Beta Culture, Cars, and (FINALLY!) Quantified Testing

Check out this Edmunds Inside Line comparo - Hyundai has obviously launched a full-fledged jihad against the G37 with the new Genesis. Takeaways from the article:

• Brembos, limited slip, etc. NICE!
• I'm delighted to see a magazine finally putting cars on a dyno. This should have started 10 years ago.
• Hyundai's big mistake with this car is the power cutoff in aggressive shifting. Three seconds? Enter the beta culture rant: They might issue a firmware update to make it less intrusive. How about you get the car right the first time before releasing it? Sigh.

Arizona Moves the Right Direction on Speed Cameras

Residents of Maricopa County won't be sent to jail anymore simply based on a speed camera's accusation. Also check out the other juicy stories while you're at The Newspaper.....

When A Company Folds, Who Guards Your Data?

Great article from CIO Mag.

Hyperlinking Is Bad, M'kay.

Blockshopper Settled. Related: Law Firm Sues for Linking to Their Website

Best Burger Ever

Beta Culture Invades the Automobile

Remember Gimzodo's epic call for revolution against beta culture? Now automakers are jumping on the beta bandwagon. Great.

We Must All Take Responsibility (WTF?)

Arizona Star Hourly Update:

Solving this crisis will require more than resources,” Obama said. “It will require all of us to take responsibility ... all of us must learn to live within our means again.

• WTF? Why do I have to take responsibility for keeping those that weren't responsible, in their houses? I was responsible. Let the market plummet naturally so I can buy some property on fire-sale.
• Doesn't living within our means mean not borrowing more money? More do as we say, not as we do...

Those Crazy Romanian Hackers are at it Again

ISS Frequency-X Blog: Anti-virus Vendors Succumbing to SQL Injection

PEBKAC

Want to keep your business' secrets safe? Two rules:

• Don't hire (or elect) stupid people.
• Implement sound security measures (both digital and otherwise...)

No amount of the latter can compensate for a misstep in the former. [ISN: Congressman Twitters Secret Trip to Iraq]

Bose Flaunts New Underpowered Sound System

Gizmodo: Bose Energy Efficient Sound to Debut in Chevy Volt. Kinda makes you nostalgic for the days of politically-correct thousand-watt sound systems doesn't it?

A Lexus for the Sierra Club

Jordan tells us about this uplevel Prius that has just enough fuel economy to offset the ecoguilt from the wood trim... [Lexus HS250h, Automobile Magazine] Obligatory ThePlanetIsMyPetRock.com

Killing in the Name of... The Planet?

So get this... Some bozo up in hippie country The Oregon Speaker of the House wants to prohibit the sale and distribution of car parts if alternatives are available that “decrease greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.” According to SEMA, Oregon House Bill 2186 specifically targets an owner's choice of tires, limiting you to either OEM tires or tires that have a lower rolling resistance than OEM. We all know what lower rolling resistance means: less grip, less safety. But what's a few people's deaths if the planet can live longer, right? [SEMA via Autoblog]

xkcd on Social Networks, Viruses, and the Ballmer Peak

• Online Communities
• Viruses as Pets
• The Ballmer Peak

RFID: WarCloning? CloneDriving? Ah Screw It...

Driving around San Francisco capturing the passport ID tags people are unwittingly beaming around the city... Cool. The government's response to this will undoubtedly be to stick their heads in the sand and continue to criminalize RFID scanning instead of the forced branding/tagging of the people. So, what about those tolltag lanes with their über-strong RFID-scanners? [The Register, Slashdot]

xkcd: Security

[xkcd]

Tiff Needell vs. Kermit the Lambo in the Snow

Kinda sounds like an angry Dodge Viper revving way too high... hideous wheels too.

Absolutely lovely video though.

[Jalopnik]

Best Way to Spy on a Company: Get Hired There

Gizmodo: Microsoft Says Former Employee Spied On Them For His Startup Company.

Although it might land you a lawsuit...

Czech Mate: New EU Prez Vaclav Klaus Calls Out Al Gore

Things look to be changing for the better in the EU, at least for the next few months. Czech President Vaclav Klaus has control of the European Union until June. Klaus is certainly off to a good start... Just yesterday he called out Al Gore et al. on global warming. Selected quotes quotes:

I don't think there is any global warming.

Environmentalism and the global warming alarmism is challenging our freedom.

I'm afraid that the current crisis will be misused for radically constraining the functioning of the markets and market economy all around the world.

Finally, somebody with the balls to tell it like it is. Obligatory George Carlin: Obligatory Penn and Teller on Green Bullshit: