“Evangelism is making people believe in your dream as much as you do.” - Guy Kawasaki.

I like that definition a lot.

Via Rue Morgue, a stop-motion silent film and bloodbath.

Yes, it's RFID (Radio Frequency ID tags), the small low-power radio transmitters also used by Walmart and various other retailers, and in other applications such as company security badges/access cards (and, unfortunately, new passports in quite a few countries).

It seems a little odd to me that Chase's marketing implies that most people would think it's a good thing to have a credit card that can be charged easily without even taking it out of your wallet ... to have a card that can be charged from some distance away without your even knowing about it.

It's apparently easy and cheap to build an RFID credit card skimmer: Bruce Schneier has collected several articles about it, and in a later article he offers several links to articles on how to build your own RFID skimmer.

We called Chase right away and told them we didn't want the "Blink" cards. They said we could keep our old, non-RFID cards and continue to use them, and destroy the new ones. Whew!

Googling for links for this article, I found that we're not the only Chase customers to want to decline Blink.

For anyone wondering how secure this technology is, the recent debacle of the cracked Dutch RFID subway cards gives you an idea (Bruce Schneier, "Dutch RFID Transit Card Hacked"; The Register, "Dutch transit card crippled by multihacks", and a followup where the MBTA, Boston's transit agency, used the courts to muzzle three MIT students who were trying to present a paper at Defcon on the security holes in the MBTA's RFID-based pay system.

For anyone who gets stuck with an RFID credit card, here's how to make an RFID-blocking wallet, and how to make an RFID zapper.

The Food tasting meme

1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you.ve eaten.
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating (or eating again)
4. Optional extra: Post a comment http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

To make the filling out of this form and generating the HTML for it a bit easier, reddywhp has played around with some PHP. Go to http://reddywhip.org/lj/foods/ and fill it out there. After filling it out, you will be given the code to copy and paste into your blog.

Livejournal users, remember to use your LJ-Cuts!

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frog’s Legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

about:mozilla is a blog and weekly newsletter that focuses on the major news items related to the Mozilla Project. These news items can really be about any aspect of the Project, ranging from development news and schedules through marketing and community events. For an idea of what sort of news we cover, just check out the blog or the past issues.

We’re looking for help. Do you follow or are you involved in a particular part of the Mozilla Project? Do you think there’s news and information about that part of the Project that deserves to be included in the about:mozilla blog and newsletter? If so, please send a note to about-mozilla at mozilla.com. Ideally you will include a snappy headline, a short version of the story you’re submitting (a few sentences is sufficient, really — the newsletter needs to be short and to the point), and at least one link where readers can get more information.

hacking gadgets at town hall, originally uploaded by this is emily

oooo .. i'm inimitable :-)

Japan comes to the Bellevue Community College (BCC) for a weekend! A two-day program of Japanese cultural and educational events for all ages! Now, the ENMA Board and Aki Matsuri Team members are putting the 2008 programs together. More information with an ever-increasing level of detail will be forthcoming as the program and plans develop. Please check our website from time to time to follow our progress.