6386 Stream of links and thought, peppered with hr's.

Today is Danny’s 42nd birthday, and he, Janet, Dick and I will be hitting a sushi joint and seeing a movie to celebrate. I suspect we’ll catch Peter Pan. Interesting that it’s pretty much 50 years after the Disney version. I didn’t realize how old the cartoon was. My mother was six!


Dropload is a place for you to drop off files for someone else to pick up later. The recipients you specify are e-mailed instructions on downloading the files. All files are removed from the system after 48 hours, whether or not they have been picked up.


Dodgeit is a free, web-checkable e-mail address that also offers an RSS feed to let you know when new mail has arrived.


Engineers have developed a harness for a handgun that allows you to fire around a corner without exposing yourself to return fire.

A gun that can fire shots accurately around corners has been demonstrated by a US arms maker. The Corner Shot, developed by a Florida-based company, resembles a rifle with hinge in its middle.

It has been tested by the Israeli military and was demonstrated at a firing range at Shoham, near Tel Aviv, on Monday. Units have already been sold to military forces in 15 different countries.

The front section can be bent up to 60° to the left or the right, allowing a soldier to shoot around a wall or door without exposing any part of themselves to enemy fire.

The weapon is comprised of a handgun fitted to the front of the system and fired from the back section using an ordinary trigger. A video camera at the front is linked to a small high-resolution screen at the back. This lets the user see precisely where the gun is pointing without poking their head or hands out in the firing line.

The camera incorporates crosshairs, auto-focus and an infrared filter for use in low light. Pulling a grip underneath the weapon quickly snaps it from its bent configuration into a straight one, meaning it can then be used normally.

Terry Gander, former editor of Jane’s Infantry Weapons, says that the contraption could prove useful in some combat situations, but would also some limitations. “It uses a pistol, which is a very short range weapon,” he told New Scientist.

Gander adds that a number of US arms manufacturers are currently developing digital rifle sights that can transmit video images to a soldier’s goggles. This should allow them “see” around corners without putting their head in any danger. “You can also put up navigation information into this sort of display,” he says. Site Meter


D pointed me to this Handy-dandy Tweak to run FFXI at 2048 x 2048 res (and other high resolutions)


Changed the holly in my links to a friendly little snail.Snail! Not very January-ish, but I like him. Maybe I’ll animate his eyestalks if I’m feeling ambitious later this weekend.


I haven’t been to the beach in quite a while. I think I’ll take a night next week sometime when I’m not on call and check it out. I wonder how busy it’ll be?


I haven’t heard from Sappho in a long time, either…. I’ve tried calling here and there at work, but it looks like she’s mighty busy these days, especially since Kev’s taking all of his time due off. (All of December, and the first week of Janauary, to start. The company owes / owed him a *lot* of time.)


Sonata for the Unaware (commuters become generated music, watch the Quicktime demo) Very, very cool. I could see some weird esoteric superhero using a similar system of visuals and sound to use as a “trouble alert” when monitoring the masses from the JLA watchtower or wherever. If Batman had an art degree.


2003 Year-End Google Zeitgeist (also: Yahoo’s top searches for 2003)


Using the Treemap control to visualize weblogs (borrows from the Netscan Usenet mapping project)


Article from Amnesty International‘s page about how capital punishment is a far more expensive system than one whose maximum penalty is life in prison.

Death Penalty Facts

COST

The Death Penalty is Expensive.

  • A New York study estimated the cost of an execution at three times that of life imprisonment.
  • In Florida, each execution costs the state $3.2 million, compared to $600,000 for life imprisonment.
  • Studies in California, Kansas, Maryland, and North Carolina all have concluded that capital punishment is far more expensive than keeping someone in prison for life.

The greatest costs of the death penalty are incurred prior to and during trial, not in post-conviction proceedings. Even if all post-conviction proceedings were abolished, the death penalty system would still be more expensive than alternative sentences.

  • Under a death penalty system, trials have two separate phases (conviction and sentencing); they are typically preceded by special motions and extra jury selection questioning.
  • More investigative costs are generally incurred in capital cases, particularly by the prosecution.
  • When death penalty trials result in a verdict less than death or are reversed, the taxpayer first incurs all the extra costs of capital pretrial and trial proceedings and must then also pay either for the cost of incarcerating the prisoner for life or the costs of a retrial (which often leads to a life sentence).

The death penalty diverts resources from genuine crime control measures. Spending money on the death penalty system means:

  • Taking it away from existing components of the criminal justice system, such as prosecutions of drug crimes, domestic violence, and child assistance
  • Reducing the resources states put into crime prevention, education and rehabilitation, investigative resources, and drug treatment programs.

“Elimination of the death penalty would result in a net savings to the state of at least several tens of millions of dollars annually, and a net savings to local governments in the millions to tens of millions of dollars on a statewide basis.” –Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the California Legislature, Sept. 9, 1999

Hmm.. and I was under the impression that it was a cost-effective way to remove criminals that cannot be rehabilitated. It seems that throwing them into a cement box, and feeding them until they go via natural causes (whatever that might be in prison) is much more financially sound, at least on the surface.


Urban Exploration Florida got into the Steam Tunnels under FAU. (FAU’s Tunnel Map)


And that’s that. I’ll see you tonight, dear journal. Have a great friday!

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