I saw this site recently. It is a collaborative effort to identify servers hosting email address harvesters for spammers. They do this by dynamically creating email addresses that encode the time and visitor IP address. They have some interesting statistics on their site along with advice for avoiding spambots. I have seen some nice research efforts in the past using honey pots to analyze hacker techniques and monitor worm activity.

This week the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York City announced a $212 million contract to install surveillance cameras in subway stations and also to upgrade cell phone reception in those areas. I am more interested in the justification for the former since I have done research in this area. Simply put, the claims made by the MTA official regarding the cameras were not made with any understanding of the technology. One of the special features of the cameras touted by the MTA rep is the ability to detect abandoned packages. She also said, “We hope (this) will detect the terrorists before an incident happens...”

Technology has become our magic.

My issues with the reasoning here are as follows:

1. Detecting Terrorists
   Terrorists do not wear uniforms. They look just like everyone else. Yes, a suicide bomber might wear a jacket in summer to hide his vest, but that is not detectable through an automated visual system.
2. Response Time
   Let's say for argument's sake that the system could automatically detect a suicide bomber. What can be done about it? They only way to prevent him from blowing himself up in the station is to prevent him from gaining access to the station. The cameras are in the station.
3. Detecting Abandoned Packages
   This is a really hard problem. People are actively researching it. With controlled lighting, little pedestrian traffic, and high contrast between the object and the background, we can do a decent job of this with computer vision techniques. Any attack would probably focus on a busy station. Plus, you can defeat this by putting the bomb in a garbage can or any number of others ways.
4. False Alarms
   This has been the bugaboo of many automatic video surveillance systems whether using motion detection or face recognition. Many objects get left on platforms. It could be the lunch bag from McDonald's or the suitcase of the confused tourist. Other possible detections could be from a partially obscured person standing still for a long time or a poster falling on the floor. Every time there is a detection, someone has to investigate — most likely bomb teams at first. Eventually, this is so much of an annoyance that this part of the system gets turned off and you're left with a conventional video surveillance system that is dependent on operators.

NPR had an interesting piece back in January about London using classical music in the subway stations to discourage youth from loitering there. They actually had a sizable decrease in robberies and vandalism from that point forward. Bruce Schneier also recently mentioned that 7-Eleven uses classical music in its stores to reduce loitering.

Let's suppose that classical music is the cause of the decrease in crime in the subway stations. Is there something inherent in classical music that calms people? Is it just the lack of exposure to this type of music that drives away the youth gangs? What would happen if the classical music were replaced by smooth jazz or blues?

Unity was a common theme in the work of Martin Bucer. He wrote about the unity of all believers who are being gathered together under Christ from every nation and tongue. This included the people of Israel who looked forward to the coming of Christ. He was also very interested in the internal unity of the Church. He invoked the metaphor of the Church as the body of Christ (Ephesians 4). He thought that this unity could only be maintained if believers lived for others rather than for themselves. This concern for others over yourself was vital to Bucer's understanding of the Church and of community.

Reference: “Bucer's commentaries on Ephesians” by Peter Stevens.

Cousin Henry by Anthony Trollope - First Trollope book that I have ever read. Character sketch: Henry is weak in courage and morals. Isabel is a self-righteousness, self-inflicted martyr. Neither are exactly likable, but the author does make you feel sorry for Henry when he fails as expected at the climax. Trollope missed an opportunity for some delicious irony at the end. Average overall.

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman - This is a polemical work against television. The thesis of the author is that television as a mode of communication is inherently unsuited for serious discourse. I don't think Postman achieves this objective but does a very good job at convincing the reader of the danger in the current state of mass media television. He seems to have a particularly strong dislike for news (possibly based on an utilitarian understanding of information). Overall, a good read and worth the time.

The Confessions by Augustine - Passionate is the best one word description that I have for this book. The first nine sections are an autobiography focused on his journey to conversion with recounted stops in sinful self-indulgence and heterodoxy. It was actually his keen mind for mathematics and for what I would call the beginnings of science that helped him to escape Manichaeism. The last four sections delve into philosophical topics such as memory and time. Scripture was such a part of Augustine that when he wrote he seamlessly integrated it into his thoughts. Worth reading again.

Dr. James Dobson made some comments last week about stem cell research that have stirred up certain segments of the population. I have not seen any coverage by the major media organizations—just local papers (Colorado), Jewish organizations, and some media watchdog websites. You can read or listen to his comments here. A common theme running through the reactions is that Dr. Dobson called stem cell researchers Nazis or that stem cell research is equivalent to Nazi human experiments. I do not see this in his comments.

The main quote of interest is as follows:
“In World War II, the Nazis experimented on human beings in horrible ways in the concentration camps, and I imagine, if you wanted to take the time to read about it, there would have been some discoveries there that benefited mankind. You know, if you take a utilitarian approach, that if something results in good, then it is good. But that's obviously not true.”

I understand Dr. Dobson to be saying that the ends do not justify the means*. The Nazi experiments are an obvious example of that. Any possible gain in medical knowledge is not worth the forced suffering that the subjects had to experience. That being said, I believe he made two significant mistakes (if he is interested in discussion or debate on this issue).

1. Referring to anything dealing with the Nazis is a mistake in a discussion because it is emotionally charged. Outrage is the normal response and that is not really conducive to reasoned dialogue.
2. Dobson is confusing two different issues: the ethics of harvesting stem cells in particular ways and the ethics of stem cell research itself. Most people have no moral difficulties with transplanting organs of people who have suddenly died. Killing people to harvest their organs is a completely different issue.

Who is Dr. Dobson? Dobson is a Christian psychologist who recently has become active in commenting on social and political issues that could be called “value issues” such as gay marriage, abortion and confirmation of conservative judges.

*Note: Dobson later said that he called stem cell research Nazi-esque. I am only claiming that he did not imply that in his comments referred to above.

“the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.”

First, the text and then some comments.

The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (NIV)

• When Paul says that the spiritual man makes judgments about all things it is in contrast to the worldly man who can only judge worldly matters with human wisdom. It does not mean that the spiritual man's judgement is perfect as we will see in chapter 4. The Corinthians (as worldly people) are trying to judge Paul in spiritual matters.
• To make the interpretation of the second part of verse 15 clear, the NKJV adds the word “rightly.” The spiritual man will be judged by men using human wisdom. It just will not often be the right judgement. Certainly Gideon was crazy to attack the Midianites with such a small army...from a worldly perspective.
• Paul finishes his explanation of why the Corinthians are not qualified to judge him (and other leaders) by noting how far God is beyond man and that God's wisdom has been revealed to Paul. I tend to think that Paul uses “we” in this verse to refer to himself and the other teachers — not to say that it cannot be applied to mature believers in general.