This would be really awkward

Here is my first test run over a few hour period:

Mouse Tracker 2/13/10

You can check out the source at: http://bitbucket.org/andrewburgess/personal/

Networking options in VirtualBox

The newer versions of the virtualization software VirtualBox has made it drastically easier to expose the virtual machines to the outside network.  The actual configuration is built right into the application now, allowing you to just select the Bridged option as the networking solution for your VM.

You may need to disable/re-enable your network adapter in your VM a few times to get it to properly refresh, but I managed to get it working and exposed to the outside world in a matter of minutes.

Essentially, you are spoofing a new networking device on the network. The way my system is set up, I have my computer acting as a router as well, with two network cards attached.  I attached my VM to the one facing the internet, and while at RIT, it looks like a completely independent device, so I don't even need to set up port forwarding or anything.  This probably won't work if you're not on such a network, so make sure to keep the VM behind a router and use port forwarding to expose the services you want, or use DMZ to pass traffic by default to your VM.

I completely agree with the title of this video

Due to the differences in the H1N1 virus from the seasonal human virus, the general vaccinations did nothing to change the infection rate of the swine flu (CDC website). Without a readily available means to combat the swine flu virus, the need for a newly developed vaccination was dire, and it was not until the end of September that a successful vaccination was developed. The amount of media attention around this period was also still heightened, keeping it at the forefront of the population's minds. The process for developing a successful vaccination and then producing a sufficient quantity is a very long process. There is definitely a larger capacity for generating these vaccinations than in previous years, but it still takes time, and creating enough vaccinations to provide for the whole world is still difficult (Financial Express).

Another concern for the vaccine that was produced was that the H1N1 strain would return in a more lethal form, similar to the outbreak in 1918, where a mild influenza virus turned into a very dangerous form a few months later and killed millions (Financial Express). If the H1N1 virus did this, the currently developed vaccine would be essentially useless, and a whole new vaccination would need to be created and distributed. This could also severely hurt those developing nations that would be the most vulnerable. After trying to mass produce and donate the first round of vaccines, some of the wealthier nations may be more reluctant to hand out yet another batch of vaccines, especially if the virus became deadlier. Not only would the wealthy nations be losing more money, but there would be significantly more outcry from their citizens if vaccines were not readily available to them.

I would say the world was relatively lucky that the H1N1 virus outbreak was not quite as severe as it could have been. It sort of provided a test run for our current disease prevention frameworks to help work out any kinks or bottlenecks. Having this kind of real world feedback can only help against future threats that may happen in the future. As was mentioned earlier, if the world were faced with a more severe or lethal threat, citizens in the wealthier nations would demand vaccinations or medicine at a greater rate, and could potentially become outraged if the governments decided to donate some percentage of those vaccines or medications before their own people had sufficient access. This definitely becomes an issue because it forces the question of who is more important. Is there more value in one citizen's life than another? Are people in wealthier nations just luckier, and people in the poorer, developing nations are up the river without a paddle?

Any country has an obligation to its citizens over any other country I would say, no matter what the case. It unfortunately just becomes survival of the fittest, and it is truly a sad thing for the people in the nations that can not afford to develop their own vaccines. Wealthy nations should definitely do all they can to aid the poorer countries during a severe outbreak, but I would say donating is out of the question. There would be very few supporters of such a decision if the situation was that dire. Everyone's self preservation instincts would be kicking in, and each nation would need to appease its citizens before turning to the rest of the world to aid them.

