Using BT747 to download GPS tracks from Qstarz dataloggers
Several people commented in my previous post that they had problems using BT747 to download tracks from their Qstarz. I must admit BT747 can be flaky at times, but I did manage to get it to work when I tried it again recently.
First thing is that sometimes the Bluetooth driver hangs. As always, try rebooting. If BT747 asks for permission to download the latest version when you restart it, say “NO”. Go back to the http://bt747.org/webinstall webpage and use the version labelled Install the stable version using RXTX2.2pre
The interface has changed slightly since the previous version. As before, select Bluetooth or USB click on “Connect” at the bottom of the screen to connect to the GPS datalogger. If all goes well, your current position will appear under “GPS device data”.
Getting the data in GPX/KMZ/KML format is a two-step process. First click “Download” (3) to download the raw GPS data from the datalogger. This may take some time. You can specify the name of the downloaded file (1) if you wish.
Next, click any of the GPX, KMZ, KML etc. buttons in the red box to convert the raw output file into the selected format. This will appear to be instantaneous. The converted file is saved into the output directory specified in (2).
Accountability for electronic surveillance by government agencies
From slight paranoia. Only happens in the US, of course – I mean the public reporting of real-time wiretaps by law enforcement agencies.
If you were to believe the public surveillance statistics, you might come away with the idea that government surveillance is exceedingly rare in the United States.
Every year, the US Courts produce the wiretap report which details every ‘intercept’ order requested by Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies during that year. Before the police, FBI, DEA or other law enforcement agents can tap a phone, intercept an Internet connection, or place a covert bug into a suspect’s home, they must obtain one of these orders, which law professor and blogger Orin Kerr describes as a “super warrant,” due to the number of steps the government must go through in order to obtain one.
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However, while there are many ways the government can monitor an individual, very few of these methods require an intercept order.In general, intercept orders are required to monitor the contents of real time communications. Non-content information, such as the To/From and Subject lines for email messages, URLs of pages viewed (which includes search terms), and telephone numbers dialed can all be obtained with a pen register/trap & trace order.
While wiretaps require a “superwarrant” which must be evaluated and approved by a judge following strict rules, government attorneys can obtain pen register orders by merely certifying that the information likely to be obtained is relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation — a far lower evidentiary threshold.
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The reporting requirements for intercepts and pen registers only apply to the surveillance of live communications. However, communications or customer records that are in storage by third parties, such as email messages, photos or other files maintained in the cloud by services like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo Facebook and MySpace are routinely disclosed to law enforcement, and there is no legal requirement that statistics on these kinds of requests be compiled or published.
North Korean currency revaluation
Seems that North Korea has revalued its currency to rein in economic activity outside the state-controlled system. See the NKEconwatch article here and multiple references even in the mainstream media.
Composite image below shows some old won notes on the left, and their replacements on the right.
In theory, 135 old won should get you a US dollar – slight depreciation since last September when the official exchange rate was 128 won.
Pre-revaluation, the black market rate was allegedly 2,000-3,000, though and in the short run, I imagine the Won would have weakened dramatically following the announcment of the revaluation. No idea what the black market rate was last September when this picture was taken.
English AG Opined Iraq War was Illegal—By Scott Horton (Harper's Magazine)
English AG Opined Iraq War was Illegal—By Scott Horton (Harper’s Magazine).
The original Daily Mail article
The Mail on Sunday can disclose that Attorney General Lord Goldsmith wrote the letter to Mr Blair in July 2002 – a full eight months before the war – telling him that deposing Saddam Hussein was a blatant breach of international law.
It was intended to make Mr Blair call off the invasion, but he ignored it. Instead, a panicking Mr Blair issued instructions to gag Lord Goldsmith, banned him from attending Cabinet meetings and ordered a cover-up to stop the public finding out.
He even concealed the bombshell information from his own Cabinet, fearing it would spark an anti-war revolt. The only people he told were a handful of cronies who were sworn to secrecy.
Lord Goldsmith was so furious at his treatment he threatened to resign – and lost three stone as Mr Blair and his cronies bullied him into backing down.
Also mirrored here
Fast-food eatery sizzles in N. Korea
Singapore newspaper article on the fast-food restaurant set up in Pyongyang by a group of Singaporean businessmen with unnamed North Korean business partners.
Fast-food eatery sizzles in N. Korea.
Jaime Ee, Straits Times, 29 Nov 2009
Behind the headlines that reclusive North Korea recently opened its first fast-food restaurant are three Singaporean businessmen.
Two of them, Mr Quek Chek Lan, 65, and Mr Timothy Tan, 52, got the nod to set up the restaurant, called Samtaesong or ‘three big stars’, in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
It serves Western fare such as hamburgers, french fries and waffles, and was officially opened in May.
In an interview last week – after much effort to get the busy men to find the time to talk – Mr Quek and Mr Tan shared with The Sunday Times how they set up shop in the communist country.
It began two years ago when Mr Quek, managing director of the Aetna Group, which deals in metal and minerals, was approached by his North Korean business partners to invest in the country.
His company has been trading with the North Koreans in steel and minerals for more than 25 years.
Mr Quek then roped in his business friend Mr Tan, whom he had met eight years ago in Shanghai.
Together, they set up Sinpyong International to invest in North Korea.
Asked if he was worried about investing in North Korea, Mr Tan admitted that he prepared himself mentally for red tape.
Initially, the two men mulled over business ideas such as opening a supermarket. But after market research, they were drawn to the idea of a fast-food restaurant.
‘There was nothing like that there at that time. It was probably the only country in the world that doesn’t have fast food,’ said Mr Tan.
Despite neither of them having any experience in the fast-food business, the pair quickly got down to work.
