Rushdie writes on Islam in India & Pakistan.

Yes India does have two law systems, one for muslims, and one for everybody else. It is the cause of much tension. Segregation of law in the defense of a minority can be a very very bad thing.

Attemping the convergence life

One Treo 650, One 1 Gb Sandisk Ultra II Plus SD Card, one 2.5mm to 3.5mm audio cord convertor from treocentral, and both TCMP and Pocket Tunes loaded on the Treo, which is hooked up to my iPod headphones.

The iPods are sitting lonely at home.

The Pros: One Device to Rule them All.

Gapless playback. The iPod still doesn't have it.

Fade-in/Fade-out between tracks.

The Negatives:
Playing MP3s kill's the Treo's battery.

For the first time since I had the Rio500, I am using a non iPod MP3 player interface. None of the alternatives are better, yet.

I can't sync with iTunes. This isn't that much of a problem. I've been meaning to go back to gtkPod anyways, especially for when the 320Gb hard drive for the linux music server arrives Monday.

The programs I am using on the Treo don't normalize. Quiet music tracks followed by loud tracks suck without it.

Again Battery life. Who sells aftermarket Treo batteries with more oomph? Anybody?

Again, the interface. At the minimum, replicating the iPod's music database, with similar navigation is needed. Browsing by song and folder on the disk is so Winamp 2.x...

I've been talking about this eventuality for years, for those who have been listening.

For the morality based vegetarians: Is this engineered meat acceptable in a way that would finally let you enjoy meat with a clear conscience?

For those practicing Jews/Hindus/Muslims: Is Pork/Beef grown this way acceptable?

(No feet touching the ground. Ever.)

Ya want cloven hooves? We can splice in the genes for hooves. Do the Books say that hooves actually have to be expressed in the organism before the meat is kosher?

Watch out for that small loophole of opportunity before the relevant Rabbis outlaw this...

Fighting Global Warming With Lab-Grown Meat: "

(Author's note: I debated whether to post this today; it's not exactly keeping in tone with the earlier pieces. I decided, however, that at a time when reality is almost too much to bear, a bit of surreality is useful.)

'Faux' meat biologically identical to real tissue but grown in the lab is something of a staple in science fiction. In January, researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, came up with a method of using ink-jet printer technology to build animal tissue structures, including differentiated skin, bones and organs. I referred to them as 'meat-jet' printers, and argued that they could be the harbinger of the future emergence a new kind of cuisine: cruelty-free, waste-free, prion-free meats grown in the lab. Little did I know how rapidly this scenario might come about.

In the June 29 issue of Tissue Engineering, researchers describe methods of mass-producing 'cultured' meats: muscle tissues with the same taste, nutrients and texture of 'real' meat, grown under controlled conditions in the lab. This wouldn't be fake meat made from processed vegetables, it would be cellularly identical to the flesh from livestock -- but no animal would be killed for its production. (The article itself is under a subscription barrier The article is now available online, and a detailed summary is available here.)

The researchers -- from the US and the Netherlands -- aren't just talking about theory. They've started a non-profit company called New Harvest to develop cultured meat.

The production of such 'cultured meat' begins by taking a number of cells from a farm animal and proliferating them in a nutrient—rich medium. Cells are capable of multiplying so many times in culture that, in theory, a single cell could be used to produce enough meat to feed the global population for a year. After the cells are multiplied, they are attached to a sponge-like 'scaffold' and soaked with nutrients. They may also be mechanically stretched to increase their size and protein content. The resulting cells can then be harvested, seasoned, cooked, and consumed as a boneless, processed meat, such as sausage, hamburger, or chicken nuggets.

Setting aside the vaguely-discomfiting visuals of growing hamburger in vats, cultured meat actually has some distinct advantages.

'There would be a lot of benefits from cultured meat,' [project leader University of Maryland doctoral student Jason] Matheny said in a statement. 'For one thing, you could control the nutrients.'

Meat is high in omega-6 fatty acid, which is desirable, but not in large amounts. Healthful omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in walnuts and fish oils, could be substituted.

'Cultured meat could also reduce the pollution that results from raising livestock, and you wouldn't need the drugs that are used on animals raised for meat,' Matheny said.

Raising livestock requires million of gallons of water and hundreds of acres of land. Meat grown from tissue would bypass those requirements.

But perhaps most important would be the significant reduction in greenhouse gases that would result from moving away from livestock-based food production. In this month's Physics World, Dr. Alan Calverd argues that over 20% of human-caused CO2 comes from livestock farming. (This figure doesn't include the methane production from livestock, which also contributes to greenhouse gas buildup.) He suggests a global move to vegetarianism as a way to combat global warming. For those who can't give up their burgers and chicken, cultured meat would be a nearly-as-climate-concious alternative.

