Last night, the Internet seemed to work like it always had. I'd enter something into the Google search field in Firefox and Google would show me a list of links that matched my search. This morning the results are pretty much the same except that Google marked the entire internet as "suspicious" with their new, Safe Browsing feature. And the best part about their Safe Browsing feature is that, in order to continue to a "suspicious" website, you have to copy the url from the body of the warning page and paste it into the browser. I'm all for moving changes to production in a timely fashion, but this is one of the many times that quick builds for fixes can go wrong.

My first thought: We should all learn from this that software, like an airplane, needs to be tested before being put to use.

My second thought: How much extra traffic are Yahoo and Hotmail getting today?

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I don't know how I managed to avoid this for almost 30 days. I guess it's been all over the Internet. They call it Bacon Explosion, and it's basically bacon-wrapped sausage-wrapped bacon. I hear it's a modified version of a "fattie" and apparently you can "smoke" it.

Neil Gaiman has a new movie coming out based on one of his books. He says the premier was last night and that it was very well liked by the audience. He's also posted a wicked awesome trailer for it that was shot in his front room on his blog."The greatest human invention is the humble button."

A list like this could never be complete without a link to the most recent science horror show. It never would have occurred to me to put a radio control on a beetle but... to each his own I guess. Next time you see a bug flying erratically, keep in mind that it could be carrying a bug.

And finally, I feel bad about how funny this editorial cartoon is. I don't have anything against Microsoft employees really. I just think their company should be stopped. Though I hear Windows 7 doesn't suck nearly as much as Vista. And it's hardly Hitlerey at all.

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25 years ago today, Apple released the add that launched the Macintosh. Go watch it and read about it at Gizmodo.

And while you're there, learn how to hack a road sign.

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With Justice Roberts' misreading of the constitution at yesterday's inauguration, I thought I'd take a moment to discuss constitutional history. Article II Section 1 of the constitution states the following

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

You'll notice that there are two parts where Justice Roberts misstated the oath (and President Obama followed along.) The first was "I will execute the office of President of the United States faithfully." And the second was "So help me god."

There is argument that George Washington added the words "so help me god" to the end of his oath, but there is little evidence to back that up. Regardless, the person taking the oath has a constitutional right under the first amendment not only to freedom of speech but to freedom of religion and is therefore allowed to add these and any other words to the oath provided the original 35 words are stated in their correct order. The officiant of the swearing-in has no such right as he is acting as an agent of the United States and is injecting religion into a secular ceremony.

This is the basis of a legal action taken against Justice Roberts prior to the event by Michael Newdow and several other individuals and organizations. For more information, listen to the podcast of the Minnesota Atheists' Atheists' Talk radio show from January 4th 2009. In this show, Michael Newdow points out that this is not a case of atheists imposing their religion on the government but a case of keeping the government from imposing their religion on the nation.

When Keith Ellison was elected to the House of Representatives, christian conservatives were up in arms over a Muslim serving the nation along side Christians and Jews. I think they feared that, one day, the Chief Justice might add "so help me Allah" to the oath. It's not rocket science that freedom of religion applies to all religions and removing this tendency to add religion to government will prevent future leaders with different religions from doing the same.

There's a good chance that the oath was given officially a few minutes before the public event and that it was done to the letter of the constitution at that time. But doesn't the rest of the nation diserve to hear the ceremony performed correctly too?

Update: There was a do-over at 19:35 EST, but only a few reporters were present. Audio is available from CBS on Politico.com. The "so help me god" part was still there and I find it interesting that Justice Roberts states it as a question both times.

--photo from emilykreed on flickr.

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We've all done it before.  Gone online, checked prices for some piece of electronics, found the best price at Best Buy, packed up the car, driven the 10 miles to the nearest store and discovered that the price in-store is higher than the price on-line. It happens so often that there are tips all over the Internet for how to get the on-line price instead. You could try to show them the on-line price from one of the computers in the store, but we already know that the in-store network shows higher prices. You could show them a printout of the price from their website, but they'll often complain that having a store costs more than having a website so it makes sense for them to charge more in the store or that pricing is different all over the country so they can't match the website. One clever blogger ordered in-store pickup from the website while actually in the store. She had to wait quite a while for the confirmation emails to all go through but, after 20 minutes, saved $100 on Stargate Atlantis DVDs.

So, what does this tell us about Best Buy? Well for one, they are essentially using bait-and-switch tactics by luring you into the store with one price and then giving you another. But the really sinister part is that they are charging people an extra fee for not having Internet access. You obviously have internet access and can avoid the problem, so who doesn't?

Since 2000, people have been noting that income has a direct relation to Internet access. Over time, this is getting better, but that "digital divide" still exists. Anyone can go into their local library and use the Internet and a lot of people do. But how likely is it that they'll be surfing Lifehacker or Gizmodo or one of the other blogs that talked about this issue? My bet is that most library-based Internet users have a specific task to complete and that's pretty much all they do. More phones are going online, but my G1 cost $200 plus $25/month for service.

What's my point? Capitalism is, in theory, a good system. People who work hard and are successfull get more money and people who work less and are less successfull get less money. But there are other ways than work to be successfull. People who already have more money (some call it "captial") can use it to get more money and people who have less money have to use more money to get by.