Luckily, America is seeing the H1N1 panic slowly subside, but that is not the case in poorer regions of the world. Many Americans are probably not aware of that fact, but countries in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe are still suffering from the virus (McNeil). Karron, Levine, and Faden should be seeing their wishes fulfilled, seeing as there is significantly less demand for the vaccine, and countries are trying to get rid of their surplus. Unfortunately, these poor countries are still receiving very few doses. One would think that transferring surplus vaccines to these developing nations would be a relatively simple process, but these vaccines have to go through the World Health Organization. According to Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the chief of pandemic influenza, “It's a mammoth effort by an awful lot of people and organizations and countries, but holy moly, it's a very complex operation” (McNeil). Each country has to follow a certain set of procedures and meet a certain standard before being able to obtain and distribute the vaccines. This includes things like providing plans for storage and the W.H.O. has to certify the vaccines as safe if the country has no means itself.

As the mania that surrounded H1N1 fades, and it proves to be less dangerous than previously thought, many of the wealthy countries that placed large orders are trying to cancel these orders, since they are not needed. France is attempting to sell 50 million doses since public interest has waned and the doses are no longer needed. Many of the countries that placed large orders could find themselves in a dangerous position the next time a pandemic comes around if they tried backing out of their commitments. These countries should just let the orders go through, store some, and donate or sell at drastically lower prices to the countries that still need these vaccines.

According to the W.H.O., there is definitely a decline in the transmission of the virus worldwide, but vaccines are still needed. So far, the W.H.O. confirmed that there are over 209 countries with confirmed cases of H1N1, and there are at least 15,000 deaths. While the fatality of the H1N1 seems relatively low, keeping the H1N1 from reemerging should be a priority to prevent a more lethal recurrence. The first outbreak officially recorded happened in Veracruz, Mexico, which has an Human Development Index of 0.7457 as of 2004 (Wikipedia), which ranks it as a moderately developed area. Keeping the poorer countries healthier can only help the global population as a whole, since it helps prevent such outbreaks from spreading too severely. There is evidence that the H1N1 virus had been spread prior to that first official finding, but this situation is similar to any containment policy. Being from New Hampshire, I experienced the West Nile panic that was predominant around 2005 and 2006. In order to limit the potential spread of the disease through mosquitoes, disease control attempted to contain the mosquito population by spraying breeding grounds and recommending that people do not leave standing water on their properties. Being able to keep poorer nations vaccinated and healthy helps reduce the ability for diseases to breed and reach dangerous levels.

While I am skeptical about America being required to play big brother to parts of the world, I do believe that it is our responsibility to aid developing nations with vaccinations and to try our best to keep people of those areas healthy. It can be expensive, but prevention tends to be cheaper in the long run than reaction. If we can keep humanity healthier as a whole, then we will have less to worry about, and should a pandemic arise, we will hopefully have a sufficient infrastructure in place. The H1N1 outbreak definitely provided a good test for our current pandemic handling methodology. Hopefully procedures and policies can be tweaked to prevent bottlenecks from forming in the system, and hopefully a better method can be developed to get surplus vaccinations to where they are needed the most.

Works Cited

"2009 flu pandemic vaccine." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 01 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic_vaccine>.

"Effectiveness of 2008--09 Trivalent Influenza Vaccine Against 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1)." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 09 Nov. 2009. Web. 01 Feb. 2010. <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5844a5.htm>.

Karron, Ruth A., Orin S. Levine, and Ruth R. Faden. "U.S. should give away H1N1 swine flu vaccine." San Francisco Chronicle. 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 01 Feb. 2010. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/12/16/EDD51B4JTJ.DTL>.

McNeil Jr., Donald G. "Progress Is Slow on Moving Surplus Swine Flu Vaccine to Countries That Need It." The New York Times. 01 Feb. 2010. Web. 02 Feb. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/health/02flu.html>.

"Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 86." World Health Organization. 05 Feb. 2010. Web. 06 Feb. 2010. <http://www.who.int/csr/don/2010_02_5/en/index.html>.

"Preparing for the worst." Financial Express. 08 May 2009. Web. 02 Feb. 2010. <http://www.financialexpress.com/printer/news/455987/>.

