Archive for September, 2013

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Art, damn it, art! watch (#40 in a series)

Sunday, September 22nd, 2013

Yesterday was gun show day.

(I didn’t pick up anything, though I did see a couple of nice Savage Model 24s in .22 magnum/20 gauge on one guy’s table. They seemed reasonably priced, though I still couldn’t afford them right now.)

As our party was on the way out, we noticed a bunch of Austin Energy trucks off to one side of the expo center parking lot. That’s not unusual – the expo center is within sight of one of the major power plants – but there were also signs for something called “PowerUP”.

What is “PowerUP”, we wondered? It turns out that “PowerUP” is…

…a performance featuring the employees and machinery of Austin Energy. Performed to an original score by Graham Reynolds and accompanied by a string orchestra led by Austin Symphony Conductor Peter Bay featuring “digital violin” solist Todd Reynolds, PowerUP will showcase 50+ linemen, electrical technicians and Austin Energy employees, bucket trucks, cranes and field trucks, a set of 20 utility poles, and an audience of 6,000+ people!

So I’m still not sure exactly what it is, beyond a performance that apparently involves linemen and bucket trucks. There was a Kickstarter for this project, too. $500 got you a reserved parking space and four reserved seats.

I’m intrigued by the description (and I also get a kick out of “Forklift Danceworks”); I might have gone to this if I hadn’t had other plans last night. (Of course, I would have had to wear my “Forklift Driver Klaus” t-shirt.)

They’re also doing the performance tonight, as well, but according to the Forklift Danceworks web site, they “sold out” both nights of the free performance, and don’t have any additional tickets available. Which sort of renders my gripe that there hasn’t been any publicity (that I’ve seen) for this null and void…

Posted in Art, Guns | Comments Closed

Obit watch: September 20, 2013.

Friday, September 20th, 2013

Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.

–Captain A. G. Lamplugh (pulled from here)

No snark here.

David Riggs’s body has been recovered from a lake in China. Riggs crashed his plane on Tuesday “while performing a stunt in which the wheels of the aircraft grazed the surface to produce a skiing effect”.

An 18-year-old Chinese woman who was working as Riggs’ translator was also killed in the crash.

Why is this noteworthy here? Two reasons:

  1. Ah! Now I know why those planes looked familiar! (Okay, those were L-29s and that’s an L-39. But I’m still pretty sure that’s why.)
  2. And why did I recognize the L-39? Because I’ve written about it, and David Riggs, before.

He twice buzzed the Santa Monica Pier in 2008 and twice lost his aviation license, most recently in November 2012, as a result of an accident in which another plane crashed in the Nevada desert.

Paraphrasing a famous quote, to lose your license once can be regarded as bad luck, to lose it twice smacks of carelessness.

Posted in Clippings, Obits, Planes | 1 Comment »

Ellie Rucker.

Friday, September 20th, 2013

Thank you for posting yesterday, Allison and Julie. Again, I am sorry for your loss.

For the record, here’s the obituary from today’s Statesman, which is not behind the paywall.

She also wrote a restaurant recipe column for the food section, a unique column where readers request recipes of items they’ve tried at favorite restaurants around town.

Yes! I miss that column to this day. If the Statesman really wanted me to pay for the paper, bringing back the restaurant recipe column would be a good first step.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Warrior and Family Support Center (WFSC) at Fort Sam Houston, 3138 Rawley E. Chambers, San Antonio, Texas 78219.

I encourage my readers to consider making a donation to WFSC in memory of Ms. Rucker. In keeping with the policy of this blog, I plan to do so myself as soon as this week’s paycheck clears the bank.

Posted in Clippings, Obits | 1 Comment »

“Any one who considers arithmetical methods of producing random digits is, of course, in a state of sin.”

Thursday, September 19th, 2013

There’s an interesting post over at the Cryptographic Engineering blog about Duel-EC.

For those not following the story, Dual-EC is a pseudorandom number generator proposed by NIST for international use back in 2006. Just a few months later, Shumow and Ferguson made cryptographic history by pointing out that there might be an NSA backdoor in the algorithm. This possibility — fairly remarkable for an algorithm of this type — looked bad and smelled worse. If true, it spelled almost certain doom for anyone relying on Dual-EC to keep their system safe from spying eyes.

The post itself is pretty wonky, but a couple of scattershot points:

Flaw #1: Dual-EC has no security proof.
Let me spell this out as clearly as I can. In the course of proposing this complex and slow new PRG where the only damn reason you’d ever use the thing is for its security reduction, NIST forgot to provide one. This is like selling someone a Mercedes and forgetting to attach the hood ornament.

Flaw #3: You can guess the original EC point from looking at the output bits.

Flaw #4: If you know a certain property about the Dual_EC parameters, and can recover an output point, you can predict all subsequent outputs of the generator.

…

This is a huge deal in the case of SSL/TLS, for example. If I use the Dual-EC PRG to generate the “Client Random” nonce transmitted in the beginning of an SSL connection, then the NSA will be able to predict the “Pre-Master” secret that I’m going to generate during the RSA handshake. Given this information the connection is now a cleartext read. This is not good.

