Utah Open Source Planet

Now is probably a good time to remind you to sign up for Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty if you haven’t already. Here’s the message showing on the site:

If you want to make a significant difference, it’s time get rolling for 2010. Sign up today.

Growing up my family had a huge number of books at hand to read.  The ones that really got me started in reading first though were the cartoon books of course.  No, we didn’t have “comic books” so much as all the old softbounds of daily comics.  Naturally I started with some of the easier to read ones, but as I got better I started reading some of the more ‘wordy’ ones, where characters would exercise their verbosity to extreme degrees.

One of the ones that constantly grabbed my attention was this POGO volume.  Now anybody familiar with the Pogo world knows that it is far from an easy read.  With his use of deep accents, he presented a very interesting take on the larger world, by casting it all in their little swamp.

Well, I’ve been browsing around trying to find some of this old content, and stumbled upon one book online, and right away, it seemed to play right into today’s hot topics.

G.O. Phizzickle Discussion

Maybe you want to create some cool new UI using an actual slider (i.e., a variable resistor) to control something (like motor speed.) Well, that’s where the ADC0838 comes in. Below is some Parallax Spin code that will read in data on the first channel of that chip (and display the value back over a serial connection.) The chip actually has eight channels (you select which one you’re interested in through the built in MUX), but this code is hardwired, so to speak, to just read the first one.

Notes:

VCC, VDD mean + voltage
VSS is Ground

connect Vref (chip pin 12) to +

test 5v input: + to CH0 (chip pin 1)

SE bar (chip pin 13) to gnd

ground COM (Chip pin 9) for single ended

tie Agnd (Chip pin 11) to gnd
tie Dgnd (Chip pin 10) to gnd

ADC0838 8-Channel Mux
 CH0 +-1-|___|-20-+ Vcc
 CH1 + 2       19 + V+
 CH2 + 3       18 + CS bar
 CH3 + 4       17 + DI
 CH4 + 5       16 + CLK
 CH5 + 6       15 + SARS
 CH6 + 7       14 + DO
 Ch7 + 8       13 + SE bar
 COM + 9       12 + Vref
Dgnd +-10------11-+ Agnd

Single Ended MUX Mode (table 2)
SGL/DIF bar is 1
ODD/SIGN is 0
Select 1 is 0
Select 0 is 0

Setup (address MUX)
1- CS bar goes low
2- Start pulsing CLK (data read on rising edge), while sending data into DI
Rising 1
Start Bit: 1
Rising 2
SGL/DIF bar: 1
Rising 3
ODD/SIGN: 0
Rising 4
Select Bit 1: 0
Rising 5
Select Bit 0: 0
Output
1- CS bar stays low
2- pulse CLK while reading data on DO on falling edge
Falling 1..7
MSB 7..1
Falling 9..13
LSB 1..7

Here’s the SPIN code:

'**********************************
'*    ADC 0838 Channel 0 Debug    *
'**********************************
 
'adapted from Bryan Kobe June
 
CON
  _clkmode = xtal1 + pll16x
  _xinfreq = 5_000_000
 
' pin configuration
 
  clk     = 1
  cs      = 0
  dataout = 2
  datain  = 3
 
'P0: CS bar (chip pin 18)
'P1: CLK (chip pin 16)
'P2: DO (chip pin 14) [data out from the chip to the propeller, its an INPUT to the propeller]
'P3: DI (chip pin 17) [data from propeller TO the chip, its an OUTPUT from the propeller]
 
OBJ
  bs2   : "BS2_Functions"
  debug : "FullDuplexSerial"
  num   : "Numbers"
 
VAR
  byte ADC             ' Analog to Digital Channel Din Value.  Set using CON values.
  long datar           ' 8 Bit return value from conversion
 
PUB main
  dira[cs]~~         'set Chip Select to output
  outa[cs] := 0      'set Chip Select bar to low
  dira[clk]~~        'set clk pin to output
  outa[clk]:=0       'set clock pin low
  dira[datain]~~       'set DI data in pin to an output
  dira[dataout]~      'set DO data out pin to an input
 
debug.start(31,30,0,57600)
   debug.str(string("ADC0838 Channel Debug"))
 
repeat
  debug.str(string("Ch.0 = "))
  debug.str(num.ToStr(GetADC(0), Num#dec))
  waitcnt(5_000_000 + cnt+50000)
 
 
PRI GetADC( chan ) : value
  ADC := %11000          ' channel 0
  datar := write(ADC)    ' write MUX Address to start conversion for ADC channel and set result to the datar value
  return datar
 
PRI write( ADCaddr ) : ADC_value
  outa[cs] := 0                                         'set Chip Select bar LOW, activating the ADC chip
  bs2.SHIFTOUT(datain, clk, ADCaddr, BS2#MSBFIRST, 5 )  'shift out the addressing byte to the ADC via DI pin on ADC
  ADC_value := bs2.SHIFTIN(dataout, clk, BS2#MSBPOST, 8 ) 'shift in the byte from the ADC via the DO pin on the ADC
                                                        'the first byte is a start bit, to initiate reading sequence
  outa[cs]:=1                                           'set Chip Select bar HIGH, de-activating the ADC chip
  return ADC_value                                      'return value of the ADC

There has been a lot of coverage about the panic of the financial meltdown, and how panic continues to drive more panic.  It seems that the Media found their big story, and they are milking it for all it is worth.  Perhaps we should be grateful, after all the content of the media is no longer being driven by political campaigns.  Honestly, I’m not sure the political campaigns really know what to do, judging by the reactions of the candidates during the meltdown.  

Regardless, there is a very real problem going on within the world economy.  Credit is drying up, or banks are fostering a crazy belief that raising interest rates will actually benefit them more in the long run then keeping lower interest rates.  I’ve never really understood that, outside of the idea that banks expect you to default on the loan and want to soak you for everything they can before that happens.  At any rate, the end result is that no one is borrowing money, either because they can’t or because it’s too cost-prohibitive.  

For corporations, this means less liquid capital to work with as Corporate paper is no longer good for 24-hour short term loans.  Therefore they have trouble with their day to day operations, which leads the market to believe that all businesses going bust, and so leads to massive stock sell-offs.  The spiral continues to pull us down into the abyss where nothing is solid, all is black, and people are jumping out of windows.  

But let’s take a step back, and a deep breath.  Is life really so glum?  I’m looking at sections of the economy with which I am concerned to determine whether or not it’s time to start investing in apples to sell at 5 cents a piece:

1.  Retirement:  A lot of people have their nest eggs invested in the stock market, particularly through a 401k.  These have been tanking.  The same thing happened to me during the beginning of this decade when the .com bubble burst.  I lost thousands in stock value, and it took 10 years for it to come back.  Luckily, I’m not concerned with this too much because I have another 3 decades before I think about retiring.  That gives the economy plenty of time to come back, and it will.  But I do feel for those who have retired or were just about to retire and now do not have the funds necessary do to so.  

2.  Debt.  Everyone has debt, more than we want and many of Americans have more debt then they can afford (which started this mess in the first place).  Debt in and of itself is not necessarily bad, as long as you know where that debt is placed.  

