Universal Gossamer

You really have to love the interaction possible with the Internet and in this example, specifically YouTube. I was watching a good interview with Michael Scheuer about his latest book, Marching Toward Hell, and I see the commentary and interpretation of the interview from a guy who claims to be a former UAE Undersecretary, of what exactly, it is not clear on his biography page. What we have here is an original production, then analyzed and elaborated upon in a subsequent format, and which then can be commented on and posted as I am doing here. It is like an endless gossamer of spinning, commenting, analyzing, and reacting.

Have We Learned Anything About Warfare in Iraq?

DARPA's Urban Mapping technology seems to provide proper support for the complexities of modern warfare and current challenges for the street level fighter in Iraq. The new technology--called the Tactical Ground Reporting System, or TIGR--is a map-centric application that junior officers can study before going on patrol and add to upon returning. This reminds me of a Google Maps mash-up on steroids and allows a soldiers to get up close and personal to their environment. By clicking on icons and lists, officers can see the locations of key buildings, such as mosques, schools, and hospitals, and retrieve information such as location data on past attacks, geotagged photos of houses and other buildings (taken with cameras equipped with Global Positioning System technology), and photos of suspected insurgents and neighborhood leaders. They can even listen to civilian interviews and watch videos of past maneuvers.

Et Tu, NetBrute Scanner?

The NetBrute Scanner is a handy tool because it surveys your network for a vulnerable point of entry: shared folders or open ports. There are three simple security tools that will put your network through a basic security check, looking for shared resources and open ports. In addition, you can also use it to test the security of any Web servers on your network.

The tools can be checked on any individual PC on the network by using its network name or IP address. There is also the ability to scan an entire range of IP addresses. I find the latter more difficult to apply and use successfully.

The program lists all shared resources and lets you connect to those resources and browse them from the program as well. The program also scans the PCs on the network for open TCP ports, so you'll be able to find out what Web servers, FTP servers, Telnet resources and the like are installed. For security, it will identify your port vulnerabilities.

The third utility in the suite checks the Web servers on your network and sees whether it can break into them using a "dictionary attack" by trying combinations of user names and passwords to gain access to the webmaster's account. The feigned access replicates a brute force attack.

Support for Wikileaks Grows

I find it ironic, and frightening, that in the same week the Pakistani government censors YouTube is the same time that an American Court disabled Wikilieaks.org, a whistle-blower site.

Fortunately, a number of privacy and civil rights advocates are calling on a federal court to reconsider its decision.

A motion was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American Civil Liberties Union, the Project on Government Oversight, and a Wikileaks user asked the court for permission to intervene in the case.

The groups asked the court to dissolve its permanent injunction disabling the Wikileaks.org Web site. They claimed that the court's action violated their First Amendment right to access the contents of the Wikileaks Web site.

Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society's Citizen Media Law Project (CMLP) is also sympathetic towards Wikileaks and the center filed a brief opposing the court's injunctions against Wikileaks and its domain registrar Dynadot LLC. The brief that they filed also cited First Amendment concerns.

The new found support for Wikileaks comes in the wake of two injunctions issued by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White on February 15. The injunctions were in response to a lawsuit filed by the Julius Baer Group, a Swiss bank that, according to documents on Wikileaks, was involved in offshore money laundering and tax evasion in the Cayman Islands for customers in several countries, including the U.S.

The rulings elicited vociferous criticism from privacy and civil rights groups that saw it as an unprecedented violation of First Amendment rights.

An additional hearing takes place tomorrow.

Predicting the Next Big One

Want to predict terrorist behavior?

The prediction of terrorist behavior is the goal of a new initiative at the University of Maryland. The University launched a data mining portal for counter-terrorism research.

The researchers consider that the unpredictable groups are useful for policy analysts and counter-terrorism groups who can use past behavior to forecast terrorist behavior.

The University of Maryland's Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), specifically, the SOMA Terror Organization Portal (STOP), uses publicly available data on more than 110 terror groups from around the world. In addition, it uses a real-time data extraction tool called T-REX to scour and extract data from more than 128,000 articles a day on an average of 180 news sites in 93 countries. The data is then organized into columns by year, variables associated with the group, such as an attack it might have carried out, or any counter-measures taken against it by a government. As a result, each variable then gets a numeric code representing its relative importance.

SOMA, or Stochastic Opponent Modeling Agents, then creates rules about the various terrorist groups, thus predicting their behavior, in its database.

