In an interesting approach to judgement, it appears that CONI, the Italian Olympic committee, has proposed that Danilo Di Luca's doping ban should be 3 years rather than 2 because he's aggravated the situation by not admitting his guilt (Di Luca Facing Three-year Ban For Doping | Cyclingnews.com).  Meanwhile Di Luca reportedly claims the whole situation is a result of a conspiracy and that his lawyers will prove the two samples taken during this year's Giro d'Italia are false positives.

Well, what's new.  But the EPO tests are, I believe set up quite conservatively, and tend to yield false negatives rather than false positives.  In an added attempt to punish the errant doper, CONI are imposing financial penalties:

The agency also intends to hold Di Luca to the International Cycling
Union (UCI) rule which fines riders one year's salary for a positive
doping control, as well as the costs of the results management and
B-sample analysis allowed under UCI anti-doping article 275.

Well, I'm no friend of dope cheats (but I do find their defensive bleating quite amusing), but this does seem to pile penalty upon penalty.  On the subject of conspiracy, Di Luca's lawyer said:

I ditched BT as an ISP over a year ago, in protest over their plans to implement the vile Phorm DPI system.  This proved easy to do (apart from the 4 hour New Delhi runaround trying to get them to stop charging my credit card), and resulted in a threefold increase in my download speed through the new ISP.

However, our landline has remained with BT.  But I'm getting fed up with what amounts to an added 10% surcharge for not going with Direct Debit (it's a fixed fee of £4.50).  The search is now on for a land line service that isn't run by such an avaricious bunch of money grabbing crooks.  Or I just cave in and pay by Direct Debit.

I've been thinking about doing a fresh installation of Ubuntu Gnu/Linux on my now venerable Sony notebook for some time.  I had a number of reasons for this - firstly I wanted to eliminate the two partitions associated with Vista (spit, spit), which really wasn't able to run effectively on the limited resources the notebook had to offer.  Secondly, over the last couple of years of 6-monthy updates, I've installed a variety of now unnecessary software (including much installed outside of the excellent packaging system) - much of this seemed to lead to fairly lengthy boot-up time, and I wanted to see how Karmic performs in this regard.  Finally, I was interested to see how the Ubuntu installer works nowadays.

One of the stumbling blocks to wider acceptance of Linux (as far as I can see) is the installation of an OS - most PC users never do this: they buy a computer with a stock install of some version of Windows. I recently received the January 2010 issue of Linux Format (it's always struck me as quite bizarre that the cover dates of computer magazines )are set so far in the future!) with a DVD containing Mandriva, OpenSuse 11.2 and an LXF remaster of Ubuntu 9.10.

The installation process (if defaults are selected) seems to be about 8 steps, including easy setting up of language, time zone etc.  The partitioning step is something that I always get nervous about (I am often reinstalling and I worry about losing data.  There are a few options: to install alongside the existing OS, using the whole disk, or the advanced partioner.  I chose the advances option and removed the Vista and Vista backup ntfs partitions, the existing Ubuntu root partition, and set up the partition table afresh, maintaining the partition mounting as /home.  It's never seemed sensible to me that the default install doesn't set up a separate /home partition.  The partitioner is really very straightforward, if you have a bit of experience, and for the beginner, the default partition is easy to select.

Installation, from accepting the partition arrangement to a bootable system was very quick - unfortunately I didn't time it, but it did seem rather quicker than I'd found in the past, well under an hour to reach a functional state.  Once into the system, I installed a shed-load of software I routinely use, mostly through Synaptic, and did a system update.  It was really easy to restore all my desktop settings to the way I like them.

