Insurgents threatening families

The insurgents in Iraq, unsatisfied (or unsuccessful) at merely threatening their own countrymen, have taken to calling and threatening the families of British soldiers.

The "nuisance" calls have been made with increasing frequency over the past few weeks after insurgents managed to obtain home numbers from soldiers' mobile telephones.

The growing number of calls has led to an investigation by the Royal Military Police, which has issued a warning to all soldiers in Iraq to take great care when using mobile telephones to call home.

...

The document warns soldiers preparing to take part in operations that insurgents in southern Iraq have managed to obtain the home telephone numbers of soldiers by using electronic intercept devices to hack into mobile phone systems.

Full story at The Telegraph.

Late blooming genius

The latest issue of Wired has an article that really got my attention. The full article is to be available on the web July 11.

What Kind of Genius Are You?

A novel theory suggests that there are two distinct types of creativity – quick and dramatic, or careful and quiet.

In the fall of 1972, when David Galenson was a senior economics major at Harvard, he took what he describes as a "gut" course in 17th-century Dutch art. On the first day of class, the professor displayed a stunning image of a Renaissance Madonna and child.

"Pablo Picasso did this copy of a Raphael drawing when he was 17 years old," the professor told the students. "What have you people done lately?"

It's a question we all ask ourselves. What have we done lately? It rattles us each birthday. It surfaces whenever an upstart twentysomething pens a game-changing novel or a 30-year-old tech entrepreneur becomes a billionaire.

...

What he has found is that genius – whether in art or architecture or even business – is not the sole province of 17-year-old Picassos and 22-year-old Andreessens. Instead, it comes in two very distinct forms, embodied by two very different types of people. "Conceptual innovators," as Galenson calls them, make bold, dramatic leaps in their disciplines. They do their breakthrough work when they are young. Think Edvard Munch, Herman Melville, and Orson Welles. They make the rest of us feel like also-rans. ...

Then there's the second character type, someone who's just as significant but trudging by comparison. Galenson calls this group "experimental innovators." ...

Galenson is an economist, applying economic theory to the percieved value of artist's work through their lifetime, but as he applies his understanding to other areas, the trend seems to continue. Like most economic theories, this is a tendency, not a hard-and-fast rule. Over time, he has refined his theory to make it less either/or, and to reflect that Conceptual Innovators and Experimental Innovators are the extremes of a continuum.

I too have wondered if I should have already achieved some pinnacle of success. I'm not unsuccessful in my job, but had I done things differently, could I have ended up like the founders of Yahoo! or Google? Or is it not in my nature to be an early innovator, but instead to experiment and refine and establish better habits until the day when my genius is fully formed?

The article concludes with a dose of reality:

Of course, not every unaccomplished 65-year-old is some undiscovered experimental innovator. This is a universal theory of creativity, not a Viagra for sagging baby boomer self-esteem. It’s no justification for laziness or procrastination or indifference. But it might bolster the resolve of the relentlessly curious, the constantly tinkering, the dedicated tortoises undaunted by the blur of the hares. Just ask David Galenson.

Read the whole article on the web when it comes out, or pick up a copy and read along. I'd love to have a discussion about this. Just click on the "Comments" link below this article and let me know what you think.

An inconvenient truth... about Gore!

The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has issued a press release criticizing the Associated Press for bias.

According to the press release, the AP contacted about more than 100 top climate researchers to review Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth". They claim 19 scientists viewed the movie and gave it "five stars for accuracy", named and quoted five in the article. That's all normal enough, except that there are plenty of reputable scientists who have come out very publicly to call the science bunk. The AP's article doesn't talk much about the other scientists, but is careful to describe them as "skeptics".

Unfortunately, this is standard stuff. If you're in the press, and you have an agenda to push, you interview people until you find someone to say what it is you want said, then you quote them. You can't easily be accused of bias, because you're quoting the person and what they actually said. Never mind that the first 81 people you talked to said something different - that wouldn't suit your purpose.

Professor Bob Carter, of the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University in Australia, on Gore’s film:

"Gore's circumstantial arguments are so weak that they are pathetic. It is simply incredible that they, and his film, are commanding public attention."

"The man is an embarrassment to US science and its many fine practitioners, a lot of whom know (but feel unable to state publicly) that his propaganda crusade is mostly based on junk science." – Bob Carter as quoted in the Canadian Free Press, June 12, 2006

He's not just an embarrassment to US science, I'm afraid. It's scary to think what this country would be like if he had been elected President.

