Here are the details of the quake.
The Pacific nations are on the alert for a tsunami. None reported at this writing.
 |
| Tsunami travel times: National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration |
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The great unsteadiness
A massive earthquake has hit central Chile and killed at least 147 people, though the toll is expected to rise. - BBC.
Here are the details of the quake.
The Pacific nations are on the alert for a tsunami. None reported at this writing.
Here are the details of the quake.
The Pacific nations are on the alert for a tsunami. None reported at this writing.
It followed me home. Can I keep it?
Last Saturday we happened upon an indoor fleamarket where, among a industrial garage bay full of stuff, I found an old Compaq Presario. The box didn't have a price tag on it and the woman running the market didn't have an idea on a price. So, for $20, I brought home something that I barely need.
It turned out to have a working copy of Windows XP on it. The young woman who'd previously owned the system didn't leave anything of concern on it, except for a couple of pictures that she'd likely not want to show to her mother or grandchildren. (BTW, if you have physical access to a system, it's trivial to find out what's on it, even if the account is password protected.)
That XP worked at all is remarkable because this system has 186MB of memory. The disk is 40GB, suprisingly large for a low-cost machine and plenty of room to install Linux on a separate partition.
The BIOS was updated in 2000 and I've not been able to find a later version. Because some of the controllers were old, standard installations didn't work well; even the live CD balked. I was able to install a minimal Ubuntu server configuration and load the rest of modules over the network. Within a half hour, I had a working home web server.
Now that the system is operational, I turn off the monitor and just let it run quietly amid the other clutter in the office.
It's not quite as old as the one that Donald Knuth first used or even the ones that the Secret Service has in their employ, but it's old.
Here's Dilbert from the date of the BIOS:
It turned out to have a working copy of Windows XP on it. The young woman who'd previously owned the system didn't leave anything of concern on it, except for a couple of pictures that she'd likely not want to show to her mother or grandchildren. (BTW, if you have physical access to a system, it's trivial to find out what's on it, even if the account is password protected.)
That XP worked at all is remarkable because this system has 186MB of memory. The disk is 40GB, suprisingly large for a low-cost machine and plenty of room to install Linux on a separate partition.
The BIOS was updated in 2000 and I've not been able to find a later version. Because some of the controllers were old, standard installations didn't work well; even the live CD balked. I was able to install a minimal Ubuntu server configuration and load the rest of modules over the network. Within a half hour, I had a working home web server.
It's not quite as old as the one that Donald Knuth first used or even the ones that the Secret Service has in their employ, but it's old.
Here's Dilbert from the date of the BIOS:
What you learn by reading last Sunday's Times this Saturday
So, what do we call news that's old? Olds? Anyway, ...
More on intelligence
A review of some new and old links on the topic of intelligence.
via Indexed » Blog Archive » Frankenstein & his monster.
It seems as though smart people are evolving in some interesting ways. Robin Hanson writes, referring to a study, Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent, by Satoshi Kanazawa. (The full text of the study is behind a paywall.)
It's true. You can look it up. You can also take comfort in knowing that Google won't make you stupid.
This, in turn, makes us need a nap. Y'see, researchers have shown that A midday nap markedly boosts the brain's learning capacity. And, when we wake, we'll have forgotten enough to get even smarter - In learning, the brain forgets things on purpose.
Apparently, in Connecticut, you can be too smart to be a cop - Judge Rules That Police Can Bar High I.Q. Scores:
via BD™ Digital Thermometers product catalog (
) by way of Boing Boing
It seems as though smart people are evolving in some interesting ways. Robin Hanson writes, referring to a study, Why Liberals and Atheists Are More Intelligent, by Satoshi Kanazawa. (The full text of the study is behind a paywall.)
