FT.com / Technology - Google ditches Windows on security concerns

FT.com / Technology - Google ditches Windows on security concerns:

"Google is phasing out the internal use of Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows operating system because of security concerns, according to several Google employees.

The directive to move to other operating systems began in earnest in January, after Google’s Chinese operations were hacked, and could effectively end the use of Windows at Google, which employs more than 10,000 workers internationally."

I, Cringely » Blog Archive » Let’s Get Small - Cringely on technology

I, Cringely » Blog Archive » Let’s Get Small - Cringely on technology

Cringely bets Facebook will ultimately fail. He has some interesting reasons too.

China pins food-security hopes on humble potato

China pins food-security hopes on humble potato

The challenge of feeding a growing nation on a shrinking supply of arable land while confronting severe water shortages has long been a major concern here. China has to feed one-fifth of the world's population on one-tenth of its arable land, and the nation's expanding cities are consuming farmland at breakneck speed. China estimates that by 2030, when its population is expected to level off at roughly 1.5 billion, it will need to produce an additional 100 million tons of food each year.

The John Batchelor Show :: Conflict IPhones - De-Brief

The John Batchelor Show :: Conflict IPhones - De-Brief

In Africa, the diamonds form the abusive fields are known as "blood diamonds" or "conflict diamonds" and are treated as taboo in Europe. Will our mobiles be known as a Conflict IPhones?

Peggy Noonan: He Was Supposed to Be Competent - WSJ.com

Peggy Noonan: He Was Supposed to Be Competent - WSJ.com
I wonder if the president knows what a disaster this is not only for him but for his political assumptions. His philosophy is that it is appropriate for the federal government to occupy a more burly, significant and powerful place in America—confronting its problems of need, injustice, inequality. But in a way, and inevitably, this is always boiled down to a promise: "Trust us here in Washington, we will prove worthy of your trust." Then the oil spill came and government could not do the job, could not meet need, in fact seemed faraway and incapable: "We pay so much for the government and it can't cap an undersea oil well!"

Acer, Sony Rev E-Reader Race - WSJ.com

Acer, Sony Rev E-Reader Race - WSJ.com

Acer Inc. unveiled its first e-reader and touchscreen tablet computer, as the world's No. 2 personal computer maker seeks to bolster its presence in the increasingly competitive market for consumer gadgets.

Dan Danner: ObamaCare vs. Small Business - WSJ.com

Dan Danner: ObamaCare vs. Small Business - WSJ.com
Supporters say the law will significantly help small businesses, focusing on the much-talked about small business tax credit. But the reality is that the tax credit is complex and very limited because firms qualify based on number of employees and average wages. The credit, which is only available for a maximum of six years, puts small business owners through a series of complicated "tests" to determine if they qualify and how much they will receive. Fewer than one-third of small businesses even pass the first three (of four) tests to qualify: have 25 employees or less, provide health insurance, and pay 50% of the cost of that insurance.

More importantly, the credit is temporary, but health-care cost increases are permanent. When the credit ends, small businesses will be left paying full price. They'll also be forced to deal with all sorts of new taxes, fees and mandates buried in this 2,000-page law.

One of these new taxes is a so-called health insurance fee. It's a massive $8 billion tax (that escalates to $14.3 billion by 2018) on insurance companies based on their market share. This tax will be paid almost exclusively by small businesses and individuals because the law specifically excludes self-insured plans, the plans that most big businesses and labor unions offer, from having to pay the tax.

Stocks Fall Amid Concern About Europe’s Economy - NYTimes.com

Stocks Fall Amid Concern About Europe’s Economy - NYTimes.com
Get used to hearing these phrases again:

"How's that hope and change working out for ya?"

and

"Who's economy is it now?"

Mortgage delinquencies drag on economic recovery - Yahoo! Finance

Mortgage delinquencies drag on economic recovery - Yahoo! Finance

Around 4.3 million homeowners, or about 8 percent of all Americans with a mortgage, are at risk of losing their homes, the trade group's top economist estimates. They have either missed at least three months of payments or are in foreclosure.

Power Play Over Immigration Law | NBC Los Angeles

Power Play Over Immigration Law | NBC Los Angeles

In a letter to the city of LA, a member of Arizona's power commission said he would ask Arizona utility companies to cut off the power supply to Los Angeles. LA gets about 25 percent of its power from Arizona.

