A arrest in Cecila Zhang case : Cecilia knew accused, police say

in Toronto Star

Cecilia Zhang not only knew the man accused of killing her but she and her family likely had no reason to think he would ever harm her, police say."

the Globe and Mail has info too

very very sad.

Currently no known motive. This guy's student visa was about to expire and I'm guessing that prompt the police to move sooner rather than later. Hopefully this is the guy, and we can get a good conviction.

I've noted this story before : Shortly after she went missing, in Oct and when the little girl's remains were identified, in March

To Vote Republican, One Must Believe The Following:

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

A president lying about an extramarital affair is a impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your recovery.

You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have the right to adopt.

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.


Thanks Joe!

There aren't any Big New Desktop Applications.

Joshua Marinacci writes Myth: There aren't any commercial apps written in Java.

A observation he makes is that all of the Desktop App, and make things that were once applications but are now part of the OS, have been either commoditized or monopolized (or both).

word processing, spreadsheets, email, web browsing. presentations

It kind of fits Jonathan Schwartz's blog about Commodities and IT, but with (on the desktop) Microsoft playing the role of Standard Oil

Joshua also observes 2 places where their is growth in software, and new applications :

pure Web based applications like: google; web based email like gmail or Yahoo Mail and blogs or their web based blog aggregators & their blog analyzers like technorati.

And new network and multi-media apps lik :Chat; Distributed PIM's; P2P file sharing; MP3 players.

Google's GhostBusters?

Google's fraud squad battles phantom clicks: ZDNet Australia: Insight: Security

Don't miss the second page, dur to their bad web page design

Interesting tidbits (or timbits as we call them in canada):

some marketing executives estimate that up to 20 percent of fees in certain advertising categories continue to be based on non-existent consumers in today's search industry.

...

advertiser-paid search results are expected to grow 25 percent this year to $3.2 billion, up from $2.5 billion in 2003, according to research firm eMarketer. From 2002 to 2003, the market rose by 175 percent.

On average, advertisers are paying 45 cents per click this year, according to financial analysts, up from 40 cents in 2003 and 30 cents in the second quarter of 2002. In certain sectors, such as travel, legal advice and gaming, the cost can reach several dollars per click.

...

more fraud-detection technologies are emerging to help advertisers analyse their campaigns and traffic. Some advertisers and search-engine marketing companies say they are compiling lists of sites that generate a high number of clicks but not sales.

...

Coremetrics, Urchin and Whosclickingwho.com are just a few that sell technology to examine click rates and sales that result from paid searches. Alchemist Media, which charges flat fees for its consulting services, has detected fraud while acting as an intermediary between search networks and marketers.

ZdNet also has this related piece Supply shortage could drive up cost of clicks

A.J. had better watch out!

When dealing with a bully

from Advice Line by Bob Lewis: "When dealing with a bully you only have three choices: Push back hard, take it, or leave."

Great advice, both in general and in the particular.