AdamSmith

"...Give me a support for my back, and let the games begin, as they say!"

This could turn quite delicious. http://m.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-the-clintons-talk-of-brokering-compromise-an-implicit-rebuke-of-obama-years/2013/10/31/f8cf7d66-40a1-11e3-a751-f032898f2dbc_story.html

For those among us who thought Livia, Caligula, of course Claudius, et al. were the best thing Alistair Cooke ever said grace over, here a nice episode summary to reminisce through. With reader talkback! http://www.toonzone.net/forums/entertainment-board/200542-i-claudius-30th-anniversary-talkback-spoilers.html#.UnK5iT29K0c

Just normal prurient press prying into his life, so I put it here instead of in the Politics mausoleum... Here's A Very Interesting Picture Of Edward Snowden On A Boat In RussiaBy Michael Kelley | Business Insider – 4 hours ago Life News A new photo of Edward Snowden shows him on a boat in Moscow with the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in the background. The scene was published by LifeNews, which published a photo of the former NSA contractor grocery shopping earlier this month. The scene is fascinating given the quizzical look on the 30-year-old's face, which raises the question of who took the photo and what his mindset is. It appears that Sarah Harrison, a WikiLeaks advisor who has reportedly been with Snowden since he was in Hong Kong, may be standing to his left. But that's unclear because the woman is not looking at the camera. Snowden's Moscow lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told LifeNews that Snowden will soon begin working for an unnamed Russian website. The Snowden sighting and news comes less than 24 hours after revelations that the NSA spied on the Vatican during the papal conclave and also found a way to infiltrate the clouds of both Google and Yahoo. Kucherena, who is employed by the Kremlin's security services , added that Snowden enjoys walks around the capital — where he lives is also a mystery — and that his Russian language skills are getting better. On August 1 Russia granted Snowden temporary asylum, which Kucherena said gives him "the same rights and freedoms possessed by the citizens of the Russian Federation.” It can be renewed indefinitely. Snowden flew to Moscow on June 23 after reportedly spending several days in the Russian consulate in Hong Kong. During that time WikiLeaks founder Assange had convinced Ecuador's consul in London to provide a document requesting that authorities allow Snowden to travel to Ecuador via Russia "for the purpose of political asylum." Ecuador's president subsequently said the document was "completely invalid," stranding Snowden in Russia. Ray McGovern, a former CIA officer who recently visited Snowden's apartment, said he had to pass through metal detectors before the meeting and that the former CIA technician appeared to be attended by some kind of official Russian security detail. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-very-interesting-picture-edward-122421280.html

He is indeed. I like his column: http://www.tmsfeatures.com/columns/religion/the-god-squad/

ROFL What average rate would you apply? I assume one per hour would be grossly conservative.

