I found a dog lost and confused between Lynn Dr. and Sulphur Springs Rd. on South College Ave. in Bryan [Google Maps link] at around 9:45 PM in the evening. I saw it as I was driving to KEOS. It was sitting in the middle of the road and all traffic was going around her. I pulled over and tried to get it to move to the side. It was dazed and very afraid. At first it started moving away from me in fear, but I managed to get her out of the street. She is obviously someone’s pet since she has a collar.

I called Brazos police who then transferred to me Brazos animal control. To make a long story short, I have dropped it off at the fenced side yard at Brazos Animal Shelter. Everyone in Bryan/College Station area please spread the word so that the owner may collect the dog. I fear that if the owner does not claim her in three days, she might be put down (Brazos animal shelter it not a no-kill shelter; they kill animals that they deemed not likely to be adopted).

(Location of where I found the dog) View Larger Map

Here are a few pictures of the dog to help the owner identify it.

It’s a really nice and friendly dog. I’ll be really sad if it is put down. Please share this post on Facebook/Twitter/MySpace/listserv/email or any other means to get the owner to see it.

Tim Maly, the author of Quiet Babylon, in today’s post dated Sept. 3rd 2010, talks about the concept, history, fiction, and reality of Cyborgs. He said:

So when you think about cyborgs, [...] Don’t think about total loss of self, bodies encroached and erased by technology, humanity swallowed whole. Instead think of cellphones. Think about off-loaded memories, of constantly renewed enhancement and new abilities. But also think about insistent ringtones, and demanding interruptions, think of externally controlled access, and a reliance on a sprawling infrastructure. [emphasis added]

Curiously, Scott Adams, on the same day, talks about cell phones and the need for renaming the device. He said:

My suggestion, which I offer simply to prime the pump, is to call the phone your “head.” This term recognizes that you are essentially a cyborg with a detachable brain. You offload a lot of your memory into your device, and it helps you communicate and gather information, just like the other parts of your general skull area.

Also, neither post links to the other or even acknowledges the other’s existence. I think it’s really curious that two people would elucidate identical ideas on almost the same subject on the same day. If it’s a coincidence, it’s one hell of a coincidence. Plagiarism anyone?

1. Boil milk.
2. Cool it to about 110F (40C).
3. Add yogurt starter or culture.
4. Wait overnight.

But this does not answer the question: how was the first yogurt made? Was it an accidental fermenting of milk with just the right bacteria without contamination? It seems strange that if all yogurt and bacterial cultures in the world were destroyed, then we would have to rely on happenstance to be able to make yogurt again!

So where did the first yogurt come from? Sounds like a chicken-or-egg problem doesn’t it? Hey, if the chicken-or-egg problem can be solved (the chicken came first), then we have got to be able to figure this yogurt problem out! So I set out scouring the interwebs and found two possible ways to make yogurt from scratch.

The first method (vegetarians beware) is from ants. Yes, ANTS! This method is used in Turkey (which is where the word “yogurt” comes from, BTW). The recipe is deceptively simple. Just add crushed ant eggs or soil from ant hill to boiled milk at about 40C temperature. Overnight or so, the milk curdles. With lumps of this milk curd can then be used as a starter to make yogurt. I found this on these two Turkish webpages: ekoses.com [English translation], and AnnemMutfakta.tv [English translation].

The second method involves adding a little bit of tamarind and a dried red chili to a small amount of warm milk. The milk should curdle overnight. Use a little of that curd as a starter to make a little more curdled milk, and repeat the process 4-5 times or until the curdled milk begins to look, smell, and taste like yogurt. The final batch of cudled milk can then be used to make yogurt. [source (anecdotal)]

So there you have it! Next time you are having your yogurt, remember, you could be eating crushed ant eggs :) Bon Apetite!

The statement on the website says:

Zeitgeist was created as a non-profit filmiac expression to inspire people to start looking at the world from a more critical perspective and to understand that very often things are not what the population at large think they are. The information in Zeitgeist was established over a year long period of research and the current Source page on this site lists the basic sources used / referenced. Soon, an Interactive Transcript will be online with detailed footnotes and links so exact sources and further research can be relayed.

