Elliott C. Back: In Aere Aedificare

Please not that this is not medical advice, and is not being given by a medical professional. I simply want to recount my experiences for your education and reading pleasure, and hopefully pass along a few tips.

The Background

Three days in Cancun is enough time to seriously screw your body up. The equatorial sun is hot and direct, and the reflection of the sun off and in water will fry you as well. The dark-skinned mexicans aren’t to be emulated, because their bodies naturally protect them better.

The first day, we arrived around noon, and went down to the beach. I was wearing a shirt for some of the time, not for some of the time. I didn’t feel anything, and it was cloudy, but when I went back to the hotel, I had a bad sunburn. The next two days I tried to avoid the sun, wear clothes, and wear sunscreen. It worked, but the damage was already done.

The Pain

Intensely painful to move or touch, my entire upper body was covered in red, burnt skin, as well as parts of my foot, and my calves, the back of which were particularily tender. The etremities and my chest began to slowly heal first, my face gently peeling with the rest of them. However, my upper arms and shoulders developed severly burned skin and blisters, and seeped clear fluid for many days.

The Treatment

Aloe Vera gel and topical anaesthetic and anti-microbial agents help. Taking an anti-inflammatory such as Advil (ibuprofen) or Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) works well. Tylenol may not be as effective in relieving swelling and pain. Avoid scratching, tearing, or irritating the skin. Avoid more exposure to sunlight. Avoid alcohol or other drying agents. Eat and sleep well, and drink lots of water.

All in all, I think I’ll be ok, but it’s not an experience I want again.

Wednesday: Math Exam, Write 2 pages of Faulkner essay, Write Asian response paper
Thursday: Write 3-4 more pages of Faulker, proofread
Friday: Start thinking about final Asian paper, work on new site
Saturday: Write final Asian paper
Sunday: Write half of final 9/11 paper
Monday: Write other half of final 9/11 paper
Tuesday on: Study Chinese, … , ???

Earlier this morning I left a comment on a post of Fovergeek’s where he complains that Digg is unfairly banning him:

There’s a possible explanation for some of this which doesn’t require conspiracy. Digg is very, very heavy against spam. It’s possible that some stories which get buried are done automatically. I can, for example, bury any story I want by creating a bunch of new users and digging that story…

It seems, in light of this post by Digg founder Kevin Rose that I’m right. He specifically addresses FG’s concerns:

The banning of forevergeek.com: Aside from the dozens of user reports, several accounts were created to artificially inflate the digg count of their stories. When a single URL hits a threshold of reports, our standard procedure is to block that URL from submission (spam control). Again, mass fraud digging is in violation of our terms of service.

So, really, they have nothing to complain about. I’m sure the digg fraud detection systems will improve over time once they figure out which users are good and which are bad, and which should be listened to, and which not. Right now, the way their system works, I can knock a story off any page anywhere just by creating a bunch of new users and digging it. And, that’s a problem.

Information about the Air Force One has been leaked onto the web by official military sites:

“It is not a good thing” for that information to be in the public domain, said Lt. Col Bruce Alexander, director of public affairs for the Air Mobility Command’s 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews Air Force Base, which operates the presidential air transport fleet. “We are concerned with how it got there and how we can get it out. This affects operational security.”

Information about Secret Service stations and anti-aircraft missile technology is considered especially sensitive. However, in the interest of public freedom of information, I’ve searched google for information about the VC-25, also known as the “Air Force One.” Here’s what I found:

Exploitable delicate areas of the VC-25:

Titled Aircraft Hazards, this document includes a description of where the Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM) unit is located, the temperature and noise levels of its four engines, where oxygen tanks are located in the plane, entry and exit points, emergency engine shutdown controls, and security placement.

Here are snapshots of the interesting slides, a visual guide to the Air Force One VC-25:

Basic facts about the VC-25:

A special transportation report gives a slide with basic information about the VC-25, such as airspeed, dimensions, range, and other statistical snippets. The photo is reproduced below:

None of this is classified, top secret, etc, but it could definitely be used negatively. For more information, please consider the following resources:

• Wizbang Blog
• Benton Republicans
• UrbanNerd
• Digg