Voter registration fraud and the Democrat Activists who work and lie to perpetuate it

I've been hearing "fraudulent voter registration isn't the same as voter fraud". Oh, so that makes it ok? What's the POINT of fraudulent registration, if not to let people vote illegally, thereby committing voter fraud? The Democrats have been doing this kind of crap for a long time. How about a close-up look at some of the people doing it? From Michelle Malkin:

Voter fraud alert: Houseful of out-of-state Obama activists registered as Ohio voters, received absentee ballots

[...] My friends at Palestra.net, a network of young reporters who have been doing the voter and registration fraud reporting that the MSM has been slow to do, have a breaking investigative report on how several members of the Democrat Vote From Home team — all Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, and Truman Scholars studying abroad — are turning up on Franklin County voter rolls despite having no bona fide residence in Ohio and admittedly having little to no knowledge about the state before descending on it in August to sign up other new voters in a rush to put 10,000 Obama supporters on the rolls. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) Follow the link and have a look at these cheaters. These "Scholars". Clearly there are Democrats who believe rules don't apply to them.

The MSM is being very slow to report on this. If Republicans were committing these crimes, they would be all over it. But they protect their own.
     

Obama, ACORN, Wright & Ayers all tie together

There are various arguments as to why Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers are not important and shouldn't be held against Obama. He is also trying to distance himself from ACORN, which he has strong ties with. But what if these are not all isolated associations, but in fact, all related to each other, forming a much larger picture of the Obama Agenda?

Stanly Kurtz at NRO shows us how the pieces fit together:

Wright 101
Obama funded extremist Afrocentrists who shared Rev. Wright’s anti-Americanism

It looks like Jeremiah Wright was just the tip of the iceberg. Not only did Barack Obama savor Wright’s sermons, Obama gave legitimacy — and a whole lot of money — to education programs built around the same extremist anti-American ideology preached by Reverend Wright. And guess what? Bill Ayers is still palling around with the same bitterly anti-American Afrocentric ideologues that he and Obama were promoting a decade ago. All this is revealed by a bit of digging, combined with a careful study of documents from the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, the education foundation Obama and Ayers jointly led in the late 1990s.

John McCain, take note. Obama’s tie to Wright is no longer a purely personal question (if it ever was one) about one man’s choice of his pastor. The fact that Obama funded extremist Afrocentrists who shared Wright’s anti-Americanism means that this is now a matter of public policy, and therefore an entirely legitimate issue in this campaign. [...]

Is it any wonder the Obama campaign has tried so hard to block Kurtz's digging, or that Obama's thugs have tried to shut him up?

The rest of the Kurtz article goes into great detail about Obama's associations, and what they mean. The MSM could have reported on this at any time, but chose not to.

John McCain has a lot of material here to use in the debate tonight. But will he?
     

ISS Crew Changeover and a Space Tourist

Space Tourist Richard Garriott paid 30 million
dollars for his 10-day space journey
A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying space tourist Richard Garriott, and Russian cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov and US astronaut Michael Fincke, has docked at the International space station. From The Associated Press:

Russian spacecraft docks with orbital station

KOROLYOV, Russia - An American computer game designer boarded the international space station Tuesday, floating onto the orbital outpost 35 years after his astronaut father circled the Earth on Skylab.

Richard Garriott was greeted by another man who has turned space flight into a family tradition: Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, whose father is a decorated veteran of the Soviet space program.

[...]

Garriott, 47, paid a reported US$30 million to fulfill his childhood dream of space travel. Growing up steeped in space flight, his determination was only strengthened when he was told his poor eyesight would prevent him from becoming a NASA astronaut like his father.

[...]

Long rivals in the Cold War space race, Washington and Moscow often point to the space program as an example of cooperation in their otherwise difficult relationship, which reached a low point in August when Russia defeated Georgia, a U.S. ally, in a brief war.

During their stint, Fincke and Lonchakov will work to expand the capacity of the station to host a crew of six — up from three — with additional sleep spaces, a second toilet and an exercise machine. Their crewmate Greg Chamioff will be replaced by another U.S. astronaut, Sandra Magnus, who is scheduled to arrive on a space shuttle in November along with equipment for the expansion.

Sounds like it's business as usual, despite international tensions over the Russia/Georgia conflict. Can the Russia/America cooperation continue, without letting politics interfere? It seems they are determined to do just that.

From DailyTech.com:

Russia Space Director Talks Russia-U.S. Business Deal

Even though political tensions between the United States and Russia remain strained and global economic problems are causing credit crunches, space exploration will take place as scheduled, the head of Russia's space agency said over the weekend.

Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov understands that in two short years the Soyuz space capsule will be the only transportation for astronauts to reach the International Space Station (ISS) until 2014 or 2015. Russia will need to assist the U.S. to get both astronauts and supplies to the ISS, and the ISS crew could be expanded from three people to six, which would add pressure to Russia.

