links for 2009-06-09

"A slapstick Web video describing “Information Overload Syndrome,” or IOS, is aimed at getting viewers to think of Xerox as a company that can help them manage and direct information rather than simply print or copy paperwork." Pretty good ad.

"The new iPhone 3G S sounds great. It’s not a huge update to the iPhone, but it packs a few very important things: More speed, more storage, more battery and a better camera that can do video. It’s a no-brainer to upgrade to it, just as many did from the original iPhone to the iPhone 3G last year, right? Wrong." Seems a very bone-headed move from AT&T on top of non-immediate support for MMS and tethering.

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The head of the US Central Command, General David Petraeus, said Friday that the US had violated the Geneva Conventions in a stunning admission from President Bush’s onetime top general in Iraq that the US may have violated international law." You know it may have happened.

"As the basis for the suit, the ACLU invoked both a federal statute enabling the direct federal-court enforcement of constitutional rights – here, First Amendment rights – and the Equal Access Act, which grants public high school student groups a right to equal access to school resources. The Equal Access Act was initially backed by groups seeking to give public-school students the right to convene Bible study groups on campus during lunch breaks and through on-campus afterschool clubs. Now, the Act is also being invoked by student LGBT and Gay-Straight Alliance clubs that face hostility from public-school administrations to their own wishes to meet on-campus." Yet another example of stupid and ridiculous filters that don't work and aren't controlled properly.

"We are sucker for creative advertisements, particularly those that convey messages with sense of humor, or deliver ideas in ways we have never expected. Here’s something light to digest for the weekend surfers – 60+ creative and smart advertisements we’ve collected around the web." Some of these ads are also just plain offensive.

"Security companies and IT people constantly tells us that we should use complex and difficult passwords. This is bad advice, because you can actually make usable, easy to remember and highly secure passwords. In fact, usable passwords are often far better than complex ones. Remember this the next time you are making web applications or discussing password policies. Passwords can be made both highly secure and user-friendly." How should passwords actually be designed, it's an interesting and somewhat throwing most logic out the window.

"While doing some research for a blog post last night I came upon several flash websites that set off my usability radar. When I’m looking at a portfolio website (or any website really) I want to be able to find the information im looking for quickly and easily. I have condensed this rant down to 7 reasons why flash websites tend to suck." What makes Flash such a bad technology to build your entire website around?

"Their spatial memory is so precise that they can find a single tree among more than 12,000 others within a patch of forest, primatologists have found. More than that, the chimps also recall how productive each tree is, and decide to travel further to eat from those they know will yield the most fruit." Wow, I'm totally impressed.

"The Department of Justice (DOJ) opened an investigation of possible federal crimes associated with the murder of George Tiller, MD, Friday. The DOJ will investigate possible violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or other federal laws in connection with the case. The federal government has also convened a meeting of the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers in the days following the murder and Attorney General Eric Holder has deployed US Marshals to protect highly threatened clinics and staff." Especially after the suspect pronouncing that there were similar attacks planned.

"The Supreme Court announced today that they will not hear a case that challenges the constitutionality of the federal government's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The suit alleged that the policy violates the rights to equal protection and due process as well protection under the first amendment, according to the ABA Journal. Former Army Captain James Pietrangelo II, who was dismissed from duty as a result of don't ask, don't tell, is the only plaintiff of 12 who appealed the case to the Supreme Court, reported the Associated Press."

"Three major movie studios are about to try an interesting experiment. They are launching a new TV network called Epix that will show their own recent films in HD, but they're going a step beyond by bundling it with an online, on-demand service that offers HD streaming of the same films over the Internet. Think of it like Hulu for movies that aren't yet out on DVD. Oh—and did we mention that the service will have no advertising and won't appear on your cable bill? Epixhd.com will only be available to people who subscribe to one provider's TV offering and also subscribe to that same provider's Internet offering. That is, if Comcast were to offer Epix, users would need to pay for both Comcast cable and Comcast Internet in order to access the streaming, on-demand service." Interesting idea only real point of contention is paying for a service I may not use and the desire to make this service available to more people than just those who pay for internet and tv service.

What's it like when vendors deal with clients?

What would happen if obama actually met middle america?

"A Senate vote Monday put Congress in sight of fulfilling a decade-old quest to put the content and marketing of tobacco products under the control of the federal government. The legislation would for the first time give the Food and Drug Administration legal authority to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products. The 61-30 Senate vote to move forward on the bill sets up possible passage of the measure this week. Sixty votes were needed to keep the bill on track. The House has already passed a similar bill and resolution of minor differences would send it to President Obama, who supports it. The Senate action was critical because, under Senate rules, it ended the possibility of senators offering amendments, some highly controversial, that are not relevant to the F.D.A. regulation issue."

