Flickr Tokyo Photo Sessions February Winner

That would be me then! The photo session was Odawara Castle and the nearby plum gardens, and the contest theme was "Up Close and Personal", which was left intentionally vague as many people don't have expensive macro lenses. I being among them decided against a second rate close-up of a flower in favour of the photo above, without honestly expecting I had a chance of getting anywhere with it. Perhaps the voters saw something in it I didn't.

Yey! I has interestingness!

I'm in a group shot that came up in Flickr's "Explore" top page. Wonder how many billions of people got to see that then.

Mail Related Oddity

Early in January, I migrated my domain mail server from Hostedmail to Gmail Apps, because it was clearly able to do a significantly better job of handling the 150 odd junk mails I was getting daily. Although I'd changed the MX record setting so that all incoming mail would go to Gmail, I left a link to the Hostedmail server so that I could log into the web interface (but not from work - for some reason they made it impossible to do so when they upgraded their software) just in case anything went wrong. Nothing went wrong, but having just logged in, imagine my surprise to find that there are at least 200 new junk mails received since I migrated, some as recent as this morning. As there is no possible way they could have come in from the outside, I have to conclude that Hostedmail are deliberately injecting junk mail into their users' accounts in order to promote their junk mail filters. Ironically, none of the mails had actually been caught and tagged by their junk mail filter, as they were all just sitting there in my Inbox. Yup, looks like migrating to Gmail was a sensible choice alright!

Flotsam and Jetsam - How Oasis Really Sound

Saw this clip on Victor Lewis Smith's TV Offal a good decade or more ago, and prayed long and hard to the gods of YouTube that I would one day see it again. I even attempted (badly) to recreate it myself using technology, but to no avail. Today though, my prayers have been answered. I present to you, Oasis as they really sound.

Hey, movie studios!

While I do think it's great that it's possible to put a digital 5.1 surround soundtrack on DVD releases of movies, giving those with a surround setup at home a truly enveloping cinematic experience, how about making use of one of the additional tracks available on the disc to include a re-mastered stereo version optimised for "living room" for the benefit of the remaining 98.2%* of the population that don't have such a setup, and sometimes also have neighbours to consider. I don't want to sound pedantic, but when I watch cinema-style TV shows like Lost or 24, they look great, and sound fantastic coming out of my TV's standard stereo speakers at a moderate volume. When I watch a film with a surround soundtrack though, the sound is invariably unbalanced to the point it utterly spoils the experience. When the sound is up loud enough that it's possible to make out the dialogue in my native language, music and sound effects are so loud they can be heard halfway down the road. Headphones exacerbate this, as I found out before giving up on the latest Harry Potter film on a long haul flight due to a combination of the music causing my ears physical pain and it sucking. Most of my DVDs I can't watch without English subtitles, and even then I'm constantly having to adjust the volume to match the sound output. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you supposed to have done that for me?

* figure made up to emphasise point, and may be considerably higher than actual number.

Amusing Google Find

Here was me innocently looking for a documentary called "Dangerous Cult" recommended by a friend, and imagine my surprise at the first result Google gave me. I don't know if the Church of Scientology decided to take a more honest approach with their keyword meta-tags, or if teh interwebs just had a Google-fart, but this may not be their best advertising strategy. They should perhaps stick to the free stress tests in shopping malls and Hollywood star flip-fests.

More odd junk mail?

This is the latest in a series of wtf junk mails I've been finding in my very effective Gmail-hosted spam quarantine these past few months. It absolutely boggles the mind. Amusingly, he at one point refers to an earlier mail, which I did in fact receive... wtf?!

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FBI preparations to Mukasey testimony before Senate Judiciary Committee on 01-30-08

Dear Madam and/or Sir,

I am sorry for taking your time again, but I have no other choice as to follow on the information sent to you and related to FBI lawlessness and to try thus surviving its retaliation which is presented below.

Thanking you in advance for your understanding, I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Slawomir J. Borowy

January 28, 2008

NOTE

for FBI Director Robert S. MUELLER

Re: Domestic terrors as the way of FBI preparations to the January 30, 2008 hearings of Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

1. Making just to the point, on January 9, 2008 you announced the appointment of Mr. Arthur M. CUMMINGS, II to the position of executive assistant FBI director for National Security Branch - NSB to replace Willie HULON, but without specifying the effective date of change. As of January 28, 2008 the FBI website provides the conflicting information on who is in charge of NSB. Cummings is listed in its one page, but Hulon is named in its another one. On or about the same day, the name of Daniel Lee CLOYD, acting assistant FBI director for counterintelligence disappeared from its website without giving any reason after my revealing and distributing of information on his crimes as well as without naming anybody to replace him even temporarily. This looks like the FBI game of seek and hide at the level of kids to protect criminal Cloyd inside.

