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Die Junge Garde · 30.11.05

Wenn wir nicht mit der zeit gehen, dann muessen wir mit der zeit gehen.

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Girls and High Tech · 30.11.05

The caption to this picture says: "Any arbitrary problem, that can be described mathematically, can be solved by electron brains. This automat deals with calculations related to vehicle suspensions - which used to be a costly task."

Quite sexy for an east german book published in '62. Yes folks, girls and high tech. This is just the way how to encourage youngsters to become geek. How many fine young men became geek and had to learn that they've fallen for a marketing gag?

More girls, though without high tec, are at Nuno Plati's

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Pimp Feuilleton · 29.11.05

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Disabled are not being Served · 28.11.05

Surprise, surprise, the vast majority of public service websites in Europe are failing to meet international e-accessibility standards. Well, it is the same with privately owned services, isn't it?

(via ElReg)

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Noble Art of Letter Writing · 27.11.05

I herewith pledge, that I from now on start letters with:

Gentlemen,
Attached idea came to me while thinking about how one might explain that the equation....

... and end them with:

...
Maybe you are interested in this subject too -- maybe not.
Enjoy!

weird that I didn't come up with this earlier, weird weird ...

(via improbable research)

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War on Whoever With Toll Data · 26.11.05

Finally, the cat is out of the bag. You might have noticed that we have this fancy satellite global positioning based autobahn toll system in germany. There was a lot of embarrasment about it, cause it wouldn't work for months and months while the german government would already have planned with all the money that never came.

However, now the whole system works somehow production stable. The system is so very fancy that it always knows a lorry's position on the german autobahn grid, thus can calculate the toll a lorry owner would have to pay for using the autobahn. What does it do beside calculating fees? It collects a whole lot of data about the whereabouts of vehicles.

This second feature is of course interesting for the interiour minister. Well, today the ministry admited that they already check on how to change german law to gain access to this data. Lovely. By now, the whole system is only applied to lorry traffic. By now. Mark my words and do the online paranoia test.

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Who is Whining · 25.11.05

There is this proverb 'Jammern auf hohem Niveau', which somehow translates to 'Whining on high levels'. Recently this term is used more frequently in german political debate. Siggi Becker today notices on Mehrzweckbeutel, that those who usually use the term, are normally not really affected by any of the planned cut backs in government spendings.

...in the end they spend/donate 30.000.000Euro for a 'crappy made' and 'hardly thought about' public relations campaign to tell those, who'll live on less soon, to stop whining. Thereby they fog screen, that they probably won't live on less soon.

So, note: 'Whining on high levels' is a rhetoric means of political debate. It is not an argument, do not fall for it.

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RoKo Putsch Verschoben · 22.11.05

Wenn schon einE kanzlerIn von der union, dann eine protestantische frau aus dem osten. Denn jetzt koennen wir uns mit vergnuegen ansehen, wie der Roland Koch sein temperament nur muehsam im zaume halten kann. Genau wie die anderen unionskarrieristen. Herrlich. Ein leben in parteiausschuessen und an stammtischen und dann ... Frau Merkel aus Templin.

Ehrlich gesagt, hatte ich damit gerechnet, dass die kanzlerwahl platzt. Ich war davon ueberzeugt, Roland Koch wuerde mit einem meuternden fallschirmjaegerbatallion in den plenarsaal stuermen und sich direkt vom Lammert zum kanzler ernennen lassen. Na ja, karrieristen haben oftmals ihre cochones irgendwo auf der ochsentour abgegeben. Deswegen fuer den Roland, von brutalst moeglichem herzen und mit haeme, noch ein paar aestethisch hochwertige schwarz-weiss bilder von Angie... und noch was, Roland, so wie unten haettst du ausgesehen. Schneidig oder?

