Bush in 30 Seconds
This is going to be fun to watch. MoveOn.org is all over the frickin' place.
And all they started to do was say, "Hey, it's a frickin' BJ."
You folks all remember that. When we kept talking about a really, really, stupid thing. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over.
While our enemies gathered to strike.
Anyway. This link should be fun to watch.
Friday, October 31, 2003
sacbee.com -- Sports -- Kings notes: James has nice start, but Kings predict slumps
sacbee.com -- Sports -- Kings notes: James has nice start, but Kings predict slumps: "James is the first high school product to instantly start for an NBA team, and he showed plenty of game for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in his debut, a 106-92 loss to the Kings.
The guard had 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds, but reality is waiting just around the corner."
Been following this kid since they started talking smack about him. He's the real deal, now lets see if he can hold it all together.
The guard had 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds, but reality is waiting just around the corner."
Been following this kid since they started talking smack about him. He's the real deal, now lets see if he can hold it all together.
Thursday, October 30, 2003
w w w . p r o s p e c t - m a g a z i n e . c o . u k :: Interview with dead Marx
w w w . p r o s p e c t - m a g a z i n e . c o . u k: "Karl Marx
October 2003
Marx will not take the blame for communism and the gulag. But he enjoys his continuing influence in the academy
Donald Sassoon: Well, Dr Marx, you are all washed up, aren't you? Fifteen years ago your theories ruled half the world. Now what's left? Cuba? North Korea?
Karl Marx: My 'theories'-as you put it-never 'ruled.' I had followers I neither chose nor sought, and for whom I have no more responsibility than Jesus had for Torquemada or Muhammad for Osama bin Laden. Self-appointed followers are the price of success. Most of my contemporaries would love to be as washed up as you think I am. I wrote that the point was not to explain the world, but to change "
Curious fake interview.
October 2003
Marx will not take the blame for communism and the gulag. But he enjoys his continuing influence in the academy
Donald Sassoon: Well, Dr Marx, you are all washed up, aren't you? Fifteen years ago your theories ruled half the world. Now what's left? Cuba? North Korea?
Karl Marx: My 'theories'-as you put it-never 'ruled.' I had followers I neither chose nor sought, and for whom I have no more responsibility than Jesus had for Torquemada or Muhammad for Osama bin Laden. Self-appointed followers are the price of success. Most of my contemporaries would love to be as washed up as you think I am. I wrote that the point was not to explain the world, but to change "
Curious fake interview.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Globetechnology
Globetechnology: "Any technology which creates abundance poses problems for any process which existed to benefit from scarcity."
Interesting reading. I'd like to answer those questions. Maybe later tonight.
Interesting reading. I'd like to answer those questions. Maybe later tonight.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
U.S. Copyright Office, Anticircumvention Rulemaking
U.S. Copyright Office, Anticircumvention Rulemaking
This list will get longer. I can't watch my DVD's on my handheld.
This list will get longer. I can't watch my DVD's on my handheld.
Yahoo! News - Hackers defence: the computer did it
Yahoo! News - Hackers defence: the computer did it: "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Prosecutors looking to throw the book at accused computer hackers have come across a legal defence expected to become even more widespread in an era of hijacked PCs and laptops that threatens to blur the lines of personal responsibility: the computer did it."
This one won't fly in the U.S. Or maybe it will....
This one won't fly in the U.S. Or maybe it will....
Digital Spy - Latest television news from America
Digital Spy - Latest television news from America: "The FCC rule had been challenged by the Consumer Electronics Association, which represents major manufacturers including Zenith and Sony. The CEA said that the rule was unnecessary for two main reasons; firstly, that it would make sets more expensive, and secondly that subscribers to digital cable or digital satellite services would not need the tuners. The FCC rule is designed to provide 'plug-and-play' functionality, in that someone can buy a TV, plug it into their antenna socket, and watch local free-to-air digital terrestrial television broadcasts.
The Court sided with the FCC ruling, saying that the consumer electronics industry was not moving fast enough to incorporate digital tuners into sets on its own. The U.S. Congress has set a target date of December 2006 for analogue switch-off."
This would be good, except for the next story.
"The US National Association of Broadcasters has written to Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell urging the Commission to require a 'broadcast flag' to be transmitted on digital TV programmes."
This 'broadcast flag' would make it impossible for regular viewers of TV to record shows, time-shift them, or fast-forward through commercials. The NAB considers that stealing.
The Court sided with the FCC ruling, saying that the consumer electronics industry was not moving fast enough to incorporate digital tuners into sets on its own. The U.S. Congress has set a target date of December 2006 for analogue switch-off."
This would be good, except for the next story.
"The US National Association of Broadcasters has written to Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell urging the Commission to require a 'broadcast flag' to be transmitted on digital TV programmes."
This 'broadcast flag' would make it impossible for regular viewers of TV to record shows, time-shift them, or fast-forward through commercials. The NAB considers that stealing.
Newsday.com - Political Threat To Bush Growing
Newsday.com - Political Threat To Bush Growing: "Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Bush showed no inclination to change course, arguing that the attacks had been launched precisely because U.S. forces were making progress in restoring order to Iraq. 'The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,' the president said.
But Bush also seemed to plead with Iraqis to support the U.S. effort in the face of the attacks. 'The people have got to understand, the Iraqi people have got to understand that any time you've got a group of killers willing to kill innocent Iraqis, that their future must not be determined by these kind of killers,' he said. "
The problem is that they do understand that.
But Bush also seemed to plead with Iraqis to support the U.S. effort in the face of the attacks. 'The people have got to understand, the Iraqi people have got to understand that any time you've got a group of killers willing to kill innocent Iraqis, that their future must not be determined by these kind of killers,' he said. "
The problem is that they do understand that.
MPT: Knowing Poe: Poe the Writer: Annotated Poe
MPT: Knowing Poe: Poe the Writer: Annotated Poe
Poe fo' sho'.
Setup for All Hallow's Eve Festivities.
Poe fo' sho'.
Setup for All Hallow's Eve Festivities.
Monday, October 27, 2003
A strategic pattern to Iraqi strikes | csmonitor.com
A strategic pattern to Iraqi strikes | csmonitor.com: "BAGHDAD – The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began under a pall of fear Monday, as a coordinated series of attacks killed about 40 people here - the most violent day in Baghdad since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Investigations are just beginning, but the incidents fit a pattern of increasingly organized attacks that hit soft targets to demoralize foreigners and locals working with the coalition. Iraqi police have been singled out - dozens of lightly guarded stations in Baghdad are easy targets."
Ug, and double ugh.
Investigations are just beginning, but the incidents fit a pattern of increasingly organized attacks that hit soft targets to demoralize foreigners and locals working with the coalition. Iraqi police have been singled out - dozens of lightly guarded stations in Baghdad are easy targets."
Ug, and double ugh.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | This is our heaven - or hell
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | This is our heaven - or hell: "The Bishop of Durham has recently suggested that a belief in heaven or hell is not a core tenet of Christianity. This will be shocking news to those who imagine that the chief function of religion is to give us intimations of immortality. Human beings are the only animals who have to live with the knowledge of their inevitable demise. We are also meaning-seeking creatures, and as soon as we fell out of the trees and became recognisably human, we created religions at the same time as we began to produce works of art, in order to convince ourselves that, despite the crushing burden of our mortality, our lives had intrinsic meaning and value. What could be more consoling than the knowledge that death is not the end, and that we will enjoy a richer and fuller existence in the hereafter?
Yet, surprisingly perhaps, the panacea of eternal life has not been a feature of the religious quest, which has generally focused on living more intensely and humanely here on earth"
Some God reading for ya. And I agree, this place is the shiznit, not some other.
Yet, surprisingly perhaps, the panacea of eternal life has not been a feature of the religious quest, which has generally focused on living more intensely and humanely here on earth"
Some God reading for ya. And I agree, this place is the shiznit, not some other.
What Wesley Clark Really Said About Time Travel
What Wesley Clark Really Said About Time Travel: "The article reported on remarks made by Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark during a campaign event Sept. 27 in New Castle, New Hampshire. At the event, Clark stated his belief that humans will someday be able to travel faster than the speed of light.
Due to a faulty understanding of physics on my part, I originally reported that Clark had professed a belief in the possibility of time travel. While some experts have previously said that travelling faster than light implies time travel, Clark in fact did not specifically profess an interest in time travel."
Clear on on the Clark 'Time Travel' thing I missed, but will probably hear about for years...if Clark wins next year.
Due to a faulty understanding of physics on my part, I originally reported that Clark had professed a belief in the possibility of time travel. While some experts have previously said that travelling faster than light implies time travel, Clark in fact did not specifically profess an interest in time travel."
Clear on on the Clark 'Time Travel' thing I missed, but will probably hear about for years...if Clark wins next year.
Still Waiting for the Euphoria
Still Waiting for the Euphoria: "Iraqis, like their fellow Arabs, feel victimized by a history of betrayal and humiliation at the hands of Western powers. It appears that U.S. policymakers overlooked or misread this sentiment."
More analysis of the Iraqi polls from another Zogby, trying to keep their work from getting spun.
More analysis of the Iraqi polls from another Zogby, trying to keep their work from getting spun.
CD Baby: SUSHIROBO: The Light-Fingered Feeling of Sushirobo - hear and buy it at CD BABY.
CD Baby: SUSHIROBO: The Light-Fingered Feeling of Sushirobo - hear and buy it at CD BABY.
Checking out some new tunes. And I like CD Baby.
A lot.
Checking out some new tunes. And I like CD Baby.
A lot.
Sunday, October 26, 2003
ajc.com | News | Al Rasheed hotel hit by missiles from mobile launcher
ajc.com | News | Al Rasheed hotel hit by missiles from mobile launcher: "One official said the military had specific intelligence that an attack was imminent on the hotel, the Rashid, where senior personnel of the American occupation live and eat, but that no special precautions had been taken.
Wolfowitz, who arrived here Friday, was one floor above where one of the rockets hit, officials said. He was not hurt.
Officials said the wounded included five American soldiers, seven American civilians working in various Iraqi ministries as part of the American-led effort to rebuild Iraq, and four non-American civilians. The identity of the dead colonel was not immediately released."
O.k. Now how long until Wolfowitz is quoted as saying (again) that progress in Iraq is going great?
Wolfowitz, who arrived here Friday, was one floor above where one of the rockets hit, officials said. He was not hurt.
Officials said the wounded included five American soldiers, seven American civilians working in various Iraqi ministries as part of the American-led effort to rebuild Iraq, and four non-American civilians. The identity of the dead colonel was not immediately released."
O.k. Now how long until Wolfowitz is quoted as saying (again) that progress in Iraq is going great?
Friday, October 24, 2003
cooltech.iafrica.com | coolscience Stupidity should be cured � Watson
cooltech.iafrica.com | coolscience Stupidity should be cured � Watson: "The 50th anniversary of the unveiling of DNA was marked by controversy on Friday after the scientist who co-discovered the 'molecule of life' said he backed genetic manipulation to make people more intelligent and better-looking.
75-year-old James Watson, the American biologist who in 1953 shook the world when he co-discovered DNA's structure with Britain's Francis Crick, said he saw stupidity as a genetic disease that should be cured. "
Actually he just said that we should try and help the abysmally dumb, but paraphrasing is so much more fun.
You'll probably have to wait a year or so for my paper on this. I'd do it this weekend, but there's fun to be had.