"Earlier this year the executive, Dr. Andrew G. Bodnar, a former senior vice president at Bristol-Myers Squibb, had pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the federal government about the company’s efforts to resolve a patent dispute over the blood thinner Plavix. The judge sentenced Dr. Bodnar to two years of probation during which he is to write a book about his experience connected to the case. Dr. Bodnar must also pay a $5,000 fine. Elkan Abramowitz, Dr. Bodnar’s lawyer, said he had never before heard of a case in which a judge sentenced a defendant to write a book. But this is not the first time Judge Urbina has demanded written penance. In 1998, he sentenced a prominent Washington lobbyist to write and distribute a monograph to 2,000 lobbyists at the defendant’s own expense." Okay that's an odd punishment.

"Scientists have shown a rogue protein thought to cause Alzheimer's can spread through the brain, turning healthy tissue bad."

What happens you choose convenience over security?

"A court in North Korea has sentenced two US journalists to 12 years' hard labour, state media say. Euna Lee and Laura Ling were found guilty of "hostile acts" and illegal entry into the communist state." Not good news.

"US President Barack Obama has said he is "deeply concerned" by North Korea's reported sentencing of two US journalists to 12 years' hard labour. The US was working through all channels to secure their release, a spokesman for Mr Obama said." So what's working through all channels?

"Republicans apparently seized control of the New York State Senate on Monday, in a stunning and sudden reversal of fortunes for the Democratic Party, which controlled the chamber for barely five months." Wow.

"People with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) should eat oily fish at least twice a week to keep their eye disease at bay, say scientists. Omega-3 fatty acids found in abundance in fish like mackerel and salmon appear to slow or even halt the progress of both early and late stage disease."

"What's the most absurdly detailed discussion you've ever been forced to sit through for no good reason?" Mine: "Spending 3.5 hours of my 4 hour work day discussing what we should call sections of an online system that was supposed to educate students, lessons or projects, oh and the system wasn't built and wasn't about to be built for several months if not more than a year or more. On top of it, only two people in the room of 6 had any say in the matter, the rest of us were there to look pretty or something."

"On June 8, 1995, Rasmus Lerdorf issued the first public release of PHP. It's a language that became the key development language of the Web 1.0 world powering millions of sites (including InternetNews.com)."

"The US Supreme Court has granted a request to delay the sale of carmaker Chrysler to a group led by Italian carmaker Fiat. Three Indiana state pension and construction funds filed papers at the court on Sunday calling for the sale to be halted so they can pursue an appeal. They (the petitioners) say it inverts usual bankruptcy practice and unlawfully rewards unsecured creditors, such as the union, ahead of secured lenders."

What all did WWDC reveal this year?

"A prominent African-American pastor says Southern Baptist leaders should publicly repudiate comments by a former Southern Baptist Convention officer that he is praying for President Obama to die."

"Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to pay $15.5m to settle a lawsuit which accused the oil firm of complicity in rights abuses in Nigeria. The case, due for trial in the US next week, was brought by relatives of a group of anti-Shell activists executed in 1995 by Nigeria's military rulers. The families say Shell helped the government to punish the campaigners." The question for me did Shell think they have a case or was it to avoid the publicity, probably the latter.

"Firstly, the big companies that have been hit by the recession are neither hiring staff themselves nor giving much business to the IT companies that might have hired foreign professionals themselves. But also, the US Congress has forbidden companies and banks that receive funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (Tarp) from hiring foreign workers." Not as many work visas being handed out this year.

"The families of two US journalists held in North Korea have pleaded with the authorities there to set the pair free."

What's the new iphone come with. Faster, better camera, better battery, better graphics support, compass, and voice control.

Essentially AT&T has to remove a bit of code manually on each account.

"Today at Apple’s WWDC event in San Francisco, Apple had a bunch of Cinema Display monitors mounted together on a wall showing what looked to be some sort of pulsating canvas. But a closer look revealed that it was actually a huge collection of icons for many of the apps available in the App Store, arranged by color. Apparently, when someone purchased one, that app’s icon would pulsate, creating the effect." Okay that's cool.

"British scientists have developed a portable microwave scanner to help police identify individuals carrying concealed guns and knives." Could be useful when dealing with large crowds of protesters to find out if anyone in the crowd is possibly carrying a weapon.

"California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has unveiled a plan to save money by scrapping school textbooks in favour of internet aids. From the beginning of the next school year in August, maths and science students in California's high schools will have access to online texts that have passed an academic standards review." This could be a real step forward in education, if it works correctly.

"Now the governor has taken action on two bills that show where his priorities really lie: He vetoed a bill reigning in predatory payday lending, and signed a bill allowing loaded guns on school grounds." Good job South Carolina, rather that taking money for schools, lets have guns in school.

And you wonder why the Justice Dept said to be worried about right wing extremists?

Good for Palm, about 50,000 phones sold on the first two days.