| Wednesday,
January 18, 2006 Jerry: The discover
military channel (MILI here in Comcast land) is airing:
*"Creating the X-Craft"* The creation of the U.S.
Navy's newest warship, the X-Craft
Which is a large high-speed water jet thruster
catamaran optimized (I presume) for littoral combat.
Airdate is Jan 20, at 7pm (midwest).
Also, same channel, Warbots on the 27th.
Chris C
-- "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than
sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." M. L. King Jr.
Worth catching. Thanks.
Also, if they ever do a real story of the
x-projects at Edwards, it is worth paying attention to. Prizes and
X-Projects (real x-projects, not thefts and boondoggles like X-33) are the
best and often only ways for government to do its job of preparing for the
future without mucking everything up. But I have said all this, perhaps more
coherently, in my presentations,
and in essays here.
============
Subject: Special banking for Muslims
Another warning sign:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - In the quest to find new and
profitable ways to attract consumers, the banking industry has found
religion.
Islamic banking is emerging as a small but growing
trend among lenders in the United States, as niche players create
specialized products and services for Muslims that fall within the tenets of
Islamic law, or Shariah.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/17/news/companies/banks_muslims/index.htm
John Witt Senior Mechanical Engineer
Diversity in action. There will be more of
this.
=========
On the Symantec Root Kit
Jerry,
I know that there was a very big deal made out of the
NProtect folder in the news. Some took proper restraint, because they have
had a lot of experience with Norton Utilities. This particular folder has
been “Hidden” for almost 12 years now. The hiding was done to only affect
the Windows search and Explorer functions. The reasoning is to allow to
properly track modify and deleted files for file recovery purposes. Even
though it is hidden in certain views, it’s not hidden in many other ways. In
fact, you could always easily go to that location from a command prompt. The
problem with the claims that a hacker could take advantage of it, is that
hackers have tried in the past (a search of http://www.sarc.com <http://www.sarc.com/>
will allow you to locate threats that have attempted to use this folder in
the past). To date, there has not been one successful attempt at taking
advantage of the NProtect folder to attack a customer. In fact, all other
major security vendors have known about this folder since it’s inception and
have always done an “on access” scan for any item in that folder that is
accessed. The problem with the Sony rootkit, is that not only did it hide
from windows in all ways is that it set up a hidden partition to further
hide the source code. This is not the case with the NProtect folder. I just
thought that you should be made aware of this.
E
Thank you. My problems with Symantec and
Norton have more to do with its busybody aspects and the creeping featurism,
and impossibility of uninstalling, than with the hidden folder.
=========
Subject: Using marine
batteries for older APC UPS 1400s...
Hi Jerry,
When the batteries of my (now) 12 year old APC Pro
1400 died, I found that the replacement cost plus shipping was near enough
to Walmart's deep discharge marine batteries that I just bought two of those
(for 24V) and a couple of automotive battery cables. I had to drill a couple
of holes for the battery cables to enter the box and I had to solder the big
cables to the internal wires, but that was no big deal. Of course, two big
batteries take up a little floor space.
The UPS will run for hours now!! <grin>
Just remember that you want "deep discharge"
batteries, not standard automobile batteries. You may have to check the
water level once or twice a year if it isn't a sealed battery -- only add
distilled water. Deep discharge batteries do not have the high cranking amps
of standard starting batteries, but you can discharge them almost completely
without harming them.
I have no idea what APC would say about doing this...
Also, if you are ever looking for a slick little
generator, consider the Honda EU series at 1000, 2000, and 3000 watts. They
use inverters to make sine wave AC and throttle the engine only enough to
produce the needed power -- making them very fuel efficient. They also run
at about 59 db, which is very quiet. I believe Panasonic and a couple of
other firms now also make inverter-based generators.
Cheers!
-John G. Hackett
I confess one reason I like APC UPS is
that is so very easy to replace the batteries, put the dead battery in the
box the new one came in, affix the included UPS shipping label, and let UPS
take it away... It costs more to do it that way, but time is not a commodity
in great supply here.
And on Marine vs. Deep Discharge Batteries,
see below.
=========
Subject: There are days I wonder...
Dr. Pournelle,
On January 10th in the Washington Post there was an
article about sleep needs of teenagers. Here's the URL:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/09/AR2006010901561.html
This past Saturday there were two letters responding
to this article. Here's the URL for the letters:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/13/AR2006011301711.html
I don't know about Tennessee when you were growing up.
From what you write, I can see major differences from the New Jersey suburb
where I attended school in the 1950s and 1960s. I can also see some
intriguing similarities.
This past weekend I asked some older men at church
when the school day began for them when they attended high school. One man
from somewhat rural New York said 8 AM. The rest of us gave starting times
of 8:30, 9:00 and, in one case, even later.
When I was in high school, if anyone fell asleep in
class, they were sent to the nurse. People assumed they were sick. This did
not happen very often. But we were allowed to sleep to a reasonable hour. I
typically got up around 7 AM, had breakfast with my parents and then went to
school. My high school was less than two miles away. That meant we didn't
ride school buses.
