...more recent posts
The folks at Temple ov thee Lemur have built a stripped down web server run on the electircal current generated by potatoes. Nice. Today's picture shows the power supply. Apparently, it takes about a dozen potatoes to run the thing, and they change the potatoes "every few days." You can get served an actual page from the spud server at http://152.78.65.48:2300, but since slashdot is running the story right now you probably won't get through. I remember doing experiments in science class when I was young where we would hook up potatoes to power a tiny lightbulb. I remember wondering why we don't power everything this way since you can just grow the things in the ground (and then eat them when they run out of power,) and I have to admit that I am still wondering the same thing.
Thanks to V & S for their weekend hospitality. With all this rain, Long Island is LUSH. Nice to get away from the keyboard for a day and a half. Hey, my hands don't hurt today!
I didn't mean for this page to only be about privacy/security issues, but these seem to be the most important things going on right now. Here's the latest. Real (makers of the Realplayer which allows you to view streaming audio and video compressed in the real formats - file type: .rm) has a nifty new way to spy on you. I don't use any Real products after the last privacy fiasco, but undaunted by that bad press, they're back with an even more intrusive scheme. Installing the new Real software now places a program called Download Demon on your computer. This program, without any warning, is installed as the DEFAULT Download manager for your browser (strike one.) If you use your browser for FTP connections, the Download Demon quietly records the URL and filename of every file you download (strike two) and (again quietly, without any prompting) connects to Real and uploads this info to the mothership (strike three - please delete all Real products from your computer.) This is according to the very reliable TBTF. I'm not going to test this myself, but I will continue to follow the story. I almost think this couldn't possibly be true, as it seems illegal at best, but stranger things have happened... I mean, sure, the FTP connection is monitored already, but I don't need additional monitoring from the private sector. Big business is free to PAY me for my personal data (if I accept their offer, which I won't,) but really this is getting ridiculous.
Whoops. I've been away for 2 days and the place is falling apart. Seem to have lost a few threads (although everything is there in the database.) Not sure what the deal is, but probably has something to do with those changes I made (and didn't really test too much) before I left. I'll get it sorted first thing in the morning. Sorry.