3.  Savings.  My savings are well below the $100,000.00 FDIC insured level, so I’m not concerned here.  What does concern me is savings for those businesses that fund their employees to come to my classes.  With little liquid funds to pay for training, training suffers a cut.  I love the proposal made by both campaigns and whole-heartedly endorsed by the FDIC to raise the insurance level to a higher amount.  Of course, beyond proposing it a week ago, I haven’t heard of any progress.

4.  Jobs.  Most businesses are still running rather well, though they may be in a credit crunch.  Unless you are worried about a lay-off, you should be fine.  If you are concerned about your job (and many are), check with a supervisor, or better yet someone higher up.  Test that “open door” policy and see if they are willing to talk openly and honestly with you.  Perhaps it’s a good time to update your resume, if for nothing else than to keep it up to date.  But don’t do it at work (or tell anyone).  You don’t want to start a panic within the company.  

So those are the four main concerns that I have regarding my own personal economy.  Sure some products will become too expensive to purchase, but as long as the essentials are covered I’m not concerned.  While it may feel like it based on world-wide coverage of the market meltdown, the world isn’t coming to an end.  Supermarkets are still open, clothes can still be purchased, and we can all still go back to work.  

So perhaps we as a nation just need to take a deep breath, take stock of what is going down hill and what you can control.  That’s going to be the only way I can see of surviving this mess.

Today the US House of Representative is very likely to pass one of the most stupid pieces of legislation I have ever seen. They’re getting MAJOR pressure by the president, majority and minority leaders in congress, both major party presidential nominees, the Federal Reserve, and everyone else you can think of to pass an “emergency” bill that does NOTHING to help people stay in their homes.

Instead the proposed bill introduces liquidity into the market by purchasing garbage mortgage-backed securities from private companies, thereby socializing their risks while privatizing their profits. Warren Buffet described the derivatives we are to buy as financial weapons of mass destruction. Incidentally, they’re the same kind of stuff that brought Enron down, but do you see anybody going to jail from our current scandal? No, instead we reward them purchasing these bad assets at above-market prices.

Believe me, if these things had real value, the free market would be forking out the dough for themselves. Ask yourself, “Why in the world should you and I be forced to purchase ’securities’ that cannot sell on an open market?” It’s analogous to having congress force you to buy every car in the junkyard and then have the nerve to tell you it might actually be a good investment.

“But surely,” you ask, “people who are upside-down in their homes will finally get some much-needed relief?” Absolutely not! This bill does nothing for them –not that it should. But since the whole seductive point of socialism is supposedly to benefit the working class, you would think they would make some effort at it. This bill actually hurts upside-down buyers because it reduces their bargaining power by flooding the coffers of their debtors.

“You mean that congress might not be acting in our best interests?,” you ask.

The Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington nonprofit group that studies money and politics, reports that on average, lawmakers who voted in favor of the bailout bill have received 51 percent more in campaign contributions from sources in the finance, insurance and real estate industries.

Hmmm… Could congress possibly be acting in their own interests? Might those be directly opposite yours? One commenter hits it right on:

Why wouldn’t America, the greatest nation on earth, have the best congress money can buy?

This is especially true considering the sheer amount of pork added to the bill to insure that it passes in the house.

Wait, you thought the a motivated Senate might insuring passage by actually adding something substantive to the bill, or maybe cutting out some of it’s blatant threatening verbiage? Nope, too hard. Just throw on a bunch of tax-credits from a completely unrelated bill to make sure it has enough earmark grease to squeak through. Tax credits for green appliance manufacturers? That should get some Democrat votes. Oh NASCAR needs some tax credits? Republicans will like that. Tax rebates for Puerto Rican rum duties? Sure, throw it in. All of a sudden the bill is 451 pages of meaningless pork, which by the way our maverick hero John McCain swore to veto. Can you say double-speak?

Seriously, any house member who changes to an approval vote this time around has clearly been bought and sold. There are almost no differences whatsoever that relate to the main subject matter at all. Just more grease.

Want more?

This bill rewards companies that behaved foolishly (and probably dishonestly). It consolidates unprecedented power to the Federal Government, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve. It increases the average American citizen’s tax burden. It grants unprecedented power (with no oversight whatsoever) to a consummate banking insider. And it undermines our so-called “Free Market” system at every step of the way.

And just in case you thought I was kidding that there’s no oversight whatsoever in how the $700 billion is spent, here’s the verbiage directly from the bill:

“Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.”

By the way, how did they come up with the $700 billion figure in the first place? The answer: it had to be a lot. Now that’s good math in action. What’s it for? Well, if we knew we could have come up with a real number by now.  Besides, wouldn’t you rather leave that up to one man with no recourse to the American people whatsoever. He alone decides who wins and who looses. Checks and balances be damned!

Oh yeah, and did I mention that nobody is saying that this thing will work? It’s always pitched as a “band-aid” at best. But when this $700 billion band-aid is saturated with blood, it will need to be ripped off so another one can be applied. This is a slippery slope, a terrible precedent. Bad companies need to be allowed to fail so that markets can adjust gracefully, and so that basic market principles can be reinforced.

Make no mistake: this is power grab, a consolidation of wealth, and a giant step toward socialism. Furthermore, it does NOTHING to address the actual problems at their source. This bill actually prolongs the problem by side-stepping the free market with heavy-handed government intervention. And on top of everything it’s blatantly unconstitutional! No wonder everyone is in such a hurry to get it passed! But seriously, if people took time to read and think about this, it would never pass; thus the rush.

Please tell your congressmen that failure to honor their oaths to uphold the defend the constitution will disqualify them from every getting your vote again. They already know that this bill is vastly unpopular, but they need to hear it from you. They actually do keep a tally, and letting them know how you feel really can work –so long as their phones are ringing off the hook.

For background, here’s how House members voted last time around (when it failed). Here’s how the Senate voted on the bill that they will try to jam through the House today.  Here’s a list of House members that may change their vote. Here’s a list of all congressmen with their contact info.

Please contact House members first since this bill has already sailed through the Senate.  A simple 2-line email will do. This legislation is insideously dangerous, so please contact them right away.

For many families that have children with autism, they live in a frustrating fog of uncertainty.  They don’t know what “causes” autism, nor do they know what people are doing about it.  In fact, as with the case of my wife and I, many have no clue what autism is until faced with the challenges and joys of having a child with autism.  My first question was what caused it, and then what I could do about it.  

Well, recently (within the last 12 months), a study was completed and presented to the neuropsychological community that suggests an overgrowth of brain neurons could contribute to autistic behavior.  Basically, this is what happens from birth to age 6:  A child’s brain will grow a lot of neurons that are randomly connected.  This allows the brain to absorb and record a lot of information at a very young age.  Once that information starts to process, children begin to go through a “pruning” process, which is accelerated at age six.  This pruning process removes many of the random neurons in the brain, leaving those that have developed.  

But with some autistic children, the brain tends to “overgrow”, developing more random neurons than most “normal” children.  This means they are processing more information from visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory or gastronomical inputs.  Often this input is so overwhelming that they need to “unplug”.  This presents the bulk of autistic behavior.  Your face is too detailed for them to take in, so they can’t look you in the eye.  They get overwhelmed with the sights, sounds, and smells in a store, so they need to cling to you or start to scream.  Often they will just lay down on the floor to try to get sense of their surroundings, or focus on one object very intently, trying to block everything else out.  