Flaw #5: Nobody knows where the recommended parameters came from.

So does all of this amount to a backdoor? Quoth Matthew Green,

…including some kind of hypothetical backdoor would be a horrible, horrific idea — one that would almost certainly blow back at us.
You’d think people with common sense would realize this. Unfortunately we can’t count on that anymore.

(Subject line hattip.)

(You know, I’m halfway tempted to start a Kickstarter for a truly random random number generator. Something based off atomic decay, perhaps. What’s stopping me is:

  1. I have no electronics design skills or ability. Of course, I could hire someone, but…
  2. I’d be surprised if someone hasn’t already done this.)

(Edited to add: You could just get your random numbers from here, of course, while you’re waiting for the revolution. Nothing wrong with that plan, is there?)

(Speaking of Big John von Neumann, I just finished Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe, about the early history of computing, with a strong concentration on the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and von Neumann’s work. It’s an interesting book – I think it serves as a good introductory biography of von Neumann. Dyson wanders a bit into the mystic towards the end, a little bit more than I would have liked, which prevents me from fully endorsing it. But if you liked Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship, you should enjoy this book as well.)

Posted in Books, Clippings, Cryptography, Geek, Sarcasm | Comments Closed

Obit watch: September 19, 2013.

Thursday, September 19th, 2013

Ken Norton, former heavyweight champion of the world and the man who broke Ali’s jaw.

Richard C. Sarafian, film and television director, perhaps most famous for Vanishing Point.

(He also directed the “Living Doll” episode of the original “Twilight Zone”; there’s a funny story in the LAT obit about that, which I won’t spoil here.)

Ellie Rucker has also passed away. This means little to anyone who didn’t live in Austin during the 1980s and early 1990s, but Ms. Rucker was the Statesman “consumer columnist”. This meant, in the pre-Internet/pre-Google days, that she answered questions from readers such as “Where can I find beeswax?”, ran handy household tips, and sometimes even mediated disputes between customers and businesses.

I always liked Ms. Rucker’s column, as did many of my friends. When she retired and was replaced by another writer, we continued to refer to that column as “Not Ellie Rucker”, in her honor.

(You’ll note that I didn’t link to Ms. Rucker’s actual obit. That’s not by choice; of course, the Statesman wants you to pay to read it.)

Posted in Clippings, Movies, Obits, Sports, TV | 3 Comments »

Noted.

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

10 things you need to know about Trader Joe’s

…

The story you’re reading is premium content and is available to subscribers on our new premium website, MyStatesman.com. Look for this symbol on statesman.com to denote premium content.

Yes, that’s correct: the Statesman wants you to pay in order to read what is basically an advertisement for Trader Joe’s.

You don’t have to pay to read their article about Trader Joe’s confirming a North Austin (Arboretum) store, though.

(Does anyone other than myself and Mike the Musicologist remember Krispy Kreme, and how the local news media treated the opening of their first store here like it was the second coming of Christ?)

Posted in Clippings, Media | 3 Comments »

A brief loser interlude.

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

The Astros have reached the 100 loss mark for the third season in a row.

Projections all seem to be hovering around 107 losses this year.

Posted in Loser, Sports | Comments Closed

This is intended to enrage you. (#5 in a series)

Wednesday, September 18th, 2013

Back in April of 2012, I noted the convictions of five New Orleans police officers on charges stemming from the “Danziger Bridge” incident.

About that:

Citing “grotesque prosecutorial misconduct” on the part of federal lawyers here and in Washington, a judge on Tuesday threw out the 2011 convictions of five former police officers who had been found guilty in a momentous civil rights case of killing two citizens and engaging in an extensive cover-up in the days after Hurricane Katrina.

More from NOLA.com:

In a 129-page order that strongly criticized prosecutors in former U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office, U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt pointed to “unprecedented events and acts” that “has taken the court on a legal odyssey unlike any other.”

And yes, this is a direct result of the anonymous comments scandal that led to Letten’s resignation:

The revelations and other instances of misconduct prompted Engelhardt to call for a criminal probe of former prosecutors Sal Perricone and Jan Mann, neither of whom were directly involved in prosecuting the Danziger Bridge case. Tuesday’s order alluded to additional misconduct uncovered by that probe.
The judge outed a third Justice Department prosecutor as an anonymous poster.

To be clear, I’m not enraged at the judge: I think he made the right decision, especially given the discovery of Karla Dobinski’s activities:

Ms. Dobinski had an important role leading up to trial, as the lawyer in charge of the so-called “taint team,” which among other things ensured that testimony given by police officers under immunity was not later used against them (the failure to do so is what fatally compromised the case in state court).

Ms. Dobinski is the third “anonymous” commenter. (Also: “taint team”. Ken White, call your office, please.)

I’m enraged at Letten, and at his office, for f—ing this one up. It looks like there will be retrials. I hope the defendants get a fair second trial. I also hope that Letten, and the other folks in his office responsible for this mess, face their own criminal trials, and receive appropriate punishment if they are found guilty of criminal acts.

Posted in Clippings, Cops, Law, Rage | Comments Closed

Notes from the blotter.

