Java Jane's Good Stuff

Some straight talk from the UK on Islamofaschism

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:26:42 -0400

From The UK: Telling It Like It Is About Islamofaschists

I would guess most Americans are unaware of what radical Islam has done to certain cities in Europe, like Copenhagen, Amsterdam and London, but this man is certainly familiar.

I might not agree with every word, but at least someone in Western
culture has the balls to stand up and talk straight about radical Islamofaschism.

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Plastic Clogs [Crocs] Wreak Havoc, Provokes Potential Ban

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Wed, 09 May 2007 18:27:43 -0400

Since I just ordered these brown and cotton candy Cleo Crocs:

and desperately (I knew I should have ordered them weeks ago, when my first impulse was to do so!) want these Crocs Sassari Wedges, which are so hot they are sold out everywhere except one upscale store, which is gouging for them, I thought the article below would be appropriate. ;) I like to cause disruption everywhere I go... :P

Plastic clogs disrupt machinery in Swedish hospital

Associated Press
Thursday April 19, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Crocs of the type that may be banned in a Swedish hospital. Photograph: David Silverman/Getty

A Swedish hospital wants to ban its staff from wearing Crocs plastic clogs, saying they generate static electricity that can knock out medical equipment.

Blekinge hospital in southern Sweden suspects the slip-on shoes, made by US firm Crocs Inc, are to blame for at least three incidents in which respirators and other machines malfunctioned. The mishaps caused no injuries.

Hospital spokesman Bjorn Lofqvist said staff wearing the clogs could turn into "a cloud of lighting" because of the static electricity.

He said there were similar problems with other shoes not designed for hospital use, but the popularity of the Crocs had raised the issue to a new level.

"It's been a problem for many years, but now there are so many people that have them," he said, adding that officials were discussing whether the shoes should be banned throughout the hospital or just in certain sections.

A spokeswoman for Pforce AB, the Forsberg-controlled company that imports Crocs to Sweden, said the company was performing tests on the shoes.

"We take this very seriously," she said, adding that the shoes were very useful for hospital staff. "They are good to work in and have a shock absorption that really helps people who do strenuous work."

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News: 50% of Americans Anti Technology. No Internet. No Cells.

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Mon, 07 May 2007 08:48:53 -0400

Most of us here who blog regularly and use other internet services probably find this incomprehensible, but I've met plenty of these people, even ones that are not senior citizens. I couldn't imagine my life without the 'net and if my connection goes down (rarely) I go into cardiac arrest. If I forget my cell, I turn right around to get it, I don't feel comfortable without it. What about you?

Nearly 50 Percent of Americans Have Little Use for Internet and Cell Phones, Survey Finds

Monday, May 07, 2007

NEW YORK — A broad survey about the technology people have, how they use it, and what they think about it shatters assumptions and reveals where companies might be able to expand their audiences.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that adult Americans are broadly divided into three groups: 31 percent are elite technology users, 20 percent are moderate users and the remainder have little or no usage of the Internet or cell phones.

But Americans are divided within each group, according to a Pew analysis of 2006 data released Sunday.

• Take this quiz and find out what kind of tech-user you are.

The high-tech elites, for instance, are almost evenly split into:

— "Omnivores," [I bet most of you reading this fall into that catagory?] who fully embrace technology and express themselves creatively through blogs and personal Web pages.

— "Connectors," who see the Internet and cell phones as communications tools.

— "Productivity enhancers," who consider technology as largely ways to better keep up with their jobs and daily lives.

— "Lackluster veterans," those who use technology frequently but aren't thrilled by it.

John Horrigan, Pew's associate director, said he started the survey believing that the more gadgets people have, the more they are likely to embrace technology and use so-called Web 2.0 applications for generating and sharing content with the world.

"Once we got done, we were surprised to find the tensions within groups of users with information technology," Horrigan said.

Many longtime Internet users, the lackluster veterans, remain stuck in the decade-old technologies they started with, Horrigan said. That a quarter of high-tech elites fall into this category, he said, shows untapped potential for companies that can design next-generation applications to pique this group's interest.

The moderate users were also evenly divided into "mobile centrics," those who primarily use the cell phone for voice, text messaging and even games, and "connected but hassled," those who have used technology but find it burdensome.

Mobile companies, he said, can target the mobile centrics with premium services, especially once faster wireless networks become available.

The Pew study found 15 percent of all Americans have neither a cell phone nor an Internet connection. Another 15 percent use some technology and are satisfied with what it currently does for them, while 11 percent use it intermittently and find connectivity annoying.

Eight percent — mostly women in the early 50s — occasionally use technology and might use more given more experience. They tend to still be on dial-up access and represent potential high-speed customers "with the right constellation of services offered," Horrigan said.

The telephone study of 4,001 U.S. adults, including 2,822 Internet users, was conducted Feb. 15 to April 6, 2006, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

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