…

Here’s the movie for your viewing. Note that the movie is 2 hours long, so make sure you have enough time to watch it. But I guarantee that you will have strong opinions about it one way or the other.
Don’t forget to check out the Clarifications (which dented my confidence in the authenticity of the ‘facts’ in the movie), and the Sources sections.

Without further ado, here’s the movie :)

Given that they are so old, our beloved George W. Bush seems to have decided that the First Amendment is too antiquated to be relevant anymore, and so has gone about with alacrity to dismantle it. The most infamous effort being what is called as the Patriot Act.

The Patriot Act, essentially suspended individual’s Habeas Corpus, and allowed the government unrestricted access to any and all records (including private ones) without a warrant. The government could now arrest people without charges and detain them indefinitely. This effectively dismantled the freedom guaranteed by the constitution to the individual.

We have all seen the pictures from Gitmo and other secret prison that caused outrage among the people who still cared about freedom and liberty. But it never quite touched home, in the sense that it was something that happened to suspected terrorists, the Arabs, the Muslims, the people who were not like the average white, Christian male.

That barrier has now been broken. Best seen in what happened on Sept 16th at the University of Florida.

Looks like the law enforcement is now cracking down on anyone who dares to speak their mind. Think twice the next time you ask an unusual question; you might just get tased.

But first, Bookings: All you need to book in advance is your accommodation. I recommend the Hosteling International youth hostel, Rainbow Hostel. Its cheap, and close to the bus terminal, train terminal, the Whirlpool Bridge (connecting USA and Canada), and close to the local bus shuttle. Cost for two nights stay: $55

Lets plan the budget itinerary for Day 1:

Arrival: Arrange to arrive in the morning. That works out best. You can still make it work if you arrive early in the afternoon. Arriving late in the evening is just paying an extra day’s accommodation at the hostel.

The first thing you should do, upon arriving at Niagara Falls is to buy the Discount Pass for the Niagara Falls attractions. It gives you tickets for four attractions: Maid of the mist, Journey behind the falls, White water walk, and Butterfly conservatory. It also includes a free one-day pass on the people mover buses. Cost: $44

The pass gives you two advantages: (1) you get a discount on each of the four attractions, and (2) you get free transportation to your youth hostel (Rainbow Hostel).

If you arrive later in the afternoon, then first check into the hostel. In order to get to the hostel, just get off at the White water walk stop on the people mover. The hostel is at a walkable distance from there. If you happen to come by bus, then walk to the hostel, it just a couple of blocks from the bus terminal. And yeah, you can buy the Discount Pass at the hostel too.

First, before jumping on all the rides/attractions. Take a good look at what you came to see. See the falls from above first! And best of all, its free to see them. I know it sounds absurd to have to pay to see the falls, but considering you have to pay for seeing everything else, this seems like a huge bonus. There are two falls: the American falls, and the Canadian horseshoe falls.

American Falls	Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Be sure to walk to the top of the falls to get a feel of the awesome power of the falls. 20% of world’s freshwater flows over the falls! Its quite a sight to behold.

Once you have has a chance to look at the falls for as long as you like, you can then proceed to the rides. The first one I’d recommend is the Journey behind the falls. In this ‘ride’, you go down an elevator for over 54 meters and see the falls from less than 9 meters away. The sheer size and roar of the falls is overwhelming at this point. This is followed by a walk into the tunnel behind the falls and you get to see from behind the falls. All you see is a white wall of water, but the roar is amazing!

The next ride that I recommend everyone take is the Maid of the mist. This is probably the most popular ride that everyone who goes to Niagara Falls takes; in part because it is offered from both the American and Canadian side. This boat ride is the oldest at Niagara Falls and takes you as close to the Canadian falls as possible without dangering either the boat or the people on it. It starts downstream at the Niagara river and starts moving upstream going past the American falls. It is on this ride that you experience the magnitude of the falls. As you go past the American Falls you are drenched in the mist that is generated from tonnes of water splashing on the rocks at the bottom of the falls. The ride then takes you upstream to the larger, and more impressive Canadian Horseshoe falls. It is virtually impossible to see through the mist generated from the water falling from a height of 54 meters on to the rocks below (hence the name ‘Maid of the Mist’. As you approach the falls, you cant help but be drenched in the perpetual rain from the mist. Its a good experience to do once. I don’t think you’d be too excited to do it again; but for doing it for the first time its a good deal.

