One Canuck's Radio Weblog

  Wednesday, 16 June 2004

.< 9:51:50 PM >
More Colombians Flee, Despite Crackdown on Violence

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Seven times as many Colombians fled their war-torn country and requested asylum abroad last year as in 1999, despite government reports that guerrilla violence is easing, a U.N. agency said on Wednesday. [Reuters: World]

< 9:49:34 PM >

There is no evidence Iraq helped al-Qaeda carry out the 11 September attacks, a US inquiry finds. [BBC News | World | UK Edition] 'It contradicts remarks by the US vice-president about Saddam Hussein's "long-established ties" with al-Qaeda.'

What a joke. No one outside the US ever believed there was a link.

< 3:54:33 PM >

Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH has announced that its Nuendo DTS Encoder plug-in, which makes the DTS format available to all Nuendo users, is now shipping as a cross platform version for Mac OSX and Windows 2000/XP.
[ProSound News]

< 3:41:08 PM >

Importing Track Data From Text Files is a brief article about how to use AppleScript to import tag data from a text file—such as a file exported from a database or some other indicies of track info—and an accompanying AppleScript which you can customize for use at your house. A lot of people ask me about this procedure and I can't create a customized script for everybody so I hope this article helps out. [Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes]

Could be useful if already have data in a database. Export info from FMP as text file. Open the new master in iTunes, run this script, submit the data to CDDB. If the label handles this job it isn't left to a fan to screw up the data.

< 1:39:33 AM >

Read it to Me 2.0 adds a bunch of new features and is released under the GPL. It’s an app that creates audio versions of your news, email, and so on for your iPod.

< 1:39:02 AM >

Syndicated summaries of web content are more popular than ever before, and the recent explosion of users has prompted some dramatic changes in the world of RSS software. Giles Turnbull takes a look at some of the latest offerings, including PulpFiction, Shrook, and of course, NetNewsWire. [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service: MacDevCenter.com] ' Anyone who has demonstrated the way RSS works to a friend who does a lot of web browsing will have seen their friend's face light up with pleasure when they understand how reading feeds can save them a huge amount of time. As this understanding spreads, so uptake and long-term use of RSS will explode ever further.'

< 1:29:46 AM >

Digital cameras record EXIF data that tells us "when" we took a picture, but what if wewant to know "where" too? Contributor to O'Reilly's Digital Photography Hacks, David Goldwasser introduces us to using GPS positioning data with EXIF timestamps to build interactive maps showing pictures of markers. What a sweet convergence of technologies. [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service: MacDevCenter.com]

< 1:29:11 AM >

SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - The world is falling behind in its fight against poverty, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Tuesday, and an aide warned that a desperate global underclass would find joining terrorism its best option. [Reuters: World]

Bush should follow his preemptive war strategy to its logical conclusion and just bomb the poor now.

< 12:58:06 AM >

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush lauded Afghanistan as a model for Iraq on Tuesday as he tried to paint U.S. involvement in the Central Asian nation as a success in his run-up to the November presidential election. [Reuters: World]

< 12:57:15 AM >

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - Volunteer U.S. pilots are set to begin flying over the scorching deserts of the U.S.-Mexico border to help save stranded illegal immigrants, hundreds of whom die each year, organizers said on Tuesday. [Reuters: World]

< 12:56:09 AM >

Online: Apple's iTunes digital store opens in UK - but with big gaps on the shelves. [Guardian Unlimited] '"To function well in the UK and Europe requires a decent amount of local content," said Sam Shemtob, of the Association of Independent Music, which represents 800 independent labels in Britain. Independent artists make up 25% of the UK market. "We are all very keen on iTunes. We are as eager as anyone to license our music to them, but it has to be at an appropriate competitive rate."

According to the independent labels, Apple insisted they accept a fixed "dealer" price for the next three years without any guarantee that iTunes would not raise its competitive 79p retail price. One described accepting such terms as "suicide".'

< 12:52:10 AM >

Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - With the podium thumping over and no clear winner after two nights of debate, the federal election campaign appears very much like it did before the party leaders began their political showdowns - a toss-up between the Liberals and the Conservatives. [Yahoo! News - World]

< 12:51:17 AM >

President Vicente Fox said that he would ask Congress to allow millions of Mexican citizens living abroad to vote for president in 2006. [New York Times: International] 'His proposed law would cover all Mexicans living outside the country. Almost all - at least 10 million - live in the United States.'