Month: January 2006

I took my camera along for my bike rides this weekend. Unfortunately, the trails were washed out after a thunderstorm, but I got a few good photos.

The EPA just released this least of the top 25 “renewable energy” users. Unsurprisingly, the list is dominated by government agencies and enviro-nut oriented companies – that is, organizations that either feed off  enviro-hysteria, or can simply steal more of your money to make up for their waste. If you are looking to avoid investing in companies that waste your money, this is a list to watch.

Just a few days after Google agreed to censor its results to appease China, the results are already evident.  Here is a gallery of the websites and words it hides from Chinese surfers.

The Justice Department is suing Google after it refused to turn over “all Google queries for a week and for 1 million Internet addresses.” No warrant or reasonable cause was needed – this is for the state’s “research” needs. MSN, Yahoo, and AOL already capitulated without a fight. If there was ever a cause for a fight over due process, it’s this, not the anti-terrorism BS.

Incidentaly, Google permanently records all my search queries as part of my Google account, which includes a year of Gmail emails, my address book, and credit card info for my ad accounts. To hell with phone calls and letters – if there are any secrets about me, my Google accounts hold them. If this is up for grabs without a warrant, what isn’t?

While surfing TV, I came across an episode of “Everybody loves Raymond” where a character who goes to sleep in a car so as not to drive home drunk is arrested.  I looked it up, and it’s true –you can get convited for drunk driving for sleeping in a car, with the keys in your pocket.

Just out: Google Pack, a suite of software from Google and other vendors that every casual and serious computer user should get. I highly recommend everything in the pack except for Norton Antivirus – I prefer the free avast! 4 Home Edition.

 

During my trip to see the family this weekend, I scanned over 100 family photos from Soviet Ukraine, some of them dating back to the 1930s. The photos are in various states of decay, and require touch-ups before they can be enlarged for printing. Fortunately, I have a copy of Photoshop CS2 handy, and started with this 30’s era glamour shot of grandma and her sis:

My other grandmother: