Rescuing the mechanical foundations of our democracy
Grok Headline matches for Rescuing the mechanical foundations of our democracy
Greater Democracy: Democracy for a
connected world.
Greater Democracy: Democracy for a
connected world.
08/27/2004 09:30 PMBen Barnes admits helping Bush Jr. into the National Guard During
Vietnam .. Watch the video here .. explains ..
Video
69.59.167.160
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Stronger Foundations
Stronger Foundations
02/01/2005 09:44 PMThe Net today is standing on slightly firmer foundations than it was a
few weeks back. On December 15th, the W3C issued
Architecture of the World Wide
Web, Volume One as a “Recommendation”, i.e. as close as they
get to calling anything a standard. If you read it, there’s a lot of
focus on URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers, as in what we usually
confuse with the
Universal
Republic of Love). Today saw the final publication of the URI
specification as
RFC3986, also known
(even more impressively) as IETF Internet Standard #66; some of the
IETF’s most widely-deployed protocols never make it to “Full
Standard” status. I’m hopelessly biased because I helped write
both of these documents, but I think that each is individually
important and that the combination is really important. Most people
can’t possibly imagine how much work it is to grind these things
out, and how many revisions it takes to get one right. I originally
wrote all of what is now Section 6 of RFC3986, and I think there are
very few sentences in there that haven’t been updated a few times,
almost all for the better, and almost all the work was done by Roy
Fielding, who deserves a deep bow from us all. The Internet and the
Web aren’t things and they’re not places, they’re a
mesh of agreements that allow us to
talk to each other and to be less stupid. These two documents are
important links in that mesh.
Rescuing cybersecurity
Rescuing cybersecurity
12/04/2003 09:35 PMSilicon Valley executives meet with U.S. government officials during a
cybersecurity summit in an effort to enhance security programs, but
regulations may follow if those efforts fail.
Another useful looking tool, this one
for rescuing a PC
Another useful looking tool, this one
for rescuing a PC
04/25/2004 09:41 AMThe ultimate boot CD
ultimatebootcd.com
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Rescuing recordings
Rescuing recordings
05/07/2004 04:16 PMZDNet May 7 2004 8:06PM GMT
Software App Foundations in Eiffel
Software App Foundations in Eiffel
06/14/2004 02:51 PMEPOM v1.0 has been released
The PHP Anthology, Volume I: Foundations
The PHP Anthology, Volume I: Foundations
02/16/2004 07:54 PMOverall, this is an excellent choice for any PHP user that is looking
for a general purpose PHP book. Not only you will learn most of the
important details of programming with PHP, but you will also find here
solutions for frequently asked questions that in some cases are not
easy to answer.
Securing Web services: Foundations and
specifications
Securing Web services: Foundations and
specifications
09/02/2004 10:24 AMWeb services, by definition, are particularly vulnerable to breaches
in security. The flow of potentially sensitive data not only between
machines, but between enterprises and across untrusted networks,
presents the need for special attention to areas such as message
confidentiality, message integrity, authentication, and authorization.
Additionally, since Web services are well suited to
business-to-business communications and cooperation, there should be
some way to enforce trust relationships between business partners.
Finally, Web services are used not only by humans, but by other Web
services as well. The high degree of automation required for
interaction between Web services requires well-designed software
architectures, preferably built upon well-designed standards.
Rescuing Social Networking
Rescuing Social Networking
06/17/2005 03:27 PM
Recent reports of the demise of
Social Networking Applications (SNAs), voted "technology of the year"
by Business 2.0 just two years ago, are increasing. Most recently
C|Net's Molly Wood reported on Five Reasons
Social Networking Doesn't Work. While LinkedIn and eCademy are
hanging in there, many of the other entrants into the SNA space are
really struggling. I reported
last year on what I thought was wrong with the first generation of
social networking applications, and I haven't seen any significant
improvements become mainstream since then.
