Server maintenance on my server

Since I'm replacing the hardware with larger hardware and need to move all the data from one machine to the other, my weblog (and the other things currently running on simon.bofh.ms) will be down for a few hours today or tomorrow. I hope everything goes smoothly. Domains hosted with me won't have any DNS problems since the other server is still running. Anyone who has emails or other things stored with me will of course be affected by the downtime as well.

Otherwise, imagine a construction sign here with a diligent construction worker shoveling away behind it

USES AND APPLICATIONS OF 35mm LENSES

Cool. Mike Johnston evaluates the application of various focal lengths. Worth reading

Here's the original article.

Ambrai Smalltalk

A new Smalltalk for OS X. Integrated into Aqua. With all the tools you could wish for. Unfortunately only from OS X 10.3 onwards - too bad, I would have liked to take a look at it, but I'm still on 10.2.8 ...

Anyone who can give it a try - the beta is freely available. I'd be curious to know what it's like. Smalltalk used to be one of my favorite languages - though that was before my contact with Lisp machines and back in DOS times

Here you can find the original article.

No Pirates on the (Dream)Ship

The war against terror. Oh no, it's the other absurd paranoia, the one about evil pirates.

At heise online news there's the original article.

Criticism of Vatican Letter on Feminism

Exactly one year ago today, the scarecrow ranted against same-sex marriage (P1096). Today he's ranting against feminists. The arguments are just as ridiculous and absurd as last time ...

On WDR.de you can find the original article.

Team Time Trial in Bühl: Victory for CSC Duo Voigt and Julich

Great success for CSC. But of course also impressive success from Gerolsteiner - to place both teams so far up front. Armstrong? Well, he just doesn't take anything really seriously except the Tour. A shame. But the organizer already put it quite rightly at the Night of Hannover. In essence: for what Armstrong demands as a starting fee, he doesn't deliver the corresponding performance.

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

A Toast to the System Administrators ...

Exactly!

At heise online news you can find the original article.

Financial data online -- unreachable

I'm sorry folks, but anyone who trusts their financial data to the Moloch deserves what's coming to them

At heise online news you can find the original article.

Hightech-Konzerne wollen "JPEG-Patent" kippen

It would be good if it works out. The JPEG patent could otherwise have pretty serious consequences. Still, it's clear proof of why software patents are nonsensical. If it weren't a patent that a few industry giants were interested in, the situation would be completely different. How could a small company or an open source project defend itself against such a patent? Hardly a chance ...

At heise online news there's the original article.

Band Rammstein makes Rammsteinfan.de shut down

Someone who doesn't understand the internet again ...

At heise online news you can find the original article.

That Gunk on Your Car

A book. About insects. In squashed condition on the windshield.

I found the original article at www.lisaneun.com.

Bosco HOWTO

A tutorial and example code for building OpenMCL Carbon and Cocoa applications. Very interesting, this could slowly make OpenMCL on the Mac a fully-featured environment.

Yes, I'm still dreaming of a free Lisp implementation with a decent development environment

Here's the original article.

IronPython - A fast Python implementation for .NET and Mono

IronPython is now Open Source and available in version 0.6. For .NET or Mono programmers, this might be an interesting alternative to the usual C# languages.

Here you can find the original article.

Jake Ludington's Digital Lifestyle - Using the tools that make computing fun.

Ouch. A mini tripod made from a bottle cap. That really sounds very stable too.

Here's the original article.

Last.FM - Your personal music network - Personalised online radio station

Hmm. A customizable internet radio station with a kind of friends network based on music taste. Buzzword compliance is definitely there.

Here you can find the original article.

safeurl.de

This can be a danger to you. Because your website can be localized through the log files, you can be found too. This is, for example, a danger in the case of deep linking if the webmaster of the linked page does not allow it. - I see, referrer suppression explicitly propagated as a means for deep linking to content. As if one gets terribly endangered when referrers are reported on. Yeah right, a tool by webmasters for webmasters. If I were a pig, I'd say from bandwidth parasites for bandwidth parasites - but I'm nice and never say such things.

Here you can find the original article.

Siemens Surprises with Profit Jump

This will certainly make the workers at the two plants very happy that the rip-off is now increasing Siemens' quarterly figures. After all, that means more money for pointless projects and if necessary it can be distributed to shareholders. But the economy is doing so badly ...

At tagesschau.de - Die Nachrichten der ARD you can find the original article.

Municipalities complain about obligation to provide barrier-free websites

What nonsense. I'd like to see one of the experts show me how this is supposed to get more expensive. The problem is probably rather that the mayor's brother-in-law has no idea how to do it and keeps complaining... At heise online news there's the original article.