The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets By Simon Singh at 1:29 pm Wed, Oct 30, 2013 Boing Boing The Simpsons is arguably the most successful television show in history. Inevitably, its global appeal and enduring popularity have prompted academics (who tend to overanalyze everything) to identify the subtext of the series and to ask some profound questions. What are the hidden meanings of Homer's utterances about doughnuts and Duff beer? Do the spats between Bart and Lisa symbolize something beyond mere sibling bickering? Are the writers of The Simpsons using the residents of Springfield to explore political or social controversies? One group of intellectuals authored a text arguing that The Simpsons essentially provides viewers with a weekly philosophy lecture. The Simpsons and Philosophy, edited by William Irwin, Mark T. Conard, and Aeon J. Skoble, claims to identify clear links between variousepisodes and the issues raised by history's great thinkers, includingAristotle, Sartre, and Kant. Chapters include "Marge's Moral Motivation," "The Moral World of the Simpson Family: A Kantian Perspective,"and "Thus Spake Bart: On Nietzsche and the Virtues of BeingBad." By contrast, Mark I. Pinsky's The Gospel According to The Simpsons focuses on the spiritual significanceof The Simpsons. This is surprising, because many charactersappear to be unsympathetic toward the tenets of religion. Regularviewers will be aware that Homer consistently resists pressure to attendchurch each Sunday, as demonstrated in "Homer the Heretic"(1992): "What's the big deal about going to some building every Sunday?I mean, isn't God everywhere? . . . And what if we've picked the wrong religion? Every week we're just making God madder and madder?" Even President George H. W. Bush claimed to have exposed the real message behind The Simpsons. He believed that the series was designed to display the worst social values. This motivated the most memorable sound bite from his speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention, which was a major part of his re-election campaign: "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons." The writers of The Simpsons responded a few days later. The next episode to air was a rerun of "Stark Raving Dad" (1991), except the opening had been edited to include an additional scene showing the family watching President Bush as he delivers his speech about the Waltons and the Simpsons. Homer is too stunned to speak, but Bart takes on the president: "Hey, we're just like the Waltons. We're praying for an end to the Depression, too." However, all these philosophers, theologians, and politicians have missed the primary subtext of the world's favorite TV series. The truth is that many of the writers of The Simpsons are deeply in love with numbers, and their ultimate desire is to drip-feed morsels of mathematics into the subconscious minds of viewers. In other words, for more than two decades we have been tricked into watching an animated introduction to everything from calculus to geometry, from pi to game theory, and from infinitesimals to infinity. "Homer 3," the third segment in the three-part episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" (1995) demonstrates the level of mathematics that appears in The Simpsons. In one sequence alone, there is a tribute to history's most elegant equation, a joke that only works if you know about Fermat's last theorem, and a reference to a $1 million mathematics problem. All of this is embedded within a narrative that explores the complexities of higher-dimensional geometry. "Homer 3" was written by David S. Cohen, who has an undergraduate degree in physics and a master's degree in computer science. These are very impressive qualifications, particularly for someone working in the television industry, but many of Cohen's colleagues on the writing team of The Simpsons have equally remarkable backgrounds in mathematical subjects. In fact, some have PhDs and have even held senior research positions in academia and industry. Here is a list of degrees for five of the nerdiest writers: J. Stewart Burns BS Mathematics, Harvard University MS Mathematics, UC Berkeley David S. Cohen BS Physics, Harvard University MS Computer Science, UC Berkeley Al Jean BS Mathematics, Harvard University Ken Keeler BS Applied Mathematics, Harvard University PhD Applied Mathematics, Harvard University Jeff Westbrook BS Physics, Harvard University PhD Computer Science, Princeton University In 1999, some of these writers helped create a sister series titled Futurama, which is set one thousand years in the future. Not surprisingly, this science fiction scenario has allowed them to explore mathematical themes in even greater depth, with references to Moebius strips, Klein bottles, taxicab numbers and numerous nods to binary arithmetic. If you remain dubious about my claim that The Simpsons and Futurama are essentially mathematical textbooks hidden within an animated sit-com format, then I will leave you with a brief description of one particular episode that should dispel any doubts. A Futurama episode entitled "The Prisoner of Benda" (2010) has a storyline that includes a mind-switching machine that can transfer the mind of one person into the body of a second person, and vice versa. Various characters - including Fry, Bender, Leela, and Professor Farnsworth - indulge in an orgy of mind-switching, before they realise that two people who have switched minds cannot switch back. Hence, two people who have switched can only restore their minds via switches with third parties, who act as intermediate vessels for minds trying to find their rightful owners. This raises an interesting mathematical question; "How many intermediate people are required in order to guarantee that people can return to their own minds, regardless of the number of people and the number of previous switches?" Ken Keeler, a Futurama writer who has a doctorate in applied mathematics, took up the challenge of investigating mind-switching and developed a proof which demonstrates that introducing two fresh people into any group, regardless of the group's mind-switching history, is sufficient to unmuddle all the minds. The full proof appears on a blackboard in one of the final scenes of the episode. Known as Keeler's theorem or the Futurama theorem, this curious and credible piece of mathematics has subsequently inspired other mathematicians to explore related mind-switching mysteries. This proves that the writers behind The Simpsons and Futurama have a unique set of mathematical talents, as no other sitcom can boast the creation of a genuinely innovative and bespoke piece of mathematics. Indeed no other series in the history of primetime television has included so many mathematical references. This excerpt has been adapted from the introduction to The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh. Copyright © 2013 by Simon Singh. Used by permission of Bloomsbury USA Published 1:29 pm Wed, Oct 30, 2013 About the Author Simon Singh received his PhD in particle physics from the University of Cambridge. A former BBC producer and BAFTA Award-winning documentary director, he is the author of the bestselling Fermat's Last Theorem. His bestseller The Code Book was the basis for the Channel 4 series The Science of Secrecy and his third book, Big Bang, was also a bestseller. He lives in London. http://boingboing.net/2013/10/30/265142.html?utm_campaign=moreatbbmetadata&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=boingboing.net

