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Pair of Snake Eyes

Access to pair.com, the host for this site has been hit or miss over the last couple of weeks. I'm not sure if the problem lies somewhere within our network or at their end. All I know is I spent three hours this morning trying to diagnose why I could not get logged into the server. Even email and telnet did not, at first, connect. Later, I could connect, but not log in. Now I can do both. I have no idea why this is happening.

When all access is down, even trying www.pair.com fails. When I do reach pair status, there is nothing mentioned as to any outages. Maybe something is going on between here and there?

In either case, I'm too pooped to post. If all goes better, I'll post something tomorrow.

Aloha!

Wahine Win

Congratulations to the University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team for winning the Western Athletic Conference championship. They now await a call from the National Collegiate Athletic Association for their seeding for the national playoffs. See the story here.

States Win

The California Supreme Court opined yesterday (see the 53-page opinion in pdf format here or read the story from InfoWorld here) that someone posting the anti-DVD Content Scrambling System code (more popularly referred to as DeCSS) on the web in Texas, and having no other contact with California, can not be tried in California. The case, as most are, is more complicated than that. And had the California court been so inclined, they probably could have ruled otherwise.

Having said that, and remembering I am not an attorney and am not giving legal advice, I wish this were a stronger case. The plaintiff, the DVD Copy Control Association, Inc., failed, on multiple counts, to show how the defendant had interests in California. Had they taken this case more seriously, and one would guess that they reckoned just filing a case would scare most people, they could very well have won this one.

In either case, as I understand it, the opinion affects only California, unless it is appealed and decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Aloha!

A Few Good Men

It's easy to go along to get along. It's easy to go with the crowd, even if the crowd is not going where you want to go. So when people go against what everyone else is doing it signals something important.

Now, what that means can vary from situation to situation. For example, criminals go against the majority to get what they want and I think it's safe to say that is not a Good Thing.

But recently, the Senate of the United States of America voted on the bill that would create the dreaded Department of Homeland Security. For the great majority, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, it was a no brainer. They had learned the lessons of the recent mid-term elections. It's a war, stupid. So as President Bush put it, you are either for them, or against them.

But nine brave souls decided that what was good for their political careers wasn't necessarily good for the country. That the easy way out wasn't the right way. That going with the majority could not be squared with what their conscience was whispering in their ear. So they took the road less traveled and voted 'No.'

While I can't say I agree with every other vote these men may have made, I can say it took a lot of resolve, and yes, courage, to vote the way they did. Please remember them in your prayers. And while you are at it, also remember our country and ourselves, because we are in very dark times and could use the wisdom from a Source higher than our own.

These nine freedom loving patriots are:

• Daniel Akaka, Democrat-Hawai'i

• Robert Byrd, Democrat-West Virginia

• Russell Feingold, Democrat-Wisconsin

• Ernest Hollings, Democrat-South Carolina

• Daniel Inouye, Democrat-Hawai'i

• James Jeffords, Independent-Vermont

• Edward Kennedy, Democrat-Massachusetts

• Carl Levin, Democrat-Michigan

• Paul Sarbanes, Democrat-Maryland

Aloha!

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Sailing to the Four Winds

I'll be the first one to say I don't fully understand the rules of the America's/Louis Vuitton Challenger Cup (see the latest update here). But one thing I can say, barring protest, is Team Dennis Conner will be going home for Christmas. The man known as Mr. America's Cup shed a few tears as his boat was defeated 4-0 by OneWorld. The Seattle team, headed by Craig McCaw and Paul Allen, was just to much for New York's Team DC to overcome.

I hate to say this, but perhaps it is time for Mr. Conner to fold his sails for the last time and head on home. If so, I want to be the first to say thank you to the man who for so many years represented the best what may now be a past era.

Red Tide

The "Crimson Tide" of the University of Alabama rolls into Aloha Stadium this weekend to take on the University of Hawai'i Warrior football team. While the USAToday/ESPN poll does rank Hawai'i in the 24th spot, it would be a real upset if we were to win. Having said that, good luck to the Warriors.

The Oceans of Space

For all you Lego geeks out there, do I have link for you (see it here). The link goes to a site that shows the Star Trek USS Enterprise built entirely of Lego blocks. And to tell the truth, it actually looks pretty good. Allowing, of course, for the fact that Legos aren't exactly designed for such things.

Have a Great Hanukkah Everyone - Aloha!

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