If that were not enough, children with autism tend to either have a delayed pruning period, or do not prune at all.  Those children with more severe autism would most likely fall within this group, with Asperger’s children having an overgrowth in the brain, and those with PDD will have a delayed pruning period.  At least, that makes the most sense to me.  It will be interesting to see if that is confirmed with subsequent studies.  

So what does this mean to the parent that is uncertain?  It means that there is hope!  Children with autism can “rewire” their brain by going through intensive training.  Going through tasks at each step, each sub-task, each skill that is required to complete the entire task.  As such, even if pruning is delayed or fails to happen, the neurons can be directed and merged into those tasks, allowing the autistic child to operate at a more functional level.  

For a more detailed explanation of the Pruning portion of the neurological studies on Autism, check out this article I have on my website from the Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of South Carolina, as published in the Brain and Development, The Official Journal of the Japanese Society of Child Neurology.  It outlines the impact of pruning, and the discoveries found in classic autistic children.

While reading the daily news this morning, I came across this article by Reuters regarding a clinical study in chelation as an autism treatment.  The treatment was deemed too risky in relation to the potential benefits, and therefore considered an overall hazard.

What is chelation?  It is a therapy given to those with a heavy metal poisoning, such as mercury poisoning.  A man-made amino acid, EDTA, is added to the blood to purge out the heavy metals causing sickness.  The treatment is based on the belief that the rising cause of autism in children is due to the increased levels of mercury that come from childhood vaccines, such as the Flu vaccine.  As such, the patient is treated for mercury poisoning.  

The controversy behind this is that many physicians have dismissed this theory, believing rather that there are genetic causes for the condition.  Of course this wouldn’t necessarily account for the rising number of diagnoses, but then psychologists are more sensitive to autism now, and the entire autistic spectrum.  My older brother has all the signs of Asperger’s, but was never diagnosed.  Why?  They didn’t diagnose that condition in the 70’s, and there was another condition that he had that was used as an excuse.  

But if the study was to be the final proof to debunk the theory behind mercury poisoning, why would they cancel it?  That was the question I had.  How was it dangerous?  What did this amino acid do if it didn’t find significantly high levels of heavy metals to purge?  

I checked the old reliable:  Google Scholar.  I found an article outlining the death of one child because of a medication error, causing a calcium deficiency.  The potential for permanent damage to the child was so high, and the perceived benefit of the study so low, that the risk was just not worth it.  So where do parents go from here? 

Well, in the case of my own child, I work with the condition.  I know that my child is special, with special needs.  I know that he is also very brilliant, able to work out mechanics very quickly and has a gift with music.  All I need to do is help him train his brain to work within the accepted “norms” of society so that he can share his gifts and talents.  

Now, I don’t claim that this will work for every child with autism.  I’m blessed with a child that is very high functioning.  Some children with autism are not high functioning.  It’s scary, it’s frustrating, and no parent wants to believe that their genes caused this condition.  All I can say is the levels of grief will be travelled, and at the moment all you can do is make it through another day.  

The good news is that geneticists are working on the theory that Autism Spectrum Disorders are linked to a multi-gene condition, as opposed to a single gene condition.  Perhaps there will be a gene therapy that will come from these studies, perhaps not.  At any rate, the more they work to understand the cause of autism, the less parents will feel like there has to be blame associated with it, whether on themselves or on an “industry” that is “heartless and greedy”.  Remember, every company out there has real people working for them, and I bet some of them have children with autism as well.

I’ve always wondered where the taboo in political and religious discussion came from.  It seems that when people start talking about these two deeply held beliefs, they get defensive and are quick to personal attacks. And this year is no different with the political posturing of both parties (again, I say parties instead of candidates).  

Perhaps it is because of the inherent need for Americans to “win”.  We live in a very competitive society for which rewards are only seen in a complete and overall domination in a desired area.  As such personal victory is the only thing that matters, whether or not one is actually part of the process.  For example, sports fans are dedicated to their team, often cutting down the fans of other teams because of their “loyalties”.

But it doesn’t stop there, many a flame war is driven by someone’s need to be right, and another’s need to prove that they are more knowledgeable.  And so it continues through to other aspects of life.  The need to “race” against each other to see who is the best is deep-rooted in the human psyche, it seems.  

But sports fans and others like them are willing to accept their teams flaws and understand why they didn’t win.  And yet this doesn’t happen in a political pundits are unable to accept the loss of their candidates.  Why?  What makes the process so difficult to understand?  

The first reason is the process in which elections are held.  People have the right to vote, and people make the decision.  Because it’s not really in the power of the candidate to win based on a set guide of criteria, often a defeat can be crushing.  Hence (at least in my mind) the reason why Democrats have been so bitter the past 8 years, and Republicans the 8 years before that:  They just couldn’t understand why they lost.  Generally 3rd party candidates are blamed for the loss.  It kind of makes you feel sorry for Ralph Nader and others like him. 

The second reason is because “better” and “best” is such a subjective definition when it comes to politics.  Politics reflect a person’s base value system.  One votes for a person based on their perception that the candidate best reflects their values.  Some of these values are based in real issues (i.e., war, economic needs, etc.), and others are based on superficial concerns (gender, race, age, wealth, eye color, etc.).  Either way, the candidate needs to prove to the majority of people around them that they are more likely to rule in their favor.  

Us Against Them
One popular method of getting the support from people is to turn them against “THEM”.  No, not the giant ants in a popular 50’s horror film, but rather the ambiguous “them” that are against us.  How are they against us?  They don’t have our values.  They don’t care about us.  They want us to lie in the gutter and die as they manage to steal our money, land, children, and kidneys.  ”They” are determined to see us dead and dance merrily on our graves while our children are slaves to their will.  In short, everything we hate they are, and everything we are they hate.  

Is there really a “they”?  I don’t think so.  People, in general, are good.  They want to do what is best for all persons, including themselves.  And so they look for ways to do that.  What is the saying?  ”The road to hell is paved with good intentions?”  Everyone wants to believe they are doing something for the good of all.  

Politicians (and people in general) have seemed to tap into the fear of a “them” in order to generate more votes.  Talks about “being out of touch with the average American”, or “they are just too popular to really know what is going on” merely feed into that concept of a “them” out to destroy us.  It is all based on fear, uncertainty, and doubt.  

Responsible Voting
So how do we combat the FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) around political pressures and make informed decisions?  Educate ourselves!  Get to know the candidates, the parties, and the platforms that are being bandied about.  Use resources to see track records of candidates, look at the issues that are best for you, and who better embodies those issues based on real results.  

Resources that are best are those that are the least biased (notice i say leased biased.  No person can claim they are not biased, nor that their products are not biased).  I find that actual roll call votes from the Congressional sessions are ideal, because you can see how people voted at a given time.  Likewise the same roll call votes from the Senate are just as useful, particularly if you are looking at the candidates.