Yes, that's my lesson for the weekend. Have a good one.
75-year-old James Watson, the American biologist who in 1953 shook the world when he co-discovered DNA's structure with Britain's Francis Crick, said he saw stupidity as a genetic disease that should be cured. "
Actually he just said that we should try and help the abysmally dumb, but paraphrasing is so much more fun.
You'll probably have to wait a year or so for my paper on this. I'd do it this weekend, but there's fun to be had.
Yes, that's my lesson for the weekend. Have a good one.
cooltech.iafrica.com | coolscience Fish changes sex for harmony
cooltech.iafrica.com | coolscience Fish changes sex for harmony: "Clownfish � an aquarium-lover's delight because of their orange 'face' and white rings � make the astonishing switch in sex and size in order to ensure harmony within their group, Buston suggests.
'This strategy to prevent conflict is a surprising departure from the more usual ploy used by many animals, of modifying their behaviour within the group,' he reports in Thursday's issue of Nature, the British science weekly.
'The maintenance of size differences may resolve evolutionary conflict over group membership, because subordinates do not become a threat to their dominants.' "
Curious reading in light of the previous 'heavy' post.
'This strategy to prevent conflict is a surprising departure from the more usual ploy used by many animals, of modifying their behaviour within the group,' he reports in Thursday's issue of Nature, the British science weekly.
'The maintenance of size differences may resolve evolutionary conflict over group membership, because subordinates do not become a threat to their dominants.' "
Curious reading in light of the previous 'heavy' post.
cooltech.iafrica.com | coolscience Amazon find proves ancient settlement
cooltech.iafrica.com | coolscience Amazon find proves ancient settlement: "Archaeologists said on Tuesday they had uncovered remains of a monument and carved stone receptacles, which prove that humankind colonised the upper reaches of the Amazon some 4000 years ago.
The discovery was made in southern Ecuador in the province of Zamora-Chinchipe, said experts at France's Institute of Research for Development (IRD), who worked with local archaeologists."
Humans spread like a gas.
The discovery was made in southern Ecuador in the province of Zamora-Chinchipe, said experts at France's Institute of Research for Development (IRD), who worked with local archaeologists."
Humans spread like a gas.
LRB | Slavoj Zizek : Bring me my Philips Mental Jacket
LRB | Slavoj Zizek : Bring me my Philips Mental Jacket: "Do we today have an available bioethics? Yes, we do, a bad one: what the Germans call Bindestrich-Ethik, or 'hyphen-ethics', where what gets lost in the hyphenation is ethics as such. The problem is not that a universal ethics is being dissolved into a multitude of specialised ones (bioethics, business ethics, medical ethics and so on) but that particular scientific breakthroughs are immediately set against humanist 'values', leading to complaints that biogenetics, for example, threatens our sense of dignity and autonomy."
Good reading on bioethics of the Kuro5hin story of the same topic.
Good reading on bioethics of the Kuro5hin story of the same topic.
Press Underreports Wounded in Iraq
Press Underreports Wounded in Iraq: "Even now, when the injury information is easily available, many newspapers neglect to report or keep a tally, as an informal survey of some top papers has shown. This comes on the heels of reports Wednesday that attacks on American troops in Iraq had increased in recent weeks from an average of 15 to 20 attacks per day to about 20 to 25 attacks a day, with a peak at about 35 attacks in one day, according to the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez.
According to an Oct. 3 report by UPI, nearly 4,000 soldiers had been medically evacuated from Iraq for non-combat reasons."
More of that 'good news' the press isn't talking about.
According to an Oct. 3 report by UPI, nearly 4,000 soldiers had been medically evacuated from Iraq for non-combat reasons."
More of that 'good news' the press isn't talking about.
Astroturfer Obliterated, text transcript available at Ars Technica
anyone else n-gaged?? - Powered by Infopop: "Hey guys, has anyone else pre-ordered their N-gage???
I cannot wait to get mine! phone, game console, and mp3 player all in one. The audio capabilites have me particularly excited, not only does it play mp3s but you can also record off off the radio and it has a midi sequencer.
here check it out if you haven't...
www.n-gage.com/preorder"
I cannot wait to get mine! phone, game console, and mp3 player all in one. The audio capabilites have me particularly excited, not only does it play mp3s but you can also record off off the radio and it has a midi sequencer.
here check it out if you haven't...
www.n-gage.com/preorder"
boycott-riaa.com - Article: Anti file sharing taught in public schools
boycott-riaa.com - Article: Anti file sharing taught in public schools: "By Ron Harris, Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — As part of its campaign to thwart online music and movie piracy, Hollywood is now reaching into school classrooms with a program that denounces file-sharing and offers prizes for students and teachers who spread the word about Internet theft.
The Motion Picture Association of America paid $100,000 to deliver its anti-piracy message to 900,000 students nationwide in grades 5-9 over the next two years, according to Junior Achievement Inc., which is implementing the program using volunteer teachers from the business sector.
Civil libertarians object that the movie industry is presenting a tainted version of a complex legal issue — while the country's largest teachers' lobby is concerned about the incentives the program offers. "
Somebody is thinking of the children.
SAN FRANCISCO — As part of its campaign to thwart online music and movie piracy, Hollywood is now reaching into school classrooms with a program that denounces file-sharing and offers prizes for students and teachers who spread the word about Internet theft.
The Motion Picture Association of America paid $100,000 to deliver its anti-piracy message to 900,000 students nationwide in grades 5-9 over the next two years, according to Junior Achievement Inc., which is implementing the program using volunteer teachers from the business sector.
Civil libertarians object that the movie industry is presenting a tainted version of a complex legal issue — while the country's largest teachers' lobby is concerned about the incentives the program offers. "
Somebody is thinking of the children.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Free hot spots pay dividends - Computerworld
Free hot spots pay dividends - Computerworld: "At first glance, it might not make sense for profit-making businesses to give away, rather than charge for, wireless Internet access. But a growing number of hotels and restaurants have found that it pays to offer free Wi-Fi Internet access. This perk attracts customers and provides a real bottom-line payback for a relatively small capital investment, according to free-Wi-Fi pioneers."
I've made this claim before, reading up on it.
I've made this claim before, reading up on it.
Economist.com | Prolonging life
Economist.com | Prolonging life: "ARE you hoping for a long life? Thought so. Are you looking forward to growing old? Thought not. Man has wanted one without the other for thousands of years, and has invariably been disappointed. Cleopatra is said to have bathed in asses’ milk to stay young and beautiful, but did not live long enough to find out if it worked in old age. The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was more famous for his search for the Fountain of Youth than for discovering Florida in 1513. "
Ramble on aging. Moderately interesting.
Ramble on aging. Moderately interesting.
Vermeer's Camera
Vermeer's Camera: "Vermeer's Camera
This painting, often referred to as 'The Music Lesson', was created by the great Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer in the 1660s. It shows an exquisitely painted interior scene, with a woman playing the virginals and a man listening. The woman has her back to us, although we can see a reflection of her face in the mirror on the wall. The man's role is unclear. He appears to be wearing an outdoor coat, and is carrying a stick. Has he just stepped inside from the street, to ask the woman a question, and now hangs on her answer? Is he a relation? Her teacher? Her lover? The answer to this little mystery we may never know. But this painting contains a quite extraordinary set of clues about a much bigger mystery, one which has only recently been deciphered. "
Interesting read on a cool little site.
This painting, often referred to as 'The Music Lesson', was created by the great Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer in the 1660s. It shows an exquisitely painted interior scene, with a woman playing the virginals and a man listening. The woman has her back to us, although we can see a reflection of her face in the mirror on the wall. The man's role is unclear. He appears to be wearing an outdoor coat, and is carrying a stick. Has he just stepped inside from the street, to ask the woman a question, and now hangs on her answer? Is he a relation? Her teacher? Her lover? The answer to this little mystery we may never know. But this painting contains a quite extraordinary set of clues about a much bigger mystery, one which has only recently been deciphered. "
Interesting read on a cool little site.
Excite News :: Senate Money Tree Grows New Branch
Excite News: "WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate voted itself a pay raise for the fifth straight year, boosting the annual salary to about $158,000 in 2004.
The House also agreed last month to accept an increase in the annual cost-of-living allowance, which gives all members of Congress a boost of about 2.2 percent in their take-home pay starting in January.
Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., who every year stands up against pay increases, said that with the economy still weak and many Americans finding it hard to make ends meet, it was 'the wrong time for Congress to give itself a pay hike.'
'This automatic stealth pay raise system is just wrong,' he added."
I second the notion.
The House also agreed last month to accept an increase in the annual cost-of-living allowance, which gives all members of Congress a boost of about 2.2 percent in their take-home pay starting in January.
Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., who every year stands up against pay increases, said that with the economy still weak and many Americans finding it hard to make ends meet, it was 'the wrong time for Congress to give itself a pay hike.'
'This automatic stealth pay raise system is just wrong,' he added."
I second the notion.
Office 2003 Editions: Compare Them to Previous Versions
Office 2003 Editions: Compare Them to Previous Versions: "See how upgrading to Office 2003 Editions can benefit you and your business. Compare the features and benefits of Office 2003 Editions with your version in the following areas:"
Nice work. Offa Fark.
Nice work. Offa Fark.
How the Poll Results on Iraq Were Manipulated
How the Poll Results on Iraq Were Manipulated: "It is disturbing that the AEI and the vice president could get it so wrong. Their misuse of the polling numbers to make the point that they wanted to make, resembles the way critics have noted that the administration used �intelligence data� to make their case to justify the war."
James Zogby (yes, the guy the placed is named for) blasts Cheney and the NeoCon Research Institute (AEI) for thier spin of an Iraqi poll by Zogby International.
All this data that pre-emption is a mistake, and they keep ignoring it, or trying to spin it back to 'reality', where aggression is really defense. And Ignorance is Strength.
James Zogby (yes, the guy the placed is named for) blasts Cheney and the NeoCon Research Institute (AEI) for thier spin of an Iraqi poll by Zogby International.
All this data that pre-emption is a mistake, and they keep ignoring it, or trying to spin it back to 'reality', where aggression is really defense. And Ignorance is Strength.
Amazon.com: Books / Search Inside the Book
Amazon.com: Books / Search Inside the Book: "A significant extension of our groundbreaking Look Inside the Book feature, Search Inside the Book allows you to search millions of pages to find exactly the book you want to buy. Now instead of just displaying books whose title, author, or publisher-provided keywords match your search terms, your search results will surface titles based on every word inside the book. Using Search Inside the Book is as simple as running an Amazon.com search."
This is great for finding just exactly what that phrase was, or if anyone has used it before...
This is great for finding just exactly what that phrase was, or if anyone has used it before...
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Nano-velcro binds faster than strongest glues: Super-strong adhesive planned with hooked carbon strands.
Nano-velcro binds faster than strongest glues: Super-strong adhesive planned with hooked carbon strands.: "Nano-velcro could hold objects together as tightly as a strong adhesive, say US researchers1.
The reusable material is carpeted with hook-ended carbon tubes, each just millionths of a millimetre across. It could fasten components in ultra-small robots, propose David Tománek and colleagues at Michigan State University in East Lansing."
nice pics even.
The reusable material is carpeted with hook-ended carbon tubes, each just millionths of a millimetre across. It could fasten components in ultra-small robots, propose David Tománek and colleagues at Michigan State University in East Lansing."
nice pics even.