Castro attacks Bush: Cuba no target for sex tourists

I could well imagine that compared to Castro, Bush really is an alcoholic (okay, a recovering alcoholic) and an illiterate.

At tagesschau.de - Die Nachrichten der ARD there's the original article.

Current Books about Icon

Wow! Both the latest edition of the Icon Programming Language Reference and The Implementation of The Icon Language book are available as free downloads. Go ahead, download and indulge - Icon is simply a beautiful little language with very interesting features. Many things in Icon have always appealed to me much more than in Perl - regular expressions are namely not the only way to analyze strings. String scanning in Icon is at least as powerful, but much more elegantly designed and far less cryptic. Of course I have the books in print form at home, but since they're no longer available in paper form, the download is certainly a good solution. And since they're free - in the sense of public domain - it's also a really cheap opportunity.

Here's the original article.

Hagen Boßdorf and Journalistic Self-Understanding

The Frankfurter Rundschau is drizzling a bit of Bossdorf's independent position as a reporter on ...Zabel is still a class driver anyway. Take a look at the world best list if you write something about Zenit being exceeded, you Rundschau people. At das Netzbuch I found the original article.

Austrian Foreign Minister becomes EU Commissioner

Conservatives march into EU leadership ...

At tagesschau.de - Die Nachrichten der ARD you can find the original article.

Federal Statistical Office: Euro is not expensive

I keep wondering where these statisticians actually do their shopping. For example, bread and rolls cost me almost twice as much as they did during DM times. And bread is certainly a far greater problem for people with little money. Somehow I have the feeling that the federal statisticians have lost touch with reality ...

At tagesschau.de - Die Nachrichten der ARD you can find the original article.

Dispute at T-Mobile escalates

Hmm. Couldn't one simply send Godefroot into retirement? Telekom is dealing with layoffs at the moment - maybe Godefroot would be a fit for Vivento too?

Now to be perfectly honest: sure, the cyclists have to deliver the cycling performance. Sure, everyone expected more from Ullrich - but he did achieve 4th place, that's definitely an accomplishment. And Klöden got 2nd place. And T-Mobile the team classification. So stop complaining, that's considerably more than most other teams will ever see.

The disputes, the chaotic mess, and the lack of direction, however, are entirely down to the team management. And that's Godefroot. He has to take that on his shoulders - and there's a good deal more professional failure involved there than in Ullrich's - perhaps somewhat careless - preparation. Ullrich only managed 4th place at the Tour for some expectations, but Godefroot finished dead last in the ranking of team managers ... I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Unicon.org - the Unicon Programming Language Home Page

And since I'm on the topic of Icon anyway: there's also a successor language that's now being developed on Sourceforge. A book is also being created there through public collaboration, and the whole thing makes a very interesting impression. I think I'll keep an eye on it - an Icon implementation with a better class library would definitely be an alternative for me for many small projects. Icon itself suffered somewhat from a rather narrow library - for example, almost nothing in the TCP/IP area and only very rudimentary libraries for database connections and similar purposes compared to Python, Perl, or Ruby. Unicon could change that.

Icon, by the way, was something like a successor language to Snobol. Snobol in turn was the first attempt at a programming language designed for text manipulation - well before regular expressions or even Perl existed. It had a pretty bizarre syntax (or rather two of that sort), but a very endearing charm. One of the few languages I know where structured and clear programming was almost impossible.

Icon fixed many of Snobol's problems - especially, it had a quite decent syntax. And string processing in Icon wasn't a piggyback syntax, but was fully integrated into the language. Besides, Icon also had nice things like generators - which were then (in Python's 2.x versions) discovered by Python.

Here's the original article.

Debate over labor law becomes more heated

Even with the summer lull, there's so much stupidity and malice on the part of Union politicians that it can hardly be explained anymore.

If employment protection would keep people from unemployment, then there wouldn't be millions of unemployed people now. - how can a politician say such nonsense without his tongue shriveling up?

At WDR.de you can find the original article.

Geoffrey's Clamp Monkey

The at sign. An essential component of email communication. No wonder I get so much spam. It's certainly produced by lots of at signs searching for Shakespeare ...

Here you can find the original article.

Re: Sender-ID and free software

A comment by Richard Stallman on the anti-spam solution proposed by Microsoft, which is license-technically incompatible with free software. And a comment on the solution itself, which you can only understand after lengthy abbreviation studies.