Obamacare hospitals killed: 60, with 200 on life support

Obamacare hospitals killed: 60, with 200 on life support

Buried in the recently passed health-care reform bill is a new law granting one of the nation's largest corporate lobbyists what it has been targeting for years: Death to its competition, and, consequently, a heavy blow to patient choice.

Section 6001 of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is responsible for Obamacare's first casualties: a reported 60 physician-owned hospitals, which had promised to offer an innovative alternative to big, corporate and non-profit facilities, but under the new law are now "virtually destroyed," according to advocates. Another 200-plus doctor-owned hospitals already in existence may soon be put out of business by the health-care reform law.

Texas doctors fleeing Medicare in droves | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Texas doctors fleeing Medicare in droves | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

The uncertainty proved too much for Dr. Guy Culpepper, a Dallas-area family practice doctor who says he wrestled with his decision for years before opting out in March. It was, he said, the only way “he could stop getting bullied and take control of his practice.”

“You do Medicare for God and country because you lose money on it,” said Culpepper, a graduate of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. “The only way to provide cost-effective care is outside the Medicare system, a system without constant paperwork and headaches and inadequate reimbursement.”

Ending Medicare participation is just one consequence of the system's funding problems. In a new Texas Medical Association survey, opting out was one of the least common options doctors have taken or are planning as a result of declining Medicare funding — behind increasing fees, reducing staff wages and benefits, reducing charity care and not accepting new Medicare patients.

The Heartland Institute - Welcome to the Fourth International Conference on Climate Change

The Heartland Institute - Welcome to the Fourth International Conference on Climate Change

The theme for ICCC-4 will be “Reconsidering the Science and Economics.” New scientific discoveries are casting doubt on how much of the warming of the twentieth century was natural and how much was man-made, and governments around the world are beginning to confront the astronomical cost of reducing emissions. Economists, meanwhile, are calculating that the cost of slowing or stopping global warming exceeds the social benefits.

The purpose of ICCC-4 is the same as it was for the first three events: to build momentum and public awareness of the global warming “realism” movement, a network of scientists, economists, policymakers, and concerned citizens who believe sound science and economics, rather than exaggeration and hype, ought to determine what actions, if any, are taken to address the problem of climate change.

Danah Boyd - Facebook and “radical transparency” (a rant)

Over and over again, I find that people’s mental model of who can see what doesn’t match up with reality. People think “everyone” includes everyone who searches for them on Facebook. They never imagine that “everyone” includes every third party sucking up data for goddess only knows what purpose. They think that if they lock down everything in the settings that they see, that they’re completely locked down. They don’t get that their friends lists, interests, likes, primary photo, affiliations, and other content is publicly accessible.

The Climategate Chronicle: How the Science of Global Warming Was Compromised - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

The Climategate Chronicle: How the Science of Global Warming Was Compromised - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

To what extent is climate change actually occuring? Late last year, climate researchers were accused of exaggerating study results. SPIEGEL ONLINE has since analyzed the hacked "Climategate" e-mails and provided insights into one of the most unprecedented spats in recent scientific history.

Google Books Graphics, from GB to Blogger to Buzz

Detroit to Demolish 10,000 Abandoned Properties - WSJ.com

Detroit to Demolish 10,000 Abandoned Properties - WSJ.com

Mayor Dave Bing has pledged to knock down 10,000 structures in his first term as part of a nascent plan to "right-size" Detroit, or reconfigure the city to reflect its shrinking population.

When it's all over, said Karla Henderson, director of the Detroit Building Department, "There's going to be a lot of empty space."

Mr. Bing hasn't yet fully articulated his ultimate vision for what comes after demolition, but he has said entire areas will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. For now, his plan calls for the tracts to be converted to other uses, such as parks or farms.

Maybe they should give it to the UAW.

‘YouCut’ Spending by 0.017% | Cato @ Liberty

‘YouCut’ Spending by 0.017% | Cato @ Liberty

But the GOP leadership make themselves look silly by offering such small cuts. The suggested cuts on the new website average just $638 million in annual savings, which is just 0.017 percent of total federal spending. Put another way, it is just $1 of cuts for every $5,800 of federal spending. The average YouCut savings idea is just 0.04 percent of this year’s federal deficit of $1.6 trillion. So we would need 2,500 cuts of this size to balance the budget.