Scoop: Inside A U.S. Election Vote Counting Program
Scoop: Inside A U.S. Election Vote Counting Program: "IMPORTANT NOTE: Publication of this story marks a watershed in American political history. It is offered freely for publication in full or part on any and all internet forums, blogs and noticeboards. All other media are also encouraged to utilise material. Readers are encouraged to forward this to friends and acquaintances in the United States and elsewhere."
O.k. this might be a repost, but that's the source material.
O.k. this might be a repost, but that's the source material.
Diebold Voting Machine Owner Committed To Give Votes To Bush in 2004
Diebold Voting Machine Owner Committed To Give Votes To Bush in 2004: "The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.
O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington."
More reading on this thing.
O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington."
More reading on this thing.
USATODAY.com - After grim Rumsfeld memo, White House supports him
USATODAY.com - After grim Rumsfeld memo, White House supports him: "WASHINGTON — The United States has no yardstick for measuring progress in the war on terrorism, has not 'yet made truly bold moves' in fighting al-Qaeda and other terror groups, and is in for a 'long, hard slog' in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a memo that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent to top-ranking Defense officials last week."
Hmm, here's the memo. Stirring the pot.
Hmm, here's the memo. Stirring the pot.
Bush: Democracy and Tolerance Best Antidote to Terror (washingtonpost.com)
Bush: Democracy and Tolerance Best Antidote to Terror (washingtonpost.com): "Two of the Islamic participants had said in advance that they planned to tell Bush that they strongly object to some of his policies, contending that they could not see a peaceful world based on his handlings of the Palestinians. Sources said the meeting was tense and that the clerics hit Bush with a barrage of criticism.
In a rare chat with reporters on Air Force One before he landed in Canberra, Bush said the leaders had brought prepared texts to the half hour meeting. He called it 'a good exchange' and said he was glad to do it.
'You listened,' national security adviser Condoleezza Rice interjected.
'Well, they did a lot of talking,' Bush replied.
'They had a lot to say,' she agreed.
In response to a question, Bush said that among the issues that were discussed were the recently publicized comments of Lt. Gen. Willam G. Boykin suggesting that the U.S. campaign against terrorism is part of a battle against a “spiritual enemy” named Satan. “Boykin came up,” the president said. “I said, he didn’t reflect my opinion. Look, it just doesn’t reflect what the government thinks. And I think they were pleased to hear that.’ On Bali, Bush held a joint press availability with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri under a canopy on the beach after two hours of meetings with her Cabinet and the religious leaders."
My bad, I thought invading countries that might possibly have ties to terror, ever worked with terrorists, or stand in the way of Pax Americana was the best antidote to terror. I'll have to start listening more to what Mr. Bush has to say, rather than what he does.
In a rare chat with reporters on Air Force One before he landed in Canberra, Bush said the leaders had brought prepared texts to the half hour meeting. He called it 'a good exchange' and said he was glad to do it.
'You listened,' national security adviser Condoleezza Rice interjected.
'Well, they did a lot of talking,' Bush replied.
'They had a lot to say,' she agreed.
In response to a question, Bush said that among the issues that were discussed were the recently publicized comments of Lt. Gen. Willam G. Boykin suggesting that the U.S. campaign against terrorism is part of a battle against a “spiritual enemy” named Satan. “Boykin came up,” the president said. “I said, he didn’t reflect my opinion. Look, it just doesn’t reflect what the government thinks. And I think they were pleased to hear that.’ On Bali, Bush held a joint press availability with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri under a canopy on the beach after two hours of meetings with her Cabinet and the religious leaders."
My bad, I thought invading countries that might possibly have ties to terror, ever worked with terrorists, or stand in the way of Pax Americana was the best antidote to terror. I'll have to start listening more to what Mr. Bush has to say, rather than what he does.
Scoop: Inside A U.S. Election Vote Counting Program
Scoop: Inside A U.S. Election Vote Counting Program: "According to election industry officials, electronic voting systems are absolutely secure, because they are protected by passwords and tamperproof audit logs. But the passwords can easily be bypassed, and in fact the audit logs can be altered. Worse, the votes can be changed without anyone knowing, even the County Election Supervisor who runs the election system.
The computer programs that tell electronic voting machines how to record and tally votes are allowed to be held as 'trade secrets.' Can citizen's groups examine them? No. The companies that make these machines insist that their mechanisms are a proprietary secret. Can citizen's groups, or even election officials, audit their accuracy? Not at all, with touch screens, and rarely, with optical scans, because most state laws mandate that optical scan paper ballots be run through the machine and then sealed into a box, never to be counted unless there is a court order. Even in recounts, the ballots are just run through the machine again. Nowadays, all we look at is the machine tally. "
Been reading on this for a bit. Crazy stuff. Paper ballots, got to be the way to go.
The computer programs that tell electronic voting machines how to record and tally votes are allowed to be held as 'trade secrets.' Can citizen's groups examine them? No. The companies that make these machines insist that their mechanisms are a proprietary secret. Can citizen's groups, or even election officials, audit their accuracy? Not at all, with touch screens, and rarely, with optical scans, because most state laws mandate that optical scan paper ballots be run through the machine and then sealed into a box, never to be counted unless there is a court order. Even in recounts, the ballots are just run through the machine again. Nowadays, all we look at is the machine tally. "
Been reading on this for a bit. Crazy stuff. Paper ballots, got to be the way to go.
The Scotsman - Top Stories - Whisky of Mass Destruction - how the US spied on a tiny island distillery
The Scotsman - Top Stories - Whisky of Mass Destruction - how the US spied on a tiny island distillery: "'We all know about this day and age, when you can go to chemical-processing plants and somebody with another intent can take that equipment and create something that is not intended to be there.
'The United States is part of the Chemical Weapons Convention. That includes monitoring and visiting commercial facilities where they would be able to make chemical weapons.'
Mr Reynier added: 'We produce 16,000 cases a year, a weapon of mass drunkenness.'"
Dual use liquor.
'The United States is part of the Chemical Weapons Convention. That includes monitoring and visiting commercial facilities where they would be able to make chemical weapons.'
Mr Reynier added: 'We produce 16,000 cases a year, a weapon of mass drunkenness.'"
Dual use liquor.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
And He’s Head of Intelligence?
And He’s Head of Intelligence?: "Oct. 27 issue — President Bush’s commission on public diplomacy recently noted that in nine Muslim and Arab nations only 12 percent of respondents surveyed believed that “Americans respect Arab/Islamic values.” Such attitudes, the commission argued, create a toxic atmosphere of anti-Americanism that cripples U.S. foreign policy and helps terrorists. To address the problem the commission suggested amajor reorganization of the American government, hundreds of millions of dollars of funding and the creation of a new cabinet position. I have a simpler, more urgent suggestion: fire William Boykin."
I second the motion. This guy has been shooting off his mouth for far too long. If he gets more press, this is going to be called a religious war by frickin' historians.
I second the motion. This guy has been shooting off his mouth for far too long. If he gets more press, this is going to be called a religious war by frickin' historians.
Internet Trafficking in Narcotics Has Surged (washingtonpost.com)
Internet Trafficking in Narcotics Has Surged (washingtonpost.com): "'For any single pharmacy to account for 10 percent of any drug is incredible,' said Louis Ling, general counsel to the Nevada pharmacy board. 'The fact that it was a highly addictive painkiller and an Internet site run by a convicted felon was even more troubling. This was unlike anything we had ever seen.'"
Ding, ding, ding. Alarm bells. Internet changes society, film at 11. Film?!
Ding, ding, ding. Alarm bells. Internet changes society, film at 11. Film?!
A Grim Arab Survey of Rights and Education
A Grim Arab Survey of Rights and Education: "[A]MMAN, Jordan, Oct. 20 (AP) — Arab experts issued a report on Monday that finds the Arab world lacking in three areas they deem fundamental to development: freedom of expression, access to knowledge and empowerment of women.
The group, which was criticized by Arab officials for a similar report last year, said the challenges caused by the deficiencies 'may have become even graver.' "
Yep, keep half your population out of your economy and see what happens.
Ahh, read the rest of the article and it becomes clear. Arabs don't have enough Internet.
[cypherphreak\cypherphreak]
The group, which was criticized by Arab officials for a similar report last year, said the challenges caused by the deficiencies 'may have become even graver.' "
Yep, keep half your population out of your economy and see what happens.
Ahh, read the rest of the article and it becomes clear. Arabs don't have enough Internet.
The report noted that the Arab region had 18 computers for each 1,000 people, compared with the global average of 78. Fewer than 2 percent of Arabs have Internet access, compared with 79 percent of Americans.
[cypherphreak\cypherphreak]
Monday, October 20, 2003
technician online | Student fools international newspapers with spoof story
technician online | Student fools international newspapers with spoof story: "'It really showed me how ugly money can be and how easy it is for big corporations to throw their weight around. It really disenchanted me because I didn't really have any visions of how this works. I did think they would be able to take a joke, and I was really surprised that they would go so far as to sue the school if I didn't take it down. It put CNN in a bad light in my book because I didn't think they would be as concerned about someone making a parody of a news story,' Williamson said.
And for anyone that might be confused about the validity of the article, Williamson maintains his own naivete. 'I have no proof whatsoever that the two [fellatio and breast cancer] have anything to do with each other.' "
Hehe, interview with the kid who wrote 'The Greatest News Story Ever!".
And for anyone that might be confused about the validity of the article, Williamson maintains his own naivete. 'I have no proof whatsoever that the two [fellatio and breast cancer] have anything to do with each other.' "
Hehe, interview with the kid who wrote 'The Greatest News Story Ever!".
The Register:: Water Makes Electricity
The Register: "Canadian scientists have discovered how to generate electricity - by nothing more than pushing water through a fine glass tube.
As water passes through the tube, tiny amounts of glass - itself a supercooled liquid - 'dissolve' into the water. That gives the surface of the tube a positive charge, which attracts negative ions in the water. The flow of the water carries the positive ions onward, resulting in a net difference in charge between the two ends of the tube. That difference amounts to a voltage of around 10V. "
Between the water and the insects, we should have a pretty stable power source for small devices in the next decade or so.
As water passes through the tube, tiny amounts of glass - itself a supercooled liquid - 'dissolve' into the water. That gives the surface of the tube a positive charge, which attracts negative ions in the water. The flow of the water carries the positive ions onward, resulting in a net difference in charge between the two ends of the tube. That difference amounts to a voltage of around 10V. "
Between the water and the insects, we should have a pretty stable power source for small devices in the next decade or so.
VOANews.com
VOANews.com: "U.S. intelligence analysts have determined that a new tape said to be from Osama bin Laden is probably authentic, and appears to have been recorded in the last six months.
Officials from the Central Intelligence Agency said technical analysts had matched the voice on the tape, played Saturday by Arabic television, with earlier recordings known to be from the terrorist leader.
The CIA concluded that the voice on the recent tape is likely that of Osama bin Laden, and references to recent events indicate it was recorded within the last six months."
It's his greatest hits album.
Officials from the Central Intelligence Agency said technical analysts had matched the voice on the tape, played Saturday by Arabic television, with earlier recordings known to be from the terrorist leader.
The CIA concluded that the voice on the recent tape is likely that of Osama bin Laden, and references to recent events indicate it was recorded within the last six months."
It's his greatest hits album.
