Thursday, July 31, 2003This site has an amazing collection of speeches. It has both text and audio of real speeches, plus speeches from the movies. [The J-Walk Blog]
7:03:26 PM
comment [] trackback [] Aerial photography from model aircraft
A few days ago slashdot mentioned video from a R/C helicopter. People have been aerial photography from model airplanes for decades and some of the work is very professional. Recently very small cameras and transmitters have become available. Check out... [tingilinde]
6:24:55 PM
comment [] trackback [] The Best and the Weirdest
Neurologist/writer Oliver Sacks made the selections for the latest collection of the Best American Science Writing. Mr. Sacks has eclectic tastes, which is reflected in this anthology. By Steve Kettmann. [Wired News]
1:48:11 PM
comment [] trackback [] Wednesday, July 30, 2003Some Bushisms since the "end" of the war (forwarded by Sara)... The casual observer from another planet might conclude that W is a professional clown. "Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the road map to peace."Washington, D.C., July 25,... [tingilinde]
2:45:50 AM
comment [] trackback [] The language of threatening letters to King David
Czech linguist Bedrich Hrozny first identified Hittite in 1915. It's an extinct Indo-European language that I thought would be of limited interest when I mentioned it in a previous post. However, I've been urged to share some related links, like this one which explains why Hittite is a black sheep in the IE family, this one, which contrasts the phonetics of Hittite and its relatives, a morphology page with many examples in Hittite and a short description of the relationship between Hittite and Sanskrit.
If you haven't gotten your fill, there's Translated Hittite texts [MetaFilter]
2:11:26 AM comment [] trackback []
Tuesday, July 29, 2003A former Iraqi intelligence officer, Sabi al-Hamed, made a career of keeping quiet. Now he wants to talk, and it is the dead he talks about. By Neela Banerjee. [New York Times: International]
2:50:43 PM
comment [] trackback [] No bones about it
the kid in the orange shirt has no bones. [Windows Media, 3.7mb] [MetaFilter]
2:41:10 PM
comment [] trackback [] Internet Explorer's market share now 95.4%
Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) now has a record market share of 95.4%, according to the most recent report by Web analytics firm OneStat.com. IE 6.0 has 66.3% of the market, with 14.5% for IE 5.5 and 12.7% for IE 5.0. "Mozilla is in fourth place with 1.6% of the market, but the total market share for browsers based on Mozilla technology is about 4.1%. The alternative browsers -- Opera Software's Opera and Apple's Safari -- barely register on the chart, with 0.6 and 0.25% of the market, respectively" reports WinInfo. The OneStat press release is here. [onlineblog.com]
2:35:26 PM
comment [] trackback [] Astronomers Chart the Unseen Between the Stars
Once restricted to looking at the pearly lights of stars, astronomers increasingly look for what they cannot see in the darkness between the stars. By Dennis Overbye. [New York Times: Science]
2:20:27 PM
comment [] trackback [] The End of Time
"Julian Barbour, a theoretical physicist, has worked on foundational issues in physics for 35 years. He is responsible for a radical notion of "time capsules which explain how the powerful impression of the passage of time can arise in a timeless world"... Cosmologist Lee Smolin notes that Barbour has presented 'the most interesting and provocative new idea about time to be proposed in many years. If true, it will change the way we see reality. Barbour is one of the few people who is truly both a scientist and a philosopher.'" The Edge [Follow Me Here...]
2:06:00 PM
comment [] trackback [] Iraqis Log On to Voice Chat
And I thought I was really starting to like instant messaging.... "If the government knew what I was doing, I am sure they would kill me, because they would think I was a spy," says Al-Sharqi.
[Meerkat: An Open Wire Service: O'Reilly Network Weblogs]
2:04:20 PM
comment [] trackback [] Zilstra's Multilingual Blog Chataqua
While this Heavenly City is on pilgrimage on earth, it calls out all peoples and so collects a society of aliens, speaking all languages. [Blogalization Community]
1:53:56 PM
comment [] trackback [] Travel Blogs - a smorgasboard of selections
My friend Chris Cloud over at CloudTravel has a great travel blog. He also has a great post about other travel blogs that he finds interesting. [Ernie the Attorney]
1:24:43 PM
comment [] trackback [] Slashdot on Microsoft's Forgotten Mistakes
seattlenerd writes "In light of all of the hype about how much cash Microsoft is sitting on, it's good to be reminded that they do fail. A lot. This piece in Seattle Weekly points out some of the many failures ... [Slashdot]
12:55:19 PM
comment [] trackback [] Monday, July 28, 2003A [BBC] collection of your visions for the year 2020.