Summary: Microsoft's license is crap and Microsoft's technical model is crap. Did anyone expect something different?

Here's the original article.

Serious Security Deficiencies at T-Com

Ouch.

At heise online news there is the original article.

The Piri Reis Map

An interesting assessment of the alleged contents of the Piri Reis Map. No Antarctica and no extraterrestrial sources. Simply a - remarkable - analytical work by a Turkish seafarer. And the exaggerated imagination of people who always and everywhere want to see ghosts, aliens, lost supercultures and similar nonsense.

Here you can find the original article.

Big Lebowski, The (1998)

It's good knowing he's out there. The Dude. Taking it easy for all us sinners. Hier gibts den Originalartikel.

Going all loopy about loupes

Perhaps something interesting for Jutta: various magnifying glasses and a pocket microscope are examined here. The pocket microscope is especially interesting because the stand base can be removed and then you can use it as a 50x magnifying glass for free observation of surfaces, even if the surfaces are not flat. And the small folding magnifying glass with 3x element also sounds very interesting. Here you can find the original article.

Well, Tour 2004 over

And? Hmm. Armstrong is getting boring. Robotniks are never really that exciting - not the American ones either. Klöden is likeable and put in a great performance. Basso has improved significantly in the time trial and from the looks of it, Bjarne Riis could still get even more out of him. Ullrich must stay off the podium - serves him right.

Most annoying people in the Tour: McEwen and the commentators. Oh man, what kind of stupid stuff did those guys spout again. And all this hype around Jan Ullrich is really bothering me. Instead of focusing on the sport, the commentators dutifully mourned their inflated unfulfilled hopes. And McEwen is just a boor.

For next year? I'd like to see fewer crashes and more favorites who actually make it to Paris and fight their way through in between. With a Tyler Hamilton and an Alexander Vinokurov in the race, things could have looked different.

Guantanamo Feeling: The Wrong Stamps in the Passport

News from US madness.

At Telepolis News (24.07.2004) you can find the original article.

Phishing is nothing new ...

... but phishing combined with automated translations is then rather amusing. Or do they really believe any German user would fall for this botched example?

 Lieber eBay Benutzer, Wir bedauern, Sie zu informieren, dafl Ihre Haupttelefonnummer eine Stˆrung an hatte Ebay Inc. Datenbanken. Wir verwenden Ihre Telefonnummer f¸r nur Ihren Kennzeichnung Zweck. Wenn die erbetenen Informationen nicht zu uns dann zur Verf¸gung gestellt werden, bedauern wir zu informieren Sie Sie, dafl Ihr Konto von unserer Datenbank bis verschoben wird erforderliche Informationen werden zur Verf¸gung gestellt. * Unzul‰ssige Benutzer-Informationen - unsere Aufzeichnungen zeigen, dafl es etwas Diskrepanzen mit den Informationen gibt, die Sie mit auf unserem Service registrierten. Wegen dieser Verletzung wird Ihr Konto unbestimmt vom Aufstellungsort verschoben , bis g¸ltige Informationen zur Verf¸gung gestellt sein kˆnnen. * Wegen der Aufhebung dieses Kontos, bitte seien Ihnen geraten Sie, vom Verwenden eBay in jeder Hinsicht verboten dafl werden. Dieses schlieflt das Registrieren eines neuen Kontos ein. Merken Sie bitte, dafl diese Aufhebung Sie von Ihrer vereinbarten Verpflichtung, keine Geb¸hren zu zahlen entlastet, die Sie eBay verdanken kˆnnen. Uns mit Ihrer Telefonnummer, gerechten Klicken die Verbindung unten versehen und F¸llen Sie bitte diese Form aus. [Link von hugo gelöscht] Respekt, Ian eBay SafeHarbor Untersuchungen Mannschaft Ihre Persˆnliche Handelnde Gemeinschaft (tm) eBay Update Mannschaft http://www.eBay.de

Respect. Indeed.

Salmonella pathogen discovered in turkey meat

Since I've already had the pleasure of a salmonella infection (kids: don't try that at home!), something like this naturally gets my attention. Resistant salmonella are quite a disaster - and artificially created through massive antibiotic use in turkey farming. The animals are under such high stress that they constantly catch infections. So they pump them full of antibiotics. And we have to deal with the resistant germs as a result.

And no, it doesn't reassure me that the finding is from last year.

I found the original article at NETZEITUNG.DE Wissenschaft.

SCO vs. Linux: BayStar will file lawsuit

Hey, you're breaking the IBM lawyers' toy!

At heise online news there's the original article.

The Cyborg Name Generator: HUGO

Here's the original article.