"Cooperation is first and foremost international and it cannot be said that space has any boundaries," Perminov said during the press conference. [...]

The US Congress has made it legal for NASA to purchase seats aboard future Soyuz launches, despite political obstacles. Read the whole thing for more details.

I wonder if they can stay on course with this. The Orion project, our new spacecraft to replace our aging shuttle fleet, could be delayed beyond it's 2015 target date. The multi-billion dollar bailout for banks could affect NASA funding. For now it looks like plans have not changed. Russia needs the money as much as we need them to supply us with Soyuz spacecraft. We shall see as time goes along, if the arrangement, and our space budget, will hold up.


Related Links:

NASA, Russia, and The Space Travel Dilemma

Discovery Returns, Mission Accomplished

NASA goes Back to the Future
     

Who will create more jobs for America?

That would be the candidate who helps those who create the jobs. Duh. And that candidate is John McCain, not Barack Obama. From Nealz Nuze:

OBAMA A JOB KILLING MACHINE

One of the amazing things about this election is that there are so many people out there who are eager to vote for Obama are people who are very concerned about their jobs ... and yet Obama is by far the greater threat to their job security of the two. Just two examples:

1. Obama wants to raise taxes on the very people who we depend on for 70% of existing jobs and 80% of new jobs. Obama hides these tax increases behind his class warfare rhetoric saying that he is only going to raise taxes on people who make over $250,000 a year. The problem here is most of America's small businessmen and women fall smack dab into this territory. They run a small business, they employ several people, and they report all of their business income on their personal tax returns. Just what do you think happens when their taxes go up? Do they take the hit themselves? Not if they can help it, they don't. They look for ways to cut businesses expenses to compensate for the tax increase. Well, guess what? You're a business expense. Good luck with that.

2. Obama wants to eliminate secret ballots in union elections, and he has the full Democrat congress ready to go along. This will mean that the Democrat's precious unions will be able to organize a workplace simply by intimidating a majority of the workers to sign a petition saying they want to unionize? Secret ballot? No way! Now when this so-called "Card Check" bill passes businesses are going to be looking for an escape valve ... a way to avoid having to deal with a union workplace. After all, we see how it worked out for the American auto industry. How do you escape? You pack up and move to a more business-friendly location. Millions of jobs have already fled our shores to escape our punishing tax system. Now will millions more run for the hills to escape forced-unionization? Businesses that can't flee? They'll be looking for ways to increase automation and reduce the number of employees. Count on it.

But that's OK. Obama has the rhetoric. He has the narrative. He has celebrity worship and mass hysteria behind him. It's going to be an interesting four (or two) years.

(bold emphasis mine) If jobs matter, then stop trying to punish, impede and drive away those who would create them.
     

Obama, ACORN, and the attempted cover-up

So what is the story with Obama and ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now)? That he would have ties to a group involved in massive voter fraud is appalling to me, but probably won't make any difference to many of his supporters. And the Democrats have been doing this sort of thing for quite a while now, but they are getting more bold.

So what are the essential facts we should know? From Neal Boortz:

MCCAIN FINALLY HITS ON OBAMA AND ACORN

Too little too late? You betcha. But the McCain campaign is finally trying to hit on Barack Obama's relationship with this corrupt, voter fraud organization ACORN. On Friday, McCain's campaign released a memo saying that Obama's affiliations with ACORN "raise serious questions about his judgment and ability to lead this nation." We know, we know ... this is a racist statement because Republicans are referring to Obama's days as community organizer. The McCain campaign has also posted a video which points to the connections between ACORN and the current mortgage crisis – the fact that ACORN, with the blessing of our own government, bullied banks into giving loans to people who they know could not pay for them. Question ... where was all of this information in the last debate? Why has John McCain waited until now to make these connections?

Naturally, the Obama campaign responds with my favorite line ... these attacks from the McCain campaign attempt to "'turn the page from the issues that matter to American families." So there you go. The people don't want to talk about this, they want to talk about the economy! Hey, Barack, how about explaining the fact that an organization you worked for and have hired to get out the vote for your campaign is partly responsible for the current economy, thanks to the mortgage meltdown. Here's a picture of Our Savior at an ACORN meeting! Look at the picture and remember that some Obama mouthpieces say that he wasn't involved with ACORN. Yeah ... we're buying that.

Oh and the other response from Democrats ... the only reason the McCain campaign is hitting on ACORN is because McCain and Republicans are "hostile to the group's political agenda." Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says, "They're scared of too many poor people preparing to vote this year." So now the McCain campaign is engaged in class warfare and the only reason they are attacking ACORN is because they don't want poor people to vote. That is the logic of a Democrat.

OH AND BY THE WAY

Speaking of Barack Obama and ACORN, take a look at this little video from December 2007 where Obama says that ACORN and other community organizations are going to be shaping policies for his presidency. Remember that Obama is now denying any past affiliations with ACORN.