New Harvest is still studying cultured meat's nutritional and production issues. It may take a few years before they have something they can bring to market (or at least make available for testing), but in terms of the technology, there's every reason to think that tasty, indistinguishable-from-'real' cultured meat will be possible to make. The question is, will people buy it?

I think so. Many (most?) of us already experience meat only in the cleaned, sliced and packaged format, where it looks nothing like the animal from which it came. Cultured meats would (presumably) be no different in appearance than other processed meats, and would have distinct health and safety advantages. And, eventually, even a cost advantage: the factories to grow cultured meats would take up far less space and far fewer resources than livestock ranches, and traditional ranching is likely to come under increasing economic pressure due to the effects of climate disruption.

Cultured meat is one of those developments that seems almost too bizarre to be real, but could have significant worldchanging implications. Will we embrace its advantages? With New Harvest on the job, we may soon find out.

(Posted by Jamais Cascio in Plausibly Surreal - Scenarios and Anticipations at 04:37 PM)"

(Via WorldChanging: Another World Is Here.)

FW: [IP] more on RealID: How to become an unperson.

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber <dave@farber.net>
Date: Thursday, Jul 7, 2005 9:15 pm
Subject: [IP] more on RealID: How to become an unperson.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Brian Wong <rbw001@gmail.com>
Date: July 7, 2005 8:33:55 PM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: Fwd: FW: [IP] more on RealID: How to become an unperson.
Reply-To: Brian Wong <rbw001@gmail.com>

Dave, having lived through 9/11 in Washington, DC, it seems to me that you have to consider how the workers of London's fast food restaurants would get to work, and then home again, without mass transit. I don't know London's neighborhoods, but my guess is that the wages paid to those workers does not allow them to live within walking distance. There may or may not be an "imminent threat" of danger - and on this day who can make that call other than the government, right or wrong? - but there are good reasons to limit traffic and congestion for the rest of the day.

- Brian -

-------------------------------------
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/

FW: [IP] more on RealID: How to become an unperson.

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber <dave@farber.net>
Date: Thursday, Jul 7, 2005 8:17 pm
Subject: [IP] more on RealID: How to become an unperson.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Andy Duff <andy.duff@edengene.com>
Date: July 7, 2005 5:58:49 PM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: RE: [IP] more on RealID: How to become an unperson.

Dave

Little insight from London (publish only if you think appropriate)

After being close(ish) to today's events on the Tube, I rang a friend from the Middle East who happended to be in London to propose a night of beer, and crap (a.k.a. bad for you) food.

Beer was no problem, with 99% of Londoners treating today's attempts to disrupt our lives with the contempt we've given the IRA's similar attempts for over 30 years.

Crap food, though, proved more of a problem. First stop Burger King on Old Brompton Road closed, so we headed to BK on Gloucester Road - also closed. KFC next door? Also closed. So I questioned the guy putting out the rubbish (trash) - apparently, an HO edict had determined that they close in light of the "imminent threat".

Global brands? Start living up to the realities. This is not the time to be hiding.

Andy D

-------------------------------------

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/

Speakeasy plays the Magnetic Fields as hold music.

Did I mention I'm looking for an excuse to switch from Time Warner NYC Cable internet and their horrendous service and customer service?

Mike leaves DCist. I suppose I'll have to change the link on the right soon.

Wikipedia has some excellent comprehensive coverage of the London situation.

More praise for the Brits:

He [a person in a subway car next to the one blown up] praised the ambulance, police and London Underground for the way in which they dealt with the situation.

He said: "They kept checking we were okay then they led us to the Methodist Church nearby and gave us a cup of tea."

There's something about bombings and their ilk that call for full scale immersion in the news.

BBC News on full blast. Reports say that the London Stock Market hasn't fallen beyond the normal range.

I'm trying to follow all relevant fark threads, which drop gems such as these:

2005-07-07 07:36:02 AM dukefluke [TotalFark]

Pubs in and around Liverpool Street are filled with people who are there for "news reports". Brilliant. I love being English.

2005-07-07 07:37:35 AM wildvigilante

early reports indicate that units of mi6 have been detached to work with scotland yard...



/not true, just wanted to use that picture

And these useful bits of information:

2005-07-07 07:57:13 AM RumMunkey

Posted this morning at the website of an AQ-affiliated terrorist organization:

amaat al-Tandheem Al-Sierri (secret organization group)
Organization of Qaeda't al-Jihad in Europe

In the name of God the most merciful...