[via Drudge Report]

Flooding in Norwalk

A bit of flooding in Norwalk, while Mom's out of town with Trish and the kids. From an email from Lyndsey:

We received 6 inches of rain last night, and are supposed to get about the same tonight and into tomorrow morning. Most of the roads into town are closed except the Linwood Bridge, and it has been taking 45 minutes to an hour to get across it. By the way the picture I sent you is of [the Linwood Street bridge crossing over] Water Street. There is some concern about the dam at the reservoir breaking tonight with all the extra water. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem we will have our ark built in time.

Trish also sent along a note after calling Chris and Lyndsey, with more details.

The local news station has [or had] footage they were shooting 8 houses up the street from where Granny lives. She was asked to evacuate her house last night [the 21st], but chose to stay.

The weather man is calling for more rain tonight (another 8 - 10 inches). Norwalk officials are concerned about the dam on the reservoir breaking. Back in 1969, Norwalk had 8 inches of rain in 3 hours and the dam broke. Yesterday they had the same amount of rain in the same amount of time and the dam held. They are concerned about the next major rainfall.

Mom spoke to Christopher tonight [6/22]. He said that moms basement is flooded to the second step, about 2 feet deep. The water in her basement is sewer water. Whenever Norwalk gets a lot of rain, fast, the sewage backs up into her basement. The bigger problem is that her pilots where all under water and the house was full of natural gas. Chris got the gas shut off and is waiting until after the next 8-10 inches of rain fall to begin bleaching down mom's basement.

We both have mixed feelings about being in New Mexico. If she were home, she could have saved some of the things in the basement that now have to be thrown out.

Among other things, Mom had quite a stash of soda, mostly in cans. This picture shows what 384 cans look like, all on one table. The message Chris sent with the picture said something like "So much for an inheritance." No word yet on whether they'll try to clean the cans off and drink them anyway. I mean, the contents are still sterile, right? Should be able to clean metal pretty easy...

Getting Things Done

Accidental discoveries are often the best. I haven't yet determined whether this accidental discovery is the best, but I'm hopeful. It bears all the marks of a solution that has worked for many.

What I've discovered is called Getting Things Done, a book subtitled "The Art of Stress-Free Productivity". Rather than just a new filing system, GTD acts more like a framework which can be adapted to one's own habits and situation.

So how does GTD work?

This is a really summarized version, but here it is, PowerPoint-style:

1. identify all the stuff in your life that isn’t in the right place (close all open loops)
2. get rid of the stuff that isn’t yours or you don’t need right now
3. create a right place that you trust and that supports your working style and values
4. put your stuff in the right place, consistently
5. do your stuff in a way that honors your time, your energy, and the context of any given moment
6. iterate and refactor mercilessly

This resonates with me. It's geek-friendly, and unstructured enough to not be restrictive. I especially like the fact that it's not married to someone else's idea of what should be important for me.

Now I just need to find the time to sit down and make sense of it.

[via 43folders]

Six airplanes in ten days

I don't usually travel much, and usually not multiple stops in a row, but this week has been different.

Last week, I was in Sacramento for a conference, followed by a couple of days training a client in North Hollywood. Today I'm at Red Mountain Cafe in Las Cruces, NM., and I fly home tomorrow afternoon.

My itinerary looks like this: MDW -> PHX -> SMF -> LAX -> ELP -> HOU -> MDW. It's not the most fun I've had, but I have gotten pretty good at getting through security with a minimum of fuss. It's been a real proof of my ability to work remotely.

Jet Lag isn't even the term to describe what I'm going through, though. More like Jet Wierd. I haven't time shifted, but I haven't stayed on Central time either. I just wake up when I need to and fall asleep when I can't stay awake any longer.

Kind of like some people's college experience, I guess.

I don't usually sleep quite right when I'm away from Trish anyway. I can never seem to fall asleep, but my internal clock still wakes me up around 6:00 Chicago time (yes, that's 4:00 a.m. in California). My first night in New Mexico with Trish, I slept until 10:00.

The real test will be when I get home, to the bed I know, but without Trish.