2. On January 28, 2008 at about 9:00 am, i.e. 12 hours before the State of the Union address by President George W. BUSH to U.S. Congress and the American people, I provided offices of Senators in Hart Office Building with the information on the Cloyd lawlessness which has been presented in my earlier email and which been combined, perfected and presented in the form of memoranda. The new information is that he and his FBI counterintelligence conducted its covert operations among others: (a) to have set fires in Senate restrooms; (b) to have acted through its informant in U.S. Capitol Police - USCP; (c) to have tried getting me and my wife arrested for the Cloyd crimes; (d) to have failed in doing so; and (e) to have sacrificed its informant to direct putting the blame on USCP.

3. Shortly after that I and my wife were subjected to obvious retaliatory domestic terrors for delivering the information to offices of Senators. This was enforced in the house of FBI informants where we had to do its sitting for the extended weekends usually from Thursdays to Mondays/Tuesdays during the homelessness imposed by its counterintelligence. The remaining days of each week the FBI puts us on the street after blocking the issuance of work permits and taking away all our jobs as independent subcontractors. For the privilege of doing the free-of-charge house sitting, I have had to perform various computers jobs, including their setups in the business of house owners without any pay. My wife has to clean their house at the half of prevailing market rate each week. For last 8 years we have been extorted thus over $70,000.00, part of which gets as financial cuts to FBI officials like Cloyd upon the demands of its attorney Lawrence (previous tel. no.: 202-324-1188).

4. Without going into details, we should and could be in the house when its owners are on the farm. Whenever they come back, they leave it within a half hours and go to their office in Washington, DC. We should leave their house before their return during the evening. The reason for such arrangement is that at their age of about 75 years old they change often their plans and stay a day or so longer on the farm, depending on their health conditions. For the last few years they have followed on such practice which ensures that their house is taken care all time. This has made possible that we prevented damages in their house like flooding and even fire.

5. On January 28, 2008 morning one of house owners told over phone that they would be back at about noon. He did not indicate that we had to leave before. He agreed to talk to me upon his arrival. He came in at about 4:00 pm. He was angry that he had to leave the farm. This was evidently contrary to his real plan, needs and state of health. He said among others: “The next time, I tell you over the phone the hour of our return. You must be out before.” This was the breach of our oral agreement. Earlier, he did not mind our presence in the house when he had to rest even. His wife asked us to be there when he had sudden health problem. Two weeks ago, I set up their third farm computer without the payment of $600.00 for the job.

6. On January 28, 2008 at about 4:30 pm, the house owner acknowledged that he had to come to Washington, DC although he did not feel well. Few minutes later, we left the house. We could not change our clothes even. He did not go to the office at such late hours. The overheard telephone conversation of his with wife revealed that they were compelled to return from the farm, contrary to their real plans. They could have done the same jobs on the farm, using my computer setups. Apparently, FBI criminals lack any common sense that a house sitter should turn over the property to the owner who can check whether everything is in order. Such solution makes more difficult for them to break in, to do some kind sabotages and to direct putting the blame on us for their purposeful damages. Recently, they specialized in blocking toilet and implying that we as “stupid Polaczeks” do not know how to use restrooms.

7. Evidently, FBI criminals try imposing a new rule to reflect what Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity means in their practice of NSB. Their faithfulness to duties of domestic oppressors is among others that they want to call in the house owners and to direct them putting us on the street whenever it suits their interest. The FBI courage comes to compelling that the house owners are to lie to us over the phone when they will arrive. The imposition of FBI honesty is to be that we are to obey and to be out of the house upon telephone calls from FBI to house owners and from them to us, contrary to oral agreement and despite our work done. What FBI criminals drive at in fact is that the house owners will be terrorized, will cancel our arrangement for the house sitting and will rob us of $70,000.00 in full. Thus, your subordinates involved in its counterintelligence want to get us on the street 7 days a week for 24 hours. They intend and to do with us for the good before we will have chance of trying to get a legal representation in coming weeks.

8. As the matter of the fact, I do not know who does what and who is in charge of what in the mess in NSB under your leadership. Like his predecessor Timothy BEREZNAY with the typical Russian last name, Daniel Lee CLOYD is beclouded as they would have hit the road to Moscow after my revealing of espionage and other criminal allegations. However, their methods of persecutions are intensified while a new FBI kid Arthur M. CUMMINGS, II is coming to its top level leadership and is or is about to be in charge of NSB. The showoff is to imply or to reveal his belonging to espionage ring of Russian intelligence services - KGB/SVF and GRU and their “Pol-ish” affiliate - WSI/SWW in the FBI. This is contrary to the simple fairness that he will settle in his new position and will demonstrate by his own action who is he, in fact and what he stands for. It requires giving him a little time, the luxury of which I can hardly afford.

9. On January 28, 2008 at about 4:40 pm the FBI counterintelligence put me and my wife on the street at the time when we got a flu. This is the outcome of Cloyd persecutions during the last week. We were homeless 107 hours of cold weather with temperature below 20 degrees F - minus 7.0 degree C and with strong winds. We could take altogether ca 6.0 hours of naps during 4 days. We were exhausted to the point of physical collapse. We got weak. Our immune system lowered. We have a slight temperature, headaches and sinus. We are to be 24 hours on the street for the next 3-4 days. We are not allowed to make money for buying more food. They block the issuance of our U.S. documents after the grant of political asylum. Your FBI has subjected us to such extreme tortures which have not been reported in interrogating terrorists in notorious Quantamo Bay prisons who are provided with meals. Your subordinates in question have done so to try eliminating my allegations which relate to their crimes for their personal enrichments, first of all. They could not have made the coverup for such crime. They have disregarded the breaches of FBI security that point to clear cut espionage from within its counterintelligence.

10. Thus, the FBI, especially Cloyd subordinates and others want to make us seriously ill, to prolong our homelessness and to cause our death. We do not have any health insurance and any place to stay inside and to get well. At the same time, FBI criminals continue to make fortunes on our $620,000.00 valued properties, including jewelry business they seized without any authority of law, but with the use of its power and resources for personal enrichments.

11. Without any doubt, WSI/SWW-GRU moles in the FBI counterintelligence try to do everything possible to prevent me from distributing any information on their lawlessness when on January 30, 2008 Attorney General Michael B. MUKASEY will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee during its hearings on the oversight of the Justice Department. The same relates to February 1, 2008 talks of phoney CIA baby-boy Radoslaw SIKORSKI as a “Pol-ish” minister for foreign affairs with secretary Condoleezza RICE in the Department of State. He has protected communist Moscow graduates in Foreign Ministry in Poland. He does whatever he can to bring benefits to Russia. Thus, he has confirmed by himself that he is on the GRU leash. His wife is the Washington Post journalist Anne APPLEBAUM. His father in law is senior counselor Harvey M. APPLEBAUM of power house law firm of Covington & Burling, LPP in Washington, DC. This requires the separate elaboration on.

12. I am leaving up to you what you deem appropriate and right upon the information given above and provided in attachments. I hope the proverbial buck stops with you in the FBI as its director, instead of criminals and WSI/SWW-GRU moles in its counterintelligence and regardless of personnel changes.

Slawomir Borowy
Former Polish diplomat and participant in sensitive FBI projects to protect U.S. homeland security


cc: Honorable: President George W. BUSH, Vice President Dick CHENEY, Attorney General Michael B. MUKASEY, Deputy Attorney General nominee Mark R. FILIP, Senators and Representatives; Executive Assistant FBI Director Arthur M. CUMMINGS, II; Military, Diplomatic, Intelligence, Law Enforcement and Police Communities; self-proving criminal and WSI/SWW-GRU mole Daniel Lee Cloud in FBI.

The Greatest Website Ever

Back in 1996, a humble commercial bleach company known as Clorox (est. 1913) set up a website. Little did they know that in doing so, they were setting the standard for which one day, some 10 years later, all well designed websites would be based. Thanks to the magic of archive.org, we are able to see what this website would have looked like through the naive eyes of a 1996 citizen.


What's so great about it then?
The interface is simple and clean, uninfected by banners, Flash, or unnecessary clutter. The wording is large and readable, and the basic menu items are clearly marked and appropriate. Whether you're a customer wanting to know about their latest cutting edge industrial bleach products, or a potential investor wishing to learn more about the history or investment opportunities available with Clorox, the selection you need to make is non-ambiguous and obvious. These are consistent with the ideals of Web 2.0, a standard that even now has not been fully realised, and I'm prepared to wager that at Web 2.0 conferences this site is featured time and time again as an example of what web designers young and old should all be aspiring to.

A look at some of the other websites available in 1996 shows that Clorox was a shining beacon in a sea of mediocrity. Let's hope that more companies will be like Clorox as rage through the 21st century.