Steve McCabe: from island to island

You've a good strong password to access your laptop, you might even have a BIOS-based password too. But what can you do if your laptop is stolen? The Laptop Lock is a site that allows you to register your laptop, and if it's stolen you can flag it as such. The site will connect with your laptop (you install a little piece of software) and you have access to a number of options the first time your laptop connects to the Web - including the ability to encrypt specify folders. One interesting option is to be able to geographically track where the laptop is accessing the Net from once stolen... that is, if the thief's managed to by-pass your passwords!

The Nigerian Scam gets even better. I received an invitation to attend the "2nd International NGO/CBO Workshop". Sounded great, all expenses paid trip to New York for up to 4 members of my organisation. Funded by the real Jacobson Foundation, and in part by the Bill Gates Foundation, and the invite was a 'glossy' PDF brochure. Only catch was, to attend you had to Western Union $300 per person to a post office in West Africa.... If they'd have had you wire the money to the US it would have been perfect. I know of a case locally where a whole group were invited to West Africa only to get there to find it was a scam. Our Government even contributed air fares. At least the group got to see Africa. But like I did with this scam, Google the event. If there's not a whiff of the event, take a closer look. Especially given it was supposed to be the 2nd of its kind, why nothing online about the 1st?! ALERT: watch out also for the 'Forum on Human and Community Devel...

That was the ball from Dominica's Matthew that bowled-out Jeffers of the BVI in last night's 20/20 cricket match, one of the first in the competition presently being held in Antigua. It was a great game - especially to see our team do so well - and the Dominicans in the crowd thoroughly enjoyed it too! Next game - Barbados on Feb 5, which is the day before our football team play Barbados in the World Cup qualifier! (a Yorker by the way is a ball pitched right at a batsman's feet. Click here for my old 'Cricket for Beginners page').

Pirate605 Originally uploaded by Steve_Mc I spoke about the typical contribution of tourism to Dominica's economy. That's in a typical year. The filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 in Dominica in 2005 (yes, that's me in the rigging!) brough in around EC$47 million. Then last year we had PirateMaster. OK, so it flopped, but they still filmed here, and again, based on our pristine environment. As one of the producers said: "We selected Dominica for its lush, pristine landscape with rugged mountain peaks, deep river gorges, towering waterfalls and accessible coastline - the ideal setting for a pirate adventure..."

An interesting article on the possible regional politics behind the proposed oil refinery. Read in full...

I was just looking at the latest IMF report on Dominica. Tourism brought in EC$184.6 million dollars (US$69 million) in the last year. And yet there are some who say tourism does nothing for us...

I've been testing out one of the XO laptops - part of the One Laptop Per Child project. First thing you need to bear in mind is that it's not any kind of 'ultra portable' PC, it's an educational computer for children. Which is why it's pitched at $200. But what's great about it is it's mobility - both in size but more in its connectivity. Though I've yet to get it working on a fixed-IP wireless network, it does connect well to DHCP wifi networks, and even more importantly to other XOs via their 'mesh network'. If one on the mesh can connect to the Net, they all can. A basic PC with the 'XS school sever' software on it then connects all to the Net. And to other meshes of XO elsewhere in the world. And therein lies the potential for somewhere like Dominica. I imagine a network of children in a small village like mine, connected to each other, and via a XS to the net. Bill Gates, you want to send a dozen XOs so I can set up the Cari...

Dominica's government recently embarked on a 'Residence Tourism Policy', and here's an excerpt, which speaks volumes to the total reversal to declared policy that an oil refinery would be : "RATIONALE : 5. In Dominica’s context the island would likely be of interest to certain segments of the retiree market because Dominica is viewed as an unspoilt destination with a relatively good record for security and safety and for friendly people with a relatively good living standard. Dominica is noted for its pristine natural environment and opportunities for healthy lifestyle, research in environmental and related disciplines and wellness tourism. 6. These attributes, by themselves, will not translate into investment in residence tourism on a significant scale unless a deliberate policy to promote the destination to this segment is adopted. Dominica also has other inherent constraints such as the absence of state-of-the- art medical facilities and ev...

Jobs don't really come under the 'environment' part of an EIA but do come under the 'impact' part. The claim is, the jobs created by a refinery would be of critical importance. Big project, lots of jobs building it. Then a few running it. But given it's claimed will be state of the art, you know it would be very automated. I suspect in both areas, they'll be more Venezuelans benefitting than Dominicans. But you have to look it's the impact on tourism. It's the fastest growing sector for employment and the income from tourism outstrips any other sector. The Visit-Dominica.com database has 135 accommodations, 50 tour ops, 10 dive ops, 32+ restaurants, 15 car hire companies. Let's say 250+ businesses directly involved in tourism. Now for each one of those, you've got several supporting employees. Then for every person staying, you've got to feed and water them. That's employment for farmers, fishermen, and sales for the Kubuli factory. A...

Given that the public haven't been given the first EIA (was it critical?), I'm doing my own EIA for the proposed oil refinery. Part 1 will look at possible locations. Jimmit Too close to people, especially the good people of Belfast. Can you imagine them looking north to the smoke stacks of the refinery? Layou It's got the water you'd need, and therein lies the problem - there are also millions of tons more held back by the natural but flimsy dam of Miracle Lake. Plus the issues of flooding from the Layou. Pointe Ronde Flat for sure, but dry, so not much water. And isn't it earmarked for a golf course? Still, you'd have a great view of a refinery there from the entire Portsmouth area. Including Ross School of Medicine, the Cabrits, and the soon-to-be under-development Cabrits marina. Mmmmm. Dominica in general Volcanoes & earthquakes. And hurricanes. Recommendation Best location: Venezuela Next: Jobs ---------------- Listening to: Soul II Soul - Mood via Fo...

