January 6, 2003

Milky Way's Big Black Hole Is Mean and Hungry ABC News -  If there's anything meaner than a supermassive black hole, it's a supermassive black hole on a starvation diet. Such is the plight of the big black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy that contains Earth, astronomers reported (today) at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle. 7:23:57 PM

Microsoft Posts First Public Beta Of Upcoming Exchange Server InternetWeek.com - The vast majority of users got their first hands-on opportunity to try out the next version of Microsoft Exchange on Monday, as Microsoft posted the second beta to its Web site. The software includes functionality designed to make it more useful when used by remote and mobile users. Customers can download the software for free, or order CDs at nominal cost, from http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/ti/ . 7:11:34 PM

Geek.com Microsoft Smartphones Coming to America PC World - Software giant's Smartphone and Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition applications likely to be more widely available. 3:54:22 PM

Max Boot of the Weekly Standard figures everyone is exploiting the Palestinian cause. IN AN INTERVIEW LAST MONTH with Britain's Sunday Times, Yasser Arafat rebuked Osama bin Laden for seeking to exploit the Palestinians' cause for his own ends. "Why is bin Laden talking about Palestine now? . . . He never helped us. He was working in another, completely different area and against our interests," Arafat was quoted as saying. "I'm telling him directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause." Good advice, but it's doubtful bin Laden will take it. Just about everyone else exploits the Palestinian cause--Arafat first and foremost, but also, according to the latest reports, some of his Israeli "peace partners"--so why shouldn't old fur face? 3:26:36 PM

Boy, six, shot dead by sister, seven Mississauga tragedy linked to older brother's unregistered handgun A quiet neighbourhood west of Toronto is reeling at news that a seven-year-old girl shot her six-year-old brother to death with a semi-automatic handgun the pair found while playing at home. Peel Region police were called to a two-storey townhouse at 2:20 p.m. Friday after the girl accidentally shot her brother in the face with the .45-calibre gun they had discovered in a bedroom. This would probably not have been avoided even if the gun WAS registered, but a car accident is not avoided because the owner doesn't have a drivers licence. It doesn't mean that car registration, and driver registration is a bad idea. 2:49:34 PM

Israel's military crackdown BBC - The double Palestinian suicide bombing in Tel Aviv has shattered more than a month of relative calm inside Israel. 2:42:57 PM