(originalbild)

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Google's Language Attribut - Update · 22.11.05

This is a follow up of the post Google's Language Attribut. I'm just learning that there is one very geeky language attribute supportet by google. 'hl=xx-hacker'. Extraordinary geek fun, check it out:

• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=xx-hacker

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Idea Patentability Reviewed · 21.11.05

A little long but still worth reading completely. A harsh comment on 'idea patentability', which I completely agree with:

[...] Ideas aren't things. They're much more valuable than that. Intellectual property - treating some ideas as if they were in some circumstances things that can be owned and traded - is itself no more than an idea that can be copied, modified and improved. It is this process of freely copying them and changing them that has given us the world of material abundance in which we live. If our ideas of intellectual property are wrong, we must change them, improve them and return them to their original purpose. When intellectual property rules diminish the supply of new ideas, they steal from all of us.
-- 'Owning Ideas' by Andrew Brown

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Wunderkind Joop · 21.11.05

It was the day of the Lord yesterday. The one who made my day of the Lord yesterday was Wolfgang Joop. Mr. Joop was guest of a radioshow, where he'd be interviewed and in turn could choose the music. I noticed already in April 2004 that Mr. Joop is remarkably bright and eloquent. Yesterday, Joop again was great fun and entertainment. O.k., Joop's music was well within the expected range, but still high quality. His anecdotes funny and lovely presented.

By the way, I learned for example that Joop sold his old label and now runs a new label called Wunderkind. Google doen't even find the website of this label yet. In outfitting the ladies Joop still has just and downright great tastes.

Putting it all together, I'd bet you ten bucks, that Joop is great company, so: Wolfgang, ol' chap, since we are practically neighbours, you can always come over for a cup of green tea, biscuits and a little chat. Just call ahead.

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Lesetip Javamagazin · 19.11.05

Das javamagazin duempelt hin und wieder mal fuer drei bis neun monate erheblich vor sich hin, aber die aktuelle ausgabe ist mal wieder ein knueller. Lars Wunderlich fliessen, gemessen an dem, was man vom sujet gewohnt ist, die ironien nur so aus der feder. Wie nebenbei gelingt es ihm, im gestreckten galopp, den bogen von Zuse bis zur 'Aspektorientierten Programmierung'. Denn zur Aspektorientierung wollte er und deren ansaetze erklaert er trefflich. Nun will sich herr Wunderlich nicht nachsagen lassen, er sei ein theoretiker mit hang zur verspielt ironischen formulierung. Deswegen legt er gleich noch zwei beitraege jeweils zu technischen grundlagen und praxisaspekten nach. Das alles liesst sich leicht und rund weg und hinterlaesst das gefuehl endlich im bilde zu sein und morgen anfangen zu koennen, wenn man denn wollen wuerde. Vom autor gibt es auch ein buch zum thema.

Allein Wunderlichsbeitraege waeren die zeitung schon wert gewesen. In der aktuellen ausgabe gibt man sich damit aber nicht zufrieden. Im teil 'EnterpriseARCHITEKTUR' (Wenn man ein wort in einer sprache beginnt, sollte man es auch in der selben zu ende bringen, liebes javamagazin) gibt es noch einen flotten abriss zu dokumentationsmethoden fuer verschiedene zielgruppen. Das kann sehr wertvoll fuer anforderungsanalysen sein, die unter umstaenden noch vor einem liegen. Auch sehr schoen.

Dazu gibts noch seitenweise ansaetze, tricks und kniffe fuer den armen leser, der schlaue wege sucht, seine informationen in den browser zu bekommen. Janz gross diesmal, bitte am ball bleiben.

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Gut Holz · 19.11.05

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Traumpaar Hoyzer Delling - Update 1 · 17.11.05

Dieser eintrag bezieht sich auf 'Traumpaar Hoyzer Delling'.

Hoyzer muss doch in den bau. Damit steht er wohl als Dellings co-moderator nicht mehr zur verfuegung. Oder vielleicht doch? Der Karsten Speck ist doch auch im offenen vollzug. Das muesste doch auch mit Hoyzer gehen. Spiele, die nicht in die verlaengerung gehen, koennte er dann schon co-moderieren. Waer schoen wenn's klappt.

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Passport News - Update 1 · 17.11.05

This is a follow up of a recent post: Passport News.

We have further information on the epassport issue covered recently. One of my questions seems to be answered already. Will passport chips remain silent if invalid keys are transmitted? There are rumors that chips won't remain silent. They will transmit their 'probably unique' serial number during handshake with any scanning device. This would mean that basic attacks like 'nation guessing' or 'does she carry a rfid passport' might be possible. 'Most wanted broadcasts' might be possible as well, because serialnumber->individual maps are inherent.