I can't imagine that any of our elected representative could run a lemonade stand, except to right into the ground. They should be able to cut 17% (no decimal point or leading zeroes) without breaking a sweat. Businesses and state and local governments have to do this every day (although in the case of the government bodies they put it off longer than they should. Formula: When you run out of money, stop spending! DUH!

Imbeciles!

How to convert email addresses into name, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation - Cube Of M

How to convert email addresses into name, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation - Cube Of M

So you have somehow begged, borrowed or stolen an email list of 1000 users who you believe are interested in your new service. Would it not be great if you could somehow convert that list into real people, with real photos, and perhaps even more concrete information like "My service has a higher than average gay consumer group" or "My dating service seems to be very popular among 9 year old girls"? Such information can help you correct course before you are too invested in a particular idea you have.

Well, a few weeks back, we were handed down this lovely present by our masters from above: Facebook.

Bill Clinton offers himself as lottery prize to pay off Hillary’s debts - Times Online

Bill Clinton offers himself as lottery prize to pay off Hillary’s debts - Times Online

By 2007, seven years after leaving the White House, the Clintons had earned a combined $109 million (£73 million) through speaking engagements and bestselling memoirs. Even so, apparently they would prefer American voters to settle Mrs Clinton’s remaining $771,000 debt rather than paying it themselves.

The Next Phase in the Evolution of Office Suites | Zoho Blogs

The Next Phase in the Evolution of Office Suites | Zoho Blogs

This week, Microsoft is launching the latest version of its Office suite. These 3 year release cycles seem alien to us given that our apps are typically updated at least once a month. In case you are considering upgrading to Office 2010, you might want to give online alternatives a try. Our friends at Google listed several reasons not to upgrade to Office 2010.

As Microsoft evolves its Office suite and moves online (finally), we see a new phase in the evolution of Office suites - Componentization. For the past five years, we have seen Office suites evolve from desktop application suites to online application suites, and Zoho has been at the forefront of this transformation. Now, we are leading the way again in taking the office suites to the next phase of its evolution.

Two Oil Firms Link Rig Blast to 'Plug' - WSJ.com

Two Oil Firms Link Rig Blast to 'Plug' - WSJ.com

At this point it is common practice to pour wet cement down into the pipe. The wet cement, which is heavier than the drilling mud, sinks down through the drilling mud and then hardens into a plug thousands of feet down in the well.

The mud then is removed and displaced by seawater; the hardened cement plug holds back any underground gas.

In this case, a decision was made, shortly before the explosion, to perform the remaining tasks in reverse order, according to the expected Senate testimony of Mr. Probert, the Halliburton executive.

The Big Game, Zuckerberg and Overplaying your Hand

Didn’t anyone read “Tom Sawyer”? We’re whitewashing Zuckerberg’s fence.

People are creating fan pages on Facebook and then paying Facebook to
send them traffic. Let me explain this one more time: You’re PAYING
Mark Zuckerberg money to send traffic to HIS SITE. Think about it.

Oh yeah, and while he’s taking your money and page views, he’s
convincing everyone that they don’t need their own customer’s
information: Just use Facebook Connect!

Oh yeah, and if you’re stupid enough to give up your customer database
to Facebook, he will pay you back by screwing over your user’s
privacy! Yes, that’s right: give up your customer database, pay for
traffic to build Facebook’s page views and, by the way, if you would
like to use a virtual currency, Zuck will take 30% of that as well!

The Question, the Answer.

BP's Preparedness for Major Crisis Is Questioned - WSJ.com

BP's plan, as submitted to the Mineral Management Service, placed exceedingly low probabilities on oil reaching land in the event of a major spill. Even in the case of the worst spill, BP said, there was only a 3% chance that oil would come ashore after a month in any part of the Gulf other than Plaquemines, La., which juts into the Gulf south of New Orleans.

Mr. Gowers defended BP's clean-up operation. "We moved very rapidly to implement the approved response to the accident," he said. "The evidence for that is the huge containment effort on the surface and onshore."

