Monday, July 16, 2007
Rosalie Wilma Anne Cassidy
Our daughter was born this morning!!!
The timeline:
03:01: Heike woke me to say this is it. Shower, shave.
03:30: Short round with dogs.
03:50: dropped Liam to Ralf & Ute Lorusso across the street
03:53: In the car
04:15: arrived Mannheim Diakonie
04:30: Heike gets into the birthing pool
04:45: I receive harsh but fair warning that my breathing tips are not appreciated
05:06: There she is :-)
and here
and here
The timeline:
03:01: Heike woke me to say this is it. Shower, shave.
03:30: Short round with dogs.
03:50: dropped Liam to Ralf & Ute Lorusso across the street
03:53: In the car
04:15: arrived Mannheim Diakonie
04:30: Heike gets into the birthing pool
04:45: I receive harsh but fair warning that my breathing tips are not appreciated
05:06: There she is :-)
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| From Rosalie Wilma... |
and here
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| From Rosalie Wilma... |
and here
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| From Rosalie Wilma... |
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sunday afternoon at the pool
We spent the afternoon in the Tiergarten Schwimmbad today, as the weather finally started resembling summer. Liam brought along his friend Lily, and they had a great time together.
Just like Liam, Lily is growing up bilingual, in her case German and Spanish (her father is from Chile). Already Liam has picked up one or two words - he often says Agua for water. It's great that kids can learn these things so easily.
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| From Liam and Lily... |
Just like Liam, Lily is growing up bilingual, in her case German and Spanish (her father is from Chile). Already Liam has picked up one or two words - he often says Agua for water. It's great that kids can learn these things so easily.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Cory Doctorow's take on DRM legislation
The venerable EFF old hand Cory Doctorow has written a long and interesting expose of the back-room dealing which goes into DRM governance and legislation. He quotes Otto von Bismarck (not a known supporter of open government): "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."
I have yet to see a situation in which legislation and technology mix well. Too often the legislators are either out of their depth in understanding the technical details, or just plain corrupt. Can anyone think of another reason for the following governmental decisions? (my best guess in brackets):
Any other guessed causes? Feel free to comment.
I have yet to see a situation in which legislation and technology mix well. Too often the legislators are either out of their depth in understanding the technical details, or just plain corrupt. Can anyone think of another reason for the following governmental decisions? (my best guess in brackets):
- Ireland's RFID passport (Incompetence)
- Germany's Bundestrojaner (Incompetence mixed with Ideology)
- The US's Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Corruption)
Any other guessed causes? Feel free to comment.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Politically incorrect factoids
There's an amusing collection of politically incorrect factoids posted on Psychology Today. The post is an excerpt from the book Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters, by Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa.
In short, the insights are as follows, with my comments in [square brackets]
In short, the insights are as follows, with my comments in [square brackets]
- Men like blond bombshells (and women want to look like them) [MC: and in other news, milk turns sour if you leave it out of the fridge. Who paid for this research?]
- Humans are naturally polygamous [MC: hmm, Mormons are natural? Not so sure about this...]
- Most women benefit from polygyny, while most men benefit from monogamy [MC: The G.B. Shaw quote is good - "The maternal instinct leads a woman to prefer a tenth share in a first-rate man to the exclusive possession of a third-rate one."]
- Most suicide bombers are Muslim [MC: because they're hoping to get laid in heaven. The challenge is to convince them to enter the afterlife alone]
- Having sons reduces the likelihood of divorce [MC: the idea is that dads want to pass on more wealth to sons than daughters, therefore stick around]
- Beautiful people have more daughters [MC: My parents will enjoy this]
- What Bill Gates and Paul McCartney have in common with criminals [MC: Strong early careers leading to mediocrity, apparently]
- The midlife crisis is a myth—sort of [MC: more or less the same as #1, we males do silly things to impress young females. Guilty]
- It's natural for politicians to risk everything for an affair (but only if they're male) [MC: Alpha males sow and reap. Believable]
- Men sexually harass women because they are not sexist [MC: Men are pigs, but not evil pigs]
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Thursday, July 05, 2007
Ultrasound #9
I just got a call from Heike to say that her latest ultrasound appointment went well this morning. My iGoogle Pregnancy Countdown Ticker tells me that we're on 37 Weeks and 5 Days (8.67 Months). The estimated weight is now 3400 grams.
