Definitive evidence that Nasa faked the moon landings... and what is that odd mouse-like creature in the corner? (thanks, Z!)
11:50:13 PM  #   your two cents []

Just a thought -- is there anything more humiliating than trying to replicate your hard drive noise to a tech help person over the phone? The human vocal chord set does not seem to encompass those swishes, whirrs, clicks and grinds.
3:11:54 PM  #   your two cents []

British author Wendy Perriam has won the annual Bad Sex in Fiction Award with her description of a patient fantasising about her foot surgeon -- beating out Ethan Hawke and 9 others. 
2:38:58 PM  #   your two cents []

From ENS: Arctic ice may vanish this century: "The NASA study concludes that sea ice is now melting about nine percent faster than prior research had indicated, due to rising temperatures and interactions between ice, ocean and the atmosphere."
2:27:36 PM  #   your two cents []

The good news... kind of. After much dithering with tech help people I (and the tech people) have come round to the belief that those funny harddrive noises I've been mentioning, coupled with losing chunks of programs (frivolous little things like, oh, the ability to do any searches, defrag the HD, or use any system tools whatsoever...) are due to corrupt data on the drive rather than a fried drive. (Note: what a curious phrase, 'corrupt data', as if it has secretly been taking itself off into dark pub corners to accept money in brown envelopes, like so many of our current TDs...[Teachta Dála in Irish, meaning members of parliament]) Of course this means [scary organ chord] reinstalling Windows XP. Sigh. Because I have no search function I cannot find the data file from Outlook that has all my emails... and I'm not sure if my little PocketPC can hold all that stuff in its files; I doubt it. If anyone knows, click that little yellow envelope on the left and let me know! Update: I should add (as many good folks have sent me advice!) that system restore also doesn't want to work anymore, and that the PC doesn't recognise Outlook at all -- so the folder doesn't appear as it should, and the PC thinks the pst file is missing (though the app continues to work quite happily). It's a new-ish drive, the noises are very soft, not the loud grinds and clicks you get at the uh-oh point. And I have been backing up all along in preparation for crash and burn!
11:36:16 AM  #   your two cents []

Java spat to percolate in court. Microsoft's legal worries continue on Tuesday, when it squares off against Sun Microsystems over key Java software. [CNET News.com]
11:27:42 AM  #   your two cents []

Why do books cost so much?. Thirty bucks for a new hardcover! How book prices got so out of hand, who's responsible and what it will take to make reading more affordable in the future. [Salon.com]
11:25:15 AM  #   your two cents []

More on data retention, from Salon.com: Is Big Brother our only hope against bin Laden?. Civil libertarians are outraged about Total Information Awareness, the government's Orwellian plan to monitor everyone, all the time. But some computer scientists say it might be the only way to save civilization. [Salon.com]
11:24:40 AM  #   your two cents []

A quote for journalists: Saki. "A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation." [Quotes of the Day]
11:21:26 AM  #   your two cents []

Concorde rudder 'fell off'. 9.45am: British Airways is investigating an incident in which part of the rudder fell off a Concorde. [Guardian Unlimited]
11:15:49 AM  #   your two cents []

Really Creepy Story of the Day, from New Scientist:

Infant rats are being decapitated and their heads grafted onto the thighs of adults by researchers in Japan. If kept cool while the blood flow is stopped, a transplanted brain can develop as normal for at least three weeks, and the mouth of the head will move, as if it is trying to drink milk, the team reports.

Unsurprisingly this work has caused some ethical controversy despite the argument made that the research could bring insight into an infant health problem where blood flow in the brain halts. Some scientists say this is only backing up what is already known through far less grisly research. A somewhat related story, also from NS: face transplants could be possible within a year -- but while some people say they'd accept a face transplant, most people wouldn;t want to donate theirs...

11:12:49 AM  #   your two cents []

IBM debuts new Linux-only server. Big Blue will announce a new low-end server Wednesday, its first Power processor-based system that can run the Linux operating system without needing IBM's AIX as well. [CNET News.com]
11:07:40 AM  #   your two cents []

FTC settles domain scam suit. Under a deal reached with federal regulators, five defendants accused of selling bogus Web domains agree not to mislead customers and to put up $300,000 toward refunds worldwide. [CNET News.com] ...I wonder if the same will happen with the crowd(s) selling 'advanced reservations' for .eu domain names. You can't reserve 'em -- the EU, which is deciding who will get the administrative duties for .eu, seems highly unlikely to award the job to a crowd who doesn't have firm plans for a more controlled approach (eg, not like what happened with .com). Ireland has a cross-border bid in for the admin job, interesting I think for the business and political weight on the board, in addition to techies. Hard to guess what the EU will ultimately go with, though.
11:06:47 AM  #   your two cents []

From Boing Boing Blog: How and why you should help reform the DMCA. Seth Finkelstein has written a great piece on the current process to reform the hateful Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which EFF published today. Called "How To Win (DMCA) Exemptions and Influence Policy," Seth's essay lays out the hows and whys of advocating for changes to the DMCA.
10:58:00 AM  #   your two cents []

China Has World's Tightest Internet Censorship, Study Finds. China has the most extensive Internet censorship in the world, denying local users access to Web sites that the government deems threatening. [New York Times: Technology] And a related story, in Network World:  Companies defend against Chinese censorship charge. A number of technology companies defended themselves Monday against charges made by human rights group Amnesty International that they were assisting the Chinese government's efforts to censor the Internet.
10:54:10 AM  #   your two cents []

IDC: Windows cheaper than Linux. Research firm IDC reinforces a Microsoft argument that Linux is more expensive to administer than Windows--but the cost gap may shrink as Linux becomes more widespread. [CNET News.com]
10:53:27 AM  #   your two cents []

Finnish Taxi Drivers Must Pay Music Royalties [Slashdot]
10:52:57 AM  #   your two cents []

Why AOL's ad woes are unique. Ongoing revenue troubles at America Online appear to reflect unique conditions within the company rather than an industrywide trend, analysts say. [CNET News.com]
10:52:36 AM  #   your two cents []