Just as we love outside consultants (because we don't pay for them), we love Environmental Impact Assessments (because we don't follow them). Every project has one. We do them, but rarely are they made public, and as far as I know, a project has never had a critical EIA. That's as much because we just churn them out - people actually make a living from writing them, not because of their environmental background and knowledge, but because they'll say the right thing. Recent pronouncements from official sources in Dominica even talk of doing the EIA for the refinery, then going right ahead with it!

Being a small nation, we tend to take what's given. However much it contradicts what we may have been given just a short while ago. So one day, we take what Taiwan offer, then the next we take what China offers and sing the One China Policy song as if we have all our lives. Personally, if I was the European Union I'd say 'Are you taking the mickey? We give you millions of Euros to develop your eco-tourism product, then you turn around and want to build an oil refinery???'

OLPC laptop Originally uploaded by Steve_Mc I'm a proud owner of a OLPC laptop, and doesn't it match the greenery well?! Review to follow.

As our Government takes a step closer to turning Dominica into an oil refinery for Hugo Chavez, it's worth remembering what they said in 2006. I will start with the closing paragraph first: "The pursuit of cleaner and environmentally friendly sources of energy is in keeping with Government’s aim of lessening the island’s dependence on fossil fuel while at the same time maintaining Dominica’s reputation as the Nature Island of the World. " Now here's the full press release: "Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Lands, Telecommunications, Energy and Ports, Dr. Colmore Christian has outlined the strategy being employed by the Government of Dominica to harness Dominica’s renewable energy resources, mainly geothermal and wind in response to the escalating price of oil on the world market and the need to pursue reliable and affordable sources of energy. Dr. Christian was at the time addressing an Alternative Energy Symposium, organized by the Environmental C...

Pirate605 Originally uploaded by Steve_Mc I finally got to step-through the frames of the (unforgettable) Shipwreck Island scene of Pirates of the Caribbean 3. And there, 1 hour 25 minutes and 25 seconds into the film, am I!

sunset 10-Jan Originally uploaded by Steve_Mc " A new study shows that a midday nap can help you retain information, as well as learn new skills:" That's it, I'm off!

Just read an article about the FBI and how their wiretaps got cut off because they didn't pay their phone bills. Would that happen here, I thought? I recently attended a 'workshop' on the forthcoming legislation on 'The Interception of Communications Act'. (I did ask about existing wiretaps, and was told there aren't any since without this legislation they'd be illegal. Yeah, yeah). (Note to the presenters: read this on Powerpoint presentations!) Anyway, the article made me wonder how it'd work here in Dominica. Little people get cut off after 7 days of an unpaid bill; Govt. gets to run up huge bills, years in arrears, so I guess their wiretaps won't get that annoying automated Cable & Wireless messages about 'Your service has been disconnected'. Mind you, I do pity the poor guy who has to intercept e-mails. But I also think he enjoys our vibrant (and a little subversive) Message Board !

Just found out that Dominica's world cup qualifying game against Barbados is on (or around) February 6th. I hope it's at the new stadium ! And reading this article about the sorry state of Bejan football gives me hope. Because the winner plays the US!

2008 is, I have declared, the year of the UMPC: the Ultra Mobile PC. I get my hands on the OLPC laptop very soon, but am also excited by the Eee PC by Asus. These type of pcs are also known as 'mobile internet devices', and it's the light-weight, rugged mobility that's particularly appealing to me. And being ultra mobile doesn't have to be ultra expensive. While the Sony Vaio UMPC is around $2k, the Eee PC is just $400. OLPC Asus Eee

Reunion arch Originally uploaded by Steve_Mc The Roseau Bayfront and roads leading off are 'spanned' by several of these arches, built for this our 30th Reunion year. The problem is: all of them are around 6 feet too narrow - far too narrow even for two cars to pass. Nevertheless, they remain steadfastly in place, almost a week after being put up. And in place despite the fact they restrict traffic on several key roads in Roseau. And held in place only by plywood bases. So OK, someone screwed up, maybe reading the internal width as the total width. But still, to leave them in place - on one of the busiest roads in town? A case of the the Bumbling Arch Constructors meets the Unable to Admit You've Screwed-up Event Organisers....

Sunset 5-Jan Originally uploaded by Steve_Mc There's a cool website that makes it easy to add a 'watermark' to your Flicker photos. http://picmarkr.com/ interfaces with your Flickr account so you can add watermarks to your existing images. Mind you, it somewhat spoils a photo to have 'copyright 2008' etc over it. I'm happy to put them up, then, if they are stolen, I'll take matters into my own hands...

I love low-energy light bulbs, and they've certainly taken off more here then the UK. But seems you have to be careful disposing of them. " Environmental scientist Dr David Spurgeon said: "Because these light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury they could cause a problem if they are disposed of in a normal waste-bin. "It is possible that the mercury they contain could be released either into the air or from land-fill when they are released into the wider environment. "That's a concern, because mercury is a well known toxic substance." Official advice from the Department of the Environment states that if a low-energy bulb is smashed, the room needs to be vacated for at least 15 minutes. A vacuum cleaner should not be used to clear up the debris, and care should be taken not to inhale the dust. Instead, rubber gloves should be used, and the broken bulb put into a sealed plastic bag - which should be taken to the local council for disposal." ...

If you're a fan of Firefox like me, it's the add-ons that set it apart. The latest is a simple theme-changer. No more browse-install-restart nonsense. Personas are easily changed and easy to use. Now, let me get to work on a Dominica persona ;)

And Dominica's endangered Crapaud - 'mountain chicken' - takes centre stage. Read more...