Aaron's MAME'd Millipede Site
Aaron's MAME'd Millipede Site
And here I was all excited about added 10 games to my page. Some day I will have one of these and it will play everything from pong to Vice City.
And here I was all excited about added 10 games to my page. Some day I will have one of these and it will play everything from pong to Vice City.
Saturday, October 18, 2003
MEMRI: Latest News:: Al Queda to Iraq Link :: Read
MEMRI: Latest News
Al quiedao to Iraq linko. Strange language. Looks like there are a few leads still living to follow up. If I was in Iraq, this is the story I would be tracking down.
Al quiedao to Iraq linko. Strange language. Looks like there are a few leads still living to follow up. If I was in Iraq, this is the story I would be tracking down.
FT.com / World / US ::UN Iraq Resolution
FT.com / World / US: "The less than fanatical follower of United Nations Security Council machinations would be forgiven for wondering what this week's unanimous vote on Iraq really meant - and most analysts at the UN are not too certain either.
No sooner had Russia, France, China, Germany and Pakistan raised their hands in support, eliciting whoops of diplomatic triumph by the coalition, than they said they did not like the text and that they would contribute no extra troops or money.
One United Nations diplomat called it a 'prime UN Security Council product: a text on which everyone agrees, but no one agrees what it means'."
That's why a bunch of poeple hate the U.N. Personally, it just seems like a statement that the status quo is perfectly all right with everyone.
No sooner had Russia, France, China, Germany and Pakistan raised their hands in support, eliciting whoops of diplomatic triumph by the coalition, than they said they did not like the text and that they would contribute no extra troops or money.
One United Nations diplomat called it a 'prime UN Security Council product: a text on which everyone agrees, but no one agrees what it means'."
That's why a bunch of poeple hate the U.N. Personally, it just seems like a statement that the status quo is perfectly all right with everyone.
Friday, October 17, 2003
The Salt Lake Tribune -- SCO gets infusion of $50M
The Salt Lake Tribune -- SCO gets infusion of $50M: "Utah's SCO Group got a huge vote of confidence Thursday in the form of a $50 million investment from BayStar Capital, a technology and life sciences venture capital firm.
Crafted as a private placement, the net proceeds of the deal will leave Lindon-based SCO with about $61 million in cash. The company said the money will go to develop future Unix and Web services software, attract new strategic partners and protect SCO's intellectual property rights. "
This is one of those articles that is pretty much crap. This SCO/Linux thing has been going on for a while, and every time SCO mentions a bit of code (or even doesn't mention it) it gets removed, or people notice that it wasn't needed anyway.
But to think, much less say, that this investment isn't a 'bet on litigation' is a bald-faced lie. SCO has no market, no product, and no future, outside of the lawsuit.
Crafted as a private placement, the net proceeds of the deal will leave Lindon-based SCO with about $61 million in cash. The company said the money will go to develop future Unix and Web services software, attract new strategic partners and protect SCO's intellectual property rights. "
This is one of those articles that is pretty much crap. This SCO/Linux thing has been going on for a while, and every time SCO mentions a bit of code (or even doesn't mention it) it gets removed, or people notice that it wasn't needed anyway.
But to think, much less say, that this investment isn't a 'bet on litigation' is a bald-faced lie. SCO has no market, no product, and no future, outside of the lawsuit.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Kids Play
Kids Play: "Your average gamer these days is in his late 20s—young enough to still find new ways to destroy brain cells, old enough to worry about bills and 401ks, and wise enough to reminisce about the good ol' days of videogames. But was the age of Pong, Atari, Mattel handheld football, and Donkey Kong really all that great, or are we just blinded by fuzzy, warm nostalgia?
That's the question we asked—and answered—back in the November issue of EGM, in which we rounded up nine children of the PlayStation generation—ages 9 to 12—and forced them to play a variety of titles from the late'70s to the mid-'80s. "
I love children, especially when their vocabularies really start to expand.
That's the question we asked—and answered—back in the November issue of EGM, in which we rounded up nine children of the PlayStation generation—ages 9 to 12—and forced them to play a variety of titles from the late'70s to the mid-'80s. "
I love children, especially when their vocabularies really start to expand.
Knowledge@Wharton - Advice for the RIAA
Knowledge@Wharton -: "The recording industry has a pricing problem. People do not want to pay $15-20 for a compact disc when they can download the same music for free over the Internet. The industry�s solution appears as novel as the technology that is giving it such headaches: launch hundreds of lawsuits against otherwise law-abiding consumers who download music. But, as Wharton legal studies professor G. Richard Shell writes below, this same tactic was tried 100 years ago against Henry Ford. It didn�t work then, and it won�t work today. Shell is author of a forthcoming book on legal and business strategy."
Hey look, free and obvious advice for the RIAA. Smiply put: Stop suing your customers and work on your business (and no, your business is not to just sit on old copyrights and collect money).
Hey look, free and obvious advice for the RIAA. Smiply put: Stop suing your customers and work on your business (and no, your business is not to just sit on old copyrights and collect money).
RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes
RIAA Sequentially Repeating Edison's Mistakes: "There is something that I find incredibly mystifying about the entire chain of events from Napster to the present. This entire scenario has played out before.
Which makes it all the more curious why the RIAA is following it step by step. In today's news, we learn that the RIAA has now advanced to using strongarm, mob-style tactics by conducting warrantless search-and-seize missions against independent music stores who dare to sell music that the RIAA doesn't own."
Good rundown on a bit of history and the death throes of an industry.
Which makes it all the more curious why the RIAA is following it step by step. In today's news, we learn that the RIAA has now advanced to using strongarm, mob-style tactics by conducting warrantless search-and-seize missions against independent music stores who dare to sell music that the RIAA doesn't own."
Good rundown on a bit of history and the death throes of an industry.
Asia Times -Faux News
Asia Times -: "WASHINGTON - The more commercial television news you watch, the more wrong you are likely to be about key elements of the Iraq War and its aftermath, according to a major new study released in Washington on Thursday.
And the more you watch the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News channel, in particular, the more likely it is that your perceptions about the war are wrong, adds the report by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA). "
Hopefully longer analysis of this on the other site. I asked for this kind of research a while back, I can't believe somebody did it for me.
I am not, however, surprised about the results (i.e. Republicans watching Fox "News" were infinitely more likely to think Iraq = Al Queda, we found WMD in Iraq, and the rest of the world thought invading Iraq was a good idea, than did NPR-watching Democrats).
And the more you watch the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News channel, in particular, the more likely it is that your perceptions about the war are wrong, adds the report by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA). "
Hopefully longer analysis of this on the other site. I asked for this kind of research a while back, I can't believe somebody did it for me.
I am not, however, surprised about the results (i.e. Republicans watching Fox "News" were infinitely more likely to think Iraq = Al Queda, we found WMD in Iraq, and the rest of the world thought invading Iraq was a good idea, than did NPR-watching Democrats).
BBC NEWS | Business | Universal Music slashes jobs
BBC NEWS | Business | Universal Music slashes jobs: "Universal Music, the world's largest record company, is to slash 1,350 jobs - or 11% of its workforce - in order to cope with a protracted slump in sales.
Global music sales have been in decline for more than three years, with the industry laying the blame on illegal song swapping over the internet and home CD burning."
One word. Boycott. Mine is now official.
Global music sales have been in decline for more than three years, with the industry laying the blame on illegal song swapping over the internet and home CD burning."
One word. Boycott. Mine is now official.
Asia Times - Hidden Injuries
Asia Times -: "Casualties are first triaged 'in country' and then sent to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany. The LRMC processes every patient from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the military campaign in Afghanistan. It is the largest military medical center outside the United States, and remains at its 322-bed capacity, nearly twice the number of pre-war beds. As of September 16, Landstuhl had treated approximately 6,000 service members from Operation Iraqi Freedom. "
This is another look as the 'missing' wounded from the war.
This is another look as the 'missing' wounded from the war.
The Village Voice: Music: The Sound of the Industry: A Void Named Sued by Douglas Wolk
The Village Voice: Music: The Sound of the Industry: A Void Named Sued by Douglas Wolk: "Want to avoid getting sued by the Recording Industry Association of America? Here are some tips that may keep you safer (obviously, we can't guarantee anything):"
Horrible advice. Seriously. Advising people to become 'leeches' is simply irresponsible.
Horrible advice. Seriously. Advising people to become 'leeches' is simply irresponsible.
NanoKids made in lab: Man-shaped molecules help students learn chemistry.
NanoKids made in lab: Man-shaped molecules help students learn chemistry.: "A team of Texans has created molecules in their own image1. The tiny army of human lookalikes is helping Houston kids to learn about chemistry.
The researchers call their molecules the NanoKids. Their bodies are made from carbon and hydrogen, and their eyes are oxygen atoms. Each stands just 2 nanometres tall, a billion times shorter than the average man."
Aaaw, kids today get all the nanites.
The researchers call their molecules the NanoKids. Their bodies are made from carbon and hydrogen, and their eyes are oxygen atoms. Each stands just 2 nanometres tall, a billion times shorter than the average man."
Aaaw, kids today get all the nanites.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
The Village Voice: Features: The Widening Crusade by Sydney H. Schanberg
The Village Voice: Features: The Widening Crusade by Sydney H. Schanberg: "f some wishful Americans are still hoping President Bush will acknowledge that his imperial foreign policy has stumbled in Iraq and needs fixing or reining in, they should put aside those reveries. He's going all the way—and taking us with him.
The Israeli bombing raid on Syria October 5 was an expansion of the Bush policy, carried out by the Sharon government but with the implicit approval of Washington. The government in Iran, said to be seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, reportedly expects to be the next target. "
Someone else discovered the PNAC web site.
The Israeli bombing raid on Syria October 5 was an expansion of the Bush policy, carried out by the Sharon government but with the implicit approval of Washington. The government in Iran, said to be seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, reportedly expects to be the next target. "
Someone else discovered the PNAC web site.
Salon.com Technology | "Americans are not going broke over lattes!"
Salon.com Technology | "Americans are not going broke over lattes!": "Oct. 13, 2003 | Repossessed BMWs. Foreclosed McMansions. Pawned Rolexes.
Such is the stuff of personal bankruptcy when a go-go lifestyle built on consumer excess runs up against financial reality.
Or is it? Could it be that those tarnished icons of dead-end decadence are just as much an overhyped myth as the hordes of teenage day-traders back in 1999 who supposedly beat Wall Street's best brokers without ever leaving the comfort of their bedrooms?
The biggest predictor that a person will end up bankrupt turns out not to be a bad Prada habit or a taste for sub-zero refrigerators. It's having children, according to the mother-and-daughter authors of 'The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers are Going Broke.' "
Straight look at why more people have filed bankruptcy in this country than every in its history. A number of factors contribute to the growing practice, and there doesn't seem to be a main culprit, only a number of other factors.
Such is the stuff of personal bankruptcy when a go-go lifestyle built on consumer excess runs up against financial reality.
Or is it? Could it be that those tarnished icons of dead-end decadence are just as much an overhyped myth as the hordes of teenage day-traders back in 1999 who supposedly beat Wall Street's best brokers without ever leaving the comfort of their bedrooms?
The biggest predictor that a person will end up bankrupt turns out not to be a bad Prada habit or a taste for sub-zero refrigerators. It's having children, according to the mother-and-daughter authors of 'The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers are Going Broke.' "
Straight look at why more people have filed bankruptcy in this country than every in its history. A number of factors contribute to the growing practice, and there doesn't seem to be a main culprit, only a number of other factors.
