Saturday, July 26, 2003

Squid and Cuttlefish - RUsquid2? Squid Sensitivity The more electrophysiologist William Gilly learns about these mysterious denizens of the deep, the more they seem like an alien intelligence... RUsquid2 ?? permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

9/11 - The video game - so clueless. Words fail me. I got to work especially early that day. I did the usual routine of buying my coffee, going outside by West Street for my cigarette, and heading upstairs to the 87th floor to my office. I sat at my desk and responded to my e-mails when Amy, John, and Mike came in. Amy and I chatted, and it was about half past 8. Shortly after that I heard a noise, it sounded like I was on the platform of a subway station and the train was coming full speed ahead. I remember thinking "what the hell is that." It was then that I heard a crash, the ceiling came down, and fire consumed parts of the office and the entire hallway. via [MetaFilter] So sad it's incredible. And, if only they had a clue... permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

The Tango Electric Car This in from a Slashdot post and thread: "Here is an interesting Seattle Times story about a father-son built car in Spokane, Washington. What is most surprising is its top speed (130 MPH) and its weight (about the same as a Camry), and it runs on batteries!" Wherever the Tango stops, it draws a crowd and smiles. "Golf cart on steroids!" a guy yells. Others ask about performance (zero to 60 in less than 4 seconds) and batteries (80 miles per charge; three hours to recharge in a dryer socket). Even though it's Ferrari red, zooms from zero to 60 in four seconds, and has a sensuous black leather dash with the same Motech data display found in Grand Prix race cars, this is not your typical little red sports car. For starters, it's smaller. Or rather, smallest. At 39 inches wide and 8 feet 5 inches long, it's skinnier than some motorcycles and shorter than many a living-room couch. It runs on batteries, not gas. And, if the thing ever makes it out of Spokane and into consumer production - a big if - this two-person, commuter concept car could very well alleviate air pollution, cruise past freeway congestion, shimmy through urban gridlock and actually find a parking spot. [more] via [SlashDot] No, the image isn't squished, it really is that narrow. Lots of criticism at SlashDot, but, Want... need... permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

Howard Dean the Pets.com of politics? Phil Leggiere says: ...Inevitably all the good vibe coverage has spawned its own media backlash, with skeptics pointing out the limitations of the Dean model. J.P. Gownder, a Yankee Group analyst writing in the Washington Post Op-ed section, argues that Dean's campaign, despite the hype about electronic outreach, has failed to connect with poor, black and working-class citizens, remaining a movement of white, middle-class professional geeks, and other "knowledge workers" who already self-identify as liberals or progressives. He winds up warning that the Dean campaign may well wind up as the Pets.com of politics. I think his analysis of the limitations of the Dean campaign is pretty accurate, but that those limitations stem fundamentally from Dean's own limitations as a political leader and campaigner. Dean, after all, for all his moderate liberalism on many issues, is no populist, by style, temperament or inclination. Indeed his style is most reminiscent of such past mandarin mavericks as Eugene McCarthy, or, going even further back, Adlai Stevenson. His is not a style, or a program, made to resonate in any medium with the populist base Gownder talks about. The problem with the Dean campaign (and one should hasten to add it's been a brilliant campaign overall, making a contender out of someone who six months ago was given no chance of being one) is precisely that the candidate's intellectual premises and political message are not nearly so inventively radical as his media vision. via [Noosphere Blues] This guy's worth a frequent visit. permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

Dylan in darkest America [Salon] In "Masked and Anonymous," this summer's strange and brilliant must-see film, an aging troubadour is the last gleam of hope in a corrupt and dictatorial nation. By Stephanie Zacharek July 24, 2003 | There are going to be people who will see "Masked & Anonymous" five times, if not 20, simply because there are hundreds (if not thousands) of people in this world who think, "When it comes to Bob Dylan, why do something just five times when you can do it 20?" They'll search the movie arduously for every in-joke and reference (and there are lots); they'll ponder it, fetishize it, pick it apart as if they were trying to figure out what makes a pocket watch tick. But my advice is this: See it in one glorious shot, grab as much from it as you can and run like hell. I say that not because I hated "Masked & Anonymous," but because I loved it. "Masked & Anonymous" -- which opens in New York on Thursday, in Los Angeles on Friday and thereafter in other cities -- is an exhilarating and sometimes puzzling jumble that explores the dangers of power, the nature of Americana and the Bob Dylan myth, among many, many other things. I think the picture is less complicated than it thinks it is -- although perhaps it's complicated in ways that not even its director, Larry Charles (who has worked as a writer and producer on shows like "Seinfeld" and "Mad About You," and directed several episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"), or its star (and, reportedly, its screenwriter), Bob Dylan, would be able to explain. But one of the movie's wonders is the way it recontextualizes the work and legend of Dylan -- even at a time when we may begin wondering if there are any new contexts for Dylan at all. And another is the way it reminds us that Dylan is, first if not foremost, a guy with a sense of humor. "Masked & Anonymous" is a sideways allegory about an alternative America, a what-if scenario in which our United States -- our republic -- is ruled by a president who looks more like a South American dictator. As is usually the case in countries run by dictators, his image is everywhere, hung with a mix of reverence and contempt. With his dark nail-brush mustache and his cheap white officer's suit, he suggests menace more than benevolence. The Cast: Bob Dylan, John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Jeff Bridges, Val Kilmer, Ed Harris, Penelope Cruz. via [Wood's Lot] You'd need to get at least a "Day Pass" (watch a SPRINT ad) to read more. permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?