Thursday, November 30, 2017

The definition of Assume is ... :)


The definition of Assume is ... :)

It's a Utility, Stupid


Its a Utility Stupid.

Wired's terrific article, Ajit Pai's Shell Game, demystifies what's really at stake regarding Pai's move to privatize the net by describing how small town Wilson, North Carolina turned the net into a utility, thus ending Time Warner's ability to rip off its citizens 24/7, a process that can be done by any town in America that has the guts to do it.

The real problem is a complete absence of leadership and policy aimed at making sure that low-priced, ubiquitous, world-class fiber optic services reach every home and business. Left to their own devices, the giant US companies Pai is determined to protect have every incentive to divide markets, avoid capital investments in upgrades to fiber that reach everyone, charge as much as they can get away with, and leave out poorer and rural people. That is in fact what has happened here.

The differences between the way the unrestrained, profit-at-all-costs-driven operators run things and the way a public interest-driven operator acts are obvious. For a clear illustration, take a look at Wilson, North Carolina.

I recently traveled to Wilson, a town in the eastern part of the state that is known to most as an exit ramp on Interstate 95. I found it to be a scrappy place with a tradition of taking the long view—most notably by successfully deploying a low-priced fiber optic service. Earlier this decade, the citizens of Wilson weren’t happy with the low-capacity connections and poor customer service offered by Time Warner Cable (now Spectrum). Wilson already had a public electric utility, so it was familiar with the benefits of operating a utility in the public interest. It built its own fiber optic network, and today offers 50 Mbps service (equal uploads and downloads) for $40 a month.

This can be done without question. Take back the net and take back America at the same time because it's the right thing to do.

A Zen Space



Huntington State Park in Redding, CT is a pretty cool place with a zen like feel as seen in this short clip. 
Enjoy.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Of Light & Shadow



The revealing of shadow when the sun comes out never gets old as seen in this short clip edited with
Luma Fusion. Enjoy.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Another kind of intelligence


Smarts comes in all shapes, sizes and configurations with the most surprising being that of microbes whose collective intelligence truly boggles the mind.

The slime mold Physarum polycephalum sometimes barely qualifies as a microorganism at all: When it oozes across the leaf litter of a forest floor during the active, amoeboid stage of its life cycle, it can look like a puddle of yellowish goo between an inch and a meter across. Yet despite its size, Physarum is a huge single cell, with tens of thousands of nuclei floating in an uninterrupted mass of cytoplasm. In this form, Physarum is a superbly efficient hunter. When sensors on its cell membrane detect good sources of nutrients, contractile networks of proteins (closely related to the ones found in human muscle) start pumping streams of cytoplasm in that direction, advancing the slime mold toward what it needs.

But Physarum is not just reflexively surging toward food. As it moves in one direction, signals transmitted throughout the cell discourage it from pushing counterproductively along less promising routes. Moreover, slime molds have evolved a system for essentially mapping their terrain and memorizing where not to go: As they move, they leave a translucent chemical trail behind that tells them which areas are not worth revisiting.

Something's afoot. - S. Holmes :)

Just ask ...


With nooze being nooze, the hysteria about Russian hacking continues unabated with bloviators telling everyone the RUSSKIES are everywhere but in reality, to discover the truth, all you have to do is just ask.

It’s also noteworthy that the usual suspects – Neocon warmongers such as Max Boot – have tried to discredit both Binney and Pompeo.

But there’s a huge part of the story that the entire mainstream media is missing …

Specifically, Binney says that the NSA has long had in its computers information which can prove exactly who hacked the DNC … or instead prove that the DNC emails were leaked by a Democratic insider.

Remember – by way of background – that the NSA basically spies on everyone in America … and stores the data long-term.

It gets better.

Binney also sent me hard-to-find company literature for Narus.  Here are some interesting excerpts:

NarusInsight …

Provides full visibility into network traffic …
Analyzes at macro or micro level targeting specific or aggregate full-packet data for forensic analysis
And:

Universal data collection from links, routers, soft switches, IDS/IPS, databases, etc. provides total network view across the world’s largest IP networks.

Binney also pointed me towards a couple of network engineering principles that show that figuring out who hacked the emails (or proving they were leaked) is well within NSA’s capabilities.

Initially, when data is transmitted online, it is sent using the TCP/IP Packet format.  Put simply, data is not sent in a vacuum, but rather as part of a bundle containing a lot of other information.






Which means ... All you have to do is JUST ASK.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Night for Day



Taking inspiration from Truffaut's wonderful Day for Night film, this short 4K clip does the opposite, shooting the night for day, something not possible until the advent of cameras like the Sony A7SII. Enjoy.

Thursday, November 09, 2017

Why Lenny was cool :)



Lenny was cool without question. Check out his take on modes, the vehicle Miles used to create Kind of Blue. Stellar without question. :)

Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Indian Summer - The Hunter's Moon



From sunrise to moonset, this short clip shows how Indian Summer unfolds in the year of our lord, 2017. :)

Saturday, November 04, 2017

Highstead Talk: 10/12/2017



An important talk by two renowned researchers detailing the history of the southern New England forests and the increasing impact of global warming on it's environment.