British Robbers Trained by Hollywood

Well ok, not really. But a break-in to a security depot in Great Britain seems to follow the plot of "Firewall"--the new Harrison Ford thriller. Just like in the movie, the robbers held the depot manager's family to force him to aid their caper. The crooks posed as police and stopped the manager on his way home from work. Another group went to his home and took is wife and young child into custody.

At 1:00am, they forced the manager to open up the depot for them. They spent 75 minutes loading up a truck with a boatload of money and made off. So far, I've heard estimates of 25($59.23) and 40($94.78) million pounds. If confirmed, this would be the largest bank robbery in UK history.

Unfortunately, the depot manager was no Harrison Ford and he hasn't tracked down and disposed of the criminals behind the robbery. I guess the robbers are training with Hollywood, now we just need the good guys to get the same training.

• Top News Article | Reuters.co.uk


• The Age: Fake Police Grab Huge Haul


• The Courier-Mail: Armed Gang Steals $59.6m

UPDATE: The police in GB are now saying that as much as 50 million pounds were stolen and that the cash would weigh around 900 lbs. ABC is reporting that an arrest has been made an more arests are coming shortly.

$118m stolen in Britian's biggest heist

Space Elevator Progress

Space Elevators have long been the purview of science fiction authors, but maybe the reality isn't too far from catching up. The LiftPort Group conducted a second round of tests this month in the Arizona desert where their prototype climbing machine was able to top more that 1500 feet. That's a long way from orbit, but a definite step in the right direction.

The idea of creating an elevator that would allow easy, cheap access to Earth orbit is very compelling. Instead of spending thousands of dollars per pound to push materials to orbit via rocket boosters, thousands of tons could be lifted in via elevator for a tiny fraction of the cost. This could be the true gateway to the stars for humanity. Prices could drop far enough to make space tourism something besides a rich mans distraction. How about a hotel and casino with an Earth view?

There are, however, a number of obstacles to be overcome. First, the tensile strength of a material capable of holding up under its own weight from such a height is beyond most of our current materials. Some materials, such as carbon nanotubes, look good for this application, but creating sufficient quantities in a reasonable time is still beyond our current science. Beyond materials, we must consider the social barriers. All too recently, the tallest buildings in the US came under attack and were brought down by terrorists looking to make a statement. What better target could be had than a space elevator? Fly into it, shoot rockets at it, smuggle bombs into the cargo--whatever the method, a space elevator would be at extreme risk.

I'd like to believe that this could all come to pass within my lifetime. I'm 37 (almost 38) now and can expect to live 40 or 50 more years (assuming no accidents or illness cuts it short). Will we be able to hop on an elevator to hotels and casinos in orbit before I'm gone? I sure hope so. Go LiftPort!

LiftPort: News

Office 2007 due by years end

Microsoft has another version of its cash cow franchise--MS Office--due out by years end. The prices are $399 for standard and $499 for professional. There will be a $149 home edition for those who are on a budget.

In another shot across Rim's bow, they also announced that Groove software that they acquired last year will be available as a 'run-it-yourself' option or via subscription for $79/year. RIM is getting hurt whether or not they finally get shutdown. The uncertainty has many corporations looking for an alternative should the worst happen...and when you start shopping, you often buy.

Microsoft in Office 2007 shocker | The Register

Incredible Homeless Home

Police in San Diego have uncovered what I think is one of the most amazing makeshift homes I've ever seen. Inside a culvert designed to handle floodwaters during San Diego's infrequent storms, a homeless couple had made themselves at home by damming off the flow with a waist high masonry wall. In the walled off space, the couple had a TV, VCR and DVD hooked up to battery power, kitchen and pantry and mirror over the bed. Less fancy were the (un)sanitary facilities. But you have to give them credit for ingenuity.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- Furnished home found in storm drain
(via Boing Boing)

UN backs terrorists---again

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has released a report that accuses the United States of "torturing" prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay holding facility. They are recommending that the US immediately close the facility.

This would all be meaningful if it didn't come from a council led by Cuba, Sudan and Zimbabwe. These countries are poster children for human rights violations. Murder, rape, genocide, terrorism...Their list of violations read like a list of man's inhumanities to man. Even now, the UN is requesting US military forces to try and stop the genocidal killing in Sudan's Darfur region.

Now, the UN, led by these paragons of virtue, wants to tell the world that prisoners who are "shackled, chained, hooded, kicked and stripped" are being tortured. Or that prisoners who are on hunger strikes and are force fed are being treated inhumanely. Perhaps these do gooders should be forced to spend some time in the prisons of their own homelands? Or perhaps, they should be subject to questioning by their own police or military? Of course, they probably wouldn't survive to write nonsense like their report.

Once again, the UN would rather take a pot shot at the US than seek justice. The prisoners still held at Guantanamo Bay are enemies of the US...enemies behind acts of terrorism around the world...but largely targeting Americans. As such, they're lucky to be held in an American facility where they're taken care of, given food, medical care and religious freedom. If we treated them the way they treat Americans they capture, they'd all have been beheaded after the first week. In the meantime, perhaps the UN should look to clean their own house before trying to clean ours.