Adult intelligence predicts adult espousal of liberalism, atheism, and sexual exclusivity for men (but not for women), while intelligence is not associated with the adult espousal of evolutionarily familiar values on children, marriage, family, and friends. … Childhood intelligence at age 10 significantly increases the probability that individuals become vegetarian as adults.Hanson quotes Kanazawa as saying
via Overcoming Bias : Smart Beliefs
Liberalism … [is] the genuine concern for the welfare of genetically unrelated others and the willingness to contribute larger proportions of private resources for the welfare of such others.This is something new in evolution, empathy for others outside the family or tribe.
It's true. You can look it up. You can also take comfort in knowing that Google won't make you stupid.
This, in turn, makes us need a nap. Y'see, researchers have shown that A midday nap markedly boosts the brain's learning capacity. And, when we wake, we'll have forgotten enough to get even smarter - In learning, the brain forgets things on purpose.
Apparently, in Connecticut, you can be too smart to be a cop - Judge Rules That Police Can Bar High I.Q. Scores:
Judge Dorsey ruled that Mr. Jordan was not denied equal protection because the city of New London applied the same standard to everyone: anyone who scored too high was rejected.Finally, because I don't know where else to add this, here is a Spongebob Musical Thermometer for, as the catalog says, Oral, Underarm or Rectal Use:
) by way of Boing Boing
More on online news
The Telegram story about traffic congestion, Slow spot, brings up a common annoyance and a missed opportunity with newspaper web sites.
The story is about traffic congestion, based on a nationwide study by INRIX, a company that does that sort of thing.
It would have been quite helpful to include a link to the full study and links to the details about Worcester.
Links such as this, INRIX National Traffic Scorecard 2009 Annual Report
and Worcester Metropolitan Area.
That wasn't hard too difficult. And I'm not even getting paid.
The story is about traffic congestion, based on a nationwide study by INRIX, a company that does that sort of thing.
It would have been quite helpful to include a link to the full study and links to the details about Worcester.
Links such as this, INRIX National Traffic Scorecard 2009 Annual Report
and Worcester Metropolitan Area
.That wasn't hard too difficult. And I'm not even getting paid.
Please don't play tricks on old eyes
This Telegram.com story, Slow spot - i-290 gets nod as region's worst bottleneck, includes a couple of graphics which, online, are kinda fuzzy. So, the web editors kindly include a link that offers a larger version of the graphic.
'Cept that it doesn't. The linked image is the same file and same 21.3KB as the one originally shown in the story.
Here's how it's supposed to work. You have a smallish image with a link that brings up a larger one.
Click for full size
'Cept that it doesn't. The linked image is the same file and same 21.3KB as the one originally shown in the story.
Here's how it's supposed to work. You have a smallish image with a link that brings up a larger one.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Crime in suburbia
From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: There were 12 suspicious items this week.]
11:04 a.m. Caller reports seeing a coyote, Longmeadow Ave.
5:11 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle with flashers, Reservoir St. Driver taking nature photos
6:51 p.m. Report of possibly intoxicated male walking into roadway, Main St.
7:00 p.m. Public service, Main St.
7:52 p.m. Panic alarm, Main St.
9:51 a.m. Report of tree company in roadway, Brattle St./Birchwood Dr.
1:55 p.m. Parking violation, Arizona Ave.
3:22 p.m. Panic alarm, all secure, Main St.
4:07 p.m. Panic alarm, Main St. All secure
4:32 p.m. Highway department asking that vehicle be removed from Arizona Ave.
4:45 p.m. DPW reports someone pushing snow out into the roadway, Wachusett St.
8:30 p.m. Person at station asking for assistance to fill out paperwork, Main St.
2:33 p.m. Sheets of plywood in roadway, Main St.
6:51 p.m. Public service, provide direction, Shrewsbury St.
9:27 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle, front tire fell off, Main St.
11:47 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked in front of house on Terrie Ln.
5:10 a.m. Public service, Municipal parking lot, Highland St.
8:43 p.m. Tanker truck parked for long period of time, Boulder Hill Rd.
4:44 a.m. Agency advising of repossession of vehicle, Main St.
10:04 a.m. Police check person delivering phone books, Sandy Glen Dr.