(bold emphasis mine) So why hasn't the McCain campaign been more hard-hitting on this topic? Michelle Malkin thinks she knows why. But giving a speech for a group isn't the same as being one of it's organizers, or financing one of it's subsidiaries with 800,000 of your campaign dollars. Obama has a lot to explain... or at least he would, if anyone in the media would bother to ask him.

The articles linked to below give more information about Obama'a affiliation with ACORN, and the attempted cover-up of the facts (and why the cover-up failed).


Related Links:

ACORN gives GOP new line of attack

Barack Obama's Involvement with ACORN Unearthed, Missing Article Recovered
     

The "Flip Ultra" quick video Farm Report

Photo taken from Flip Video, via Muvee software

I got my Pink Flip Ultra camcorder this week, and have been trying it out. Is it any good? Ultimately, I'd say "yes". But it depends. Let me explain.

[WARNING, 11-29-30: before buying the Flip Ultra, you should know that I am returning mine. You can read my update review to see why.]

The footage it records is better than a cell phone video, but not quite as good as what you get with a real camcorder, such as my Canon ZR 800. Still, the Flip Ultra IS pretty good. BUT... when you go to upload it to the internet, the file it creates for uploading is not as good as the original it creates. But fear not, there are ways to get around that.

The camcorder comes with "Muvee" software in the camera, which it uses to save videos (in the AVI format), and to convert them into another file format (WMV) suitable for uploading to the internet. Here is a quick sample of a WMV file created by Muvee:



bit rate 550 kbps, 496 x 370, size: 5.89 MB

I find the sound quality and image in the above video clip kinda crappy, like you would expect from a video made by a cell phone. So I saved the original AVI video file made by the Flip camera to my hard drive, and then used my preferred video editing software, ArcSoft ShowBiz 2, to convert it for uploading. I saved it in a higher resolution WMV file, resulting in the following:



bit rate 2015 kbps, 640 x 480, size 21.2 MB

This, I think, is not bad. The sound and image are better. Blogger dictates the size of the video frame on this page, but I think when posting in other venues I would be able to post this in a larger size, and still have good quality.

In this clip, you may notice at one point, I do a short zoom-in with the camera's built in zoom feature. The focus goes ever so slightly soft when the zoom is used, and gets sharper again when zoomed back. I was a little disappointed by that, but it's not severe, and therefore not a deal-breaker, at least not for me.

The sound quality is excellent. When walking around with the camera, some of the movement can seem a little bit jerky, compared to a conventional camcorder.

The original file created by the Flip was in AVI format, with a bit rate of 177 kbps, 640 x 480, size: 50.1 MB. The still shot at the top of this post was taken from the original file with the Muvee software.

Ideally I should show you a sample with people and voices in it, but I got our burn permit this week and have been busy this weekend on the farm, burning piles of brush we collected over the summer. Oh all right, here is a brief sample, with Yours Truly waking through the house. I hold the camera up to a mirror so you can see it's size; it's no bigger than a cell phone, but the lens is bigger than the ones that cell phone camera's use, so the quality is better:



bit rate 2015 kbps, 640 x 480, size 12.5 MB

Note when I zoom in on the TV screen, the slight blurring that happens. But all things considered, I think this camera is great for what it is: an easy to use, simple and convenient device that can record up to an hour of video on it's built-in memory. Great for making quick videos for video blogging. However, if you are making family archives for posterity, like your son's birthday party or your sister's wedding, you might want to go with a more conventional camcorder.




As I put the Flip Ultra through it's paces, I'll be showing a lot more videos and will likely give a more comprehensive review at a later date.

Oh, and for the "Farm Report" part of this post:

The video is of our Mama Bantam hen, with her 9 chicks she secretly hatched out last month. In the video she's bringing them into the coop near sunset. She was waiting for me to come in and let them into their little nursery area, where they can eat and sleep without competition from the bigger birds.

She still sits on them in the nesting box, even though they are getting quite big. Watching her do that is like watching one of those little cars in a circus, that has a 100 clowns inside; you wonder, how does she fit them all under there? It's becoming increasingly difficult for her.

We've had some cold nights, with temperatures going down into the 30's, but the chicks seem just fine. They have their feathers grown in now, so as long as they eat and fatten up they should be fine.


Related Links:

Farm Report: two chicks in a screen test

Farm Report: Our Humming Bird Heaven
     

How is this for the "Bear Necessities"?

Here is an email I got recently:

Build It . They WILL Come

Some people build swimming pools in their back yards. But outdoor pools in Alaska just won't work. Since this particular family lives on the outskirts of Anchorage, they decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons, with smooth- stone gravel all around it to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries.

They finished building it on Saturday evening, and the following morning, as the Mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center, this is what she saw from the upstairs window:










...guess it gives a whole new meaning to 'build it and they will come.'

