Archive for March 2003
Mar 31st, 2003
Depending on which story you read in the western media the Iraqi people either love or loathe Saddam Hussien. But as we delve deeper into these feelings we're begining to understand why there seems to be no visable answer. However this article, from an ArabNews correspondent, about three days recently spent in southern Iraq gives us a bit more clearity:
“When we finally made it to Safwan, Iraq, what we saw was utter chaos. Iraqi men, women and children were playing it up for the TV cameras, chanting: ?With our blood, with our souls, we will die for you Saddam?
I took a young Iraqi man, 19, away from the cameras and asked him why they were all chanting that particular slogan, especially when humanitarian aid trucks marked with the insignia of the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society, were distributing some much-needed food.
His answer shouldn?t have surprised me, but it did.
He said: ?There are people from Baath here reporting everything that goes on. There are cameras here recording our faces. If the Americans were to withdraw and everything were to return to the way it was before, we want to make sure that we survive the massacre that would follow as Baath go house to house killing anyone who voiced opposition to Saddam. In public, we always pledge our allegiance to Saddam, but in our hearts we feel something else?
Different versions of that very quote, but with a common theme, I would come to hear several times over the next three days I spent in Iraq.
The people of Iraq are terrified of Saddam Hussein.”(ArabNews)
Mar 28th, 2003
PBS's award winning “Frontline” has an excellent program about what has led up to the current situation in Iraq. It's an absolute must see for anyone who wants to know the whole story behind this war.
You can read an overview of it here and view the entire program online at: pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/iraq/view
Mar 26th, 2003
Here are some photos from recent protests in Chicago. While I don't necessarily share the feelings of all the protesters at this rally I really admire the commitment to their cause. Maybe I'm a bit naive but I really believe this sort of thing makes a difference and gets the attention of those in power.
Mar 24th, 2003
This time by a human shield from the UK. A very compelling read. (thanks Matt)
Mar 24th, 2003
“THE BUTCHER'S BOY”, as he is sometimes called, is reputed to be the most brutal member of Iraq's notorious ruling family. As an infant he reportedly played with disarmed grenades. By 10 he was accompanying his father to the torture chamber at Qasr-al-Nihayyah (the Palace of the End, where many political enemies, including deposed King Faisal II, were killed) to watch Saddam deal with dissidents. By 16 he bragged of committing his first murder, telling classmates he had killed a teacher who had upbraided him in front of a girlfriend.
For nearly 20 years Uday Hussein has been the most powerful force in Iraq's athletic hierarchy. In 1984, when Uday was 20, Saddam handed his son the reins of both the country's Olympic committee and its soccer federation, hoping Uday could help rebuild the spirit of the nation's youth while also proving himself a worthy successor to his father. The Iran-Iraq war, which would drag on for eight years and lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of young Iraqis, was demoralizing Iraqi youth. Success in sports, Saddam thought, could lift their spirits and restore national pride.” (cnnsi.com)
I think what makes this situation worse is for years the IOC has been reluctant to even touch this issue.
Mar 19th, 2003
AP Bulletin:
The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 19, 2003; 9:35 EST PM:
Air raid sirens, flashes of light and sounds of planes in skies over Baghdad.
Mar 18th, 2003
This comes from Originaltriology.com and it's for all those out there that believe Greedo didn't shoot first…
Few science fiction films have achieved the success and notoriety of the original Star Wars trilogy. Currently, George Lucas has no plans to release the original theatrical cuts of Episodes IV, V, and VI on DVD. To be replaced by completed versions of the Special Editions released in 1997, these classic pieces of science fiction and film history will be allowed to fade away into obscurity.
Our goal is to persuade Mr. Lucas to reconsider his decision. If you want the original theatrical cuts of the Star Wars trilogy on DVD, read and sign the petition now.
Mar 18th, 2003
While it's certainly a sad day I can't say I wasn't surprised to see it killed off. Especially considering how impressive the new flat panel iMac is.
Mar 18th, 2003
My choice - Jimi Hendrix: Machine Gun (Jan 1 1970 - 2nd Show) from the Live at the Fillmore East double album. Nothing I've ever heard is more powerful listen after listen. It doesn't give you the message of peace in as much as it gives you a horrendous message of war and destruction. From the war like sounds of the guitar to the casual rendition of the Star Bangled Banner JH paints an anti war message that in my mind no speech has ever equaled.
Mar 17th, 2003
Okay I can't stay away from this topic any longer. While I hate war I understand the reasoning for pushing ahead with it… but then again I really hate war. Obviously I'm fairly torn on what is right and just at this point. I think it goes without saying that the best possibly solution would be for SH to step down and leave the Iraq all together. Of course that's not going to happen.
