Referral Abuse:
It would be nice if there was some sort of browser header the aggregator could send to identify itself instead of using the referrer field. Oh, that's right, there is. It's called User-Agent.
I've covered this before. I feel evil that I'm now using an aggregator that does just this:
Some aggregators have taken things a step further by allowing the user to use any arbitrary URL as the referrer.
Bad.
So I get 48 "referrals" each day from www.hardhathosting.com even though there's not a single link from their site to mine.
Me too! Finally, Jason has a great argument:
Each time I load a page in Internet Explorer, I don't leave a referer for www.microsoft.com/ie in the log files of the site whose page I loaded, so why should any of the RSS readers be different?
Plus, he has an actual reference to the HTTP RFC where they declare these types of abuses to be illegal.
REST for AOLserver, PyWX, and Quixote:
This document provides an introduction to REST plus suggestions and instructions on how to deliver RESTful applications on top of AOLserver, PyWX, and Quixote, possibly with help of a relational database such as PostgreSQL
Also related is this REST and FSM and BP for Quixote How-to:
This document describes the use of finite state machines (FSM) to implement complex processes in a REST style. Example implementations built on top of the Quixote Web application server are provided.
Check out PiP - Python in PHP:
Both Python and PHP are what has become known as interpretted scripting languages. Each has achieved substantial popularity due primarily to their ability to facilitate rapid prototyping. As both a Python and PHP enthusiast, I wanted to bring these two systems together to promote even greater and more interesting development opportunities.
To that end, I've written a Python extension for PHP. In short, this extensions allows the Python interpretter to be embedded inside of PHP (think of PHP as the parent language with Python as its child). This allows native Python objects to be instantiated and manipulated from within PHP. There is also initial support for accessing PHP functions and data from within the embedded Python environment.
How awesome would this be? I'd love to be able to use Python from PHP.
Ok, now I'm looking up stuff on Quixote, which I haven't really looked at before. Check out their overview. I just printed out this article from Linux Journal, and I'm about to print out some of their document describing their architecture. Also, see Why We Don't Use Zope and Scalability, Three-Tiered Architectures, and Application Servers by Philip Greenspun.
"A dramatic exchange between convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid and U.S. District Judge William Young took place Thursday afternoon."
After Judge Young imposed a sentence of life in prison, he pointed at Reid, saying "we are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mister Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before."
Continuing with a raised voice, the judge said America will hunt down others like Reid one by one and bring them to justice.
Judge Young then pointed to the American flag hanging on the wall behind him, saying it will fly there long after Reid is forgotten.
Powell to Go for Broke at the UN
After weeks of dampening expectations for "smoking gun" evidence against Iraq, the Bush administration is now teeing up an "Adlai Stevenson moment." That's diplomat-speak for the instant in which a U.S. official trumps all naysayers at the United Nations by hauling out graphic, incontrovertible evidence that its enemy is lying. Stevenson, as President John F. Kennedy's UN ambassador in 1962, slam-dunked the Soviets during a heated Security Council debate by producing satellite photographs that disproved Moscow's denials that missiles had been stationed in Cuba. Secretary of State Colin Powell hopes to produce a similar effect when he presents U.S. evidence against Iraq at a special session of the Security Council convened at U.S. request next Wednesday.
U.S. officials at the UN also hinted that next week's session could even render redundant the planned February 14 report-back by UN arms inspectors.
Rather than "smoking gun" evidence of Iraqi weapons programs, the U.S. and Britain have insisted in recent weeks that UN resolutions place the onus on Saddam Hussein to prove he has disarmed, and chief inspector Dr. Hans Blix this week testified that Iraq has thus far failed on this front. The case becomes even stronger if the U.S. can show proof of an Iraqi effort to stymie the inspection process, because the argument for giving inspections more time is premised on the idea of Iraqi cooperation. It will become increasingly difficult for reluctant Council members to argue against military action if Powell can prove that Iraq is currently camouflaging prohibited activities from the inspectors. Russia's President Vladimir Putin, for example, said Tuesday that "If Iraq starts to present problems for inspectors, then Russia could change its position and agree with the United States on new, tougher actions by the UN Security Council."
If war is now inevitable, proof of Iraqi deceit in response to the new inspection regime would create political cover for the likes of France, Russia and the Arab states to support the U.S. action rather than risk being left on the sidelines with no influence over events.
Best of all, the parts of Europe who "get it" released a letter strongly advocating European unity with the US on Iraq. (Via LGF)
We in Europe have a relationship with the United States which has stood the test of time. Thanks in large part to American bravery, generosity and far-sightedness, Europe was set free from the two forms of tyranny that devastated our continent in the 20th century: Nazism and Communism. Thanks, too, to the continued cooperation between Europe and the United States we have managed to guarantee peace and freedom on our continent. The transatlantic relationship must not become a casualty of the current Iraqi regime's persistent attempts to threaten world security.
The Iraqi regime and its weapons of mass destruction represent a clear threat to world security. This danger has been explicitly recognised by the United Nations. All of us are bound by Security Council Resolution 1441, which was adopted unanimously. We Europeans have since reiterated our backing for Resolution 1441, our wish to pursue the UN route and our support for the Security Council, at the Prague Nato Summit and the Copenhagen European Council.
The combination of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism is a threat of incalculable consequences. It is one at which all of us should feel concerned. Resolution 1441 is Saddam Hussein's last chance to disarm using peaceful means. The opportunity to avoid greater confrontation rests with him. Sadly this week the UN weapons inspectors have confirmed that his long-established pattern of deception, denial and non-compliance with UN Security Council resolutions is continuing.
We cannot allow a dictator to systematically violate those Resolutions. If they are not complied with, the Security Council will lose its credibility and world peace will suffer as a result.
Awesome.
"Democratic presidential hopeful Rev. Al Sharpton responds to President Bush's State of the Union address during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003."
I got new glasses yesterday! Woo, I can see!
Thursday, January 30, 2003
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new⇒Maps of Iraq
This is for Linda, I will bevisiting that site some time in thenear futur...
Bob: Sep 5, 1:20pm