July 24, 2003

NVidia cards will work with Half-Life 2, they will just exhibit a slight image defect that has always been present in games using packed lightmaps with multi-sample anti-aliasing. 9:26:24 PM

Slate.com has an article by Brendan I. Koerner explaining why the killings of Odai and Qusai Hussein do not count as prohibited political assassinations. The first states that since the brothers fired on US troops they could been fired back upon, then he states: Yet even if the Hussein brothers had not engaged the American forces, their killings still might not have qualified as assassinations. During wartime, it is generally acceptable to attack figures who are involved in military operations, and it is widely believed that Odai and Qusai were helping to coordinate resistance to the American occupation. As long as the brothers weren't killed by treacherous means—say, by luring them to a peace conference, then shooting them—they are legitimate targets. Doesn’t this sound exactly what Israeli officials say when they explain the killing of Hamas and other terrorist leaders who plan suicide bombings and other attacks? 9:20:34 PM

Israeli police have arrested antiquities dealer Oded Golan on suspicion of forging and dealing in fake antiquities. He is believed to have forged a burial box purported to be that of Jesus's brother James and a stone tablet said to be associated with the first Temple in Jerusalem. 9:19:29 PM

Are you facing a lawsuit? TechTV has a partial listing of targets of RIAA subpoenas. 12:21:21 AM

If Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas wants to improve his chances of convincing the United States to press Israel for a firm schedule of peace moves he can first provide a schedule by which he will disarm the Palestinian. terror groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Since they are actions that he has stated he will never do, what’s the point of listening to anything he says? 12:16:20 AM

Sci Fi Wire has details of the changes to the Star Trek show Enterprise in the upcoming third season. Following up on this season’s finale, the Enterprise is on a mission into the dangerous Delphic Expanse to find and confront the alien Xindi who attacked Earth. Also being sought is higher ratings. 12:15:58 AM