To Talk of Many Things

Step-by-Step: Migrating Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003 Using New Hardware.

New MSExchange.org article…

Migrate your mail system from Exchange 2000 Server running
on a Windows 2000 Server system to a new server running Exchange Server
2003 on Windows Server 2003. This scenario will
take you through all Exchange-related issues from adding your first
Windows Server 2003 system to unplugging your old Exchange 2000 system
when finished.

[MS Exchange Blog]

Introducing Frontier 10.0a1. Open source. [Hack the Planet]

New Company Starts Up a Challenge to Google.
Vivisimo, an Internet search engine company, is introducing a service
that is meant to lessen online information overload. By JOHN MARKOFF. [The New York Times > Technology]

Judge Strikes Down Section of Patriot Act.
A federal judge ruled that the provision broadly violated the
Constitution by giving federal authorities unchecked powers to obtain
private information. By JULIA PRESTON. [The New York Times > Technology]

Six Secrets of Highly Secure Organizations.

A very good article in CIO Magazine called “Six Secrets of Highly Secure Organizations” will help you get a “big picture” overview of security issues for your organization. Highly recommended.

[DennisKennedy.blog]

I just bought a Mac.

That's
right, I bought a Mac. A cheap iBook, to be exact. I'm not planning to
write software for the Mac, but I do want to keep up with the goings-on
in the Mac world, and I could also learn a lot from the Mac UI. See,
there's one thing that Apple consistently gets right that Microsoft
consistently gets wrong: style.

After working with OS-X for a few hours, switching back to Windows is like partying with Charlize Theron then coming home to Kathy Bates. Sure, Kathy Bates is exceptionally talented, but sometimes a little glamour is exciting.  [Nick Bradbury]

AP. American
troops have arrested a senior commander of the U.S.-trained Iraqi
National Guard for alleged ties to insurgents, underscoring the
obstacles toward building a strong Iraqi security force capable of
taking over from U.S. troops and restoring stability to the country. [John Robb's Weblog]

CSM. The Guerrilla War in Iraq. So true: War
is never by the books. Adversaries learn and adapt. The political
climate shifts on both sides. Loyalties and alliances couple and
decouple. The civilian populace - caught in the crossfire - often
remains passive just to survive. The insurgency in Iraq is
different than historical insurgencies. It is characterized by
innovation enabled by the bazaar of violence and system disruption (see
Global Guerrillas for
more). Unfortunately, the US military leadership and the US national
security planners aren't aware of this (Kerry's team isn't any better).
[John Robb's Weblog]

The current hostage crisis in Iraq was anticipated on Global Guerrillas months ago (see Target: Halliburton). The ongoing failure to anticipate the bazaar's operation keeps the counter-insurgency forces behind the power curve in Iraq.

Another example from the AT: The
Black Banners demanded that India pull out its troops from Iraq - when
India has no troops in Iraq. They then demanded that the employer of
the three Indian hostages, Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company
(KGL), halt operations in Iraq. The negotiations to secure the release
of the hostages were protracted, not because the issues being discussed
were intractable political ones but because of hard wrangling over
money. Ultimately, US$500,000 paid by KGL to the kidnappers did the
trick and the hostages were released.
[John Robb's Weblog]

The Scotsman. The
attacks have become more sophisticated and they are showing a lot of
ingenuity, Mr Claridge explained. In a recent incident a convoy was
under surveillance and followed on to a bridge. Cars blocked either end
and the convoy came under fire in a prolonged and aggressive encounter.
It was being controlled via radios by a general who was expertly
directing his men. [John Robb's Weblog]