I looked it up on Snopes.com, and it's more or less true:

Playground Bears in Alaska

I say "more or less true", because the text in the email isn't what the mom said, the actual story is a bit more interesting. It seems the bears damaged the playground and toys with bite marks and scratches.

When I read this I was thinking, "It must be scary to see that and then let your 3 and 4 year olds play out there". Well it seems the parents think so too, and they have taken some precautions since then. Follow the link to find out more.

Very cute... as long as they don't eat your kids!
     

A Double Arm Transplant? Yikes, it's true!

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction:

World's First Double-Arm Transplant Recipient Calls 'Being Whole Again' Indescribable

MUNICH, Germany — A German farmer who received the world's first complete double arm transplant is recovering well and able to perform some basic tasks, though doctors said Wednesday it still could take up to two years before he relearns how to use his hands.

Doctors spent 15 hours on July 25-26 grafting the donor arms onto the body of 54-year-old Karl Merk, who lost his own just below the shoulder in a farm accident involving a combine six years ago.

"These are my arms, and I'm not giving them away again," Merk said at a news conference at the Munich University Clinic where the operation was done. [...]

He is already able to use them for simple tasks, like opening doors and operating light switches. Read the whole thing for more details.

I'm not against it, but it is weird. There is just something kinda... "Frankensteiny" about the whole thing. WHOSE arms are they, or should I say, WERE they? What would it be like to have hands that weren't the ones you were born with, but were actually someone elses? Someone elses fingerprints... wow. Our modern world.




Imagine if you knew the donor, and then you shake hands with this guy? Imagine... well maybe not, I think I've had enough of this for a while. Yikes indeed!
     

Debate Analysis: Is Obama a whiny schlemiel?

Only caught the first part of the debate, we recorded the rest. Have read some comments by others, Maynard at Tammy Bruce's blog asked the schlemiel question:

Obama the Wimp?

[...] This is not the first time Obama has pointedly referred to himself as a henpecked husband. And so what? A shrewish wife is an ancient basis for jokes, often of the self-deprecating variety (think Rodney Dangerfield). It's funny, but this is not the image we associate with a leader or a winner. It's more a whiny schlemiel sort of thing.

[...]

I'm not clear on what all this means. There's something odd about Obama; something I'd like to understand, and something that I'm not sure he understands. He probably has abandonment issues, and his adult life seems to have settled into a pattern of forming associations with angry people, such as his wife or Rev. Wright. Perhaps Obama has buried his anger, and it escapes in these passive-aggressive jabs, which he follows up with a laugh to prove he didn't mean it.

I'm not pretending I understand Obama. But if there's any sense in my armchair pop-psychology, then what would Obama do if he ever found himself on top? Perhaps he'd finally shove these angry, dominant associates aside. I bet that's his fantasy! But I sense he may be doomed to let them push him around, while he shoots back with an occasional verbal snipe.

Obviously this line of speculation reinforces my concern that Obama's instincts may serve him well in putting Michelle in her place (where the downside risk is getting hit with a frying pan), but it will prove fatal when he goes up against Mr. Ahmadinejad. [...]

We can only wonder. OK, if you want real red meat about the debate, you'll have to wait for the pundits tomorrow. ;-)
     

The Keating Five, Obama and John Glenn

From Nealz Nuze: WEAK

[...] Charles Keating was not KNOWN to be a corrupt businessman when his relationship with McCain began. Bill Ayers WAS known to be a terrorist when his relationship with Obama began. If you buddy up with someone who later turns out to be a crook, that's one thing. If you begin an association with someone known to already be a crook – in this case a terrorist – that's quite another. Come on, folks. This stuff is so easy. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) Is the distinction so hard to make? Besides, McCain was acquitted of any wrong doing, so where is the scandal? And if being one of the Keating Five is so scandalous, why does Obama have one of them, John Glenn, helping him on his campaign? Someone should ask him:

Keating Five Member is Obama Surrogate

If Barack Obama is so outraged at John McCain’s involvement in the Keating Five scandal, why is John Glenn, another Keating Five member, doing surrogate work for Obama? [...]

Glenn, like McCain, was found not guilty of violating any Senate rules. Obama has no problem with Glenn, but wants to tar McCain? What makes Obama believe he can have it both ways?


Related Link:

The New Left's hatred of real liberalism
     

"Downgrade" Microsoft Vista to Windows XP?

I never knew this was an option:

Microsoft gives Windows XP six more months

[...] Ever since the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft has offered customers "downgrade rights." Essentially this means that those who purchase Vista Business or Vista Ultimate have the option to use to Windows XP Professional on their PC and then move to Vista when they are ready, without having to pay for an upgrade. OEMs have supported this option forcefully ever since Windows XP expired on June 30, 2008 (XP was no longer licensed to OEMs and retail sales were terminated). Downgrade rights never expire, however, so those who insist on using XP will be able to as long as they can get their hands on Vista.

