blah blah blog

My new web page

roger — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 10:08:39 GMT

Check out my new page. I am moving soon so I put my best used sites on this site also it football season Yea..... http://colesenator.googlepages.com/home

Newsvine my friends rocks.......

roger — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:26:20 GMT

shoot me your Eaddress .. i have 50 invites..... heres the welcome page.. pls view . then send me your E...you all know me i wont spam you at all ....might put ya in my addrs book though .. i dont bug peeps ,,,,, http://www.newsvine.com/_cms/welcome

roger — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:57:10 GMT

Nature on Google Earth Cover of 16 Feb 2006 issue of NatureGoogle Earth makes the cover of this week’s issue of Nature: inside, an article by Declan Butler on the uses of virtual globes by scientists, available free; an editorial and a commentary on the use of Google Earth during natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina and the Pakistani earthquake) are behind the pay wall. More from Declan on his blog; see also Geography 2.0, Google Earth Blog and Kathryn Cramer. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v439/n7078/full/439776a.html http://declanbutler.info/blog/?p=23 http://geography2.blogspot.com/2006/02/nature-weekly-mapping-for-masses.html http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2006/02/nature_cover_st.html http://www.kathryncramer.com/kathryn_cramer/2006/02/google_earth_in.html

roger — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 23:46:07 GMT

(SPACE.com) -- About halfway up in the east-southeast sky around 9 p.m. local time these frosty winter nights is the brilliant planet Saturn. This week, the ringed world is at its brightest for 2006. Among the stars, only Sirius and Canopus are brighter. January 27 marks the night that Saturn arrives at opposition to the sun; rising in the east as the sun sets, peaking high in the south at midnight and setting in the west at sunrise. Without question Saturn's famous rings make it the telescopic showpiece of the night sky. In small telescopes, they always surprise observers, both novice and veteran alike, with their striking beauty. Any telescope magnifying more than 30-power will show them quite well. Although visually they appear solid, the rings actually consist of countless billions of particles -- chiefly consisting of water ice -- ranging in size from icebergs to microscopic flecks. The rings are currently tilted at an inclination of 19 degrees toward the Earth. This will slowly increase in the coming weeks, ultimately reaching a maximum inclination of 20.2 degrees by the beginning of April. You should take full advantage of this circumstance, because we won't see the rings tipped 20 degrees or more to our line of sight again until the year 2014. Saturn is currently shining within the dim constellation of Cancer, the Crab. Cancer is the least conspicuous of the 12 zodiacal constellations. Aside from being in the Zodiac, it is probably only noteworthy because it contains one of the brightest galactic star clusters in the sky. Currently it appears only about a degree to the upper right of Saturn, appearing to the eye as a misty patch of light. But binoculars will quickly reveal its stellar nature. It is Praesepe, better known as the Beehive Star Cluster, containing hundreds of small stars. This week, Saturn will appear to be passing through the southern extremities of the cluster, and will be just 0.9 degrees south of it on February 2. Interestingly, the Beehive was also used in medieval times as a weather forecaster. It was one of the very few clusters that were mentioned in antiquity. Aratus (around 260 BC) and Hipparchus (about 130 BC) called it the "Little Mist" or "Little Cloud." But Aratus also noted that on those occasions when the sky was seemingly clear, but the Beehive was invisible, that this meant that a storm was approaching. We know today that prior to the arrival of any unsettled weather maker, high, thin cirrus clouds (composed of ice crystals) begin to appear in the sky. Such clouds are thin enough to only slightly dim the sun, moon and brighter stars, but apparently just opaque enough to hide a dim patch of light like the Beehive. Now, however, it might be difficult to see the Beehive with the unaided eye whether the sky is clear or not because of its close proximity to Saturn. Currently, Saturn appears to be looping backward or to the west among the background stars. This is known as retrograde motion and is an artifact of the Earth overtaking Saturn as both planets move in their respective orbits around the sun. Eventually, this backward motion will be cancelled out and Saturn will appear to come to halt and resume its normal eastward course. When its retrograde motion ends on April 5, Saturn will be poised a few degrees to the west of the cluster. Then, on June 5, Saturn will pass the Beehive again, slipping about 0.8 degrees to the south of the cluster. But anyone who trains binoculars on Saturn during the balance of the winter and on into the spring, will be able to get a fine view of both the solar systems' ringed wonder and this celestial weather forecaster.