This is not the way it should be done. Bad medicine. What's the range within scanning is possible?

(via juergen-luebeck.de)

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Off to Gitmo · 16.11.05

I thought this post would fit good today. Furthermore, don't tell me you haven't been warned.

There is something I notice for a while now. In american english "Send you to Gitmo" became commonly used lately. Here in Germany we used to have a very similar term. It was "... sonst kommst du nach Dachau", which would mean "...otherwise they send you to Dachau". Well, that was 70 years ago in the early years of german fascism, when concentration camps, like Dachau, were used to illegally lock away the oppostion. The existence of Dachau was common knowledge back in those days and therefore the sheere existence of Dachau served as means of terror. The term "...otherwise you go to Dachau" was a threat or warning in those days and would often come with "Watch your tongue, ..." or "Be quiet, ..."

If one scrolls down the google results on "Send you to Gitmo" today, one notices that the term is used very similar now in american internet debate. Doesn't it?

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Passport News · 16.11.05

We have new information on the ongoing rfid passport issue. Our great german federal department for security in I.T., which I'd like to praise here, has mastered an agreement on certain security measures that shall prevent your fancy rfid passport from being remotely scanned.

The trick shalt be, that a rfid passport only allows radio scans if a (around) 56 bit key is send by the scanning device that wants to read the rfid chip. To get this key the reading device has to have optical access to the passport. The key can only be generated by optically reading a set of information that should make every passport, issued where ever, unique (passportnumber, date of birth, etc).

After transmitting the key, the passport will allow communication 112-bit triple DES encrypted. Now, that sounds reasonable and eases my concerns a little. Well, DES is not an algorithm that is considered very secure anymore. Triple DES might still be o.k.

In a second step, official reading devices will be provided with certified public keys to authenticate against your passport. According to the certificate your passport will decide what information it will transmit.

How to attack such a passport? If no public key authentication is needed the case is simpler. So, start with this one. If the target passport is within your rfid scanners range for a while, say you sit beside your target person in a train, you could try guessing the 56bit key. A lot of possible keys. Still, by guessing the date of birth one could narrow down the set of feasible keys remarkably. So, will there be a time lock? Three wrong keys submitted, no information for two hours, or something similar?

Then there is the topic of nation guessing or something like that. There might be scenarios, where the evildoer only wants to know very basic things about a target person. Does she carry a rfid passport? What nation does she come from? Will the chips behave identically in passports of all nations? Hearing that the optically readable key is 'about' 56bits long may mean that different countries will issue different chips, thus opening the door for this kind of remote scan. Furthermore, will the chip remain absolutely silent if wrong keys are submitted? Everything else would reveal some information that could be useful to gather more.

Last but not least, if a device has figured out the proper key, it could store the key permanently, thus enabling authorities of the same country to scan your passport where ever they'd like to, without asking permission. Say, police would be able to install a scanner at a frequented place, where they would 'broadcast' the keys of their top ten most wanted individuals. A properly working passport would certainly answer. Wouldn't it?

As last remark, I'd like to say that the whole tech issue is not my main point of critique. It is rather that I doubt the reasoning behind it. Even if everything works fine and secure, which will be the big 'if' for at least five years, it still costs a lot and adds little security.

... Read Passport News - Update 1 as well ...

(via juergen-luebeck.de)

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Traumpaar Hoyzer Delling · 15.11.05

Wegen der tonnen von asche auf seinem haupt muss Schiri Hoyzer sehr wahrscheinlich nicht in den bau. Der weg ist frei. Jetzt koennen die DFB- und fernseh-granden mit der Hoyzer-resozialisationsfrage auch gleich die Netzer-nachfolgefrage beantworten. Und die WM? Die wird vor der glotze am schoensten:

Mehr dazu und zu fussball ueberhaupt gibts uebrigens hier: http://www.fussball-blabla.de/

... Traumpaar Hoyzer Delling - Update 1 (seit dem urteil auch hier)

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Writers in Prison Day · 15.11.05

According to the Norwegian P.E.N. today is "Writers in Prison Day". This definitely is a more worthy cause then the "International Talk Like a Pirate Day".