Wood complains that existing SNAs offer the user little to do, take
too
much time, don't provide a customized audience, are socially awkward,
and don't provide much that other features of the Internet don't do as
well or better. It's not clear what problem they're trying to solve,
other than to provide a list of not-very-well qualified contacts for
people online who are looking (mostly for customers, employers or
dates). They remind me a lot of Chamber of Commerce meetings, with
consultants and agents outnumbering 'real' businesspeople, five
sellers
for every buyer. I belong to several SNAs but use them rarely, since
my
blog provides me with a more robust network than any SNA could ever
hope to do.
The challenge, as with most business and social problems, is getting
attention. Because good stories, useful, researched advice and
helpful,
informative conversations command attention, these are the tools of
the
trade in face-to-face networking events. Face to face meetings also
provide a huge amount of non-verbal information that allows people to
make considered judgements and to establish trust, which virtual
forums
can only accomplish awkwardly, and over time.
The lowly telephone, and Skype, are an improvement. Most of us can
converse iteratively faster and more competently in a voice
conversation than in a message thread, and get past the awkwardness
and
misunderstandings faster as a result. I've had some excellent Skype
conversations with people I have never met in person, and some ghastly
ones. I have proposed
a more robust, multimedia, multi-view Simple Virtual Presence (SVP)
tool such as what is illustrated above. There are people more
technologically competent and agile than I am who are achieving such
presence using a combination of tools now, but for most of us this is
still just a dream.
SNAs are therefore inherently not very good for building relationships
or for collaborative work. How are they at finding people for valuable
personal or business relationships? Once again we're back to the too
many sellers, too few buyers problem (it's the same with dating
services, I'm told). Useful SNAs need to be under the control of the
customer, not the vendor. They would be better advised to reinvent
themselves as a kind of very detailed person-to-person 'yellow pages',
to separate users' 'what I have' and 'what I need' personas, and to
focus specifically on the former, in a lot more detail, with
credentials and samples of offerings. In a way, that's what blogs do,
providing a space for one individual to exhibit as much of himself as
possible in as much detail as possible, which is why many recruiters
are now starting to peruse blogs in the search for extraordinary
people
or matches for very difficult fits. So a good SNA could offer a
condensed version of this: Who I am, What I offer, Who recommends me,
and Samples of what I do. Then the buyer can browse this 'catalogue'
and, if he thinks I might have what he's looking for (personally or
professionally) he is given contact information (ideally with the
richness of Simple Virtual Presence) to confirm through conversation
that my offer meets his requirements. Simple as that. Forget about the
discussion forums and the form-filling and all the other bells and
whistles that just complicate use and chew up time. Just give me a
yellow pages on steroids.
Once some standards emerge on formats for this information, it could
then be possible for people to post this information anywhere, in the
agreed-upon 'SNA2' format, so that we would no longer have to post my
information to each SNA 'yellow page' directory -- the SNA tools could
go out and harvest it automatically wherever we posted it, so we would
only have to maintain it once
(perhaps on our blog-jacke
t, personal website, or other online space).
So then we would have three
easy-to-use SNA tools, working in tandem, all built around the
'customer', the guy looking
for something:
- The
standard-format 'yellow pages' displaying our personal 'offerings',
- A Simple
Virtual Presence tool to qualify those offerings and to enable
powerful conversations, and
- Blogs as
'personal filing cabinets' that people could browse if
we were away from our phone/SVP tool, or if they wanted to see some
more of our stuff before attempting to call us and offer us a job, a
contract or a date.
|
What
would really make SVP cool would be if we could meter
it, so that
the tool could track time we spent on each call and, with the
agreement
of the
other party, automatically bill them and pay us for our time at an
agreed-upon rate. Because it's the value you add person-to-person,
helping them in their personal context, once the introductions are
over
and they know they've found the person they want to 'hire', that could
finally realize the promise of online commerce.
|
Rescuing Linux Systems
Rescuing Linux Systems
07/10/2002 04:36 AMLinux rescue disks generally fall into two distinct classes, each
with its own advantages and disadvantages. The first class of these
are rescue disks that are provided with or produced by a specific
Linux distribution and are therefore targeted toward correcting
problems encountered on a machine running that distribution. These
distribution-specific rescue disks may either be floppies created
during the installation process, or may be boot options that are
available from the distribution's installation CD. In either case,
such distribution-specific rescue disks reflect the boot loader,
filesystems, and tools used by that distribution.