4:30:43 AM
comment [] trackback [] The World Votes
"464 days from now, U.S. citizens will elect their new President. The outcome of these elections directly influences the lives of citizens around the world. In an effort to establish global democracy, theworldvotes.org gives people all around the world a voice in the forthcoming U.S. Presidential Election." [Blogalization Community]
2:02:34 AM
comment [] trackback [] Big Brother.. is tracking you [Telepolis News]
1:18:24 AM
comment [] trackback [] German Constitutional Court Blocks Napster Suit
djmutex writes "In an urgent ruling, the German Constitutional Court has temporarily blocked the Napster copyright violations class action of several American recording companies and artists against Bertelsmann... [Slashdot]
12:59:16 AM
comment [] trackback [] The Global Mind
Guardian Unlimited [Daypop Top 40]
12:41:20 AM
comment [] trackback [] Sunday, July 27, 2003DoraLives writes "Ok then, what are we going to do with Hubble? Eventually, it MUST come down. The New York Times has a piece that addresses this less than ... [Slashdot]
8:49:31 PM
comment [] trackback [] Equity Is Elusive in South Africa
for many people of mixed race, a group long caught in the middle of South Africa's racial divide, life seems to have gotten harder since apartheid's end. By Lydia Polgreen. [New York Times: International]
6:39:29 PM
comment [] trackback [] Books Spirited to Safety Before Iraq Library Fire
Alia Muhammad Baker, a 50-year-old librarian, rescued about 30,000 books from Basra's Central Library. By Shaila K. Dewan. [New York Times: International]
6:35:58 PM
comment [] trackback [] Saturday, July 26, 2003A bottle containing a message from a refugee fleeing the Nazis during World War II is found on a remote Swedish beach. [BBC News | Europe | World Edition]
5:58:29 PM
comment [] trackback [] Krishnamurti
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
[Quotes of the Day]8:59:13 AM
comment [] trackback [] Books Go To War: Between 1943 and 1947, the Council on Books in Wartime published 1322 small-format books (4 in. x 5.75 in. âo[per thou] designed to fit easily into the pockets of service uniforms) for distribution to United States service personnel. These books were unabridged volumes spanning a variety of topics: popular fiction, humor, classic literature, music, psychology, war stories, etc. Because the books were distributed only to overseas troops, and printed on cheap paper (intended to be read, passed around, and discarded), they've become hard-to-find, the subject of museum exhibits and, in the case of the rarer titles, the object of collectors' desire. [MetaFilter]
6:45:21 AM
comment [] trackback [] Things They've Learned: Why bother figuring out universal truths for yourself when someone else has already done it for you. Find out how a neurotic comedian, a sausage magnate, a genome decoder, and the world's most famous nuclear power plant safety inspector distill life's truths into twenty or so insightful and humorous statements. [MetaFilter]
6:32:07 AM
comment [] trackback [] Gates Provides Windows Crash Statistic. cybercuzco writes "In an otherwise innocuous article at they NYT (FRRYYY) Bill Gates says that according to error reporting software in windows, 5% of all ... [Slashdot]
5:20:11 AM
comment [] trackback [] Seeking Hussein and His Successor: History in a War Zone. Three new documentaries focusing on the American war in Iraq offer an object lesson in the perils of trying to record history as it happens. By Laura Miller. [New York Times: International]
3:56:41 AM
comment [] trackback [] Growth Job Sector: Freelance Technical Support. An anonymous reader wrotes: "Over at World New York, they've posted excellent advice to the geek masses: If you're out of work and know how to use a computer, ... [Slashdot]
12:29:14 AM
comment [] trackback [] Friday, July 25, 200311:54:46 PM
comment [] trackback [] Introduction to the Theory of Relativity Part III: General Relativity. This is the third of a series of elementary, informal, and mostly equation-free articles descibing the Theory of Relativity in physics. The series will have four installments: Part I: History This described the history of ideas in the development of relativity. Part II: Special Relativity This described Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. Part III: General Relativity This gives at least a taste of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which extends the Special Theory to cases involving acceleration and gravity. Part IV: Implications, Controversies, and Miscellany This will address implications of the Theory of Relativity, controversies both old and modern, experimental evidence, and anything else that isn't covered in the first three installments. This installment gives a taste of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. It does not assume much knowledge about physics, but it does assume familiarity with the ideas developed in Part I and especially Part II. [kuro5hin.org]
4:40:01 AM
comment [] trackback [] Thursday, July 24, 20037:52:39 PM
comment [] trackback [] Do Amazing Things -- For 60 Days. For a small shipping and handling fee, you can get a copy of Microsoft's Do Amazing Things DVD-ROM. Among other things, it contains a full-length movie, and a series of short films shot in high-definition video. But, according to a post in a private newsgroup, the movies expire after 60 days. "Clicking and launching one video will start a 60 day countdown for all of them". This fact, of course, is not mentioned on the web site or on the DVD packaging. So, basically, this is just some kind of...[MORE] [The J-Walk Blog]
7:51:36 PM
comment [] trackback [] Meditation in the Workplace?. prostoalex writes "Nortel, Texas Instruments, Raytheon, Google, Apple and many others are apparently finding meditation and yoga to be a very efficient way to ... [Slashdot]
7:45:56 PM
comment [] trackback [] He, like, hits the notes with his mind. "Un-******-believable" is how this link was related to me, and I think you will agree. The link is a video showing a player of a DDR-type synchrony game involving buttons musical notes. I found his display a simply stunning display of human adaptability. Wow! [MetaFilter]
3:43:35 PM
comment [] trackback [] "Saving the Net". The editor of LinuxJournal, Doc Searls, has a very interesting article about how regulation in the telecommunications and broadcast industries is leaking its way into the Internet. [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service: O'Reilly Network Weblogs]
5:46:34 AM
comment [] trackback [] Take 2 Thorazine & call me in the morning.. The American Gallery of Psychiatric Art. 'Sanity For Sale: 1960-2000'. Magazine advertisements for psychiatric medications in the latter half of the twentieth century. [MetaFilter]
5:36:46 AM
comment [] trackback [] Translocations. An online exhibition of network-based art from Brazil, China, Croatia, India, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. [Blogalization Community]
5:12:38 AM
comment [] trackback [] The Bloggy Politic.
John Palfrey points to an interesting Boston Globe article on the impact of blogs on the current election cycle: "'Blogs' shake the political discourse." Rick Klau, in the article, discusses why voter trust and blogging may go hand in hand: "These are very honest opinions, and they're not poll-tested." Note that Rick puts his savvy where his mouth is, and has been helping the Dean campaign add features to its official blog.
But as Dave Winer and others have noted, while blogging candidates are exciting they are just part of the equation and it's the folks on the ground who may supply coverage and information about the 2004 U.S. elections the likes of which we've never experienced. Stop by Cameron Barrett's Watchblog: 2004, for example, for some multi-party, multi-editor immersion in the issues and candidates. [via Sabrina Pacifici]
[Bag and Baggage]12:04:38 AM
comment [] trackback [] Wednesday, July 23, 20031:10:57 PM
comment [] trackback [] Homage to Blogalonia. George Orwell's wartime columns have much in common with today's blogs: They were often trivial and idiosyncratic, but bore within them the seeds of something greater. [Der Schockwellenreiter]
1:00:46 PM
comment [] trackback [] Tuesday, July 22, 200311:38:07 PM
comment [] trackback [] Manuel de Pedrolo: Catalan Master. A translation languishes, an undiscovered country awaits. [Blogalization Community]
11:01:20 PM
comment [] trackback [] QTVR Panorama: underwater wonderlands.
