Diary of the Mad Pigeon

80s Nostalgia Revisited and Revised!

1. Those who were KIDS in the '80s: - nostalgia based mainly around toys, cartoons, some music (mall pop like Debbie Gibson), TV shows (in particular, Jim Henson-related, After School Specials, or other "edutainment"), video games, and movies we were allowed to watch or could sneak into (Goonies, The Last Starfighter, others). Currently the ones buying back all their old Star Wars and GI Joe (kung fu grip of course) action figures at 5 x the original cost. Wish they had been teens during the '80s. Probably had a Member's Only jacket their mom made them wear. Probably had roughly 2000 pins on their denim jacket that their mom didn't want them wearing.  Stayed up late to watch Flashdance and Fast Times at Ridgemont High on Home Box Office (to see the sex scenes). Played laser tag. Remember the cartoon shows based on Atari games.  Thought "Turbo Teen" was pretty creepy. Would rather play Nintendo. Cried after seeing the video for "Thriller." Knocked holes in wall of house looking for fraggles. Thought the Delorean from Back to the Future was the coolest car ever. Spent whole allowance in video arcade. Will never, ever, to this very day, go near the "Dungeons and Dragons Ride."  Cried when Optimus Prime died during Transformers: The Movie. Thought Rodimus Prime sucked hard.  Traumatized for life when older brother/sister spoiled Empire Strikes Back and Luke found out Vader was his daddy.  Got really grossed out when realizing Leia kissed her brother on the mouth.  Too scared to smoke pot because of Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" school video and the "This is your brain, this is your brain on drugs" commerical.

2. Those who were TEENS in the '80s:  Smoked lots of pot and remembers deep conversations with Fraggles.  Smoked lots of pot while watching TRON.  Couldn't take eyes off Darryl Hannah in Blade Runner. Actually had a clue what most of the lyrics were about, understood what a "New Romantic" was, could relate to the characters in John Hughes movies.  Tends to nod their heads and agree with about ~90% of SLC Punk. Might have dressed like Adam Ant.  Once.  Actually got into see Fast Times and the other movies mostly to watch the sex scenes. REALLY liked Phoebe Cates and Molly Ringwald. Really, really liked Phoebe Cate's breasts in "Fast Times."  Actually remembers Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi before George Lucas started really fucking with them.  Scoffed at how bad the cartoons based on the Atari games actually were.  Thought "Turbo Teen" and the "Mr T" cartoons weren't too bad if you smoked a lot of pot.  Still wonders if the kids on the "Dungeons and Dragons" cartoon ever made it home.  Thought Cheetarah and Teela were kinda hot, and to this day feels very dirty and wrong for it.  Put initials into every arcade game possible (except Missile Command).  Traumatized for days after watching "The Day After". Wore black and wrote very bad Cure-inspired poetry in spiral notebooks.  Still cried when Optimus Prime died.  Still thought Rodimus Prime sucked hard. Likely had the hots for Debbie Harry or Adam Ant (depending on gender and persuasion). Will dance to anything by Public Image Limited.  Made fun of the kids wearing "Members Only" jackets that their moms made them wear. Thought the kids who liked the Delorean from Back to the Future were nerds. Have "up up down down left right left right BABA select start" tatooed on forehead. Watched the original Nightmare on Elm Street and the Jason movies. Remember when MTV actually played music videos. Unless they were into straight-edge punk in which case they decided early on that MTV sucked and all they watched were grainy tapes of Minor Threat, Youth Brigade, and Black Flag. Really wanted to be in Black Flag. Didn't like Reagan. Not sure why, but just didn't like Reagan. Actually used the word "Radical" as slang at some point.

