The Bleat and France

6:32:57 AM    

"John Perry Barlow on Dick Cheney, brinkmanship in Iraq, and the coming Pax Americana " [Daypop Top 40]

Very interesting essay. It portray a much more complex world view of Cheney than you see in the media. It may very well be true but brinksmanship is one of the deadliest types of politics and one that should not be used very often, Maybe ruling by fear is their approach but it is not the only way, in my view. Time will tell,  6:16:49 AM    

DMCA: Unintended Consequences?. "The DMCA started with the noblest of intentions, but it is becoming the bright shiny new toy of enterprises looking for a way to stifle competition and to control what they might consider unfavorable information," said Mike McGuire, a policy analyst with research firm GartnerG2. This, from the LA Times, gives a good overview of DMCA issues, along with a review of some of the cases where the DMCA has been used to shut down... [bIPlog]

Some very good discussion of the DMCA and where it might take us.  5:22:56 AM    

For the History of Science, the First Draft Is Often Late. Just exactly when the readers of this newspaper first heard about the double helix is a mystery, and there is a lesson in that. By Dennis Overbye. [New York Times: Science]

A nice little article detailing how much things have changed when it comes to science journalism. It is much harder for big discoveries to hide. Even minor work gets a lot of publicity. This helps over all, since the increased dispersal of information increases the chance that an important fact will find its way to a creative mind.  4:54:16 AM    

Bugs build tiny balls [Nature Science Update]

This is a fascinating discovery. Three different species come together to create a new environment. It will be interesting to see just how symbiotic these relationships are.  4:47:25 AM    

Not Just Genes: Moving Beyond Nature vs. Nurture. In the view of some biologists, DNA often has been accorded far greater powers than it possesses. By Natalie Angier. [New York Times: Science]

A nice discussion and right on target. You need both nature and nurture for life. The mass media, in collusion with many CEOs of small biotechs, loves the mth that everything can be described simply by finding out what you genome looks like. Not true but hard to stick to, sometimes.  4:41:02 AM    

An electric toothbrush with an USB connector. Here is something for that second USB connection on your computer: an electric toothbrush with an USB connector. And I was wondering why the PowerBook has more than one USB connection... [Universal Rule]

Now if I could get just a few other USB or Firewire powered devices (i.e. microwave, refrigerator), there would be no need to ever leave my computer. I msell a business opportunity.  4:34:16 AM