The Internet was again attacked, resulting in global slowdown. I, first hand witnessed the global slowdown frustratingly. Although the servers in the US seems to work now, a lot other servers are still suffering from the cyber attack. Out of all this, somebody suggested everybody to block port 1434. I have no idea why.
Note that the last attack on global internet traffic was less than four months ago.
Read all about it here.
Currently, two unexpected teams are running up high in Big Ten basketball Conference, attaining the first and the second rung at the Big Ten Conference respectively. Iowa and Michigan are proving that rating is nothing without performance. Currently, both are not rated. Even the highly rated Illinois is trying to find some firm ground to step on.
thought we suck but I guess the others suck more but frankly, I think Michigan is a pretender but we’ll see sooner or later whether I’m right or wrong. I don’t know about Iowa though but for Illinois, like what USC said to Notre Dame, ‘OVERRATED!’
Now, lets move on to a more serious matter.
The Republicans are trying to pursue permission from the Senate to drill Alaska all out.
Alaska is the last frontier state. Wilderness roams free here and there with minimum Human interference. The only city that I know exists in Alaska is Anchorage and the size is pathetically small relative to some other continental cities.
Being the last frontier means a backwater state without much development. Nevertheless, what makes Alaska in the spotlight is its oil and gas reserve. According to statistics, there is about 6 to 13 billion barrels worth of crude oil. Of course that figure looks big, especially for Bush. Unfortunately, comparatively, that figure is nothing and would only provide the US energy worth only for a very short term. For comparison, the UK has 15 billions barrel of crude oil. Imagine, 15 billion barrels for so small an area. Now, imagine, the possibility of 6 billion barrels worth of crude oil scattered all over Alaska – it’s simply defined-stupidity to dig up an area with the size of Alaska for such a small supply. Check this out if you don’t trust me on the figures.
For the Greens and to whole lots of other people minus Bush and his allies, it doesn’t make any sense to dig up the whole Alaskan soil just for an oil supply worth perhaps not even a decade. In addition, there are a lot more in Texas after years of digging. Why does Bush need to dig more?
One could that the world is currently facing oil supply shortage. The current situation in Venezuela and Iraq doesn’t help in engaging the problem. But again, the problems in Venezuela and Iraq are caused by the US itself.
In my opinion, just let the OPEC nations increase their production rate. There is no need to kill Alaska just for the sake of oil.
Bush, you suck, period.
p/s – below is one of the best posts I’ve ever read in a forum. It’s short but it makes sense. The post concerns the first Israeli in space.
Human idiots
by: claudiagiraffe (F/Orlando) 01/19/03 08:09 am
Msg: 2763 of 2776
7 recommendationsWhy do these new astronauts insist on taking earthly problems into space? Space should be the new frontier, not just one more place to use for someone’s personal agenda.
That he’s an Israeli shouldn’t even be news. All that should matter is that he’s an astronaut.
At least he’s focused enough on his job that he forgot about his attention-getting little show for now. Too bad he didn’t get up there and realize what a fool he’s being and see that some things are bigger than what humans do on earth.
Thank to one of my friends, my interest in Dune has reemerged.
Dune is one of the best science-fiction ever written. Some would even go further by saying Dune is an epic, a science fiction answer to the Lord of the Rings.
Dune is a series of novels written by Frank Herbert concerning the struggles between three great houses with the Spacing Guild plotting against each other. The storyline gets more complicated (very) as it progresses.
Dune is a desolate desert planet, also known as Arrakis. However, Arrakis is the center of attraction as the Spice, the most precious mineral in the whole known galaxy only exist on Arrakis. The Spice enables the Spacing Guild to fold space and thus controlling trade. Furthermore, all the great houses depend on the Guild for trade and the Guild on the other hand depends on the stability of the galaxy to ensure the continuous flow of the Spice. As the author puts it, whoever controls Arrakis, control the Spice; and whoever controls the Spice, controls the universe. Distrust is everywhere when the Spice is concerned.
Due to the epic’s popularity, it has been introduced to the silver screen a few times. The best adaptation was done by David Lynch back in 1984. Dune was further made known to the public by the legendary Westwood Studios when they made the revolutionary real time-strategy (RTS) game called Dune II in the mid-90s. The game was such a success that a few sequels were made, including the highly rated Emperor: The Battle for Dune.
Up-to-date, there are roughly four games that bear the Dune’s franchise.
To the Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, Dune might be known to them as one of the movies that Patrick Steward starred in. The actor took the role of Gurney, one of the main characters.
I would highly recommend Dune to all readers that share an interest in the science-fiction and fantasy genre.
