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Here is another attempt at doing some more technical blogging, but since all the other content isn't that exciting anyway it's not like this will be much different. Eventually I will set it up such that tech.junkheap.net will display only the tech posts, and I can have posts that don't show up on the "front page" but just on the tech page. I can do this for other tags too, like bushwalking or cooking.
But on with the nerd talk..
So there's this whole Hurricane Katinka thing in the US that's causing all kinds of controversy and "human interest". I have a few points of opinion on the topic, which you may or may not agree with. Firstly, why would you build a city below sea level and then be surprised when "water finds it's level"? Actually, as far as I am aware the rich white people are all living in the hills nearby, it's just the poor black people living underwater. I'm sure it's probably the usual story that they're just normal uneducated people and didn't actually know they were living somewhere that by all rights should be under a few feet of water.
Secondly, why is it that suddenly people can find all these millions of dollars to help the poor Americans when this kind of thing happens all the time all over the world and nobody gives a shit? What about when there's flooding in Bangladesh or somewhere and thousands of people die? Sure there was the whole South-East Asian tsunami thing, but again that scale of human hardship happens all the time all over the world.
I don't agree with donating to help people overseas, if you're going to donate help the people in your country first. All the people donating now to make themselves feel good, do they also regularly donate money or only when some disaster is blasted at them by the media? I'd wager the latter. I choose to not donate to anyone, I believe in natural selection.
Something Awful, whose servers are in New Orleans (again, why build a colo facility underwater?) had a pledge drive and raised $20,000. However, Paypal has screwed them and locked the account. Stuff about this on Slashdot too.
President Bush has also been, rightly, criticised for doing much about the situation quickly enough. During a telethon rapped Kayne West went "off script" and accused Bush: "George Bush doesn't care about black people". Of course he was pulled off the air and censored, because America doesn't have a constitution that allows free speech. They should model their government on Iraq's, they're a free democracy!
Anyway, I'm crapping on and I'm not very good at it, so I'll stop now :) Oh yeah, Google Maps has satellite imagery of New Orleans after Katrina. It's interesting to swtich between Katrina and Satellite to see the difference.