Friday, May 9, 2003

NGC 7293: The Helix Nebula (2003 May 10 ) [Astronomy Picture of the Day] 9:28:05 PM

Very interesting timing! Coincidentally, with all my talk about "pre-emption" on this blog, I received an e-mail from MoveOn.org about the Neo-conservatives in Washington and their "Project for the New American Century". It seems the group is largely responsible for pushing this military doctrine. They're getting more and more exposure these days: http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin/bulletin13.html 5:30:54 PM

ON HITLER'S HIGHWAY by Lech Kowalski. The second part of Lech Kowalski's Wild Wild East trilogy (after the punk cobblers of Boot Factory) is a trip down Hitler's Highway, a notorious stretch of road built by der Führer. Casual road movie approach initially disguises pic's cumulative impact. A worthy addition to Kowalski's down-and-out canon, docu should develop a reputation on the fest circuit (it won a Special Jury Prize in Amsterdam) before possible cable play. [Variety.com]   Lech Kowalski   ON HITLER'S HIGHWAY   Boot Factory [cinema minima] 4:07:24 PM

More history on Versailles, legal judgement, appeasement: (excerpt)* Germany had to accept the "War Guilt Clause" and pay reparations. The former happened in the sense that Germany signed the Treaty which meant that she accepted this term on paper - if not in fact. Germany did try and pay reparations when she could do so. She did not refuse to pay in 1922. She simply could not produce what was needed that year and this lead to the French invasion of the Ruhr. In the 1920's it was the Allies who took the decision to reduce reparations and eased Germany's plight in so doing. The first instance of refusal to pay reparations came in 1933 when Hitler announced that Germany would not pay - and the Allies did nothing. Therefore, throughout the 1920's, in nearly all parts of the Treaty, the terms were carried out. It was after 1933, that there was a systematic breaking of the terms when the Nazis came to power. Was the Treaty of Versailles actually carried out? 3:45:18 PM

Mastermind of Java. James Gosling created the programming language that brought the Internet to life. Today, he travels the world, evangelizing Java. [May 9] [Apple Hot News] 2:34:16 PM

The Context of Versailles, 1919 The Third Superpower comments on my post about Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles. I admit I'm a dope for not remembering that the US Senate rejected the treaty. However, my original post was not about the law. My point was that World War I started because of "pre-emptive" warfare, and I still think the current doctrine of pre-emption is a dangerous one. Maybe I'll be proven wrong over time, but for now, this is my belief. Harold Nicolson, a British delegate at Versailles, declared the treaties 'neither just nor wise', and called the delegates 'very stupid men'. But Winston Churchill believed that the treaty was the best that could be achieved, and that 'the wishes of the various populations prevailed'. -> Click here for More on the Treaty of Versailles Postscript. The Treaty was definitely implemented and enforced, though it never received US ratification. This is how I got the facts confused. 1:33:56 PM

This thing is ugly. They should stick to paint jobs similar to autos. Rubber ducky robot? New Home Robot [Street Tech] 11:51:24 AM

What's missing? Almost everything: Wine. Champagne. Cognac. Whisky. Cocktails. I can't do everything, can I? Instead have a look at The Painted Anvil - The best in Classic Pin-Up and Comicbook 'Girly' Art. With a beer. [The Cartoonist] 3:12:16 AM

Dr. Dre To Pay $1.5 Million For Copyright Infringement. MTV is reporting that Dr. Dre has been ordered to pay $1.5 million to the copyright holder (London-based Minder Music Ltd.) of a track he illegally used in his latest album. According to Dre, he consulted a musicologist who said the riff was commonplace and then hired a musician to play the bassline for "Let's Get High". [Zeropaid - The File Sharing Portal] 3:08:49 AM

Seguito. [Network Games] 2:50:04 AM

telepiù.  Rupert Murdoch, grande sostenitore di Bush e della guerra [Network Games] 2:47:22 AM

I can't help it. I find myself laughing at Ari Fleischer's stale response to everything. How many more years do we have to wait before this is over? Can I vote right now please??? -- White House Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer, said: "First of all, I've never heard of the fellow. Second, I'm not going to dignify it with a response." -- Good 'Red' Ken. Livingstone attacks President Bush. London Mayor Ken Livingstone launches an outspoken attack on US President George W Bush, labelling him "corrupt". [BBC News | Front Page | UK Edition] [The Cartoonist] 2:31:20 AM

Pandora: Love and War. Our very first Pandora Trade Paperback hit stores this week, so here's a preview of Pandora: Love and War. Pandora's story has continued for thousands of years as she has fought the evil she set free so long ago, and we have told her tales in many different eras up through the present day. In this saga written by Robert Lugibihl (Avengelyne) with art by Phil Xavier (Steven Grant's Mortal Souls), the Girl of Myth encounters Alexander the Great: Pandora, the Girl of Myth, comes to her first TPB collecting the critically acclaimed three part Pandora: Alexander the Great story from the pages of Threshold. Pandora has lived for thousands of years fighting to put the evil she released back into the box she inadvertently released it from. But even an immortal must fall in love and Pandora falls for the legendary Alexander the Great as he conquers all he surveys. But can any human that powerful really be able to avoid the corrupting forces of evil that Pandora has sworn to defeat? [Avatar Press] 1:16:44 AM

Weird comic strip in current issue of Net Runner. Is this guy supposed to be me? The current issue of Net Runner, a magazine published by ZDNet Japan, has story on weblogs. The first page of the section has a comic strip of some fat guy looking at a site that says "Joji Ito's site on how to lose weight and become popular with girls" (rough translation) who goes on to lose weight with a screen that looks like blog entries of the progress. I don't know if they're making fun of me or acknowledging the fact that blogs actually help you lose weight. I assume both. By Joichi Ito jito@neoteny.com. [Joi Ito's Web] 12:58:00 AM