Next, look at each party individually.  Filter out the partisan bickering and finger-pointing, and get down to the core values that they hold.  Remember that “I’m not another Party” is not a position.  Just because they oppose another party doesn’t make that party responsible.  Look at the goals they are trying to accomplish, as well as those that are absent.  Which are the most important to you?  

Finally, I find that it is by far more important to be unaffiliated to a particular party.  This is my personal choice, but it gives me the freedom to look at both parties without worrying about potential loyalty guilt.  Of course there is a drawback:  I can’t participate in the primary elections for many parties, and as such have little control over who does end up representing me.  

So, I hope this post has made some sense.  Hopefully I can convince someone out there to look past the rhetoric and look at the real issues at hand.  Don’t look at the person, look at the people they will hire to get the job done.  Who will be their staffers?  Who will be in the Cabinet?  Who do they support in Congress, or the Supreme Court?  All these issues are just as important as whether or not they will be the oldest person to sit in the Oval Office, or the first person of their race (or gender).  After all, in this day and age, isn’t is time we got past the whole bias on age, race, gender, etc?  Are we not supposed to be a more tolerant generation?

Anyway, my 2 cents.

For those of you who have not seen, heard, or read anything regarding news lately, the US is currently in a dead heat for the Presidential election.  The Republicans are getting desperate to hold on to some branch of the government that will give them some leverage as their hold on government slips from their grasp, while the Democrats are feverishly trying to win back what they feel is their right to govern.  Both sides are attacking each other on policy points, and promising the world to potential voters.  

But what exactly are they promising?  It’s hard to understand what the Candidates are promising, as they do change either their positions or the flavors of their positions slightly to appeal to the group to whom they are talking.  So what does this mean for the average voter?  What can we do as voters to evaluate the positions of the parties and their candidates? 

One great thing about the modern election system is the use of websites for both truth and propoganda.  The Web is now a very powerful tool a voter can use to evaluate the documented positions of the candidates, and their specific policies.  Below I am going to list the policies and positions of the Republican and Democratic National Committees.  Please note that the decisions to post one party over another is not based on personal preference:  I am unaffiliated, and prefer to remain so.  I am just posting their positions, and someone needs to come first.  

Also note that it is the responsibility of the reader to sift through the promises and look at what is actually possible.  Can the promise be kept?  Are the obstacles, and if so have they been accounted for?  Are the ideas just ideas, or are they realistic?  What helps over the short term, and again in the long term?  What past experience does the candidate, party, and entourage bring to each unique problem?  All these questions and more should be asked by the reader as they go through the mire.  

Author Note:  I don’t like mud-slinging politics, and hate watching ads, read speeches, etc. that attack other candidates.  As such, I will not post such attacks made by candidates to prove their position.  As I told a good Democrat friend of mine back in 2004:  ”I’m not Bush” is not a position.  I need substantive policies to look at, and the minute a candidate attacks another candidate on a policy I stop listening.  

The Republican National Committee: 
The RNC website is http://rnc.org.  On the main page, they have a menu item that covers Issues.  Here are the Issues, as seen by the Republican Party: 

1. Faith and Values:  Providing support for Faith-based community organizations, Support of the New Freedom Initiative, which provides support of freedom and independence for individuals with disabilities, and Support of Partial Birth Abortion Ban and “Connor’s Law”.  
2. Education:  A new high school initiative to help states hold high schools accountable for teaching all students and to provide effective interventions for those students who are not learning at grade level, Increasing reading skills for America’s striving readers by providing a focus on improving the reading skills of high school students who read below grade level, Accelerating mathematics and science achievement dedicated to support projects to accelerate the mathematics achievement of all secondary students, and especially low-achieving students, Accelerating student achievement with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, and Promoting Scholastic Achievement with State Scholars.   
3. Energy:  The President’s Advanced Energy Initiative promotes America’s four main sources of electricity: coal, nuclear, natural gas, and renewable sources, Nuclear Power is abundant and affordable, clean, and safe, President Bush is encouraging the research and development of Clean-Coal technologies, which is by far America’s most abundant and affordable energy resource, and President Bush’s FY2007 budget proposed $44 million in funding for wind energy research and other alternative and renewable resource.  
4. Healthcare:  The President’s plan will help more Americans afford health insurance by reforming the tax code with a standard deduction for health insurance - like the standard deduction for dependents, and The Affordable Choices Initiative will help make basic private health insurance available and will provide additional help to Americans who cannot afford insurance (These two policies will work together to help more Americans afford basic private coverage), and The President’s proposal will lower taxes for millions of Americans who now purchase health insurance on their own, making their insurance more affordable.  
5. Jobs and Economy:  Restraining spending by the Federal Government, Working with Congress to pass legislation that promotes economic growth - including making his tax cuts permanent, Reforming the institutions fundamental to American society, so that they can meet the realities of our new century, and Strengthening high schools and the secondary education system.  
6. Legal Reform:  Securing the ability of injured patients to get quick, unlimited compensation for their “economic losses,” including the loss of ability to provide unpaid services like care for children or parents, and Ensuring recoveries for non-economic damages do not exceed a reasonable amount ($250,000), Reserving punitive damages for egregious cases where they are justified, and limiting damages to reasonable amounts.   
7. Safety and Security:  Strengthening our Military, Deploying a missile defense system, Strengthening our ties NATO, and Protecting the homeland and acheiving a sustained level of success and progress in Iraq.  
8. Social Security:  In 1950, there were 16 workers to support every one beneficiary of Social Security. Today, there are only 3.3 workers supporting every Social Security beneficiary, In 2008 - baby boomers will begin to retire, and Under the current system, today’s 30-year-old worker will face a 26% benefit cut when he or she reaches normal retirement age.    
9. Tax Reform:  Restraining spending by the Federal Government, Reforming the tax code, as the President believes that America’s taxpayers deserve, and our future economic prosperity demands, a simpler, fairer, more pro-growth system, and Taxes should be applied fairly, and reform should recognize the importance of homeownership and charity in our American society.  

That was the list of the Democratic National Committee agenda items.  I have a lot to say about some of them, but I’ll leave it for another post.  Due to the length of this article, I’ll leave the candidates to next week.

This week, after spending a lot of effort trying to prepare for the Mac OS X 10.5 Advanced System Administration test, I took off the last half of the week to work on a workbook for my son.  As those of you who have followed my blog know, my son Jonathan is within the Autistic Spectrum, at either very high level autism or Asperger’s Syndrome (we find out in February which it is).  As such, trying to work with him has been an adventure, to say the least.  

We found a book that has been a great help.  The Autistic Spectrum Parents’ Daily Helper by Philip Abrams and Leslie Hendriques provides a great insight into teaching in general, and teaching autistic children specifically.  It’s focus is on learning through repetition, Constructivist learning by building upon skills and recognizing associations between skills, and finally learning design.  

Why learning design?  Because autistic children vary across the spectrum, their learning requirements are different.  The only way to teach your autistic children the skills they know is to break them down and teach each part of the skill.  This book tells you what to do, but it does lack in telling someone how to do it.  That means parents may know that they have to do a skills analysis, but they don’t know how to do it.  Luckily the book provides several references for parents that need more help. 

