Don’t get mad at me if I answer a poorly written question correctly but in an unexpected way.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwebb/124284966/

Drum-roll please… The oxymoron of the week is:

Martial Satisfaction

As used in “Researchers parse pronouns , indicate couples using `we’ good conflict solvers, less stressed”

It appears that Alfa has increased the output power on it’s latest production AWUS036H WiFi cards. The old version of the card was rated at 500mw. Per Alfa’s new specs they’ve doubled the output power on the card to 1W. This card has historically been the wardriver’s workhorse. It’s nice to see it updated for higher output levels.

Alfa has also come out with the AWUS036NH 2W WiFi card. It’s supports the G and N protocols. It uses the Ralink 3070 chipset. I have one incorporated into my vehicle. I’ll be posting a review shortly. You’ll probably want to hold off buying one. The card was a bear to get working under Ubuntu 9.10 and I still have not been able to get Kismet to work with it.

If you plan on using the AWUS036H (NOT the AWUS036NH ) with Kismet the proper source line in /etc/kismet/kismet.conf is:

source=rt8180,wlan0,ALFA

I just replaced the Broadcom card in my Mini 9 with an Intel WiFi Link 5100. It supports the A/B/G/N protocols and at $23 it’s a bargain. If you plan on using it with Kismet the proper source line in /etc/kismet/kismet.conf is:

source=iwl4965,wlan1,wifiKis

Well, today I braved the unseasonably warm temperatures to stand in front of my local Office Depot to score a $320 laptop. I arrived at 10:15. They opened at  11:00. At approximately 10:50 two other gentlemen joined me to score the three MSI A5000-025US (9S7-168344-026)  laptops they had available. Sold out at 11:03.

I’m VERY impressed with the laptop. It’s got LED back lighting, a dual core processor, 3 GIGs of memory and a webcam. The only thing missing is bluetooth.   I’ll probably add one of the $2.36 bluetooth modules from DealExtreme. The OS which came with is is Windows 7 32bit Home Premium. My OS preference is Ubuntu. 9.10 Karmic Koala installed without a hitch. The only thing needed was to turn on the webcam and WiFi using the top buttons.

“They described the cases of 10 patients at a Michigan hospital who were so ill they had to be put on ventilators. Three died. Nine of the 10 were obese, seven were severely obese, including two of the three who died.”

I find this absolutely amazing.  The H1N1 influenza virus seems to kill people in the 20 to 40 year old demographic. Scientists postulate that this is because this demographic has the most active immune system. H1N1 induces a cytokine storm which hyperactivates the immune system causing massive damage to the lungs and other organs. In obese people the immune system would probably be suppressed, making a cytokine storm harder to happen.

Obesity emerges as risk factor in severe flu

According to Richard Stephens of Keele University, we do it for pain releif. Swearing triggers the amygdala which is responsible for our “Fight or Flight” reflex. One of the effects of the “Fight or Flight” reflex is a lessening of our sensitivity to pain. Don’t swear too oftten though, because when swear words become commonly used by the subject, they loose thir ability to stimulate the amygdala. That ^%^&*^*& sucks.

Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief

My favorite is #6 “Emergency Radio”

“An earthquake takes out the power. You get stuck in traffic afer hearing an explosion. Your building is evacuated and you don’t know why. We can think of a million reasons to have an emergency radio handy. For $0.99, you can have the emergency frequencies of almost all the major police and emergency departments in the U.S., as well as air traffic control.”

The only problem is that when an emergency situation happens, the cell phone network is probably going down…hard. One of the lessons learned by law enforcement during the recent terrorist events in Mumbai is that you need to cut off the terrorist’s command and control structure. In Mumbai that was cell phones.

In another recent disaster, when the 35W bridge in Minneapolis MN collapsed, there were thousands of people sitting in the Metrodome less than a mile away. Most had cell phones. The sheer call volume overwhelmed the cell phone network that day. It made it difficult for first responders and any equipment that relied on the cell phone network.

But at least you might be able to hear what’s going on, if you’re lucky. That’s better than nothing. Personally, I have a 2M VHF transceiver in my car. If I can get to my car, I’m good. The radio allows me to contact a myriad of people within a 100 mile radius using a decentralized repeater network. If the repeater is down the simplex range is about 30 miles.

7 iPhone Apps That Can Save Lives

I especially like number six:

How do you feel that I measure up to your requirements for this position?

Overcome objections and close the sale.  After all, a job interview is probably the one time we all will be in sales.

Seven Great Questions to Ask at a Job Interview

Put those baby pictures in your wallet!  According to Richard Wiseman people will return a wallet 88% of the time if it has a baby picture in it.

The baby photograph wallets had the highest return rate, with 88 per cent of the 40 being sent back. Next came the puppy, the family and the elderly couple, with 53 per cent, 48 and 28 respectively. At 20 per cent and 15, the charity card and control wallets had the lowest return rates.

You might want to leave the charity card at home.