Edgar Allan Ho! http://boingboing.net/2013/10/28/best-sexy-costume-2013-edgar.html

http://www.bringyourchallenges.com/ill-do-it-later?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=wall_post&utm_campaign=Q3#procrastination-calculator

Seen on a church's outside notice board (from today's syndicated "God Squad" column by rabbi Marc Gellman)... HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS. TEXT WHILE DRIVING IF YOU WANT TO MEET HIM

Six Ways to Keep the Government Out of Your Files Pro-tips on how to lock down your data.—By Josh Harkinson | November/December 2013 Issue | Mother Jones 1) Use open-source software Software whose source code is publicly available is more secure than anything developed by Microsoft, Apple, or Google: Its transparency means developers can't easily conceal security holes at the behest of hackers or governments. You'll want open-source platforms for your browser (Firefox, for example), email (Thunderbird), and instant messaging (Jabber), all of which are virtually idiot-proof to install. Switching to open-source for your operating system (Linux is the most popular choice) seems more intimidating, but ultimately isn't much harder than changing the format on a text document. Nerd factor: You've tweaked the default settings in your apps. 2) Hide your location Install the easily downloaded Tor Browser, which comes preconfigured to mask your IP address and, therefore, your location. Tor's software bounces your data through several of its thousands of volunteer servers; anyone intercepting traffic will think the data came from the last server in the chain. It's like a lightning-speed version of trying to shake a stalker by racing around town and repeatedly switching cars—it may not always work, but it makes you much harder to follow. Downside: The FBI recently acknowledged that it hacked into some Tor servers. Nerd factor: You've downloaded software. 3) Encrypt Though we learned in September that the NSA has defeated most commercially available encryption, scrambling your online activities will still foil hackers. The easily installed browser extension https Everywhere encrypts your web activity; for instant messaging, try Off-the-Record Messaging. For email, the program Pretty Good Privacy will let you set up a system of security "keys" to safeguard correspondence. Nerd factor: You likely ride the Google bus. 4) Mind the "air gap" If you're serious about becoming a digital Deep Throat, buy (or better yet, build) a computer that has never been connected to the internet. If you want to give somebody else a file, encrypt it on the secure computer and physically deliver it to the recipient on a USB stick. Nerd factor: You own The Matrix on Blu-ray. 5) Ditch your phone In July, a federal appeals court ruled that the government can obtain your location data from carriers without a warrant. You can minimize what you share by disabling tracking functions on your apps and turning off your phone when you aren't using it. Better yet, remove its battery (though iPhone owners don't have that option). Nerd factor: You own a phone. 6) Use a passphrase A string of random common words—"jose llama tequila mountain"—is way easier to remember and way harder to crack than a single word. Because passphrases are significantly longer than passwords, they contain, as cryptographers like to put it, more bits of entropy. Now if only your bank would stop demanding at least one capital letter and one number and leave you to picture a llama on a mountain of Jose Cuervo. Nerd factor: You remember which "o" is an ø, in your previous password. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/how-lock-down-your-data