This book is more about doing something, which ultimately is what all students want.  Parents want to be able to do what they can, and this book is perfect for them.  It has a workbook for parents (giving them a teaching skill crash course), and a workbook for the child(ren).  

The students are focused on tactile and visual learning, which is great for autistic children (mostly because their auditory learning is generally challenged).  The workbook is focused on basic skills that most children pick up through imitation.  This includes doing chores, dressing oneself, etc.  It’s a great workbook, and one that I want my son to use.  

Now, the workbook is designed to have tear-out pages, but I have this thing about tearing out portions of books.  That, and it’s a standard 8.5″ by 11″ which is a bit larger than I like.  So, I took a lot of the ideas from the book and a few scans, and started making my own version of the book.  

I started by writing up all the text sections in Pages (which, ironically, I think the workbook was written in originally).  I also broke up the sections into two pages that fit within a compact Franklin planner.  39 pages later I cut out the new workbook sections and laminated them.  Then I punched holes to clip it in the planner.  Now I have a nice and compact workbook for my son that will travel nicely.  

So, that’s the workbook I have.  There are still some small details that need to be finished with it, but all in all it’s a functional workbook.  I can set a schedule for my son, have him match some skills together, and even start to learn how to tell time.  Needless to say, I’m quite happy with this workbook project, and look forward to augmenting it with new skills as we find that my son needs them.

Last night I started teaching a new class for me:  Blogging 101.  I’m an avid blogger, and hoped that I could add some value to the blogging experience for those who are new to the idea.  

Now, many of you may be asking why someone would *need* to learn how to blog.  It’s a valid question for those who are familiar with the concept and ideas behind blogging in particular and Web 2.0 in general.  But for those who are not familiar with these concepts, it can be a bit harrowing and intimidating.  After all, what do you talk about?  

The class started well, with 7 registered students.  Everyone looked to blogging as a way to broadcast information to a large group, share experiences, share stories, practice writing, and one student was looking for a corporate application.  It was a great mix of people with different interests.  

We covered the following topics: 

Why Blog?  
I wanted people to think about why they were blogging, and what blogging meant to them.  So we talked about the definition of Blogging, who blogs, and the various uses blogging has seen since it’s inception.  I focused on the Experts (those who are sharing their knowledge for the benefit of others), the Corporate Blogger (those using their blog to hype products or to build a community around their products), and the Web Journal (those sharing their experiences in a public, very visible way).  

Setting Up Your Blog
Next we set up a blog.  I pointed out the different blogging servers out there that offer free blogs, and got everyone started on a Blogger blog.  Why Blogger?  Because it’s free and it’s simple to set up and maintain.  Everyone was aware of my bias to WordPress, as I frequently mentioned it, but I thought it was a good idea to have them start simple and work their way up. 

Personalize Your Blog
We then covered the dashboard, their user profile, and then the settings.  I wanted to be sure they knew where to set up moderated comments, and why.   I also showed them how to add additional plugins to the blog for features that they could implement in the near future.  Tonight we will cover a lot of those features in more detail.  

We then got started with blogging.  I had everyone post at least once, so that they could get the feel of blogging.  It was a great success, at least I think it was.  We will see how comfortable everyone gets tonight for the last class.  ^_^  I’m sure it will be fine.  

Tonight we will cover RSS feeds, search sites, tracking visits, micro-blogging, and if we have time, some additional plugins that are available for Twitter, Pownce, Last.FM, and GoodReads.

Last Sunday I had the chance to go to the Wyoming Downs. I’ve never been to a horse race before. My only experience was that of dramatized scenes in movies. It was quite interesting to see how accurate horse racing’s depiction in movies really is.

Besides getting a bit sunburned, I had a great time. Luckily I went with a friend that could give me a quick tutorial on how to place bets. Once I got the basics down, it became quite easy. Most bets are really straight forward. It was really interesting to see how even the best horses could get out run. When an unexpected horse wins people often lose big or win really big.

No matter how much analyzing one does, the element of chance is still the primary driving force in every race. Long shots are possible.

As long as you are careful, and bet modestly, the level of fun and entertainment will always outstrip the losses you will have. I highly suggest a trip to the races to everyone, and bring your family too.

Pearl Jorgensen
23 July 2008
8 lbs 8 oz
20 in

After reading all the details about the “new” DNS exploit I feel quite annoyed. These types of attacks have always been possible. This isn’t new. Cache Poisoning has always been on every DNS server administrator’s check list of things to carefully plan to prevent. I compare it to Firewalls: Every firewall administrator knows that best practice is to block everything by default and only make exceptions for what should be allowed.

This idea has been around for well over a decade. Maintaining a discrete list of what is allowed which can be completely enumerated with a great level of confidence and block the rest. Badness cannot be enumerated completely. Blacklists will always be missing important aspects. Expecting that all people are good and don’t do bad things will always turn bad.

Patches released for DNS services that are vulnerable do not fix the root cause. It can’t be fixed because it is part of the original specification and migrating away from it will be equally as painful as the migration to IPv6 is. These patches only implement other kinds of mitigation for the exploit. The best form of mitigation comes in the form of implementing standard best practices that have been around for many years.

DNS servers should carefully control who is allowed to ask questions about non-authoritative zones (recursion). DNS servers at ISPs should limit recursion to customers only. Corporations should run internal recursive DNS servers with access restricted to internal users only. This will severely isolate any damage caused by cache poisoning.

I am not saying nobody needs to patch their servers. In fact the patches should be applied quickly because it does help quite a bit. I am just saying that if you have already implemented best practices you shouldn’t have to worry very badly. And if you haven’t implemented them, do it now!

I haven’t been posting a lot lately, because I’m back in Villa Park for another set of T3’s.  This time it’s Directory Services and Advanced Server Admin.  Both are great, but high on the cognitive load.  I’m actually looking forward to the Advanced Server class, because it’s focused more on the command line administration of servers, and scripting and interacting with launchd.  I’ll post about the Directory Services class this weekend, and Advanced Server sometime the week after it completes (when I have time).  

So I’ve become a huge fan of Linux Haters blog because he makes some very valid points about Linux and the open source community in general and it got me thinking of why I moved from Windows to Linux in the first place.

Picture this, you just bought built a brand new computer and want to install the brand spankin’ new Windows Vista Ultimate, you plop down $300, and away you go! What does $300 get you? A bare minimum operating system with nothing but MS Paint and Media Player.

So you spend the next 45 minutes installing your bare minimum operating system, it takes 45 minutes because the initial install is 15gb, so by bare minimum I mean feature set, not file size. So after you get installed you try to use the Internet and realize that it didn’t detect any of your hardware (video, audio, network), so you spend the next 2 hours spidering through multiple vendor’s websites who all have their downloads/driver section in different areas.

Now you have all your drivers downloaded, you go to install them to find out that the majority of the installers only extracted the files to your disk, they didn’t install them, the installer did not tell you they were only extracting, nor did they tell you where they were extracting them to. So after searching your disk and finding the extracted files you go into the folder to figure out what needs to be done to install them, but that is a waste of time since the vendor didn’t feel the need to write a README file. Being the genius that you are, you right click on My Computer -> Hardware -> Device Manager (because that was an intuitive place to look, thats the first place I thought of going to install drivers!) and now you are prompted with a dialog with a list of “Unkown Device” with little exclamation point next them. What to do? Easy! You right click on it, go to properties -> details and look at the very intuitive and easy to read string “PCI/VEN_1002&DEV_AA08&SUBSYS_AA081545&REV_00\4&1245FE7B&0&0108″ and go to http://pciids.sf.net and search for each device so you can figure out what driver to install for it.

