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I apologize for the comments section not working properly this last week.  I’ve been flooded with comment spam.  I’ve had spam issues before, but this time the number of spam comments started affecting the server load.

I’ve added a reCaptcha which asks you to type in the two words to prove you’re human.
But, how are you helping to digitize old texts?

From the reCaptcha website

Books have been scanned, but the computer’s OCR sometimes can’t recognize the words like a human can.  reCaptcha uses these digitized words as the the two words that you have to type in.

But if a computer can’t read such a CAPTCHA, how does the system know the correct answer to the puzzle? Here’s how: Each new word that cannot be read correctly by OCR is given to a user in conjunction with another word for which the answer is already known. The user is then asked to read both words. If they solve the one for which the answer is known, the system assumes their answer is correct for the new one. The system then gives the new image to a number of other people to determine, with higher confidence, whether the original answer was correct.

How many times have you heard the commercial on the radio of Todd Davis, pitching his Lifelock ID protection service by giving out his Social Security number on the web?  I always wondered if people rise up to the challenge of stealing his identity for fun.

It turns out, people have.  Moral of the story, don’t give hackers and criminals a challenge!

From CNN.com: Fraud-prevention pitchman becomes ID theft victim

Davis acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that his stunt has led to at least 87 instances in which people have tried to steal his identity, and one succeeded: a guy in Texas who duped an online payday loan operation last year into giving him $500 using Davis’ Social Security number

The beauty of the iPod Nano is its tiny size, but the tradeoff in smallness is that it’s a lot easier to misplace.  I’ve had it disappear into a fold of my computer bag for several weeks before I found it again.  That time I really thought I lost it so I purchased another from Apple.

Last week, I lost my first iPod Nano again.  I checked my bag but it wasn’t in the secret hiding spot as where I lost it before.  I was annoyed at misplacing it, but having a spare Nano means that find the first one wasn’t a pressing issue.
 
Well, Saturday it popped up, while I was taking my clothes out of the washer.  It must have gotten stuck in there with some gym clothes.

If you ever drop an electronic device in the washer or the toilet, the first thing you need to do is NOT turn it on to see if it works.  Repeat.  Do not turn it on.

Dry the thing off as quickly as you can with a hair dryer or heater if possible.  If you can open it to dry, the better.  Even after you’ve finished drying, it you should probably let it sit for a few more days to make sure it’s completely dry.

Mine was in a neoprene case, but when I took it out of the case, it was definitely wet.  After some swearing and kicking of myself, I wiped the iPod Nano down, but since I don’t own a hair dryer, I ended up just putting it in a sunny window for about 5 days.

Today, I decided it was time to see if it worked, plus it would give me material for my blog this morning. I plugged it into the iPod dock and immediately the Apple logo showed up.  It worked!  That’s the good news.  The bad, there’s a couple of dark splotches on the edges of the screen.  You can see a blob next to the play arrow on the top left of the screen.  Maybe, those will go away over time, but if it doesn’t, it’s not too bad and I can live with it.

UPDATE: A few days after the picture above, the iPod completely dried out and there are no splotches on the screen.  The iPod takes a bath and looks like new!

From the NYTimes.com: American, Cutting Back, Plans $15 Bag Fee

American Airlines, the nation’s largest air carrier, said Wednesday that it would begin charging $15 for many passengers to check their first bag, eliminating a free service that passengers in the United States have come to expect during the modern jet era.

I wonder how long it’ll take for the other airlines to follow suit?  If they do, it’ll just make flying coach that much more painful as everyone will try carrying on their bag on the plane.

From Dailymail.co.uk: In bed with Captain Kirk … William Shatner tells of his 40-year Star Trek

Leonard and I didn’t get along. On the set he remained aloof. He claimed this was partly to maintain the character’s integrity. Spock was an outsider and Leonard worried if he got too friendly with the cast he might close that distance.

Interesting stuff.
Amazon.com: Up Till Now: The Autobiography

We have often heard the term Cult of Personality in this primary election, but mostly in reference to Obama supporters.  But when I think of who has the cult and who does not, to me, more and more it’s Hillary and her supporters.

In recent states where Clinton has won, the exit polls have been showing that if Obama is the nominee, a majority of Hillary supporters will vote for McCain or not vote.  However, if Hillary is the nominee, Obama supporters would likely vote for her rather than McCain.

It’s a given that the relative policy positions of Obama and Hillary as Democrats are much closer to each other than to the Republican, John McCain.

So, why would Hillary supporters say they would vote for McCain rather than Obama?  Is this as some Democrats have said, a temporary phenomenon where Hillary supporters are expressing their frustration and a last gasp attempt to woo superdelegates to their cause?  Or has this primary caused a fracture to form in the Democratic party?

We won’t really know until we see how hard Hillary works to help Obama win the election if he’s the nominee.  If its a tepid effort, it will be interpreted as that she’s hoping for a loss and another chance to run in 2012.  It seems like many of her supporters are already wishing for that exact thing to occur.

From NYTimes.com: Landmark Hotel Among Sites Seen as in Peril

When it opened in 1956, the Statler Hilton Hotel in Dallas was a marvel of modern architecture, its size a tribute to imagination and a booming economy. Now it stands empty, another white elephant on the American landscape.

On Tuesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit organization, will announce that the Statler Hilton and 10 other sites have made its 2008 list of the country’s most endangered historic places.

I saw this hotel the last time I was in Dallas and I wondered what the building was.  The building sits like the remains of a building swept by apocalyptic disease.

Here are some pretty amazing photos of this building.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer: Bill would ban ‘Bodies’ imports

Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri has introduced a bill to prohibit the importation of plastinated human remains. He’s concerned that some of the Chinese people in the exhibit didn’t give permission for their bodies to be on display.

This news is several weeks old, but it’s good that it’s been reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Generally, you only hear about Bodies the Exhibition through the nonstop advertising from the Musem Center.

It opened Feb. 1 for a seven-month run and already has sold 150,000 tickets priced at $11 to $23. Akin’s bill does not single out any particular Bodies exhibit or company that performs plastination. It wouldn’t affect any current shows.

Museum spokesman Rodger Pille declined to comment on the legislation,
but said in a statement that the Museum Center “stands by the strong
educational value of this exhibition.”

The Museum Center has a responsibility to the public to put on shows that are ethical.  They bear the burden of proof, but instead they’re turning a blind eye to this because of the profits this show can bring.  They say it’s all about education, but what this really is selling out for proffits.

“Education” has been used throughout the years to justify many wrongs.  You can justify Nazi experiments or Tuskegee if you leave out ethical issues and just focus on education.

From CNN.com: Hello Kitty named Japan tourism ambassador

Hello Kitty, Japan’s ubiquitous ambassador of cute, has built up an impressive resume over the years. Global marketing phenom. Fashion diva. Pop culture icon.

Now the moonfaced feline can add “government envoy” to the list.

Why is Hello Kitty settling for tourism ambassador?  We should hire her to finish out George W. Bush’s term.  She’d probably do a better job getting the Saudis to pump more oil, bring peace to the Middle East, and finding Osama bin Laden.

Reaction from Hello Kitty Hell.

From Cincinnati Enquirer: Amazing Wu still speaking up

Peter Bronson wrote a very nice piece in the Cincinnati Enquier about Harry Wu’s visit to Cincinnati to speak about the Bodies the Exhibition.