lost the war, hardcore, and is still paying reparations. The Japanese, after a few days of admitting they lost, quickly changed into the-War-is-over-and-we-didn't-win mode. We never forced them to pay reparations to the millions upon millions of Southeast Asians whose lives were ruined by the Japanese occupation. We never even forced them to apologize or admit they were wrong. Even if we had, it would have conveniently slipped from the collective Japanese Conscience very quickly. If I were MacArthur, I would've gouged out Hirohito's eyes with my corncob pipe and built a 1000 foot tall statue on Mount Fuji that says "We kicked the shit out of you because you were jerks to the world, and don't you forget it!" in English, and then I would've made all the Japanese children learn English so they could read it themselves. These opinions may have been influenced by the documentary I watched about American POWs used as slave labor by the Japanese. They sued for reparations from the Japanese, thinking a precedent had been set by the case against IG Farben and Bayer and many other German companies. They got nothing, not even an acknowledgment from their own government. They're right to feel betrayed.

.: posted by andy 12/7/2001

Duplicitous: adj. Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech.

After weekend suidice attacks where 30 were killed, Ariel Sharon said, "We are at war with terror." Sound familiar? He then proceeded to say that Arafat, as the leader of an area that seeks independence had better start acting like a leader and bring those responsible to justice. Arafat responds by putting the 'spiritual leader' of Hamas under house arrest; a 60 year old quadriplegic.

Fatah, which is Arafat's group, and Hamas, the ones who have taken responsibility for the weekend attacks and several other suicide attacks this year, have basically integrated into a single group, starting in summer of '99.

I don't like Sharon, a war and hate monger, but he does have a point about Arafat. If Arafat wants to be a leader of a nation, and a group of his citizens goes and attacks a bordering country, he has two choices, declare war on said country, or do everything in his power to bring those international criminals to justice. He has done neither.

His own personal security force, who also acts as national police, has publicly shown support for Hamas and previous attacks on Israel. THis is probably where the 'attacks on Palistinian police' come from.

Arafat's power is erroding, unless he takes hold of the reins and does something really drastic, he's gone in a few months. With him goes the current 'peace process'. The power vacuum will be bad news. Hamas seems like the strongest group in Palistine right now, so they'll probably fill it. Hamas, by the by, is not all bad. They are like the early al Queda, supporting widows and children, fighting for the rights of an oppressed people. They also have a militant wing, though.

I think that this is a crossroads, Sharon and Arafat are of the older generation, both born before Israel existed. At this crossroads it will be interesting to see if Israeli and Palistinian groups go back to the way it was, or if Sharon represents the final throes of the old way. But either way, Ariel Sharon has not been duplicitous. He has worn his goals on his arm since he ran for office.

Jeremy: aye before ee except after see.

.: posted by Grand Inquisitor Fnord Moco 12/7/2001

Thursday, December 06, 2001

The worst-ever attempt at a clever headline.

I found that story because I was looking for stuff about modern Japanese culture and perceptions. I heard that in Japanese bookstores there are entire sections devoted to historical fiction about Japan winning wwII. With war crimes tribunals for American officers and all. We were able to sufficiently pound it into every German's head that they really were the bad guys in wwII, so much so that I think it's a crime for Germans to say anything nice about the Nazis in Germany. Where did we go wrong with Japan? I suppose there's the whole "you dropped the bomb on us, so you can't claim any moral high ground" argument, but even that argument is weak at best. Anyway, the news is getting very cyclical and predictable again, so I get more interested in other countries' cultures. It's interesting to hear that educated people in other civilized countries percieve things differently. Most news coverage is so dependant on sound-bytes that they never get into important cultural perceptions that most americans aren't even aware of. That's a big reason why I got into Tom Clancy books for a while. He tended to talk about cultural perceptions. For example, your average suburbanite Japanese views the Samarai way of life much like your suburbanite American slob views the Old West/Cowboy way of life. You can't get that kind of stuff from the news. I guess my problem here is that I've never been a big literature person. Not that I'd call Clancy literature, but if my engineering education hadn't been so narrowly focused, I'd at least know in what direction I should go to read about these kinds of things, fiction or not.