1:33 p.m. Suspicious person, Boyden Rd.
2:22 p.m. Person with questions regarding people hunting on private property in W. Boylston; told to contact W. Boylston PD
2:26 p.m. Three suspicious males in area of the railroad tracks, Pleasant St.
4:30 p.m. Request for officer to take a report, Frederickson Ave.
11:58 p.m. Police talk with male at business on Wachusett St.
3:04 a.m. Parking violation, Cook St.
10:41 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicles, Hayfield Ln.
8:57 p.m. Broken glass on floor at laundromat, Reservoir St.
9:27 p.m. Suspicious activity on Main St., possible marijuana use
12:08 p.m. Needles found on Main St.
12:50 p.m. Motorcycle practicing at Dawson School
2:31 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Fox Hill Dr.
3:24 p.m. Hawk with broken wing, Steppingstone Dr.
5:33 p.m. Bobcat or lynx ran in front of vehicle, Manning St.
9:29 p.m. Motor vehicle hit deer, Causeway St.
10:40 a.m. Suspicious white pickup truck in Howard St. area
4:28 p.m. Caller asking police to check his vehicle for sand and salt after plows went by, Highland St.
8:43 p.m. Man at station advising he will attempt to repossess a motor vehicle on Ridgewood Rd.
7:00 a.m. Follow-up investigation regarding graffiti, Sunset Ln.
1:54 p.m. Disabled logging truck blocking both lanes of traffic, Worcester Rd.
4:33 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in driveway, Allen Hill Rd.
8:05 p.m. Disabled vehicle off side of Mirick/ Merriam Rds.
8:10 p.m. Police transport person to their home after their vehicle became disabled, Mirick/Merriam Rds.
6:22 p.m. Caller concerned about two young girls wearing shorts and T-shirts walking on East Princeton Rd. Police transport them to station to be picked up by parent
5:20 a.m. Police transport individual home whose vehicle went off Ball Hill Rd.
6:48 p.m. Vehicle partly in Wheeler Rd.
9:33 p.m. Loud music complaint, Maple Ave.
8:32 p.m. Report of male that took off, Miles Rd.
9:47 a.m. Caller reports numerous phone calls from person saying they are the police, Pleasant View Dr. Appears to be overseas call
8:38 p.m. Owl in roadway causing traffic problem, Clinton Rd.; transported to Tufts Veterinary School
3:28 p.m. Two dogs loose, Beaman Rd.
4:05 p.m. Multiple cars unable to get up hill, Maple St. Highway requested to sand and plow
7:14 p.m. Cat escaped from home, Redemption Rock Trl. Found next day
6:55 p.m. Vehicle got flat tire after hitting large pothole by railroad tracks, Newell Hill Rd.
10:29 p.m. Well-being check on person walking on Worcester Rd.
11:55 p.m. Dogs barking for long period of time, Meetinghouse Hill Rd.
5:01 p.m. Caller reports youths smoking pot, Redstone Hill Rd.
11:27 p.m. Caller requesting police assistance after argument with family member attempting to walk to Holden, Princeton Rd./Redemption Rock Trl.
[Editor's note: There were 12 suspicious items this week.]
Holden
Monday, February 15
10:57 a.m. Homeowner found dead raccoon in his dog pen, Broad St.11:04 a.m. Caller reports seeing a coyote, Longmeadow Ave.
5:11 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle with flashers, Reservoir St. Driver taking nature photos
6:51 p.m. Report of possibly intoxicated male walking into roadway, Main St.
7:00 p.m. Public service, Main St.
7:52 p.m. Panic alarm, Main St.
Tuesday, February 16
9:34 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Fort Sumter Dr.9:51 a.m. Report of tree company in roadway, Brattle St./Birchwood Dr.
1:55 p.m. Parking violation, Arizona Ave.
3:22 p.m. Panic alarm, all secure, Main St.
4:07 p.m. Panic alarm, Main St. All secure
4:32 p.m. Highway department asking that vehicle be removed from Arizona Ave.
