A digital world makes it much easier to carry out experiments with appreciable accuracy and precision. Take this educational, scientific gem for example. That kind of proof simply can't be reproduced on the old spring-scale analog equipment.
I'm starting a job helping with research projects back at the university next week for at least the fall, but none of the work will yield such informative results as the above experiment.
August 29, 2007
August 25, 2007
WiFight It?
I came across an interesting article this morning on the BBC, wherein a man in London, England became the third person arrested for 'stealing' wireless signals, inspiring some debate as to whether it really should be illegal to do so.
It is, as the article states, easy enough for a person to set up simple encryption on their wireless access point to keep people from easily using their signal, and in most cases it would seem this would be a strong enough hint that that particular signal is not intended for public use. When my connection has gone down for a length of time in the past, or when I've been travelling, I've felt no shame for finding the strongest available unsecure network to troubleshoot any problems with my ISP, or to check my e-mail and such while away. As new neighbours have come in over the past few years, more of the networks around me have become secured, but still leaving one or two viable options.
Surely enough, there are ways to work around those safeguards, but not taking the hint that the network is secured, and then attempting to circumvent it then starts to become an issue of hacking versus 'stealing' wireless signals, and should be treated as such.
Once a wireless signal is broadcast however, it is out there, in its limited range, traveling at the speed of light, so I'm not sure how it itself can be stolen. Of course this in most cases would be a question of semantics, where the general idea is that connecting to a wireless access point in turn gives you access to the internet. And this is likely where the whole issue became a sticking point in the first place, with the large provider companies having the money to attempt to force action against the practice. At this point one could get into the whole debate over how internet service charges, at least around here, seem to generally increase, with no increase, or infact some decreases in the quality of service, but that can be saved for another rant.
The fact is most people either pay for a set bandwidth, which in most cases I've ever seen goes 90% unused, or pay for an unlimited bandwidth service. Now, if the 'offending' wireless 'thief' is legitimate in just using the wireless access occasionally to check e-mail, troubleshoot their own connection problem, or even browse the news, the actual data transfer is a tiny fraction of even a 10 gigabyte per month service. On the other hand, if people go ahead and attempt to use a neighbour's connection for file sharing and the like, easily transferring large amounts of data, then concern may be warranted. Nonetheless, if you and your neighbour were to come to an agreement to do so, without defaulting on payments either for the initial service, or any charges for going over bandwidth, then there should be no way for that to be an illegal practice. In either the low or high bandwidth case, the service is paid for, and the user has willingly left their access point open to anyone with the capability to see it.
From the service perspective, it is somewhat similar to the debate of whether it should be chargeable to split your cable TV signal once it is in your home, and suffering the associated loss in signal strength, and so quality, if you so choose. Like the article states, it is no different than using the light from someone's window to read by, nor is it disparate from benefitting from the heat or cold of surrounding units in an apartment building.
Simply if you don't want people using your wireless connection, encrypt it. If ISP's don't want shared service, then they should give step by step instructions as to how to configure their router so as not to provide access to the service (though it should still allow for unsecure access to that wireless network for local networking should the user wish).
It is, as the article states, easy enough for a person to set up simple encryption on their wireless access point to keep people from easily using their signal, and in most cases it would seem this would be a strong enough hint that that particular signal is not intended for public use. When my connection has gone down for a length of time in the past, or when I've been travelling, I've felt no shame for finding the strongest available unsecure network to troubleshoot any problems with my ISP, or to check my e-mail and such while away. As new neighbours have come in over the past few years, more of the networks around me have become secured, but still leaving one or two viable options.
Surely enough, there are ways to work around those safeguards, but not taking the hint that the network is secured, and then attempting to circumvent it then starts to become an issue of hacking versus 'stealing' wireless signals, and should be treated as such.
Once a wireless signal is broadcast however, it is out there, in its limited range, traveling at the speed of light, so I'm not sure how it itself can be stolen. Of course this in most cases would be a question of semantics, where the general idea is that connecting to a wireless access point in turn gives you access to the internet. And this is likely where the whole issue became a sticking point in the first place, with the large provider companies having the money to attempt to force action against the practice. At this point one could get into the whole debate over how internet service charges, at least around here, seem to generally increase, with no increase, or infact some decreases in the quality of service, but that can be saved for another rant.
