莫怪國人不重視阿扁此行

陳水扁總統這趟中南美洲出訪，講是講要鞏固邦誼，不過，一整趟走下來，先是「榮邦專案」因襲慣例，撒了一大筆錢，又鬧出府院溝通不良，友邦理解錯誤的笑話；而新聞局長姚文智的「個人新聞」，尤其不輸阿扁，搶盡新聞焦點。阿扁可能埋怨，國內都不重視他這趟「榮邦之旅」，但我們從國內看海外，阿扁 這趟出訪，論「過境美國」的效果，乏善可陳；論中南美洲友邦的實質意義，除了撒錢，未見任何新意。反觀國內，澎恰恰的光碟事件，雖然八卦了些，可是事涉黑 道的囂張、名人隱私的被侵犯、警方辦案績效的不被肯定，高潮迭起，值得反思之處尤其多，怎能怪大家的興趣勝過阿扁出訪！

不只澎恰恰光碟事件版面大，高雄捷運弊案也在這幾天被抽絲剝繭，內幕曝光得 更多更精采。陳哲男的說謊、榮工處標單的被搓掉、高雄市府在這事件中的角色等等，在折損了勞委會主委、代理市長之後，這案子仍無「到此為止」的跡象，想想 看，這總比阿扁人在海外，卻屢屢「出口轉內銷」的老套，吸引人吧！

還不僅如此呢，偵辦中的「股市禿鷹案」，辦得有氣無力，要不是媒體爆料，說李進誠申請移民美國面談獲准，檢察總長吳英昭、法務部長施茂林又豈會向立委、向國人保證，「嚴格掌握李進誠的行蹤」？

還有喔，在彰化、嘉義鬧出來的戴奧辛毒鴨蛋、毒鴨肉，已經被一堆人吃進肚裡，這些鴨農、小吃店家、一般消費者，面對束手無策的衛生署、農委會、環保署官員，聽到的竟然是「放心啦，要吃更多才會有事」的安慰時，真不知該哭該笑？他們誰會在乎你阿扁的「榮不榮邦」？

阿扁不必怨嘆他「拚外交」的新聞不被重視。如果他領導的民進黨政府，在執政上多用點心，在執行公權力上，不要那麼傲慢、粗糙，說真的，他在海外的新聞，或許就不至於顯得孤單而瑣碎了。

然而，阿扁不能太急，一急反倒更糟。阿扁在友邦聖文森的熱烈歡迎下，竟脫口 說出「2008移民聖文森選總統」的話，友邦礙於「榮邦」的好處，只能一笑置之，可是傳開到國際上，這卻是多麼不得體的「發言」！徒然顯示阿扁自己的「無 知」與「傲慢」而已。外交是內政的延長，一團混亂的內政，何來外交的驕傲呢？

2005/09/30 聯合晚報

一張標單反映的司法之恥

高捷醜聞的最新發展是「官辦六標」出現重大弊情。榮工當時欲爭取的主力標是CR5，依據原定開標程序應在第一序位開標。現在（請注意，是現在，不是當時）證明：榮工的標價是四十四億五千萬，倘若CR5按規定在第一序位開標，榮工當然就是得標主！

然而，當時的情況卻是：並未依法按原定序位開標，亦即未先開榮工心目中的首 選CR5標。如此一來，由於先開其他標，就使得投了三標的榮工，先標得了其他兩個小標，造成榮工處於「不得承包超過兩標」的情勢。待造成此一情勢後，再回 過頭來開原居第一序位的CR5，陳敏賢等即主張榮工已不可以得第三標，當場就取消了榮工投CR5標的資格，甚至連榮工的標單都沒有揭開。現在（仍請注意， 是現在，不是當時）證明：榮工的出標價是四十四億五千餘萬元，而得標的「日商華大成與聯鋼營造」則是出價四十七億二千萬元！

倘若依法按原定序位先開CR5標，當然是榮工的四十四億五千萬得標，而絕不可能由「日商華大成、聯鋼」的四十七億二千萬得標。出入之間，政府平白多付了CR5標二億七千萬！

為什麼前文兩次強調「是現在，不是當時」？因為，這一切真相，皆因在野黨籍高雄市議員前天親赴高捷公司調查，在保險櫃中查得了根本未曾開封的榮工CR5標單，始獲證實。拆封取出標單一看，才知道榮工的出價是四十四億五千萬元！

此一發現亦可證實：高捷「官辦六標」，確實有洩漏底價、違規更改開標序位，甚至綁標圍標之嫌。這不是開標，而是分贓；這不是開標，而是掏空國庫，因為高捷投資的百分之九十五都是納稅人的血汗錢！