Chess is War..war is chess....

roger — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 23:05:26 GMT

Chess Samizdat - Syndicated Chess Content CHESS AND WAR. (PART III) by Anonymous The entrance of the soldier, like the breaking of a potent spell, unloosed a score of tongues. Draught, domino, and chess-players threw up their games to converse on the all-absorbing topic of the war. With no little amount of vociferation and gesticulation, the movements of the allied armies were freely criticized, and approval or censure loudly proclaimed by the wordy disputants. I need scarcely observe, that there are matters connected with the war humiliating and painful to the English ears--with true French politeness, these subjects were not brought forward in my presence. But as the hot debate was rapidly leading towards that unpleasant direction, the wily old Pole created a diversion by exclaiming: "After all, gentleman, war is but chess, and chess is war." "What!" shouted the Zouave, with that indescribable emphasis which a Parisian gamin gives to the simple pronoun quoi. "I repeat," replied the colonel, "that the principles of chess and war are the same, and in chess will be found a complete epitome of the art of war. For instance, no one can play at chess without first acquiring a perfect knowledge of the various moves which distinguish the different pieces, neither can a general command an army who is ignorant of the simple evolutions of a peloton. How can a man handle a number of regiments, who cannot maneuver a single battalion?" "True, true," chorused a number of voices. It evidently appeared that the Pole had mounted his hobby; and the audience, forgetting their previous debate, had unanimously determined that he should ride it for their amusement. "When opening the game," continued the colonel, "we direct our moves so that no one of our pieces or pawns can neutralize the effect of another; while, at the same time, we place them where they cannot be attacked with impunity, and in the most advantageous positions for assaulting the enemy. A skilful general will act on a similar principle. He will select the ground most favorable for the action of his infantry and cavalry, taking care that they do not restrain the fire of his artillery; and, by the same rule, he will use all the means in his power to prevent the enemy from deploying his forces in so advantageous a manner. At chess, this can be done only by having the first move. There are first moves also in war. The general who first takes the field acts on the offensive, his opponent being compelled to act according to the manner in which he is attacked. And, as in chess, it is no very great disadvantage to be forced to act on the defensive; for, in the course of a campaign, the attacking army will be almost sure to make some mistake, which, if promptly taken advantage of by its opponents, will change the defence to an attack. In war, as in chess, it is much more difficult to attack than to defend. The great secret of success in chess is foresight, not only to direct your own moves towards a definite object, but also to penetrate the intentions of your adversary. It is the same in war. Your enemy makes a certain movement; it is for you to divine his motives for doing so. This is absolutely indispensable, if you wish to be in a position to parry successfully his attacks. A small disadvantage in chess, a crowded situation, an unsupported piece, a neglected opportunity of castling, and other apparent trifles, frequently leads to the loss of the game. So it is in war; the fate of arms depends upon a number of minute particulars and combinations. We should be astonished if we knew the very small links in the chain of circumstances which have lost great battles, and neutralized the effects of glorious campaigns. But I am tiring you, my children, with the garrulous gossip of an old soldier and chess-player." "No, no!" was vociferated from all parts of the room. "Proceed, if you please; we are all attention." "Well, I will say a few words more. I need not tell you that, when a projected attack at chess is foiled by the superior defences of your adversary, it should be immediately abandoned, and your men placed in another position of attack, or on the defensive. In war, an obstinate peralatence in attack has been fatal to the flame of many generals: they lost their men, and with them the means of forming another attack, on a less formidable position, and even the power of making a vigorous defence. A great general is never obstinate. Napoleon I., particularly in his Italian campaigns, was the bean-ideal of a chess-player. The art of war, as exemplified by that great general, wholly consisted in the proper application of