This was actually taken quite a while ago - last spring I believe? Never got around to processing these and posting them until now. Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, VA is a great place to get some scenic photos if you happen to be in the area!
December 2008 Archives
Michael Yon has a report from Afghanistan posted over on Pajamas Media. It's interesting first-hand reporting, but the best part is the description of Lithuanian Special Forces towards the end:
Americans say that the Lithuanians are sort of a weaponized version of Borat, who think nothing of sauntering around a base in nothing but flip-flops and underwear....
Check out the rest of the article!
Bet you think this is about Iraq, right?
Wrong. This is about San Bernardino County in California, USA. That's right, US Marines assisted the California Highway Patrol with a DUI checkpoint on a public highway. Now, this isn't like tanks rolling into Tianamen Square, I admit. But if you've heard of Posse Comitatus you know that the military isn't supposed to be used for police actions inside our own borders.
This is definitely a bad trend....
via Clint.
The Chicago Tribune has a full little quiz where you can guess who said the mystery quote - a 9 year-old boy in his book on women, or the Playboy Bunnies from Girls Next Door.
I only missed one! Beat that! :-P
LOLCODE, I CAN HAZ IT?
7 Images Too Badass to be Real (That Totally Are) - I especially like #4!
One of my chief peeves with the auto bailout has been the persistent assertion that the "Big 3" are the last hope for American manufacturing. But Newsweek has an article about the other automotive sector in this country - the non-union southern-based "foreign" cars made in America.
This is just a beautiful minimalist composure. Enjoy your weekend!
MSNBC has posted another article talking about how prisoners were tortured as part of the war on terror. Honestly, it makes me sick to my stomach to read things like this:
Ruhal Ahmed, a Briton who was captured in Afghanistan, describes excruciating sessions at Guantanamo Bay. He said his hands were shackled to his feet, which were shackled to the floor, forcing him into a painful squat for periods of up to two days.
"You're in agony," Ahmed, who was released without charge in 2004, told Reprieve. He said the agony was compounded when music was introduced, because "before you could actually concentrate on something else, try to make yourself focus on some other things in your life that you did before and take that pain away.
"It makes you feel like you are going mad," he said.
and....
[Donald Vance of Chicago, held at a detention center in Iraq: ] "I had no blanket or sheet. If I had, I would probably have tried suicide," he said. "I got to a few points toward the end where I thought, 'How can I do this?' Actively plotting, 'How can I get away with it so they don't stop it?"'
Asked to describe the experience, Vance said: "It sort of removes you from you. You can no longer formulate your own thoughts when you're in an environment like that."
He was released after 97 days.
Those are the stories of the people that the US couldn't earn a conviction against. Welcome to the treatment you can expect at the hands of the "greatest country on earth" as some "patriots" like to claim. Here's a news flash for you - Donald Vance was a US citizen, held by the US, with no recourse to the courts. What does that mean? It means each and every one of us better realize that it could happen to us.
If you believe America should be a beacon of freedom to the world, then it's time to start getting our government to believe in the freedom and dignity of individuals.
Finally getting out of work... But I get to work tomorrow (Saturday) too. Yippee!
Since we're in Montgomery, looks like a good time to run to lunch!
It's sad but true that so many people in America have no real experience outside of their culture. For a family in Houston, this manifested itself as policy harassment when their house was broken into. When I was a kid, I pretty much bought the "cops are your friends" line. And even when I was a young adult, I more or less trusted the police, even though I was dimly aware that there were bad apples out there.
But the sad truth is, the vast majority of people in general are plain 'ole afraid of people different than them. And when you put people in a position of power, that fear needs to be confronted and addressed on an institutional level. Unfortunately, with sheriffs' offices having a hard time affording bullet resistant vests, I don't foresee a jump in sensitivity training anytime soon.
Link via Clint.
Ars Technica has an article on why multi-core processors are going to lose out in the long run. This type of parallel programming problem was talked about in some of my senior level classes at Virginia Tech. The real problem is that there's only so many problems that fit the parallel programming model. After you start stretching the model, you're basically into the realm of "solution looking for a problem" and you can't get the performance benefits you'd naively expect. So it sounds like all the fun research will be in memory buses for the next few years.
So, as part of my planning for heading back to Alabama, I think I'll take a bunch of my camera equipment with me. My friends Mark & Lisa have a Nikon DSLR that they're thinking about buying some extra lenses for and last time I was down we talked about some of the options. I figure I can bring mine down and maybe we can hang out one evening and check them out.
Also, I've unexpected come into possession of a Sigma 400mm f/5.6 lens. While I was talking to Mom about teleconverters, she dug this lens out and said "Oh, I'm not using this anymore, so you're welcome to it if you want." ORLY? So it's not a superb piece of optical work like my Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR, but it's free and it seems to work pretty well. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it out while I'm in Alabama and see if I can capture some wildlife with my DSLR instead of the Casio EX-F1.
In other preparations, I have about ten pounds of mail to go through. :-/ (Note: If you measure you're mail in pounds, you're probably doing it wrong. lol) So I guess that will be occupying a huge chunk of my time before I leave. I want to run down to the post office today and see if they have a check for me. I got an invoice into work this week, but it was kinda late and I don't know if they'll have paid it this week or next.
Other random updates - I got a Visioneer Road Warrior scanner. After a few failed attempts at calibrating it, I finally got it working. I got it on sale from Staples.com for $149 and for the money I think it's worth it. The quality is hardly on par with a flatbed scanner, but let's face it - I bought this thing to scan receipts and submit expense reports. Mission Accomplished. So if you're a road warrior that is looking for something like this, I'd say "do it".
Well, also on the to-do list before leaving is to get the Christmas tree out of the attic for Mom. So I guess I'll go try to pull the boxes out of there with or without Dad. Wish me luck!
Since I'm currently "not working" I took Kukulah (the family dog) into town with me today. One of our favorite walking spots is the Winchester Green Circle - a small walking trail along the west side of town. At this particular point it cuts through a wetland around Abrams Creek and gives access to some nice views and the occasional bird sighting. Always a relaxing interlude in the day's activities.
Later, I met with Li-Tao down at BW3s for some wings and hanging out. Unfortunately, the wings were a little over cooked tonight - they were much better a lunch last week. And apparently I'm more sensitive to spice today too, since I was having a hard time finishing my Mango Habanero wings. Li-Tao and I talked about possibly going in on some rental property together. Something to investigate further tomorrow.
