Chinese Underpants

picture source

Now, I'm not an experienced or qualified commentator on geo-politics (funnily enough these are the exact qualifications to write about them on a blog), however I find this method of Navy warfare slightly disconcerting.

Harrassing the USS Impeccable (the irony will soon become apparent), 5 Chinese flagged boats just kinda got in its way in the South China sea.

"We expect Chinese ships to act responsibly and refrain from provocative activities that could lead to miscalculation or a collision at sea."
...
The Impeccable responded by spraying one of the vessels with fire hoses and its crew disrobed to their underwear.

The article doesn't make it clear which crew disrobed, but either way....weird.

My secret shame

OK, I am going to lose a few points here for admitting this guilty secret, but hey what else is the internet for if not for that. So here goes...

I watch CSI:Miami. Something about Horatio's mostly righteous anger, despite the fact it's overplayed and is now so cliched that it's become truly ridiculous:

Horatio: some obvious one liner...[puts sunglasses on]....end of one liner
--Every episode ever made - CSI:Miami

But I haven't watched it for a season, and now, the computer technology has gone all Minority Report.

Now there is definitely Minority Report technology out there, and I don't doubt that some government agencies use them, however I find it hard to believe the pricepoint is low enough for a department of the Miami police department to afford 3D holographic gesture interfaces...in the back of their cars.



I understand that from a TV/Film point of view, you need something visually interesting to keep the audience engaged. From an IT perspective, the oversimplification of technology pisses me off. However I completely relate to the fact that searching a database is hardly the most of exciting activities, and perhaps some artistic licence is required.

But come one, a real-time access to any camera public or private, 2 second access to massive fingerprint databases, voice recognition software blah blah blah.

No wonder people get shitty ...[pushes spectacles up his nose]... when their printer doesn't work...

picture source

Northern Diversions

This is interesting.

"Both of South Korea’s airlines, Korean Air and Asiana, have diverted flights from the east after a statement on North Korea’s official media which implied a threat of attack against civilian aviation"

Of course, the North Korean regime could hardly be accused of being the most rational of actors, however it takes certain gumption to threaten civilian airliners. However, I'm guessing that South Korea is not really the target of these threats.

"The US-South Korean exercises, code named Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, will begin on Monday and last for eleven days. ... this year they take place at a time of increasing tension over the North’s preparations for firing a long range rocket, which could potentially strike targets in the far western United States. "

I thought all this kind of tension would just...disappear...with the election of The One. Oh well, I guess the more things change, blah blah blah

End of the World...nearly

Just when you thought it was safe to emerge from your Nuclear fallout shelter, space throws another 10 storey bulding sized asteroid at planet Earth.

And the scary thing? They only worked it out after the event.

Where's Ben Affleck when you need him?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (or TMS for short)

picture source

Of course this had to come from the boffins at MIT. Not entirely sure what it's practical uses are:

"TMS feels like a determined and annoying older sibling repeatedly flicking you in the head. It's easy to imagine the subtleties of subjective experience being lost in the snapping, cracking, and the arm-twitching, that, while involuntary, is easy to misinterpret as sheer exasperation. Ow, quit it! Ow, quit it!

At first I imagine that my arm jerking is just me responding to the annoyance of being thumped on the head. I am, in short, confabulating wildly. Then I lift my arm on my own power, and watch as it continues jump in midair. I am definitely not doing that."

Sounds like a bunch of fun. And then this bit got me a bit worried:

"Focused on a bipolar patient, TMS can also induce massive mania and psychosis. The effect there is also also temporary, although the damage to the person's credit rating, car or goodwill of his neighbor may not be."

Exactly how did they work that out, and how did it pass the University's ethics board?

Live action Space Invaders

In case you ever wanted to see Atari-era style Space Invaders attack in live action, here's Royskopp's latest video (via MetaFilter)



Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo

Motions a third of a world away

Following this story.

One wonders why a local city council 14,165.46km (or 8,802.01 miles or inexplicably 8,323,812.78 Smoots) away thinks a motion will do anything other than paint Marrickville in a completely deluded and racist light.

Sorry, my bad, you see it's not racism to hate the Jews Israelis, it's just anti-Zionism.