3. Those who were in their 20's in the '80s: Were probably IN Black Flag at some point. For like 5 minutes. Like you know played bass for them and stuff.  And the Misfits were there too. Yeah. Wonder what the hell happened to their parents to make them sell out so hard. Maybe voted for Reagan. Actually, probably voted for Reagan even though they had no job. Waxed nostalgic about teenage years during the '70s when they smoked lots of pot watching Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii. Smoked lots of pot while watching Pink Floyd: The Wall. Knew that John Hughes movies were full of shit.  Thought Heathers nearly got it right.  After watching "The Day After" were absolutely convinced that we were going to nuke ourselves. Even more convinced the world would be just like "Mad Max." Still liked Molly Ringwald though. Could care less about Fraggles (except when smoking pot), the kids from the "Dungeons and Dragons" show, GI Joe, and Transformers.  Interested in only one thing: becoming a yuppie, unless they were in Black Flag, in which case they were interested in spending the night at Discord House and starting a 'zine.  Knew that the song "turning Japanese" was about self-pleasuring. Actually know the difference between BETA and VHS. Maybe owned a BETA. Watched "Streets of Fire" on BETA. Thought about buying a laser disc player some day. Beat up kids who went to video arcades and stole their allowance.  Liked Atari better than Nintendo. Thought and brooded a lot about the actual meaning of the words to "Born in the USA" until they became a yuppie and stopped caring and voted for Reagan.  Maybe saw the bands on MTV while they were still slumming it at CBGBs and Max's Kansas City.  Made lots of money at one point but spent it all on hookers and blow.  Actually knows what "electroclash" is.  Probably owns some electroclash 12"s. Owns original pressing of "Blue Monday" on 12" vinyl.  Watch Scarface and say "ahh, the good old days." Preferred Pat Benatar to Debbie Harry, Morrisey to Adam Ant.  Will hit you with their best shot.  Wore skinny ties and had a keyboard scarf.  Had hair like the guy in "A Flock of Seagulls" for like 5 minutes.  Thought every band needed a keyboard player, or better yet a key-tar, unless a creepy old scene kid and still into Black Flag and straight-edge punk.  Thinks they knew someone who drove a Delorean and owned a key-tar.

4. Those over 30 during the '80s: Actually drove a Delorean. Thought key-tars sucked.  Gave up on their hippie ideals when they realized commune living and the "Age of Aquarius" weren't paying the bills. Discovered money was better than acid.  Actually SAW Pink Floyd play "The Wall" live.  Didn't buy "The Final Cut," or any of Roger Waters' solo albums.  Wrote a review for Time magazine about "The Dark Knight Returns." Could care less about the words to "Born in the USA" but still screamed "BRUUUUUCCCCEEEE" at every show and cried when the E Street Band broke up. Still smoked pot, only now rolled up in $100.00 bills. Watches "Wall Street" on repeat, on a laser disc player.  Looks back at the Enron mess and wonders how they hell they got away with junk bonds and running cocaine and guns through Colombia.  Know that "Contra" wasn't just a videogame.  Actually HUNG OUT with Pat Benatar and Morrisey. Or at least claim they did. Became the parents in SLC Punk.

5. Those really old during the '80s: Sulked a lot and then died.

Rescued from a Live Journal post.

Can You Trust Your Spyware Protection?

Oy, I hate spyware!  Not only do I think it's the greatest current threat to corporate and military networks, but I also have had the joy of TWICE rebuilding my hard drive thanks to an adware program taking other pieces with it when I tried to clean it out.  If I ever meet a spyware/adware developer, I'm going to give him or her a fat lip.

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From PC World, Andrew Brandt

The next time you run a scan with your anti-spyware tool, it might miss some programs. Several anti-spyware firms, including Aluria, Lavasoft, and PestPatrol, have quietly stopped detecting adware from companies like Claria and WhenU--a process called delisting. Those adware companies have been petitioning anti-spyware firms to delist their software; other companies have resorted to sending cease-and-desist letters that threaten legal action.

In most cases it's difficult for customers to determine whether their anti-spyware tool has delisted anything and, if so, which adware it skips.

"When a spyware program gets delisted, users won't be aware of its presence," says Harvard law student and spyware researcher Ben Edelman. The practice, he says, "offers spyware makers a new lease on life, letting them keep users who otherwise would have removed their software."

Degrees of Spyware

Of course, some spyware apps are worse than others. One spyware program may make severe changes to your computer's settings, while another merely displays ads.

Claria and WhenU are making the case that their adware programs don't resort to illegal tactics, such as exploiting security holes, to install themselves. And though this software can be annoying, adware developers argue that merely being listed in an anti-spyware scanner's database tarnishes a company's reputation by linking its relatively benign adware application with far more harmful and intrusive spyware programs.

According to Avi Naider of WhenU, though some other adware companies will track your Web meanderings and sell that data, WhenU's privacy policy doesn't permit it to track the search queries that users type or the Web pages that they browse.