The conclusions are worth considering. Hezbollah is demonstrated then to show that when it was involved in electoral politics, the chances it will attack civilians outside of Lebanon was in the 69% to 87% range. On the other hand, those chances dropped sharply when Hezbollah is not involved in electoral politics. The conclusion seems to be counterintuitive. Hezbollah is more violent as it is involved in democratic politics.

SOMA proved to be accurate in predicting an outcome about 90% of the time. This accuracy rate would be invaluable if consistent. The researchers had inputted ten years of data on each group and as a result turned out an accuracy rate over 90%. While the tool could not predict any specific target or time line the data could be invaluable for increasing security.

Nonetheless, the tool is a promising beginning for generally baffling human phenomenon.

Obama's Fashion Statement

Graphic source: BBC.

I'm not completely sure what to make of Obama's fashion statement but it is most helpful to hear from an expert. Although we may not know now who released the image, a photo of Obama wearing Somali clothing is causing a fire storm after it was released on the Drudge Report website.

I'd let an expert address the clothing.

Yusuf Garaad Omar, head of the BBC's Somali Service, explains the meaning of the robes.

These are the normal clothes that nomadic people wear.

The head turban is especially used by elderly people as a suggestion of respect. It is something that has no meaning whatsoever in Somalia culture.

If you see someone dressed like that in Somalia, you think it is a nomadic person - that is all.

There is no religious significance to it whatsoever. It is mainly the nomadic people who use it. Some of them are religious, some are not.

It is simply a tradition of the place where they are from.

In this particular place, Wajir in north-east Kenya, the community is majority ethnic Somali.

They have a council for Peace and Development, and when they get delegates they dress them as a nomadic person.

Given that the expert, Mr. Omar, has weighed in, the costume does not appear particularly significant, but it has allowed the Clinton campaign some room to deny that they were behind the picture's release.

Blackboard Prevails Against Desire2Learn in Patent Disupute

Blackboard won its elearning patent dispute against Desire2Learn which surprised me. I didn't think Blackboard's case was as strong as the federal jury in Lufkin, TX apparently did.

Cf. Dian Schaffhauser, "Blackboard Wins Lawsuit Against Desire2Learn," Campus Technology, 2/22/2008, http://www.campustechnology.com/article.aspx?aid=58797.

Atomic Learning Workshop on Blogger Blogging: Everything You Need to Know About Blogging

Atomic Learning has done a real service in creating a terrific workshop on blogging. The tutorials break down all the details on how to have a successful experience on Blogger.

Note on Islamofascism and Paul Berman

Since I've recently been asked about my use of the term, Islamofascism, I dug into the historical roots of the term.

Comparisons have been made between fascism and Islam, as far back as 1937, when the German Catholic emigré Edgar Alexander compared Nazism with "Mohammedanism," likewise, in 1939 psychologist Carl Jung said about Adolf Hitler, "he is like Mohammed. The emotion in Germany is Islamic, warlike and Islamic. They are all drunk with a wild god."

Nonetheless, the real impetus for my use of the term comes from Terror and Liberalism,, written by New York University journalism Professor Paul Berman who carefully unpacked the intellectual origins of Islamic fundamentalism, looking primarily at Sayyid Qutb, the intellectual godfather of al-Qaeda. It was not hard to find the links: Qutb was explicitly and openly influenced by European fascism. The parallel has some odd coincidences. In Taliban Afghanistan conditions seem grotesquely familiar to historians of fascism, with its fanatical Jew-hatred, homophobia, misogyny, the banning of all dissent, and the suppression of all liberal freedoms.

Pakistani Muslims Ban Internet

Graphic source: Global Voices Advocacy.

In what could be an excellent dry run for an Internet ban the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) ordered the country's ISPs to block users' access to YouTube on Friday because of what was considered an inflammatory anti-Islamic video on the site. The video in question is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3s8jtrrg00 at IPs: 208.65.153.238, 208.65.153.253, and 208.65.153.251. The authorities did not allow many users around the world to access YouTube Inc.'s site for about two hours on Sunday. The way they were able to shut down YouTube was with erroneous routing information. YouTube responded by investigating how the problem can be avoided to prevent it from happening again.

In the glorious state of Pakistan access to YouTube is still blocked while ISPs work with the Pakistani authority to narrow its order to block a single URL pointing to the video.