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Monday, July 02, 2007
Liam makes his pregnant mother's life easier
One of the more difficult things for Heike in the latter stages of her pregnancy has been lifting our first-born, now going on 14 kilos. Thoughtful son that he is, Liam has responded to Heike's needs by learning to climb up onto the changing table by himself. Play the video to see how he does this.
Sunday morning at the zoo
As forward-thinking parents, we splashed out for a yearly family ticket for Heidelberg zoo. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours there, which Liam enjoyed a lot. Click on the picture for the full set.
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| From Sunday mornin... |
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Saturday, June 30, 2007
Liam's Kindergarten has a summer party
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| From Liam's Kinder... |
We went along to Liam's kindergarten this morning for their Sommerfest. The weather was not great, but the kids were happy to be performing their song and dance routines regardless. Liam got to wear a costume consisting of triangular glasses, which didn't fit perfectly, but looked pretty cool regardless.
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Thursday, June 28, 2007
3 Birthdays is one Weekend
I just got around to uploading photos from a weekend heavily loaded with birthdays which we attended.
On Saturday afternoon we were at Celina Schwab's second birthday. Celina is Liam's cousin once removed, or the daughter of Heike's niece, depending on how you want to look at it.
We then went on to Gisela Birnstihl's 70th birthday (this is also where I filmed Liam speeding around on his bike).
On Sunday afternoon (after an eventful climbing wall session with Richard Schlenk) we were in Oftersheim for the Seel family Grillfest, ostensibly celebrating Michael's birthday, but also Emil's christening. I'm guessing that there were about 15 kids under the age of 5 (or maybe it just seemed that many because they were so dynamic) which was both exhausing and great fun. The most popular attraction for the kids was naturally the water in the form of a pump and trough in front of the grill hut. Michael's father kindly assisted those children present to splash around, and hence test the limits of clothing changes which their parents had brought :-)
On Saturday afternoon we were at Celina Schwab's second birthday. Celina is Liam's cousin once removed, or the daughter of Heike's niece, depending on how you want to look at it.
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| From Celina Schwab... |
We then went on to Gisela Birnstihl's 70th birthday (this is also where I filmed Liam speeding around on his bike).
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| From Gisela Birnst... |
On Sunday afternoon (after an eventful climbing wall session with Richard Schlenk) we were in Oftersheim for the Seel family Grillfest, ostensibly celebrating Michael's birthday, but also Emil's christening. I'm guessing that there were about 15 kids under the age of 5 (or maybe it just seemed that many because they were so dynamic) which was both exhausing and great fun. The most popular attraction for the kids was naturally the water in the form of a pump and trough in front of the grill hut. Michael's father kindly assisted those children present to splash around, and hence test the limits of clothing changes which their parents had brought :-)
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| From Seel Family G... |
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
The great Google Mail German Shutdown debacle
There have been several articles in recent days (e.g. VNUNet, Secure Computing and Heise) about Google's threat to close down its German email service, should the Bundestag implement new data retentention laws. Google is normally keen to retain all info about our digital lives, in order to better target advertising, yet in this instance they're saying no to state supervision. So what is all the fuss about?
The best overview I've found to this is on Spiegel (in German). The issue is critical, and not just for ISPs. In general, the aim is to log by default as much addressing info as possible for digital communication: email, VOIP, SMS,... An example of the extent is that MNOs will be required to save details of your cell location while you are calling and texting! The fact that it is illegal to save the content of the email, SMS, whatever, is only a partial reprieve, because the addressees, subject line, sending IP address, etc. already provides an unhealthy indication of message content and intent.