German Court Confirms Effectiveness of GPL

Cool.

At heise online news you can find the original article.

"Judas" Voigt: "I could have cried"

In the end, it's the old Jens Voigt again: I'll ask him if I can also assume Danish citizenship with the signature. - in response to the question of how he would react to the offer of an extension. I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

Watching screens makes you depressed

Or how else should one react when you're told how people who can't afford glasses don't get them paid for either by health insurance or social welfare offices. Health insurance companies aren't allowed to anymore, but social welfare offices only pay what health insurance would have paid — which is absurd, because that's precisely where people receiving social assistance need support, where the insurance companies won't pay. A society that treats poor people like dirt is simply undignified.

Our Berlin dimwits manage it so that we end up looking longingly at the American system because it's better than what we'll eventually have here ...

After acquittal, moral doubts remain

In the end, they get away with anything. Even stock law will be bent so it fits these crooked dogs. At WDR.de you can find the original article.

Run, baby, run - Armstrong girlfriend Sheryl Crow at the Tour

Two crazy people found each other

I found the original article at Radsport-News.com.

I usually ignore spammers ...

... but when a spammer from Germany sends me unsolicited advertising and then writes in this unsolicited spam that the content of this advertising garbage is protected by copyright, then I have to smile a bit. Note: the article was modified by me upon request.

Blog service 20six takes over myBlog.de

Fusion of curry sausages with lollipop freaks?

At heise online news there's the original article.

In the notebook of the 'cycling fans'

Boos at Jens Voigt are out of place. Calling him Judas and a traitor is also inappropriate. Anyone who thinks he should have ridden differently hasn't understood what this is about. Jens Voigt is a CSC rider and is therefore naturally responsible for CSC - and thus for the placement of Ivan Basso. Bjarne Riis decides how to ride, not some "experts". And the decision to ride for Basso and catch Jan Ullrich has proven itself today: Ivan Basso is simply not strong enough in the time trial yet to hold his ground. And that's why they have to give everything in the mountains - ride gaps, catch up, and if possible win or at least place at the finish. Because only with the time bonuses can Ivan Basso build up enough cushion for the upcoming time trial to secure his podium position. But particularly shameful is the cowardice of ZDF, which ended the interview with Jens Voigt as soon as he mentioned the name Hagen Boßdorf (details at Spiegel Online and radsportnews.net). Sorry folks, but if you dish it out you have to be able to take it. As often as reporters talk about humiliations, thrashings and other silly vocabulary, as often as stupid stuff is talked and lamented about because a rider doesn't do what the big shots in the commentary booth say - then they have to be able to take criticism too. For me, Jens Voigt is and remains one of the most likable and interesting riders. Sure, he probably won't win the Tour. But you always see him in the stages, doing his work. He attacks, he grinds like Udo Bölts, and he's always good for an interview after the stage - and actually always in a good mood. So don't turn the man off with unqualified comments and stupid booing. He really doesn't deserve that.

Update: A response from the ARD Sports Department with a transcript of the commentators' comments is online

SCO Claims Linux Lifted ELF (LinuxWorld)

Now SCO has definitely completely lost their minds. After all, SCO itself was part of the consortium that placed the 1.2 specification of the ELF standard in the public domain.

And as for not being able to copy it: SCO is barking up the wrong tree there, because not every Linux platform uses ELF. For example, in the PowerPC processor area, completely different formats are in use, such as PEF. It would certainly be annoying to convert everything to a new format, but definitely not impossible.

And Apple will certainly be very pleased, because they support the ELF ABI in the dlopen functions (although they use Mach-O as the format). Surely Apple would love to pay license fees to SCO for OS X.

Here's the original article.

Security hole on Sat.1 internet expert's website

Experts stop.

At NETZEITUNG.DE Internet there is the original article.

Everyone's complaining about Armstrong ...

... because he sprinted for the victory even though he was taking over yellow. So I'm complaining too. No, not because he sprinted against Ullrich and Klöden, but because he also attacked Basso - after CSC had driven Ullrich back into him. Well. That's not the fine way to do it. Deduction in the B-note. Ok, the 20-second time bonus is of course a nice buffer against Basso, but still ...

Oh yes, Jan Ullrich: finally he fought. That's what people want to see. Regardless of whether he might not have the right legs for the time trial tomorrow. Fighting is always more interesting than following.

Japan threatens to withdraw from whaling commission

And so the senseless slaughter is supposed to continue. Disgusting.

At tagesschau.de - Die Nachrichten der ARD you can find the original article.