The Pakistani authorities have struck a blow against free speech as they have consistently opposed expressions and art depicting Mohammad.

Wars That Can Be Won, Candidates Should Lose

Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr rally in Baghdad, the day before he extended his militia's cease-fire six months.

Graphic source: Wathiq Khuzaie--Getty Images Photo.

The Washington Post ran a story from Anthony H. Cordesman, the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who recently returned from the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Cordesman's perspective is not the one discussed in the major political campaigns, nor are the ones I hear at the water cooler, however, he is correct. If you follow the military accounts carefully, the U.S. military is doing an admirable job. As he perceptively continues though, the will to follow-up the remarkable military effort with a corresponding application of American interest is lacking. In this, I fault the average American who not only lapsed in the citizen's duty to be engaged by the debate to enter the war, but also now the rhetoric on how to win successfully is submerged in the political detritus that we call Campaign 2008.

To provide just one example, in the terms of the change agents--you pick your poison, Obama or Hillary--both of whom seem to want a vaguely termed `change' but who advocate greater use of diplomacy and involvement by allies. In the case of Afghanistan, Cordesman observes that the war there is winnable, premised on international interest and NATO support. Yet, neither candidate, both Senators who serve the country in the capacity of "advise and consent" to the President, have engaged international opinion and support. They are both playing politics instead. This is dishonest and disrespectable towards our armed forces.

The best guess in order to develop the necessary infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan is 2012 - 2020. The military is soundly and roundly chasing al-Qaeda out of every province and it is being reduced to a losing struggle for control of Nineveh and Mosul. In addition, the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's announcement Friday to extend his militia's cease-fire six months is another positive factor to consider. In spite of these positive developments, Americans continue their hand-ringing and lamenting of a situation that they do not understand or follow very closely.

Cordesman echoes my feeling that Americans are not really paying attention nor realizing that the struggle is longer and harder than they would like to know about. The candidates too are doing a major disservice to the Presidential debates by not being upfront and honest with the American people. War takes a long time and this needs to stated clearly and upfront, so that it becomes a part of the Presidential debates.

Cordesman states:

If the next president, Congress and the American people cannot face this reality, we will lose. Years of false promises about the speed with which we can create effective army, police and criminal justice capabilities in Iraq and Afghanistan cannot disguise the fact that mature, effective local forces and structures will not be available until 2012 and probably well beyond. This does not mean that U.S. and allied force levels cannot be cut over time, but a serious military and advisory presence will probably be needed for at least that long, and rushed reductions in forces or providing inadequate forces will lead to a collapse at the military level.

The wars are for the long haul.

Cordesman concludes:

Any American political leader who cannot face these realities, now or in the future, will ensure defeat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Any Congress that insists on instant victory or success will do the same. We either need long-term commitments, effective long-term resources and strategic patience -- or we do not need enemies. We will defeat ourselves.

Propaganda Stunt by Islamofascist Terrorists

Here is the tactic that Israel has to deal with currently but I believe will soon be exported elsewhere, that is, close to home. The terrorists, in a decentralized hub-like network lob missiles at Israel, then, women protesters flood the streets. Where have women ever taken to the public streets and are politically active in any Arab nation? They have not. The only reason they are there is to elicit sympathy as innocent victims of Israeli aggression. The crowd has armed men who fire into Israeli lines but if the army defends itself the women will be hit. The world sees only one limited aspect of the demonstration and the propaganda line then is to label the Israelis as butchers.

The network-centric warfare of a group like Hamas is a genuine challenge to constitutional frameworks. As all fascists have learned for decades, the Islamofascists will exploit the system and run candidates for office, campaign in democratic elections in order to undermine the system, and simultaneously engage in covert, terroristic operations in order to bring the system down. Mussolini and Hitler did much the same thing in their successful pursuit of bringing democracy down.

Note on Harris' Note

A quick and easy read, this is Harris' follow-up to his more substantial The End of Faith. I didn't find the work totally a rehash of anti-religious sentiments but there is a fairly complete repetition of traditional arguments. Atheists are often pronouncing moral judgments and locating their values in a personal or individual place but this is not an issue with me. Non-violence is advocated by Harris but I've found it interesting that one critic of Harris notes that non-violence would not have gotten us anywhere during evolution. I take it violence is an unqualified good, and not in need of defense.

