Caffe Trieste hosts The Ryans again tonight, 7pm.
1667 Market St, SF, CA
We’d love to see you all there!
We’ll be recording the show again, so stay tuned for mp3s.
Athena and I went backpacking to Relief Reservoir from the Kennedy Meadows Trailhead right near Sonora Pass this weekend as a last minute trip. The hike was unbelievable - very spectacular (and hard). We were rewarded for all our hard work with a splendid campsite right on the beach of Relief Reservoir (@ about 7000 ft). On Sunday, we fished all day. Of course, we had to forget to put on sunscreen (we both skipped because “we were wearing hats…”) and so today, we’re paying for it - fried a nice deep red color in various places.
Something happened on the hike down. I must have tweeked my left knee a bit, because today (and last night), I can hardly walk. 
All in all, though, I’d say it was a kick ass overnight trip! The views up by the reservoir were amazing.
If you are an avid reader of this blog (and god help you if you are), you probably remember my old 12″ power book went down for the count recently.
Well, I happen to have a personal computer endorsement on my renters insurance, and sure enough, they are paying for the replacement of the hard drive!
Rock on USAA!
Waking up this morning at 6:45 to hit the gym, I couldn’t help but think today would be painful. And the gym definitely was - all the climbing holds were stone cold (and thus very hard and unforgiving), and I was tired and sore.
Working out didn’t go terribly well nor terribly poorly, and I was off thinking today was going to be downright unremarkable.
Then I got home. Checked my email: 2 unread messages.
The first, a terse yet friendly response from Bruce Schneier, the godfather of cryptography himself, to an email I sent him yesterday.
The second, a more friendly, less terse note from the producer of Coverville.com, the most well-respected blog/podcast about cover songs on these here ‘tubes, about our Caffe Trieste show!
Yea, today is making a u-turn and getting in the fast lane of kick-ass highway.
While reading an article about US-based airlines not allowing in-flight cell phone calls, I stumbled across a gem. The article was talking about why the FCC hasn’t lifted the ban on in-flight cell phone usage. Many people sent in complaints along the lines of “but then I’ll have to listen to Chatty Kathy blab about her pedicure in her latest valley girl drawl.” There was also a warning from the Department of Homeland Security (a name reminiscent of xenophobia and cold-war era Communist Russia):
And there was even a security warning from the Department of Homeland Security, which said terrorists could use mobile devices to detonate onboard explosives more easily…
- from Popular Mechanics.
Excuse me? You read that right, DHS thinks lifting a purely statutory[1] ban on cell-usage would risk an increase in the likelihood of a terrorist attack…
Gee. Last time I checked, Terrorists sure do care about staying within the letter of the law while they are attempting to blow shit up. How would allowing cell phone calls for the average joe increase or decrease the likelihood of a terrorist attack using a cell phone? Last I checked, anyone can get a cell phone onto a plane today and make a call - they just don’t want you to. And it doesn’t take a genius to have some kind of timer rigged to the power button on a smart phone in your checked-luggage to the dirty deed (even if airlines were smart enough to sweep bags for RF interference before putting them on a plane)[2].
This has lent further support to my belief that The Department of Homeland Security has no command of statistics, science, or common sense. All they are is Security Theater.
Seriously? Lifting the ban on in-flight cell usage might increase the likelihood of a terrorist attack? Next thing you know, they’ll say removing flouride from the city water supply might decrease the likelihood of an attack because all the terrorists will be at the dentist’s office instead. Or maybe that banning in-flight laptops would decrease the likelihood of viruses spreading on the internet.
Morons.
