USGS has reported a magnitude 6.2 quake in the Flores Sea, off Indonesia.
Monthly Archives: September 2006
Buggy Virus Checker Deletes Windows O/S File
This is almost a program falling for the SULFNBK.EXE hoax.
From ZDNet:
Some Windows 2003 users have been experiencing problems with the operating system after CA antivirus software wrongly detected part of the operating system as malicious software last week.
I could beg to differ with about detecting Windoze as malicious software being wrong..
CA could spin this in one of two ways, either the eTrust virus checker signature for Win32/Lassrv.B had an unfortunate bug that caused unwanted side effects, or, the virus checker was taking extreme proactive measures to protect the rest of us from Windows systems being used as spam sources and denial of service zombie botnets. 🙂
RIP: Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter
ABC news is reporting:
The naturalist and television star Steve Irwin has died in a diving accident in far north Queensland. He was 44. Police say he was stung through the heart by a stingray while diving off Port Douglas.
Update: Donna, my lovely wife, has written a nice piece about Steve Irwin.
SMART-1 Goes Out With A Bang
Spacecraft down at 0542 GMT, the BBC says:
Astronomers are now analysing a plume of fresh lunar “soil”, or regolith, kicked up by the crash. They have also been looking for the bright flash as the probe hit the surface. The impact was expected to leave a 3m by 10m crater on the Moon’s surface, spreading debris over 78 sq km (30 sq miles).
The Planetary Society reports:
SMART-1 scientist Detlef Koschy confirmed that mission control lost the SMART-1 signal at 10:42:19. He reported that folks at ESOC applauded when the “mission ended just as planned.” Team members at ESOC are now downloading final pictures. SMART-1 took images up to about 5 minutes before impact.
Astrobiology Magazine reports:
The European Space Agency’s Smart-1 mission ended on September 3rd 2006, at 07:42 CEST (05:42 UT). Its final lunar resting place is located at 46.2º West longitude and 34.2º South latitude.
Update: the Canada France Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea has the following image of the impact!
SMART-1 Lunar Impact Coming Up Today
By my reckoning SMART-1 will impact the moon at 15:43 Melbourne time (also see the BBC report).
FAA : Passengers Considered Harmful
From that ever reputable source of news, The Onion:
Under the proposed reforms, the FAA would institute a strict ban on adult passengers, passengers 18 and under, international travelers, and domestic customers. A battery of questions and ID checks will be used to determine whether an individual is a pilot, flight attendant, or federal security officer—the only humans who will be allowed to board an aircraft flying within or headed for the U.S.
Sounds like someone’s finally done a root cause analysis and come up with the obvious solution, a sensible policy from the US at last!
“Frankly, we’ve tried everything else,” Blakey said. “We’ve put up more metal detectors, searched carry-on luggage, and prohibited passengers from traveling with sharp objects. Yet passengers still somehow continue to find ways to breach security. Clearly, the passengers have to go.”
Via the ever good Mikal.
Water Restrictions for Melbourne
Welcome to the first day of spring!
Today marks the beginning of stage one water restrictions in Melbourne, after a winter which has seen just half the long-term average rainfall.
Armless Man Arrested for Speeding
The BBC reports on a man caught speeding:
New Zealand police have dropped charges of dangerous driving against a man with no arms who was caught speeding.
The police are now satisfied that he can drive safely with only his feet, and he’s now got his learners permit.
Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake in PNG
Just got an email from the USGS saying:
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake IN THE BOUGAINVILLE REGION, P.N.G. has occurred at: 6.77S 155.47E Depth 54km Fri Sep 1 10:18:53 2006 UTC
There’s a USGS page for this quake with more details. The map is cached below (because it will expire over time), click on it for the current map.