Photographer and QTVR enthusiast
Hans Nyberg points us to a delicious new underwater panorama from Nelson Bay Australia (Link),
by Mal Yeo who created the very popular Tulamben Wreck panorama from Bali last year. Discuss
[Boing Boing Blog]
10:02:11 PM comment [] trackback []
Thoughts on micro-content, metadata and trends. My investors, my readers and a variety of other people keep trying to get me to explain what I'm interested and why I'm interested in it. Here's a first shot at this. Thanks to Steph, Kevin Marks and others on #joiito for a first pass edit. I've put it on the wiki as well so we can continue to work on this. [Joi Ito's Web Lite]
9:48:35 PM comment [] trackback []
'The Real World, Yellowstone': Wolves on View All the Time. Wolf biologists can now watch packs of wolves go about the full range of their lives, from hunting to raising pups to courtship rituals and sex. By Jim Robbins. [New York Times: Science]
8:19:44 PM comment [] trackback []
New Detector May Test Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. Scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara have devised a motion detector capable of detecting displacement on an atomic scale. By Henry Fountain. [New York Times: Science]
8:19:24 PM comment [] trackback []
Astronomers Report Evidence of 'Dark Energy' Splitting the Universe. Astronomers say they have uncovered evidence by comparing maps of heat emanating from the fading remnants of the Big Bang to maps of the modern universe. By Dennis Overbye. [New York Times: Science]
8:18:02 PM comment [] trackback []
Jonathan Peterson: "The same tools and technologies that are empowering Amateur content creation are also empowering the next generation of entrepeneurs." [Corante: Corante on Blogging]
8:09:33 PM comment [] trackback []
The Mystery of Life: Solved!. Yes, the mystery of life has been solved. And the answer is 4.
Scientists have found a simple mathematical relationship that connects the whole of nature, from the tiniest cell to the vast forests of the Amazon. The connections are all based on the three dimensions of the physical world - length, depth and width - plus one, making the number 4.
And this is quite amazing to me:
...the heart of every mammal beats roughly the same number of times in its average lifetime - around 1.5 billion tim...[MORE] [The J-Walk Blog]
6:57:58 PM comment [] trackback []
Palm-a-forming the ocean. 
Thomas sez, "On the shores of the United Arab Emirates, arguably one of the coolest (and certainly one of the largest) engineering projects in the world is taking place. 100,000,000 cubic metres of sand and rock is being formed into two huge, palm-shaped islands, each with about sixty kilometres of beach and big enough to be seen from space. Designed as a luxury city for Dubai's (and the world's) very wealthy, it sounds like something out of a science fiction novel: but it's real. Amazing what a few billions in oil fortunes will let you play around with."
(Thanks, Thomas!)
[Boing Boing Blog]
6:54:18 PM comment [] trackback []
Virtual Dali. A wonderful website about the great surrealist. Plain brilliant. Via dublog. [The Cartoonist]
6:51:28 PM comment [] trackback []
The Omni Group profiled. The Seattle Times profiles Will Shipley and The Omni Group in Omni sees Macintosh future in Microsoft's back yard... [Mac Net Journal]
6:32:17 PM comment [] trackback []
The World Summit on the Information Society. "Civil society" gears up for Geneva and Tunisia talks on the digital divide, basic communications rights. [Blogalization Community]
6:12:18 PM comment [] trackback []
The Sharer of Secrets - Anonymous Blogging
The Village Voice had a very nice long piece on anonymous blogging that hangs on the story of Hasidic Rebel using an anonymous blogging tool called Invisiblog. Invisiblog uses GPG and the Mixmaster anonymous remailer network which allow blogging without any need to divulge identity.
"Political activists, independent journalists, whistleblowersâo[per thou]anyone who is prevented from publishing by repressive laws or threats of violence" can benefit from covert-blogging software, writes Charles Farley of Invisiblog. Indeed, over the past year, online diarists in Cuba, Iran, and Tunisia have been jailed for publishing. Like these writers, Yeedel and several other Hasidic bloggers have put their lifestyle, if not their lives, on the line with their contentious chronicles.
Interestingly much of the writing on invisiblog blogs is much more about emotions and feelings than politics or revolution. It feels stragely like evesdropping on a phychiatric session instead of listening to a bullhorn-wielding, masked anarchist.
[By way of BoingBoing]
[Corante: Amateur Hour]5:57:05 PM
comment [] trackback [] Remembering the Dragon. Remembering the Dragon On July 20th, 1973, Bruce Lee died, a month before the premiere of the film that would affirm his star power to Hollywood. As of 2003, an exhibition, a DVD boxset, a documentary and global fan worship continue to mark his rise to immortality. As far as a younger I was concerned, he'd already achieved it in his lifetime (viewing note...cable channel AMC will be airing the above-mentioned movies and documentary as part of a tribute this coming weekend). [MetaFilter]
5:49:31 PM
comment [] trackback [] Biz Stratergy MS uses. Google: the God that failed? is the title of the article on MSN Slate. All of us know Microsoft is working on a new search engine technology. Till date everyone considers Google to be the Guru. MS obviously doesn't like that, so what it is doing? Well, the same thing it always does - to survive competition, eliminate it. The reasons being given by the article are pretty silly and more aimed at 'faming down' Google. Here's why... [MetaFilter]
5:43:29 PM
comment [] trackback [] A Poli-Geek's Wet Dream. GWU's Encyclopedia to the 2003/2004 Election Cycle - I was impressed when I checked out "Democracy In Action", GWU's excellent breakdown of everything political in the 2003/2004 cycle. It features an excellent detailed comparison of Democratic presidential candidates (e.g., here's my personal fave) featuring their voting record, stances, finances, and organization. Also, you can understand how a candidate campaigns in NH or IA, see ads that were placed by interest groups, check out which member of congress has endorsed who, where all the staffers from the 2000 election are working now, -- you can even see who's on the Green Party's Presidential Exploritory Committee. Thanks, GWU -- I'll never be productive ever again! [MetaFilter]
5:42:22 PM
comment [] trackback [] Reliving Comics' Days of Infamy. Cartoonists gather to remember the bad old days when critics linked crime to comic books, and self-imposed restrictions turned into kryptonite for the industry. Randy Dotinga reports from San Diego, California. [Wired News]
5:33:39 PM
comment [] trackback [] Assessing 'The Mac Factor'. To keep tabs on one of Microsoft's key adversaries/partners, we've amassed all our Mac-related news and commentaries in a single spot. Check out the Microsoft Watch 'The Mac Factor' page. [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley]
5:29:03 PM
comment [] trackback [] Woz Reveals Plans. Woz reveals what his company does... [MacRumors]
4:58:27 PM
comment [] trackback [] 
Arf! An exhibition of photographs in which dogs behave like people... and people are transformed into dogs: Photography as a Fine ARF! [The Cartoonist] 4:56:48 PM
comment [] trackback [] Monday, July 21, 20033:31:27 AM
comment [] trackback [] 
Oi mate, you looking at my bird! A dictionary of London Slang. Fantastic.The English language contains a rich array of slang words and phrases. This can be particularly seen when examining the day to day language of the average Londoner. A great many London slang terms derive from the Cockney tradition and fall into the bracket of 'Rhyming Slang'. Other terms have been introduced by the influx of other cultures into the capital. The resulting mishmash has created what academics sometimes call 'Estuary English' (after the area of the Thames Estuary), although this term is used more to describe the accent used in the area. [The Cartoonist]
1:06:27 AM comment [] trackback []
Taboo. "The aim of this activity is to tell you something about your moral intuitions. It comprises twelve questions.