American Falls, seen from Maid of the Mist	Canadian Falls, seen from Maid of the Mist

The above two are quite close to each other and together should take you no more than 2 hours. Adding this time to the 2 hours you spend admiring the falls from above the gorge, you will have spent about 4 hours. If you arrive in the morning, this will leave you with enough time to visit a couple of other places downstream.

Its time to ride the shuttle that you paid for in the discount pass. Ride on it all the way to the White water walk. If its later in the afternoon, then when you get off at White water walk, get to the Rainbow Hostel (its close by) and check-in.

Next, to white water walk. White water walk is essentially a walk along the bank of the Niagara river for about half a kilometer where Niagara breaks out into level 6 rapids. This is one of the most violent and dangerous rapids in the world. Though there are many stretches or rivers in the world where you will find level 6 rapids, this is the only one that you see from such close quarters. This stretch is considered virtually unnavigable, and many have lost their lives trying to make it across these rapids. It is definitely worth a dekko. If you haven’t seen rapids before, then this will definitely impress you. These rapids are as bad as they get.

At this point, its late enough to have your stomach growling. Time for lunch. Check into the youth hostel and take your groceries out. Help yourself to some quick fix TV dinner style lunch at the kitchen. Its not exactly home cooked food, but it beats having to pay $15 for lunch outside :)In the next part, we’ll talk about how to best spend the rest of the evening at Niagara Falls.Expenditure so far: $55 + $44 = $99

First off, lets see typically, how much a three day trip to Niagara Falls costs:

• Stay $50*3 = $150
• Food $20*3= $60
• Attractions = $50
• Tourist Traps = $40

That brings your total to about $300 or thereabouts. But I can show you how to bring that down to a manageable $120 or so. How? Well read on :)

For starts, the biggest expense is (obviously) accommodation, or stay. The cheapest motel casts over $50 per day, on the other hand youth hostels (like Hosteling International) are much cheaper. Lets debate the pros and cons of staying in a youth hostel.

Pros:

• The hostel charges on a per person basis. So if you are traveling alone this is much cheaper.
• The hostel has a well set up kitchen. This allows you to bring your own groceries and cook your own food bringing down the cost of the food to almost zero. So the saving is not just on the stay, but on the food as well.
• You meet people from all parts of the world at the hostel. This makes for an interesting group to hang out with. Also, if you are looking fro someone to see the place with, you are more likely to find a comrade in a youth hostel than a motel.
• Youth hostels often arrange for their guests to experience the nightlife, if any, in the area.
• The youth hostels are typically located close to downtown, or is in close proximity to the attraction you are visiting. Typically, a cheap motel is much further away, and you have to deal with the problem to having to get to where are want to go to every time. But with youth hostels, it is not an issue at all.

Cons:

• Rooms are smaller, much smaller, and you share it with strangers.
• They have common bathrooms and showers. Hence, limited privacy.

To me the Pros outweigh the cons, and I would definitely recommend a youth hostel to people (especially if you are traveling alone).

Assuming that you are staying in a youth hostel, the preparation for the vacation starts with the packing itself. Make sure you have packed some groceries or eateries for the three days vacation. Why? Because youth hostels have kitchens and you can cook in them! Get some Ramen noodles, breakfast cereals, oatmeal, etc. Stuff like eggs, juices etc. are available at grocery stores close to the hostel in Niagara Falls.

Since you are packing for just three days, its fair to assume that your baggage fits into a backpack that you can carry around with you without much discomfort.

The next part will focus on planning your itinerary for the three days, all within $120.

I have been using Mailplane for a few days now here are my first impressions.

Like most MAC applications, Mailplane is ridiculously easy to install, and configuration is done with just a handful keystrokes. All you really need, as far as configuration goes, is your Gmail username and password. Here are is a screenshot of Mailplane.