Although ostensibly a tool for the state authorities to monitor terrorism (come on, what terrorist is going to register his name and address, this is only going to affect honest people) the data once saved will doubtless be nirvana for the litigation-minded content industry, eager to know who's been surfing where.
Of course the ISPs and MNOs don't want to go along with this, as it raises their operations costs and scares away their customers. It's also highly improbable that they would be able to implement the technical changes required by the proposed date of 01.01.2008.
This legislation is still in draft form, and I encourage all respecters of privacy to visit this site (unfortunately only in German) and send a letter to your Bundestagsabgeordnete.
Footnote: As I'm geo-located in Germany with a gmail.com address, I'm still not sure whether this would affect my email. I'm fairly sure that I can connect to gmail via a proxy, but I'm hoping it won't come that far...
Update:
See also this post on PaidContent.org, with quotes from Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer.
The best overview I've found to this is on Spiegel (in German). The issue is critical, and not just for ISPs. In general, the aim is to log by default as much addressing info as possible for digital communication: email, VOIP, SMS,... An example of the extent is that MNOs will be required to save details of your cell location while you are calling and texting! The fact that it is illegal to save the content of the email, SMS, whatever, is only a partial reprieve, because the addressees, subject line, sending IP address, etc. already provides an unhealthy indication of message content and intent.
Although ostensibly a tool for the state authorities to monitor terrorism (come on, what terrorist is going to register his name and address, this is only going to affect honest people) the data once saved will doubtless be nirvana for the litigation-minded content industry, eager to know who's been surfing where.
Of course the ISPs and MNOs don't want to go along with this, as it raises their operations costs and scares away their customers. It's also highly improbable that they would be able to implement the technical changes required by the proposed date of 01.01.2008.
This legislation is still in draft form, and I encourage all respecters of privacy to visit this site (unfortunately only in German) and send a letter to your Bundestagsabgeordnete.
Footnote: As I'm geo-located in Germany with a gmail.com address, I'm still not sure whether this would affect my email. I'm fairly sure that I can connect to gmail via a proxy, but I'm hoping it won't come that far...
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Update:
See also this post on PaidContent.org, with quotes from Google's global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Liam on his bike
Whenever I say that Liam has been out on his bike, English-speaking people say he's too young for a bike. Yes, I say, but it's not a pedal bike, it's a Laufrad.
Anyone know of a better translation to English for the device below? It's the direct descendant of the "Walking Machine" invented by Baron von Drais in 1817.
Anyone know of a better translation to English for the device below? It's the direct descendant of the "Walking Machine" invented by Baron von Drais in 1817.
Entertainment industry encourages piracy
The DVD Copy Control Association want to render DVD ripping impossible, according to the Register. Allegedly, they are doing this to prevent piracy. However the result is likely be exactly the opposite.
To see why this is the case, consider the efficacy of copy control mechanisms so far. They do not work. Every DRM system requires an encryption scheme and a licence key. Most modern encryption schemes are so advanced that with a sufficient key-length, it is very unlikely to be cracked by brute force. No-one is going to break AES-256 in order to watch Die Hard. They don't need to, because the key must be available in the user's system, and key security is always a weak link. Ironically the DRM for DVDs, CSS, is so weak that both encryption and key-finding attacks work just fine.
The current proposal to strengthen the (badly broken) CSS system is as follows:
Sound robust? Not a bit. Programs like DeCSS remove the CSS crud layer, leaving the file in the clear. There is nothing to stop it playing.
The desired effect may be to make the physical reproduction of discs more difficult, i.e. necessitating CloneDVD or similar. However the serious pirates are already well equipped, they can make 1:1 copies without effort.
