Pan Admun Republic of Western Blog

It's been a lot of debate over whether cellphone hurts us. This is a good reading on the issue from the point of science and research.

March 2005 Columns Magazine Feature: Wake Up Call

I know there was something special there when I first got my Gmail account; A list of matching email addresses popup as I'm typing the email address in the to: box; A little name is showing up on the lower right as I browse the mail; and many many more.... Something seem to be running in the background on my browser. I was thinking it's some kind of javascript running there. But there are more.

Now I know. It's Asynchronous JavaScript + XML (Ajax). It's actually many web technologies work together as a whole. It's cool! It makes the web application more lively and just like running a program on my Linux box, as compare to a "web application" that send and response mechanically.

Jacky's BLOG: Ajax 新浪潮
Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications

Google's has stired things up on the net recently with a new feature on its search toolbar called autolink.

Many think it's evil since it has the capability to add and modify the content that present to the users in the way of adding link to things like address, book ISBN and alike. This feature can be misused to direct user to sites Google wants you to go to. All sort of people likely not too happy about this, of course.

However, things are not as black and white.

I think indeed Google's has made a feature in its search toolbar that has a huge potential of being misused in so many ways. But I think Google has not cross the line right now. Whether they will (do evil) in the future remain to be seen. On the other hand, it set a bad precedenrt for other not-so-good people to follow. I'm sure some evil-doer out there will soon come up with similar feature. ie a adware that intrecept the content and rewrite it before your browser displays it....

In short, it can be a can of worms.

Techdirt:Which Direction Is The Slippery Slope With Google's Autolink?

That Pepsi Girl, hum...

Some think this is a flog, a fake blog by corperate marketing to harness the blog power to draw people to their ad campaign.

Whether this is a flog or not, the commerical indeed seems quite successful, credit to the cute girl (name Mandy, as reported), another case of sex sales.

On the other hand, I was watching Chinese cable TV the other night, there was a commerical from a Rogers wireless retailer. It has a cute Chinese girl too, but the effect is nowhere near the pepsi girl. Ok, the viewer community is much smaller, but it's about making an impact to the viewers.

This commerical feels so cheezy; A somewhat cute Chinese girl dancing hip-hop happily, and phone ring so she grabs it. The girl acts quite unnaturally, at least I think so. Then there was one close shot that showing her belly button (the sex-sale-punch), it just plain ugly.

US army is deploying robots to fight. The usual response from people are: a) oh, no. Terminator is coming b) yeah right, you rich boy trying fight your dirty war with toys again

This actually remind me of Fuchikoma , the 4 legs AI tank in Ghost in the Shell. It fights along its master to provide transportation, armor protection and fire support. It is kind of like these robots, especially the Talon. I could imagine having these robots deploy with troops and fight along with soldiers. It just like a Fuchikoma without a brain.

Also see here

圍村盆菜

Is it a good thing to teach about writing virus, spamware, worm and spyware?

Why not? Without classes like this, people are figuring out by themselves how to write such program anyway. I believed virus/spymware/worm is not a very hard piece of software to write, any decent programmer with good knowledge on the platform can write one. And a good evil coder can write some very damaging software, as history had shown.

However, I have one reservation on the idea. The emphasis of the course should be on how this type of software works and how one can counter it. If I'm teaching such a course. I will set up a closed network and release tons of virus, worm, and spyware for students to find them, disect them, and find fix for it. I will also have them write post motem report to explain why such problem exists and how to prevent such problem in future design. I do believed many of these security problems are origin from a poor design that didn't consider from the security point of view. Such a class can drill in the idea how to design a secure software, IMHO.

This is how we raise the next generation of virus/spam/worm fighter.

Way to Go, UoC.

p.s. For the record, I graduate from UoC in 98'

CBC News: University to offer e-mail spam course

The guy creates Apple. Cool talks for geeks.

You learns first by doing it, then move up a level and re-visit it from another angle to understand and make sense of it. What a way to learn by yourselves.

IT Conversations: Steve Wozniak Part 1 - Gnomedex 4.0

These people have no moral, caused others problem and grief for their own fortune... yet it's not personal? I don't get it.

Interview with a link spammer | The Register

Who's know where Internet come from? Eh, the DoD reserach project in the 1970's?

Here's some answer.

The 'Complete' History of the Internet - www.WBGLinks.net

Because there are too many services out there want me to put a button on my blog to allow others to add me, I decide to not put any. The only exception is the RSS and ATOM feeds, which is popular standard.

It sounds like a good idea to me, solving the too-many-buttons-press problem.... but my guts feeling is it's not going to happen, since someone need to put forward resouce for it to work. Also, there are concerns on privary and other issues.

Scripting News: 1/11/2005

more relasted:
A nice summary here
here
here

It's sad to see the great mightly fighters retired. I still remember reading about how the F-14 is the center piece in the US Navy Carrier surface group air defense system. It's the front and formost layer (none the least, the most important) of the umbrella that protect the carrier and the rest of the surface group. Only the top pilots flying these knights in the sky.

Of course, then come moive Topgun, which put F-14 and Tom C. together as the most dangerous thing in the sky, and launch Tom's handsome face as an icon on the movie screen. It's almost 20 years now.

Planenews Aviation News Portal - The Tomcat's final flight

Putting art, a puzzle, and encyption together. You got Kryptos. There's a fog of mystery surrounding it; It's stand on the CIA (yes, _the_ CIA) HQ in Langley, Virginia. Section of the message contains some KGB document (I guess it's declassifed now?). Many are working on it and yet to solve the last part. Even the populer The Da Vinci Code refers to it.

Wired News: Solving the Enigma of Kryptos

Hehehehe.... waiting, while significant other shopping.

無奈的男人們 from here

It must be a Japanese thing. I mean you get fired for been educated, even after you show year after year you can handle the job well?

In Hong Kong (probaly else where?), it used to be that "overquailfy" is a reason to turn down a candidate. The employer sees since you have higher qualification, you might used the job as a temparary job before you can find a better one. It is a hassle to have to hire again if the employee left soon after started. It sort of make sense to me. (Hum, wondering if this is still ture in Hong Kong?)

But firing someone that is overqualified after they have work many years, I hope that mean loyalty to in the eyes of the employer, that really confused me? I can see if these drivers were fired for false information provide during the hiring process, at least that sounds more legitimate to me.

Anyway, I can imagine the manager say this when firing the driver (just joking, no offense):

Manager: "We learned recently that you have a degree, true? Tell me the truth now"
Driver: "Yes, I have one...." (cut short by the manager)
Manager: "You Bastard! You're a shame to us all work here, how you tell some lie like this and work here everyday?"
Driver: "But I can do..." (cut short again)
Manager: "You're a disgrace to us, the school that educate you, and your family! Go find a job else where and don't waste your time here!"

I serviously want to believe it happens like this....

Japan Today - News - Aomori fires two bus drivers for being overqualified - Japan's Leading International News Network