For version 2+ of Firefox, anyway. Excerpt:

Perhaps most exciting could be Firefox's ability to support writing an e-mail in, for example, Gmail while offline, with the data sent later when a user is connected to the Internet again. Ultimately, Mozilla engineers are aiming for an integration between the browser and Web-based services that is as smooth running as a desktop application, Schroepfer said.

So far, engineers have made Firefox work with Zimbra, an open-source e-mail, messaging and VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) application. With a bit of code from Google and Microsoft, it would be possible to integrate with Gmail and Hotmail and other e-mail services.

To do offline support, engineers have overcome the hurdle of how to store data locally on the computer, Schroepfer said. The feature will make it into Firefox 3.0, although the user interface is still under development, he said.

I, for one, welcome our new Mozilla overlords.

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I don't know how Iowahawk does it, but I sure wish that I could do it.

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Because everyone loves commercials with people dressed up like food. Right? Regardless, the videos in this article are fairly amusing. I have to say that I agree completely with the description of the Domino's Fudgems at #6: a furry cube of feces.

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Steve at Hog On Ice has his newest book out. Here's the Amazon link. I'm fairly lazy, but I will put up a sidebar ad sometime soon. Not that anyone reads this blog, of course. Anyway, as a reminder, I'll post the book's cover right here.

Update: Very cool. Lucianne gave prop's to his book.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:54 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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But I repeat myself.

The Puppy Blender links to a BoingBoing article which, frankly, I thought was an April Fool's joke until I realized it was still February:

Two Florida teenagers, Jeremy and Amber, ages 17 and 16 respectively, boyfriend and girlfriend -- snapped digital photos of themselves engaged in sexual activity. They were prosecuted under state child porn laws, and convicted. . . . In Florida, Amber and Jeremy did not break the law by having sexual relations -- even though they're both teens -- but the courts decided they were criminals for having documented it digitally.

I think that I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

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That's why I posted this picture:

more...

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:12 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Well, it looks like Edwards is about to reach out and tag Jimmy Carter as his running mate. From the original article that Geraghty links:

There are other emerging fissures, as well. The aggressively photogenic John Edwards was cruising along, detailing his litany of liberal causes last week until, during question time, he invoked the "I" word — Israel. Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. As a chill descended on the gathering, the Edwards event was brought to a polite close

John, I know that you're desperately courting the moonbat vote for the primaries, but you might be laying it on a little thick. I'm just saying.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:51 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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For those of you who want to blame Bush for the astronomical number of dead US men and women fighting in a war overseas, you might want to see how many soldiers were killed when we weren't at war:

The total military dead in the Iraq war between 2003 and this month stands at about 3,133. This is tragic, as are all deaths due to war, and we are facing a cowardly enemy unlike any other in our past that hides behind innocent citizens. Each death is blazoned in the headlines of newspapers and Internet sites. What is never compared is the number of military deaths during the Clinton administration: 1,245 in 1993; 1,109 in 1994; 1,055 in 1995; 1,008 in 1996. That's 4,417 deaths in peacetime but, of course, who's counting?

Link via Jonah.

Update: Even more perspective:

Jonah,

You asked for more information on military deaths. Here is a table of all military deaths, broken down by cause, over the 25 year period 1980-2004. This includes all active duty and reservists.

The gist is that soldiers are more likely to die from accidents than hostile action (combat and terrorist actions combined). The death count from accidents has been lower than the death count from hostile action. The fall in accidental deaths is greater than the increase in deaths by hostile action.

Note that there were far more military deaths in 1980, the last year of Carter's presidency, than any year of the current administration. The death rate was, also, higher. This was because of lower standards and less care in training.

The bottom line is that we're fighting this war with lower casualties than that expected from normal training accidents in a peacetime army. You should be embarassed that you didn't know this. It's a testiment to the near universal innumeracy and incompetence of the journalism profession that most journalists haven't even seriously considered looking at basic statistics and putting things in context 5 1/2 years after 9/11.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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All of Jack Bauer's damn its from seasons 1-4.