• U.S. Wants Rights Abusers Barred from U.N. Human Rights Council


• UN report recommends closing Guantanamo jail - Yahoo! News


• Annan needs U.S.help with UN force for Sudan

Google (i)Tunes

According to the investment analysts at Bear Stearns, "Google is in the midst of creating its own iTunes competitor." Google has been using the money it raised in last year's IPO to blitz the Internet with new services that have included a news feed reader, desktop utilities, video search, instant messaging and now a competitor to Apple's award winning music download service. With the incredible amounts of cash that Apple is pulling in from iTunes, and with the number of competitors snapping at their heels, it was only a matter of time before Google set their sights on grabbing a chunk of that revenue.

I think that just as important is the huge amounts of publicity and good will that Apple has been garnering from iTunes. Google has been getting the 'darling' status themselves from their dominance in the search market and it puts them in a unique position to attack the 'hearts and minds' of iTunes users. While other music download sites seem to have the "johnny come lately" feel, it seems like a natural extension to Google's push to provide a "complete" web experience.

Whatever the truth of the matter, it's enough to support Bear Stearns' $550 target for Google's stock. How many web companies have been able to hold those kinds of numbers? Not many.


Google May Be Close To Developing iTunes Competitor - Forbes.com

Eminent Domain - Phooey

Governments have historically used eminent domain to re-vitalize areas that might otherwise slip into dis-repair, but recently that same law has been used to let governments throw low to middle income people out of their homes so that private developers can profit.

When I was a kid, my father and I hiked through the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, and it wasn't an infrequent occasion when we came across the ruins of a family farmstead or cemetery deep in the park. I later found out that the US Federal Government had moved families out of homes that had been in their homes for generations so that they could set aside the area for a park. Those remnants of peoples lives left a bad taste in my mouth.

Now years later, that same law is being used to let wealthy developers build golf courses, ocean front condos and one national discount brand uses eminent domain to make sure their stores are located in prime locations. I can't imagine that they'd get away with doing the same thing to a wealthy neighborhood where the residents could afford the fees to battle in the courts, but funny enough, I'll probably never find out, because the developers target the low to middle income neighborhoods where folks can't afford the big dollars a court battle would cost.

Probably the biggest travesty to come out of the Supreme Court in recent years was the Court's 5-4 decision to uphold governments rights to use eminent domain to benefit private developers. In response 40 States are looking to limit eminent domain. Now is the time to call or write your State Senator and Congresscritter and tell them that eminent domain for private development has to go.

40 States Re-Examining Eminent Domain - Yahoo! News

MMOGs Meet Hollywood

James Cameron is one of the finest directors in the history of film, and arguably the best Sci-Fi director ever (with some stumbles). Now, he's looking to meld the big budget Hollywood spectacle with a big budget online game. At first, this seems like a big nothing. Afterall, video games based on movies have been around for-ever and usually with poor results (think Cat Woman....ahhh...maybe don't think). But this may be different. Cameron wants to launch the game universe months before the movie even hits the theatre. If he pulls it off, players will be able to thoroughly explore the world before Cameron uses the world for the back-drop of his story. It has the makings of a cult classic.

Ron Howard is taking a similar path with a new reality show he's developing. Called XQuest, the show will place players in a small spaceship-like module that simulates a trip around the galaxy. Not only will they experience cramped conditions, they'll feel the motions of the craft...including 6G thrust. MMOG players will be able to interact with the players during the show, and winners in the online game will be invited to play in reality the next season.

All in all, these could be some really neat advances in how reality and games interact, but I'm not going to hold my breath. To often, the promises don't come near the reality of what's delivered in the end.

Business Week: James Cameron's Game Theory

Spacesuit does EVA without Astronaut

So what do you do with your clothes when you're done with them? If you're on the international space station, you stuff them in an old spacesuit, add a radio, stuff it out the airlock and call it science. The guys on the space station are going to do just that. The empty suit will float along in orbit, sending several code works in six different languages with the intent that school children all over the world will tune in. What a wonderful opportunity for teachers to introduce all kinds of science and math topics. I only wish that things like this were available when I was in school.

You can track SuitSat-1 on the NASA website or tune your radio to FM frequency 145.990 MHz.. In the US, SuitSat-1 will pass once or twice a day between midnight and 4 am.

Washington Post: Students to Track Disgarded Spacesuit

Signs of the Times

In another sign of the times, Western Union won't be sending telegrams for the first time since 1851. It's not much of a surprise given the wide spread of easily available and cheap long distance---not to mention that cell phones let us do the same thing from just about anywhere. Now that Internet access and email is just about as widely available, it doesn't make much sense to drive to a WU office to have them do the same thing for you. Even though they're stopping the telegraph service, WU is going to stay in business to keep doing money orders.

LiveScience: Era Ends