Busted Flush

Mac OS X 10.5: How to clear the DNS Cache

To clear the DNS cache in OS X most of us have been used to entering Terminal and typing the command:

 lookupd -flushcache 

In Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard it requires a new command:

dscacheutil -flushcache

I know this is basic stuff but hopefully this will save someone some time in rooting around (pardon the pun) trying to find this elsewhere.

As a side note... Here is the process for enabling the root user in OS X:

Enable Root User

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1528

Pavarotti & Tracy Chapman for Cambodia & Tibet, 2000

Sometimes you can't make something up this great. Pavarotti & Friends performing for Cambodia and Tibet in 2000. As most of you know, Pavarotti passed on in September 2007 after a year long struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 71.

Italy Seizes $134.5B in US bonds

I have to say that I enjoy a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy but I tend to only share the most implausible ones. I read this update to the story from June 3rd of the two Japanese businessmen traveling between Switzerland and Italy with $134.5B in US bonds smuggled in a false bottom of their briefcase and just had to pass it on.

The news story reported that the inventory of bonds consisted of:

249 U.S. Treasury bonds each worth $500M US

10 U.S. Kennedy bonds worth $1B US each

Now for the conspiracy theory:

http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=15505

I know I shouldn't pass this stuff on but I'm really enjoying the conspiracy theorists going back and forth on this. Some say the securities were real, some say they were fake, everyone agrees that if they were real, Italy just hit the jackpot. If they turn out to be fake, there are two customs guys that have stopped patting themselves on the back.

The best part of this story is in the details. The number and value of the bonds, where they were stored, how they were smuggled, how these guys were caught, etc.

Unfortunately for us, the reporting in Italy is not what they are known for.

Enjoy the laughs as much as I have.

Amazing Driving, Terrible Music

Best Story Ever

Kheiron

I've joined up with Kheiron; a young not-for-profit exploring ways to better connect doctors and their patients with the latest in outpatient medical technologies and services. 

It's about time that we all started looking at the real challenges behind formulary and how to modernize the model of reimbursement so that doctors can get paid to be great doctors and patients can have the tools to be better informed. 

Very cool project. 

Kheiron

TED MED

You should check out the TEDMED 2009 conference, which I will be attending and am an advisor to, October 27-30 at the historic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California.

This is an engaging and thought-provoking event, bringing together top leaders and luminaries from many disciplines that intersect the fields of medicine and healthcare.  My good friend, Marc Hodosh along with Richard Saul Wurman (TED founder) are re-launching TEDMED together... and if you can only attend one event a year... this is it! 

http://www.tedmed.com

Here is a partial list of confirmed speakers and attendees:

• Dean Kamen (inventor)
• Craig Venter (genomics pioneer)
• Zeke Emanuel (White House Health Care policy advisor to Obama) 
• David Blaine (magician / world record breath holder) 
• Sanjay Gupta (CNN)
• Paul Jacobs (CEO Qualcomm)
• Greg Lucier (CEO, Life Technologies)
• Eric Topol (Scripps)
• Neal Baer (Executive Producer, ER)
• Anne Wojcicki (23andMe)
• Keith Black (Neurosurgeon)
• Goldie Hawn (actress)
• Ken Kamler (microsurgeon & Everest climber)
• Aubrey de Gregy (Longevity)
• Scott Parazynski (NASA medical astronaut)
• many more...

For a complete and up-to-date list see www.TEDMED.com. 

I encourage you to join me at this event, as well as to pass this along to your colleagues and friends.  The audience typically consists of pioneering thinkers from around the world who are as remarkable as the speakers themselves.  

Registration is first come, first served, only 400 seats... so look into this soon.  

Hope to see you there!

-Alex

ULTS: Universal Lifeline Telephone Service

 

I am working on starting a small organization to update and modernize ULTS (Universal Lifeline Telephone Service) legislation. 

Universal Lifeline Telephone Service provides steep discounts for low to no income individuals and families.

Some issues that need updating are:

• Implemented State by State instead of on the Federal level

• Does not account for the temporarily displaced (homeless) (no home = no wires = no lifeline)

• No access to mobile phones

Please take a peek at the start of a blog on the topic at ULTS.org

If you are interested in helping out with this project, please contact me directly. 

Some of my favorite TED Talks

Alex's Free BlackBerry Ringtones - For BlackBerry

Back by popular demand... :)

Download FREE Ringtones here For most BlackBerry models. Blackberry 8700, 8830, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl, etc.- You can thank Matt for asking me to put these back online.

Woke Up This Morning - A3 (Soprano's Theme Song)
Bad Boys - Inner Circle
Mr. BoomBastic - Shaggy
Brown Sugar - Stones
Bugle
Bullet & A Target - Citizen Cope
Everywhere Man - Johnny Cash
GodFather Theme
Hello, Are you there?
Crazy Short - Icehouse
Fuck You, Eat Me, Eat Me! - Jim Zanardi
Layla - Clapton
Message Alert
In Like Flynt - Austin Powers Ring
Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon - Neil Diamond
Ring, Ring, Ring
Rocky Top
Psycho - Hitchcock
Barracuda - Heart
Little Wing - SRV
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
Panama - Van Halen
Sweet Child O Mine - Guns N Roses
Smooth - Santana
Origin of The Species - U2
You Have A Call

A couple of these are CUSTOM CUSTOM ringtones... Meaning they are voices of friends of mine, etc. Please don't repost the ones that obviously aren't commercial type recordings.

Here is a list of BlackBerry devices I've tested these with:

-BlackBerry 8700, BlackBerry 8703, BlackBerry 8707 (Electron)

-BlackBerry 8100, BlackBerry 8110, BlackBerry 8120, BlackBerry 8130, BlackBerry 8220 (Pearl)

-BlackBerry 8300, BlackBerry 8310, BlackBerry 8320, BlackBerry 8330 (Curve)

-BlackBerry 9000 (Bold)

-BlackBerry 9530 (Storm aka "Thunder")