This makes me cry with joy.
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An exercise in compare/contrast.
Sorry I can’t find clipped versions of these videos. The meat is near the end in both.
Joe Biden knows what the VP role entails. The VP helps the President get elected, he advises the President and acts as a moderating influence, he talks to the congress members to “marshall the troops” so to speak. Joe left out the “tie-breaking vote” bit, but he’s mentioned it specifically in the past, so he gets a pass.
Let’s see if Sarah Palin knows…
*insert Price Is Right losing noise here*
Anyway, Joe Biden is my homeboy too.
Reader links roundup
Another quick link roundup. What do you guys think of the really-short, nearly-content-free postings I’ve been doing over the past several days? They’re easier to slap together quickly, which is what I need given that my free time has been so tight. I promise I won’t abandon longer posts altogether, either way.
Courtesy of Jason Pickles: this video must have some provenance given the douchenozzle Rob’s reaction to having someone ask three questions — “are you a volunteer? are you paid? what do you do?” to the “paid walkers” of the Florida Republican GOTV effort.
From Bob: this might be a way to get off of oil dependency — or it might be snake oil, yet another bit of bad science. I don’t know enough about the technology behind this yet, but I’ll revisit it as soon as I do. I have a feeling it would take more energy to run the engine than the engine would generate. Also — how the hell are these “gold nanoparticles” attracted to cancer cells? This guy sounds like a quack through and through, frankly.
Also from Bob: what if the whole world could vote on the 2008 US election? So far the only country John McCain is carrying is Macedonia, but feel free to vote for whomever you’d like to see as the next “leader of the free world” (if you can call the president that any more). Hilariously enough, evidently this link has only gotten around to the Democrats in the States, because this poll has Obama winning there 80.8-19.2%.
From Groklaw‘s NewsPicks: why exactly is it that Microsoft is trying to muddy the “free software” waters lately? Why do they want us all confused? The obvious answer is that they can’t compete on merits, because an open source project will achieve a level of stability and features to rival their own products in extremely short order, due to the meritocratous nature of the open source programming model, and all without any monetary input. The long answer is in the article.
And finally, courtesy of Huffington Post: apparently Palin’s $150,000 shopping spree for designer clothes pales in comparison to the graft that Obama is guilty of, for having used a 767 to visit his grandmother on her deathbed. This asshat should be punched in the teeth.
The election, served
http://view.break.com/592648 – Watch more free videos
I admit, I LOL’d. Note “McCain’s” lack of actual dancing.
And desperation sets in.
So a crazy right-winger decided it would help McCain’s campaign to carve a backward B in her face, then claim she was mugged and assaulted for having a McCain sticker on her car — then admit to having made the whole story up!
It occurs to me that that B isn’t even “carved”, it’s scratched. I’ve had deeper scratches from my cat. If you’re going to make up a story like that, commit to it properly! Do it convincingly! Those scratches are nothing, they’ll heal in no time, and they look like they were done with a key, not a knife. Maybe there’s some leftover purple-heart band-aids from when they smeared Kerry in 2004 that the right-wingers can give her.
Oh, and apparently the McCain communications director fed an “incendiary version” of this story to reporters before all the facts were clear. Yep, I pegged it in my title — this is desperation.
In the meantime, 30 Obama supporters had their tires slashed, while at campaign rallies Palin and McCain’s cries of “socialist” and “terrorist” have incited people to racism, death threats and other fear-mongering voter suppression tactics, in a NOT-made-up bit of electoral intimidation. It’d be hilarious if it all wasn’t so damned scary.
Microsoft critical vulnerability — quel surprise
Microsoft last night sent out an urgent security bulletin to all eOpen members via e-mail, which I quote verbatim:
Subject: Alert – Critical Product Vulnerability – October 23, 2008 Microsoft Security Bulletin Release (Out of Band)
Due the urgency of this bulletin, you have received this notification in English. If your specified language preference is French, we will send you a French language version as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your understanding.
What is the purpose of this alert?
This alert is to provide you with an overview of the new security bulletin released (out of band) on October 23, 2008. Microsoft has released security bulletin MS08-067, Vulnerability in Server Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (958644), to address a vulnerability in all currently supported versions of Windows. This security update was released outside of the usual monthly security bulletin release cycle in an effort to protect customers.