three combinations; first, the disposition of his lines of operation in the most advantageous manner, either for attack or defence; secondly, the skilful concentration of his forces, with the greatest possible activity, on the weakest or most important point of the enemy's lines; thirdly, the simultaneous employment of this accumulated force upon the position against which it was directed. This is exactly the correct system of attack at chess. The principles of defensive operations in war and chess are precisely similar. It is an acknowledged principle, that the basis of a plan of attack should form the best possible line of defence. This fundamental rule can never be violated with impunity; for nothing is more embarrassing than a sudden transition from offensive to defensive operations--when false moves, or an unfortunate oversight, has deranged the plan of an assault. There likewise is considerable analogy between the abilities required to form a great general and a skilful chess-player. The commander of an army should possess a complete knowledge of the general principles of war, which may be required during a tedious campaign, or demanded by the exigencies of actual conflict. He must plan, arrange, and conduct preliminary operations; act with promptness and decision in case of emergency; judge of the importance of a position, or the strength of an intrenchment; discover, from the slightest indications, the designs of the enemy, while he shrouds his own in impenetrable obscurity; and, at the same time, preside with unshaken self-possession over the shifting fortunes of the tumultuous battle-field. A skilful chess-player requires qualities of a similar description. To a perfect mastery of the difficult art of selecting and occupying, with the utmost rapidity, a commanding position, he must add a thorough knowledge of all the many and complicated varieties of stratagems and snares, which he is alternately called upon to invest and put into practice--to see through and defeat." "All great generals have been chess-players; and it is a curious fact, that the traditions of both the East and the West relate that chess was invented during a siege. The Hindoo legend states, that it was invented by the wife of Ravan, king of Ceylon, in order to amuse him with an image of war, while his metropolis was besieged by Ramah, in the second age of the world. The Western tradition, however, is more feasible. According to it, the game was invented by Palamedes, to amuse the Grecian warriors during the ten tedious years of the siege of Troy. Sinon, it is said, was one of the most celebrated of the Greek players, and derived the idea of the wooden horse, with which he finally checkmated the Trojans, from the knight of the chess-board." This awful climax recalled me to myself. I had begun to fancy myself in the Regence, when, startled by the appearance of that wooden horse, I looked round and saw that I was in a vulgar cafe without traditions and without celebrities. Catching the old soldier's eye, I made a significant gesture, implying that I was going to dinner, and walked out. I had gone but a few paces ere he rejoined me; and I was soon happy to find that neither his appetite, nor his immense fund of anecdotes, was at all affected by his lecture on Chess and War. About the Author This article is from the journal THE LIVING AGE (Second Series, Volume XII, January, February, March, 1856), which is in the public domain. Content by Chess Samizdat http://www.correspondencechess.com/samizdat/

While i was waiting for Tribes.net to do there little majic trick......I googled Boing Boing up jumps the boogie

roger — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 17:39:14 GMT

Elite Blog boingboing.net shut down their message boards a couple of weeks back due to insane flames and abusive attacks. Really?!?? Abuse on an anonymous message board? Imagine that. Now BB has a group on Tribe.net, bringing together the two memes of the moment: blogs and social software. Xeni's post: Tribe.net: BoingBoing tribe! I've been fooling around with social networking service Tribe.net lately, and enjoying it thoroughly. The UI rules, the site performs pleasantly. The service seems particularly well-suited for folks who want to connect for purposes other than dating (not that there's anything wrong with dating). Like-minded users connect in groups called "tribes," formed around everything from photography to polyamory. One tribe.net user named Pauly recently created a "BoingBoing" tribe, to "further the banter and chitchat that goes along with boingboing". Pesco and I are both members, come check it out. Link to BoingBoing tribe, and recent Wired News story about Tribe.net: "Friendster meets Craigslist?"