They roped in a third person, Mr Patrick Soh – who holds the franchise in several Asian countries for Waffletown USA – to help them set up the operation and train the local staff in Pyongyang.
Waffletown USA is not a big regional player and it currently has only two franchise outlets in Singapore, in Balmoral Plaza and in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Samtaesong, however, is not a Waffletown franchise, Mr Quek stressed. ‘We borrowed the concept and menu, and tapped Mr Soh’s expertise, but it’s not a Waffletown franchise,’ he said.
Early this year, a four-man team from North Korea discreetly came to Singapore to sample the fare at the Balmoral Plaza outlet in Bukit Timah.
‘They tried the food and especially liked the waffle, burgers and fried chicken,’ said Mr Soh, 56, beaming.
Mr Quek said the restaurant’s site was picked by his North Korean business partners. Located in the heart of Pyongyang, it is next to a subway station and within walking distance of various universities and foreign embassies.
In November last year, the Singaporean partners began making trips to North Korea to set up the 246 sq m restaurant. It occupies one floor in a two-storey building and can seat about 80 people.
Furniture, styled after fast-food joints in Singapore, was shipped in from China.
Kitchen equipment and ingredients, such as the seasoning for the fried chicken and the waffle mix, were flown in from Singapore.
The beef and the chicken are sourced in North Korea, while a local factory supplies the burger buns and patties according to Mr Soh’s recipe.
In all, Mr Quek and Mr Tan spent about US$200,000 (S$276,500) to set up the shop.
Mr Soh let on that the menu was modified to appeal to North Korean tastebuds. For instance, the side dish coleslaw was substituted with kimchi, the spicy pickled cabbage popular among Koreans. The burgers also come with more vegetables.
‘They don’t like the idea of junk food, so we made the menu more healthy,’ Mr Soh said.
Local draught beer is also served along with soft drinks like Coke.
The restaurant has 14 staff members, mostly young women, who don colourful aprons while flipping burgers and cooking french fries.
Mr Soh said the restaurant initially encountered frequent power failures. But that was quickly resolved after they managed to wire an electrical cable to their store.
One condition was that they could not market the business openly. Mr Tan said: ‘It’s all based on word of mouth. It’s not like in Singapore, where you can advertise on TV or in the newspapers.’
Still, as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding – or the bun, in this case.
Since the restaurant first opened its doors on May 28, customers, including foreign students and embassy staff, have been streaming in. The outlet opens every day from 11am to 9pm.
Prices are listed in euros, but US dollars are accepted too.
Among its most popular items is the burger, known as ‘minced beef and bread’. It costs between 1.20 euros and 1.70 euros (S$2.50 and S$3.50). The most expensive item on the menu is the crispy fried chicken, at slightly less than 3 euros.
Mr Soh said locals have already used the restaurant as a venue for their children’s birthday parties.
Two more outlets may sprout in Pyongyang. Also in the works are a Western-style beer garden and a supermarket.
Asked if other fast-food companies may try to break into the market, Mr Tan said: ‘We cannot stop them, but it’s not so straightforward. People may try to go in to do this but it’s not so easy.’
Agreeing, Mr Quek added: ‘In North Korea, having connections is very important. If you don’t have contacts there, you can’t do business.’
Pirate Party
Another link filed for future reference http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/26/filesharing-pirate-party-uk-downloads
“At the moment, big businesses is saying that we steal handbags, and we say let’s talk about what copyright is about,” he says. The original purpose of copyright, created by the Statute of Anne of 1709, was to encourage the creation of artistic works by granting a right to copy for 14 years….[The EU] has extended copyright to 95 years…
The term of copyright has been marching forward but along the way, the purpose of it has been lost, according to Robinson. Instead of encouraging artistic creation, modern copyright has made certain companies cultural gatekeepers, he argues, adding, “copyright is serving the needs of music labels, not the needs of the public, the public domain or even the artists”
Der Spiegel on privacy
Tagging two articles from Der Spiegel until I can get round to commenting on them. First on how the growing use of technology has given companies and governments the ability to spy on and even remotely erase private documents stored on individuals’ electronic devices. Second on the US government’s demands to be given the right to spy on Europeans’ financial transactions.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,637640,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,638509,00.html
The Public Domain
Filing for future reference till I have time to comment on this.
http://www.thepublicdomain.org/2009/07/17/were-we-smarter-100-years-ago/
Were we smarter 100 years ago..?
I have been rereading the legislative history of the 1909 Copyright Act. I have come to the conclusion that 100 years ago we were smarter about copyright, about disruptive technologies, about intellectual property, monopolies and network effects than we are today. At least, the legislative hearings were much smarter. The hearings I am looking at took place in 1906 — thanks to the wonder of Google books you can read them yourself, if you are really nerdy.
Restaurants that serve bad attitude
The Sunday Times ran an article on this list of restaurants that don’t serve free water
The most interesting part of this article was this quote from Tapas Tree,
The marketing and sales manager for The Tapas Tree Group, Ms Lyn Yip, said: ‘We find this list to be libellous, and will not hesitate to engage our lawyer if we are not removed from the list and the situation is not rectified immediately.
‘We live in a time when the influence of Web opinion cannot be ignored, so bloggers have to approach their entries with responsibility, especially when composing defamatory lists.’
I have never been to Tapas Tree and given this response from them, I don’t think I ever will. If they have a problem with a blog, the appropriate response is to contact the author and ask to have it corrected. The fact that they threaten legal action as a first response gives me a good idea of what kind of service I can expect when I go there. In fairness, it is possible that the Straits Times distorted their words in search of a good story, but unless they retract that threat, I think I will drop Tapas Tree from my list of restaurants to check out.