• There are the usual irritations related to US patent law affecting sound and video codecs, but the Ubuntu forums and wikis steer one very clearly through stages required to enable (for example) DVD playing.  This page - Restricted Formats - in particular was very helpful.
• The installation of Crossover Office (now named Crossover Linux - a user friendly implementation of Wine) went west, but I wasn't too depressed about that as I'm not overwhelmingly convinced I need Windows software at the moment.  In any event, I checked my account over at Codeweavers and was able to download a deb installer.
• The GRAMPS genealogy database installed straight off from the deb file (the repos always lag), and there were no problems with the existing dataset.
• Firefox was a bit of a pest until I persuaded it to look at the correct config folder in my home directory
• I installed the Bibus bibliography app from the Karmic repositories - I still have to configure it, though I'll probably install the latest deb from the Bibus site first.
• Various bits and bobs from Google:  Chrome browser; Picasa;

Still remaining: I need to set up ssh connections to the backup computer (notebooks are backed up daily using backuppc).    I dare say there will be one or two issues...

Zuckerberg pictures exposed by Facebook privacy roll-back • The Register
Serves him right.  And everyone should take care to keep their Facebook data restricted to those they actually want to see it. 

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Oh dear.

Cyclingnews.com reports that the investigation into one of the biggest sporting doping scandals in recent years has fizzled out like a damp squib (Operación Puerto: Case Closed | Cyclingnews.com).  Despite there being freezers with bags of easily identifiable blood stored for future use, very few of these cases have ever resulted in action taken against the drug cheats.  To my mind this is a travesty and a failure in justice.  Why should some of these cheats pay the penalty (often resulting career-ending suspension), while others get away scot-free?

Operación Puerto began in May 2006 when the Spanish Civil Guard arrested Madrid doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and Liberty Seguros manager Manolo Saiz, amongst others, after having found massive amounts of doping products and blood doping evidence in an apartment belonging to Fuentes.

I've been using version 3 of the original Squeezebox for some time now for streaming digital music via the home network.  Didn't quite fancy the later Squeezebox Boom.  The Squeezebox radio looks like it might fit the bill, however...

On the other hand, to restrict the remote and battery to an aftermarket pack does feel like, in the words of The Register, "an act of frankly shocking tight-fistedness".  The red version pictured is only available in the USA, here in Blighty we are apparently restricted to the standard Squeezebox glossy black finish.

Is it worth £159?  Mmmm...don't know about that.

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Cyclingnews reports that Lance Armstrong: RadioShack Not Built Around Me.  Well, I'm not so sure - look what happened when he got parachuted into Astana last year.  He says they have 8 of the 9 riders that rode the Tour for Astana last year, plus Bruyneel.  And don't forget the external pressure - I would expect the selling point for the team was his presence, and even if he wanted to take a back seat, I doubt it's possible.

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Google's Chrome browser is now out in beta for Linux (Google Chrome for Linux).  Installation on Ubuntu Karmic 32 bit is straightforward, and the app launches quickly.  Only been running it for a short while, but so far, I've noticed:

1 - The default Chrome window doesn't obey my normal window management.  So the title bar is different, and the behaviour also differs (I have my windows set to roll up when the title bar is double clicked - in Chrome double clicking maximises the window).  However, the options in Chrome are easily accessed, and it's obvious there how to set Chrome's appearance to that of the rest of my desktop.

2 - On first run, Chrome offers to import data from Firefox -  this seems to be effective and quick.  Bookmarks seem to be moved effectively.

3 - Been quickly looking through Chrome extensions, and installed a couple.  As an inveterate Firefox extension user, I would miss quite a few of my favourite extensions, including this one, ScribeFire, which I use for blogging to a variety of blogging platforms (Joomla, Wordpress and Blogspot).  There's a neat-looking  Chrome extension for Blogger, which will bear investigationure the number of extensions will grow rapidly.

I'm looking forward to using Chrome...it's too early to say whether I'll make a major shift to using it.  At the very least having it is essential for website development.

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Cyclingnews.com provides an update on the Alejandro Valverde doping saga - WADA Frustrated By Delays In Valverde CAS Cases. I blogged the other day that I felt that judicial delays in dealing with the fallout of Operacion Puerto would lead to injustice as many of the dopers will have retired by the time much of this mess has been sorted out.  If, indeed, it will ever be sorted out.

Cyclingnews reports that the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) is indeed upset at the length of time it's taking to resolve two cases concerning Valverde:

The first is the Caisse d'Epargne's rider's own appeal against a two-year ban from competition in Italy, enforced by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) for his alleged involvement in the Puerto affair. The second case is a joint action by WADA and the International Cycling Union (UCI), who have appealed the Spanish cycling federation's (RFEC) decision not to launch their own disciplinary proceedings against Valverde as a result of evidence gathered during the Puerto investigation.

This really cuts to the heart of the matter: if Valverde is Valv. Piti, and is guilty of blood doping via the Fuentes clinic, then, yes, he should be punished.  But what if he's actually innocent?  Should he be made to serve a lengthy ban before an appeal is heard?  Similarly, why should Valverde have proceedings against him while all the other implicated athletes carry on training and competing without sanction?

As with all athletes, a professional cyclist's career is short: these cases need to be completed quickly and efficiently.

The website Christian Concern for our Nation takes up their cudgels to stand up for a sacked housing officer Justice for Duke Campaign. In common with many religious sites, there doesn't appear to be a comment feature for curmudgeonly atheists such as I to respond. Any road, the article describes how

Bible-believing Christian Duke Amachree, married and father of 3 children who had served Wandsworth Council as a Homelessness Prevention Officer diligently for 18 years, was dismissed in circumstances Christians and non-Christians alike across the country rightly view as completely outrageous.

Well this non-Christian (actually atheist) doesn't find it completely outrageous, at least based on the evidence presented by CCfoN.

Cyclingnews.com reports that Valverde To Concentrate On Tour De France In 2010.  Well, I guess unless CAS rule against him...as cyclingnews.com point out:

The main barrier to riding the Tour in 2010 may be the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Earlier this year the Spaniard was given a two-year suspension by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). The ban, based on his alleged connection to Operacion Puerto, applies only to races in Italy. He has appealed the ban to the CAS, with the International Cycling Union and the World Anti-doping Agency also filing a separate case which asks that the ban be extended worldwide.

It's not clear to me how sports justice is being served by the response of Cycling organisations such as the UCI and the national federations to the whole Operacion Puerto enquiry and the Spanish legal processes.  The latter moves at what can best be described as a glacial pace.  But why are some individuals (e.g. jan Ullrich) penalised and not others?  Seems to me that by the time Operacion Puerto is fully investigated, many of the athletes will have retired.

Scott's Last Expedition - The Journals of Captain R. F. Scott (Folio, 2009)

This was one of my selections for my 2009-10 membership of the Folio Society.  It is Volume 1 of the original publication of the account of the Ill-fated 1910-13 Terra Nova expedition to reach the South Pole.  Ultimately of course, the Polar expedition itself came to grief, with the three remaining men dying in their tent trapped by unusually severe weather only a few miles from their next depot of fuel and food (famously, Lt Oates had sacrificed himself a few days earlier in an effort to save the others, while Evans had died earlier, partly as a result of injuries sustained on the return march).

Late-ish yesterday afternoon, I finally got around to trying out the new time trial bike (for a very short spin due to fading light):

This was my first trial with Speedplay pedals (X-1 titanium) - amazing levels of float, feels like sliding on ice, but very good.  Current (and final specs):

...The Register: Spain warned on filesharing cut-offs, in which we are told that Commissioner Viviane Reding (the saviour of internet privacy in the UK) has said:

"If Spain cuts off internet access without a procedure in front of a judge, it would certainly run into conflict with the European Commission."

I think Lord Mandelson should take note, in light of his Digital Economy bill.