USATODAY.com - U.S. vetoes resolution condemning Israeli security wall
USATODAY.com - U.S. vetoes resolution condemning Israeli security wall: "UNITED NATIONS (AP) — After a U.S. veto in the Security Council, the Palestinians promised to seek a U.N. General Assembly vote on a resolution condemning Israel for building a massive security fence that critics say essentially freezes the Mideast peace process.
The United States was the lone vote against the resolution on the 15-member Security Council Tuesday, though four nations abstained. The vote came after a daylong open debate in which most of the 40 nations that spoke condemned Israel for building the barrier, which cuts into the West Bank, as a grab for land."
Yes, just what I loove to see. The U.S. endorsing a large dividing wall that takes land from the 'natives'.
The United States was the lone vote against the resolution on the 15-member Security Council Tuesday, though four nations abstained. The vote came after a daylong open debate in which most of the 40 nations that spoke condemned Israel for building the barrier, which cuts into the West Bank, as a grab for land."
Yes, just what I loove to see. The U.S. endorsing a large dividing wall that takes land from the 'natives'.
China Launches Its First Piloted Spaceflight
China Launches Its First Piloted Spaceflight: "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- China reached a milestone in human history Tuesday with the launch of its first piloted spaceflight into Earth orbit.
Blasting off from a remote space base in the Gobi Desert atop a Long March 2F rocket, a single Chinese astronaut named Yang Liwei is circling the planet every 90 minutes aboard the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, according to the official Xinhua News Agency."
Welcome to the club.
Blasting off from a remote space base in the Gobi Desert atop a Long March 2F rocket, a single Chinese astronaut named Yang Liwei is circling the planet every 90 minutes aboard the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, according to the official Xinhua News Agency."
Welcome to the club.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Welcome to the Mercury News on Bayarea.com
Welcome to the Mercury News on Bayarea.com: "RIALTO, Calif. (AP) - Rodney King, the black motorist whose beating by Los Angeles police was videotaped a dozen years ago, was arrested for allegedly punching his girlfriend, authorities said today.
King, 38, was booked for investigation of domestic violence on Saturday then released Monday on $50,000 bail, a records clerk at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga said today."
Angel dust is scary shite.
King, 38, was booked for investigation of domestic violence on Saturday then released Monday on $50,000 bail, a records clerk at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga said today."
Angel dust is scary shite.
Beat the BBC to it
World's First Digital Archive
Beat the BBC at their own game. Now just put the whole thing on a P2P farm, and we'll be in business.
Beat the BBC at their own game. Now just put the whole thing on a P2P farm, and we'll be in business.
CNN.com - Firm drops suit against grad's CD hack - Oct. 13, 2003
CNN.com - Firm drops suit against grad's CD hack - Oct. 13, 2003: "LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- A software company, citing academic freedom, has backed away from a threat to sue a Princeton student who published details on how to thwart its CD copy-protection technology."
Good idea, jackholes.
Good idea, jackholes.
Monday, October 13, 2003
GeorgeWBush.com :: Official Blog
GeorgeWBush.com :: Official Blog
Longer review coming later. Should be interesting once the Dems get down to one candidate. They will be war-blogging the whole campaign. This is going to be a blast.
Longer review coming later. Should be interesting once the Dems get down to one candidate. They will be war-blogging the whole campaign. This is going to be a blast.
Many soldiers, same letter / Front Page -The Olympian
Many soldiers, same letter / Front Page -The Olympian: "WASHINGTON -- Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public opinion on the mission sours.
And all the letters are the same."
The 'media' is taking President Bush's orders pretty seriously.
And all the letters are the same."
The 'media' is taking President Bush's orders pretty seriously.
Sunday, October 12, 2003
Twins Joined At Top of Head Are Separated (washingtonpost.com)
Twins Joined At Top of Head Are Separated (washingtonpost.com): "AUSTIN, Oct. 12 -- A team of doctors Sunday separated 2-year-old Egyptian twin boys joined at the top of their heads, meticulously dividing and rerouting a thicket of shared blood vessels between their brains and clearing one major hurdle after 26 hours of surgery and a year of intensive preparation. "
Wow, I didn't think they would be able to pull this one off. Amazing.
Wow, I didn't think they would be able to pull this one off. Amazing.
EContentMag.com :: Science Journals go Open
EContentMag.com: "Research scientists live for just one thing—research. Their L word is laboratory not library. Secondary research, looking for articles in their area of specialization, takes a back seat to the thrill of primary research. Yet, every scientist knows that publishing is intrinsic to the research process. Not only do they want to publish their research findings, they also want to ensure that their research is unique and significant. It's the latter that involves library research. Whether said library is a physical entity or electronic—or, in many cases, a blending of the two—the challenge facing scientists is being able to read the full text of relevant articles without spending their entire research budget in the process."
Interesting moves in publishing. Science is moving towards a less commerciall, less restrictvie, model.
Interesting moves in publishing. Science is moving towards a less commerciall, less restrictvie, model.
Friday, October 10, 2003
Lance Bass Returns to Houston to Launch World Space Week
Lance Bass Returns to Houston to Launch World Space Week: "Houston - Sep 25, 2003
One year after completing his spaceflight training here, entertainer, certified cosmonaut and World Space Week 2003 Youth Spokesperson Lance Bass will return to Houston with a new, yet equally challenging mission: to convince young people that space, math and science are 'cool.'"
Well, this would explain why he was at my hotel last night.
One year after completing his spaceflight training here, entertainer, certified cosmonaut and World Space Week 2003 Youth Spokesperson Lance Bass will return to Houston with a new, yet equally challenging mission: to convince young people that space, math and science are 'cool.'"
Well, this would explain why he was at my hotel last night.
Iranian Nobel peace winner "shocked" by prize
Iranian Nobel peace winner "shocked" by prize: "PARIS (AFP) Oct 10, 2003
The Iranian jurist and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi said Friday she was 'shocked' at winning the Nobel peace prize, and said it was for all Iranians who fought for democracy.
'I'm shocked. There won't be many changes in my own life, but it will be important for my work for human rights and for citizens in Iran,' she told AFP by telephone from her Paris home."
Good news for democracy in Iran. A nice $1.3M infustion of capital couldn't hurt.
The Iranian jurist and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi said Friday she was 'shocked' at winning the Nobel peace prize, and said it was for all Iranians who fought for democracy.
'I'm shocked. There won't be many changes in my own life, but it will be important for my work for human rights and for citizens in Iran,' she told AFP by telephone from her Paris home."
Good news for democracy in Iran. A nice $1.3M infustion of capital couldn't hurt.
Thursday, October 09, 2003
Analysis of the MediaMax CD3 Copy-Prevention System
Analysis of the MediaMax CD3 Copy-Prevention System: "MediaMax CD3 is a new copy-prevention technique from SunnComm Technologies that is designed to prevent unauthorized copying of audio CDs using personal computers. SunnComm claims its product facilitates 'a verifiable and commendable level of security,' but in tests on a newly-released album, I find that the protections may have no effect on a large fraction of deployed PCs, and that most users who would be affected can bypass the system entirely by holding the shift key every time they insert the CD. I explain that MediaMax interferes with audio copying by installing a device driver the first time software from the CD is executed, but I show that this provides only minimal protection because the driver can easily be disabled."
How to break the law...with knowledge.
How to break the law...with knowledge.
Why a broken heart hurts so much
Why a broken heart hurts so much: "WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 � A rejected lover�s broken heart may cause as much distress in a pain center of the brain as an actual physical injury, according to new research."
I've actually felt this before. No, of course it's not pleasant.
I've actually felt this before. No, of course it's not pleasant.
The Register
The Register: "SunnComm has threatened Princeton PhD student Alex Halderman with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for exposing a key weakness in the company's latest CD copy protection technology, MediaMax CD3."
O.k. See? See? See now why I railed against the DMCA for years?
It's crap, crap I tell you.
O.k. See? See? See now why I railed against the DMCA for years?
It's crap, crap I tell you.
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "LONDON (Reuters) - A top U.S. official has predicted that Iran will show some cooperation to prevent a showdown over an October 31 deadline but not enough to dispel international suspicion of its nuclear ambitions.
In a tough resolution last month, the U.N. nuclear watchdog gave Iran until the end of October to answer doubts about its atomic ambitions, demanding rigorous inspections of suspect sites. Washington is urging strong U.N. measures against Tehran, which it suspects of secretly developing nuclear weapons."
Woohoo, I should have a fun birthday this year.
In a tough resolution last month, the U.N. nuclear watchdog gave Iran until the end of October to answer doubts about its atomic ambitions, demanding rigorous inspections of suspect sites. Washington is urging strong U.N. measures against Tehran, which it suspects of secretly developing nuclear weapons."
Woohoo, I should have a fun birthday this year.
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - The name is the same. The game is a little different.
Napster, the file-swapping service that set music fans on their ears and sent the music industry into apoplectic fits, is resurrecting itself as a pay service two years after its free service collapsed under the weight of lawsuits."
Prediction: It will suck as bad as BuyMusic.
Napster, the file-swapping service that set music fans on their ears and sent the music industry into apoplectic fits, is resurrecting itself as a pay service two years after its free service collapsed under the weight of lawsuits."
Prediction: It will suck as bad as BuyMusic.
USATODAY.com - Return of power brightens Iraqis
USATODAY.com - Return of power brightens Iraqis: "BAGHDAD — For the first time since Baghdad fell April 9, the capital city and most of the country have enjoyed four straight days without a significant outage.
Coalition officials are optimistic they can keep the lights on because sabotage and looting has dropped and electricity output is near prewar levels. Cooling temperatures have also helped.
'The power situation has not been this good since before the Kuwait war,' says security guard Majid Abdul Reza, 27. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990."
I dunno, it seems to me that the media reports good news when there is some.
Coalition officials are optimistic they can keep the lights on because sabotage and looting has dropped and electricity output is near prewar levels. Cooling temperatures have also helped.
'The power situation has not been this good since before the Kuwait war,' says security guard Majid Abdul Reza, 27. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990."
I dunno, it seems to me that the media reports good news when there is some.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Everywhere and nowhere, Saddam retains his grip on Baghdad's imagination
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Everywhere and nowhere, Saddam retains his grip on Baghdad's imagination: "Not many days go by in Baghdad without a claimed sighting of Saddam Hussein, recklessly turning up in close proximity to the American forces, or rallying the faithful in his old haunts, depending on who is spinning the story.
The multiplicity of sightings is all the more strange given that there was very little chance of ever seeing Saddam in the flesh while he was in power. In the run-up to the war I don't recall ever meeting anyone who could claim to have met the Iraqi leader. "
Critical looks at the forces being applied (and the people applying them) to attempt to restore order in Iraq.
The multiplicity of sightings is all the more strange given that there was very little chance of ever seeing Saddam in the flesh while he was in power. In the run-up to the war I don't recall ever meeting anyone who could claim to have met the Iraqi leader. "
Critical looks at the forces being applied (and the people applying them) to attempt to restore order in Iraq.
RedNova News: Sleep May Help Restore Memories
RedNova News: Sleep May Help Restore Memories: "Associated Press -- In a finding that backs up motherly advice to get a good night's sleep, scientists have found that peaceful slumber apparently restores memories that were lost during a hectic day.