Meet the Data Brokers Who Help Corporations Sell Your Digital Life They know what you did last summer. —By Dana Liebelson | November/December 2013 Issue | Mother Jones alphaspirit/Shutterstock Serving (up) the single ladies Datalogix tracks the spending habits of more than 110 million households using sources such as store loyalty cards. It partners with Twitter and Facebook to assess whether groups of users buy the cooking gear or brand of shampoo advertised on their social-media pages. Datalogix doesn't know that a certain Mother Jones journalist bought a quart of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy after changing her Facebook status back to "single," but it can help determine whether a targeted group of twentysomething professional women who left relationships bought that ice cream. Opt out? You can do so on the company's website, but the request takes 30 days to process and each household member must opt out separately. Companies that sell similar info: Acxiom, Epsilon, BlueKai, V12 Group Where Does Facebook Stop and the NSA Begin? Privacy Is Dead, Long Live Transparency! Timeline: How We Got From 9/11 to Massive NSA Spying on Americans Six Ways to Keep the Government Out of Your Files Dude, where's my car? TLO, a "background research" company, uses technology that scans and reads license plates collected by cameras mounted on parking garages, roads, and bridges from coast to coast. The company claims to have collated more than 1 billion time-stamped reports containing photographs and specific locations of vehicles, which TLO markets to law enforcement agencies, law firms, and data brokers. Opt out? Not unless you can limit your driving to dirt roads. Companies that sell similar info: MVTRAC, Vigilant Solutions Cheap credit scores and...Baby Einstein videos? With credit reports on at least 299 million consumers, Experian doesn't just hold the key to whether you'll get a car loan or home mortgage: It also sells "life-event" data to advertisers, marketing a database that is "updated weekly with the names of expectant parents and families with newborns," and new homeowners, among other information. Opt out? Experian allows users to opt out online or by phone but notes that "will not eliminate all targeted advertising." Companies that sell similar info: Equifax, TransUnion Location is everything As you surf the web, Neustar uses your computer's IP address to determine your area code, postal code, time zone, whether you're at home or at work, and whether you're using your phone. They then sell this data to companies that point ads at you: "Want to meet singles in Washington, DC?" Opt out? You can do so on Neu­star's site, although you'll have to do it again each time you switch browsers or get a new computer. Companies that sell similar info: MaxMind, Digital Envoy Background checks on steroids You've seen Intelius' ads if you've ever Googled your eighth-grade crush. The company sells data using more than 20 billion records on individuals, including bankruptcies, arrests, and address histories, mostly culled from public records such as driver's license databases and court documents. Intelius also collects relevant content from "blogs or social networking sites." Opt out? You'll need to send a state-issued ID card or driver's license via fax or US mail, and wait 7 to 14 days. Companies that sell similar info: Spokeo, PeopleFinders, BeenVerified.com http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/10/data-mining-companies-sell-your-info

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/30/google-reports-nsa-secretly-intercepts-data-links

Found it: http://www.boytoy.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17138-full-house-child-star-is-now-a-go-go-dancer/#entry99121

LOL You may as well be asking that about the whole of NYC, one time or another.

Been waiting 18 hours here for the finger food jokes. Can't tell you how many I've had to suppress myself!

Same experience here. Some time ago I was with a company that published technology buyers' guides. We sold direct in North America, and struck a deal with Elsevier to distribute our books outside North America. We got a couple of direct inquiries from would-be buyers in India, and forwarded them to Elsevier for fulfillment. Well, the very sensible Dutch guy who was our account manager told us that on no account would he send our books into India. He told us it was just not worth his trouble trying to manage his Indian sub-distributors, who were local independent businesses, when it involved low-volume high-priced B2B books like ours. They -- not end-user customers, but his own sub-distributors -- would take one set, photocopy them, then pirate them shamelessly, he said. As a native of the country that invented copper wire ("two Dutchmen fighting over a penny" ), his judgment in this we readily demurred to.

Same here! That is part of the fun for me -- seeing how much I can stand to watch before I have to click away.

Great collection of anecdotes by former -- and current! -- residents of the Chelsea Hotel: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/10/chelsea-hotel-oral-history

That it is a Christian Science church adds to the good-natured hilarity in some way that I cannot quite pin down.

To each their own, no? When I was little we would go to Myrtle Beach, SC many summers for vacation. Back then the Flying Wallendas were a regular attraction there during part of each summer. They did their high wire acts with no nets or safety lines. Every few years there would be one fewer Wallenda, but the rest faithfully kept at it, the young ones joining the act as they grew up. We didn't think they had a death wish, just a dedication to doing what they loved.

Incredible views they shot from the top of the Great Pyramid at Giza... http://petapixel.com/2013/03/26/russian-photographers-sneak-to-top-of-great-pyramid-and-capture-the-view/

http://petapixel.com/2013/04/30/bts-photographing-from-urban-heights-with-russian-daredevil-rooftoppers/