These "downgrade rights," which are available for almost every release of Windows, are a little more heavily publicized with Microsoft's latest operating system due to the unusually long gap between XP and Vista's release, and the accompanying problems when Microsoft decided to majorly change the driver requirements. [...]

This is the first I've heard of "downgrade rights". I'm going to read up on it more.


UPDATE 10-18-08: Here is a link to more details about it.

How to "downgrade" Windows Vista to XP
     

Bill Ayers; has Obama's terrorist chicken come home to roost at last?

I hope so. It's long overdue. From Nealz Nuze:

FINALLY ... SOMEONE SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT OBAMA-AYERS

And it is the Republican vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. On Saturday, Palin said that Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country." She was referencing Obama's association with Weatherman Bill Ayers. Here's the quote, "Our opponent ... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country ... This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America." View the video.

Finally, someone from the McCain campaign comes out and says what has been on the mind of many. On the same day that Palin made this comment, The New York Times published a piece, which tries to explain the ties between Obama and Ayers: "Obama and '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths." Seems that the Times hasn't been keeping up with the research of Stanley Kurtz, who has been endlessly shuffling through files at the library of the University of Illinois at Chicago to find the truth.

The Obama campaign has chalked Palin comment to a "smear campaign." Obama says that the Republicans are using "smears" in order to distract the voters from real problems. A presidential candidate who befriends or is befriended by an unrepentant terrorist is a real problem in my eye ... though perhaps not in the eyes of those who hate America.

But Sarah Palin is standing behind her comments. She says that this issue is fair to talk about. She said, "The comments are about an association that has been known but hasn't been talked about, and I think it's fair to talk about where Barack Obama kicked off his political career, in the guy's living room." Man, sure glad the McCain campaign finally let her out of her cage.

Before we get to the most asinine part of this story ... let it be noted that in 2001, Bill Ayers took the infamous photograph of him standing on the American flag. That was also when he told The New York Times that he had "no regrets" about his actions in the Weather Underground. In fact, he wishes he could do more. Now during this same time, Barack Obama was serving on the board of the Woods Foundation with none other than Bill Ayers. [...]

I've blogged about this, plenty of people have. It's seldom mentioned in the campaign, because predictably, any criticism of Obama is met with charges of racism.

The McCain campaign needs to:

a.) Realize that discussing facts is never racist. What is, is.

b.) Realize the Obama campaign is going to try to label them as racists anyway, no matter what they do.

That doesn't mean the McCain campaign has to start flinging mud, but it does mean they ought to stop acting as if they are walking on egg shells that they have to worry about breaking. Let the Obama campaign worry about his thin-as-eggshell excuses. Let him explain himself and his associations. That's his job.

I appreciate that John McCain doesn't want to run a dirty campaign. I admire his wanting to keep standards high. But certain things have to be talked about, things that ought to have been addressed long ago, that weren't.


Maynard at the Tammy Bruce blog has a thoughtful post on this topic:

Obama: The Final Word

With the political arguments swirling fast and furious, here's what I see as the bottom line on Obama.

I don't place much faith in what a candidate says and does after declaring his or her candidacy. Once he steps into the spotlight, he's playing to the crowd. He's on good behavior, and he'll tell us whatever we want to hear. This is a demonstration of his acting ability...and a politician is indeed part actor, but there's more to the job than that. The true measure of the man is what he did with his life when he didn't think he was being watched. That's what you're going to get when the candidate is in power, and never mind the speeches.

As we do with celebrities, we tend to project our fantasies onto politicians. The less we know about a person, the easier this is. With Obama's charisma and short history, and with the sympathies of the mainstream media behind him, he's been allowed to remain too much of a blank slate. This is slowly changing, as the reality becomes known and eats away at his mystique. Note that Obama's greatest string of victories in the Democratic primaries came when he was a new thing. As information trickled out, he lost steam. If more facts had been on the table earlier, Hillary certainly would have been the Democratic nominee.

Our job as voters isn't to nitpick and debate every nuance and gaffe. In a world of trivia and spin, we must seek the most essential truths and make them known. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) Maynard goes on to look at the essential truths about Obama, the man and what he did prior to being in the national spotlight. He addresses many of the concerns I and others have had all along. He looks at the eggshell-thin excuses that have been offered for those concerns, and finds them desperately wanting for credibility.

Read the whole thing. This is the vetting the Democrats should have done. This is the vetting process the MSM should have done, but didn't. Why? Because it's not a pretty picture, folks. I'm amazed that he's gotten as far as he has. I try to imagine a Republican equivalent, who could escape such scrutiny, but I can't.

It seems the Obama campaign's biggest defense is accusing any of his critics of racism: "Don't step on our egg shells, or we will call you a racist". It's not good enough, we need real debate and intelligent discussion. America deserves better.