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Sun Creator · 13.11.05

I took the time to have a quick glance at Sun's integrated development environment 'Creator', which is freely downloadable at Sun's right now. First impression? Well, if you are used to other Java enhancing IDEs like Netbeans or Eclipse, Creator is a leap forward. Creator strongly aims for the development and deployment of webservices. It comes with Sun's application server and an example(?) database. The whole thing is quite easy to use. It took me less then an hour, to install the beast and deploy the first .jsp. The page would connect to one of the built in example tables and display some of it's content. The .jsp layout was done 'drag and drop' on a grided canvas. You are supported dealing with all those relevant industy standards, like XML and Beans. Well, I didn't even had to check the manual up to now. I'll keep you informed on how 'Creator' works for me.

Last but not least a little remark. Do not give too much on my opinion here, I only had a quick glance, as mentioned above. Next step will be reading the relevant documents to figure out what one is actually supposed to do with Sun's Creator.

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Objektorientierung II · 12.11.05

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Phaenotypen · 11.11.05

Nachdem der begriff "Albanischer Schlaeger" fuer einen bestimmten phaenotyp von mensch herabsetzend, herabwuerdigend und also unpassend ist, habe ich mich mit mir auf den terminus "Bulgarischer Ringer" geeinigt.

Es muss also in zukunft heissen: "Der bulgarische ringer, der mit seiner sehr schlanken hochhackig beschaftstiefelten freundin beim Hugo Boss factory outlet lederjacken bestaunte..."

Weiterhin geht das geruecht, ich waere auf einem frisierten moped mit 103 km/h am hotel germania vorbei gefahren. Diesem geruecht muss ich entschieden entgegentreten.

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Kinderlieder · 8.11.05

Wenn die schoene des morgens "Sni, Sna, Sniper, ... Sniper, Sniper, Sniper" singt, dann weiss ich, dass es heute im untericht wieder um den irischen buergerkrieg von 1923 gehen wird.

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Auch wieder wahr · 7.11.05

Liebe Landsleute,
"Immigration ist die hoechste Form der Anerkennung" nicht ganz von Oscar Wilde, aber womoeglich richtig.

or in english: "Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery." -- Jack Paar.

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Heute Nich · 6.11.05

Dis feuilleton muss heute wegen dringend erforderlicher entgiftungsmassnahmen entfallen. Au au au. Aber wenigsten weiss ich endlich wer seinerzeit hierfuer verantwortlich war. Den konnte man schon in der dritten klasse nicht mit 'ner flachbatterie allein lassen, he he. Wer heut trotzdem was schoenes lesen will geht zur "Electronic Frontier Foundation"

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Aenne Burda Died · 5.11.05

I'm late with this post, but I did have a hard time backing the information given here. Today I managed to find a second source: Anna Magdalene Burda died last week at the age of 96. She was head of the biggest publishing house specialising in fashion in germany.

How did she become head of this enterprise? Well, her husband, publisher Franz Burda, had a long term liason with a certain lady. He financed a little fashion publishing house for her to provide her with a hobby. This enterprise was not run very well at all.

When in 1949 Aenne found out about the liason and that there was a child from this liason, just the same age as her youngest son, she offered the following. She would only stay with him¹, if this woman would disapear from their live without trace and(!) if Aenne would get the publishing house. With her hostile takeover the rise of Burda Moden began. This is the founding story of one of the big publishing houses in germany and, by the way, the first western firm to publish fashion magazines and sewing patterns in Russia in 1987.

Next to the story of the founding of Burda-Moden there is a second interesting point. It is the large scale publishing of sewing patterns, which brought independence from tailors to german females. It is actually an early open source business case that worked. Got my point?

Let's remain silent for a moment. A great woman left.

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1 note that we are in the fifties, one would not divorce quickly. It could have damaged the careers of both.

(via dradio)

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Swiss Knife of Communication · 4.11.05

In vocational English one has to deal with 'meeting and greeting' which does not only require vocabulary, but knowledge about culture and what is appropriate and what is inappropriate in certain countries. Lately we made up appropriate and inappropriate meeting topics and phrases. Thus, we came to a phrase which at first seemed inappropriate, though I still like it, because it is a swiss knife in everyday communication. If one is familiar with basic techniques of self defense, one could use it in almost any situation in which one needs to express approval or disapproval towards other people's proposals or actions. Here it is:

"I'd rather twist your nipples!"