...The intention is to demonstrate that there are tensions in the way that people reason about morality. One important tension has to do with how central the idea of harm is to many moral frameworks. Previous research suggests that... most people judge the scenarios presented here to involve neither harm to the protagonists nor to anybody else; but that, regardless, plenty of people still think that these scenarios depict acts which are morally wrong... " The Philosopher's Magazine [Follow Me Here...]
12:46:54 AM comment [] trackback []
Unbrand America. A Plague of Black Dots: "In the coming months a black spot will pop up everywhere . . . on store windows and newspaper boxes, on gas pumps and supermarket shelves. Open a magazine or newspaper - it's there. It's on TV. It stains the logos and smears the nerve centers of the world's biggest, dirtiest corporations.
This is the mark of the people who don't approve of Bush's plan to control the world, who don't want countries 'liberated' without UN backing, who can't stand anymore neo-con bravado shoved down their throats.
This is the mark of the people who want the Kyoto Protocol for the environment, who want the International Criminal Court for greater justice, who want a world where all nations, including the U.S.A., are free of weapons of mass destruction, and who pledge to take their country back.
![[Image 'http://www.adbusters.org/home/images/2003_07_04/unbrand.gif' cannot be displayed]](http://www.adbusters.org/home/images/2003_07_04/unbrand.gif "xxx")
Take the pledge and spread the meme." Adbusters [Follow Me Here...]
12:32:10 AM comment [] trackback []
Sunday, July 20, 20039:04:39 AM
comment [] trackback [] 'The Great Wave': A Fateful Encounter of Nations. The opening of the Japanese mind in the 19th century incited a reciprocal awakening in America, writes Christopher Benfey. By William Deresiewicz. [New York Times: International]
9:02:33 AM
comment [] trackback [] Mars is getting close, real close. "This summer Mars will be the brightest it will ever be in our lifetimes." On August 26?27 Mars will be the closest it has been in 60,000 years. Some viewing tips can be found here. You can generate different viewpoints with NASA's Solar System Simulator as some have done recently. [MetaFilter]
1:44:47 AM
comment [] trackback [] Big Blue Marble. The Blue Marble ... true color global imagery at 1km resolution. [MetaFilter]
1:28:54 AM
comment [] trackback [] Saturday, July 19, 2003Permalink Created Sat, 19 Jul 2003 [The J-Walk Blog]
7:07:31 PM
comment [] trackback [] German Official Says Europe Must Be U.S. Friend, Not Foe. Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer of Germany said in Washington that a strong future Europe must not be developed in rivalry with the U.S. By John Vinocur, International Herald Tribune. [New York Times: International]
4:03:55 AM
comment [] trackback [] I usually don't write about politics here, but Doc Searls and others' coverage of Howard Dean has me paying attention. Sounds like something big is underway here (see Doc Searls post about Howard Dean). 80,000 people donating money to a political candidate? Yeah, in the meta scheme of things, that's not a lot of people, but, dang, it is a big deal to see that kind of movement from grass roots. OK, Howard, I'm paying attention now. [The Scobleizer Weblog]
3:36:18 AM
comment [] trackback [] Jack, we hardly knew ye. Six Degrees of Jack Nicholson (Photoshop mastery). [Jeffrey Zeldman Presents: The Daily Report]
2:50:16 AM
comment [] trackback [] Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela!. "Every time he walks into a room we all feel a little bigger. We all want to cheer because we'd like to be him on our best day."
Der Mann, über den Bill Clinton diese Sätze sagte, wird heute 85: Nelson Mandela.
Nelson Mandela gratulieren? Kein Problem: »Aus diesem Anlass hat die südafrikanische Telefongesellschaft Telkom Telefonleitungen -- von Deutschland aus 0027 12 626 3352 (0027 12 MANDELA) -- eingerichtet, über die Gratulanten anrufen oder ihre Glückwünsche per... [Industrial Technology & Witchcraft]
2:40:20 AM comment [] trackback []
Web Zen: Cartoon Zen. etch-a-sketch | flea toon | walmart | unh! project | drawn and quarterly | kevin cornell | edward gorey
web zen home, web zen store, Discuss (Thanks, Frank) [Boing Boing Blog]
2:13:19 AM comment [] trackback []
Separation of anxiety and depressive disorders:. Blind alley in psychopharmacology and classification of disease:
"No new drugs for mood and anxiety disorders have reached the market for over a decade. Why is there so little innovation in a sector that accounts for the largest proportion by far of sales of psychiatric drugs?This is an exceedingly important article which demands close attention. It in essence fires a shot across the bow of some very important vested interests in psychiatry, both financial and — more important, conceptual — and, if it attracts any attention, will surely provoke a backlash. I will certainly be looking in the letters section of the British Medical Journal over the coming weeks for the fallout. ... [Follow Me Here...]The current division between anxiety and depression is increasingly recognised as inadequate. In the community, most mood disorders present as a combination of depression and anxiety. Yet the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, which has become the world bellwether of drug approval, indicates drugs either for major depression or for the various forms of anxiety recognised by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). As a result, the pharmaceutical industry is compelled to develop drugs for diagnoses that are of questionable clinical relevance. This is one reason for the big slowdown in drug discovery in psychiatric drugs. A return to the former unitary classification of mood and anxiety disorders as nervousness or cothymia might represent a way out of this blind alley." British Medical Journal, Shorter and Tyrer, 327 (7407): 158
2:08:48 AM
comment [] trackback [] Proximity und Kommunikationstools. Howard, thanks for that link. I was even able to figure out where to find the RSS -feed of his Livejournal blog. Paul Resn... [thomas n. burg | randgänge]
1:24:49 AM
comment [] trackback [] Meet Bink. Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and consultant Steven Bink runs a site that provides the latest on Microsoft service packs, betas and other related matters. Here's an article about him and his site. [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley]
