February 1, 2005

Web Site Claims GI Captured in Iraq Iraqi militants claimed in a Web statement Tuesday to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him in 72 hours unless the Americans release Iraqi prisoners. The U.S. military said it was investigating, but the claim's authenticity could not be immediately confirmed. (AP) This image of what appears to be a captured US soldier was posted on an Iraqi militant website,... This is a HOAX!  It is a DOLL: 3:40:05 PM

"If Mr. Bush is to be serious about combating the hate-filled ideologies that promote terrorism, he cannot avoid a confrontation with the dictators in Saudi Arabia." 1:03:24 PM

Catering to the Sunnis. By Andrew L. Jaffee; netwmd.com If the Oklahoma City bombers refused to participate in a U.S. election, would the final results be considered “illegitimate?” What if the Nation of Islam, the Black Panthers, the Communist Party USA, or the Southern Indiana Regional Militia refused to vote in American elections? Would it matter and, really, who gives a damn? The Left-Wing, e.g. the New York Times, has been trying to hold the Iraqi elections to this type of ridiculous standard regarding Sunni participation. Granted: Sunnis make up 32-37% of Iraq’s population. While their representation is important, the majority of terrorist attacks aimed at destabilizing Iraq have been committed by Sunnis. The Sunni minority, led by Saddam, have terrorized Iraq’s other ethnic/religious groups for decades. They fear losing their old power, which they will most surely lose no matter what happens. Once the votes are counted, we’ll find that the Shiite majority and Iraq’s other ethnic groups (Kurds, Turkoman) did not vote for their former torturers. [Israpundit] 10:07:27 AM

BlackBerries souring U.S.-Canada relations FortWayne.com -  The Canadian creators of the BlackBerry, the wildly successful wireless e-mail device embraced by so many Americans, say they will take their patent dispute with a Virginia company all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. And they just got a powerful ally. The Canadian government has stepped into the patent infringement case, determined to protect the nation’s greatest high-tech success story. 9:19:02 AM

Beware of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) in your BlackBerry thumbs out-law.com - Too much typing on handheld devices such as the BlackBerry could cause repetitive strain injuries to users’ thumbs, according to reports. The condition, dubbed Blackberry thumb, eases once thumb typing stops. Speaking to BBC News, Sean Hughes, professor of orthopaedic surgery at Imperial College London, explained that the thumb works differently to fingers. "The thing is the thumb is designed to flex and rotate in all directions,” he said. “The joint at the bottom of the thumb allows it to move like this and tapping away could cause it to become sore."  8:50:27 AM

While searching for more information on the Blackberry, I found a very good weblog that is Blackberry specific.  Blackberrycool.com is a great place to find out what is new.  For example: Turn Your Blackberry Into Wireless Cash Register BlackberryCool - USA ePay has come out with a hardware attachment that will allow automatic credit card processing through the Blackberry. The device works on Blackberry handhelds that have OS 4.0 installed. The program has already been tested and deployed. The first major customer is Prime Time Shuttles, which has been testing the device in its LA location and will soon launch nation-wide. I can see it now, pizza delivery men and woman racing to the stores to buy a Blackberry. 8:45:58 AM