So, who is affected by this proposal? The normal consumer who is not aware of DVD decryption tools. S/he will be unable to make backups of DVDs bought via legal channels, and will therefore look for alternatives. My expectation is that this will drive average consumers to seek out non-CSSed physical discs, probably directly per mail-order from Malaysia.
My counter-proposal to the entertainment industry would be to stop considering your customers to be either criminals or suckers, and start to satisfy their needs. Drop all DRM efforts, and concentrate on cultivating the consumers who are willing to pay for content. There are plenty of us about, all we require are reasonable products to buy.
To see why this is the case, consider the efficacy of copy control mechanisms so far. They do not work. Every DRM system requires an encryption scheme and a licence key. Most modern encryption schemes are so advanced that with a sufficient key-length, it is very unlikely to be cracked by brute force. No-one is going to break AES-256 in order to watch Die Hard. They don't need to, because the key must be available in the user's system, and key security is always a weak link. Ironically the DRM for DVDs, CSS, is so weak that both encryption and key-finding attacks work just fine.
The current proposal to strengthen the (badly broken) CSS system is as follows:
"DVD products, alone or in combination with other DVD products, shallIn a nutshell, if you don't have the original DVD in the drive, then software won't play. Playing from a file on your hard drive won't be allowed.
not be designed to descramble scrambled CSS data when the DVD disc
containing such CSS data and associated CSS keys is not physically
present in the DVD player or DVD drive (as applicable), and a DVD
product shall not be designed to make or direct the making of a
persistent copy of CSS data that has been descrambled from such DVD
disc by such DVD product."
Sound robust? Not a bit. Programs like DeCSS remove the CSS crud layer, leaving the file in the clear. There is nothing to stop it playing.
The desired effect may be to make the physical reproduction of discs more difficult, i.e. necessitating CloneDVD or similar. However the serious pirates are already well equipped, they can make 1:1 copies without effort.
So, who is affected by this proposal? The normal consumer who is not aware of DVD decryption tools. S/he will be unable to make backups of DVDs bought via legal channels, and will therefore look for alternatives. My expectation is that this will drive average consumers to seek out non-CSSed physical discs, probably directly per mail-order from Malaysia.
My counter-proposal to the entertainment industry would be to stop considering your customers to be either criminals or suckers, and start to satisfy their needs. Drop all DRM efforts, and concentrate on cultivating the consumers who are willing to pay for content. There are plenty of us about, all we require are reasonable products to buy.
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Climbing Wall Accident
Richard Schlenk and I were at the Vertigo climbing wall yesterday, which was fun for the first hour and a half. Then on the last move of the last route of the morning, Richard pulled awkwardly on a hold, and dislocated his shoulder. He was in a lot of pain waiting for the ambulance, and suffered a bit of ribbing from the nurses (I think they enjoy seeing doctors in pain). Once the shoulder was popped in again though, he seemed to cheer up immensely, and could see the funny side of it.
Here's wishing Richard a Gute Besserung.
Here's wishing Richard a Gute Besserung.
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Friday, June 22, 2007
Blair's last shred of credibility lost
Tony Blair is apparently about to convert to Catholicism. I'm all for religious tolerance, but not for those fundamentalists - some of them actually believe in god!
OK, even I'll admit that it's a far smaller fault to belong to a misogynistic, backward and cruel religion than to defy your country's wishes by going to war with Iraq. But hey, if you're in a hole, stop digging.
On the plus side, he was obviously able to stand up to the Islamofascists in order to knight Salman Rushdie. In order to properly even the score, he needs to give Richard Dawkins at least a peerage.
OK, even I'll admit that it's a far smaller fault to belong to a misogynistic, backward and cruel religion than to defy your country's wishes by going to war with Iraq. But hey, if you're in a hole, stop digging.
On the plus side, he was obviously able to stand up to the Islamofascists in order to knight Salman Rushdie. In order to properly even the score, he needs to give Richard Dawkins at least a peerage.
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