1:22:19 AM
comment [] trackback [] Weissrussland: Die anderen Formen der Zensur (BerlinOnline) [STOP1984]
1:03:58 AM
comment [] trackback [] Microsoft makes $9.9 billion in profit. Microsoft's sales grew by 11% to $8.07 billion in its fourth quarter, and it made a profit of $1.92 billion, after deducting $533 million in after-tax settlement charges (mainly the AOL lawsuit over Netscape). Over the full year, Microsoft's revenues grew by 13% to $32.19 billion, while profits increased from $7.83 billion to $9.99 billion after charges. (Operating income was $13.22 billion.) Reuters has the numbers in sumary form but they are all in the press release. [onlineblog.com]
12:46:56 AM
comment [] trackback [] Inkblot Passwords. TechnoPope writes "Microsoft Research a new way to get users to not only develop, but remember more secure passwords can be achieved through using inkblots. ... [Slashdot]
12:32:01 AM
comment [] trackback [] 
Amazing. The thingy on the left is a steam engine, invented by good old Heron. This and more at The Museum of Ancient Inventions. [The Cartoonist] 12:30:16 AM
comment [] trackback [] No kidding... really. Say hi to Hi!. The U.S. government launches Hi, a new Arabic-language lifestyle magazine targeted at 18-35 year olds in Middle Eastern countries. Story ideas for the first issue. [MetaFilter]
12:15:54 AM
comment [] trackback [] We'll never be able to say that we never saw it coming... Eyes in the Skies. Southeast Airlines has plans to install digital video cameras throughout the cabins of its planes to record the faces and activities of its passengers at all times. Furthermore, the charter airline will store the digitized video for up to 10 years. And it may use face recognition software to match faces to names and personal records. [MetaFilter]
12:11:22 AM
comment [] trackback [] Microsoft's Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Isn't. Peer into that crystal ball: Where will Microsoft make its biggest investments in fiscal 2004? [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley]
12:02:39 AM
comment [] trackback [] Friday, July 18, 200312:08:00 PM
comment [] trackback [] Hugh Hewitt on newspapers : "[They] refuse to read the map that is in front of their noses. âo[oe] The wise editor would instead allow the battle of the blogs to throw up champions and then ink them to multiyear commentary deals." [Corante: Corante on Blogging]
11:04:05 AM
comment [] trackback [] XeniFilter. Hipster Bingo is coming to your favorite rock club or coffee shop. [via boingboing] [MetaFilter]
11:02:37 AM
comment [] trackback [] Dear Mr. President:. The White House has a new system for email from the public. Dashing off a rant, a rave or a question to president@whitehouse.gov won't cut it anymore. Now it takes a maze of forms and clicks and filters. The first question: is this a supportive message or a differing opinion? Then you have to pick your topic from various menu lists. And list a name and address and email. And reply to an automated message making sure it's really your email. White House tech guy tells the NYTimes: "When it comes to a Web site, it's a bit like a movie. Some will say it's a tour de force; some will say it fell flat." Fun Fact: all emails are saved and must be publicly disclosed in 12 years. [MetaFilter]
10:57:52 AM
comment [] trackback [] Homeland Security Irony. I'm not the only person to notice the obvious irony of these two news articles: Microsoft chosen as exclusive Homeland Security contractor Microsoft admits critical flaw in nearly all Windows software It's astonishing how few people remember that just a... [CamWorld: Thinking Outside the Box]
1:48:20 AM
comment [] trackback [] Thursday, July 17, 20032:55:14 AM
comment [] trackback [] Tribute to George Orwell [ via STOP1984]
2:12:15 AM
comment [] trackback [] ghosts from the sky. The AMANDA II collaboration has just published the first map of the high energy neutrino sky. This is amazing science and is a bit more frigid than the old DUMAND detector. I had considered a postdoc with DUMAND but,... [tingilinde]
2:02:31 AM
comment [] trackback [] What Would Wink Do?. The Bush/Cheney campaign lets you look up campaign donors on their web page. With its help, we can now answer the burning question "Forget about me...who does the incredibly popular, beloved-by-millions television personality Wink Martindale support?"
Now we know. [MetaFilter]
1:16:33 AM comment [] trackback []
Who's who among digerati?. General Thinking "began in early 2001 as a collaboration between Remo Giuffré, Geoffrey Gifford, along with a shared intuitive desire to gather together a global Network of Thinkers who shared certain Beliefs." Their "roster" includes Erik "MetaDesign" Spiekermann and a variety of interesting folks. Friendster for the digerati? Always interesting to read what the elite think of their peers... [MetaFilter]
1:15:31 AM comment [] trackback []
How the President got spammed. Okay, let me recap, I want to be sure I haven't missed anything:
- Some Nigerian weirdo invents something about Nigerian selling Uranium to Iraq (must be in the same group of those sending you spam asking if they can move $4M to your bank account)
- then he sells the news to the Italian secret service
- they think appropriate to report to the British secret services
- who will then pass the news to the CIA
- who will send it over at the White House
- just in time to get it included in the President's address to the nation.
And somebody is accusing bloggers of not checking facts before posting? [Paolo Valdemarin: Paolo's Weblog]
12:00:01 AM comment [] trackback []
Wednesday, July 16, 200311:51:07 PM
comment [] trackback [] NL bloggers wanted!.
A call for bloggers in The Netherlands! I have been thinking with Lilia Efimova and Ton Zijlstra about getting bloggers together during the holidays and get to meet the people behind the blogs...we're thinking about doing something fun and informal, perhaps a picknick, on a Saturday?[Mathemagenic]
Who is in? Go to the comments field of this entry and let us know who you are, where you live and what period would best suit you. If you cannot attend, syndicate this entry to your blog or email your blogofriends.
Of course, it's going to a be a Dutch treat! And: you don't have to actually have a blog to come. It's going to be fun!
