..what God thinks of us. [Archipelago] 
6:22:28 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Japanese company trademarks "Blog". A Japanese company filed for a trademark on the word "Blog" on March 6 and received it from the Japanese trademark office on June 28. This trademark would be utterly bogus in the US, but I don't know enough about Japanese trademark law to figure out if it's enforceable there.

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Corporate crime hall of shame. This roundup of the top 100 corporate criminals of the past decade is pretty revolting.

1) F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
Type of Crime: Antitrust
Criminal Fine: $500 million
12 Corporate Crime Reporter 21(1), May 24, 1999

2) Daiwa Bank Ltd.
Type of Crime: Financial
Criminal Fine: $340 million
10 Corporate Crime Reporter 9(3), March 4, 1996

3) BASF Aktiengesellschaft
Type of Crime: Antitrust
Criminal Fine: $225 million
12 Corporate Crime Reporter 21(1), May 24, 1999

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(via Ambiguous) [Boing Boing Blog] 
5:46:39 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Scott McCloud launches online micropayment comic. Zed sez, "For years, Scott McCloud has been lamenting the lack of a good micropayment system for ecommerce, which could make paid web comics viable. Well, he's finally giving it a shot, releasing a comic (the first chapter of what will be a 3 chapter work) for $.25 through BitPass, a service by which you purchase a credit of at least $3 by Paypal or credit card, from which micropayments can be deducted. This could be huge."

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(Thanks, Zed!) [Boing Boing Blog] 
5:46:02 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Google gag. Go to google.com, type in "Weapons of Mass Destruction," and hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button for a good laff. Link Discuss (Thanks, Brad!) [Boing Boing Blog] 
5:45:03 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Herman Miller ships austere Aeron. Herman Miller is shipping the Mirra, a new chair that costs half as much as the Aeron and symbolizes post-boom austerity.

Herman Miller hired a small German company called Studio 7.5 to design the chair; the group initially started developing an innovative seat back that could scale from a small woman's narrow frame to a tall man's broader shoulders. But the approach failed, three years into development. Then, in the spring of 2001, the designers hit upon the solution; the Aeron's signature mesh and aluminum construction has been replaced with a less expensive molded polypropylene back that comes in eight colors, from citron to garnet. Aesthetically, the Mirra borrows the biomorphic silhouette and the transparency of its precursor, but the materials are more commonplace. The result is a chair with less attitude; more like an iBook than a Titanium PowerBook.

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5:37:25 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Kyoto. A Year in the Life of a Kyoto Neighbourhood. Actually, more like about six months, but still a worthwhile project.
Related :- the Play of Light, Kyoto and Nepal at night.
Also :- seasons in the Natural History Museum garden, London. [MetaFilter] 
5:16:35 AM      comment []   trackback []  



Celebrity caricatures by Piven. Piven World - a fun flash portfolio of celebrity caricatures and portraits. I like his witty technique of incorporating "defining" objects. (via oink!) [MetaFilter] 
5:10:55 AM      comment []   trackback []  



US arrests alleged Nazi guard. US authorities seek to deport an alleged former Nazi death camp guard arrested in Michigan. [BBC News | Europe | World Edition] 
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Berlusconi jibe sparks EU storm. The EU is plunged into a grave diplomatic crisis after the Italian leader compared a German MEP to a Nazi guard. [BBC News | In Depth | 2003 | Inside Europe | World Edition] 
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