Wise Words (again)

(Pronounce in chinese accent please) "Do not run in dark room, especially in dark room that has big heavy table in middle of room"

My leg is killing me and turning all sorts of purple. Ouch.


For previous wise-words, click Here and Here

The Reason we Have Crappy Internet

Today, I discovered a sad truth. A sad, sad truth.

We had an internet problem last week that left all of the Middle-East and parts of Asia with very slow internet access, if any at all. Turns out the problem was a ship with it's anchor down near Egypt managed to sever an internet cable.

Is that really all it takes to paralyse internet access for a whole continent? I was pretty sure it wasn't, and there was probably something else going on there. Anyhow, while joking about the whole situation a few days ago, I drew a little diagram of the world and how all the countries were connected to the internet. The Middle-East, however, had one single connection to the whole thing, and if cut, everyone would be internetless:

Now this was supposed to be a joke; it's funny and all, yes, we're the only set of countries not really connected properly, ha ha, any sort of problem with one sole cable can screw us up, ha ha.

So while checking out Redbelt's page, I came across a diagram of how the world's internet underwater cables were connected, and man, was I in for a shock. We REALLY ARE connected by a single path. Bloody hell:


That's pretty messed up, huh?

Criminal Thoughts

He came back home, exhausted after a long day at work, and made his way to the sofa. He slumped down, looked up at the ceiling as his head rested on a cushion, thinking, wondering. How far could he go if he chose to live a path of crime, instead?

Crime usually pays well, he thought; whether it's a drug dealer making 200% profit on whatever they put in, or using intricate knowledge of a banks' system to undetectedly transfer money into their account, or stealing people's credit card numbers, buying expensive items online and selling them for cheap. There's a hundred other ways, and hell, they all pay well.

He continued to think; most crime is committee by your average person, not necessarily someone with any real outstanding achievements, a high IQ, or even a good education. Sure, some are, but in general it didn't take any sort of specific level of intelligence or skill to make a payoff out of crime. So he wondered; with an above average level of intelligence, putting his superior mental talents to use being overworked in a normal paying job didn't really do it for him. He want thousands, hundreds of thousands. He wanted millions. He knew he could get them, if he pursued them illegally. Legally, there wasn't much of a chance unless he become CEO of a large company sometime soon (not very likely) or won some sort of lottery (even less likely).

So how about it? He could use his genius mind for evil, and make millions in the process. He could steal banks' money, undetected. He can fool people into giving him their money, only to realize they've been ripped off after he was long gone. He can do so much, and yes, it would pay, and pay well.

So what was stopping him? Was it the law? He could twist the law, fool the law, and be above the law. Was it a moral dilemma? The society he was in seemed to reward the rich, not the poor. What was a moral stand, really? Following an unjust society?

What was stopping him from fulfilling all his dreams?

Freezing in Bahrain

It was announced a few days ago; on the 1st of February, which means tonight, Bahrain is going to get a REALLY cold; expect lots of wind, exceptionally low temperatures, and plenty of snow (ok, one of those isn't true).

I noticed it driving back home today evening; the wind speeds have started to increase, and in my garden, there are leaves on the ground all over the place. Hmm.

Extra blanket, anyone?

Disclaimer; Above image does not represent Bahrain. Not at all.

The Recession Cometh

The US Federal Reserve has just cut the funds rate by another half a percent; that's just 8 days after it's last 0.75% cut, and the fifth rate cut in the past four months. It was also signalled that further rate cuts are possible.

What's a rate cut? It bascially means the Federal Reserve brings down their lending rate, which in turn affects banks and financial institutions lending rates, making it cheaper for companies, investors and individuals to borrow money. This in turn is supposed to stimulate the economy. More rate cuts means the Fed believe the economy is slowing, and five cuts within four months means, yep, recession is on the way.

That's pretty much confirmed then; the US is facing a recession, and whether you want to listen to the pretty mild announcements telling people that everything is fine, you have to admit, the situation is pretty screwed. The current administration is also negotiating a stimulus package of $150 billion to spur investment. Inflation rates have jumped up in the last 3 months of 2007, unemployment rates have increased, and economic growth is at it's lowest point in 5 years, when the US was struggling to recover from the 2001 recession.

What does that mean for you? Well, if you're thinking of getting a loan, now is the time. But whether you do or not, the ripple effect is on it's way guys, get ready.