So the age old question that must be asked of those up to their necks in failure: "Are you a liar or just stupid?"

And the age old response from those eager to avoid any response at all: "Well our intentions were good and we are trying really hard."

Our modern world is getting more practice at asking the question, as well as trying to probe its way around the non-answer.

We have asked or soon will be asking the question of those who have led Greece into a position well beyond bankruptcy. And then there are other countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Ireland, England, US states like California, Connecticut, Colorado, and the uncounted US cities who are cutting services while raising taxes while citizens scratch their heads.

Show an average citizen of any of the above entities a pie chart of where all the money goes and their jaws are sure to drop. But most of those published pie charts are incomplete, not including thing that are "off budget" (translation: secret from taxpayers) such as generous retirement programs for government workers. My favorite quote from sources above:

The party in power never seems to want to cut spending, but ultimately that is the only solution. The spending is unproductive to begin with, so eliminating it should be a net benefit.

Unproductive indeed. How many people in the US were inconvenienced by the "shutdown" of the federal government for three weeks? How many people even remember or were aware of it? If only that shutdown had involved unpaid leave for the many government workers told to stay home in what amounted to an extra vacation. For hose of us deemed "essential" productivity soared during the time we didn't have to deal with those deemed non-essential. Too bad the shutdown was more for show than anything else. Too bad that our future may hold shutdowns that are less orderly, taking productive workers along with the laggards.

So... Do we wait for all these things to happen to ask our leaders, the press, the pundits the question, remember the question: "Are you a liar or just stupid?"

And when the time comes will we accept the answer that we are sure to get: "Well our intentions were good and we are trying really hard."

Was The Market Mayhem A Mistake? Maybe Not. « Forbes.com's StreetTalk

Was The Market Mayhem A Mistake? Maybe Not. « Forbes.com's StreetTalk

Someone put on a bearish position in the S&P 500 just 10 minutes before the market took a dive Thursday, suggesting the market swoon was less a mistake and more the result of some traders exiting a carry trade, hedging, or outright speculating. In any event, the much discussed "fat fingered" trader might not exist.

No Pets, thank you.

I just spotted this batch of chicken wire marketed as an "Exercise Kennel".

This is why I think it wrong for most people to keep pets. They "love" their pets, until they become inconvenient.

Oil Spill: BP Suffers Setback on Containment - WSJ.com

Oil Spill: BP Suffers Setback on Containment - WSJ.com

BP lowered a concrete-and-steel structure known as a containment dome almost a mile to the seafloor in an effort to stop the flow of oil from the drilling site. But gas hydrates, ice-like solids that form when methane gas combines with water under certain conditions, clogged the opening at the top of the dome, preventing oil from being funneled to the surface, said Doug Suttles, BP's chief operating officer, on a media conference call. "I wouldn't say it has failed," Mr. Suttles said at a news conference. "What I would say is what we attempted to do last night wasn't successful."

Tragically funny.

The same people who are saying "It didn't fail" also assessed the risk of the drilling at near zero. Is english not their native language?

The trajectory of this is obvious. With ever bigger government employing a "too big to fail" philosophy, corporations get sloppier and sloppier with their risk assessment. "If this goes well, big payout, if not, let the public sector take over the clean-up... just like they did last time."

But what really happens is that governments use these "mistakes" as ammunition for more government "preventative" measures. More government supervision, more government picking the favorites, accelerating the "shit rises to the top" phenomenon. We trade glad-handing corporate types for glad-handing federal types and revolving doors as we see in the finacial sector. And then?

And then there is no accountability. Oh well, the government officials did their best. Suspend them for two weeks if they downloaded any porn. No firings, no loss of generous retirement benefits. The taxpayers will pay, now and into the distant future. True believers in the media will hush it all up for us.

Capitalism can work. But companies must pay for their mistakes, to the point of extinction for the big mistakes. In the US we use every disaster as an excuse to expand government, making blame placing harder rather than easier. In China the top guy hangs himself. Neither system does it right. But I would say that at least the Chinese model does something to discourage others from making similar mistakes. Hanging isn't necessary. Bankrupting the top management would be a much better approach. Branding them with felonies would make it harder for them to repeat.