11:50:16 PM
comment [] trackback [] Semantic Studios: International Information Architecture. The ways we categorize are rooted in language and culture. This creates unique challenges for information architects. For example, a web site targeted for a Japanese audience may require a completely different structure and organization than its German equivalent. Localization isn't limited to translation. [Tomalak's Realm]
11:49:03 PM
comment [] trackback [] Cultural Assumptions in the Wiki World. The grandfather of all wikis on the terms of intercultural conversation. [Blogalization Community]
7:24:13 PM
comment [] trackback [] Marc of rotten.com running AIDS marathon -- donate!. Mark Powell from rotten really isn't all that rotten:
Link to online donation page, or email [marc at rotten dot com] to arrange an offline donation. Discuss [Boing Boing Blog]In June I began training for the Honolulu Marathon with the AIDS Marathon training program. The marathon takes place on December 14, 2003. The training program raises money for HIV services through sponsorships of volunteer runners like myself.
From June until December, I'll be logging nearly 500 miles in this six-month training program put on by the National AIDS Marathon. I train during the week, and have a 'big run' every Saturday at the crack of dawn in Golden Gate Park. This past weekend, I ran 8 miles, the longest I have ever run before in my life. Doing something I am not sure if I can do is a great thrill, almost as compelling as helping to combat the pandemic of HIV on this planet.
In San Francisco, 1 out of every 50 residents lives with HIV/AIDS. 40 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV. One million Americans are infected, and countless other lives are affected by HIV.
I would like to ask your support- I have personally committed to raise at least $3,000 by September 3, 2003. Any contribution you can make would mean a lot to me and to people who benefit from HIV service and prevention programs in the Bay Area. Contributions are tax deductible and can be made through the simple website listed below. By contributing, you will be making a huge difference in the lives of thousands of people you have never met, and you will help me to reach my goal of completing a marathon in the service of our fellow man.
7:00:31 PM
comment [] trackback [] One billion ends added.
Miles Yao has translated World of Ends to Chinese. Here it is.
Thanks, Miles!
[The Doc Searls Weblog]6:29:13 PM
comment [] trackback [] Mutating Strands of HIV. First Documented Case of HIV hybridization in a human being was presented at the International AIDS Society conference in Paris. In this case, genetic tests on a superinfected woman showed that the two strains she was infected with swapped genetic material, creating a new hybrid strain of HIV. The actual effects are not yet clear, but this could pose a serious problem for researchers trying to create a vaccine. [MetaFilter]
6:22:30 PM
comment [] trackback [] My God, it's full of stars!. Hubble Heritage Image Gallery. (Be sure to also check out the Index Listing for links to higher resolution versions of each of the images.) [MetaFilter]
6:14:07 PM
comment [] trackback [] Harry Hatchet in the Guardian: "It was a Norwegian Maoist who first pointed me towards the online world of weblogs, and after six months of linking and commenting, a group of ultra-Thatcherite libertarians invited me to a bloggers' dinner party. Such are the people you bump into in the blogosphere..." [Corante: Corante on Blogging]
4:06:53 AM
comment [] trackback [] Once Upon a Time in Africa. An anthology of folk tales, selected by Nelson Mandela with the help of experts, has demonstrated a popular interest in traditional African stories. By Felicia R. Lee. [New York Times: International]
4:03:06 AM
comment [] trackback [] Space.com: The 10 brightest stars. If, like me, you find yourself lingering outside in the cool summer night air to look up at the stars, then you may find Space.com's latest article about the 10 brightest stars interesting... [Mac Net Journal]
3:59:48 AM
comment [] trackback [] Portuguese Parliament to government officials: start blogging. BoingBoing pal Jean-Luc from Paris says:
Xeni, I don't know if you've already heard about this, but a new law was just unanimously passed in Portugal by deputies (Projecto Deliberacao number 10/IX) which provides all deputies the option of having their own website or blog (the word weblog is mentioned in the law!). The deputies' blogs will be hosted on the Portuguese Parliament's webserver. The original piece of news, blogged in Portuguese, is here, from July 07, and and I wrote about it here in French.I don't read Portuguese *or* French all that well, and I couldn't locate the law on the Portuguese government's website -- but if any readers have access to English language versions of the news, or care to provide a translation, please post in the Discuss forum! Discuss [Boing Boing Blog]
3:42:00 AM
comment [] trackback [] Reality shows: pointing the way to the panopticon future. As odious as reality TV shows are, they have the signal virtue of showing us how miserable life is in the absence of any privacy and ubiquitous surveillance.
So why reality shows? Reality shows are dead cheap. You think a million dollar prize is expensive? Each member of the cast of Friends that every night. To be competitive, a show like Survivor or Idiots in a Box hardly needs to beat "regular" shows to turn a profit. And, it turns out, that people will watch this stuff in huge quantities. (There are a couple interesting potential explanations for that, but I'll limit myself to the observation that sticking a bunch of people off the street with no special training or, apparantly, personality still produces a more interesting show with better dialogue than 90% of what the networks turn out. "Perhaps," mull the networks, "the problem is that the audience wants higher definition signals." Yeah, perhaps.) These shows thrive on feeding a never-ending appetite for more and more intimate/embarassing/private/dreadful behavior, and this drives an arms race to the bottom (as if there were a bottom). So why I am heralding them as being so important?
Because, magically, weirdly, just in time, they are teaching us what it means to be watched, all the time, and have all of your actions and interactions not only observed by millions of anonymous strangers, but analyzed, judged, and preserved forever. And this is a lesson that we, especially in the United States, desperately need to learn, because it is about to happen to all of us.