Rejoice the nation of Islam, rejoice nation of Arabs, the time of revenge has come for the crusaders' Zionist British government.

As retaliation for the massacres which the British commit in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mujahideen have successfully done it this time in London.

And this is Britain now burning from fear and panic from the north to the south, from the east to the west.

We have warned the brutish governments and British nation many times.

And here we are, we have done what we have promised. We have done a military operation after heavy work and planning, which the mujahideen have done, and it has taken a long time to ensure the success of this operation.

And we still warn the government of Denmark and Italy, all the crusader governments, that they will have the same punishment if they do not pull their forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

So beware.

Beware my ass.

9/11 I found out about from fark.

The London bombings I found out about from Drunkenblog, since I now look at NetNewsWire first in the morning.

The local PBS station WLIW is simulcasting BBC World into my living room.

Found in slashdot thread about the plans for the sequencing of the Neanderthal Genome:

Re:Shouldn't be too hard (Score:4, Funny)

by Rei (128717) Alter Relationship on Wednesday July 06, @04:33PM (#12997429)
(http://www.cursor.org/)

Back in their day, all they had were AMP and ADP; ATP hadn't been invented yet. In those times, glycolysis took two glucose for every one ADP produced, and they were proud of it! Back then, everything ate up that precious ADP - even the Calvin cycle. Oh, sure, it violated their ability to continue on as lifeforms indefinitely, but it was all they had to work with.

Back then, oxygen didn't end up making it into the bloodstream and then to the cells and mitochondria through diffusion from concentration differentials across membranes; they had to put it in manually. It got tiring after a while, all of the precision injection work, but it gave them exercise - a good muscle builder, it was. And, boy, did they need that muscle tone to hunt, what with only being able to synthesize two of their amino acids on their own.

We've come a long way, my friend. A long way.

a. More from the Voltron department.

b. from Another Bean.

TECHNOLOGY: Your Own Flame-Shooting Fighting Mech For Just $35K: "


Carlos Owens, the man behind the mech-producing endeavor known as Neogentronyx, has put the fearsome NMX04-1A prototype suit on eBay. Now, you can own your very own 18-foot tall robotic mechanical suit, listed for a mere $35,000. You'd better hurry, though, bidding closes at 12:08:57 PDT on July 8th.

Owens says that the mecha has a hydraulic system capable of 40 possible movements, that he's fixed a bug that would cause it to tip over (that's a relief), and that he's going to add nail-shooting guns to Neogentronyx's shoulders before shipping it to a buyer. Owens plans to use proceeds from the sale to build an amphibious version.

Owens claims that future mecha will be used for uses 'from fighting forest fires far too hot and unsafe for a human, riot control, construction, maintenance and handling of hazardous waste in hostile environments, modern day warfare, to the entertainment industry..' Riot control? Did he not see Robocop? Is an 18-foot tall human-piloted robotic creation really well suited to quell public disturbances? I'm not so sure. Let's just hope he doesn't plan on putting flame-throwers and nail guns on that version.

(Written by: bean)

"

(Via SuicideGirls: News Wire.)

If it can not be New York, then let it be London.

[In regards to the Olympics, not the events of Thursday morning.]

Cooking for Engineers' second, long promised piece on cooking Bacon is now up.

Before I go to bed, this note of importance.

Also, there is a twenty second period on the subway between when someone starts talking to you and when you realize they are a crackhead. Sometimes this period is even shorter. Use it wisely.

The Next Open Thread: "

by DemFromCT

Lance Armstrong is doing fine. But does anyone know who won the Wife Carrying Championships? The Estonians had the edge. Winner gets his wife's weight in Nordic beer.

"

(Via The Next Hurrah.)

normalcy

A 4th of July Celebration in Boston should have the Star Spangled Banner playing.

And definitely the Boston cover (better than the Hendrix version.)

Playing the native

I just got asked where Fenway Park is.

I don't know.

My roommate and the bride

My roommate and the bride
Originally uploaded by satmandu.

Tonight at the Sheva Brachot.

FW: [IP] Gates Says Technology Will One Day Allow Computer Implants -- But Hardwiring's Not For Him

Gates doesn't want his body to be hooked up to a computer.

If I was responsible for Windows...