Download: Final Paper: America and Vaccinations

Tom Steele Answers The Tough Questions - The
McDonalds™ Analogy

Why guys don’t want to be friends with a girl who breaks up with them…

I know a girl who broke up with a guy and she told him she wanted to “still be friends.” He said, “No thanks.” She wondered why he couldn’t fall back to being just friends after they had a romantic relationship. I came up with the ”McDonalds Analogy” to try and explain it in a simple way that would help all women understand this tough question.

Imagine if you went to McDonalds a lot and ordered a Big Mac Combo meal. A Big Mac, Large Fries and a Coke. You really like this meal. One day, you pull up to the drivethrough and order the Big Mac Combo meal and the girl tells you, “I’m sorry - you can have the Big Mac and the Coke, but you can’t get fries with that anymore.” You think about this for a moment, and sure - the Big Mac is the centerpiece of the meal, but McDonalds has some really good fries and you like their fries with your meal. So you say, “I’ve been able to get fries with that before, why can’t I have fries with my Big Mac combo anymore?” The girls says, ”Well, I just think it is better if you only have the Big Mac and the Coke from here on out.”

At this point, a lot of guys are going to go to Wendy’s or BK and see if they can get fries with their combo at that drivethrough window. But there are some guys who REALLY like McDonalds Big Macs and they might think, “If I keep coming here and ordering the Big Mac and Coke, maybe she’ll change her mind and give me some fries with that later.” So they will keep on getting the combo without the fries until the deal breaker happens: One day that guy is going to order the Big Mac and Coke and then he’s going to pull up a little bit to pay, and someone else is going to pull up to the drivethrough speaker and order the “Big Mac Combo” and he is going to hear the girl say, “Would you like fries with that?”

That’s why guys don’t like to be friends with a girl who breaks up with them.

Original

The Kraken - Black Spiced Rum

I finally found it! I remember stumbling upon a review of this rum a while back and immediately wanted to try it since I'm a sucker for quirky and unusual things.  Apparently the handles come in a fancy box and have some cool extras thrown in.

I definitely like the bottle design, with the two handles at the top and the artwork on the label.  It has a very old style about it, and the label is written in a script that's eye-catching.

As far as taste, it is very reminiscent of Captain Morgan Tattoo, but the flavor is a little more subtle.  It actually reminds me a little bit of a grape flavor (more for drink mixes than actual grapes), except that it's not sugary. Mix this with your general rum mixers. Coke or Pepsi would be my first choice, though for any other drinks, the spice won't be overpowering, so you can definitely feel free to experiment a bit.

The Kraken weighs in at 94 proof (47% alcohol), which is stronger than usual, and that is always welcome.  I got my 750mL for about $18.99 at one of the local liquor stores, so it's not obnoxiously expensive.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a more unique rum than the usual Captain Morgans and Bacardis.

Put a beast in your belly! - Website

Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2

I picked up Rob Zombie's newest album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, and it is definitely the old Zombie I remember listening to.  It hits more of the industrial roots that his older albums had, with less of the softer, slower feel of Educated Horses.

Track List

1. Jesus Frankenstein
2. Sick Bubble-Gum
3. What?
4. Mars Needs Women
5. Werewolf, Baby!
6. Virgin Witch
7. Death and Destiny Inside the Dream Factory
8. Burn
9. Cease to Exist
10. Werewolf Women of the SS
11. The Man Who Laughs

While it hits more of Zombie's roots, with the heavier guitar riffs, there weren't really any stand out songs. There was no Dragula, Superbeast, Living Dead Girl, or the like. I would say that if you are a hardcore Zombie fan, definitely think about picking this up, but otherwise you might want to just give it a pass.

WMUR

3 Wolf Moon Shirt

I must admit, I was not aware that the "3 Wolf Moon" shirt came from NH. The fact that it does is amusing, but I think it's even more amusing that now the state is turning it into the official shirt of New Hampshire.

It would seem that this would mark the end for this internet meme, since it's already gotten so much mainstream exposure.