Related Links:

Obama Needs to Explain His Ties to William Ayers

Obama, Ayers and Dohrn - birds of a feather

Barack Obama; the larger, complete picture

     

An HP Vista mini-note, VS an HP Linux mini-note

A while back I posted about the new HP 2133 Mini-Note PC that was coming out. It's now for sale on Amazon.com, along with it's Windows Vista counter part. Here are two samples, with considerable price differences:

HP 2133-KX870AT 8.9-inch Mini-Note PC (C7-M 1.6 GHz Processor, 2048 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business)

Technical Details

* Full-function laptop with 8.9-inch display, stylish anodized aluminum case, and integrated webcam

* 1.6 GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor, 120 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (maximum), tri-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g), Gigabit Ethernet

* Spill-resistant 92 percent full size keyboard; hard drive protected by HP's 3D DriveGuard

* Connectivity: 3 USB, 1 headphone, 1 microphone, ExpressCard 54/34, Secure Digital memory card slot, VGA monitor port

* Pre-installed with Windows Vista Business; trial versions of Microsoft Office 2007 and Norton Internet Security [...]

As of this date, the selling price is $640.98. The Amazon reviews are for ALL the HP 2133 notebooks, all lumped together. Most complaints seem to be about poor performance with Windows Vista.

Here is a model with Linux on it:

HP 2133-KX869AT 8.9-inch Mini-Note PC (C7-M 1.2 GHz Processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, Linux)

Technical Details

* SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10

* It comes equipped with the tools to help you conduct business efficiently on the go with features such as high-resolution, 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA display; 92% full-size QWERTY keyboard; and touchpad.

* Stay connected where you need to work with integrated Wi-Fi Certified WLANand optional Bluetooth wireless technologies. Access the Internet, email, IM, or chat at school, at home or at your favorite hotspots.

* The simple, refined design and all-aluminum case make it sleek, sturdy and lightweight. Features such as HP DuraKeys, magnesium alloy support structure, and HP 3D DriveGuard make a durable mini-note PC that can go the distance. [...]

This model with Linux has a slightly slower processor, but more RAM. As of this date it is selling for $393.94. A considerable savings over it's Windows Vista counterpart.

There are other versions available at different prices, with different specs, such as a solid-state memory drive instead of a hard drive.

But the C7-M processor is not very powerful. In a similar price range, you can find full blown HP laptops with better processors, that come with Windows Vista. Why not buy one of them, and install Linux on it? It would cost a bit more than this Linux machine, but it would have a faster processor, built in DVD drive, etc.

As much as I like seeing an HP notebook with Linux, I'm not sure this is really the best way to go.

Not sure, which means I AM thinking about it. ;-)
     

New Picasa 3, beta version, looks fantastic

Introducing Picasa 3.0 (beta)



I posted a while back about Picasa 2.7, the stable version that I currently use. It's a wonderful, useful, Free to download and use program from Google, that runs on Windows and Linux.

As the video demonstrates, the Picasa Beta Version 3.0 looks amazing, with many new and wonderful features. But it's still Beta, potentially unstable, so I'm going to wait for the final release. Unfortunately I couldn't find a target date for that, but when it happens I'll be sure and blog about it again. In the meantime, these new features look like something we can look forward to.

Webmonkey has a short review on the latest Picasa beta for Linux:

Picasa for Linux 3.0: Photo Management Done Right


     

Cell Phone Dangers: how true are they?

Perhaps you've heard stories about cell phones causing kernels of corn to pop when they all work at once? How true is this stuff? Not very, apparently. An article by Gregory Lapin, Chairman of the ARRL RF Safety Committee, explains a few things:

Anything for a Buck

After writing my last column I was amazed by the number of people who wrote to tell me that cell phones are dangerous, and they have proof! I was directed to one of a number of videos that were available on YouTube, showing kernels of popcorn on a table that popped when one to four cell phones around them were transmitting. "It's obvious," reasoned these correspondents, "that if a cell phone can generate enough heat to pop corn, then it can also fry your brain cells!"

If you haven't witnessed one of those videos, you should. Pretty scary stuff, isn't it? When I first saw one of these videos it gave me pause. It didn't seem possible but there it was on the screen. These videos are copies or remakes of a professionally produced version from Cardo Systems, a manufacturer of Bluetooth remote headsets.

Popping corn with a cell phone is clearly a hoax. Similar hoaxes include hard boiling an egg with a cell phone. Take a look to see how it is done (needless to say, every ham should immediately realize how dangerous this trick could be to perform).

Just as radio amateurs must prevent their stations from exposing people to unsafe levels of RF, cell phones are extensively tested to confirm that exposure to users will be under the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE). These thresholds are far below the levels of energy absorption that can raise the temperature of tissue noticeably -- really far below what it would take to pop a kernel of corn. If you're interested in experimenting, place a small container of water between the antennas of two or more operating cell phones and try to measure a change in temperature. [...]

The article also addresses supposed "cell-phone protector pouches" that are supposed to protect you from ... who knows what. It's just a scam.