My sister rescued a sick kitten from the street a couple of days ago.
Last night it choked and died on her bed. Sadly there's no reboot disk
for kittens; we tried CPR but it must have choked on something - we
couldn't inflate its lungs. This picture is for you, kitty.
"zeldman.kit"
Democracy Now! | EXCLUSIVE: DEMOCRACY
NOW! Confronts Wesley Clark Over His
Bombing Of Civilians, Use Of Cluster
Bombs And Depleted Uranium And The
Bombing Of Serb Television
Democracy Now! | EXCLUSIVE: DEMOCRACY
NOW! Confronts Wesley Clark Over His
Bombing Of Civilians, Use Of Cluster
Bombs And Depleted Uranium And The
Bombing Of Serb Television
01/27/2004 11:30 AMDemocracy Now! Exclusive: Wesley Clark Admits Targeting Civilians In
Yugoslavia [audio/video] ..
Listen/Watch/Read
democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/01/26/1632224track
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Creaky Operating Systems Form IT
Foundations
Creaky Operating Systems Form IT
Foundations
03/19/2005 02:33 AMRescuing XSLT from Niche Status
Rescuing XSLT from Niche Status
10/30/2002 12:50 AMXSLT is one of the most exciting technologies to come out of the
XML family. Unfortunately, its incredible power and associated
complexity can be overwhelming to new users preventing many from
experimenting with it or causing them to quickly give up in disgust.
In fact, unless the method of teaching and the common style of use for
XSLT is radically changed to make it more accessible, XSLT will be
relegated to niche status like SGML and other powerful
technologies. -- David Jacobs
"zeldman.543jh"
Fujitsu Lays the Foundations for
Strengthened Commitment in Europe
Fujitsu Lays the Foundations for
Strengthened Commitment in Europe
04/09/2005 03:20 AMIn a recent ceremony in Langen, Germany, Fujitsu Microelectronics
Europe (FME) strengthened its commitment to Europe, as the foundation
stone was laid for its new, purpose-built, European headquarters. The
company will move from its current location in Dreieich-Buchschlag on
December 15th 2005. [PRWEB Apr 9, 2005]
Sept. 11 families build foundations of
hope (USATODAY.com)
Sept. 11 families build foundations of
hope (USATODAY.com)
09/10/2004 05:19 AMUSATODAY.com - For six months after her son died at the World Trade
Center, Liz Alderman could barely speak of him, let alone decide how
to memorialize him.
Mechanical Computing
Mechanical Computing
05/29/2004 01:44 PMMechanical Pong
Mechanical Pong
09/22/2004 12:47 AMThe Memory Hole [rescuing knowledge,
freeing information]
The Memory Hole [rescuing knowledge,
freeing information]
04/23/2004 09:32 AMThe Memory Hole - Rescuing Knowledge, Freeing Information .. Something
to show to the folks who were gung ho .. Via MemoryHole .. .. Such
as .. memhole
thememoryhole.org
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Rescuing Victims Worldwide 'From the
Depths of Hell'
Rescuing Victims Worldwide 'From the
Depths of Hell'
07/09/2004 09:49 PMJan Egeland, the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, first
sounded the alarm on the present situation in the Darfur region of
Sudan.
Mechanical ID - Password Generator
Mechanical ID - Password Generator
03/14/2003 12:56 PMMechanical ID - Java Version
Mechanical musical marvels
Mechanical musical marvels
06/21/2004 01:42 PMMechanical Music Digest is devoted to antique nickelodeons, musical
toys, automatons, and other wonderful contraptions of yesteryear. The
site is no beauty, but the content is magnificent, with articles on
miniature player pianos, steam-powered calliopes, and even amazing
fakes:
"Please be
aware that there is currently a 'wave' of brand new, made-to-deceive
old-looking automatons reaching the international marketplace.
