Free Republic

SACRAMENTO -- Although officials are expressing concern that the energy crisis may return this summer, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Bush administration will stage a ceremony today to mark the easing of a north-south state transmission bottleneck that sparked blackouts three years ago. Officials on Monday called the project a landmark achievement, but they also disclosed that the Schwarzenegger administration has been forced to adopt dual plans for short- and long-term power development because Californians last summer already hit usage levels projected for 2006. Consumer groups, who protested Schwarzenegger's rejection of Democrat-sponsored energy legislation earlier this year, said today's ceremony...

Java bug could hit PC operating systems17:51 24 November 04NewScientist.com news service The discovery of a serious software bug has simultaneously opened a variety of desktop computers to potential attack. The flaw has been found in Java, which works on a variety of computer operating systems – from Microsoft’s Windows to free software Linux – which means any worm which exploits it could hit a variety of computer platforms. The flaw is rated "highly critical" by the computer security firm Secunia and some experts believe it could lead to the development of a cross-platform computer worm. The bug was...

In private industry an employee who doesn't make the grade, or who screws up badly on the job is "given the blue slip" or "fired." An employee who is fired loses his job for cause, that is, for breaching the employment contract through incompetence, negligence, or intentional misconduct. The United States military fires officers (and enlisted personnel) for cause, too. This happens either by court-martial or by involuntary discharge procedures. A firing of an officer by court-martial for serious misconduct cause is called a dismissal and is equivalent to a dishonorable discharge. An officer can also be fired for cause...

After all of the mentions of FR in the press, I've noticed that the site is slooooow tooo reeeeesponnnnd. It's not a problem with my connection, I have cable and any other site I go to immediately pops up. Anyone else notice that FR is bogged down? We should have another fundraiser so that we can keep up with the demand.

(note from Stoat: This article goes on for eleven pages and so I'm only going to post an excerpt. Please be sure to go to the original article and read more than what I've posted here because there's a tremendous amount of real-world information that I would consider essential reading if you're considering the XP-2 patch either for your PC or for your enterprise) Forget the ivory-tower pundits--here are first-hand reports from the trenches, relayed by your peers who've already installed the new Service Pack. By Fred Langa, InformationWeek Sept. 6, 2004 URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=46200911 You've heard a lot about Windows...

Apple Computer on Friday posted a new release of Mac OS X, after an earlier minor upgrade caused some systems to have problems connecting to Ethernet networks. The Mac maker said the new version of Mac OS X 10.2.8 includes an updated Ethernet driver for 450MHz and 500MHz dual-processor Power Mac G4 systems. Apple pulled the original system software upgrade shortly after its release last week, following complaints of networking problems. Apple said the new software includes an updated battery status menu to better reflect the remaining battery life on PowerBook systems. The software has also been made compatible with...

A Minnesota man has plans to launch his own Macintosh-manufacturing business, building a low-cost, upgradeable Mac called the iBox. John Fraser, a 21-year-old engineer from Chanhassen, Minnesota, is finalizing the design for his flat "pizzabox" Mac and hopes to go into production in three to four months. If successful, Fraser will be the first third party to make a Mac since Apple shut down its three-year experiment in clone licensing in 1997. Unlike the world of Windows PCs, which has many hardware makers, Apple is the only company making Macs. Apple doesn't license its operating system to outside hardware manufacturers

By Steve Rodan, JDW Correspondent, Tel Aviv, and Andrew Koch, JDW Washington Bureau Chief Syria is preparing to begin serial production of an extended-range version of its 'Scud-C' short-range ballistic missile, according to US and Israeli defence officials. The officials said Syria has completed preparations for the production of the extended-range missile, including work on an assembly line. Israeli defence officials said Syria could produce as many as 30 missiles a year, approximately equal to that of the current 'Scud-C' production. "They have either begun production or are about to begin production," one Israeli official told JDW. "So far, the...

MPs question 'nuclear upgrade' of Israel's Jaguar bombers 24-04-2002By Richard Norton-TaylorThe Guardian MPs are demanding an explanation after Israel upgraded British Jaguar bombers made by India under licence and potentially capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Tony Baldry, chairman of the Commons cross-party international development committee, has asked Patricia Hewitt, the trade and industry secretary, whether the government approved of the deal or had no control over it. Mr Baldry refers in a letter to Ms Hewitt to an article in Jane's Defence Weekly reporting growing military cooperation between India and Israel and says he understands Israel was upgrading the aircraft...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 March 14 SM3B: Mission to Hubble Credit: STS109 Crew, NASA Explanation: Now complete, Servicing Mission 3B (SM3B) was really the fourth trip to the Hubble Space Telescope, as the originally planned mission 3 was split into two parts. Falling around planet Earth, about 320 nautical miles above the surface, the 13.2 meter long Great Observatory is pictured here in Space Shuttle Columbia's payload bay on March 5. Spacesuited...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 March 8 Columbia Dawn Credit A. Barrett, KSC, NASA Explanation: Trailing a thick column of exhaust, the Space Shuttle Columbia blasted into the twilight morning sky on March 1, its thundering rockets briefly flooding a cloud bank with the light of a false dawn. The event marked the start of the ongoing eleven day mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble's upgrades include the installation of...