It's not just a matter of physical recharge. Researchers say sleep can rescue memories in a biological process of storing and consolidating them deep in the brain's complex circuitry"
Sleep: Nature's Defragging.
It's not just a matter of physical recharge. Researchers say sleep can rescue memories in a biological process of storing and consolidating them deep in the brain's complex circuitry"
Sleep: Nature's Defragging.
Tat Stats
NCBuy: Weird and Offbeat News Stories: "ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- Many Americans have something in common with Mr. Roarke from 'Fantasy Island' -- a tattoo.
According to a tattoo survey by Harris Interactive, nearly 30 percent of adults between 25 and 39 have tats, compared to 16 percent of the general population.
That's not all. About 31 percent of gays and lesbians have tattoos, compared to only 14 percent of Republicans."
Yes, I've got some ink.
According to a tattoo survey by Harris Interactive, nearly 30 percent of adults between 25 and 39 have tats, compared to 16 percent of the general population.
That's not all. About 31 percent of gays and lesbians have tattoos, compared to only 14 percent of Republicans."
Yes, I've got some ink.
ABCNEWS.com : The Arnold They Knew Back in Austria
ABCNEWS.com : The Arnold They Knew Back in Austria: "'Since he decided to run for governor, we've had visitors from all over the world coming to see these things,' says gym manager Hans Neumayer. 'People here in Graz are very proud of him.'"
Hometown boy makes good. And he's not a Nazi.
Hometown boy makes good. And he's not a Nazi.
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, in a new push to defend the war on Iraq in face of mounting doubts, says he acted to protect Americans from 'madman' Saddam Hussein.
'I acted because I was not about to leave the security of the American people in the hands of a madman. I was not about to stand by and wait and trust in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein,' Bush said in speech on Thursday in New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary next year.
'Who could possible think that the world would be better off with Saddam Hussein still in power?' he asked, laying down a rhetorical challenge to critics of his conduct of the war."
And 300+ American soldiers still alive with their families, 7000+ innocent Iraqis alive and resisting Hussein, untold thousands of Iraqi conscripts who couldn't give up fast enough given more time to do so, 100+ U.N. Volunteers still working to alleviate suffering. And Saddam Hussein still in power, as we work on a better way to remove him (or try and find more than 1 ally).
It's a tough rhetorical, I'll grant you that, but it's not a blank check justification. After those numbers keep mounting AND WE STILL HAVEN"T GOT HUSSEIN, the rhetorical looks just as empty as the 'Mission Accomplished'.
Here's one back for you, Mr. Bush. Can you think of any better way to spend $150,000,000,000 of our money than on a personal vendetta?
'I acted because I was not about to leave the security of the American people in the hands of a madman. I was not about to stand by and wait and trust in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein,' Bush said in speech on Thursday in New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary next year.
'Who could possible think that the world would be better off with Saddam Hussein still in power?' he asked, laying down a rhetorical challenge to critics of his conduct of the war."
And 300+ American soldiers still alive with their families, 7000+ innocent Iraqis alive and resisting Hussein, untold thousands of Iraqi conscripts who couldn't give up fast enough given more time to do so, 100+ U.N. Volunteers still working to alleviate suffering. And Saddam Hussein still in power, as we work on a better way to remove him (or try and find more than 1 ally).
It's a tough rhetorical, I'll grant you that, but it's not a blank check justification. After those numbers keep mounting AND WE STILL HAVEN"T GOT HUSSEIN, the rhetorical looks just as empty as the 'Mission Accomplished'.
Here's one back for you, Mr. Bush. Can you think of any better way to spend $150,000,000,000 of our money than on a personal vendetta?
Forbes.com: Arnold Wants A Baghdad Deal For Calif.
Forbes.com: Arnold Wants A Baghdad Deal For Calif.: "NEW YORK - Sometimes when young struggling nations emerge as democracies, the United States feels inclined to throw them a little aid. Iraq is one example. California might be the next if Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger has his way."
Curious. Ahnold will try and sell Cali to the Repubs. Who'da thunk it?
Curious. Ahnold will try and sell Cali to the Repubs. Who'da thunk it?
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
ESPN.com - NFL - Jumping to conclusion? NFL upholds penalty
ESPN.com - NFL - Jumping to conclusion? NFL upholds penalty: "'Clearly running forward and leaping in an obvious attempt to block a field goal, or try-kick after touchdown and landing on players, unless the leaping player was originally lined up within one yard of the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped.'"
Yea, well, still a horrible call and a great game.
Yea, well, still a horrible call and a great game.
Boring Blog Reading
Boring Blog Reading.
Also some media race stuff, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm looking at you Mr. Limbaugh.
Also some media race stuff, if you're into that sort of thing. I'm looking at you Mr. Limbaugh.
New Scientist :: Computer Predicts Hurricanes Exist
New Scientist: "Virtual hurricanes have appeared in computer models of the Earth's climate for the first time. The swirling storms are visible in the first results from the Earth Simulator in Yokohama, Japan - the world's fastest supercomputer."
Curious stuff. Another good argument for the computational nature of the Universe viewpoint.
Curious stuff. Another good argument for the computational nature of the Universe viewpoint.
Prairie Dog Be Gone! - Video Images
Prairie Dog Be Gone! - Video Images
Not a happy web site. Whenever I see things like this, I always think of the move 'The Game' with Michael Douglas. In this movie he has to fill out various personality profiles. One of these profiles includes the question (with agree/disagree answers) of 'I enjoy hurting small animals for pleasure.'
Also, it should be noted. Prairie dogs are varmints and reproduce like rabbits.
Not a happy web site. Whenever I see things like this, I always think of the move 'The Game' with Michael Douglas. In this movie he has to fill out various personality profiles. One of these profiles includes the question (with agree/disagree answers) of 'I enjoy hurting small animals for pleasure.'
Also, it should be noted. Prairie dogs are varmints and reproduce like rabbits.
CNN.com - CD copy protection trumped by Shift key - Oct. 8, 2003
CNN.com - CD copy protection trumped by Shift key - Oct. 8, 2003: "LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- A Princeton graduate student said Monday that he has figured out a way to defeat new software intended to keep music CDs from being copied on a computer -- simply by pressing the Shift-key."
Even more money wasted on a foolish proposition.
Even more money wasted on a foolish proposition.
VOANews.com
VOANews.com: "Members of Iraq's Governing Council have told U.S. administrator Paul Bremer they do not want troops from Turkey or other neighboring countries to join the coalition in Iraq.
The U.S.-appointed council expressed its objections Wednesday, in a meeting with Mr. Bremer. Members were not able to persuade the United States to cancel its request for as many as 10-thousand Turkish troops to help stabilize post-war Iraq."
Hmm, a bit fo friction here. Add this to the Rice/Rumsfeld split and things are looking tough to re-organize.
The U.S.-appointed council expressed its objections Wednesday, in a meeting with Mr. Bremer. Members were not able to persuade the United States to cancel its request for as many as 10-thousand Turkish troops to help stabilize post-war Iraq."
Hmm, a bit fo friction here. Add this to the Rice/Rumsfeld split and things are looking tough to re-organize.
Criminal or Just Plain Stupid?
Criminal or Just Plain Stupid?: "Oct. 8 � No matter how voluminous the evidence to the contrary, the Bush White House likes to convey the impression of unflagging infallibility. But the prospect that a �senior administration official� goofed big time is gaining fast currency among those familiar with the events in the current Washington leak controversy, sources close to the case tell NEWSWEEK."
More light on the story. Plus Rove's quote.
"The next day, July 21, Wilson got a call from MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, who told him that “I just got off the phone with Karl Rove, who said your wife was fair game.” (A source familiar with Rove’s conversation acknowledged the call but insisted that Rove put it differently: that it was “reasonable to discuss who sent Wilson to Niger.”)"
More light on the story. Plus Rove's quote.
"The next day, July 21, Wilson got a call from MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, who told him that “I just got off the phone with Karl Rove, who said your wife was fair game.” (A source familiar with Rove’s conversation acknowledged the call but insisted that Rove put it differently: that it was “reasonable to discuss who sent Wilson to Niger.”)"
Defense Tech: CHEM-ARMS DESTRUCTION PLAN DERAILED
Defense Tech: CHEM-ARMS DESTRUCTION PLAN DERAILED: "Already more than $23 billion over budget and 13 years behind schedule, America's program for destroying its stockpile of chemical weapons will now be delayed until 2012, at least.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced that it had asked for international regulators' consent to miss by three and a half years an April 2004 deadline to eliminate 45 percent of its blister and nerve agent cache.
What was left unsaid, according to government reports and Army sources, is the new final deadline: 2012, the last moment possible under the Chemical Weapons Convention. And even that date could slip."
Link from previous article worthy of it's own post.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced that it had asked for international regulators' consent to miss by three and a half years an April 2004 deadline to eliminate 45 percent of its blister and nerve agent cache.
What was left unsaid, according to government reports and Army sources, is the new final deadline: 2012, the last moment possible under the Chemical Weapons Convention. And even that date could slip."
Link from previous article worthy of it's own post.
TCS: Tech Central Station - Bigger Worries Than BioChem
TCS: Tech Central Station - Bigger Worries Than BioChem: "What's more, 'there has never been a single bioterrorist incident with more than 15 fatalities -- an all-too-common occurrence when terrorists use conventional weapons,' he writes.
Despite this, the Department of Homeland Security's 2004 budget, signed into law last Wednesday, allocates nearly $900 million for 'Project BioShield,' an effort to prep vaccines and treatments for biological and other threats; $88 million for the 'National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center,' to protect people and crops from germ attacks; $38 million for air filters to catch pathogens; $84 million for the public health system, to treat biological and chemical-attack victims; the list goes on, just about endlessly. And it doesn't even begin to touch the $1.2 billion the Pentagon wants to spend next year on chem-bio detection, the $1.6-or-so billion from the National Institutes of Health, or the $600 million that President Bush wants to spend to keep looking for Saddam's unconventional stash."
Critical look at terrorism 'protection' funds related biological weapons.
Despite this, the Department of Homeland Security's 2004 budget, signed into law last Wednesday, allocates nearly $900 million for 'Project BioShield,' an effort to prep vaccines and treatments for biological and other threats; $88 million for the 'National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center,' to protect people and crops from germ attacks; $38 million for air filters to catch pathogens; $84 million for the public health system, to treat biological and chemical-attack victims; the list goes on, just about endlessly. And it doesn't even begin to touch the $1.2 billion the Pentagon wants to spend next year on chem-bio detection, the $1.6-or-so billion from the National Institutes of Health, or the $600 million that President Bush wants to spend to keep looking for Saddam's unconventional stash."
Critical look at terrorism 'protection' funds related biological weapons.
The Calgary Sun: RAEL'S CLONES A HOAX?
The Calgary Sun: RAEL'S CLONES A HOAX?: "Almost a year following the stunning announcement that they had engineered the birth of the world's first cloned humans, Rael and Clonaid president Dr. Brigitte Boisselier have yet to prove the existence of these babies, even to their own members.
In fact, Raelians have made fun of the media that gave such extensive coverage to their cloning story.
'Come my beloved friends and journalists, and ask me if we did all that just to benefit from free publicity ... YESSSS!' Rael cries and bursts out laughing during a Raelian gathering staged in Montreal."
First of a series.
