Free Republic

London, 1772. I have been asked by my superiors to give a brief demonstration of the surprising effectiveness of even the simplest techniques of the new-fangled Social Networke Analysis in the pursuit of those who would seek to undermine the liberty enjoyed by His Majesty’s subjects. This is in connection with the discussion of the role of “metadata” in certain recent events and the assurances of various respectable parties that the government was merely “sifting through this so-called metadata” and that the “information acquired does not include the content of any communications”. I will show how we can use this...

BMW has introduced a new range of M Performance Automobiles featuring a new 6-cylinder in-line diesel developed exclusively for those applications. The engines, which feature three turbochargers, deliver maximum output reaching 280 kW/381 hp and peak torque of 740 N·m (546 lb-ft). The new engine is applied in the BMW M550d xDrive Sedan, BMW M550d xDrive Touring, BMW X5 M50d and BMW X6 M50d. The vehicles are also equipped with an eight-speed sports automatic gearbox and the intelligent all-wheel-drive system BMW xDrive tuned to suit each model, as well as BMW EfficientDynamics technologies, including Auto Start-Stop and ECO PRO mode....

Has anyone else thought to check the direction of Mecca from Ground Zero? I used QiblaLocator. Funny how the Cordoba house lies almost on the line, ain't it? If you rerun it from somewhere within the former WTC1 site, the line goes exactly through the victory mosque. Must be a coincidence...

Researchers have created the first computational model to track engine performance from one combustion cycle to the next for a new type of engine that could dramatically reduce oil consumption and the emission of global-warming pollutants. Gregory M. Shaver, from left, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue, and graduate student David Snyder discuss how to modify a commercial diesel engine with a new technology that promises to dramatically reduce oil consumption and the emission of global-warming pollutants. Graduate student Gayatri Adi (background) reviews software algorithms needed for the new technology, called homogeneous charge compression ignition. (Credit: Purdue News...

Biodiesel enthusiasts have accidentally invented the most carbon-intensive fuel on earth By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 6th December 2005 Over the past two years I have made an uncomfortable discovery. Like most environmentalists, I have been as blind to the constraints affecting our energy supply as my opponents have been to climate change. I now realise that I have entertained a belief in magic. In 2003, the biologist Jeffrey Dukes calculated that the fossil fuels we burn in one year were made from organic matter “containing 44×10 to the 18 grams of carbon, which is more than 400...

The REVETEC Engine design consists of two counter-rotating “trilobate” (three lobed) cams geared together, so both cams contribute to forward motion. Two bearings run along the profile of both cams (four bearings in all) and stay in contact with the cams at all times. The bearings are mounted on the underside of the two inter-connected pistons, which maintain the desired clearance throughout the stroke. The two cams rotate and raise the piston with a scissor-like action to the bearings. Once at the top of the stroke the air/fuel mixture is fired. The expanded gas then forces the bearings down the...

Introducing: Mia Rose. Born: Tuesday May 3, 2005, weight: 6 lb. 10 oz., length: 19 1/2".Both Mother and Mia are doing well after a short (4 hour) labor. We came home last Thursday, and so far Mia has been easy going. She pretty much only cries when she's hungry or cold. Number one son is getting used to being an older brother.Thank God she came into the world healthy, and without complications. For some reason I worried about her alot more than the first. Now that she's here, I'll have to find new things to worry about, but for now,...

I'm giving one of my old computers to my sister, but I don't have an antivirus program to install on it. Is there a cheap or free antivirus program out there that I can use on a WIN2K box? I run NIS 2005 on my own machine, but that's $70. NAV 2005 is $50. Is it worth it to cheap out, or should I spend the money?

Not long ago I wrote a commentary, "The Great Hydrogen Myth," in which I opined that throwing another billion dollars at more research for the purpose of replacing oil, coal, or natural gas was a huge waste. Recently, that commentary was posted on an Internet site for those who work in industries that provide and use various forms of energy. It's a favorite among the many engineers and scientists whose lives are devoted to energy issues. Here are some of the responses my commentary received. The names of the innocent have been protected because their jobs depend upon it. "I...

<p>BAGHDAD, Iraq — With U.N. weapons inspectors looking on, Iraq destroyed six Al Samoud 2 missiles Sunday but warned it may suspend the destruction program if the United States indicates it will go to war anyway.</p> <p>In two days, Iraq has destroyed 10 of the banned weapons, about a tenth of its stock of the missiles, which the United Nations has ordered eliminated. It has also destroyed two casting chambers used to make engines for the Al Fatah missile. Iraq destroyed those chambers in the 1990s, only to rebuild them.</p>

(Milford-AP, Mar. 27, 2001 7:15 AM) _ A threat by a 12-year-old boy has led Milford police to seized 30 firearms, including handguns and rifles, from the boy's home. The boy has been charged with threatening a fellow Harborside Middle School student. Police say the boy was charged Friday with breach of peace after he made threats of violence against a fellow student and allegedly implied that he had weapons available. It's the second similar incident in Milford in a week. An East Shore Middle School student was charged with making threatening comments to another student March 20th. Police seized ...

Sorry it's a PDF file, and I haven't spent enough time in the HTML sandbox yet.