-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber <dave@farber.net>
Date: Sunday, Jul 3, 2005 5:17 pm
Subject: [IP] Gates Says Technology Will One Day Allow Computer Implants -- But Hardwiring's Not For Him

Begin forwarded message:

From: "John F. McMullen" <observer@westnet.com>
Date: July 3, 2005 5:05:48 PM EDT
To: johnmac's living room <johnmacsgroup@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
Subject: [johnmacsgroup] Gates Says Technology Will One Day Allow Computer Implants -- But Hardwiring's Not For Him
Reply-To: johnmacsgroup@yahoogroups.com

From Techology Review --
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/07/ap/ap_070105.asp

Gates Says Technology Will One Day Allow Computer Implants --
But Hardwiring's Not For Him
By Rohan Sullivan

SINGAPORE (AP) -- Technological advances will one day allow
computers to be implanted in the human body -- and could help
the blind see and the deaf hear -- Bill Gates said Friday. But
the Microsoft chairman says he's not ready to be hardwired.

"One of the guys that works at Microsoft ... always says to me
'I'm ready, plug me in,"' Gates said at a Microsoft seminar in
Singapore. "I don't feel quite the same way. I'm happy to have
the computer over there and I'm over here."

Meshing people directly with computers has been a science
fiction subject for years, from downloading memories onto
computer chips to replacement robotic limbs controlled by
brain waves.

The fantasy is coming closer to reality as advances in
technology mean computers are learning to interact with human
characteristics such as voices, touch -- even smell.

Gates, whose Redmond, Washington-based company is spending
more than US$6 billion (euro4.95 billion) on research and
development this year to stay a world leader in software
development, was asked at the seminar whether he thought
computers would ever be implanted in the human brain.

He noted that cochlear implants and other medical implants
were already being used to treat hearing problems and some
conditions that cause constant pain, and were changing some
people's lives dramatically.

Cochlear implants, which employ digital pulses that the brain
interprets as sound, can help profoundly deaf people hear.

Advances were also being made on implants that can help fix
eyesight problems, Gates said.

These types of technologies would continue to be improved and
expanded, especially in areas where they would be "correcting
deficiencies," he said.

"We will have those capabilities," Gates said.

He cited author Ray Kurzweil, whom he called the best at
predicting the future of artificial intelligence, as believing
that such computer-human links would become mainstream --
though probably not for several generations.

Gates also predicted that the keyboard won't be replaced by
voice recognition software, and that the pen will make a
comeback -- although without ink. The three would form the
basic ways people will interact with their computers in the
future, he said.

He said when computer pen technology -- scratching words onto
a screen that a computer tries to read -- gets more
sophisticated it will do things like let people draw musical
notes and chemical signs, as well as recognize handwriting.

"Some people today underestimate the pen, because that
recognition software is at an early stage," Gates said. "But
it's on a very fast learning curve."

Speech would probably become the main way to input information
in mobile devices, though Gates noted the huge popularity of
mobile phone short messages services -- used almost
fanatically across Asia.

"In some cases -- mobile phones -- speech will be the primary
input (because) either the pen or the keyboard is a bit tough
-- although a lot of young people are awfully good with that little keyboard," Gates said.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Related:

Notebook:
There was no major announcement in Chairman Gates' speech at
this MS confab in Singapore. Still, it was a decent rundown of
what one guy is thinking about the future of microprocessor
technology -- a guy who controls around $6 billion in computer
R&D funds annually. -- By Paul Angiolillo

What Others Are Saying:

As Forbes noted (below), at the same MS conference, Gates
cited Internet security as his company's key challenge.

And, as News.com reported (also below), in an interview, the
Chairman also hinted that he may license Xbox gaming device
manufacturing to third parties.

-------------------------
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/07/01/afx2120303.html

AFX News Limited
Bill Gates says internet security is Microsoft's biggest
challenge
07.01.2005, 07:08 AM

SINGAPORE (AFX) - Internet security is Microsoft's greatest
challenge while developing mainstream technology to be able to
talk to a computer is a frontier about to be crossed, company
chairman Bill Gates said.

Delivering a wide-ranging lecture on technology to thousands
of delegates at a Microsoft forum here, Gates said giving
instructions to a personal computer by voice will become
mainstream in 'three to four years'.

Gates said Microsoft is investing 'tens of millions of
dollars' annually on this technology, although he expects the
computer keyboard will remain an important device.

Asked what is the biggest technology challenge for Microsoft
apart from piracy, Gates identified security on the Internet,
which he explained included privacy issues and controlling
spam e-mails.

'The thing we are investing the most in is our work on
security,' Gates said, adding that users should feel more
secure in giving out their credit card numbers and other
information online.

'I think the security challenge certainly for the forseeable
future will be the biggest thing.'

Gates also said the 'next big thing' on the information
technology horizon is pushing the functions of the Internet to
a higher level, such as making online searches faster and
easier.

'The Internet is so popular today that we need to just keep
evolving ... the way we navigate information -- we need to
make it easier to find.

'People are very impressed about searches today but it's
really quite poor compared to what it should be,' Gates said.