4:45 p.m. DPW reports someone pushing snow out into the roadway, Wachusett St.
8:30 p.m. Person at station asking for assistance to fill out paperwork, Main St.
Wednesday, February 17
1:24 p.m. Possible fraudulent activity, Reservoir St.2:33 p.m. Sheets of plywood in roadway, Main St.
6:51 p.m. Public service, provide direction, Shrewsbury St.
9:27 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle, front tire fell off, Main St.
11:47 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked in front of house on Terrie Ln.
Thursday, February 18
3:11 a.m. Vehicle on side of the road with people screaming as though fighting, Manning St.5:10 a.m. Public service, Municipal parking lot, Highland St.
8:43 p.m. Tanker truck parked for long period of time, Boulder Hill Rd.
Friday, February 19
2:12 a.m. Police check on vehicle, Alpha Rd.4:44 a.m. Agency advising of repossession of vehicle, Main St.
10:04 a.m. Police check person delivering phone books, Sandy Glen Dr.
1:33 p.m. Suspicious person, Boyden Rd.
2:22 p.m. Person with questions regarding people hunting on private property in W. Boylston; told to contact W. Boylston PD
2:26 p.m. Three suspicious males in area of the railroad tracks, Pleasant St.
4:30 p.m. Request for officer to take a report, Frederickson Ave.
11:58 p.m. Police talk with male at business on Wachusett St.
Saturday, February 20
2:36 a.m. Parking violation, Stoneleigh Rd.3:04 a.m. Parking violation, Cook St.
10:41 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicles, Hayfield Ln.
8:57 p.m. Broken glass on floor at laundromat, Reservoir St.
9:27 p.m. Suspicious activity on Main St., possible marijuana use
Sunday, February 21
1:01 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle on Main St., unattended12:08 p.m. Needles found on Main St.
12:50 p.m. Motorcycle practicing at Dawson School
2:31 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Fox Hill Dr.
3:24 p.m. Hawk with broken wing, Steppingstone Dr.
5:33 p.m. Bobcat or lynx ran in front of vehicle, Manning St.
9:29 p.m. Motor vehicle hit deer, Causeway St.
Paxton
Wednesday, February 17
8:22 a.m. Check on well being of elderly female out walking in the cold, Grove St.10:40 a.m. Suspicious white pickup truck in Howard St. area
4:28 p.m. Caller asking police to check his vehicle for sand and salt after plows went by, Highland St.
8:43 p.m. Man at station advising he will attempt to repossess a motor vehicle on Ridgewood Rd.
Thursday, February 18
8:37 p.m. Report of loose pit bull-type dog running around, Pleasant St.Friday, February 19
6:05 a.m. Security company requesting to speak with officer, Sunset Ln.7:00 a.m. Follow-up investigation regarding graffiti, Sunset Ln.
Saturday, February 20
5:26 p.m. Beagle found on Laurel St. ; Spencer Animal Control has the dogPrinceton
Monday, February 15
1:54 p.m. Disabled logging truck blocking both lanes of traffic, Worcester Rd.
Tuesday, February 16
2:47 p.m. Vehicle stuck on ice in roadway, Merriam Rd.Wednesday, February 17
1:05 p.m. Caller wants to speak with dog officer about vicious dog in neighborhood, Redwood Dr.Thursday, February 18
5:25 p.m. Police assist fire dept. at home with water and steam in basement, Mirick Rd.Friday, February 19
1:20 p.m. Person locked out of residence, Mirick Rd.4:33 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in driveway, Allen Hill Rd.
8:05 p.m. Disabled vehicle off side of Mirick/ Merriam Rds.
8:10 p.m. Police transport person to their home after their vehicle became disabled, Mirick/Merriam Rds.
Saturday, February 20
10:22 a.m. Suspicious red pickup truck, Whitaker Ln. People cross-country skiing6:22 p.m. Caller concerned about two young girls wearing shorts and T-shirts walking on East Princeton Rd. Police transport them to station to be picked up by parent
Sunday, February 21
4:00 a.m. Vehicle went off Ball Hill Rd., later towed5:20 a.m. Police transport individual home whose vehicle went off Ball Hill Rd.