Each anti-spyware firm uses its own set of criteria to decide whether to remove or detect a file or Registry key related to spyware. Usually even a few bad behaviors suffice to red-tag a file as spyware or adware.

Peter Mackow of PCTools, maker of the Spyware Doctor anti-spyware program, says that his company won't publish the entire list of its criteria for fear that spyware companies will use the information to design a spyware application that skirts every rule. That is a position shared by many others who fight spyware.

"The spyware guys want a really rigid set of rules defining spyware so they can then make an end run around [all of them]," says Eric L. Howes, who tracks the spyware business for Spywarewarrior.com and consults for anti-spyware software companies.

Experts recommend that you employ two--or even three--anti-spyware tools. The more you use, the likelier they are to counter the individual biases of each anti-spyware company.

To Delist or Not

It's unfair to permanently blacklist a company based on its past behavior, so some delisting is inevitable. But delisting an adware application is a dangerous proposition for anti-spyware developers. In the past, some spyware and adware makers have changed their software enough to get delisted only to resume the activity that got them flagged in the first place.

As a result, the anti-spyware industry has developed a thick skin. Delisting is rare because, Edelman says, anti-spyware firms "stand up to strongly worded demand letters."

Adware companies also decry the word spyware itself as inherently negative, so some anti-spyware firms have tried to create terms that mean essentially the same thing, using more-neutral language: grayware, potentially unwanted programs, or potentially unwanted software. But Webroot's CEO David Moll argues that matters could get more confusing if the anti-spyware companies try to refer to spyware by other names, just when many people are beginning to understand what spyware can do.

Iran 'tests new missile engine'

Let's say that Iran doesn't want to make nuclear weapons (a statement worthy of an entire post), even a conventional warhead on such a missile is capable of inflicting considerable damage on a target - such as downtown Tel Aviv. - Pigeon

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Iran's defence minister says it has successfully tested a new missile motor using solid-fuel technology with a range of 2,000km (1,250 miles). Such an engine would enhance the capability of medium-range Shahab-3, which already has the ability to hit Israeli and US bases in the region.

The new engine would give the missile a greater range and increase its shelf life, Ali Shamkhani said.

Iran has taken huge steps in ballistic missile technology, experts say. This - coupled with the country's nuclear activities - has caused alarm among the international community. "Using solid fuel would be more durable and increase the range of the missile," Mr Shamkhani was quoted as saying by the Iranian official news agency.

Military experts are quoted as saying that the more complex solid-fuel technology would be necessary if Iran wanted to develop a two-stage rocket that could outrange the Shahab-3. ran says it is not seeking to develop longer-range missiles and denies allegations that it wants to make nuclear weapons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4596295.stm

A little corporate espionage to start your day!

Israeli firms 'ran vast spy ring'

Police in Israel say they have uncovered a huge industrial spying ring which used computer viruses to probe the systems of many major companies.

At least 15 Israeli firms have been implicated in the espionage plot, with 18 people arrested in Israel and two more held by British police.

Among those under suspicion are major Israeli telecoms and media companies.

Police say the companies used a "Trojan horse" computer virus written by an Israeli to hack into rivals' systems.

Interpol and the authorities in Britain, Germany and the US are already involved in investigating the espionage, which Israeli police fear may involve major international companies.

Hi-tech rivalry

"This is one of the gravest scandals in... industrial and market espionage in Israel," special fraud investigator Supt Roni Hindi told Israeli media.

Israel's investigation has been running since November, uncovering as it expanded an intricate web of alleged espionage among some of the nation's best-known companies.

The country's biggest telecoms company, Bezeq, initially came under suspicion as the parent company of two mobile phone operators accused of spying on a mutual rival.

Bezeq now says the Trojan horse virus has been discovered on its own systems.

Police now suspect that another mobile phone operator ordered the spying against Bezeq, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reports.

Two rival car import firms are suspected of spying on each other, as are two of Israel's major satellite and cable television companies.

No charges have been brought so far and the companies at the centre of the police inquiry say they have done nothing wrong and are co-operating with the authorities.

Police fear that as many as 60 Israeli and international companies could be involved or affected.

Trojan horse viruses work by installing themselves within a computer system and then allowing hackers to monitor, track or even control that system.

Police have arrested an Israeli man living in London, 41-year-old Michael Haefrati, on suspicion of writing the software and then selling it onto middle men acting for interested parties within the corporate sector.