The fact is most people either pay for a set bandwidth, which in most cases I've ever seen goes 90% unused, or pay for an unlimited bandwidth service. Now, if the 'offending' wireless 'thief' is legitimate in just using the wireless access occasionally to check e-mail, troubleshoot their own connection problem, or even browse the news, the actual data transfer is a tiny fraction of even a 10 gigabyte per month service. On the other hand, if people go ahead and attempt to use a neighbour's connection for file sharing and the like, easily transferring large amounts of data, then concern may be warranted. Nonetheless, if you and your neighbour were to come to an agreement to do so, without defaulting on payments either for the initial service, or any charges for going over bandwidth, then there should be no way for that to be an illegal practice. In either the low or high bandwidth case, the service is paid for, and the user has willingly left their access point open to anyone with the capability to see it.
From the service perspective, it is somewhat similar to the debate of whether it should be chargeable to split your cable TV signal once it is in your home, and suffering the associated loss in signal strength, and so quality, if you so choose. Like the article states, it is no different than using the light from someone's window to read by, nor is it disparate from benefitting from the heat or cold of surrounding units in an apartment building.
Simply if you don't want people using your wireless connection, encrypt it. If ISP's don't want shared service, then they should give step by step instructions as to how to configure their router so as not to provide access to the service (though it should still allow for unsecure access to that wireless network for local networking should the user wish).
August 24, 2007
Two Moons Morons
It always astounds me just how ignorant people can really be. The latest is the Facebook event (yes, I know, the fact that its a Facebook event says a lot to start with) that I've gotten notice of some of my contacts signing on to 'attend' over the past few days. Its called "TWO MOONS, AUGUST 27th 2007" (remember, to gain credibility, its always important to capitalize the entire title of your e-mail/group/event/etc). The idea is that, at 12:30, apparently Mars is gonna strap on some booster rockets and fly in so close that it looks the same size as our moon, and then its gonna be gone way out to its normal home again.
During this time it will also apparently cultivate? Perhaps some new martian corn will be sown and be the new cost effective source for ethanol?
It blows my mind that people think a planet, visible in the night sky on most given nights, is miraculously going to swoop in, for a one hour viewing event and then be gone again. Mars is roughly twice the diameter of our moon, so even if somehow physically possible, it would have to come in to around the twice the distance away as our moon, which on average is about 385 000 km. Of course the claim above is some 34 650 000 miles which is about 55 760 000 km, which is actually the accurate distance for when Mars and Earth are at their closest. At that distance, it would take 70-75x magnification to be the same size as the moon (55760000 km / 2 * 385000km).
And fear not, because a quick check in one of my books infact tells me that these close approaches occur every 25 to 30 years, so there is no need to forsake your firstborn child or something for the sake of seeing this miraculous 'cultivation'.
Its downright scary to think how uncritical people can be, though in retrospect not as much surprising in the realm of Facebook and all its other retarded new 'features'. Maybe we should just invite those Martians in anyways, idiots like us surely don't deserve sole use of our atmosphere. I bet they could write a really killer 'Zombie' Facebook app too!
Two moons on 27 August*
August 27th the Whole World is waiting for.........
Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky
starting August.
It will look as large as the full moon to the naked
eye. This will cultivate on August 27 when Mars comes
within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure to watch the sky
on August 27 12:30 am . It will look like the earth
has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this close is
in 2287.
Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY
will ever see it again.
--
During this time it will also apparently cultivate? Perhaps some new martian corn will be sown and be the new cost effective source for ethanol?
It blows my mind that people think a planet, visible in the night sky on most given nights, is miraculously going to swoop in, for a one hour viewing event and then be gone again. Mars is roughly twice the diameter of our moon, so even if somehow physically possible, it would have to come in to around the twice the distance away as our moon, which on average is about 385 000 km. Of course the claim above is some 34 650 000 miles which is about 55 760 000 km, which is actually the accurate distance for when Mars and Earth are at their closest. At that distance, it would take 70-75x magnification to be the same size as the moon (55760000 km / 2 * 385000km).
And fear not, because a quick check in one of my books infact tells me that these close approaches occur every 25 to 30 years, so there is no need to forsake your firstborn child or something for the sake of seeing this miraculous 'cultivation'.
Its downright scary to think how uncritical people can be, though in retrospect not as much surprising in the realm of Facebook and all its other retarded new 'features'. Maybe we should just invite those Martians in anyways, idiots like us surely don't deserve sole use of our atmosphere. I bet they could write a really killer 'Zombie' Facebook app too!
August 22, 2007
Coon Lake
After the funeral on Monday, and some running around on Tuesday, Carolyn and I took off to meet up with some friends camping on Tuesday night. As it was we made great time for the typical four to four and a half hour drive to Algonquin, making it to the site near the far side of the park in a bit under 4 hours.
Driving the winding highway 60 in the rain after dark though was cause to slow down, and infact the two does that we had to stop for in the middle of the road ended up being the largest wildlife we saw the whole time we were up there. On my two previous trips into Algonquin park, there had been no shortage of moose sightings, but they managed to shy away from Carolyn for 5 days.
