Who is paying for this?

“Riding a bike is as effective as walking briskly at helping premenopausal women keep from gaining more weight, a new study reveals.”

A Little Biking May Help Premenopausal Women Stay Slim

Really?  We needed a new study to reveal that if a (specific subset of) people burn calories they will lose, or help maintain, they weight?

It’s almost time for a new camera, I think.  I like the higher-end point-and-shoot models that can take good enough video to not miss a camcorder and don’t suffer from the lag of lower-end point-and-shoots.  The S90 looks decent, but I’m also partial to Canons for no other reason than that’s what I’ve always had.  This comparison of the specs with the S90′s main competitor was helpful, but I’d also like to hear any opinions.  Thoughts on the S90?

The tone of the following post sounds to me like “Oh my gosh!  How dare he say it’s theft!”: ‘Piracy Is Theft, Clean and Simple’ US Vice President Says.  This comes on the heels of Canada’s potential move towards harsher copyright laws, similar to the US.

But, isn’t it theft?  My opinion has shifted over the years as it becomes obvious that attempts to justify copying digital media are quite obviously thinly veiled excuses to just get something for free.  This isn’t to say we don’t all do it, but at a minimum we should at least accept what we’re doing.

The difficulty is that it’s kind of a moral grey area, at least on the surface.  The act of downloading a copy of some movie isn’t directly hurting anyone, right?  So, doesn’t that make it acceptable?  I’d say no; we can’t avoid the fact that a product is being used without the compensation expected by the creator.  Further, I’ve even heard people try to show how copying it helps the creator.  Unfortunately, that’s all irrelevant because the creator isn’t getting what they wanted for their product and this is possibly the only part of society where it’s acceptable for the consumer to unilaterally decide a product isn’t worth it’s price, yet then still take it for free.

If you think the creator is asking too much money for it, don’t buy it.  They’ll probably learn and drop the price.  I would like to think that harsh copyright and protection would end up scaring off consumers, and therefore naturally move back to a more sane scheme.  There’s a bit of evidence of this with iTunes and others moving away from protected music, but we’ve seen DVDs go in the opposite direction.

One of my difficulties with the new copyright laws being considered in Canada is that they (apparently) void the concept of fair use.  I expect that any media I purchase can be legally transferred to any device I own for my own uses.  If that’s not true, the value of the media to me is significantly less.  I’m not particularly interested in purchasing a license to use a movie only on the particular plastic DVD that it came on.  Discs degrade, break and become obsolete.

Although it’s not perfect, the iTunes model seems better, especially if the provisions pass in the laws where it is always illegal to work around copy protection, even for your personal use.  If I purchase music or movies there I can legally transfer them amongst my computers, TV, iPhones and iPods.  Sure, it’s a closed ecosystem, but that’s still a lot more useful than just a DVD.

What do you think?  Is copying copyrighted material always theft?

Wow, and this isn’t a lead-in to a bad joke.  I’m surprised the number is so close to 100%.  Given all the political backlash against climate change (especially in the US) I thought the number would have been lower, more like 80 or 90%.

Why don’t we trust climate scientists?

Yet, many people still think this is some huge conspiracy.  I’ve always wondered what they think the motivation for this conspiracy is?  Maybe they’ve been duped into thinking it’s a ploy to get more of their tax dollars?

I’m very interested in trying out solar but am hesitant to invest in a full home install, given we don’t know how many more years we’ll be in our current home.  I’ve posted an article on some ideas for small-scale solar setups here: How To Go Solar Without A Huge Investment.

I’d be happy for any thoughts or feedback!

There’s lots to think about these days.  A possible coalition of the left in Canada.  Helen Thomas being fired for harsh words towards Israel.  Israel being put under a lot of new pressure.