Executive Summary
This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Server service. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an affected system received a specially crafted RPC request. On Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 systems, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability without authentication to run arbitrary code. It is possible that this vulnerability could be used in the crafting of a wormable exploit. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect network resources from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the way that the Server service handles RPC requests.
Recommendations
Microsoft recommends customers prepare their systems and networks to apply this security bulletin immediately once released to help ensure that their computers are protected from attempted criminal attacks. For more information about security updates, visit http://www.microsoft.com/protect.
New Security Bulletin Technical Details
Identifier
MS08-067
Severity Rating
This security update is rated Critical for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and rated Important for all supported editions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
Impact of Vulnerability
Remote Code Execution
Detection
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer can detect whether your computer system requires this update.
Affected Software
All currently supported versions of Windows
Restart Requirement
The update requires a restart.
Removal Information
· For Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003: Use Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel or the Spuninst.exe utility
· For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008: WUSA.exe does not support uninstall of updates. To uninstall an update installed by WUSA, click Control Panel, and then click Security. Under Windows Update, click View installed updates and select from the list of updates.
Bulletins Replaced by This Update
MS06-040 is superseded on these operating systems: Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP X64, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows Server 2003 X64, Windows Server 2003 SP1 for Itanium-based Systems.
Full Details:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS08-067.mspx
Public Bulletin Webcast
Microsoft will host a Webcast to address customer questions on the bulletin:
Title: Information Regarding an Out-of-Band Security Bulletin Release (Level 200)
Date: Friday, October 24, 2008 11:00 A.M. Pacific Time (U.S. & Canada)
URL: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032394179&Culture=en-US
Regarding Information Consistency
We strive to provide you with accurate information in static (this mail) and dynamic (Web-based) content. Microsoft’s security content posted to the Web is occasionally updated to reflect late-breaking information. If this results in an inconsistency between the information here and the information in Microsoft’s Web-based security content, the information in Microsoft’s Web-based security content is authoritative.
If you have any questions regarding this alert please contact your Technical Account Manager or Application Development Consultant.
Thank you,
Microsoft CSS Security Team
So it was urgent enough to spam their license-holders via e-mail, and it’s predictive of the next big worm. In the past, these e-mails have been remarkably prescient — probably because hackers read these e-mails at the same time and are well aware that people regularly leave their boxes unpatched for months at a time. If you’re using any Microsoft OS, patch your shit now before it hits the fan.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mouse
Scientists have managed to erase specific memories in mice. This is a bit scary. How long before people can go in and get memories of their cat Fluffy erased after their death, and at the same time as a free two-fer, get all memories of their reasoning behind their political party affiliation wiped out as well? Military or political application of the technology was honestly the first thing I contemplated when I first watched the movie — well, the second thing. The first thing was about how I had a relationship or two I’d be mentally healthier to have eradicated from my memory banks.
Anyway, science marches on, it’s the application of science by those with sinister motivations that I distrust. Maybe I should invest in tin-foil and get to shaping some hats, ASAP.
California Prop 8
It’s scary and sad at the same time that the polling for Proposition 8, the proposition to repeal legal gay marriage in California, not only shows a severe upswing for the Bad Guys, but the polling also resembles uncannily a Jesus Fish. Is this pollreidolia?
(Courtesy of FiveThirtyEight.com)
Update: The plot thickens! It seems the Yes-on-Prop-8 coalition is blackmailing companies that support the No side. Funny that the side willing to stoop to immoral practices always seems to be the side claiming moral superiority, isn’t it? And by funny, I mean gutwrenchingly depressing.
An Essential, Concise History of the LHC, 2002–2008
This is definitely worth a read if you are as excited about the Large Hadron Collider as I am, and it will hopefully tide you over until they’ve repaired the issue with liquid helium coolant spilling from a magnetic lock and have restarted the Great Experiment. Interestingly, it includes links to articles regarding arguments that have sprung up amongst the shrill fringes. Though, they’re admittedly biased toward reality so those proponents of doomsday scenarios might claim, and correctly so, that they’re not being properly heard out. (Please, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-Lest-He-Appear-Suddenly-Like-Beetlejuice, this doesn’t mean you’re allowed to pipe in. All other worlds — any other scientific blog on the internet — are yours, but stay the hell off Europa — my blog.)