Discuss [Boing Boing Blog]
3:34:01 AM comment [] trackback []
I'm not Joi Ito, that's just my name. There is a lot of talk about identity these days. You MUST remember that identities are like names. You are NOT your identity. Your identity points to you. Everyone has multiple identities. Roger Clark describes this as the difference between entities and identities. You are an entity. Your name, your role in the company, your relationship with your child, they are different identities. Multiples identities isn't just about having more than one email address or chat room nym. A multitude of identities is an essential component in protecting privacy and interacting in an exceedingly digital world. [Joi Ito's Web Lite]
3:32:11 AM comment [] trackback []
Tuesday, July 15, 20032:05:51 PM
comment [] trackback [] Why We Die, Why We Live: A New Theory on Aging. Biologists and demographers are greeting with considerable enthusiasm a new theory of aging. By Nicholas Wade. [New York Times: Science]
2:27:55 AM
comment [] trackback [] a collection of archaeological sites. The French Ministry of Culture and Communication has put together a nice collection of mostly French (but today is Bastille Day) archaeological sites. As one might expect the cave of Lascaux is featured, but there is much more. Most of... [tingilinde]
2:24:12 AM
comment [] trackback [] Glocalization and Virtual Social Networks. via Blogalization: Glocalization: That's when Asterix takes over for Ronald McDonald but the mystery meat remains the same. Implications for networked individualism and social software design. ... [Channel 'social_software']
1:32:43 AM
comment [] trackback [] Parliament goes wireless for bloggers' summit... [Channel 'social_software']
1:13:13 AM
comment [] trackback [] Pentagon Alters LifeLog Project. Bending a bit to privacy concerns, the Pentagon changes some of the experiments to be conducted for LifeLog, its effort to record every tidbit of information and encounter in daily life. No video recording of unsuspecting people, for example. By Noah Shachtman. [Wired News]
12:45:37 AM
comment [] trackback [] Monday, July 14, 200311:55:30 PM
comment [] trackback [] State of the Union: Behind the Scenes. State of the Union: Behind the Scenes White House photos show Bush rewriting and rewriting the speech. [via Media Whores Online]
"I want to usher in an era of personal responsibility, and that begins in the Oval Office." -- George W. Bush
"I gave a speech to the nation that was cleared by the intelligence services." -- George W. Bush [MetaFilter]
11:51:43 PM comment [] trackback []
20 lies about Iraq. The independent chimes in on the falsehoods and exaggerations both leading up to and after the war. [MetaFilter]
7:32:45 PM comment [] trackback []
Sunday, July 13, 2003
(via Oblomovka) [Boing Boing Blog]
3:53:28 AM comment [] trackback []
Indian computer sales soar. Growing demand from the corporate sector and government departments boosts Indian computer sales by a third. [BBC News | Technology | World Edition]
3:50:20 AM comment [] trackback []
When Frontier Justice Becomes Foreign Policy. American intelligence organizations and military forces have embarked on an effort to kill Saddam Hussein in a campaign with no precedents in U.S. history. By Thomas Powers. [New York Times: International]
3:46:46 AM comment [] trackback []
Why People Still Starve. The real crisis of hunger in Africa is that it is so widespread, chronic and intractable. From Malawi, a chronicle of starvation foretold. By Barry Bearak. [New York Times: International]
3:46:32 AM comment [] trackback []
what real censorship looks like. Further Iranian Oppression. The "government" of Iran has evidently teamed up with Cuba in efforts to further suppress the growing democratic movement in Iran by jamming pro-democracy satellite broadcasts. Two un-elected governments combining forces to make sure that their will is enforced, not that of their citizens. [MetaFilter]
3:42:36 AM comment [] trackback []
Strange Clouds. ![[Image 'http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/images/strangeclouds/pekka1_strip.jpg' cannot be displayed]](http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/images/strangeclouds/pekka1_strip.jpg "Noctilucent clouds over Finland")
What are noctilucent clouds? "Good question. They hover near the edge of space, glowing electric blue. Some scientists think the clouds are seeded by space dust and fed by rocket exhaust. Others suspect they're a telltale sign of global warming. Whatever causes these mysterious clouds, they are lovely, and summer is a good time to look for them. Check our gallery of recent sightings." NASA
These are a relatively recent phenomenon, first seen in 1885 about two years after the Krakatoa eruption, which filled the atmosphere with volcanic ash worldwide., making sunsets so spectacular that evening skywatching became a popular pastime. [Follow Me Here...]
3:34:29 AM comment [] trackback []
Saturday, July 12, 2003"Caesar, now be still; I kill'd not thee with half so good a will."
Dies.
Alarum. Retreat. Enter Octavius, Antony, Messala, Lucilius, and the Army.
Hey, folks! See, it was the CIA's fault! Ok, nothing more to see here. [MetaFilter]
6:35:36 AM
comment [] trackback [] Quicktime video: Futurecop in Soweto. In what appears to be a faux corporate video spec piece, (about 15 megs, Link), a futuristic robot cop patrols chaotic streets of a developing nation. Update: Some folks are having difficulties loading the movie with that link -- try this direct link to the *.mov file instead. Discuss (Thanks, Marc) [Boing Boing Blog]
5:50:51 AM
comment [] trackback [] The Internet Under Surveillance
In his forward to the recent Reporters Without Borders report on the state of internet censorship, Vint Cerf, widely regarded as the "father of the Internet," calls for web users to exercise their critical thinking skills when accessing online information. (SearchEngineWatch) [STOP1984]
5:48:07 AM
comment [] trackback [] Iran Joins China in Blocking Blogs. Hoder: July 9 Unrest, Updates. Confirmed reports are saying that akunews (prominent student news website) and major blogging services websites... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]
5:41:30 AM
comment [] trackback [] Cringely On Electronic Tapping. sckienle writes "Robert X. Cringely, the PBS one, has an editorial discussing electronic wire-tapping and the Big Brother concerns. There isn't any new ... [Slashdot]
5:33:39 AM
comment [] trackback [] New Microsoft Public Sector Unit to Take on Linux. Microsoft is circling its wagons and planning to mergeits U.S. government and educational services businesses to head Linux off at the pass. [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley]
5:27:04 AM
comment [] trackback [] Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky and the neuronaut's guide to the science of consciousness. We are because of others. We are born into this world with minds as naked as our bodies and we have to rely on others to feed, clothe us, and to teach us to think of ourselves as selves. The key is language -- grammatical speech and human culture build upon the brain's biological capacities to create a mind that is something different again than that with which we are born. We are conscious because we can speak to others and ourselves, because we can speak of ourselves to others and ourselves. Language gives us as individuals, memory, and as groups, culture, the social memory. Or so thought Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky, among others. Welcome to the the neuronaut's guide to the science of consciousness. [MetaFilter]
5:25:11 AM
comment [] trackback [] Salon: From June 10, 1999; Can history survive Silicon Valley? [Tomalak's Realm]
4:57:39 AM
comment [] trackback [] The Economist: Storing e-text for centuries. Rather than invent a better mousetrap, they are using existing technology to imitate an important function of libraries. They want to ensure that readers will still be able to access electronic academic journals even centuries after they have been published. [Tomalak's Realm]
4:54:28 AM
comment [] trackback [] Friday, July 11, 20034:05:39 PM
comment [] trackback [] The Mythical Quest , an old exhibition at the British Library. 'Throughout the world, tales have always been told of heroes and heroines embarking on perilous quests in search of lost loved ones, the secret of immortality, earthly paradise or simply great riches. Many of these stories have elements in common, such as clashes with monsters, battles with the elements, interventions by the gods and tests of moral character, mental cunning and physical strength. These tales have been expressed in songs, literature, art and dance for thousands of years, and are still being reinterpreted today in books, comic strips, interactive games and adventure films.'
