One Canuck's Radio Weblog

  Friday, 14 May 2004

.< 7:26:54 PM >
WiFi antennae made from cheap Chinese cookware

These Kiwi WiFi hackers are building cheap, incredibly powerful WiFi antennae out of Chinese cookware (like this $2 parabolic "dumpling scoop") and USB WiFi dongles. They've got extensive build and testing notes: I wonder where I can get a dumpling scoop of my own?

Link

(Thanks, Stan. Swan!)

[Boing Boing]

< 7:25:50 PM >

This very good, short article shows the way that the RIAA cooks its books to create losses due to file-sharing when there's no indication that file-sharing is costing them money. Peter sez, "I'm an economist researching the issue too, and I've found the figures frankly unbelievable for a long while. Now I know why." [more] Link

[Boing Boing]

< 7:23:26 PM >

The Economist: A perfect market. So e-commerce is already very big, and it is going to get much bigger. But the actual value of transactions currently concluded online is dwarfed by the extraordinary influence the internet is exerting over purchases carried out in the offline world. That influence is becoming an integral part of e-commerce. [Tomalak's Realm]

Yes, yes, yes. This has been my point for a long time. Shortsighted companies limit the usefulness of their online presence to selling you something from their site. By contrast, truly useful sites make it easy to find lots of information about the product so the consumer can make an informed decision about whether or not to buy the product . . . by whatever means

< 7:19:33 PM >

Spherex Inc. of Toronto, Canada officially launched its new, state-of-the-art home audio system, Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System, to visitors at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles last week. [ProSound News] '"Our focus is to provide consumers with high-end home audio products at affordable prices," explained Spherex Inc. president Alex Romanov. "At just $499.00 this system delivers the pinnacle of sound quality and design."'

< 1:45:35 AM >

Eggleton out, will Dryden replace him?
Former defence minister Art Eggleton has confirmed he won't seek re-election in his Toronto riding amid reports that former NHL star Ken Dryden will be introduced as the new candidate. F U L L S T O R Y
[CBC News]

< 1:44:53 AM >

Meanwhile, France's new foreign minister said that France would never send troops to Iraq, not even as part of a peacekeeping force. [New York Times: International]

< 1:44:07 AM >

The American government worked closely with Nazi war criminals and collaborators, allowing many of them to live in the U.S. after World War II. [New York Times: International]

< 1:42:15 AM >

Society: New research establishes beyond doubt that breastfed babies become healthier adults. [Guardian Unlimited]

< 1:39:52 AM >

Senior Labour party figures intensify pressure on Tony Blair to publicly detach himself from the Bush administration. [Guardian Unlimited]