And here comes a rant, because it’s relevant to my parenthetical last point. Frankly, I’m sick and tired of loons being given the floor in a misguided attempt to air out both sides of every story. Fine, be skeptical, attempt to disprove the science put forward stating that strangelets, micro-black-holes, Bose-novas, et cetera, are impossible, using real, peer-reviewed science based on existing foundations wherever possible. Also, it’s well possible that two or three PhD-owners could very well be wrong, but hundreds are far less likely to be wrong. Your theories have to be able to a) be predictive, b) be duplicable by other scientists, and c) be falsifiable so as to actually allow for the possibility of experiments to prove or disprove them.
Science is not dogma, we do not accept the word of scientists with their arms crossed who demand we believe them without any proof. They must give us proof or else their hypothesis does not graduate to a theory. And even once a hypothesis becomes a theory, when presented with real evidence that a theory is flawed, the theory is either altered or overturned. Despite this uncertainty that something might come along in the future to overturn the accepted theory, a “theory” is not a wild guess. A “theory” in scientific terms is as close to fact as can be achieved, using the evidence at hand, and when a “theory” predicts stuff correctly, repeatedly, without being disproven, without contradictory evidence for years and years, then this strengthens and bolsters the theory’s credibility. Yes, this sidebar is mostly directed at the flawed assertion that the theory of evolution is just a theory, but it’s relevant, because guess what? So’s the theory of gravity, so’s the atomic theory, so’s cell theory, the theory of plate tectonics, the big bang theory, the kinetic theory of gases, chaos theory, and the theory of global anthropogenic climate change. They’re all pretty well established, but all would fall to a proper bit of science — you know, as opposed to the usual tactic, being ideological ranting and pointing at a two thousand year old book or a study produced once but never duplicated by real scientists written by a shill funded by a special interest. You can dispute them, but you have to prove that a better theory fits the evidence and/or prove the evidence does not fit the current theory.
To those of you who believe the LHC will destroy the world, why is your one or two scientists’ science (most of which being predicated on false assumptions or easily disprovable assertions) supposed to trump all the science that went into researching the feasibility of the project to begin with? Why, when so many scientists have gone about disproving the doomsaying, do you cry repeatedly “why won’t you just perform a study to examine the safety of the project” when impartial scientists already have several times? I guess what I’m asking is, why, when you play the scientific “game” within “the rules”, and lose, do you try to circumvent the rules to be heard? Is it just that you’re sore losers?
Again, this isn’t me saying Beetlejuice. I was nice the last time I edited your comments, I’ll be much less nice this time, so stay away, you-know-who.
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On a related note — science, despite my “faith” in its processes and results, sure is strange.
Continued evolution of homo sapiens sapiens (that’s us!)
I seem to only be able to manage a post a week, or at least to post in flurries on weekends, so I might as well make my posts count. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the state of evolution within the human species, where it almost seems as though we may have stalled in our own evolutionary tracks, because we’ve reached the pinnacle of intellect where we have gained a mastery over the dark art of “science”, and therefore can overcome most otherwise evolutionary influences like predators or environmental hazards usually within a lifetime or two, thus short-circuiting the whole natural selection process. After thinking a good deal more about it, I’m convinced that evolution is still happening, but its effects, like a river that’s been dammed, will simply route around the dampening effort.
As an example, Clifton has informed me that his unborn son (who is, admittedly, possibly fictitious, as Clifton’s known for the “long con”) is suspected to have spina bifida, which is a very common congenital defect wherein the baby’s neural tube, what will become the spinal column, and what protects the spinal cord ultimately, fails to fully form. This condition affects one out of a thousand babies in North America. Most originally-explored environmental links to its cause have proven spurious at best, and there’s a mounting pile of evidence suggesting that the condition is genetic, with a specific gene suspected as being responsible should that particular gene mutate in a certain way.
Continue reading “Continued evolution of homo sapiens sapiens (that’s us!)”