Setting a date

Did you see the House vote this morning? (The link is the same as from my last post.) HR 861 was passed 256 to 153, with 3 GOP voting against, and 42 Dems voting for. After a lot of "Whereas" clauses, it reads:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

1. honors all those Americans who have taken an active part in the Global War on Terror, whether as first responders protecting the homeland, as servicemembers overseas, as diplomats and intelligence officers, or in other roles;
2. honors the sacrifices of the United States Armed Forces and of partners in the Coalition, and of the Iraqis and Afghans who fight alongside them, especially those who have fallen or been wounded in the struggle, and honors as well the sacrifices of their families and of others who risk their lives to help defend freedom;
3. declares that it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq;
4. declares that the United States is committed to the completion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq;
5. congratulates Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and the Iraqi people on the courage they have shown by participating, in increasing millions, in the elections of 2005 and on the formation of the first government under Iraq’s new constitution;
6. calls upon the nations of the world to promote global peace and security by standing with the United States and other Coalition partners to support the efforts of the Iraqi and Afghan people to live in freedom; and
7. declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the noble struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.

This follows on the heels of the 93-6 vote in the Senate to reject a timeline.

And as usual, Scrappleface has the best summary:

(2006-06-15) — After the Senate voted 93-6 today against setting a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy held a news conference to announce that his 93 colleagues are “clearly out of the mainstream of American opinion.”
Senators Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts voted for the timeline, along with Democrat Senators Tom Harkin of Iowa, Barbara Boxer of California, Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.
“The six of us represent the heart’s cry of every red-blooded American,” said Sen. Kennedy. “We hear the voice of the people, and the people say they want immediate, unconditional withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.”
Senator Kerry, the presumptive runner-up for the 2008 Democrat presidential nomination, criticized the legislation introduced by Republicans as a cheap stunt designed to preempt his own forthcoming Iraq pullout bill.
“I have a plan for a strategic withdrawal from Iraq,” said Sen. Kerry. “I plan to release my plan about the same time the Democrat National Committee unveils its plan for America’s future, or right after Microsoft releases its new Vista operating system, whichever comes first.”

Note that the Senate bill was to set a date and was defeated, while the House resolution was to not set a date, and was passed. Note also that the Senate bill was proposed by Kerry, yet he called bringing the measure to a vote a "political maneuver"

Quick hit: Deceptive Democrats

File this under "Democratic dishonesty, part #384". Much more in the original story from Powerline.

But that isn't what the Democrats are debating. Instead, they are reciting the whole litany of moonbat nonsense that we've seen on the lefty blogs for the last two years. Take, for example, Jane Harman, as quoted by Hugh Hewitt. What Harman says is so foolish and so obviously contrary to fact that it demands a sentence-by-sentence refutation:

Overriding the advice of intelligence professionals, Adminsitration officials put stock in bogus sources like "Curveball" and self-promoters like Ahmed Chalabi.

It was the CIA that put stock in Curveball et al. The suggestion that the administration "overrode" the "advice of intelligence professionals" is ridiculous. In October 2002, the intelligence agencies provided the administration with their Consensus Intelligence Estimate with regard to Iraq. The agencies told the administration with "High Confidence" that "Iraq possesses proscribed chemical and biological weapons and missiles." If the administration erred, it was by relying on the intelligence agencies, not "overriding" them.

The Administration cherry-picked intelligence, and hyped the threat.

The administration didn't "cherry-pick," it went with the consensus of all of the nation's intelligence agencies. And, far from hyping the threat posed by Saddam, President Bush's characterizations were actually more cautious than the warnings that came from Democrats like John Kerry.

Caught ya!

Remember all my email addresses? I was skimming through my junk mail folder and found this gem:

From - Tue Jun 13 06:54:41 2006
...
Received: from awv106.internetdsl.tpnet.pl
  (HELO PLACE1) (83.18.73.106)
  by shell.lasthome.net with SMTP; 
  13 Jun 2006 09:38:04 -0000
Message-ID: <42445177683384.70346F6FA4@26W3D>
...
To: <devnull@toomuchblue.com>
Subject: great gain important letter
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 11:37:48 +0200

If you remember from my previous message, "devnull" was the only real email address I posted. This spam used what is becoming a standard format for spam: one address is chosen to be listed as the "To" address, and all other addresses from the same domain are BCC'd. I received the message because it was also sent to one of my real email addresses.

So, in the space of 39 days, my site has been harvested for email addresses. Actually, it's probably much less than that - it's likely that other spam I've received has random-selected a different address for the top line.

I'm working with the guy who hosts my site on dates to move to a different server, which has more current spam-filtering rules. That would be a welcome relief — I am now receiving about 40 spam items a day, mostly through a single ticket entered into a publicly accessible Bugzilla install.