Mail client style features with gmail style freedom

As you can see from the screenshots, the main window is simply the gmail interface. There is nothing fancy about it. The magic is around the main window. Its the toolbars. You have outlook/thunderbird style icons that allow you to compose messages, reply (all), star, archive etc. So for people who are more comfortable with outlook/thunderbird style desktop email clients, but want the versatility and search capability or gmail, Mailplane is the perfect application for them.

You can also configure Mailplane to be your default email client. If gmail is your primary email, and you don’t like using email clients, then when you come across links like <a href=”mailto:abc@xyz.com>, then you have to highlight the link, right click (or control-click), copy email address, open new message on gmail, paste the email you copied, and so on. Its too many clicks and too painful.

With Mailplane as you default mail client, just click on the email link in your browser, and it automatically opens up Mailplane, takes you to the compose message window with the email already pasted in the ‘To:’ field. All in just one click!

Support for Multiple Gmail Accounts

The feature I liked best about it was that it has support for multiple gmail accounts. So if you have multiple gmail accounts (most of them do), and you would like to be able to switch between them like you would switch between tabs of a browser, Mailplane is the answer to your prayers. You can configure it to handle as many gmail accounts as you want and switch between the accounts with a mouse click (actually it a double-click).

Support for Google Hosted Accounts

Now its not just multiple gmail accounts it supports, it also supports multiple google hosted emails as well. (If you are wondering what exactly is Google hosting check out Google Apps). One of my domain’s email is hosted by google. I have an admin email, and a user email that I like to keep separate. With traditional web based email, I could access only one account at a time. With Mailplane, I can now access both accounts simultaneously, not to mention other gmail accounts as well.

Get IMAP-like behavior with Gmail

I personally prefer desktop clients as email viewers and the email servers for email storage. IMAP works really well for that, but gmail (and google hosted email) does not support IMAP. With Mailapp, however, I can get IMAP like behavior with an desktop client like features and my emails are still stored at the gmail server. Its a good trade-off to make.

ISP blocks traffic to google SMTP server? No problems

If you configure a desktop email client to send and receive messages from gmail (or google hosted email), then you have probably noticed the following problem: You ISP blocks all send mail requests to your google SMTP server (because ISPs want you to use their SMTP server). The issue with such restriction is that if you don’t send you email via google’s SMTP server, then the sent mail wont show up in your sent mail folder (label) on your gmail.

With Mailplane however, this is no longer an issue. Mailplane sends emails via HTTP (your browser), and so if you send emails via Mailplane, then they will show up on you sentmail! Problem solved.

iLife and Mailplane

Its biggest selling point is its iLife integration. It allows you to drag-and-drop attachment, import photographs from iPhoto, automatically optimize it for the web before attaching, etc. It also integrates well into the Growl notification system which is great feature because then it pretty much does the job of a Gmail Notifier without having to install a new application.

Additionally, integration with Growl also allows Mailplane to send notifications to you on the screen when someone IMs you on google talk. Currently, if you are on mac, then you can only use the web-based google chat, and if you don’t have your speakers on, then there is no way for you to know if someone is messaging you unless you specifically check you gmail window. With Mailplane, you will get a Growl notification on your screen if someone messages you on google chat. This, IMHO, is a much needed feature for google chat for Mac users.

So, yeah, Mailplane is all great and wonderful. But its not without its issues.

It works only on Mac OS X Tiger or later

So if you use any other operating system be it windows, linux, Mac OS X 10.3 or lower there is no Mailplane port for it, and there probably wont be

Its free because its still in beta

Mailplane is free for now because it is still in beta. Once its stable enough for a general release the developer(s) are planning on releasing it as a shareware with a three week evaluation period. So yeah, in the general sense its not free.

It does send email notifications, but…

If you have Growl installed, then email notifications are sent, but only for the currently active account on the Mailplane window. So if you receive new mail from another account that is currently not the active one, Mailplane is simply silent about it.

mailto:, but as who?