After you have all your device drivers installed and can utilize all your hardware, you’ll want to go to Windows Update to make sure your computer is completely secure. You run the first batch of updates and it asks you to reboot, when it comes back up it doesn’t tell you all your updates weren’t finished, but using your spidey sense, you know that couldn’t have been all! So you go back to windows update to find a whole mess of updates waiting for you, these ones will also ask you to reboot (and so will the next 3 or 4 groups of updates). Rebooting is good for your new system, gets it warmed up.

4 reboots and 230 updates later you decide you would like to edit some family photos for your Christmas postcards–no problem-Vista comes with the all powerful MS Paint, which can do everything you’d ever want to do, just check out what this guy did with it: MS Paint Skills!.

Editing family photos was fun but now you would like to add everyones birthday to your calendar and setup some re-occurring tasks to remind you to take out the trash and pay bills on time, but you’ll soon have shut off notices and piled high garbage because there is no default calendaring program in Windows! But your boss will save the day, he just called and needs your latest TPS Report so you need go to open up your spreadsheet but you find out there is no spreadsheet program either, so you hike down to your local computer shop and plop down $300 for the office suite with the added benefit of having outlook (yay a Calendar for $300!!).

Spend the next 30 minutes to install Office (yes, office takes about as long to install as your whole operating system, but office is more powerful than your OS, so its O.K), after office is installed and you update your TPS report and send it to your boss you decide you’d like to create a vlog (Video Log) and post it on youtube, but as you’ll soon find out, Movie Maker isn’t going to be the easiest thing to locate.Bill Gates can’t even find it.

Six hundred dollars and 7 hours later you have an almost usable computer, you still can’t watch DIVX or DVDs, burn Audio CD’s, Balance your checkbook, Sync your phone to your calendar and e-mail, or entertain your children with any games but minesweeper or solitaire. You don’t even have a virus scan program yet!

I probably went around the block just to get next door, but my point is that after a simple 20 minute install of any popular Linux distribution I can do all of the things I’ve listed above. They come with the majority of hardware supported out of the box, an office suite (open office, abiword, gnumeric, evolution, etc), multiple graphic tools (gimp, inkscape), easy package manager that handles updates without multiple reboots (rpm, yum, yast, zypper, apt-get, package kit), video recording program (cheese), cd burner (Brasero, Wodim), lots of fun games, and the ability to balance your checkbook with GNU Cash.

It’s me against this Monster Energy drink, today. Commonplace, this event. Drink a Monster, get stuff done. No problem.

I’m up against a whole new animal today, though. Take a look at this thing. The can on the right is your everyday run-of-the-mill 12-ounce can. The one on the left is my fiendish contender for today:

That freaking Monster can is 7½” tall and 8¼” in circumference. That bad fool is 32 ounces. Surely the biggest Monster Drink I have ever seen.

And at the same time, TOTALLY unrelated to OpenSUSE or Linux. Except that it’s green. Like OpenSUSE.

I’m pretty sure that the OpenSUSE guys and the Monster guys should find a way to install Linux on one of these cans.

My wife and I decided to try the diet with our son and see if it would improve his behavior positively.  Unlike medicating him, a diet is easily reversible if necessary, and doesn’t have any adverse effects overall.  Of course, it means looking for the right resources, and has far reaching implications if it turns out his behavior is caused or aggravated by gluten or casein.  So, we thought we would try out the alternatives.  

For Gluten, we purchased some Gluten Free/Casein Free flour from our local grocery store.  Smiths, Albertsons, and Harmons all had this same flour, all for about $5.00 a pound.  It’s expensive, but for a trial it is worth it.  We also purchased (from the same makers) some gluten/casein free brownie mix, polenta, and chocolate chip cookie mix. 

The first one we tried was the brownies.  They were easy to mix, and the batter tasted the same.  The only thing I didn’t add to it was the recommended vanilla, but other than that all was mixed according to the instructions.  Once finished, I spread it out in a pan, and baked according to directions.  

I was amazed!  They came out very moist, and have retained that moisture far longer than other brownies I have ever made.  More cake-like than the traditional gooey brownie you may think of, it’s been quite impressive.  I was sold, and my son ate it with relish (and he doesn’t normally eat anything but icing on cake-like products).  It’s still too early to tell, but I think we had a hit with these brownies.  

Next, dealing without milk.  Casein is one of the primary milk proteins, making any milk-based product a problem.  And a huge problem, as my son has almost an addiction to cottage cheese (though that may make sense if it’s becoming an opiate in his system).  So, how to break him of his milk kick? 

I started with the replacement milks:  soy and rice.  Now, I’m not a big fan of soy based products.  Soy is another food high on the food allergy list, and it’s not something I wanted to try on Jonathan at such an early age.  So, I tested it myself.  

The soy milk we purchased was a small one quart carton of Silk, which was calcium fortified.  I poured a small amount in a cup and tasted it:  it was really sweet and surprisingly good!  I gave some to Jonathan, and he drank it, and took more.  A small victory, and no side effects.  

Next, I tried the rice milk.  We could only find a two quart carton, so we purchased that.  I poured it out, taking a small taste.  It paled in comparison to the soy milk.  It had less flavor out of the carton, and seemed more watered down.  I tried it on Jonathan, and he took a taste and poured it out on the floor.  Well, the verdict was out, he didn’t like it.  But I may try it again on him in another form, because he did try it just after tasting the Soy milk.  

So, that has been our experience so far.  As it stands, the conversion hasn’t been too difficult with Jonathan eating more fruits and almost no cheese (just need to continue to remind the in-laws of the new diet), and his behavior has improved noticeably.  We are cautiously optimistic on this front.  

Parents with autistic children are always looking for something to link a change that causes autism.  The thing is, there isn’t a single cause that is yet discovered or understood.  We don’t know what causes autism, because we don’t know really what autism is beyond a behavior disorder.  But, there is some evidence that a change in diet can increase the chance of autistic children to alter their behavior. 

The evidence I am referring to is potential link to food allergies and autistic behavior.  It’s been documented at autismweb.com.  It seems that there is a possible reaction to gluten and casein that can cause autistic behavior.  It’s because the body produces an opiate that causes a reduction in attention, eye contact, and overall speech.  

Now, the research on this is pretty mixed, as it has been fairly new to the clinical focus.  Many trials done came up with little statistically significant results, while some found some real results.  

The department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine did a study on the effects of Peptoids on autistic children that exhibited gastrointestinal problems.  These problems include vomiting, stomach aches, and diarrhea.   

The findings were promising, in that eye contact and verbal communication increased.  While it is not a “smoking gun” for autism, it is something to focus on for parents when they go to their doctor.  

Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that removing gluten and casein is not the end all beat all for autistic children.  Several other clinical studies did not find a link, and in fact found no statistically significant results.  But there is a potential link, and it gives some hope.  

