I need to stay off the front page. I'm getting too pissy for my own good.

In other news, I couldn't resist friending Surak. I thought most of his journal entries were only the somewhat entertaining weekly recaps (as everyone likes to link to them). This after I defriended a bunch of people because I didn't want to keep up with all the journal entries. Oh well, I was starting to see a gap there anyway...

I spend too much time on Slashdot.

I'm migrating from Linux to FreeBSD. One of the major things which is keeping it from going smoothly is the need to be able to access files between each one's partitions. I thought about using my old DOS partition (1 Gig), but fat doesn't keep track of permissions (maybe I should just bite the bullet). But also it would be nice to just use the Linux partitions from FreeBSD.

I could use FreeBSD's kernel drivers for ext2, but the docs say it may be unstable and outdated, so I am afraid to use them. Do they work? I'm using FreeBSD 4.8. If not, are there alternatives? Searching freebsd.org only turns up articles from 1996. There is a Linux+FreeBSD Howto, but it doesn't say anything about the stablilty of FreeBSD's ext2 driver. I've looked at Freshmeat and whatnot, but the few tools I've found are simplistic. The best one seems to work like an ftp program. Not very convenient. Is there a userland daemon where I can mount an ext2 partion in FreeBSD (that way if the thing crashes, my entire system won't be screwed)?

Oh well, my FreeBSD install is somewhat messed up anyway--accidently got all this GNOME crap installed because it was a dependency for some other package...will have to hunt down that package and kill it. Sendmail has to die as well. If the ext2 driver trashes my hard drive, I'll just reinstall, I guess. So, should I live on the wild side?

Just making notes.

Karnaugh Maps -- an easy way to simplify boolean expressions. Draw a two dimensional grid, the X/Y axis are the different possible inputs, and the cells contain the desired output. Inputs are expressed as the value if input is true, or the not value if input is false. Surround all ones/on/true with the largest circles possible (widths only in 2 to the Xth power). The inputs which contain both true and false values within the circle can be eliminated. Inputs which are only true -> the value. Inputs which are only false -> the inverted (not) value. The resultant values for a circle are ANDed together, and all the circle expressions are ORed toether.

• Wikipedia entry
• maxmon From some book called "Bebop to the Boolean Boogie"...looks kind of interesting...
• Common error when chosing circles
• nist.gov

Hmmm...may make a fun video game. Probably better than Minesweeper!

I was just reading Slashdot, and an idea hit me.

From this article (posted by rkz): But the bar owners are in a bind. If a person is caught smoking it, is the bar that is fined, not the individual.

This form of forced "self censorship" sounds shockingly like something I was hearing about China and how they censor information about SARS on the internet and SMS. Force the business owners to take measures to stop people from being able to commit illegal (or potentially illegal) acts instead of punishing the actual "criminals". The fat lawsuits against McDonalds work this way as well. In a more direct correlation, the DMCA does it too--though for corporations instead of the government.

This is a good story about China and SMS: SMS, SARS, And Censorship June 2003. At any rate, it goes into the details.

In March last year it required all websites and domestic and foreign internet providers to sign a "self-discipline pact" obliging them not to disseminate "harmful texts or news likely to jeopardise national security and social stability, violate laws and regulations, or spread false news, superstitions and obscenities".

Sound familiar? Just substitue "intellectual property" for "national security and social stability" and you just described how ISPs are regulated in the US.

A report about China's censorship from the State Department itself. US State Department: Expert Commission Links Spread of SARS, China's Legal System.

Maybe the US isn't quite at the level of China, but it's sad how the US is degenerating into behaviors which are typical of oppressive communist regimes.

Some time ago, I found this supposed true story which started the "rocket car" urban legend. I thought some of you might like it. :-)

I just have to say, I tried Jello's Cheesecake Snacks. Don't bother. Just put some strawberry topping on whipped cream, because that is what they taste like. A little hint of cream cheese, but barely enough to notice. These things don't taste like cheesecake at all! They were priced for it--$4 (US) for 6 little cups.

Kind of reminds me of the story about Twinkies. Supposedly before WWII, they used real banana cream filling, but switched to cheap crap because of a banana shortage. Boo! Hiss! A few years ago, they sold some banana ones for a short time. They must have used banana flavoring and crap, because they sucked big time.

I think the Jello people skipped a step, or is there a cream cheese shortage? ;-) At any rate, maybe I should stick to the pies and cheesecakes in the frozen section...or bake them from scratch myself (but I'm out of practice).

Congress introduced a new P2P bill. CNet story. Couldn't find the actual bill on the net. Thomas said it wouldn't be available for a few days.

I'm not sure if this is a bad or a good thing. It will involve the FBI in the matter, so the RIAA et al. will probably be more careful in identifying infringing files--I doubt they'll want to screw with the FBI or have prison time. It may also help squash M$'s arguments for DRM.

But it also gives them more power. Who knows how they'll abuse it. They'll also be allowed to use the FBI's seal, so people will think the feds are after them. The article also says they'll also have access to more information. Knowing "copyright holders", this could be a very bad thing...

The bill also will include anti-"hacking" provisions. What they will focus on, I don't know. Virus writers? Spammers? Script kiddies? Online scams? The RIAA's secret plans to cripple P2P networks? ;-) Or will they just try to silence computer security researchers?

If anyone has a link to the bill online or a better analysis, they are welcome here.

I just heard about a new "Fat Tax" proposal in New York. (second article) It not only includes "junk food", but also video games and television. So they're blaming video games for making kids fat now? We had television and video games in the 1980s. Why is now different?

While we're on the subject, when I first heard about the "fat tax" on food, it seemed it would really be a tax on the poor. The so called "fattening" food is also the cheapest in a cost to calorie basis. This article agrees with me.

iBunny vs Speak'n'Spell! Everyone's favorite talking toy against a rodent created by Apple Computers.

Musical use of a Speak'n'Spell. There are many more. :-)

History and Development of Speech Synthesis. How it all started.