這張標單反映出台灣司法之恥。因為，不要以為高捷弊案今天是首次進入司法偵查程序；即以「官辦六標」的開標弊情而言，高雄地檢署甚或高分檢早已多次接獲檢舉，並曾分「他案」調查。調查結果皆稱，是因「廠商協調」所致，未有「圍標綁標」嫌疑，而均以簽結了事。

但是，前天在高捷公司取出的這張根本尚未拆封的榮工CR5四十四億五千萬標 單，已經足可證明高雄地檢署及高分檢的調查動作，顯然未盡周延。這張標單為何未與其他標單置於同一封袋中？為何根本未拆封？為何不依法先開CR5標？退一 步說，即使榮工投得三標，為何不是標得後才「協調」，而竟以變更開標序位的手法硬生生剝奪了榮工標得CR5標的機會與權利？這些疑問，皆可因這張未開封的 榮工標單而起，但它始終置於高捷公司的保險櫃中，雖然高雄地檢署及高分檢皆謂曾經分案調查，但一直到現在才被市議員們翻出；可見，所謂調查，分明只是虛晃 一招，這豈不是司法之恥？

請問檢察官們：為何舉手之勞即可從保險櫃中取得標單，竟然逃過了你們的偵查？反過來說，倘若檢方當時就查獲這張標單，會不會仍然得到「只是協調，不是圍標綁標」的結論？

更令人感慨的是：如今高捷弊案已因泰勞抗暴而揭發逾月，高雄檢調亦已偵查逾月，但這張CR5榮工標單最後竟是由市議員們在高捷公司保險櫃中翻出，這究竟是幸或不幸？

不幸的是檢方的動作竟然緩拙至此，還趕不上市議員的動作；幸的則是還好標單落到市議員手裡，萬一先落到檢方手裡，極可能從此就掉進了伸手不見五指的政治黑洞之中！

一張標單映照出承辦檢察官的形象。尤其，高雄地檢署曾在關於高雄市正副議長 賄選案的十餘萬字起訴書中，不敢也無能寫下「謝長廷」三個字，已經為台灣司法史寫下極其無恥的一頁。如今高捷弊案又落在高雄地檢署的手中，這些由民脂民膏 供養的檢察官們，是否會淪為那些政商吸血鬼的鷹犬保鑣，老實說一句，國人完全不能信任！

現在，法務部已發函高雄地檢署，下令移轉高捷弊案專案指揮權給高分檢。這是 法務部對高雄地檢署的評價，亦是司法的悲劇。高雄市正副議長賄選案及高捷弊案，在政治面皆全盤摧毀了國家正義，但是若無司法甘為其鷹犬奴婢，那些吸血政商 絕不致如此囂張；高雄地區的相關司法人員應當捫心自問：那些豪商政客們胡作非為若此，你們算不算是共犯？

2005/09/30 聯合報

春秋大夢與春秋大錯

當權者對於在野政黨堅持推動NCC立法，驚慌萬狀。竟以納稅人的血汗錢大登廣告，企圖阻止立法。民進黨更不惜訴諸肢體鬥毆。近乎歇斯底里的反應，正說明了當權集團對新聞自由的恐懼。

當局及其御用的所謂媒改團體，一再以NCC定位為「獨立機關」為由而反對政黨比例制。但眾所周知，定位為「獨立機關」的中選會為違法的公投綁大選護航，正是因為有不少委員由行政院提名；而國家考試公然出現「律師性格與國家領導」之類馬屁題，更是前車之鑑。

誠然，世界主要國家的傳播通訊委員會，並無由政黨比例產生者；但這正是因為這些國家的主政者不會以政治黑手來操控媒體。如今逼得在野黨必須堅持比例制，主政者竟毫無羞愧之意，還敢大登廣告喋喋不休，委實令人啼笑皆非！

喋喋不休也就罷了，耗費不貲的廣告文案，竟出現「鑄成春秋大錯」這種根本不知所云的句子。可見當權者懍於NCC成立，其透過新聞局一手持巨棒，一手玩置入性行銷以操控媒體的「春秋大夢」瀕臨破滅，已然方寸大亂，連御用打手的文章都如此不堪。

其實，當局最該懊惱的是：為了對付三一九真調會已祭出「抵抗權」，如今招數 用老，恐怕不便再耍賴。畢竟，與兩顆子彈案相比，NCC還不到立即威脅當權集團的合法性的地步。但因作著全面操控媒體的「春秋大夢」，終於逼得在野黨非通 過比例制不可，也算是當局的種種箝制作為終於使自己鑄成了「春秋大錯」！
2005/09/30 聯合報

Hidetext turns any text into an image

Sure, it’s pretty easy to turn text into an image using Photoshop or just about any other graphics program. But if you want a quick and easy way to do it without having to use any external apps, try Hidetext, now in beta. The free service isn’t designed for graphic designers. Rather, the idea behind it is that if you create graphics out of text, they become ungoogleable, and thereby can’t be indexed by Google or other search engines. This way, the theory goes, you can put any text you want on the web and have at least a modicum of privacy, since search engines won’t find it. Seems to me that a good robots.txt file, directories without links and that old chestnut htaccess would do the trick a lot more effectively, with minimal extra work. But I could see some utility in this if, for example, you want to include text in a blog posting that you’d rather not have spidered (like a list of email addresses).