The first thing to do is to talk to the doctor.  We are going to take out son in and talk to him about the research done, see what he thinks, and go from there.  Next, check to see if my boy has an allergy or sensitivity to gluten and/or casein.  If so, then the next thing is to obviously remove them from his diet.  It isn’t going to be easy, he loves his cottage cheese.

I envision stuffy executives at a board meeting deciding that this was a good idea.

This week has been extremely busy for me at work.  Normally I average two classes a week, with time in between to work on preparation for each class, managing my inbox, and research for new teaching methods. This week, I am teaching every day, with two full day classes and three 4-hour classes.  That means less time for prep (the classes are all different subjects), less time to correspond, and less time to prepare for some upcoming training at the end of the month. 

Now, while all this work is exhausting and tends to be confusing (jumping from Linux to Microsoft Office to Mac), it is a good sign of growth to our program.  As of last week, we hit a record registration for this time of the year.  More people are signing up for our classes than before, and more people are retaking classes for newer versions of software.  

So how does one deal with such growth?  Right now we are nearly at a breaking point, and need some additional contract instructors on board.  Also necessary would be more administrative staff, which we hope to have on board soon.  And there seems to be a growing need for training in other parts of the State, which suggests more travel in the near future.  

So what does this all mean in the long-term?  Growth across a larger area to provide more training facilities in our growing market.  It also means more staff, either as contract instructors or as full time instructors.  

The second question is how we managed to grow.  The answer is with diversity.  Our demographics are so wide within Technology education that we manage to provide quality training in a number of areas that are often overlooked by other training facilities.  After all, we are the only Apple Authorized Training Center in the State of Utah, and as such provide a growing variety of training in a commonly overlooked but growing market.  

The exciting thing is the potential growth coming in the coming years.  It’s a real exciting time, if rather stressful for the instructor covering classes for others on vacation in the Summer.  Luckily my marathons will be run by the end of the month, giving me more time to work on my most recent research project:  distance education for tech classes.  ^_^

My current job is researching the best use of web2.0 technologies and principles in the classroom. I and the other researchers use web analytics extensively in evaluating the effectiveness of websites we build. This post is the first in a two-part series about why and how to use web analytics for your social learning website.

This first part explains a bit about what web analytics is and why you should use it.

Why web analytics

All websites have a reason for existence. Depending on the site the reason could be to make money, provide leads, provide support, teach students, etc. Using web analytics helps you achieve your site's purpose in two ways:

• Using web analytics, you can measure the experience and behavior of visitors to your website. Using what is known as KPI (Key Performance Indicators) you can evaluate if your site is meeting your goals for visitors to the website -- or not.
• Using these KPIs you can identify areas where your site is failing to meet its goals and where it's doing well

From these insights, you make decisions on what to do to improve the website. Then you evaluate the success of your changes by measuring changes in the experiences and behavior of visitors to your site, again using your KPIs (I'll write more about KPIs in Part II).

In short, web analytics exists to power the generation of actionable insights.

Web analytics seeks to measure three things

• Behavior? -- What visitors do on the website -- how often do they visit, what pages do they visit most, how long do they stay on different pages?
• Outcomes -- all websites have desired outcomes. The exact desired outcome varies site-to-site depending on its goals. Some sites want visitors to sign up as members. That's one outcome. An e-commerce site's desired outcome is a purchase. A support site's desired outcome is for the visitor to find the answer to the question they had.
• Experience -- answer why the visitor did what they did.
• Why did the customer add an item to his shopping cart, go through all the steps of the checkout process and then leave the site? Did they find the same item for cheaper on another site? Was the shipping price too high?
• Similar questions can be asked about a social learning site. Why doesn't one student ever visit the site? Why does another student visit twice a day. Why does a student do what they do?
• Surveys and testing and experimentation are some of the best ways to understand visitor's experience.

In my mind, the third thing is most important. It's nice to know that a student spent an hour looking at online learning content but we'd really love to know why they did it. Did the student spend the hour because they were studying for a test? Were they finishing an assignment? Is the material helpful? What material is most helpful? Do they enjoy learning with the material?

So behavior and outcomes give you the raw data about what's happening but experience helps you understand visitors in a more holistic manner. Understanding experience gets you into the mind of visitors to your site. Why they do what they do.

Recap

Web analytics help you improve your site in the following manner.

1. Web Analytics provides you with information to understand what visitors do on your site and why.
2. Using this information, you identify weakness you can correct.
3. You experiment with potential improvements and test your changes using your web analytic data.
4. Repeat starting at step 1

Part I explained what web analytics is and why it is valuable. Part II will explain step-by-step how to use web analytics on a social learning site. I will explain the process I'm going through to implement web analytics on a new social learning website I'm building for BYU.

Especially relevant with the recent outage in the Middle East and Asia.

The map

And a great overview of the whole mess at O'Reilly Radar

When I first read about Google Friend Connect, an upcoming service that will allow website owners to easily add social network functionality to their own websites, I immediately thought of these lines from NBC’s “The Office”:

Dwight: Why am I being forced to come in tomorrow and pretend that a website made sales that I made?
Ryan: This is a temporary measure to increase the legitimacy of the site.
Stanley: I don’t like when my clients call me to help them use the website, I’m not seeing commissions on that.
Ryan: I hear you Stanley, that is a great observation. Problems like that will not happen when we launch Dunder Mifflin Infinity 2 point O.
Stanley: When will that be?
Ryan: TBD. Phyllis?
Phyllis: Did the police solve the problem with the…
Ryan: Yes, yes they did, yes they did.
Ryan: Yes, the social networking feature of the Dunder Mifflin Infinity website was infiltrated by sexual predators.
Dwight: I don’t understand why our website has to have social networking at all.
Jim: Yeah, I actually have to agree with Dwight on that one.
Ryan: It’s all about creating a one stop shop consumer experience, alright? You’re chatting with your friends, you’re talking about the latest music, about the election; all of it is happening in our virtual paper store.
Jim: And then an older gentleman asked you “Boxers or briefs?”
Creed: I don’t get the big fuss here, I like the site.
Kelly: If I’d have created a website with as many problems, I’d kill myself.
Ryan: Do you have a question Kelly?
Kelly: Yeah I have a lot of questions. Number one, how dare you?
Michael: [slow clapping] Ryan has done a very good job, and I am not applauding sarcastically. Think about it, a month ago nobody would go on this site because we were worried about getting molested, or losing our identity, having it stolen. But now, at a time TBD, all of the problems will be in the past. Ya done good kid, ya done good.
– Source: OfficeQuotes.net

I thought all this was pretty funny, but the ability to drop social features onto your website with little more than some pasting of JavaScript might just prove us all wrong.  :)

Example:

3 of your friends liked SemiGloss Oxford White Cardstock #80.  Click here to get new friends!

A family friend recently moved to Utah so his wife could attend BYU.  He’s looking for work and has experience coding in C and Python.  If you know of any opportunities, would you please let me know?

Any parent with an autistic child will look for something that may have triggered autism in the family.  As there has yet to be a gene discovered that causes autism, more focus is being made on the possible causes in the environment.  