A cell phone is essentially a small radio device. The police, the military, emergency services and many businesses use radio devices for communication all the time. Many people use two way radios their whole lives, without harmful effects.

Some people claim cell phones cause brain cancer. But the data I've seen is conflicting, and doesn't seem conclusive either way. Cell phones may be unique from other radio communications, in that the transmitter device is pressed right up against the head, for hours at a time. Hours and hours and hours, for some people. It could be argued the people who use radios professionally aren't chit chatting for hours on end, every day, with the transceiver pressed up against their heads. Some folks seem to have their cell phones permanently attached there.

I don't spend a lot of time on the phone like that, but anyone who does ought to get a headset anyway. They are inexpensive, and it's much more comfortable than holding a phone.

I would guess that it's not healthy to have a cell phone glued to the side of your head 90% of the time. But then it's probably not good to be on ANY telephone that much. Many people could benefit from hanging the phone up, and going outside more for fresh air and exercise.
     

Quit smoking with the help of computer Solitaire

Apparently, it's been done by some. From David Williams at iTWire:

Quit smoking and other ways to keep healthy with Linux

[...] Solitaire is so well-known that it’s possibly one of the first apps anyone switching from an operating system to another will want to find, along with the web browser and e-mail program.

Linux doesn’t let you down on the Solitaire front. The package gnome-games contains a remarkable compendium of no less than 82 distinct single player card games called AisleRiot Solitaire.

Linux, using Gnome's AisleRiot Solitaire card game.

“Ok, what’s this got to do with health, let alone smoking?” I hear you ask. The connection is actually surprising simple. During this past week a colleague was exuberant about how she had discovered AIsleRiot. In particular, she found the game called “Chessboard” especially tough.

This game uses one pack of card and divides it into ten piles, all face up. Only the front card in each pile can be used. Four new piles must be built up, reassembling the suits in order – as is the goal for probably every other single solitaire game ever. Cards be dropped onto other piles so long as they meet certain criteria.

In a way it’s akin to Freecell but with one important distinction; there are no free cells! Once you drop a card into the suit re-assembly piles it’s no longer playable. It’s freakishly difficult to get far in this game unless you can really get into the right mindset.

The interesting thing is, she said, she played it so much that over the course of a fortnight she realised she was no longer smoking. Instead of going outside to light up she’d use her downtime to hone her AisleRiot skills.

What happened to her makes sense; a lot of websites aimed at helping people wean themselves off cancer-sticks advocate preparing distractions which will take your mind off cigarettes. It seems the desires and cravings are easier to deal with if you can distract yourself away.

Now, a single Solitaire game – two if you count FreeCell – is passé, and unless you’re under five years of age Purble Place isn’t likely to hold your attention for longer than an hour. But 82 different card games all in one free package is quite an astounding piece of software. If you haven't already installed AisleRiot go do it now.

If you’re a smoker, let Linux help get your mind onto other things with its rich collection of games and other items of software. [...]

The article goes on to describe another application available in Linux, that helps people prevent or lessen repetitive strain injury (RSI).

But Solitaire therapy for smokers could work with any computer Solitaire program(s) on any platform. I did a post not long ago about my favorite Solitaire software program, Pysol Fan Club Edition. It's free to download and use, with over 1,000 games, and it has versions that work in both Windows and Linux. It also has the game "Chessboard" mentioned above, you can find it under the "select" drop down menu: /French games/ Beleaguered Castle type/ Chessboard.

Even if you aren't trying to quit smoking, try Pysol out, it's fun.
     

Joe Biden's many... "errors" in the debate

Some people might call them "lies" rather than "errors", but I'll be charitable. But should I be? What he said about McCain's plans for health care couldn't have been farther from the truth. Ditto much else he said.

Sarah did pretty good, but I would have liked to see her tackle some of those questions more directly. Many on the Republican side are claiming she beat Joe Biden. I would say so, but I doubt anyone with strong partisan opinions was swayed from what they already believed. It will be interesting to hear how the swing voters see it.


Related Links:

The debate - some second-hand opinions

Sarah Palin: Shock and Awe at the VP Debate!

[The truth about] Mac's health insurance plan

Why Mac isn't beating the CRA(P) out of Obama

Palin: "Alaska's Promise for the Nation"
     

The Flip Ultra Camcorder: Prettier in Pink?

Right now it's cheaper in pink
I don't know if this very compact, portable and easy to use digital video camera looks better in pink or not, but at this price, who cares? I just ordered one from Amazon.com for $119.00. The list price is $149. But it gets even better. If you order one before October 8th, they throw in TWO accessories of your choice, FREE. Each accessory is listed at $14.99, so you end up saving $60.00 from the list price. The offer is here:

Get Two Free Accessories with a Pink Flip Ultra

Shop today at Amazon.com and get two Flip Video accessories with your purchase of a pink Flip Ultra camcorder. Simply add the camcorder and two qualifying accessories to your Shopping Cart and the price of the accessories will be automatically deducted at checkout. This offer is valid until October 8, 2008. [...]