Steven Pearlstein - Greece and the myth of the easy economic fix

Steven Pearlstein - Greece and the myth of the easy economic fix

It is now with the same misguided determination that some European officials have tried to shut down any discussion of a restructuring of Greece's debt, or that of any other eurozone country, on the theory that a default for one would be a default for them all.

In fact, markets are fully capable of distinguishing between the finances of different countries that may use the same currency, just as they can distinguish the bonds of the state of California from those of Utah. And although any country that defaults will surely face the prospect of being shut out of credit markets for years, that punishment is no different than what was meted out in the past to countries such as Greece and Italy, when they were free to escape financial predicaments by repaying their debts in devalued currency.

U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study

U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study

The Interior Department exempted BP's calamitous Gulf of Mexico drilling operation from a detailed environmental impact analysis last year, according to government documents, after three reviews of the area concluded that a massive oil spill was unlikely.

Google to Show TV Software in May - WSJ.com

Google to Show TV Software in May - WSJ.com

The technology—designed to open set-top boxes, TVs and other devices to more content from the Internet—is attracting interest from partners that include Sony Corp., Intel Corp. and Logitech International SA, which are expected to offer products that support the software, these people said. None have so far discussed the efforts publicly.

Google, of Mountain View, Calif., is currently planning on sharing some details about the technology with more than 3,000 developers expected to attend its Google I/O conference in San Francisco May 19 and 20. One person familiar with the matter cautioned the company could also decide to delay discussing it until the technology is more mature. Google uses the annual conference to showcase a range of technologies of interest to developers.

Google to Launch Digital Books by Early Summer - WSJ.com

Google to Launch Digital Books by Early Summer - WSJ.com

The company is hoping to distinguish itself from incumbents like Amazon by allowing users to access books from a broad range of sites using multiple devices.

Google says its new service—called Google Editions—will allow users to buy digital copies of books they discover through its book-search service. It will also allow book retailers—even independent shops—to sell Google Editions on their own sites, taking the bulk of the revenue. Google has yet to release details about pricing and which publishers are expected to participate.

Clinton Says Iran Is 'Flouting the Rules' - WSJ.com

Clinton Says Iran Is 'Flouting the Rules' - WSJ.com
The only surprise is how often some people can be surprised.

American Thinker: Progressive Death

American Thinker: Progressive Death

Here is the essence of the problem with progressives and their movement, which is a gigantic problem for all of America: One of the only things we really know about progressives, and that they know about themselves and their ideology, is that they favor constant "change," "reform," an ever-shifting, ongoing "evolution," or, yes, progression. And therein lies an inherent, significant difficulty: Progressivism offers no clear, definable end. The goal post is always moving, forever pushed farther away. Ends are never ends; they always "progress" with culture and society -- all along relying on the ludicrous assumption that the changes are always (or largely) good.

Nihilism in a cheap suit. And it chafes at the collar. We don't know what we want, but it isn't this. We don't know when we will get there but it isn't now. Everything we have is bad and must be thrown out, forever. Progressives cannot and will not ever grow up. The Peter Pan syndrome of political philosophies.

Obama vs. Common Sense | Cato @ Liberty

Obama vs. Common Sense | Cato @ Liberty

He explained, “what we should be asking is not whether we need ‘big government’ or a ’small government,’ but how we can create a smarter and better government.” Which is pretty much what every politician says when he wants big government and voters want small government.

For Sale - Fake and Stolen Facebook Accounts - NYTimes.com

For Sale - Fake and Stolen Facebook Accounts - NYTimes.com

“We’re seeing this activity spread over to the U.S.,” he said.

Criminals steal log-in data for Facebook accounts, typically with “phishing” techniques that tricks users into disclosing their passwords or with malware that logs computer keystrokes. They then use the accounts to send spam, distribute malicious programs and run identity and confidence fraud.

Facebook accounts are attractive because of the higher level of trust on the site than exists in the broader Internet. People are required to use their real names and tend to connect primarily with people they know.

IPs Continue To Dwindle | Linux Journal

IPs Continue To Dwindle | Linux Journal

It's widely known, at least within geekdom, that the number of available IP addresses is on a collision course with the number zero. The depletion of the IPv4 address space, and the necessity of migrating to the next-generation IPv6, has been discussed ad infinitum in geek circles since RFC 2460 was published in December 1998.