Tuesday 2 September 2003

CD-Rs deliver degrading experience This piece in The Register should worry anyone storing vital data on CD-R. It seems that the dyes used do degrade over time even if the discs are kept in the dark. 9:42:01 AM    comment []  Google It!

To Get the Phone, Drivers Are Willing to Risk Getting a Ticket With penalty points coming in to cover a wider range of offences including talking on a mobile phone while driving this piece in the New York Times might prove interesting reading. The piece notes that one year ago New York State banned driving while talking on a handset, and as a result the number of people doing so dropped by half. Now, however, usage figures are back to their old levels. Observers say that drivers perceive they won't be caught and so don't bother complying with the law. [New York Times: Technology] 9:01:57 AM    comment []  Google It!

Hugo Awards announced Last Saturday the 2003 Hugo Awards were announced. Last year Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring won on the first count and The Two Towers repeated that feat. I pretty much called the awards wrong. The only categories in which my first preference vote matched the initial outcome were in Dramatic Presentation Long Form (The Two Towers) and Fan Artist (Sue Mason). At least in the Novel category I had read the winner - Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer. Unfortunately in the short fiction categories I just didn't have the opportunity. If you're interested in the complete list of winners you can find it at the Torcon 3 or Locus Websites. 3:54:45 AM    comment []  Google It!

© Copyright 2003 David Stewart. Last update: 01/10/2003; 11:43:31.