I guess the pink ones have not been selling well. Ideally I probably would have bought a black or gray one, but at this price, pink looks just fine. I've wanted one of these since I first blogged about them back in January. But it was new then, and I don't like being a guinea pig for new products, so I decided to wait and see how other people fared with it.

Since then, it has gotten more than 1,000 customer reviews, most of which are very favorable. At this price, I couldn't resist it. For the free accessories, I chose the soft carry pouch and the mini tripod.

Now I already have a video camera, a Canon ZR-800 mini DV camcorder, that I'm happy with. It's just that it takes video tape, and I have to download the tape on my computer, then convert the format to whatever purpose I want it for. That's ok, but the process can take a while. For example, I have our local summer garden tour on tape. I haven't transferred the footage, edited it and converted it yet. I will get to it, eventually.

But with something like the Flip Ultra, I should be able to plug it in to the computer and just transfer it. Very convenient for short videos. Very easy to travel with, and very easy to use, they say. The main page for this camera is here:

Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Pink)

Technical Details

* Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom

* Holds 60 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 2GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required

* Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy viewing and sharing

* Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, upload to YouTube and AOL, and capture still photos from video

* Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable
[...]

With it's built-in memory, it sounds ideal for quick camera-to-computer transfer. The samples of video I've seen look excellent. I'll let you know more when I've tried it out first-hand.

UPDATE 10-12-08 See my mini-review of the Flip Ultra here:

The "Flip Ultra" quick video Farm Report

[WARNING, 11-29-30: before buying the Flip Ultra, you should know that I am returning mine. You can read my update review to see why.]
     

Are McCain and Palin Homophobic?

Hardly. It's just another lie that the Left is beating like a drum.

Pat has a post on his blog with excerpts of an interview John McCain gave for a gay newspaper that was published today, and a video clip of Sarah Palin addressing her views on homosexuality:

Gay Gestapo outs Mac's chief of staff

The Left is cranking up the lies and smears about the McCain/Palin ticket, using anything they can. The latest "outing" of McCain's Chief of Staff Mark Buse is their desperate attempt to damage conservative support for McCain. I think it's pathetic and not likely to have any affect. Read Pat's post and see why.


Related Links:

John McCain is guest on Ellen DeGeneres Show

Palin controversies: creationism and gays

What it means to me, to be Republican

Mary Cheney's new book
     

Bailout Plan and Partisan Politics

From economist Thomas Sowell:

Bailout Politics

Nothing could more painfully demonstrate what is wrong with Congress than the current financial crisis.

Among the Congressional "leaders" invited to the White House to devise a bailout "solution" are the very people who have for years created the risks that have now come home to roost.

[...]

The roots of this problem go back many years, but since the crisis to which all this led happened on George W. Bush's watch, that is enough for those who think in terms of talking points, without wanting to be confused by the facts.

In reality, President Bush tried unsuccessfully, years ago, to get Congress to create some regulatory agency to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [...]

Indeed. Many Republican's did. The proceedings were videotaped, it's a fact of public record, no matter how much Nancy Pelosi and others insist on lying about it.

Sowell connects the dots, but also knows that some sort of plan will have to be implemented to prevent worse consequences. But it's clear that many DID see this crisis coming:

[...] Alan Greenspan, then head of the Federal Reserve System, made the same point in testifying before Congress in February 2004. He said: "The Federal Reserve is concerned" that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were using this implicit reliance on a government bailout in a crisis to take more risks, in order to "multiply the profitability of subsidized debt."

Chairman Greenspan added his voice to those urging Congress to create a "regulator with authority on a par with that of banking regulators" to reduce the riskiness of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a riskiness ultimately borne by the taxpayers.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not deserve to be bailed out, but neither do workers, families and businesses deserve to be put through the economic wringer by a collapse of credit markets, such as occurred during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Neither do the voters deserve to be deceived on the eve of an election by the notion that this is a failure of free markets that should be replaced by political micro-managing.

If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were free market institutions they could not have gotten away with their risky financial practices because no one would have bought their securities without the implicit assumption that the politicians would bail them out.

It would be better if no such government-supported enterprises had been created in the first place and mortgages were in fact left to the free market. This bailout creates the expectation of future bailouts.

Phasing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would make much more sense than letting politicians play politics with them again, with the risk and expense being again loaded onto the taxpayers.

(bold emphasis mine) As usual Sowell gets to the point without wasting words, I recommend reading the whole thing.

This crisis was created and perpetuated by Democrats. While some sort of plan or loan to prevent the worsening of the crisis may be necessary, it's vital that we see and understand WHY it happened, who was responsible for allowing it, and prevent it from happening again.


Related Links:

"Bankruptcy, not bailout, is the right answer"

'Congress Lives Up To Its 10% Approval Rating'

Our Democrat-Created Crisis: They blocked a Reform bill co-sponsored by John McCain