Equal Rights & Suffrage For Apes?

According to a report given by John Berman, apes really can express their feelings. They really can express feelings of happiness, sadness, being scared, etc. Not only can they express their feelings, but they can utilize the english language to voice them and they can also understand your english diction. So be careful what you say when you are around them!

Berman states that he interviews a bonobo by the name of Kanzi. Kanzi utilizes a lexigram with 350 individual options and countles combos to communicate back with his human counterpart. The interview went suprisingly well for both of them; as this was the first time Berman interviewed an ape.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-Your thoughts?
-What does this say about the capability that animals have?
-Does this challenge your thoughts on animals?
-Does this give animal right groups more ground to stand on?
-If you are religous, does this affect any of your beliefs?

Google Goes Head to Head with Microsoft

Google Gears. Never heard of it? You will. It will one day be as known as Microsoft Office is today. A good thing? Opinions will come, but one thing is sure: it is open source (free*). You may have already used Google Docs and Spreadsheets or Google Reader, if you have you will note it is limited to when you are online. If there is no internet connection, you cannot use the programs. Google Gears has been developed to do away with that limitation and so much more. Google Reader has gone offline thanks to Google Gears and we can be sure that more applications will follow (even gmail). What is more, this opens up a whole gambit of competition to Microsoft. Since it is open source, other companies can build off of what Google is doing and funding, and develop their own versions and modifications of their open source platforms.

If Google is investing in this technology and making it open source, you can guarantee that Microsoft sees this as a direct challenge to their monopoly on the PC.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-Do you think this competition is healthy?
-Do you think that Google funding this gives it more weight?
-Would you consider using Google's alternatives to Microsoft's products? Do you already?
- Can you see a day when Microsoft is no longer the software giant they are today?

*Open source does not always = free, but it does allow for a much less stringent user agreement.

Here Comes the Plague: Drug Resistant TB Exposure

Scenario: A man carrying a contagious strain of tuberculosis (TB) that is resistant to current medicine regimes used to treat TB boards a plane in Atlanta, Georgia against the warnings of his doctors, flys to Europe, spends time in Greece, France,and Italy, marrys and returns to North America through Canada and back to the US. It happened and the man is currently in a hospital with an armed guard at his door to ensure he does not escape. He has effectively been quarantined; the first such quarantine issued by the US government since 1963.

Currently there is a debate ongoing about exactly what the man was told. He states that he was advised against flying while health authorities state that he was told not to fly. Currenlty health agencies the world over are attempting to locate those who were on the planes with him to ensure they are TB free or to isolate them if they test positive. The man admits that he was told by Italian authorities to turn himself in, but he instead snuck back into the US by way of Canada. This reminds me of Stephen King's The Stand.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-If those who were exposed to him turn up sick, with what responsibility should this man be burdened?
-If you were in his shoes- a long planed wedding in a foreign country, would you call it off until you are well, or do what he did? He states he was advised against travel- not forbade to travel.
-Do you find that selfishness appears to be the motive for endangering a multitude of lives?
-What are your thoughts on why TB has developed a medication resistant strain? Do you think we over use antibiotics?
-Do you think that one day we will see this type of terrorism in addition to suicide bombers?
-Why would he endanger his own wife's life by subjecting her to TB during their wedding and honeymoon?

Microsoft Surface: Computing by Touch

Microsoft has unvieled a new technology that it hopes will take this world by storm. They have coined it Surface. From what I can see, it looks like a regular end table or coffee table, but once you sit something on it or touch it with your fingers, it lights up and responds to whatever is on the surface. If you have a wifi camera, it will recognize it and pull the pictures and video from it and display it on Surface. It is powered by Windows Vista and can be used by multiple users at one time doing seperate tasks. No keyboard, no mouse, just the use of your hands and objects. It is set to be released in November.

It appears that Apple is no stranger to this technology either as they have filed for touch sensitive patents as well. There is also rumors that Apple will have an answer for Surface and already have products that will outshine Surface in that they are eye-movement sensitive and true touchscreen- not projector/sensor based like Surface. The iPhone already incorporates multi-touch sensitivity.

You can read more and see more here.

Some questions:

-Do you see any practical benefits to Surface?
-What market do you think this is aimed at?
-Let's say Surface sold below $2,000.00 would you buy one?
-How do you see this technology branching out? (refrigerators, TV's, cars, etc.?)
-What are your thoughts on this technology?

Flag Desecration = Hate Crime

On the island of Orcas, off mainland Washington State, a hate crime has been performed. Two nights in a row, vandals have snuck into the cemetery and burnt US flags, stole US flags and replaced US flags with home made flags bearing the mark of the swastika. Even under watch, the cemetery was breached and vandalized. These acts were performed on the graves of dead servicemen who fought for their country and for the freedom we enjoy today.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-What are your thoughts on flag burning?
-Do you think that it is acceptable to protest in such a way as this?
-What are your thoughts about showing dissatisfaction about our current conflict while still honoring those who are fighting in it? Is there a good way to seperate the two?
-What do you think should be the punishment that these vandals should undergo if any?
-If you are a Veteran, what are your thoughts on this? How does this speak to you?

Dodgeball!

Next Monday night our local newstalk radio station, WNWS, will be playing the Madison County Sheriff's Department in a competitive game of Dodgeball. The time: 7pm, the place: Tigrett Middle School Gym (on Westwood), Admission: $5.00 at the door which will be donated to the winner's charity of choice.

The Dodgeball Tournament will continue on into August before the final game is played. Those who are in the line-up are the Sheriff's Dept., Police Dept., WBBJ TV, Sportsplex Staff, Seniors on the Liberty Basketball Team, Diamond Jaxx Staff, Madison County Commissioners, Jackson City Council, Madison Academic Decathalon Team, The Palace Staff, and then on August 28th the double elimination tournament will take place.

You can read more here or here.

Some questions:

-What are your thoughts about this tournament?
-If you are local, do you plan on attending it?
-Is $5.00 too much for a 15 minute game of dodgeball?
-What do you think about WNWS' logo? (I designed it)
-If they did this again next year, would you get a team together to participate?
-Do you think this is a good thing to bring together our community?

Memorial Day

Here is a tribute video to a fallen soldier.

Here are some audio accounts from our soldiers themselves.

Here are some pictures of Pearl Harbor during and after the suprise Japanese attacks.

Some questions:

-Have we forgotten what Memorial Day is about?
-What did you do to pay homage to those who serve to protect you?
-Do you treat Memorial Day as just another day off or do you utilize it to show a Veteran your appreciation?