.: posted by Jeremy 12/6/2001

The Israeli government insists that the Palestinian Authority arrests 35 people suspected of involvement in the latest suicide attacks, or else it's WAR. Then they attack Palestinian police stations with helicopters and planes. Duplicitous much?

.: posted by andy 12/6/2001

More on the JDAM.

.: posted by andy 12/6/2001

More info about the Goner virus.

.: posted by andy 12/6/2001

I meant to post about those JDAM systems earlier today. In the last two weeks 25 Americans were wounded and 3 killed (not to mention similar numbers of Afghan casualties) when JDAM-guided bombs missed their targets. I guess you get what you pay for. CNN has a neat little pop-up guide to American munitions.

.: posted by andy 12/6/2001

Here's a story that seems like it could come straight out of the 17th century. Pirates Kill Famous Sail-Boat Captain While Exploring the Amazon River.

.: posted by Jeremy 12/6/2001

From what I've read, it appears the Goner virus started in Europe, and is spreading very quickly. Don't know of anything around here, though, and I don't have Outlook, so I'm immune to all of these email virus scripts.

I stumbled on a cool search on google just now. I found some link on an AP article to the Air Force's JDAM, basically a smart bomb tailfin attachment that goes on standard 1000 and 2000-pound bombs. GPS as well as gyro guided, weatherproof(apparently the ones we used in Desert storm weren't), and dirt cheap compared to most military things.

I also didn't know that the AF initiative to go to space was so serious. They have all these test satelites and prototype vehicles and stuff. NASA was never going to make any real progress in practical space travel or use, but the Air Force will. Maybe in 30 years, I'll be able to buy a decommisioned Space Maneuver Vehicle, like that rancher in Montana that was buying functional Cobras and hunting coyotes with them.

MS is resorting to the same crap Netscape pulled back right before they went insolvent and were bought by AOL. If you type in a URL wrong, it no longer takes you to some generic search page, but to an MSN page complete with banner ads, MSN toolbar, and pop-under ad window.

.: posted by Grand Inquisitor Fnord Moco 12/6/2001

Wednesday, December 05, 2001

The college where I work (for some unknown reason; I'm retired) got hammered yesterday and today by the Goner virus - tens of thousands of messages. People can't seem to learn to not open attachments on emails from someone they don't know. It not only spread throughout the college systemm, it wiped out antiviral software on many machines. The system administrator was not a happy camper. I have a Mac, so was blithely unconcerned (he was not amused at that either). I can't find anything on Yahoo other than a warning posted yesterday. Anyone have knowledge of attacks in your areas? He said it was a problem nationwide.

.: posted by George 12/5/2001

It's great to hear from you, Stephanie! We need more diverse voices here. Sorry to hear about the computer problems. Never having lived in another country, I am curious about the language situation in Japan. Did you know any Japanese before going over? Have you been able to pick any up? At your language level(whatever that may be), is it difficult to get around in the general population, or is the society accomodating to English-speakers; and is there an English district, like 'Chinatown' so to speak?

So, Walmart has this DVD-player for $88. It's an Apex Digital AD1500. I first heard about Apex over a year ago, when they introduced a generic DVD player that was supposed to be identical to most others, and considerably cheaper. I guess prices have fallen more since then. From what I gather, they're basically a white-box manufacturer that decided to start selling directly to the public, instead of rebranding. Circuit City has it online right now for $79.99, with free shipping, supposedly. I like the idea that consumer electronics are becoming comoditized. Especially digital ones, since there are like 3 companies that make all the chips, as well as the reference designs, and all you're paying for in difference is soldering, advertising, and the nameplate.