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Microsoft Project 2003 Service Pack 2 Download

Looks like they released Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Project 2003 (including standard, pro and server).
In my experience Project Service Packs always fix more things than they break so the odds are good that you should just download and install it. This is not always the case with Windows Service Releases.

Anyway, Project Service Pack is here
and the Project Server Service Pack is here

If you are wary, then check out the list of fixes and decide if it is worth it to you. With a list of 145 fixes (and a number of undocumented ones as well) you should be able to find at least one compelling reason.

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NetVibes personal portal page

This has been getting a lot of buzz lately — NetVibes is another personal portal in the vein of Google personalized home and Microsoft’s Start page. You can syndicate RSS feeds in drag and droppable DIVs, embed a search widget, and get a preview pane for your Gmail account. One notably handy addition is the ability to add notes to a page, which adds some of the flavor of Protopage to the mix. I won’t be too surprised if we keep seeing more of these gloriously AJAX-ified personal portal page offerings.

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Network Notepad – Today’s Free File

Whether you’re a SysAdmin setting up a network or an exec setting up a new team, you’ve probably come across Microsoft’s Visio. Something of a gold standard for creating org charts, network topology diagrams and other flow charts, Visio is also expensive, with the cheapest version going for $199 ($99 for an upgrade from previous versions). That may not matter if you work for a company that has a license, but if you’re looking to duplicate at least some of Visio’s functions on a budget, you may want to give Network Notepad, today’s free file, a try. Though designed primarily for network maps, as its name implies, Network Notepad can be used for org charts, flow charts and many of the other diagrams that Visio produces, and can export files as JPEGs or GIFs (using free plugins). No, it can’t do everything Visio does, but if you’re looking to sketch out a network or outline your software’s functions without breaking the bank, it could be worth a try.

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iPod nano Invisible Shield

Yeah yeah, enough of the iPod nano news, right? Well, too bad, here’s another one for ya. Since the main reason everyone seems to be harping on about the nano is its oh-so-purdy aesthetic, this invisibleSHIELD full-body wrap offers protection for the nano while showing it off. There’s this demo video you can watch with them going at the case with a pen and a key, to show how scratch-resistant it is. Which is good, since word is the black nano seems to be more prone to smudges and scratches than previous iPods. Each invisibleSHIELD for the nano is $19.95. Product page: invisibleSHIELD

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New Altec Lansing iPod Products

Altec Lansing introduced several new iPod-related products at the Apple Expo recently, which include new speakers and earphones.

First is the inMotion iM5, which looks to be an update to the inMotion iM3. It’s a compact speaker system that has four full-range micro drivers and an iPod docking station. It also has a composite video output jack, a subwoofer output connection, auxiliary input port, and comes with a carrying bag. Works with all dockable iPods (including the nano?), and runs off AC or batteries.

Next are the inMotion earphones, the iM616 and the iM716. If you’re thinking these remind you a lot of the Etymotic earbuds, you’re not mistaken — they’re based heavily on the ER-4 and ER-6 Etymotic buds. The white iM716 model supposedly offers a 90% sound accuracy rating in comparison with the ER-4, and featuers volume control, bass boost, and improved ease of insertion into the ear. The black iM616 purportedly has an 84% sound accuracy rating, and has a milder bass boost.

The inMotion iM5 will go for $149.99, and the inMotion iM616 and iM716 will cost around $149.99 and $199.99 respectively. All three products will be available later this month.

Altec Lansing rolls out new iPod gear [iLounge]

Free Voicemail for Skype with Amy

YapperNut, the makers of the YapperBox (a device which allows you to connect any standard phone to your PC to use Skype), are offering a free voicemail solution for Skype called Amy. Amy stands for Answering Machine by YapperNut. Amy’s features include:

• Personalize your Voicemail greeting.
• Customize Voicemail settings for different Skype modes.
• Set Amy to auto-answer during certain hours.
• Forward Voicemail to your buddies.
• Seamlessly integrates with YapperBox™

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