GmailFS is some python code that creates a mountable (linux) filesystem out of your Gmail account.

That is pretty cool. I like the idea of making a symlink to something in my Gmail account.

Sotto.org.

Via bdu:

"[T]he FBI has a full-fledged espionage investigation under way and is about to -- in FBI terminology -- "roll up" someone agents believe has been spying not for an enemy, but for Israel from within the office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon." [CBS News]

The history of Israeli / American military and intelligence relations is well documented. The U.S. spied on Israel, Israel spied on the U.S. The two countries ostensibly cooperate, but only as much as benefits one another.

In 1967, during the six-day Arab Israeli war, the USS Liberty was anchored in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. The Liberty was collecting signals intelligence: monitoring the radio traffic on both sides during the war. It is believed that the Liberty intercepted radio conversations that supported claims of Israeli war crimes.

Israeli reconnaissance aircraft examined The Liberty, identifying her as a U.S. flagged ship. The Israeli army then attacked The Liberty for two hours, first with attack jets, then a second round of jets dropped napalm on the ship. Torpedo boats then attacked The Liberty. As the crew abandoned ship, Israeli soldiers attempted to sink The Liberty's life rafts with machine gun fire.

34 American soldiers were killed that day, 172 were injured.

The same people who attacked The Liberty, radical israelis, those driven to win at all costs, believing the ends justify any means, are those advising the Bush administration on Middle East policy. The radical neoconservative extremists in the Pentagon, State Department, and the Republican party are very closely tied with radical elements of the Israeli government. AIPAC, a pro-Israel special interest group, was the source of a great deal of U.S. policy on Iraq, believing that war in Iraq would change the balance of power in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, it is not a surprise that Israeli interests have the ear of Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle, and Paul Wolfowitz. The connections are clear and documented. Perle was caught on tape discussing classified information with members of the Israeli embassy. Perle accepted a $50,000 payment from an Israeli arms manufacturer. The incestuous links go on and on.

Radical Israeli interests are intertwined within the Bush administration. We've seen the disasterous results, alienating the U.S. from the rest of the world, starting a war based on lies. These irrational interests had been kept in check until the September 11th attacks provided ammunition for radical hawks within the U.S. government to push ahead with policies like "preemption" and total surveillance of its own citizens.

I find the whole situation rather depressing. My only hope is that the peaceful revolution guaranteed every four years by the Constitution does its job, putting rational leaders in the place of the ideologues appointed by the Bush administration.

How does an adult with an ounce of respect take another company's product, paint it up like a whore, and try to pass it off as something worthwile?

[via readme.blog]

POTD

"With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone [...]"

What a wonderful, common-sense thing to say, particularly because Vice President Cheney spoke these words. Bravo to Mr. Cheney for speaking his mind, knowing that his personal opinion runs counter to his President's policy:

"[..]our nation must enact a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America"

Silly me, not seeing the impending peril of marriage. I suppose Mr. Cheney is being silly, too.

Wow. It sucks to be Nikon.

POTD

"Fortunately for Nmap users, Microsoft implemented the new restrictions in their typical half-assed fashion. Instead of sending raw IP packets, we move one layer down and send our raw IP packets in raw ethernet frames. It took Microsoft years to develop SP2, but attackers can completely defeat the raw socket and (with a little more work) connect() restrictions in minutes!"

I'm tickled that nmap developers were able to circumvent these changes so quickly.

"Cabbies Against Bush Offer Free Rides to Airport For GOP Delegates Willing to Go to Iraq to Fight."

Brilliant.

Well, this sucks. Ilford has to be some kind of volume leader, so if they can't turn a profit, many other companies must be in trouble. The black and white film market really seems to be at a turning point.

Went to a friend's CD release party at some theme bar. Mermaids, or fish, or water. I couldn't quite make out the theme.

It was a bit of a strange place. But one would expect a ukulele band to play in a strange place.

It only got weirder when the mermaid started swimming around.

DPReview has posted an updated review of Canon's 20D, adding sample images. Funny -- even though it must be a pretty new camera, several of the samples show blotches of dust stuck to the sensor.

Someone has to figure out how to deal with sensor dust.

Against many expectations, the Iraqi men's football team is doing well in the Olympics. Bravo, guys.

In an act of remarkably bad taste, the George W. Bush reelection campaign uses the Iraqi football team in campaign advertisements.

The Iraqi players respond:

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Iraqi midfielder Salih Sadir told SI.com [...] "He can find another way to advertise himself."

Bravo, Guys.

It is a good thing that president Bush half-heartedly condemned the "swiftboat" ads.

"I think Senator Kerry served admirably and he ought to be proud of his record, [...] but the question is who's best to lead the country in the war on terror."

That he took so long to do so, and that he didn't unequivocally come out against the advertisements, rather choosing to focus on "527" organizations, speaks volumes. This was a cold, cynical, calculated move to impugn Senator Kerry's character, and the President has clearly demonstrated his complicity.

I expect more from the President of the United States, whether Republican or Democratic.

POTD

Some Falun Gong people have had quite a demonstration happening at the corner of Lafayette and Houston in Manhattan.

Note to Falun Gong publicity people: don't have your people wearing black and bright white outside in the middle of the day. Makes it hard to get good photos. Having the prisoners wearing a dull grey would have made for punchier pictures.