Company executives, private detectives, and former members of the Israeli state security services are among others already arrested.

"Above all it's a story of company fat cats who left their morals in their limousine," said Sever Plotsker, a commentator in Israel's mass-market newspaper Yediot Ahronot.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4594255.stm

Ah, my very first post since moving to my new roost on the net...  figure I'll start with a column I culled from the local paper (Rapid City Journal):

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Alan Aker, 5-29: Dale Earnhardt was not a hero

By Alan Aker, Journal columnist

PIEDMONT - Adam Vinatieri, the pro football player from Rapid City, is not a hero. Neither is Michael Jordan nor Tiger Woods. Joe DiMaggio and Casey Tibbs were not heroes. Not even Dale Earnhardt, who died in a crash while competing in a NASCAR race, was a hero.

Let me be really clear on this: I'm not telling you that these men are not heroes to me. I'm telling you that these men are not heroes. If you think of them as heroes, you're mistaken.

I don't know much about any of them, and I readily admit they have a certain kind of greatness. Great talent, courage, luck, work ethic, or some combination of those things. None of these qualities have anything to do with being a hero. It's possible that some or all of these men are or were generous with their money, great team players and kind to their fans. If so, that's nice, but it's not heroic.

I won't even accept the qualifier, "Well, they're sports heroes." No, they're sports stars or sports celebrities, but I insist that they're not heroes, not even sports heroes.

Let me give you an example of heroism. I once saw a dramatization of something that happened among American prisoners of war in World War II. They were held by the Japanese, and the Japanese were about to behead one of the prisoners while the other Americans looked on. Before this could happen, at least one other American stepped forward to take the place of his buddy. That's heroic.

True heroism has a couple key ingredients. One of them is self-sacrifice for the benefit of others. I'm sure there are many sacrifices along the road to becoming a sports star, but they're all selfish acts. Everything DiMaggio, Tibbs and Earnhardt did, they did for themselves. They were the main beneficiaries of their hard work.

Another ingredient in heroism is choice. You don't become a hero because something bad happens to you. Real heroes make a conscious decision to make a sacrifice for others. If your golf partner is hit by a lightning bolt that could just as easily have hit you, that doesn't make him a hero.

Heroism is not physical courage. I recall a story of a young man who decided his extreme sport would be hang-gliding at Royal Gorge in Colorado. He smacked into the bridge and died, but he wasn't a hero. A rescue worker said he wished guys would stop pulling those kinds of stunts because it wasn't much fun to clean up the mess. I thought it was a good example of natural selection.

By now, you probably understand what I mean by "hero." But let me get more personal. You can agree with me on an intellectual level, but your real definition of hero depends on the answers to questions like these: Who do you envy? Who would you like to switch places with? Who do you model your life after? Who would you stand in the rain for two hours to get a glimpse of?

The answers to those questions tell us who today's heroes are. They're the people our culture idolizes. Along with sports stars, they're people like Oprah Winfrey, Princess Diana, John Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, Britney Spears, goofballs who win lotteries, and dummies who freeze their fingers off climbing Mount Everest. They haven't done anything heroic. If their lives are of any interest to you whatsoever, you have a small, simple, dull mind.

I've met some heroes. A pastor. A debate coach. A young mother who took in foster children with fetal alcohol syndrome. A middle-aged logger. Just recently, I asked a young man why he had enlisted in the Army. Quietly, he said he wanted to serve his country.

We've all met at least a few people like this. Some of us notice that they're heroes, while others fix their gazes on Earnhardt and Princess Di.

I know why. Life's easier if your heroes have extraordinary talent, luck, wealth or fame. Idolizing these people implies nothing about how you should live, since you don't have their gifts or opportunities. You can admire Dale Earnhardt without anyone questioning why you don't get behind the wheel yourself. You can be a spectator.

But if you open your eyes and notice the heroes in your midst, the ones with ordinary bodies and ordinary talents, but who make extraordinary choices, it's harder to be a mere spectator. If your pastor is a hero, it might mean that you could at least teach Sunday school. If a neighbor kid is a hero for joining the Army, how can you say you're too busy to be an informed voter? Real heroes show us a better version of ourselves. Don't be afraid to look.

Alan Aker is a Piedmont businessman and former state lawmaker. He can be reached at livefree@akerwoods.com