Danny Hillis gave a TED talk in February discussing how the notion of trust is ingrained in the protocols that form the Internet, and why that leaves the Internet vulnerable. He says that because of the network’s trusting nature and the increasing number of critical services and systems that rely on the Internet, the network itself - not just the serivces using it - is fragile. His argument is that, in addition to putting greater effort into protecting the network, we need to develop a completely separate “plan B” in case the Internet were to crash.

Following Google’s announcement that Reader will be shuttered on July 1st, I - like most of the Internet’s voracious content-consumption/power user/geek population - went searching for a replacement. I argued right away that the new-found void left in the RSS reader space would be best filled by a new open source project to create an awesome reader that could be either self-hosted, or used as a hosted service. Given that such a product did not yet exist, I continued my search for an immediate replacement.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything Coast Guard on here, but friend and fellow Coastie Ryan Erickson sent me a piece about CG Remember, a program dedicated to remembering those Coast Guardsmen and women who have fallen in service to their country, which I felt should be shared with my readers. I won’t go into any further detail about it since Ryan covers that in his words below.

It’s official: Google Reader is dying. Citing declining usage, Google announced this afternoon that their RSS aggregator tool will be shut down on July 1st. It’s had a good run since its launch in 2005, but it’s time to shutter the proverbial doors. Google also says Reader has a loyal following, which makes sense: it’s the best web-based RSS reader available, and everyone I know who uses RSS to keep up-to-date uses it.

The Washington, DC area is expecting some snow over the next 24-36 hours, and while accumulations won’t be significant (less than 12 inches), it’s likely to cause some disruptions. BGE is pre-positioning assets in preparation for power outages, and local emergency management agencies are setting up shelters and posting preparedness reminders. Annapolis & Anne Arundel County aren’t likely to see more than a few inches so the impact should be minimal, but it’s best to be ready nonetheless.

President Obama came to Annapolis today to meet with Democratic senators. He came on Marine One and landed at the Naval Academy, right outside my office. One of my coworkers had a DSLR with them and was able to get some good pictures of the President’s arrival. Marine One lands at the Naval Academy President Obama walks to his limousine from Marine One After he had finished his business, he came back to the Naval Academy, boarded Marine One, and headed back to Washington.

We’re home from Foxboro after a full weekend of football and partying. It was an excellent weekend, despite a disappointing loss for the Patriots. We got to Patriot Place around 1:30 on Sunday, and began our tailgating. We didn’t have much in the way of tailgate equipment beyond the beer we picked up, but were near some groups that had all sorts of stuff - including a TV running on a car battery that enabled us to watch the NFC Championship game.

Mid field. Let’s go!

I’m in Providence getting ready to head up to Gillette Stadium for the Patriots-Ravens showdown. By a stroke of luck I managed to get a ticket Friday and drove up with some friends Saturday afternoon. The trip is off to a good start already, including some night club adventures in Federal Hill and the craziest cab ride I’ve ever taken. As my friend Michael pointed out, Providence definitely has the worst drivers in America.

This morning the Westboro Baptist Church staged a protest outside the Anne Arundel County Courthouse in Annapolis, MD. They came because today was the first day same sex marriages were officially legal, and could be conducted at the courthouse. Citizens from all over the area came out to counter-protest, and show support for the couples exercising their newly granted right. Members of Westboro Baptist Church demonstrating outside Anne Arundel County Courthouse in Annapolis, MD.