He said searching for information on the web directs the user
to a lot of links instead of giving out the information
immediately.

'(A) higher level of understanding (by the computer) -- that's
the biggest thing because it means you will write a lot less
code and you'll find anything you want very quickly,' he said.

Gates said the next 10 years will be 'far more interesting'
than the past 30 years because technology gains will change at
a faster pace the way people work and live.

2005 Forbes.com Inc
--------------------------------------------------------------

http://news.com.com/Gates+considers+Xbox+clones/2100-1043_3-5770507.html

Gates considering Xbox clones?
By Michael Singer

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is dropping hints that he may be
ready to license the brains of the Xbox gaming device to other
companies. It's a risky move to better compete with Sony's
PlayStation, according to one analyst.

In an interview with Nikkei Newspaper in Tokyo, Gates was
asked whether Microsoft would consider opening the manufacture
of Xbox units to third parties. Gates responded that "there is
nothing concrete" but said the company is always talking with
partners about how to expand the Xbox culture.

Gates declined to give details, such as which companies
Microsoft might be thinking about working with or if a license
would be extended to the underlying software of other
electronics equipment, such as handheld devices, PCs or home
digital media centers.

Microsoft's Xbox currently plays second fiddle to Sony's
PlayStation when it comes to sales, with Nintendo's GameCube
ranking third. The PlayStation makes up more than 60 percent
of the market, with the Xbox accounting for 29 percent of
sales and the GameCube rounding out the top-tier players with
11 percent, according to the latest statistics from NPD Group.

All three console makers are preparing their next-generation
gaming box. Microsoft's Xbox 360 is expected to hit store
shelves later this year, with Sony's PlayStation 3 available
soon after and Nintendo's Revolution console expected in 2006.

Despite the suggestion that Microsoft's device could be
cloned, Xbox representative Molly O'Donnell reaffirmed the
company's stance that the Xbox is exclusively a Microsoft
product.

"There's certainly a potential for other hardware companies to
manufacture Xbox some day in the future, but that is not
something we're focused on right now," she said.

Licensing the Xbox's underlying software to other
manufacturers is, of course, not outside the realm of
Microsoft's capabilities. The company found sterling success
in licensing its Windows operating system to PC makers.

But breaking the traditional proprietary mold of the game
console world is something no one else has tried and something
JupiterResearch analyst Michael Gartenberg says would be a
bold move on Microsoft's part.

"Clearly, everyone at Microsoft is thinking out of the box to
increase sales. I mean, look at the nontraditional way of
introducing the Xbox on MTV," Gartenberg said. "It sounds like
they are just testing the waters with a hybrid of the (white
box) PC model and the (proprietary hardware) video game
model."
AOL launches video search service
Will SAP sample hosted recipe?
XP Starter under the gun
Previous Next

Gartenberg said Microsoft's strategy may be centered on gaming
software. The majority of money made in the video game
industry comes from the games themselves, not from the
hardware. Recently, both Microsoft and Sony reported that the
newer models of their devices will be priced far less than the
cost needed to make them.

Microsoft's reasoning, Gartenberg said, may be that the more
Xbox-like consoles there were on the market, the easier it
would be to sell Xbox-branded games. That would mean Microsoft
would have a larger market for the titles it published. And it
could also put the squeeze on the PlayStation by inspiring
game developers to focus on titles for the Xbox and its
generic brethren.

"No one video game software developer just writes for Xbox,"
Gartenberg said. "But what it would do is tell publishers,
'Hey, look how many more consoles we are on.'

"Still," Gartenberg said, "Microsoft would have to make sure
that all the people who license their Xbox are up to their
standards, and at the end of the day they would still be
competing with Xbox sales."

Copyright 1995-2005 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use
has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The
'johnmacsgroup' Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of
literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a
'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission
from the copyright owner.

For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

"When you come to the fork in the road, take it" - L.P. Berra
"Always make new mistakes" -- Esther Dyson
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
-- Arthur C. Clarke
"You Gotta Believe" - Frank "Tug" McGraw (1944 - 2004 RIP)
"To achieve, you need thought. You have to know what you
are doing and that's real power." -- Ayn Rand

John F. McMullen
johnmac@acm.org johnmac@computer.org johnmac@m-net.arbornet.org
johnmac@tmail.com johnmac@echonyc.com
jmcmullen@monroecollege.edu johnmac@alumni.iona.edu
ICQ: 4368412 Skype, AIM & Yahoo Messenger: johnmac13
http://www.westnet.com/~observer
BLOG: http://johnmacrants.blogspot.com/

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/johnmacsgroup/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
johnmacsgroup-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

-------------------------------------

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/