The few different variants of this monkey 'hookah-like' smoker which
we've seen are purposely constructed so as to allow no internal
inspection..."
Link (via String Can Phone)Millie the mechanical monster of
Michigan
Millie the mechanical monster of
Michigan
07/07/2004 12:48 PMMechanical designer Jim Peters, 54, was disappointed that a certain
Scottish celebrity was missing from last year's
Saline Celtic Festival in
Michigan.
"I was down there
at the festival. It was full of bagpipe music and Scottish sights and
activities. Viewing the long body of water, one can't help think of
the Loch Ness area in Scotland and its famous legend. I asked myself:
"Where's the monster?"'
So this year, Peters built a 24-foot-long wood-and-steel mechanical
Loch Ness Monster. "Millie" was named for Mill Pond Park, the location
of the festival. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any photos of Millie
online.
Link<
/a> (Thanks, Carlo!)
Photos: "The New Mechanical Sexual
Revolution"
Photos: "The New Mechanical Sexual
Revolution"
08/29/2004 09:18 PM
Xeni Jardin:
Photographer Timothy Archibold's
portraits of garage-geek inventors -- and users -- of large-scale sex
machines. The aesthetic of the images is not prurient; it's clinical,
clean, and removed. That distance lends the images a compelling twist,
given the topic at hand. I hatehatehate the site's 1.5MB gorilla Flash
interface, which prevents my pasting some of the project notes for you
to read here. But the images and the subject matter they detail
(online communities that connect people who imagine, build, and use
these machines) are fascinating. At left: "Scott at his kitchen table,
Sex Machines Unlimited," which made me laugh out loud.
Link
(NSFW). (
Thanks, alfie)
Bar Attacked with Mechanical Digger
(Reuters)
Bar Attacked with Mechanical Digger
(Reuters)
09/03/2004 09:56 AMReuters - A mechanical digger was smashed into a
Catholic bar in a flashpoint district of Belfast on Friday in
an attack local politicians blamed on Protestants.
Dirty Mechanical Paper Dolls
Dirty Mechanical Paper Dolls
04/22/2004 02:38 PMPaper pervert and Boingboing reader
Sandrine Sheon points us to a gallery of adult-oriented "naughty
automata":
These are modern, gender-bending versions of old-fashioned wind-up
toys, but all made of paper and very funny. They include a spanking
duo, fucking skeletons, miss and mister masturbation, and a live paper
sex act. You can also see animations of the toys in action.
LinkCaptured! By Robots - A
Musical/Mechanical Marvel?
Captured! By Robots - A
Musical/Mechanical Marvel?
11/10/2003 11:19 PMSlashdot Nov 10 2003 0:01AM ET
Autopen: mechanical signature storage
and reproduction
Autopen: mechanical signature storage
and reproduction
06/08/2004 12:31 PMThe Autopen is a wicked vintage gadget that lets you store your
signature as a series of mechanical cues for a multifariously branched
mechanical armature. Gizmodo has a killer post on it, with old pop-sci
articles on the forthcoming age of the autopen. Lots of online info
revolves around how to tell if your collectable souvenir signature
came off an autopen or an original signature.
The most useful one, though, is the Autopen, made by International
Autopen Co. of Sterling, VA., a popular device that is apparently
still in use (the Republic National Committee bought one just this
year). The Autopen is loaded with special metal 'matrix' -- basically
a traced pattern of the signature -- that can be used again and again,
even if the signer isn't there. Even better, owners of Autopens can
purchase signature matrices through the mail from third parties,
duplicating any autograph at will. Current models of the Autopen weigh
around 100lbs, run off regular power, and can use real pens and
pencils (although they work better with Sharpies, due to the fixed
width of the pen looking less off when done with marker).