The unelected Sith Lord Mandelson, who appears to have collared vast acres of political power in the UK via his all-encompassing ministry has his Digital Economy reports Ars Technica: UK "Pirate Finder General" law innocuous now, could get ugly.  This bill seems to fit the needs of big media rather than any form of human rights and justice.  Ars Technica reports:

The bill implements the Digital Britain report, which was completed earlier this year and attempted to chart a course forward for Britain in a high-tech world. It initially imposes two obligations on ISPs: they must forward warning letters from copyright holders to their subscribers, and they must maintain an anonymized list of the number of such warnings received by each subscriber. If a copyright holder asks, they must be shown the list, at which point the rightsholder can go to court and seek to uncover the names of the top offenders, and then sue them. There are no sanctions, but such sanctions could be coming. The government has written "reserve powers" into the law that can be deployed at a later date without needing Parliamentary approval.

I've been playing around with a number of blogging tools, looking for something that will run with each of my blogs (I'm using Joomla! 1.5, Wordpress and Blogger).  An additional complication is that in this website, I'm using a specific blogging module called MyBlog.  Over the last few weeks I've tried the following:
Blogilo (formerly Bilbo Blogger - a name I prefer!) - this is a Linux desktop application with which one can compose blog posts offine, then upload to the blog when ready.  It definitely works very nicely with my self-hosted Wordpress blog, but whenever I try setting up my Blogger account, it just dies.  For Wordpress, then, very versatile.  I couldn't at that time see how to hook it up to my Joomla sites (but see below).
BloGtk - A Gnome application for the Linux desktop.  I couldn't get either Wordpress or Blogger accounts set up with it.
Gnome-blog - potentially really nice toolbar app for the Gnome desktop.  I persuaded this to connect to my Blogger account ona desktop PC, but not using my laptop.  I couldn't find much advice on the interweb.
Drivel - An attractive name and interface, but again, I couldn't make it see the Blogger account, and couldn't figure out how to get it to work.
Deepest Sender - a Firefox add-on for blogging while exploring the web.  Has a very attractive interface, seems to set up well with Blogger, but throws an error when posting the article.  Didn't test with Wordpress.
And finally - ScribeFire - another Firefox add-on, and a bit more fully functional that Deepest Sender.  This definitely works with Blogger, and I've set up an account for the Wordpress blog.
I wondered whether ScribeFire could be made to work with Joomla - a quick Google search came up with this blog article: Posting to Joomla with ScribeFire.  I've followed the steps, and this is the first attempt to post in MyBlog within my Joomla site.  Here's hoping. (Though I can't see how to add tags to the post, and nor does it offer to complete meta info fields)

software, blogging, internet

I figured I'd better make sure my own house was in order if I was going to blog about web tracking!  I've reviewed my websites and blogs, and find the following.

Flies & Bikes (this website) - Ghostery doesn't reveal any trackers.  Joomla sites do, I think use cookies however.

Here's a <sarcasm>nice</sarcasm> tracker revealed by the excellent Firefox plugin Ghostery. According to the forum at nodpi.org, this tracker was noticed by a poster on Guardian Unlimited, and it tracks when people highlight and/or copy text, and phones home (presumably to the company HQ in Canada) this information tied to your IP address.

Apparently the noscript Firefox plugin will block it (as does Ghostery). Ghostery says this about Tynt Tracer:

The Register reports that the UK Government's much-vaunted and euphemistically named Internet Modernisation Programme (which of course represents State snooping on a vast scale) is going ahead as planned (Massive net surveillance programme on schedule).

This huge endeavour, which seeks to monitor and track all electronically mediated communications in a (probably vain) hope that patterns useful in crime detection may emerge was apparently begun in 2006, despite a consultation exercise that completely passed me by (I must have blinked at an inopportune moment). According the The Register:

A quick update on the blog article on persuading Evolution to cooperate with  MS Exchange 2007.

I can confirm that the procedure works fine, that I can read/send emails, view edit my calendar, and view/edit tasks.  Contacts access seems a bit flaky, however.  And my work's Exchange server appears to be set up to require a secure VPN connection when using Evolution off-site.  Which I suppose is no bad thing.