Despite a cool, windy and rainy weather system blowing through most of the time, we got enough of a break to get in some hiking and kayaking, and huddled around the fire with drinks to keep warm at night. Eventually the rain and wind was enough to start showing leaks at the seams, but having taken the van, I was able to clear out enough space in there to sleep comfortably. It ended up being so comfortable infact, that any similar car camping trips in the future will find me sleeping in the back.
There's a lot to be said for being properly prepared for a camping trip, and this time around was a much better experience than the previous struggle, but now its back to the reality of family drama in dividing an estate 12 ways, and finishing some semblance of a thesis.
Of course Carolyn noticed that this tree was well hung.
Driving the winding highway 60 in the rain after dark though was cause to slow down, and infact the two does that we had to stop for in the middle of the road ended up being the largest wildlife we saw the whole time we were up there. On my two previous trips into Algonquin park, there had been no shortage of moose sightings, but they managed to shy away from Carolyn for 5 days.
Despite a cool, windy and rainy weather system blowing through most of the time, we got enough of a break to get in some hiking and kayaking, and huddled around the fire with drinks to keep warm at night. Eventually the rain and wind was enough to start showing leaks at the seams, but having taken the van, I was able to clear out enough space in there to sleep comfortably. It ended up being so comfortable infact, that any similar car camping trips in the future will find me sleeping in the back.
There's a lot to be said for being properly prepared for a camping trip, and this time around was a much better experience than the previous struggle, but now its back to the reality of family drama in dividing an estate 12 ways, and finishing some semblance of a thesis.
Of course Carolyn noticed that this tree was well hung.
August 10, 2007
Time It's Time
Yesterday morning my grandmother passed away at 83. After a stroke 3 years ago, she was never the same quick, sarcastic, but gentle 'Oma' she had been to her dozens of grandchildren before. Until the end though she maintained her stubbornness, and that was likely the reason she left us when she did, refusing to go into a proper care facility.
The past few times I dropped her off and walked her back to her apartment, there was a bit of sadness in her eyes amongst the confusion that strokes are notorious for. I think it was a realization that she had lost the sharpness she had once had, and was never going to get it back. But she put on the best brave face she could, and tried to hide it from the whole family, most of whom were adequately convinced.
Born in Holland in 1924, she lived there during the war, and told stories when I was a kid of soldiers marching through their farm field, and aiding downed Allied pilots. She married an older man, with 8 children from a wife previously passed that she took to be her own, and treated them that way until the day she died. My grandfather himself died when my mother was only 4. Ultimately, my grandmother raised 12 children, as well as assisting in a great way both myself and moreso my brother in the drama that was brought on by my own father as part of our parents' divorce.
She infact lived with us at the time my brother was born; at the age of 67 still waking up at 5am every morning to go in to work at the local necktie factory. At 7 years old at that point, I would sneak into her room at night to stay up and watch the old black and white movies that were less about the movie and more about the staying up late for me at that point. Some nights she would pretend not to notice, or pretend that I was asleep, but most others she'd let me in on her late night Melba toast and cheese snack.
Moving ahead seven or eight years later, she took on the role of chauffeur and almost second-mom after my dad bailed with our family vehicle, leaving her to drive my mother to work for long hours, myself to school on the way, and housing and feeding my brother during the school week. And then, not long after my brother started spending more time back at home with some replenished normalcy to all of our everyday lives, she had her stroke (infact the largest of a suspected numerous small ones). And, as I mentioned, things were just never quite the same.
There's a time for all of us in the end, and my grandmother certainly lived a beautiful life before hers. Should there be truth to tales of angels looking over one's shoulder, I expect she's there now. Its easy to see how that concept makes dealing with death easier for some at least.
'Now that its over, rest your head'
The past few times I dropped her off and walked her back to her apartment, there was a bit of sadness in her eyes amongst the confusion that strokes are notorious for. I think it was a realization that she had lost the sharpness she had once had, and was never going to get it back. But she put on the best brave face she could, and tried to hide it from the whole family, most of whom were adequately convinced.
Born in Holland in 1924, she lived there during the war, and told stories when I was a kid of soldiers marching through their farm field, and aiding downed Allied pilots. She married an older man, with 8 children from a wife previously passed that she took to be her own, and treated them that way until the day she died. My grandfather himself died when my mother was only 4. Ultimately, my grandmother raised 12 children, as well as assisting in a great way both myself and moreso my brother in the drama that was brought on by my own father as part of our parents' divorce.