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The most notable thing I've done recently is photography. Sure, I've been to work, I've searched Monster.com, I've read Gizmodo, but are those really notable? I've been trying to schedule a shoot every couple weeks or so which basically means one between each Minnesota Strobist meetup.

Last year, I had a test shoot for a calendar page I am doing Friday. We're headding down to Research Triangle Park in North Carolina this weekend for the Science Online conference. One of the bloggers there has been asked to participate in next year's SkepChick calendar and I volunteered to be the photographer since there are financial considerations involved. Unfortunately it seems we may not end up with any models for the shoot, so there will probably be some compositing involved.

Last week, I had a shoot with one of my new favorite models, Rachel Grubb. She's making a name for herself in the horror genre and wants to bring back mod styling to replace the current resurgence of pin-ups. I supported that plan and we produced a good body of work from an afternoon in my studio. It was a good shake-down for the space I'm using on my third floor since it was the first time I had to accomodate a makeup artist. I need a tall chair and some sort of counter that won't interfere with the placement of my paper backdrop. Hana from UnVeiled did the makeup in a respectible 2.5 hours.

Last weekend was the Minnesota Stobists January 2009 meetup at Landmark Center in St. Paul. I have to give a big recommendation for using them for photography. We called ahead of time to make sure we wouldn't be stepping on anyone's toes by showing up with 30 photographers, 10 models and 2 makeup artists. They were absolutely fine with it. There were a couple rooms on the fourth floor that were booked for part of the day and there was a boy's choir that used the building as their greenroom prior to a show across the street but otherwise, we had the entire building to ourselves.

We met early at the Dunn Bros coffee shop on Wabasha. They were just as accomodating as Landmark. Probbly 15 of the photographers showed up there with 6 models and 2.5 makeup artists and pretty much took over half the store to do makeup. Most of us bought coffee or sandwiches or both, so they at least got something in exchange for putting up with us.

In other news. The Java blog engine is coming along slowly. Security is a problem, but not one that can't be conquered. I'm probably re-inventing the wheel, but there's always the possibility that I'll use rubber instead of stone. (Which makes a better wheel...) I still can't log in, but at least I can change my password.

If you want to have your mind blown, take a look at Manil Suri's explanation of infinity on YouTube. It got my mind going on breaking down arguments, but he was very kind to me when he told me I was wrong, not only explaning why, but letting me know that my questions would be put to good use in his next class.

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Not the best way to deliver packages: A UPS driver caught on camera performing the 30-yard package toss. Training for the 2012 Olympics perhaps? This honestly doesn't surprise me. I waited on a loading dock for 15 minutes once watching a driver throw monitors into his truck.

Fisher-Price, now with more virus: One of the many problems with quality control, not to mention a lack of attention to employee morale is spreading viruses. Not the germy kind, the computer kind.

Powered by Sun and Open Source magic: Need to run a Windows application on your Mac? Got a pirated copy of XP? (not recommended) Virtual box may be the free solution for you. It's not as advanced as Parallels or VMWare but that $0 price tag makes up a lot.

Finally: I saw a clip from Penn and Teller's show Bullshit over the weekend. I had to wind it back several times to try to figure out how the heck Teller was doing his slight of hand routine. I eventually got the idea, but there's no way I could pull off even something that simple as well as he can. Here's a clip with something even more impressive.

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Snopes has been my go-to source for urban legend and Internet myth for ages. Every time someone forwards me something of dubious origin, the first thing I do is check Snopes, then send them back a link if I'm right and it's fake. I'm not sure that's going to be my plan anymore.

Snopes, or a company advertising on Snopes has decided that pop-up ads are a great way to get extra revenue. I think it's just a great way to keep people from visiting your site. Sure, Firefox blocks pop-up windows from web pages, but it doesn't block all pop-ups that occurr when you click on a link in the page which, when web browsing, I am wont to do.

Sorry for the rant.

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One site that I like to read in large batches is Inexed. Like Engrish, it builds up and becomes funnier in larger chunks. I think this one is funny enough to share but, if it's not, go read more of them, then come back.

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Some people celebrate Christmas because they believe that it is the night that Jesus was born 2000+ years ago. Some people celebrate Christmas because it's what their family has always done.

Some people celebrate Winter Solstice because it is a holy day with that marks the return of the sun. Some people celebrate Winter Solstice because it is not Christmas.

I celebrate Christmas because I have the time off from work and it's an opportunity to spend time with people I don't often see. I celebrate on Christmas Eve with my step-mother's family and enjoy the company and relaxation. I celebrate on Christmas Day with my mother-in-law's family and enjoy the shared interests and, often, politics.

I celebrate Winter Solstice because it is the beginning of the deepest part of a Minnesota winter. I have had opportunities to move to warmer climates, but I like Minnesota. I like the cold; I like bundling up and taking on the weather. Sure, I look like I'm exploring Antarctica on my way into work in the morning, but that's something I would do if I had the resources. It bugs me a little when people complain about the cold yet continue to live in Minnesota; If you can't stand the cold, get out of the freezer.

On the other hand. I'm looking forward to biking again this spring.

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