.: posted by Grand Inquisitor Fnord Moco 12/5/2001

well, that's it. the jury's in. i can't post from work. i've spent a week attempting to post something from computers there, and it just isn't happening. and at home i don't have unlimited internet access. (not really at work, either, come to think of it. 4 computers, 40 or so teachers. you do the math. but it is free there). anyway, this is the last version of the message i've been attempting to post for the last week:

I hate japanese computers. the keyboards suck, and everything is in
kanji. This is my third attempt at posting to this website from work, and
if it doesn`t work I`m giving up. Problem is I can`t read the error
messages, and somehow I just erased my entire second attempt by pushing
what I thought was the apostrophe key. blasted this is annoying

Originally I started out this message with a cheerful, hi guys. miss me?
but i`m feeling grumbly and annoyed now so that doesn`t really work
anymore. Instead I`ll complain some more. Japan smells like diesel fuel
and burnt rubber today, undoubtedly due to trash-burning day yesterday.

Work is unamusing today. I read the boring paper, did the crossword,
stared at the ceiling, and now I`ve commandeered the computer in an attempt
to alleviate boredom. I can do that cause all the other teachers are in a
meeting to which I wasn`t invited (thankfully, as i`m certain it`s conducted
in japanese, assuring further boredom if attended). This is finals week,
which explains my lack of mental stimulus. I, as a lowly assistant english
teacher, am not responsible for making or giving tests. But I still get
paid so I have to be here. blah.

My sister`s fiance, Jason Kane, is a 3D artist, and just recently, he was
one of 8 people chosen out of a thousand or so applicants to have his work
published on Raph. Apparently their site
acts as a bit of a liaison to the big wig digital graphics companies.
Jason`s already been offered a job in England as a result of the exposure he gets from this site. I
was sufficiently impressed, so i thought I`d share.

I`m drinking a lot of href="http://pages.map.com/lroberge/greentea.htm">green tea these days
in an effort to stay warm. You`d think they would heat the school, but I
guess they figure that if they provide free unlimited (hot) tea to all the
teachers no one will complain about the cold, drafty, uninsulated
workplace. They may be right. The gaijin is the only one whom seems
bothered. But according to this site the tea`s fighting those evil cancer cells
I smoked at the party this weekend.

see there's an upside to everything.. humph.

.: posted by aida 12/5/2001

Tuesday, December 04, 2001

For the 27th, are we making our own BBQ, or going out somewhere? Do I need to reserve the smoker? And, are we planning on going to some public range, or to my brother's house?

.: posted by Grand Inquisitor Fnord Moco 12/4/2001

The Segway HT is not as bad as you make it seem. When I first read the details I thought that it was way overhyped, but then I see Andy's maniacal ranting and feel compelled to defend it.

First, it's sustained speed is 12.5mph, peak is greater than that. And while the speed limit from your house to campus is 35-40, your average speed is prolly closer to 15-20. In fact, mapquest tells me that the distance from your house to Market and Aycock, the other side of campus, is 2.3 miles, which means that your average speed is like 14mph, pretty close to the speed of the Segway. Of course, you can blame the slowness of traffic on the 17 lights you have to go through to get there, as well as all of the other people on the road.

To 9AM class, then home for lunch, use it to walk the dogs, back to class, then stop downtown to get something for Beth, and you get home just fine, unstranded, and with a little more range left, so you can use it to walk the dogs that night.

80 pounds is a lot, almost twice as much as a brand new Kirby vacuum cleaner or a mountain bike.

And finally, $3000 is way high, but they aren't even available to the general public, only commercial fleets right now, and when all of this buzz came out about Ginger a year ago, he said specifically that there would be 2 models, a fancy one out first and a second one aimed at the 'common man' at half the price, maybe as low as $1000. So, I say let them recoup development costs on corporate clients, and see how it goes.