One modern concern is that vaccines with thimerosal, a mercury-based compound used in some vaccines as a preservative, could be causing autism.  Why?  Because autism is very similar in symptoms to mercury poisoning, and all children get several series of vaccines before they are 2.  The timing is right, the source is identified, everything seems to be pointing in the right direction:  Except there is no scientific proof that thimerosal causes autism.  

But that isn’t stopping some families, which have gone to court.  Most studies rejecting thimerosal as a cause of autism were conducted before 2004.  Since then, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer, 35 articles that were peer-reviewed and published suggest a possible link.  That is what their court argument is running on.  

The problem is they have a huge opponent:  The US Center for Disease Control has not found any link, and therefore considers the claim baseless.  Instead they warn parents to the dangers of not having their children vaccinated.  In fact, there was a recent article on a national outbreak of measles among children.  The MMR vaccine should be protecting them, so either the vaccine is not working or parents are not letting their children have the vaccine. 

What’s my take on it?  Children need to be vaccinated.  Vaccines are very important, particularly for those diseases that are very dangerous (small pox, polio, measles, etc.).  The good news is that thimerosal is being used less and less, and was actually removed from most infant vaccines in 1999.  

Where is it still being used?  The Flu shot.  So, don’t give your children the shot, have them use the nose spray instead.  It was recently approved for child usage, and works just as well.  There are some other shots that you should look out for, and if you have any questions or concerns, ask your doctor.  There are alternatives to thimerosal vaccines for those parents that are concerned, and your doctor can help you make that decision.   

This summer, we had an instructor cancel on us for three classes we had scheduled.  Unfortunately, we don’t have the staff to cover these classes, so we are looking for a contract instructor that would be interested in teaching these classes, non-credit, for students should they register.  If you are interested or curious, please contact Inita Lyon at 801-585-1964 for details.  

vi Editor
The first class is the vi Editor class.  It’s scheduled for June 18th, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  

Shell Scripting Level 1
An introduction to shell scripting taught in the evening, scheduled for June 3rd and June 5th from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.

Shell Scripting Level 2
Also an evening class, taught June 17th and 19th from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM.  

If anyone is interested in teaching these classes, please let us know as soon as possible.  Inita will be happy to answer any questions, give you an idea as to how the class should be structured, and which books are being used.  

Thanks in advance for anyone who signs up! 

This past week has been a beast.  The weekend before, my car would not start.  It just died, with no apparent reason for the problem.  It’s a Volkswagen Jetta 2003 TDI.  I’ve had little problems with it before, but now that the warranty has gone out, I get the major one.  

Of course, I’m of the school of thought that it’s easier to fix your car than to take it in.  Boy was I wrong.  The last car I had to fix was my Geo Metro, which is more of a toy, and has mostly all mechanical parts.  I loved it, because I could troubleshoot and replace just about anything on that baby.  I was real cut up when the thing finally gave up the ghost, and I needed a new car.  

I chose the Volkswagen because they had a good reputation for reliability, and they were filled with the features I was looking for.  Also, they had a Turbo Diesel Injection engine that gets up to 52 mpg with the Jetta (the New Beetle got 60).  That’s why I really wanted it.  Sure, diesel was more expensive than regular gas, but I could burn biodiesel. 

Well, biodiesel hit a snag when I found out about a Salt Lake County law that prohibited the transportation of used cooking oil without a $million insurance policy.  My guess is a company business was being protected from biodiesel hobbyists, but none the less it put a dampener on my plans.  Still, it was cheaper to drive my car than my wife’s Subaru, because I got just great mileage.  

Well, now the thing will not start, and I have to take it into the shop.  It’s not the starter as I originally thought, but something with the electrical equipment.  Add that with my botched attempt to tow the sucker (apparently there isn’t a tow hook on the front of the thing), it’s going to be rather expensive to get it fixed.  

So now I’m looking for a new car.  With the option of biodiesel pretty much null, I need another vehicle with excellent fuel economy, and will be comfortable for me, my wife, my son, and the new baby on the way.  So, I started checking out Hybrids. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I would rather have another alternative, i.e. electric car, but currently there isn’t an electric car option that will give me the range that I need.  The batteries are just not efficient enough (though they may be in the next 5 years).  Hydrogen isn’t really an option, because there isn’t an environmentally friendly way of creating it in a timely manner.  That, and fuel cells are just too expensive (can’t imagine why, with all that platinum).  

The Hybrids I checked out were listed on http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybrid_sbs_Cars.shtml, which is the government’s fuel efficiency listing of vehicles.  I was looking for a cost-effective vehicle that would get roughly the same fuel efficiency that I get with my Jetta TDI.  

The Prius
The first car I think of when I think Hybrid is the Prius.  At first I thought it was a joke, not getting the fuel efficiency that most other economy vehicles get.  But then I actually took a ride in one.  It’s nice, very geeky, and has a great display.  The ride was smooth, and when running just on battery power, it’s very silent.  You can also urk more bang for your buck if you let the wheels charge the battery for you.  For those on a hill (like the one here at the U), it’s great!  And finally, the fuel efficiency is about 50 mpg on the Highway.  That I like. 

The Civic
The runner-up is the Honda Civic Hybrid.  It’s a little more expensive, gets almost the same mpg, and has roughly the same options.  Why didn’t I choose it?  because it’s a little more expensive!  I’m a Scot, after all.  ^_^  

Other options were looked at, but nothing else came even remotely close.  I looked at GM cars, Ford, and others, but none offered the same level of fuel efficiency as either the Prius or the Civic.  I never thought I would go back to a Japanese car after driving a German one, but it looks like I may.  After all, my Korean vehicle lasted longer than any other car I’ve had. 

There is still one thing missing before my wife and I actually get the car, and that is the ability to car-pool.  Once we get that worked out, we will be all set.  It means one of us relocating our work spaces, which could happen soon, and it will not be me.  ^_^ 

After reading through CrackBerry’s Top 10 Reasons Why the iPhone is NO BlackBerry I thought I should compare it to my situation.

I really like my AT&T BlackBerry 8820 a whole lot. I really hate Windows Mobile devices, and dislike the Treo line. But I still want an iPhone really badly. This article makes it sound like BlackBerrys are better. I disagree.

10. The iPhone’s Not Designed for One-Handed Operation

Duh, I call this a feature, not a problem. Even when I am not driving, I still hate typing with one hand. I could care less.

9. Every iPhone is Created Equally–At Least on the Outside

Again, so what. The one model of iPhone is the model I would want.

8. No Removable Battery, No Backup Power Supply for the iPhone

Based on my BlackBerry usage, the removable battery is completely unnecessary. I generally only charge it once every 2 - 3 days. I have never replaced a battery on a cell phone ever. I usually replace the phone before the battery dies. Even if the iPhone’s battery doesn’t last 3 days, charging it once a day is not a problem.

7. The iPhone Has No Native Video Recording Capabilities

And neither does my BlackBerry! I have an 8820, no camera at all. I mean WTF?! I have to step down to the Curve which is a rickety P.O.S. to get a camera? No way.

6. The iPhone Is Too Darn Expensive

Considering I didn’t pay for my BlackBerry (my company did), this doesn’t apply t