You don't need a GPS? Your cow does!

Cnet Asia Crave writes:

"From the plains of southern New Mexico, we bring you a story of headset-wearing cows. The US Department of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are teaming up to remotely corral cattle using a wireless device that sends sound straight into the bovines' ears. HDTV-watching pigs can't be far behind."

Considering the friend of my girlfriend who wrote his thesis on "The ergonomy of the dairy farm", and how I have seen extensive prototypes for automatic sorting systems using wireless ZigBee networks for huge Saudi dairy farms... this isn't such a bad idea. Also, it's sort of an innovative location based service... where the wearer doesn't even have to be able to read the guidance device.

Indians are protesting that it's undignified for the cows and that they "look funny wearing that right on top of their heads".

Blog button - Förbundet Unga Forskare

As Simon has been writing - let's make a blog button to spread your message! As possibly too few know, I really like the Swedish Federation of Young Scientists (sv. Förbundet Unga Forskare) and want them to get as much attention as possible, so here goes:


The motif would appear obvious - Young Scientists like to blow things up :-) . Of course that's not the only thing they do, or even the primary thing, but it's easier to work with the image you already have. If you want to add it to your own blog, just copy and paste this code into the customization of the blog:

<a href="http://www.fuf.org/"><img border="0" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 2px; text-align:center" alt="Förbundet Unga Forskare - den bästa skolan som finns" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6isDYENeA4ko5zmDZfDgAswZrGTKPLo8JlPADtmENZtNnVzb5KAlS4vNkl8BZuAAtDjZj6qSomutDbYJzLESDTfYmH38Y9Y0NHO6CWNv7VjQkKV50fXloU56WFI-UYfcyQ1K2xcwO7n8/s400/Iblowfuf.png"/></a><br/><a href="http://unclecj.blogspot.com/2008/08/blog-button-frbundet-unga-forskare.html"><span style="font-size:0.7em">Lägg till den här knappen på din egen blogg</span></a>

I may improve this later, maybe make a better landing page and put the picture somewhere better, but this is good enough for now. Enjoy!

(Update: Let's have a blog button for Gnosjö as well:

<span style="font-size:0.8em" align="left">I am from Gnosjö! :</span><br/><br/><a href="http://www.gnosjoregionen.se/"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212418522378624866" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" alt="Jag har Gnosjö-andan i mig!" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RgfyOQAwsKhFRrL2lhthyphenhyphenUgy5pxDP3NOsMkuAsr5RPyXmOfDauvt9hJxgOzUdgOS6MV0yC8cx52k_kN66mKMJR-jHwHTB1LnT5PmfVpXWWIWss8afoGvPXcNCVo3m2SbVHM3n9L3WVpQ/s200/gr_logga_13.gif"/></a><br/><a href="http://unclecj.blogspot.com/2008/08/blog-button-frbundet-unga-forskare.html"><span style="font-size:0.7em">Lägg till den här knappen på din egen blogg</span></a>

I borrowed the logo from GnosjoRegionen, but since I link to them, I hope they're happy anyhow:

)

Young Scientists are looking for a web editor - but do they need one?

First of all, I do not feel that I have managed to uphold my commitment to FUF (Förbundet Unga Forskare, the Swedish Young Scientists Foundation) over the summer, writing, commenting on and contributing exposure to their activities.

Anyway, I noticed a few days ago that they are looking for a new web editor. It's a great thing and I encourage anyone in of highschool ("gymnasium") age to jump onto the task. It's great fun, very developing and a merit to be working with FUF.

In my own little pink world though... I wonder if there should be a need for employed editors? FUF should be able to leave it up to the crowd of the members, but until that day is realized, I again invite you to our IRC and Skype channels. See you on the Internet, eating pills!

Today the smurfs are creating a blogstorm

My friends Christian and Jesper of the websmurf group have decided to make today a blogging day, and I will of course participate from my side of the pond. For any non-geeks this may seem like an odd thing to dedicate your day to, but for one thing, they are dedicated to prove the power of blogging.

Today, one demonstration is to make UPS listen to my old friend Dan in his objection to how they are mistreating him as a customer and then strategically making him pay for them correcting their own mistake. Go Dan! Anyone interested in helping Dan or proving modern customer power, just link to that entry and make sure to mention "UPS" and maybe "customer care" in the anchor text.

• Christian writes here
  
• Jesper writes here
  
• Simon writes here

I have in the "pipeline" to write about

• Securing your own windows computer like a pro - for Christian at mjukvara.se (Done, being processed before publishing)
  
• Colonialism and spreading democracy - the speck in your brother's eye and plank in your own - for the Emigrant Blog
  
• It's not "gaming" anymore, it's "e-sports" now - for this blog
  
• How to encrypt using security tokens and S/MIME - like a professional - for this blog
  
• The customer is always right - Engineers do not learn service -for this blog
  
• Fysiktävlingen - for this blog
  
• Social bookmarking - Finding the popular pages and reading the popular books - for this blog

I suspect I won't finish all that today... actually I won't even try to finish it all, it's nice just to have it in the pipeline too :-)

Hey guys, don't miss out making a visit to "Karin på Ön" as well, one of the coziest and strangest cafés I've visited in a long time.

Check back here for updates later.

(Update: Actually, I spent my evening reading and commenting at Blogge Bloggelito (not safe for work) about Göran Skytte and Russia annexing Ossetia, at mjukvara.se and Tommy K Johansson. I'm pretty happy about managing to put together the last pieces of that security tutorial for Christian, finally! )

FRA critics from the grave - how will you then silence them?

Today from the department of politics and futurism:


(read more at the Orwell Diaries)