She infact lived with us at the time my brother was born; at the age of 67 still waking up at 5am every morning to go in to work at the local necktie factory. At 7 years old at that point, I would sneak into her room at night to stay up and watch the old black and white movies that were less about the movie and more about the staying up late for me at that point. Some nights she would pretend not to notice, or pretend that I was asleep, but most others she'd let me in on her late night Melba toast and cheese snack.
Moving ahead seven or eight years later, she took on the role of chauffeur and almost second-mom after my dad bailed with our family vehicle, leaving her to drive my mother to work for long hours, myself to school on the way, and housing and feeding my brother during the school week. And then, not long after my brother started spending more time back at home with some replenished normalcy to all of our everyday lives, she had her stroke (infact the largest of a suspected numerous small ones). And, as I mentioned, things were just never quite the same.
There's a time for all of us in the end, and my grandmother certainly lived a beautiful life before hers. Should there be truth to tales of angels looking over one's shoulder, I expect she's there now. Its easy to see how that concept makes dealing with death easier for some at least.
'Now that its over, rest your head'
August 03, 2007
And on the Seventh Day I Rested
After a few weeks straight of working at it every day, there are a few more doors to be painted for my room, and I can wash my hands of this renovation project. But we're finally getting some proper summer weather, and in time for a long weekend for once, so its time to kick back and take a few days off, and instead of sinking money into tools and trim and pain, carefully invest in beer for the weekend.
I say carefully because I got a call this morning from Steve letting me know the details for meeting up with him and his wife at Algonquin in a couple weeks, and am not going to have a whole bunch of money to play with for that excursion. Not working for a calendar year is starting to hurt. So long as I don't go ahead and fuck myself over like last time around when I forgot, among other things, a sleeping bag, and spent a night shivering, an exorbitant amount of money on a blanket, and the rest of my trip feeling slightly jaded with the experience.
Not all of my money lately has gone to the renovation though. The latest White Stripes album is fantastically written, and complete with the typical catchy beats and riffs that they rock out so well. My favourites from it are Rag and Bone, which has a great fun energy, and Cause and Effect which can be interpreted any number of ways and to me is a great closing track for the album.
And of course, a legitimate candidate for album of the year so far, Matthew Good's latest, which I managed to score a signed copy of 5 minutes before selling out. Hospital Music, knowing the story leading up to the writing of the album, is one of the most open and honest collections of music you could ever expect to hear, with some excellent covers of Daniel Johnston's True Love Will Find You in the End (which was also covered by Beck on one of his recent albums) and Moon Over Marin by The Dead Kennedys. I honestly hadn't heard the Dead Kennedys version until after hearing Matt's version, so I'm likely biased in describing it as a much better put together rendition, but I'm saying it anyways. That's something that can't be said for most cover versions of songs ever done, with the Jimi Hendrix version of Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower and Pearl Jam's take on Last Kiss being other cases that come to mind.
I'm sure now I'll think of a number more though while I kick back with a few beers on the balcony for the weekend and attempt not to sweat it out as fast as I drink it. Dunno what this whole 'Civic Holiday' is about anyways, but I'll take it!
I say carefully because I got a call this morning from Steve letting me know the details for meeting up with him and his wife at Algonquin in a couple weeks, and am not going to have a whole bunch of money to play with for that excursion. Not working for a calendar year is starting to hurt. So long as I don't go ahead and fuck myself over like last time around when I forgot, among other things, a sleeping bag, and spent a night shivering, an exorbitant amount of money on a blanket, and the rest of my trip feeling slightly jaded with the experience.
Not all of my money lately has gone to the renovation though. The latest White Stripes album is fantastically written, and complete with the typical catchy beats and riffs that they rock out so well. My favourites from it are Rag and Bone, which has a great fun energy, and Cause and Effect which can be interpreted any number of ways and to me is a great closing track for the album.
And of course, a legitimate candidate for album of the year so far, Matthew Good's latest, which I managed to score a signed copy of 5 minutes before selling out. Hospital Music, knowing the story leading up to the writing of the album, is one of the most open and honest collections of music you could ever expect to hear, with some excellent covers of Daniel Johnston's True Love Will Find You in the End (which was also covered by Beck on one of his recent albums) and Moon Over Marin by The Dead Kennedys. I honestly hadn't heard the Dead Kennedys version until after hearing Matt's version, so I'm likely biased in describing it as a much better put together rendition, but I'm saying it anyways. That's something that can't be said for most cover versions of songs ever done, with the Jimi Hendrix version of Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower and Pearl Jam's take on Last Kiss being other cases that come to mind.
I'm sure now I'll think of a number more though while I kick back with a few beers on the balcony for the weekend and attempt not to sweat it out as fast as I drink it. Dunno what this whole 'Civic Holiday' is about anyways, but I'll take it!
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