Consider situations like being 'security checked' at the airport or being asked for your public transport ticket in the bus. Those occasions are great to use the phrase.

• A: "Would you please open your bag, Sir?"
• B: "I'd rather twist your nipples!"

Furthermore, if one would alter the term to "I could twist your nipples!" one could express sweetest delight with other people's proposals or actions.

• Waiter: "Did you find everything o.k. Ma'am?"
• B: "So Super! I could twist your nipples!"

There are even more alterations. Change 'could' with 'should' or the old fashioned 'shalt'. Now you can express disapproval of other people's activities, that took place already.

• A: "Sorry Ma'am, I just bumped into your car."
• B: "I shalt twist your nipples!"

Great, isn't it? Only keep in mind 'twist' and 'nipples' and you can get very far. Of course writing about this topic has yet another advantage. Google will probably direct queries with 'twist' and 'nipples' in it right here soon. Man, I am a great marketeer.

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Allensbacher Alliterierte Allgemeine · 4.11.05

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Google's Language Attribut · 3.11.05

Do You sometimes bore yourself rotten, when linking Google. Always the same layout, same terms, same usability? Well, thats over now, 'cause with a Google query you can pass a language attribute named 'hl'. Obviously it can take values from the set of those two letter localization tags. Differently from, what I thought, this attribute does not change the search result. It only chages the appearence of Google. This is a great and 'easy to use' tool to give your pages a somewhat cosmopolitan flair. Check the examples below:

• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=ja
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=zh-CN
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=iw
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=ar
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=hi
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=ko
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=ru
• /search?q=%22Der+Haken%22&hl=de

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Klassentreffen · 3.11.05

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I wanna get Make:d · 1.11.05

Time to start a new blog button campaign. Remember? There was this show, on MTV, 'I wanna get made'. This show, where drama nerds are abused and shouted at by weirdo boot camp jar heads to become either cheerleaders or quarterbacks after all? Now, this show is the worst crap MTV ever dared to air, cause it suggests that being geek is something that could and should be cured by making geeks what others want them to be. However ...

... this issue was not the issue I was to write about. I was to write about Make: The creative outburst magazine, covering everything involving creativity and technology in whatever field from knitting to high frequency electronics. For hallowe'en they linked my little cursor following flying bat. The resulting traffic really Make:d my day. Therefore, I consider these pages Make:d. But how to show it? Well, see the button above. If your pages are Make:d as well, feel free to backlink using the button above.

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Des hot doch ka' Stil, net · 1.11.05

Ja zefuenfe! Der bazi geht zurueck nach sei Minga. Oba wos wui'st oach von einem erwarten, der gleichzeitig mitglied vom 1. FC Bayern Minga und vom TSV 1860 ist? Der hot doch ka' rueckgrat net. Des hot doch ka' stil, hot des doch net. Desweng gibts von mir no' einen vers von den hundsbuam auf den weg:

Warst ned aufixing,
warst ned obafoin,
haettst mei schwester gheirat,
warst mei schwoger worn,
haettst a haeusl kriagt,
und a kuah dazua,
und a millisuppn in da frueah!

Warst ned viare ganga,
haettst koa watschn kriagt,
haettst dei maul fei ghoitn,
haettst an orden kriagt,
haettst karriere gmocht,
warst schee gwappnet worn,
mit am fettn bauch und rote ohrn!

Oba oans sog i dir glei', noch amal waehl i net. Des is do alles eine riesen macho verschwoerung um die Merkel aussi zu krieg'n.

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Muentevelli and the Larger Scheme · 1.11.05

Muentefering, Muentefering. I think today it is time to rename him. I propose Muentevelli or Machiafering. He really made my day already. Is he a vain narciss who thought he's got it all and fell or is there a larger scheme behind?

While considering this question we take a look at the really large scheme. We take a look at this year's Illegal Soapbox Derby. I love Anakin Beerwalker...

(via BoingBoing)

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