The second letter really surprised me. Classes
starting at 7:20 AM? Bus pickups at 5:23 AM? And people wonder why high
school students fall asleep in class?
I'm curious what your readers have experienced with
regard to this issue. I'm very curious about your take on this issue.
This kind of research should have been a long time
ago. What's really sad is the resistance that this kind of discovery is
facing. To me, it's another indication that the people who run our schools
really don't know what they're doing -- and don't want to learn how to do
things better themselves. They'd rather blame somebody else for failure.
Best,
Chuck Divine
Keep them busy but don't teach them much,
and don't let them drop out or miss classes because the school loses money;
keeping them warm bodies in there for the head count is the most
important thing a school can do now.
And no child left behind is no child gets
ahead. By God they will all get a world class university prep education no
matter how much we have to water down the requirements for getting into
university, and turn the university curricula into high school syllabi. Why
not?
=============
Subject: Atypical Teen School Sleep Experiences
Jerry, In response to the discussion on your site, my
experiences, FWIW:
I grew up in rural Kentucky where busing was the
principle option for getting to school. Busses ran to local (district)
elementary schools arriving about 7:30 (classes starting at 8:00) and
departing about 15:10 for home, then the consolidated high school students
were transported on to the high school arriving just before 8 and departing
ASAP the end of classes at 14:30. The bus reached my home -- relatively near
the end of the route -- about 7:10 in the morning and 15:25 in the
afternoon.
Further, I spent three years working as manager /ball
boy for the basketball and track teams, which usually meant staying for
practice until 16:30 (track) to as late as 19:00 (basketball) plus one or
two meets/games per week, returning to school (and thence to home) between
20:00 and 22:00. Homework (such as there was, and that was the down side --
in four years only a few classes demanded much in the way of homework that
wasn't done in class) was fit between times.
For most of the time I was in school, Mom worked
leaving the house about 6:15 for a 7:00 shift, which meant waking up at
05:30 for breakfast with her prior to her departure. (She woke up at 04:00 -
04:30, a practice she has not given up 40 years later).
So I was routinely getting by on 7 hours sleep a night
(often less on Fridays when I would stay awake reading Heinlein juveniles or
Doc Smith for the upteenth time or Perry Rhodan, and I'll bet you've never
heard that said in the same sentence before) without falling alseep in class
or even on the team bus going to and from track events and ball games.
Jay is also involved in comparatively heavy academics
(public magnet high school college prep, but I think he qualifies for it,
plus a computer course that is so intense that he may not need to go to
college to succeed -- he has the chance for Cisco certification out of HS
and I think wants to be the next Michael Dell or Bill Gates :) plus academic
competition, robotics competition (www.usfirst.org), church choir and
on-line gaming. He is also getting by on about 7 hours of sleep with few
noticable problems (other than occasionally needing two wake-up calls). But
he's not sleeping at school.
Jim W
My high school was 15 or 20 minutes by
public bus. I can't remember when it started, but I would guess 0830. I had
to stay extra time for ROTC drill (which was held at a public school across
the street, there was no ROTC program at Christian Brothers) but that wasn't
every day. I don't recall feeling sleep deprived in high school. The
Army was another matter...
========
Subject: re: the INSS MacArthur
... as envisaged by a very clever modeller:
http://starshipmodeler.net/contest4/ss_s15.htm
Thought you and Niven might be interested -- though it's quite possible
you've been shown this before, I suppose.
cheerily, Bill Ernoehazy, MD http://www.dedoc.net
Very well done indeed. Thanks.
========
Subject: Project Orion video clip
http://www.nuclearspace.com/gallery_orion_movie.htm
Project Orion: a re-imagining by Rhys Taylor
A beautiful animated rendering of an Orion class
nuclear pulse rocket on a mission to Mars.
Freeman Dyson will one day be known as the man who was
the Da Vinci of the 20th century. The beauty and sadness is that, unlike
Leonardo, we had the technology to actually build what Freeman Dyson
designed.
We could have colonies on Mars and the moon, and a
starship approaching the Centauri system this very moment if we had taken
the road not chosen.
Watch, weep and dream.
Petronius
Wow.
===========
Subj: Artillery: no more unguided MLRS rockets
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htart/articles/20060116.aspx
ARTILLERY: No More Unguided MLRS Rockets
=January 16, 2006: The U.S. is no longer buying
unguided rockets for its 227mm MLRS multiple rocket system. All future
purchases will be guided rockets. The primary guided rocket is the M30,
carrying a 200 pound high explosive warhead, and using GPS for navigation.