In fact, Raelians have made fun of the media that gave such extensive coverage to their cloning story.
'Come my beloved friends and journalists, and ask me if we did all that just to benefit from free publicity ... YESSSS!' Rael cries and bursts out laughing during a Raelian gathering staged in Montreal."
First of a series.
Chicago Tribune | Leak probe may fail, Bush says
Chicago Tribune | Leak probe may fail, Bush says: "WASHINGTON -- The White House declared Tuesday that three senior aides were not involved in illegally leaking the name of an undercover CIA operative even as President Bush said the Justice Department investigation may never uncover the guilty party.
'I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is,' Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting, citing the determination of reporters to protect their sources. 'I'd like to. I want to know the truth.'"
The number of people this administration can't find just seems to keep growing.
'I have no idea whether we'll find out who the leaker is,' Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting, citing the determination of reporters to protect their sources. 'I'd like to. I want to know the truth.'"
The number of people this administration can't find just seems to keep growing.
ABCNEWS.com : Ex-Spies Furious, Betrayed Over Leak
ABCNEWS.com : Ex-Spies Furious, Betrayed Over Leak: "Oct. 6— In the shadowy world of the espionage, where the truth can endanger lives, the recent leaking of a CIA operative's name has left the intelligence community feeling enraged, bitter and betrayed."
This has to be pissing off pappy too.
This has to be pissing off pappy too.
CNN.com - China eyes mid-October space date - Oct. 8, 2003
CNN.com - China eyes mid-October space date - Oct. 8, 2003: "HONG KONG, China -- A mid-October launch date is emerging as the most likely for China to blast its first astronaut into space, according to reports in Chinese media.
One report, quoted on the Chinese Web site Sina.com Wednesday, said the historic flight would take place on October 15, last about 90 minutes and involve just one orbit of the Earth -- about the same as the first man in space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961."
This could be a rather momentous day for 1/5 of the people on this planet. Space competition is good, as long as we keep the weapons below the stratosphere.
One report, quoted on the Chinese Web site Sina.com Wednesday, said the historic flight would take place on October 15, last about 90 minutes and involve just one orbit of the Earth -- about the same as the first man in space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961."
This could be a rather momentous day for 1/5 of the people on this planet. Space competition is good, as long as we keep the weapons below the stratosphere.
CNN.com - White House trying new public relations approach on Iraq - Oct. 8, 2003
CNN.com - White House trying new public relations approach on Iraq - Oct. 8, 2003: "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House is employing a new approach in its ongoing public relations effort to beat back critics of its Iraq policy, by focusing on local media to get out its message.
The president, vice president and other senior administration officials will carry out this strategy through a series of speeches, interviews and trips around the country, aides said."
The Spin Machine goes to full throttle. I thought we weren't going to get that from this bunch? Riiight, and we won't be fooled again either.
The president, vice president and other senior administration officials will carry out this strategy through a series of speeches, interviews and trips around the country, aides said."
The Spin Machine goes to full throttle. I thought we weren't going to get that from this bunch? Riiight, and we won't be fooled again either.
CNN.com - Muslim doll offers modest alternative to Barbie - Oct. 8, 2003
CNN.com - Muslim doll offers modest alternative to Barbie - Oct. 8, 2003: "LIVONIA, Michigan (AP) -- At first glance, this new girl on the block doesn't give Barbie much of a run for her money. After all, Barbie is everything Razanne is not -- curvaceous, flashy and loaded with sex appeal.
But that's exactly why many Muslim Americans prefer Razanne, with her long-sleeved dresses, head scarf and, by her creator Ammar Saadeh's own admission, a not-so-buxom bustline"
Different strokes for different folks. I prefer 'Alabama Man' myself.
But that's exactly why many Muslim Americans prefer Razanne, with her long-sleeved dresses, head scarf and, by her creator Ammar Saadeh's own admission, a not-so-buxom bustline"
Different strokes for different folks. I prefer 'Alabama Man' myself.
CNN.com - Study: New study shows that fellatio may reduce the risk of breast cancer - Oct. 2, 2003
CNN.com - Study: New study shows that fellatio may reduce the risk of breast cancer - Oct. 2, 2003: "(AP) -- Women who perform the act of fellatio on a regular basis, one to two times a week, may reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 40 percent, a North Carolina State University study found.
Doctors had never suspected a link between the act of fellatio and breast cancer, but new research being performed at North Carolina State University is starting to suggest that there could be an important link between the two."
Oh, if only, if only.
Doctors had never suspected a link between the act of fellatio and breast cancer, but new research being performed at North Carolina State University is starting to suggest that there could be an important link between the two."
Oh, if only, if only.
Exhibition Items - Earth As Art: A Landsat Perspective (Library of Congress Exhibition)
Exhibition Items - Earth As Art: A Landsat Perspective (Library of Congress Exhibition)
Saw this a while back, but this is a better presentation of the subject matter. Our planet is quite amazing, from certain perspectives.
Saw this a while back, but this is a better presentation of the subject matter. Our planet is quite amazing, from certain perspectives.
Wired News: Mobs Turn Net into Money Machine
Wired News: Mobs Turn Net into Money Machine: "LONDON -- Organized crime syndicates have stepped up their presence on the Internet, operating extortion rackets, child-pornography rings and elaborate financial scams, Britain's top cybercop told Reuters.
And the most vulnerable target is the individual Web user, said Detective Chief Superintendent Len Hynds, head of the U.K.'s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, or NHTCU."
Yep, that's right. Many of the spammers that bother you are, or are working for, the mob.
And the most vulnerable target is the individual Web user, said Detective Chief Superintendent Len Hynds, head of the U.K.'s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, or NHTCU."
Yep, that's right. Many of the spammers that bother you are, or are working for, the mob.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Charter files suit against RIAA | CNET News.com
Charter files suit against RIAA | CNET News.com: "Charter Communications has filed a lawsuit in an effort to bar the Recording Industry Association of America from obtaining the identities of its cable customers that have allegedly traded songs illegally online.
The cable company on Friday filed a 'motion to quash' the RIAA's requests for the names of 150 Charter customers who the trade group claims violated copyright law when they allegedly shared song files in peer-to-peer communities such as KaZaa. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, where Charter is based."
This is a fight over some of the legal technicalities of the DMCA. MIT and BC had some luck fighting this fight, we'll see if a cable company can get the same results.
The cable company on Friday filed a 'motion to quash' the RIAA's requests for the names of 150 Charter customers who the trade group claims violated copyright law when they allegedly shared song files in peer-to-peer communities such as KaZaa. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, where Charter is based."
This is a fight over some of the legal technicalities of the DMCA. MIT and BC had some luck fighting this fight, we'll see if a cable company can get the same results.
Wi-Fi Networking News: School District Sued over WLAN Planning
Wi-Fi Networking News: School District Sued over WLAN Planning
Curious. Personally I don't think WiFi is terribly dangerous, although I would like to know how close it is to dangerous. This is a serious question for our society to look at, and study, as we move to a more electromagnetic spectrum oriented society.
Curious. Personally I don't think WiFi is terribly dangerous, although I would like to know how close it is to dangerous. This is a serious question for our society to look at, and study, as we move to a more electromagnetic spectrum oriented society.
Interviews - Radiohead - 10/1/03
Interviews - Radiohead - 10/1/03
Not a huge fan, but I do own one of their CD's. Strangely enough, I first downloaded a few tracks from P2P.
hat tip to zeropaid.
Not a huge fan, but I do own one of their CD's. Strangely enough, I first downloaded a few tracks from P2P.
hat tip to zeropaid.
Zeropaid.com - Song swappers flock to invitation-only Internet
Zeropaid.com - Song swappers flock to invitation-only Internet: "SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- Just as Prohibition drove drinkers underground in the roaring '20s, the music industry's crackdown is pushing many song swappers away from the open Internet and into what amount to cyberspace speakeasies.
These high-tech Cotton Clubs usually require users to be trusted or at least know someone inside. The files being traded, instead of out in the open, are encrypted -- the 21st century equivalent of hiding bathtub gin under a fake floorboard.
Internet file-sharers are operating much like any society that falls under attack. And the very technologies they are using as shields have long been employed by legitimate businesses to protect their data from prying eyes and hackers."
I drove by the real Cotton Club the other day on the way to Ikea warehouse. As I've mentioned before, it will require jack-booted thugs breaking down doors to stem to tide of file-trading. It would be a far superior solution to create more legal environment, increasing the amount and frequency of artist compensation.
These high-tech Cotton Clubs usually require users to be trusted or at least know someone inside. The files being traded, instead of out in the open, are encrypted -- the 21st century equivalent of hiding bathtub gin under a fake floorboard.
Internet file-sharers are operating much like any society that falls under attack. And the very technologies they are using as shields have long been employed by legitimate businesses to protect their data from prying eyes and hackers."
I drove by the real Cotton Club the other day on the way to Ikea warehouse. As I've mentioned before, it will require jack-booted thugs breaking down doors to stem to tide of file-trading. It would be a far superior solution to create more legal environment, increasing the amount and frequency of artist compensation.
Asia Times - Big Money, No Whammies....STOP
Asia Times -: "Complementing its strategic-military doctrine of preemptive action against putative constructors and proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, the administration of US President George W Bush has turned to preemption in the financial sphere to challenge unpalatable currency regimes and counteract their alleged ill effects on the US economy. China, Japan, and other Asian nations are the targeted offenders ... and, for a change of pace, victory in the war unleashed at the Group of Seven (G7) Dubai meetings is to be achieved not through overwhelming US strength, but through deliberately induced US (dollar) weakness."
Interesting article on another aspect of the great game.
Interesting article on another aspect of the great game.
Results - Casualty Report Generator
Results - Casualty Report Generator: "improvised explosive device attack."
This improvisational warfare is getting out of hand. Don't these people know the power of rehearsal?
This improvisational warfare is getting out of hand. Don't these people know the power of rehearsal?
Monday, October 06, 2003
retroCRUSH: Best Halloween Costumes
retroCRUSH: Best Halloween Costumes
It's never too soon to settle on a costume. Halloween is the best day of the year, IMHO, of course.
It's never too soon to settle on a costume. Halloween is the best day of the year, IMHO, of course.
The MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program: "CHICAGO � The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today named 24 new MacArthur Fellows for 2003. Each will receive $500,000 in �no strings attached� support over the next five years.
The MacArthur Fellows Program is designed to emphasize the importance of the creative individual in society. Fellows are selected for the originality and creativity of their work and the potential to do more in the future. Candidates are nominated, evaluated, and selected through a rigorous and confidential process. No one may apply for the awards, nor are any interviews conducted with nominees."
That's my kind of award. Good stuff in there, like this.
The MacArthur Fellows Program is designed to emphasize the importance of the creative individual in society. Fellows are selected for the originality and creativity of their work and the potential to do more in the future. Candidates are nominated, evaluated, and selected through a rigorous and confidential process. No one may apply for the awards, nor are any interviews conducted with nominees."
That's my kind of award. Good stuff in there, like this.
Baghdad Burning:: Understanding the "Sheikh"
Baghdad Burning: "When people hear the word �tribe� or �sheikh�, they instantly imagine, I�m sure, Bedouins on camels and scenes from Lawrence of Arabia. Many modern-day Sheikhs in Iraq have college degrees. Many have lived abroad and own property in London, Beirut and various other glamorous capitals� they ride around in Mercedes� and live in sprawling villas fully furnished with Victorian furniture, Persian carpets, oil paintings, and air conditioners. Some of them have British, German or American wives. A Sheikh is respected highly both by his clan members and by the members of other clans or tribes. He is usually considered the wisest or most influential member of the family. He is often also the wealthiest."