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...who challenges my geekiness. To be fair, Harvey made a strong showing. For normal people. My score? Read it and weep:

58.38264% - Extreme Geek

I watched Monk a couple of weeks ago and Adrian was showing some home movies of his childhood. Here's my best recollection of the conversation:

Monk: And here I am playing Hide.

Assistant: Oh you mean Hide and Seek.

Monk: You just don't get it, do you?

Now I have to tag some people. Let's hope some of them are actually, umm, still reading this blog. Let's see:

Val, of course. Robb Allen because he also brews beer. Helen, because it might make her laugh. Annie, if she still stumbles through this geekish dreck I create. And CalTech Girl, just because.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:54 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Presenting the Autorantic Virtual Moonbat, courtesy of Sean Gleeson:

I believe that I'll add the smaller version in the sidebar, which differs in this respect from the original:

Unlike the live chat module, which lets you talk back to the robot, the sidebar module won’t let anyone else get a word in edgewise. All you can do is click the “RANT” button and get ranted at. (Although if the robot sits idle for a couple of minutes, it gets antsy and rants without you.)

Cool. It'll be like talking politics with one of my lefty friends. KEEP YOUR PATRIARCHY OFF MY UTERUS!!!(apologies to Jeff Goldstein).

Update: I asked the AVM for some sports predictions. Q&A below the fold. more...

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:35 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Don't forget that Daylight Savings Time has been changed for 2007. Now you will spring forward on the second Sunday in March, instead of the first Saturday in April. And you will fall back the first Saturday in November, instead of October.

YOu know what's the best thing about this switch? Ever since Windows 95 appeared, my computer has automatically updated its internal clock for the EST/DSt switch. Now I will have to manually update my PC's clock. It's a trivial problem to be sure, but it still pisses me off.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 12:12 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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But then it's Iowahawk, so it's not entirely unexpected.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:40 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This won't surprise anyone who actually knows me, including my beloved wife:

Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real"

You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love. You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!) Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get

Thanks, Val. I needed a good laugh.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:04 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Annie provides a link to a great spoof of the OS war commercials.

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DUKE BEATS UNC!!!

Okay, it was the women's team, but I'll take what I can get this year. Besides, I root for all Duke athletic teams. I was quite disappointed when Duke lost to Maryland last year.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 09:04 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Duke entertains UNC tonight in what's likely to be another epic battle. And much as I enjoy a UNC loss(thanks NCSU), I don't much relish meeting UNC immediately after a loss, especially since Duke has lost its last two, both of which they had chances to win at the buzzer.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Paulus reminds no one of Bobby Hurley. Heck, he doesn't even remind me of Quin Snyder. A crappy point guard, a sloppy handling 2-guard and a decent interior game doesn't exactly bode well for the future of this current Duke squad. Then again, Cal Tech Girl is probably excited, so glass half full and all. more...

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:37 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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But not all. It appear that the Bard of the Internet has had quite a career.

But Penthouse? Really? I was always more of a Playboy guy myself.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 02:18 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The Emperor linked to this great FAQ which dismantles in great detail the theory that Vista! will usher in a new era of prosperity and freedom from want. As everyone knows, Pelosi's ascension to Speaker was the signal that the new Golden Age was upon us. In any event, you should read the article at length, and then go back to this article which I linked to some months ago and realize that there are alternatives.

The reality is that Xandros is may be your best bet if you don't want to spend a bunch of money upgrading your hardward to support a beastly system hog of an OS, but don't want to spend much, if any, time on the steep part of the learning curve.

Update: Heh. Looks like Microsoft effed up just a little bit, which is likely to cost them some money as people opt for the upgrade version, rather than the fresh install version. Then again, I won't be "upgrading", so it doesn't really matter to me.

Thanks to DJ Allyn for the heads up.

Update: For reasons that escape, I am the #2 returned search item on the Huffington Post for the word "satan". So welcome, I guess. For those of you expecting a direct link to Bush's official website, feel free to move along.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:51 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Emily linked this website which made me laugh. A lot.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:21 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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