That means that at maximum range (over 60 kilometers), each rocket will
still land within 10-20 feet of the aiming point. This gives MLRS the same
accuracy as JDAM bombs. With the 60 kilometer range, one MLRS vehicle
(carrying twelve rockets) or a HIMARS truck (carrying six rockets) can
provide smart bomb accuracy for any troops within range. ...=
Rod Montgomery==monty@sprintmail.com
=========
Subject: ethernet bridging
Jerry, I was interested in your comments on your Byte
column about using a router as a bridge by changing some secret setting. I
currently have a netgear Wpn824 pre-n router and have been looking into a
bridge for my Tivo, much like you mentioned that you have for your replay
TV. I currently have the wireless portion encryption set with WPA-PSK, which
is still relatively new. I was looking at getting another router like you
suggested and setting it up as a bridge. But Netgear documents show that you
can only set it up as a wireless access point. Here is the link,
http://kbserver.netgear.com/inquira/default.asp?ui_mode=
answer&prior_ transaction_id=270099&
action_code=5&highlight_info=16777294,411,452&turl
=http%3A%2F%2Fkbserver.netgear.com%2Fkb_web_files%
2FN101503.asp&answer_id=218589951#__highlight
So I think some manufacturers will not let you use
your router as a wireless bridge anymore. So I have to settle on their WG602
Wireless bridge. Also WDS (wireless distribution system) which wireless
bridges use, is not certified by the Wi-Fi alliance so you usually cannot
mix manufacturers between bridges and routers. Meaning you take your chances
on getting a bridge and router working together if they are from different
companies.
Michael Scoggins
Most of my experience is with D-Link. I
recall we had problems using Netgear when Niven needed a bridge at his
house.
=========
Subject: Stupid in America,
Jerry,
Those who consume their information from the mass
media are now informed thanks to ABC's 20/20. How sad the that for many the
walk-up call has to come from the TV.
http://www.reason.com/hod/js011306.shtml
Sue
And the suckers -- parents, taxpayers --
never catch wise. Throw more money in. That will fix everything. Pay more
and more but never demand any results.
And they never catch wise.
=========
Subject: Military Reorganization
Proposal
Dear Jerry,
>>I do
note one item I can't pass by: he wants to transfer most of the National
Guard to Homeland Security. The purpose appears to be to create a Civil
Defense organization.<<
THIS is a political and Constitutional issue of the
first order.
>>There is another underlying question here:
what is the purpose of the American military establishment in these times?
Until we understand why we need a military it is difficult to come up with
an optimum organization.<<
The last time we truly did this, rather than just
going through the motions, was early post-Vietnam circa 1972. Back then the
conclusions were strategic nuclear deterrence, defending Central Europe and
South Korea from Communist invasion, maintaining sea lines of communication
with Europe, the Far East and resource areas. These were the Mega Missions.
In 1980 Jimmy Carter added the "Carter Doctrine" defining defense of the
Persian Gulf states from outside conquest as a vital US interest on a par
with defending NATO and the ROK, although build-up activity was proceeding
throughout the 1970s. This third mission however was found not to require
new tactical organizations and equipment, just enhanced strategic sea and
air lift.
I think Mr. Hoffman has specific land scenarios in
mind. In line with the New Imperial Politics these strategic missions and
goals are not being discussed with us mere peasants. We are simply being
notified of what we have to be prepared to do on order of the Imperial
Capital. The force structure he proposes also excludes certain scenarios by
its reduction of heavy force capabilities. Among these are conventional land
invasions of Iran or fighting on land in the Middle East for the purpose of
defending it against an outside peer competitor able to muster Heavy Forces.
We must therefore speculate on where Hoffman and his
associates envision wide-spread Complex Irregular Warfare occurring.
Additional invasions and occupations of Islamic states in addition to Iraq
are both possible and have been called for by many in positions of great
influence over Washington, D.C. These countries might include Syria, Yemen,
Oman, Saudi Arabia and possibly Central Asian states not adjacent to China.
Another highly likely area for this structure to be employed is northern
South America north and west of Brazil.
Subject to the above Mr. Hoffman's specific proposals
can be evaluated further.
Best Regards,
Mark
=========
On Batteries
When the batteries of my
(now) 12 year old APC Pro 1400 died, I found that the replacement cost
plus shipping was near enough to Walmart's deep discharge marine batteries
that I just bought two of those (for 24V) and a couple of automotive battery
cables. I had to drill a couple of holes for the battery cables to enter the
box and I had to solder the big cables to the internal wires, but that was
no big deal. Of course, two big batteries take up a little floor space.
------------------------
Mr Hackett needs to know there is a difference between
Marine and Deep Cycle batteries.
Here is my understanding.
Whereas Marine batteries are better than standard
automotive batteries with regard to their tolerance to being greatly
discharged, they are still not as good as Deep Cycle batteries.
Deep Cycle batteries are intended to be discharged
80%, Marine Batteries about 50%.
Lead-Acid batteries will tend to migrate Sulfate Ions
through the wires which can be very hard on electronic equipment over time.
Automobiles have some kind of arrestor to prevent the Radio and CD Player
etc. from sufering from this.
Brice Yokem
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