Tales of Ordinary Madness

The intelligence community has publicly stated its assessment that nations, including Russia and China, have the technical capabilities to target and disrupt elements of the U.S. information infrastructure, or to use that infrastructure to collect intelligence and other kinds of information. Nation states and criminal groups target our government and private sector information networks in order to gain competitive advantage in the commercial sector, as well as in the area of security. Terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah have expressed the desire to use cyber means to target the United States. Criminal elements continue to show a growing and alarming sophistication in technical capability and targeting, and today operate a pervasive, mature economy in illicit cyber capabilities and services that are made available to anybody who is willing to pay.

The reality is that cyber attacks aren’t decreasing. They are increasing in frequency, sophistication, and scope and this has major implications for our national and economic security. So, how do we protect ourselves from malicious activity whether it is criminal in nature, whether it is an extension of state power, whether it is government or commercial espionage, or whether it is routine hacking by people who are interested in showing their cyber hacking skills to their friends. The answer is a comprehensive cybersecurity initiative.

Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at the Chamber of Commerce on Cybersecurity October 14th 2008.

Out of the 13 countries in Western Europe, the number that have a lower infant mortality rate than the United States : 13

That have a higher life expectancy than the US (for both men and women): 13

That have a lower murder rate: 13

That have a lower poverty rate: 11

Hearing conservative politicians use Western Europe as a cautionary tale against developing social programs: Priceless

This was “borrowed” from http://www.theseminal.com/2009/02/06/another-mastercard-commercial-id-like-to-see/ Western Europe in this case is defined as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Swtizerland, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain.

In yet another nice change, Obama included the following line in his inaugural address:

“For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers.”

I have a work trip to Europe scheduled in my near future. Aside from being anxious about the plane trip, (a side note here: I am not your traditional fearful flyer. If I was the only one on the plane, I’d be happy as could be. I have great confidence in the physics that keep the plane in the air. It’s the other passengers that scare the crap out of me) I’m struggling with how to prepare and pack for a possible 11+ days away. It will be the longest trip I’ve ever taken and when I pack for a weekend, I bring half of my wardrobe (which isn’t hard) so the thought of packing for an 11 day trip overseas is at least perplexing at most terrifying.

I’ve been getting lots of advice like “pack an extra pair of underpants, in case you shit yourself” (what great friends I have). However, today I think I found the best resource ever. It’s called “OneBag, the art and science of traveling light“. This site covers everything from what to pack, how to pack it, and what to pack it in. From folding your clothes to prohibited items, it’s all there. I plan to spend some quality time this week reading over the entire site. Hopefully, it’ll clear up some of my traveling anxiety.

This great comic is from http://russellsteapot.com/comics/2007/Dra-Til-Helvete.html

It seems like it’s been a LONG time since I’ve been able to get out, drink a beer or two, and enjoy some live music. That’s going to change tonight… I’m going with Scott to the Thunderbird Cafe to check out Donora. I really dig their recorded stuff, I hope I dig them as much live.

I’m very sad today. It looks like the future of one of my favorite places growing up is uncertain. Apparently Friday night around 2AM a group of teenagers set fire to the bridge and severely damaged it. The bridge was built in 1868 and was the source of many local legends and ghost stories. As a teenager, I frequented the spot, both during the day and late a night. But never in our wildest dreams did we ever think about disrespecting the bridge much less setting it on fire.

This is the bridge I knew from my youth:

This is the bridge as it looks today:

Words can’t explain how sad and ANGRY I am. Even if they catch those responsible, the likelihood that the bridge will be rebuilt I have to believe is small.

Religious identification in the U.S.:
How American adults view themselves

This is generally good news. Religion (Christianity) in the U.S. in my lifetime has constantly interfered with science, education, and general progress. I’m glad to hear that perhaps the country is finally moving away from the boogeyman of the past.

“There does not seem to be revival taking place in America. Whether that is measured by church attendance, born again status, or theological purity, the statistics simply do not reflect a surge of any noticeable proportions.” George Barna. 2

“The proportion of the [American] population that can be classified as Christian has declined from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001.” ARIS Study. 4

For those of you who don’t know, Jono is the community manager for Ubuntu and also one of the hosts of the former LugRadio. He gave a great Keynote at Ohio Linuxfest and is a heck of a nice guy.