So what can we do. Sanctions? International pressure? haven't we done this things for 10 years now? Should we just leave Iraq alone at this point? We all know the North Korea and Iran pose a greater nuclear threat at present. Are we correct in assuming that Iraq will pose a far greater threat to Americans and the world in the coming years? I wish there was more of a clear cut answer for all of this. The only thing I know for certain is that I hate war.
So I keep on coming back to the famous Sienfield quote “war what's it good for.”
Mar 10th, 2003
Here's a very interesting series of articles from Alwayson-netowork.com about Sony's future strategy in regards to consumer devices, computers, and media:
At this year's World Economic Forum, held recently in Davos, Switzerland, Tony Perkins sat down with Mr. Idei—with Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Corporation of America, at his side—to discuss their take on technology trends.
Cellphones
Perkins: What about the rest of the mobile phone business, where is it going?
Idei: We have a joint venture with Ericsson, which for them is clearly kind of an exit strategy. They don't care about the mobile phone business, they care about the base-station business, which is 90 percent, now 100 percent of their business. Sony made the joint venture with Ericsson because we want to be covered by their IP patent umbrella, otherwise we have to pay nearly 15 percent to the GSM license holder. I wouldn't have been able to stand that.
Perkins: You would buy Palm's software business?
Idei: Yes, if they want to sell.
Music
Perkins: I think that if you give these kids an easy way to download this content and pay for it, they will.
Idei: The music industry has been spoiled. They have controlled the distribution of music by producing CDs, and thereby have also protected their profits. So they have resisted Internet distribution. Six years ago I asked Sony Music to start working with IBM to figure out how to offer secured distribution of their content over the Net. But nobody in Sony Music would listen. Then about six months ago, they started to panic. They have to change their mindset away from selling albums, and think about selling singles over the Internet for as cheap as possible—even 20 cents or 10 cents—and encourage file-sharing so they can also get micro-payments for these files.
Computers
Perkins: The problem we are trying to solve here is about the consumer experience on top of any OS. The test model for this is what Steve Jobs just did with Jaguar. Personally, I got iTunes, iPhoto, iMovies all running on one server at home, and it's transparent. If I plug a DVD in or an iPod in, the icon automatically comes up on my screen. When I plug my Sony Cyber-shot camera into my Mac, I don’t have to do anything, because it assumes I want to see the pictures in the camera so it automatically brings up the iPhoto interface. I don't even have to touch my mouse! This is the model for Sony.
Idei: We actually met several times with Steve last year, in January, March, and June to try to work out a mutual strategy. But you know Steve, he has his own agenda. [Laughs.] Although he is a genius, he doesn't share everything with you. This is a difficult person to work with if you are a big company. We started working with them, but it is a nightmare. We have the exact type of guy like Steve within Sony. His name is Ken Kutaragi. They respect each other. So maybe if we can get them both together then they could figure out how the PlayStation and the Mac can work together.
Perkins: Well, in many ways Sony has always been Steve Jobs's model for Apple.
Sir Howard: So we are also rivals, and trying to get together would frankly be a waste of time!
All in all in amazing glimpse inside one of the largest, most far reaching companies out there. Absolutely fascinating.
Mar 10th, 2003
The New York Times provides an interesting look into the design trade-offs of today mobile phones. It specifically deals with the phase in of internal antennas that are commonplace with most modern phones and why this adavance has actually made reception worse.
The mobile telephone has evolved into a sleek multifunctional marvel. It can store e-mail addresses and hundreds of phone numbers. It can emit any of dozens of ring tones or vibrate silently. It can be used to play games and double as a digital camera - even as it is small enough to fit in cigarette case.
But for all these wireless wonders, industry analysts, researchers and consumers say that many of the sleek, versatile new models are simply not as good as the old ones at being telephones.
When asked about the issue, Sony Ericcson issued a statement discussing the complexity of reception issues, including radio frequency, or R.F., technology. “Generalizations regarding R.F. performance should be avoided, as many factors come into play that determine its quality.” The company cited a few such factors, including the design of the radio frequency circuits.
At Nokia, a company spokesman, Charles Chopp, said that one reason the company had moved to internal antennas was that broken antennas were “one of the top 10 complaints about cellular phones.” Users prefer the “ease and carryability” of phones with internal antennas, he said.
Mr. Chopp said that in adopting internal antennas, the company had “made a point of giving the end user a better experience.” And, he said, “These antennas provide the interaction experience that is acceptable to the carriers.”(nytimes.com)
Interestingly it goes on to say that the nations largest carrier, Verizon, refuses to carry any mobile phone that has an internal antenna. Not surprisingly I know no one who's recently considered buying a plan from Verizon. It seems Verizon is becoming the Walmart of the mobile phone world - offering only phones that provide simple reliable service and leaving the others to sell the new much more highly advanced and trendy handsets.
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