If Mailplane is configured as the default email client, then on clicking on any ‘mailto:’ style link, the browser opens up Mailplane and opens a gmail compose window. However, it opens the compose window for the currently active account on Mailplane. Which means if you have two accounts on Mailplane, viz., abc@gmail.com and xyz@hostmail.com, and xyz@hostmail.com was on the active window, then if you click on a ‘mailto:’ link, the compose window will be for the account xyz@hostmail.com. If you wanted to compose email as from abc@gmail.com, then you’d either have to do it the old fashioned way be copying the email address, opening the account abc@gmail.com, and pasting the email. Else, you have to first switch to abc@gmail.com account on Mailplane and then click on the ‘mailto:’ link. In either case it defeats the advantage of having a one-click-to-compose feature on Mailplane.

It works but its slow

Compared to desktop email client, Mailplane is slow. It is slow in starting up, logging in, and in switching accounts. So if speed is your thing, then Mailplane will disappoint you.

Supports keyboard shortcuts, but you’ll need to relearn them

Although Mailplane has support for keyboard shortcuts (like gmail does), the keyboard shortcuts are Mac-syle and are very different from the ones that gmail has. So if you are someone used to gmail keyboard shortcuts, and likes to use keyboard shortcuts, then you’ll have to relearn them. Not my idea of time well spent.

So who should use it and how?

For starts, you need a Mac with OS X 10.4 or later. The following apply:

1. If you have one gmail (or google hosted) account as your primary account, and you’d like to send emails from that account most of the time, then install Mailplane and use it as a default mail client.
2. If you have multiple gmail (or google hosted) accounts that check regularly, and you don’t like having to log in and out of your various accounts multiple times, then Mailplane is what you need.
3. If you’d like to be notified every time you received an email, then install Mailplane with Growl.
4. If you have multiple identities that you mail from, and you have configured one gmail (or google hosted) account to handle all those identities, then use Mailplane for just that account and set Mailplane as your default mail client.

So if you think Mailplane is right for you and you’d like to try it out, you can sign up for beta invitation here, or you can leave a comment on this thread and I can send you an invite. I have just 5 invites, so the first five requests get the invite :). Remember, it works only on Mac OS X ‘Tiger’ or later.

The first incident happened last Sunday, August 19th. We (me and my homies), went to a Mexican restaurant for a late dinner. It was 9 or so in the evening. Behind one of our table was a table with four people. They ordered 4 iced teas and some chips, or something really inexpensive. After they were done, just got up and walked out; they walked straight into a cop at the door. A few minutes later the cop asked they waitress to come out. At this point I was concern for the waitress. The alcohol laws in Texas are very stringent. Its the wait staff’s responsibility to make sure that alcohol ordered by someone over 21 is not given to a minor. I think its absurd, but I digress.

Coming back to the story, I was concern that the waitress was being called for in alcohol abuse related mishap and she’d be handcuffed soon. She didn’t return for another 15 minutes or so. We finished our dinner, paid, and walked to see the four guys who were behind the table trying to explain away to the cop.

As it turns out, this crowd of four imbeciles have a history of walking out on restaurant tabs. In fact, they had done this twice at this restaurant already, and were stupid enough to try it again the third time. I guess third time’s the charm. So when these morons showed up at the restaurant that night, the manager was quick to call the cops and have the cops wait for these guys to get out. Sure enough, the guys didn’t pay, yet again, and tried to walk out only to be apprehended by the police officer. How stupid do you have to be to think you could get away with it again!

The second incident was even more moronic. This happened at the shopping mall (there is only one in town) on Monday, August 20th. A girl and her 8-month pregnant friend walk into a shoe store at the mall. One of the sales girl there overhears one of the girls say ‘distract him’ to another. So now everyone in the store knows what they are up to. Sure enough, they see the shoplifting, and the salesman who was servicing the girls runs after them to stop them before they are lost in the crowd. He finds them at a clothing store and brings them back. In the mean time the mall security and the police are there to take the statement and slap a ticket for shoplifting.

As they interrogate the two, it comes to light that they have been to two other stores in the mall already, shoplifted there, and were trying to make a third steal (like I said, third time’s the charm). So the managers of the other two stores were called in, and while the store managers were being questioned, one of the girls (the one who was not pregnant) gives them the slip was gets away from the shoe store.