It is also much easier to use than bikes or razor scooters, and even less effort than walking. It would be completely useless to me where I live, since the closest gas station is 5 miles away, but for you, Andy, it would be almost perfect. Think about those heady days when you were employed, and the cost of it was three weeks pay. You walked over half a mile to work and home every day, and you do live a mile from downtown, but with the layout of the roads and traffic and parking, it takes almost as long to drive downtown as walk it. Of course you don't walk it because it's too much effort, but a Segway would remove the effort, and make it faster than using a car. And, unlike scooters and bikes and gocarts and NEVs and all that jazz, it is as mobile as a pedestrian. Doesn't need roads or bikeracks, you could literally take it anywhere a wheelchair could go plus some, and it wouldn't be as invasive. And, unlike scooters, skateboards, bikes, or anything else with less than 3 wheels, it doesn't take any skill or balance to use it. If you can stand and lean forward and back, you are an expert. It can be used indoors and in narrow corridors with no ill effects. Try taking your Vespa or Honda Rebel in the elevator and see how that flies. Try turning your mountain bike around in a hallway or backing out of someone's way.

In conclusion, useful in LA or Houston? No. Useful in in rural areas? No. Bay Area, NY, Portland? Very. Almost any city or town that isn't based on Interstate Highways? Yes. Expensive? Pretty, but not in the same category as a Ducati. A technological marvel? Yes. Economically viable to large organizations, like USPS, even Thundercloud Subs? Yes.

I think I'll wait for personal teleportation devices, or a solar Stirling cycle engine powered hovercraft.

Speaking of solar, a photo of a guy getting pulled over for running 50 in a 30mph zone in his solar car:

.: posted by Grand Inquisitor Fnord Moco 12/4/2001

The Feds searched O.J. Simpson's house in Miami. Something about Ecstasy and Intergalactic Space Fraud. All along I thought he was just a jerk with fancy lawyers, but now I have to wonder if he's some kind of criminal mastermind.

.: posted by andy 12/4/2001

So, the Segway HT is the evolution of human transport, eh? I was all set to buy one, coz I need a cheap way to commute to campus and back. I went and read up on it. It's a piece of crap, and I hope that the people who invested in it lose their money.

1. It's only intended for pedestrian environments. Right away I realize that this will only work in extremely compact urban environments.
   
2. Its maximum speed is 12.5 mph, three times walking speed. If it takes me 10 minutes to drive to campus at 35-40 mph, my rudimentary math skills tell me the Segway will triple my commute time to 30 minutes, assuming I have uninterrupted sidewalks all the way there.
   
3. It has a maximum range of 17 miles before it needs recharging, but they say that after accounting for terrain and weather variables, you can really only count on 11 miles per charge.. That's barely enough to get me to campus and back. If I need to come home for lunch or run any errands during the day, I'll wind up stranded.
   
4. It weighs 80 pounds. Back in the day when people found the patent drawings, there was a picture of it being folded into a suitcase. I thought it was supposed to be easily man-portable. 80 pounds worth of scooter, not to mention books and art supplies, will make me tired.
   
5. $3000?!?!? Kiss my lilly-white ass. Let's see what else we can buy for $3000:
   Honda Elite 80 (with change left over to buy a stereo system)
   
   Vespa ET2, the Honda Elite's trendier cousin, seats 2
   
   A used Honda Rebel or two...
   
   GT `01 DHi Race, a mountain bike. It'll go as fast as you make it, and you won't have to plug it in when you get there.
   
   85 Razor Scooters, more portable, just as fast, and easier to transport. I thought the craze for these things was ridiculous, but the Segway POS has really opened my eyes to the practicality of the Razor Scooter.
   
   

.: posted by andy 12/4/2001

Somebody finally called me an Ass today at work. It was backhanded affection. It's wonderful. I'm so happy I'm having such an impact on this place. Before long everybody here will be grumbling just like me.

.: posted by Jeremy 12/4/2001

Monday, December 03, 2001

Rahzel, the Human Beatbox. Really, really amazing. Go download some of his mp3s if you don't believe it.

Darling Ellen, the Bolivian Barracuda might maybe meet up with us on the 27th.

.: posted by andy 12/3/2001

IT, aka Ginger, aka officially Segway Human-Transport. This looks like it would have been nice for getting around campus at UT, but 3k is a lot for a scooter. So much for an invention that would make cars obsolete. so much hype... blah. I think I'll wait for the fuel cell based electric car.

.: posted by Jeremy 12/3/2001

Yesterday's Fortune

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