Note on Michael Grant, The Climax of Rome

The summary of early Christian art is worthwhile and there is a sound, brief summary of the collapse of Rome. Grant corrects the view that 161-337 C.E. was a degeneration of Rome. He correctly locates the period as troubled but he demonstrates the vitality and the political and military adaptability of leading Roman figures in a rapidly changing environment.

Dead Cow Springs to Scan

Graphic source: cDc.

The Cult of the Dead Cow hacker group released the open-source tool Goolag Scanner designed to enable IT workers to quickly scan their Web sites for security vulnerabilities and at-risk sensitive data. The tool uses a selection of specially crafted Google search terms. The group, also called, cDc, acknowledged that the tool can be employed for nefarious uses as well.

Not Uncle Same But Uncle Sam for Today

Uncle Sam and his image should be updated and I think there is now at least one sound revision.

Note on Scheuer's New Book

Michael Scheuer's latest book, Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq, has six points to make that are relevant for the upcoming election.

The six points are: our unqualified support for Israel; our presence on the Arabian peninsula, which is land Muslims deem holy; our military presence in other Islamic countries; our support of foreign states that oppress Muslims, especially Russia, China and India; our long-term policy of keeping oil prices artificially low to the benefit of Western consumers but to continuing detriment of the Arab peoples; and our support for Arab tyrannies who will repress Arabs and do just that.

These are the six points that the two major candidates are not discussing.

Fallujah's Double-Edge Sword

Graphic source: Wikileaks.org

The primary leak in the Fallujah media case is that the military lost in the information war. However, the public revelation of the loss is a two-edged sword. The fact that Al-Jazeera or other Arab sources were present, and the Western press did not report or gain access to the battle field is embarrassing but not only to the government. The liberties of the free press are hindered by news agencies who have let the American people down and failed us as citizens because we were not informed as we should have been. I view this leak not only as a breach of government information but it also points out how critical a free press really is. The fact that the Western press did not accurately report in Fallujah further increased the risk to our troops. The fighting capabilities of U.S. troops were hampered because our combat troops had to engage in battle sensitive to how Fallujah would be playing out before shoddy Arab journalistic standards. Americans need to wake up to the reality of war. War is brutal but we need to unleash American dogs of war so that they can create stability after the conflict and without regard to European elites or biased journalistic accounts. Not only is the government hiding behind a smokescreen but so too are our journalists.

Judge Bans Helpful Documents

Graphic source: Wikileaks.

I am simply one of the many rights advocates expressing dismay over a pair of decisions made by California District Court Judge Jeffrey White last week to shut down Wikileaks.org, a controversial Web site that allows whistle-blowers to anonymously post corporate and government documents online. At a time when insurgents are housing their bilge on American ISPs, I find it ironic that whistle-blowers, who may be able to help people, are banned. What is the judiciary thinking here?

The court's orders resulted in the wikileaks.org URL being promptly scrubbed from the Internet but I wanted to follow what happened to the site. Thereafter, the site remained accessible by typing in its IP numbers (88.80.13.160). As advertised, Wikileaks, which touts itself as an "uncensorable system for untraceable mass document leaking and public analysis," was also available via numerous mirror sites in several countries.

Microsoft Offers Students Free DreamSpark Tools

Microsoft has offered its development and design tools to students for free and in a move announced yesterday the company will open these tools to as many as many as 1 billion high school and college students.

The Microsoft tools, in the DreamSpark program, is available to 35 million college students in the U.S., China, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K.

The tools are ones that young people can build a career around or they can just build fun software for themselves. The basics of good software architecture and the data structures have been consistent for the last 30 years and therefore the skills of design and recognizing good code, is a valuable skill to have for the 21st Century.

DreamSpark is available to students of technology, design, math science and engineering, and students can access Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition, Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, and XNA Game Studio 2.0. As a part of the package students are also eligible for a free 12-month academic membership to the XNA Creators Club.

The program will also include Microsoft's Expression Studio design tools, including Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design and Expression Media. Students also can access SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition and Windows Server Standard Edition for free.

The timetable for roll-out of the program is six months when Microsoft plans to expand DreamSpark to college students in Australia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, and more countries in the Americas, Asia and Europe. The program will be extended to high school students by the third quarter of 2008.

Microsoft works with academic institutions, governments, and student organizations, such as the International Student Identity Card Association, to ensure the necessary local student identity-verification technology infrastructure exists to provide access to DreamSpark.