For starts, I cannot understand why you would try to run away from the police when they have your friend already, and will get to you one way or another. Secondly, when you get away what do you try to do? You try to get the hell outta the area. But this girl, I guess, has a blond episode, and so she goes back to the store that she shoplifted from before and tries to steal again! I guess she was trying for that third elusive strike (third time’s the charm, remember!). Well, she was caught again :)

In the meantime, the cops realize that she has given them the slip. They then turn the heat on the pregnant accomplice, warning her of dire consequences if she were try so much as move a finger. Until now, the plan was to give the girls a ticket — a slap on the wrist — and let them go. But now, this has become a felony, followed by obstruction of justice, and resisting arrest. This girl is in way more trouble than she realizes.

I just don’t get it. We you are trying to get away, you are trying to get away! Why would stop to steal some more? Especially at a store where you stole from just a few hours ago, and the manager of the store has been informed of this!

Like I said before, it is amazing how wrong Darwin can be sometimes. We have got to find a way to weed these stupid genes out before they annihilate our species, by having the entire human population walk over a cliff coz’ they thought they’d fly if they just flapped their arms hard enough!

Lately, the issue of gun laws has cleaved American politics along partisan lines, with the conservative republicans being liberal about guns and liberal democrats being conservative about it.

I am not a US citizen, so technically my opinion on this issue doesn’t matter. But, I do live in the US, that too in Texas, and I am not exactly enthralled by the prospect of anyone being at full liberty to own a gun that they may point at me for any reason at all. So yes, from a self-preservation point of view, my opinion matters. If you haven’t guessed already, I am all for gun control.

All advocates for liberal gun policies spout rhetoric about the second amendment, and the right to bear arms. In reality, the second amendment is about the right to bear arms to form a militia (This amendment was made to allow Americans to defend themselves if their government turned against them). In other words, everyone who owns a gun in America is now a one-man militia.

Another argument for liberal gun policies is best elucidated by Levitt in his book Freakonomics. To paraphrase, gun disrupts the natural pecking order. In the natural pecking order the physically strong can overpower the physically weak. When you throw a gun into the equation, now the weaker person with a gun can win the outcome of a fight with a stronger person. However, if both have guns, then the natural order is restored. Gun advocates argue that the bad guy will procure a gun from the black market if its not legally available. However, the good guys are law abiding, and hence, won’t. Therefore, with strict gun laws we will have bad guys with guns and good guys without. In order to restore the natural order it is necessary that the good guys also carry guns.

There is, admittedly, merit to the above argument. It is true that America has a thriving gun black market. So even if gun laws were tightened significantly, the criminals would be able to procure guns, and would emboldened by the fact that law abiding citizens are now less likely to carry a gun on them.

Given that the argument is logical, lets go ahead and apply it globally. Lets talk about global gun control, a.k.a. Nuclear (non-)Proliferation. The argument that applied to liberalizing gun laws in US applies to the world as well. You have law abiding countries (countries that honor their international agreements, and uphold international law), and you have rogue countries. You have countries that already have nuclear weapons. Pakistan is an impoverished nation that has nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan is a fast developing country in central Asia, and has mineral, cultural, and economic wealth. In the natural pecking order (i.e., sans nuclear weapons) Kazakhstan is above Pakistan. However, due to the nukes, now Pakistan enjoys certain favors that Kazakhstan doesn’t. So to restore the natural order shouldn’t Kazakhstan be allowed to develop nuclear weapons?

If law abiding citizens of U.S. have to carry guns to protect themselves from armed criminals and killers, then shouldn’t law abiding countries be allowed to carry nuclear weapons to deter rouge countries (with nukes) from attacking them? If terrorist nations can acquire nukes from the former Soviet stockpile for cheap, then shouldn’t other nations living under the shadow of terrorism arm themselves with nukes for their own safety and security? In other words, by lobbying for liberal gun laws, aren’t gun advocates giving credence to the frenzied nuclear proliferation in the world?

One would think so. But the same government that is gung-ho about liberalizing gun laws is also extremely concern about nuclear proliferation and will go to great lengths to keep the pecking order as it is, with the elite ‘have’s and the remainder ‘have-not’s.

Isn’t there a word to describe this? Oh yes of course! Its called ‘Hypocrisy’.