Below is the Bene Gesserit’s Littany of Fear, one of the famous lines in Frank Herbert’s Dune.
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
When the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
Bush has just announced White House’s opinion on University of Michigan’s case. He is against affirmative action, or seems like it.
Bush is a polluter. So, seeing his popularity going down is good.
At the same time, the Democrat’s presidential candidate for 2005 is a Michigan graduate.
What an interesting coincidence.
Nevertheless, from my point of view, affirmative action is wrong. Affirmative action is simply a way of fighting one wrong with another wrong; much like realpolitik. Concerning Malaysia’s affirmative action, well, that’s a different case. It is simply the rights of the Malay. Whatever but here is a joke on Bush that I found while reading a forum concerning Bush’s stance on the issue. Enjoy but if you are a Republican, sorry for being too harsh.
I’m a Green remember?
Anyway, enjoy:
While visiting England, George W. Bush is invited to tea with the Queen. He asks her what her leadership philosophy is. She says that it is to surround herself with intelligent people. He asks how she knows if they’re intelligent.”I do so by asking them the right questions,” says the Queen. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
She phones Tony Blair and says, “Mr. Prime Minister. Please answer this question: Your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it?”
Tony Blair responds, “It’s me, ma’am.”
“Correct. Thank you and good-bye, sir,” says the Queen. She hangs up and says, “Did you get that, Mr. Bush?”
“Yes ma’am. Thanks a lot. I’ll definitely be using that!”
Upon returning to Washington, he decides he’d better put the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the test. He summons Jesse Helms to the White House and says, “Senator Helms, I wonder if you can answer a question for me.”
“Why, of course, sir. What’s on your mind?”
“Uh, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or your sister. Who is it?”
Helms hems and haws and finally asks, “Can I think about it and get back to you?” Bush agrees, and Helms leaves. He immediately calls a meeting of other senior senators, and they puzzle over the question for several hours, but nobody can come up with an answer. Finally, in desperation, Helms calls Colin Powell at the State Department and explains his problem.
“Now look here Colin Powell, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother, or your sister. Who is it?” Powell answers immediately, “It’s me, of course, you dumb ass.”
Much relieved, Helms rushes back to the White House and exclaims, “I know the answer, sir! I know who it is! It’s Colin Powell!” And Bush replies in disgust, “Wrong, you dumb ass, It’s Tony Blair!”
The Solar Car project is really getting on my nerve. Just now, I spent nearly four hours trying to find a switch with 30A / 12 VDC. At first, I thought it is supposed to be easy as ABC and had been thinking of spending less than an hour to look for it.
Unfortunately, 30A VDC is not that easy to find, at least for me. All I found were switches with the rating of 0.5mA VAC, 1A VAC and all those other freaking small digits. My frustration grew as the ampere reading rose little by little but instead of being for direct current, the rating was for alternating current. By the time the ampere class reached 100A (which I don’t even need to look into as that kind of current is way too big), I had sat on my chair for 2 hours. My God, I could complete a mini-quest in Neverwinter Nights or even read the whole Chapter 2: Economic Growth up within those 120 minutes.
Then, things started to brighten up as I found a few directories that list more than 100 of companies that sell switches. While looking into it, I learned that there are whole bunch of switches; from the primitive toggle switches to the high tech digital rockers. Counting all, my favorite is the normal rocker.
Finally, I bumped into Del City and Cole Hersee I found not only cool switches, but switches that match for team need. And again, all this took me four hours.
I am just thankful that I didn’t apply to join the race crew because if building up the car is going to consume so much time, a race crew needs to dedicate his whole time for the team. I heard somebody even said that the whole semester needs to be sacrifice.
Sacrificing the whole semester for the upcoming American Solar Car Race (ASC) is too much for me. But if I last into 2005, I hope that I’ll be in the 2005 race crew.
Whatever it is, I hope the team will retain the Cup in Ann Arbor because if we win the ASC, we are going to do serious damage in the World Solar Car Race Championship in the Australian Outback.
Aight, enough chatter, I need to do some revising.
p/s – look at the schedule I’ve just received through email!!!
Yo all,
We’ll be having worksessions from Saturday through next Thursday to lay up the lower surface of the body. I’m looking for a response from everyone on what days they can be there and what times. The times for the
worksessions are:Saturday 10am – 10pm
Sunday ” ”
Monday ” ”
Tuesday 2pm – 6pm and after the meeting
Wed’day 7pm – midnight
Thursday 2pm – 6pm and after the aero/mechanical meetingPlease let me know which of these times you will be available. I will need a staff of at least 10 people at any of these times.Chris
I wonder what mine would be like when they start on those solar modules.