...and other interesting tidbits. The kids went back to school this week. This is good news.
...and other interesting tidbits. The kids went back to school this week. This is good news.
Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Ideas / Out of the Matrix
Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Ideas / Out of the Matrix: "MAYBE LIFE IS A DREAM. Maybe reality is utterly different from what it appears to be. Maybe human language is inadequate to represent that reality. Maybe our minds simply cannot grasp what is going on. Maybe we are just brains in vats, fed electrical impulses that alter our brain-states, thereby creating pseudo-experiences of an imaginary world."
Maybe, but probably not. Hopefully I'll have some time to expand on this article on the other site. Good reading, regardless.
Maybe, but probably not. Hopefully I'll have some time to expand on this article on the other site. Good reading, regardless.
ICANN Stands Tall (TechNews.com)
ICANN Stands Tall (TechNews.com): "what's really fascinating about the sparring that broke out recently between VeriSign Inc. and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) over VeriSign's new search service that briefly turned our clumsy fingers into human cash machines. "
Good rundown on news coverage of something that 99% of the people on the planet don't want to or need to understand...yet it affected them all.
Good rundown on news coverage of something that 99% of the people on the planet don't want to or need to understand...yet it affected them all.
Swchwarzenegger Quote Unveiled.
NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story: "'In many ways I admired people � It depends for what. I admired Hitler for instance because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. And I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for his way of getting to the people and so on.
'But I didn't admire him for what he did with it. It is very hard to say who I admired and who are my heroes. And I admired basically people who are powerful people, like Kennedy. Who people listen to and just wait until he comes out with telling them what to do. People like that I admire a lot.' "
So there ya go.
'But I didn't admire him for what he did with it. It is very hard to say who I admired and who are my heroes. And I admired basically people who are powerful people, like Kennedy. Who people listen to and just wait until he comes out with telling them what to do. People like that I admire a lot.' "
So there ya go.
IHT: Avoid quagmire, Putin tells U.S.
IHT: Avoid quagmire, Putin tells U.S.: "
< < Back to Start of Article MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin said this weekend that the United States faced the possibility of a prolonged, bloody and ultimately futile war in Iraq like the one that mired the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
.
In an expansive interview on Saturday evening, Putin warned that Iraq could 'become a new center, a new magnet for all destructive elements.' He added, without naming them, that 'a great number of members of different terrorist organizations' have been drawn into the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein."
uh oh, it looks like Russia is moving toward the dark side again...
< < Back to Start of Article MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin said this weekend that the United States faced the possibility of a prolonged, bloody and ultimately futile war in Iraq like the one that mired the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
.
In an expansive interview on Saturday evening, Putin warned that Iraq could 'become a new center, a new magnet for all destructive elements.' He added, without naming them, that 'a great number of members of different terrorist organizations' have been drawn into the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein."
uh oh, it looks like Russia is moving toward the dark side again...
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Opinion -- No WMD, but ...
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Opinion -- No WMD, but ...: "President Bush, drawing the needed lessons from the catastrophic terrorist attacks of 9/11, hardly needs to apologize for acting before Saddam's evil regime could produce a new arsenal of horror weapons."
And what were those lessons, exactly?
I have some ideas, but I'm curious to hear everyone else's first.
And what were those lessons, exactly?
I have some ideas, but I'm curious to hear everyone else's first.
Geek.com Geek News - VeriSign stops SiteFinder service
Geek.com Geek News - VeriSign stops SiteFinder service: "VeriSign has shut down its SiteFinder service. The company took the action to comply with an order issued by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). If VeriSign ignored the order, it would have faced sanctions as part of its contract with ICANN to administer the .com and .net domains. The company received a letter from ICANN on Friday stating that VeriSign had until 6 P.M. PDT Saturday to comply. ICANN had originally asked VeriSign to voluntarily remove the service on September 21st, but the company declined to do so."
Thank god for this. The chaos that could have ensued if this became standard practice would have been slightly larger than the chaos that esues every day on the Internet.
Thank god for this. The chaos that could have ensued if this became standard practice would have been slightly larger than the chaos that esues every day on the Internet.
Friday, October 03, 2003
The Second Annual Blogger Boobie-Thon for Breast Cancer :: Photos
The Second Annual Blogger Boobie-Thon for Breast Cancer :: Photos
NSFW, but fairly self-explanatory.
NSFW, but fairly self-explanatory.
ABCNEWS.com : Did Show Creator Rip Off Reality TV Wannabes?
ABCNEWS.com : Did Show Creator Rip Off Reality TV Wannabes?
Ah yes, the ole' taking advantage of people con. This one has been around for a while.
Ah yes, the ole' taking advantage of people con. This one has been around for a while.
ICANN | Letter from Paul Twomey to Russell Lewis | 3 October 2003
ICANN | Letter from Paul Twomey to Russell Lewis | 3 October 2003
Thanks god for this. I haven't posted much about this story, since it is Internet arcana, but hopefully we'll have glorious resolution soon.
Thanks god for this. I haven't posted much about this story, since it is Internet arcana, but hopefully we'll have glorious resolution soon.
ZDNet UK - News - Lone file-swapper takes on recording industry
ZDNet UK - News - Lone file-swapper takes on recording industry: "An anonymous California computer user went to court on Thursday to challenge the recording industry's file-trading subpoenas, charging that they are unconstitutional and violate her right to privacy.
The legal motion, filed in Washington, D.C., federal court by a 'Jane Doe' Internet service subscriber, is the first from an individual whose personal information has been subpoenaed by the Recording Industry Association of America in recent months."
Fight the good fight.
The legal motion, filed in Washington, D.C., federal court by a 'Jane Doe' Internet service subscriber, is the first from an individual whose personal information has been subpoenaed by the Recording Industry Association of America in recent months."
Fight the good fight.
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Economist.com
Economist.com: "EPIMENIDES the Cretan, a philosopher of the 6th century BC, is said to have uttered the sentence, �All Cretans are liars�. As he himself was a Cretan, this gave rise to a paradox�if he were telling the truth, then he would be a liar. Depending on how one defines a liar, the paradox is resolvable; he could have been a habitual liar who was telling the truth in this one instance. However, a stronger version of the paradox, known as the Liar paradox��this sentence is false��is not resolvable in conventional logic systems.
Indeed, the circular loop that the sentence induces�if it is false, it must be true, and if true, false�has been used more than once in science-fiction movies to cause marauding computers to lose their sanity and explode. But in a new paper, Kostis Vezerides of the American College of Thessaloniki, and Athanasios Kehagias of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Greece, show that, in almost all cases, paradoxes such as the Liar are resolvable with the use of �fuzzy logic�."
Interesting look at thing. I'm guessing this will have something worthwhile for QP, since resolving paradox is definitely a goal.
Indeed, the circular loop that the sentence induces�if it is false, it must be true, and if true, false�has been used more than once in science-fiction movies to cause marauding computers to lose their sanity and explode. But in a new paper, Kostis Vezerides of the American College of Thessaloniki, and Athanasios Kehagias of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in Greece, show that, in almost all cases, paradoxes such as the Liar are resolvable with the use of �fuzzy logic�."
Interesting look at thing. I'm guessing this will have something worthwhile for QP, since resolving paradox is definitely a goal.
FCC Begins To Receive Complaints About Calls (TechNews.com)
FCC Begins To Receive Complaints About Calls (TechNews.com)
I can't believe they screwed this up. A working system should take about 10 minutes to set up. A web form dumps a phone number into a database. That database is mailed to everyone who telemarkets. A simple table join is made. Numbers on the 'do-not-call' list are deleted. End of story.
Maybe we should just go with a 'white list' and everyone who wants to get telemarketing can add their number to that one?
I can't believe they screwed this up. A working system should take about 10 minutes to set up. A web form dumps a phone number into a database. That database is mailed to everyone who telemarkets. A simple table join is made. Numbers on the 'do-not-call' list are deleted. End of story.
Maybe we should just go with a 'white list' and everyone who wants to get telemarketing can add their number to that one?
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail: "Washington — In a major acceleration of its war against cheaper imported drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it will crack down on mail shipments from Canada.
With limited manpower, the FDA has often looked the other way while millions of Americans crossed the border or ordered drugs on the Internet, often at less than half the price they'd pay at home, where no price controls exist."
The War on (Affordable) Drugs expands. And someone benefits rather nicely.
Reasons.
With limited manpower, the FDA has often looked the other way while millions of Americans crossed the border or ordered drugs on the Internet, often at less than half the price they'd pay at home, where no price controls exist."
The War on (Affordable) Drugs expands. And someone benefits rather nicely.
Reasons.
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
The Salt Lake Tribune -- Liquor law bites the hand that wrote it
The Salt Lake Tribune -- Liquor law bites the hand that wrote it: " Legislators planning a national conference of state lawmakers from around the nation next year in Salt Lake City want to buck the reputation that it's impossible to get a drink in Utah.
But Monday, in contemplating the details of welcoming attendees with free wine and beer at social events, lawmakers discovered just how restrictive and confusing the very liquor laws they penned can be."
No way, hypocrisy coming from a theocracy? I can't believe it.
But Monday, in contemplating the details of welcoming attendees with free wine and beer at social events, lawmakers discovered just how restrictive and confusing the very liquor laws they penned can be."
No way, hypocrisy coming from a theocracy? I can't believe it.
The Onion | 48-Hour Internet Outage Plunges Nation Into Productivity
The Onion | 48-Hour Internet Outage Plunges Nation Into Productivity
BOSTON—An Internet worm that disabled networks across the U.S. Monday and Tuesday temporarily thrust the nation into its most severe maelstrom of productivity since 1992."
No, I didn't find this site from work.
BOSTON—An Internet worm that disabled networks across the U.S. Monday and Tuesday temporarily thrust the nation into its most severe maelstrom of productivity since 1992."
No, I didn't find this site from work.
New Scientist: P2P Security Flaw.
New Scientist: "A research paper highlighting security weaknesses in a popular internet file-sharing network has raised concerns that innocent users could in theory be wrongly accused of sharing copyrighted music."
This was an anonymous paper put out on a random FTP site. Essentially the paper exposes a structual problem with the Gnutella protocol allowing whoever knows about it to disguise or mislead the protocol concerning the name of the files on the network.
This was an anonymous paper put out on a random FTP site. Essentially the paper exposes a structual problem with the Gnutella protocol allowing whoever knows about it to disguise or mislead the protocol concerning the name of the files on the network.
Ten Technologies That Deserve to Die
Ten Technologies That Deserve to Die: "Some technologies are so blatantly obnoxious that the human race would rejoice if they were summarily executed. A humorist and science fiction writer offers some candidates."
Nice list. Dark humor.
Nice list. Dark humor.
Payback Time
Payback Time: "The burgeoning flap over the leaking to the press of the name of a CIA agent - a clear and serious violation of federal law - is a serious, serious legal and political problem for the Bush White House."
NewsMax attacking a Republican Whitehouse. And I liked the 'heads will roll' comment.
NewsMax attacking a Republican Whitehouse. And I liked the 'heads will roll' comment.
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