Rutland
Monday, February 15
2:20 p.m. Caller reporting fox in yard, Hickory Dr.Tuesday, February 16
11:01 a.m. Caller reports someone is smoking pot, smell coming up through ceiling, Maple Ave.Wednesday, February 17
5:04 p.m. Welfare check on three people that left on snowmobiles around noon, Prison Camp Rd.Thursday, February 18
1:08 a.m. Stray dog taken in for the night, Lynnwood Dr.6:48 p.m. Vehicle partly in Wheeler Rd.
9:33 p.m. Loud music complaint, Maple Ave.
Friday, February 19
11:12 p.m. Assist N. Brookfield PD looking for female, Bushy Ln.Saturday, February 20
12:00 a.m. Person reports being bitten by cat, Pleasantdale Rd.Sunday, February 21
8:06 p.m. Report that man was bitten by dog at park, Crawford Rd.8:32 p.m. Report of male that took off, Miles Rd.
Sterling
Monday, February 15
6:13 a.m. Vehicle in road with female who appears to be asleep, Crowley Rd./Redemption Rock Trl.9:47 a.m. Caller reports numerous phone calls from person saying they are the police, Pleasant View Dr. Appears to be overseas call
8:38 p.m. Owl in roadway causing traffic problem, Clinton Rd.; transported to Tufts Veterinary School
Tuesday, February 16
1:46 p.m. Vehicle slid through fence into yard, Muddy Pond Rd.3:28 p.m. Two dogs loose, Beaman Rd.
4:05 p.m. Multiple cars unable to get up hill, Maple St. Highway requested to sand and plow
7:14 p.m. Cat escaped from home, Redemption Rock Trl. Found next day
Wednesday, February 17
5:54 a.m. Ssuspicious vehicle with lights on outside house, Glendale Ave. Delivering papersThursday, February 18
9:51 a.m. Person at station reports mail had been opened and in the mailbox, Stuart Rd.Friday, February 19
10:51 a.m. Missing black Australia shepherd dog, Heywood Rd. Later found6:55 p.m. Vehicle got flat tire after hitting large pothole by railroad tracks, Newell Hill Rd.
10:29 p.m. Well-being check on person walking on Worcester Rd.
11:55 p.m. Dogs barking for long period of time, Meetinghouse Hill Rd.
Saturday, February 20
7:18 a.m. Caller complaining about howling, barking dog, Mellon Hollow Rd.5:01 p.m. Caller reports youths smoking pot, Redstone Hill Rd.
11:27 p.m. Caller requesting police assistance after argument with family member attempting to walk to Holden, Princeton Rd./Redemption Rock Trl.
Sunday, February 21
2:05 a.m. Traffic cones from railroad tracks thrown at vehicles and mailboxes, Newell Hill Rd.More on weather
Most New England snow storms are track-dependent - the amount and type of precipitation is mostly shaped by the location of the center of the low that's coming up the coast. If it stays close to and a bit to the left of the 40/70 sweet spot (40N, 70W),folks in central Massachusetts, particularly those north of Worcester, can expect a bunch of snow.
The storms this week ran right over us pretty much, opening the sluices for southern moisture.
And then it got really interesting and stays so. Relatively slight changes in elevation makes an enormous difference in the rain/snow mix. On Wednesday, we cleared about 10" of snow. Son Adam, who lives in the foothills of the Berkshires. That afternoon, I drove to Concord MA and saw the bare ground of the prison farm.
via Geostationary Satellite Image - NOAA
The storm that's coming today has similar characteristics, such that the storm warnings are saying that areas above 800 feet can expect 5-9" of heavy wet snow. Below that elevation, folks will get a few slushy inches.
The elevation at our house is 735 feet; the center of town is 810.
via 7-Day Forecast for Latitude 42.33°N and Longitude 71.88°W
The storms this week ran right over us pretty much, opening the sluices for southern moisture.