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

I have written previously about Glafira Rosales, Knoedler & Company, the fake Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell paintings, and the guy in Queens who actually painted them.

Yesterday, Ms. Rosales pled guilty to “charges of wire fraud, money laundering and tax evasion”.

In court, Ms. Rosales, who had been arrested in May, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue after she detailed her role in the fraud and listened to the judge explain that she could owe up to $81 million in restitution and have to forfeit her home in Sands Point, N.Y.; her art collection; and her bank accounts. She also faces a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison, although her recommended sentence under federal sentencing guidelines is likely to be far less.

I particularly like the “although her recommended sentence…” part. Ken White, you are doing some good in the world.

I have also previously written about the case of Robert Middleton, and the attempts to file murder charges against the person who burned him (leading to his death from cancer some years later).

From the HouChron:

After countless stops and starts, prosecutors Monday refiled a murder case against 28-year-old Don Wilburn Collins, who was age 13 when Middleton was set ablaze.
“We have located previously unknown witnesses and developed a considerable amount of new information regarding the heinous attack on Robert Middleton,” said Montgomery County Attorney J.D. Lambright, who last year was elected to his first term and assumed office Jan. 1.

Lambright claims that there’s “more than 50,000 pages” of new information. Further, since Lambright is claiming that the assault against Middleton occurred in conjunction with the alleged sexual assault by Collins, the charge is actually felony murder.

Lambright has filed a new motion in juvenile court, seeking “discretionary transfer” of Collins’ felony murder case to district court, where he will be tried as an adult.

And if you want to bid on any of Jesse Jackson Jr.’s stuff – some of the stuff that he spent campaign funds to buy, and that got him convicted of a crime – go here.

As the auction began Tuesday, one option for eager buyers was a guitar supposedly signed by both Eddie Van Halen and Michael Jackson, which prosecutors said the former congressman spent $4,000 in campaign funds to purchase. But hours later, it was scratched from the auction. The U.S. Marshals Service said it was pulled from the auction because of questions about its authenticity.

Man, this is just compounding the embarrassment. I mean, you use campaign money illegally to buy crap – that’s bad enough. Then it comes out that you’re a Van Halen fan – that’s even worse. Then it comes out that you got taken when you were buying Van Halen memorabilia – how much worse can it get?

Posted in Art, Clippings, Law | 1 Comment »

TMQ Watch: September 17, 2013.

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

This week’s TMQ, after the jump…

(more…)

Posted in Food, NFL, Sports, TMQ watch, TV | 2 Comments »

The street finds its own uses for things.

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

Hattip on this to Big Bill Gibson and John Gruber.

Posted in Apple, Clippings | Comments Closed

Onion headline, or New York Times headline?

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

The Rational Choices of Crack Addicts

Answer after the jump.

(more…)

Posted in Clippings, Economics, Geek, Neuroscience | Comments Closed

Pullet surprise.

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

On certain days, a truck pulls up alongside their quiet, spacious coop on an Amish farm here and delivers a feast that seems tailored to a flock of two-legged aristocrats. Before long, the rust-colored birds are pecking away at vegetable peelings and day-old bread from some of Manhattan’s most elegant restaurants, like Per Se, Daniel, Gramercy Tavern, the Modern and David Burke Townhouse.

More:

Of course, these chickens are not dining on stale loaves from grandmother’s breadbox. On a recent afternoon at the farm, where a few hundred creatures inhabit a peaceful, 15,000-square-foot coop that would dwarf the size of most New York apartments, they clucked and ambled around pans of bread soaked in fresh milk, and white buckets full of leafy trimmings that would make a tremendous tossed salad.
“Some of this is nicer stuff than I have to eat when I get home,” said Mike Charles, a local poultry expert involved in the project.

I could snark on this, but I actually think there’s a lot to be said for chicken that tastes like chicken. (Didn’t Nero Wolfe buy chickens from a farmer who fed them on acrorns? Or was that pigs, and the chickens were fed on something else? I don’t have any of my Wolfe books here at work.)

But:

“We explained the concept,” Ms. Daguin said, “but for him it’s like: ‘What? You’re driving two and a half hours to give me vegetable scraps? I have them right here.’ ”

Yeah, what’s the carbon footprint of these chickens? How sustainable is “driving two and a half hours” to deliver vegetable scraps? Especially since the Amish are likely to have vegetable scraps and day-old bread of their own?

Posted in Amish, Clippings, Food | Comments Closed

Your loser update: week 2, 2013.

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Pittsburgh
Cleveland (Quote blatantly stolen from a family member in Cleveland: “Apparently, the Browns now have to suck for Teddy Bridgewater!” And what’s even worse: “Suck for Bridgewater!” doesn’t even have the ring to it that “Suck for Luck!” did.)
Jacksonville
Washington
NY Giants
Minnesota
Tampa Bay
Carolina

Posted in Loser, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

Quote of the day.

Monday, September 16th, 2013

Bloombergism is the sort of thing the Constitution was designed to prevent.

–“The Dashed Dreams of President Bloomberg”, Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine

(Hattip to Popehat on the Twitter for this one.)

Posted in Clippings, Politics | 1 Comment »

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