But, that’s not what’s on my mind this week.  This is:

iPhone 4

Yes, the new iPhone.  Specifically, whether to purchase this new dreamy piece of hardware.  I really want it, but I can’t help wishing for 2 things from my smartphone: a slightly larger screen and a physical keyboard.  The Droid2 looks nice, but I’m still not so sure about Android.  The OS seems good, but the Apple app store seems to have much more selection and quality apps (as well as 100x more junk, too).  Plus, it doesn’t look like Rogers will be getting a good Android phone any time soon.  So, maybe I’ll have to suffer with the iPhone 4…

Two big recent international events seem to be putting a lot of pressure on Israel: 10 die in Israeli raid on aid flotilla and US retreat can’t soften blow of Obama-backed NPT resolution.  On the NPT resolution, I think it’s good to push Israel to disclose its nuclear capabilities.  Their known, and condoned, hidden stockpile is a definite complicating factor with Iran and the mideast in general.  I’m not clear why Israel can’t disclose and get the same “deal” Pakistan and India both got, who had developed weapons in secret and then were able to disclose.

I think the pressure on Israel is good and seems to be the only remaining way to get them to change their policies.

This is pretty crazy: N. Korea must face consequences for ship: Clinton.  How to deal with proof that North Korea shot at and sunk a South Korean ship?  I’ll assume for now that NK actually did it and had no real justification, since I haven’t seen anything pointing otherwise.

I’ve got about 10 conflicting opinions running around in my head, but to quote The Dude (who was quoting George Bush): “This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man.”  I’d classify myself close to a pacifist (maybe “pragmatic pacifist”?), but seriously, WTF is going on with this mild-sounding response?  I think a big part of the reason why we’ve had (relatively) little conflict in the past few decades is that small, aggressive, countries know there will be a large “global” response to stop them if they do something crazy.  Like Iraq invading Kuwait.  Let’s not get into the US invading other countries, as that’s a whole other mess and I’d say also decreases global stability.

This is completely different than the (fake) justifications for the invasion of Iraq, or for pre-emptive strikes against Iran or North Korea.  Those presume the supposed weapons sought by them are not purely defensive, which is difficult to prove unless they’re used offensively.  This attack, however, is real and the lack of an appropriate response will effectively condone the action.

What would be an appropriate “pragmatic pacifist” response?  Maybe try to disable some, or all, of the NK navy (as opposed to sinking them, which would definitely kill a lot of people).  Definitely disabling, or sinking, any NK boats that cross into SK, as seen in this recent event.

I’m a bit amused and confused by the public war over Flash on the iPhone.  I’m an avid iPhone user.  I also don’t tend to like Flash on the web unless it’s really called for, like something very interactive or video.

I won’t bother guessing whether Apple’s motives are truly meant to control their ecosystem or have my best interests in mind.

We can categorize Flash use into two broad categories: video and non-video. Considering how much video is available in the Flash format I’d argue that Apple should make an effort to show those videos natively on the device (if that’s even allowed).  Why not an app, similar to the YouTube one, that appears whenever you click on a Flash video in the browser?  But, I hope Jobs is right and non-Flash video will soon replace Flash.

However,  I have absolutely no interest in non-video Flash on my iPhone.  Why would I want it?  To visit sites that are fully in Flash?  I don’t bother visiting any sites like that on a PC, so have no need on my phone.  What about for games?  Just imagine how useless a typical Flash game would be on such a small screen.  Either you’ll have to zoom in and scroll around constantly (plus, what would distinguish between a zoom touch and something for the app?), or look at it zoomed all the way out.

I think it’ll be pretty funny when Android and Blackberry phones soon get Flash and people suddenly wonder what they’re supposed to do with it.

In Europe these days it seems to be all the rage to ban or restrict Islamic face and/or body veils.  The latest: Belgian lawmakers pass burka ban that applies anywhere in public.

Here’s the thing, though: proponents claim this is all in the name of ensuring freedom and equality for women.  Yet, doesn’t a ban on a few specific kinds of clothing for women restrict their freedom?  I don’t like burka’s, myself, but I don’t assume I should be telling anyone else what to wear.  I’m also not opposed to defining some limits.  Some jobs, that are largely based on personal interaction, would be hampered by a full face and body covering.