Links for October 8th through October 10th

This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on October 10, 2008). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

Sometime between October 8th and October 10th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • Adeona: A Free, Open Source System for Helping Track and Recover Lost and Stolen Laptops: Adeona is the first Open Source system for tracking the location of your lost or stolen laptop that does not rely on a proprietary, central service. This means that you can install Adeona on your laptop and go — there's no need to rely on a single third party. What's more, Adeona addresses a critical privacy goal different from existing commercial offerings. It is privacy-preserving. This means that no one besides the owner (or an agent of the owner's choosing) can use Adeona to track a laptop. Unlike other systems, users of Adeona can rest assured that no one can abuse the system in order to track where they use their laptop. (via MeFi)
  • Kiss Penguins Goodbye if the Planet Warms 2 Degrees Celsius: According to a report from WWF if global warming increases temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius more than half of Antarctica's colonies of Emperor penguins could be wiped out.
  • Under the Needle: A vote for beer over politics: What followed over the next 16 years not only made Rainier Washington's most popular beer once again, but also became a template for an entire industry. The wild Rainiers; the Jacques Cousteau parody; the Rainier croaking frogs — poorly aped in later years by Budweiser; and maybe the all-time most popular: motorcycle on a lonely country road Dopplering "RAAAAINIEEEER BEEEEEEEEEEER" as it shifts and speeds into the distance with the namesake mountain in the background. (I've long held that that motorcycle commercial was the best I've ever seen. Years later, and I still remember it clearly.)
  • Bathtub III: Stop motion tilt-shift video. Making the real world look like miniatures.
  • Take On Me: The Literal Version: Now it finally makes sense.