Rotundus.com

Seems to make more sense than mounting wifi access point on donkeys.

(HT: 22 Words)

I've recently shifted things such that all the actively-used bits of this site are now available over SSL. Been hanging out in too many coffee shops lately with unencrypted wifi lately that I figured that I'd try to make the switch towards more frequent encryption for web traffic.

Strangely, unlike for web servers where you've long been able to serve many a web site from a single IP, this wasn't the case until recently for web sites. Server Name Indication now allows multiple secure sites to share a single IP and is supported by the more recent browsers. Basically it works in all the browsers I use meaning that I can access those locked-down domains (wiki, biblio) that I use and any non-supported browsers should default to this site.

One thing that's a little annoying is that I'm basically stuck using a self-signed certificate, dealing with too many error messages, or forking out way to much money. A basic SSL certificate can be had fairly cheap -$8-9.5/year - but the wildcard SSL certificate that's needed to handle a single certificate for multiple subdomains without spitting out errors is more than $100/year. (Though server-name indication allows multiple certificates to be used for the same IP, at the moment that's not supported by my web host's control panel - and I figured that I've pestered tech support more than enough already to get the current SSL support working). Of course I'm probably the only one crazy-enough to start accessing this thing over SSL so I'm not too worried about ensuring that those accessing the site get ahold of the right SSL certificate.

Cow named Daisy makes reduced-allergy milk

"A team of New Zealand researchers genetically engineered a cow named Daisy to produce milk free of β-lactoglobulin protein that can cause allergic skin, digestive and respiratory reactions predominantly in infants."

MSU Math Professor Breaks Down, Removes His Clothes In Front of Class

Probably not a teaching strategy to be recommended.

Ikea deletes women from Saudi version of catalog

"Comparing the Swedish and Saudi shows female models airbrushed from otherwise identical shots" - and there's also Starbucks which "... removed the alluring, long-haired woman from its logo, keeping only her crown"

On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets: An Empirical Study

"Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason."

To Encourage Biking, Cities Lose the Helmets

"One common denominator of successful bike programs around the world — from Paris to Barcelona to Guangzhou — is that almost no one wears a helmet, and there is no pressure to do so." Regarding accident risk, the article linked to an analysis of North American bikeshare programs which noted "Of the 14 operators that provided accident statistics, accident rates were relatively low, averaging 1.36 accidents reported systemwide in North America in 2011. One noted an accident rate of approximately one accident for every 50,000 to 60,000 rides. Another reported one accident after approximately 100,000 miles of riding. Experts also indicated that the majority of accidents are relatively minor and that very few are serious or fatal." Also semi-interesting that bikeshare participants seem less likely to wear helmets than other cyclists.

Key set available for $150 on eBay provides an all-access pass to NYC

Yikes... what happens if a set of master keys for use by firefighters in a major city slips out. Allows you to access and controls fire alarms, elevators, traffic lights, etc.

Beyond Wall St., Curbs on High-Speed Trades Proceed

"Industry leaders and regulators in several countries including Canada, Australia and Germany have adopted or proposed a wide range of limits on high-speed trading and other technological developments that have come to define United States markets." - Just a few days ago I started digging into Yale professor's Robert Schiller's Finance and the Good Society - will have to see to what extent he might touch upon some of these sorts of issues. Schiller is, to quote the Amazon book summary, "no apologist for the sins of finance--he is probably the only person to have predicted both the stock market bubble of 2000 and the real estate bubble that led up to the subprime mortgage meltdown" yet he seems to think that more "financial innovation" is necessary. Will have to see how good he is at making his case.