Link"Pongmechanik, outstanding mechanical
tabletop version of Pong"
"Pongmechanik, outstanding mechanical
tabletop version of Pong"
09/22/2004 08:35 PMMechanical Force Amplifier Leverages
Pounds Into Tons
Mechanical Force Amplifier Leverages
Pounds Into Tons
03/14/2005 04:13 PMLatchTool Group announced today the release of its PowerCylinder the
first commercial product that mechanically amplifies a linear force
multiple times using encapsulated hydraulic circuitry. [PRWEB Feb 24,
2005]
QuickCam Orbit webcam offers mechanical
pan and tilt
QuickCam Orbit webcam offers mechanical
pan and tilt
10/29/2003 03:50 PMLogitech Inc. announced on
Wednesday the Mac OS X compatible QuickCam Orbit. Built for video
instant messaging, it boasts a mechanical pan and tilt feature and
moves to keep a person's face automatically centered in the field of
view.
Little d democracy
Little d democracy
01/27/2004 07:33 PMNote: Contains completely partisan Deanism... I spent the day in
Exeter, yet another picture perfect New Hampshire town, alternating
between standing outside holding Dean signs and sitting in the
unheated Town Hall, checking off voters on the Dean supporter list.
Then, at 5pm, it was back to the Portsmouth HQ, phoning people to urge
them to vote. In short, I spent the day being a little-d democrat.
This is the real thing: American democracy. People reduced to their
singular equality. Each one of them nuts in her or his own way. With
the kids in their winter caps with animal...
Democracy Now
Democracy Now
05/09/2004 11:26 AM"We wonder how those who, rightly, complain about the American
mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners, can blithely consign the entire Iraqi
population to the likely prospect of a horrific civil war and the
brutal dictatorship that would
follow."
weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004
/056mvrqy.asp
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Democracy
Democracy
12/27/2004 07:59 PM
Updat
e from Holland. After the filmmaker Theo van Gogh's murder by
Mohammed Bouyeri, the Dutch creed of tolerance has come under siege.
the democracy of the web
the democracy of the web
07/17/2004 01:08 PMSo many reasons to love Amazon and Google, but here's another.
Robert Greenwald's
film,
OutFOXed, has been out
for a week. It is the #1 ranked DVD at
Amazon, and the first relevant "Murdoch" on
Google
.
Yay for democracy
Yay for democracy
02/01/2005 09:09 PMHooray for the elections in Iraq! The accounts are moving. For
example, from the Boston Globe: Wamidh Imad al-Zubaidi, an engineer,
almost decided not to vote after death threats against would-be voters
circulated in his mixed Sunni and Shi'ite neighborhood, Zayouna. Then,
he said, he remembered his brother, who was executed for opposing
Saddam Hussein's regime. ''I feel a power inside myself, and there is
a voice telling me, this should not happen to my son or to any Iraqi.
I have to prevent this dictatorship from returning to Iraq," he said,
adding that he braved the polls with his...
Postponing Democracy
Postponing Democracy
07/13/2004 03:39 AMWherein John Perry Barlow suggests that a major terrorist attack might
provide a pretext for the suspension of both the presidential
elections and our constitutional rights.
Democracy By Obscurity
Democracy By Obscurity
08/23/2004 02:21 PMIt turns out that, not only are the makers of electronic voting
machines practicing security by obscurity,
those who certify the machines are
just as secretive. Call it democracy by obscurity. The
certification companies, who are hired by the e-voting machine
companies (conflict of interest?) won't reveal what they do to test
the machines or the results of any such tests. So, while the e-voting
machine companies continue to insist that they're secure, they won't
show us how the systems work for others to prove that its secure, and
the only people who are certifying the machines are secure are being
paid by the vendors themselves and won't reveal their testing methods
or results. It's the "just trust us" form of counting votes.
Quantifying democracy
Quantifying democracy
03/14/2005 05:40 PMJoi wonders if the world has gotten more democratic since 9/11, a
topic discussed at the Atocha memorial forum. Tough question. I think
I'd say: More democracies, less democratic. More voting, less
liberty....
Another kind of democracy.
Another kind of democracy.
02/01/2005 10:00 PMOn a day when the government is preaching the values of listening to
the people are they listening to the...
Grok Description matches for Rescuing the mechanical foundations of our democracy
GrokA matches for Rescuing the mechanical foundations of our democracy
Rescuing the mechanical foundations of our democracy