And then it got really interesting and stays so. Relatively slight changes in elevation makes an enormous difference in the rain/snow mix. On Wednesday, we cleared about 10" of snow. Son Adam, who lives in the foothills of the Berkshires. That afternoon, I drove to Concord MA and saw the bare ground of the prison farm.
The storm that's coming today has similar characteristics, such that the storm warnings are saying that areas above 800 feet can expect 5-9" of heavy wet snow. Below that elevation, folks will get a few slushy inches.
The elevation at our house is 735 feet; the center of town is 810.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Times and map makers were unkind to single women
Beware the Gargon
It's certainly part of Gargon's plan to baffle and hinder:
 |
| Gargon - The Urban Dead Wiki |
Success by inexperience
Recently, I had a conversation with a hiring manager who had posted a job opening that sought junior people (less than five years of experience) for a particular assignment.
As we discussed the work, he said, "It's not about the pay rate. We're ok for funding. It's about the culture of a startup." He went on to describe not just the frenetic pace of the work, but, more particularly, the lack of structure in communications and decision-making. People who knew things were doing things and generally didn't have the cycles to sit down and write formal specifications. Those same smart and busy people often communicated irregularly, not necessarily because they were social misfits, but because they were just too damn busy.
More experienced workers, this manager had discovered, may have had the More junior people didn't have the backdrop of well-balanced workdays and figured that this craziness was and is normal. They didn't know any better and so could adapt better.
This manager was a gray-beard like yours truly. His comments weren't directed at people of a certain age, although the correlation between experience and age is hard to miss. No, it's about temperament.
We get old not when we lose energy or have aches or our stories trail off with lost characters fighting forgotten battles. No, that's not when we get old. We get old when we stop being able to see the world as it is and as it's becoming.
In part, then, age bias is less about not being able to do the work and more about the stereotype that we're not willing.
via Prejudices: third series, Volume 3 By Henry Louis Mencken
As we discussed the work, he said, "It's not about the pay rate. We're ok for funding. It's about the culture of a startup." He went on to describe not just the frenetic pace of the work, but, more particularly, the lack of structure in communications and decision-making. People who knew things were doing things and generally didn't have the cycles to sit down and write formal specifications. Those same smart and busy people often communicated irregularly, not necessarily because they were social misfits, but because they were just too damn busy.
More experienced workers, this manager had discovered, may have had the More junior people didn't have the backdrop of well-balanced workdays and figured that this craziness was and is normal. They didn't know any better and so could adapt better.
This manager was a gray-beard like yours truly. His comments weren't directed at people of a certain age, although the correlation between experience and age is hard to miss. No, it's about temperament.
We get old not when we lose energy or have aches or our stories trail off with lost characters fighting forgotten battles. No, that's not when we get old. We get old when we stop being able to see the world as it is and as it's becoming.
In part, then, age bias is less about not being able to do the work and more about the stereotype that we're not willing.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Cost to rebuild Haiti
The International Development Bank estimates that Haiti reconstruction cost may near $14 billion.
To put this in perspective, here are the folks on the Forbes richest people list who could write a check to cover these costs.
via The World's Billionaires 2009 - Forbes.com
(The estimates of personal worth are from 2009. The Koch brothers might be depleting their accounts to cover the check.)
These companies had profits in 2009 that exceeded $14B.
via Fortune 500 2009: Top Performers - Most Profitable Companies: Profits
The American Gaming Association reports that we spent more than enough on gambling to afford to pick up Haiti's repair bill.
via American Gaming Association : Fact Sheets : Statistics
To put this in perspective, here are the folks on the Forbes richest people list who could write a check to cover these costs.
(The estimates of personal worth are from 2009. The Koch brothers might be depleting their accounts to cover the check.)
These companies had profits in 2009 that exceeded $14B.
The American Gaming Association reports that we spent more than enough on gambling to afford to pick up Haiti's repair bill.
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