More British Library exhibits here, from early Indian photography to the secret life of maps.
Examples of mythical quests :- Monkey: Journey to the West (another version here, not to mention the TV series); the Ramayana (and the Ramakian, the Thai version); Cupid and Psyche at the Classics Pages (subject of a previous thread); the Holy Grail (more at the Catholic Enyclopaedia); the journey of Alexander the Great; Pilgrim's Progress and John Bunyan; the world of Dante and a map of Hell. [MetaFilter]
4:00:00 PM
comment [] trackback [] "Crash caused Lynch's 'horrific injuries' - The Washington Tim..." [Daypop Top 40]
3:46:29 PM
comment [] trackback [] "Winds of Change.NET: July 9 Carnival of the Liberties" [Daypop Top 40]
3:43:54 PM
comment [] trackback [] "an American edition" [Daypop Top 40]
3:41:44 PM
comment [] trackback [] "The Village Voice: Features: Big Brother Gets a Brain by Noah Shachtman" [Daypop Top 40]
3:38:37 PM
comment [] trackback [] Outsider Blogs Paint Bosnian Life. Interns working in Bosnia are using their blog journals to call attention to Bosnian families with stories of everyday experiences. The interns are with Bosfam, an advocacy organization supporting displaced Bosnian women and refugees. By Katie Dean. [Wired News]
2:25:16 PM
comment [] trackback [] Microsoft Lunch Humor. Microsoft's has a witty response to the free beer/free speech slogan. [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service: O'Reilly Network Weblogs]
2:13:02 AM
comment [] trackback [] What ever did you expect?.
A diplomat's undiplomatic truth: They lied. The U.S. may have found the smoking gun that nails the culprit responsible for the Iraq war. Unfortunately, it's in Dick Cheney's office. [Salon.com]
Was it ever in doubt?
Of course the next step is obvious.
America you're feeling sleepy... very sleepy...
[Curiouser and curiouser!]12:37:47 AM
comment [] trackback [] Draw your own conclusions.
[Curiouser and curiouser!]But nearly 100% watch television.
Frank Davies in the Philadelphia Inquirer: War poll uncovers fact gap. Excerpts:
A third of the American public believes U.S. forces have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, according to a recent poll. Twenty-two percent said Iraq actually used chemical or biological weapons.
But such weapons have not been found in Iraq and were not used.
Before the war, half of those polled in a survey said Iraqis were among the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001. But most of the Sept. 11 terrorists were Saudis; none was an Iraqi...
"It's a striking finding," said Steve Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, which asked the weapons questions during a May 14-18 poll of 1,256 respondents.
He added: "Given the intensive news coverage and high levels of public attention, this level of misinformation suggests some Americans may be avoiding having an experience of cognitive dissonance."
That is, of having their beliefs conflict with the facts. Kull noted that the mistaken belief that weapons had been found "is substantially greater among those who favored the war."
Pollsters and political analysts offer several reasons for the gaps between facts and beliefs: the public's short attention span on foreign news, fragmentary or conflicting media reports that lacked depth or skepticism, and Bush administration efforts to sell a war by oversimplifying the threat...
Several analysts said they were troubled by the lack of knowledge about the Sept. 11 hijackers, shown in the January survey conducted for Knight Ridder newspapers. Only 17 percent correctly said that none of the hijackers was Iraqi.
Draw your own conclusions.
12:36:25 AM
comment [] trackback [] Hubble Telescope Detects Planet Formed 13 Billion Years Ago. Tantalizing evidence from a distant region of primitive stars suggests that planets may be more abundant than previously suspected. By John Noble Wilford. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]
12:25:11 AM
comment [] trackback [] Everything About Everywhere. Nation Master An amazing resource that displays all sorts of comparative national statistics on practically everything, and with an option of selecting any region / list of countries you choose. It plugs itself as "The world's biggest general stat site" (which might or might not be true I don't know), and it has a wealth of data on economics, sports, population, geography and a dozen more categories. Some interesting statistics; Top 100 in Olympic medals per Capita. Top 100 Murders with firearms (per capita). Top 100 Military Expenditures as a percent of GDP . Top 100 Net migration rate .
A heaven for data freaks. [MetaFilter]
12:05:25 AM
comment [] trackback [] Thursday, July 10, 200311:57:31 PM
comment [] trackback [] The Onion | Bush Asks Congress For $30 Billion To Help Fight War On Criticism. The Onion | Bush Asks Congress For $30 Billion To Help Fight War On Criticism - the Onion is on top of things, as always. It isn’t the really crazy stuff that is funny, it is the stuff like this that is almost believable. Via Blogdex. [Puzzlepieces]
2:20:01 PM
comment [] trackback [] big lies and invented foes - why do we fall for them?. Why is it that people trust Bush and let him get away with certain - well - lies? Why did people focus on Bill Clinton's moral issues (which are common to many of the powerful caste - Kennedy, Johnson, Reagan,... [tingilinde]
2:18:39 PM
comment [] trackback [] Clash, Then Synthesis: Joys of a Laptop Jam. In an East Village bar, a weekly jam session draw performers who do their best work on silicon. By Johanna Jainchill. [New York Times: Technology]
1:37:28 PM
comment [] trackback [] Hot See-thru action! Radiography and Art. Hot See-thru action! Radiography and Art: The obliging X-ray can detect forgeries, reveal the hidden process of genius (Picasso 1 [6 pages], 2, 3), and even serve as a glorious medium itself (Innervisions; Beyond Light; Mefi thread The Secret Garden).
Intrigued? Perhaps you'll want to check out How to make radiographs on Polaroid film from noah.org's X-ray page. [MetaFilter]
1:19:27 PM comment [] trackback []
Internet Alive and Well in Russia. This Pravda article is a bit ridiculous. It claims that because 88% of all Russians have never used the Internet that therefore Russians are not interested in it. First of all, it completely ignores the fact that Internet access in... [CamWorld: Thinking Outside the Box]
4:48:44 AM comment [] trackback []
Brain Rat Cells in US Control Robotic Semi-Living Artist in Australia. Roland points us to a Georgia Institute of Technology news release announcing that U.S. and Australian researchers have jointly created "a new class of creative beings, 'the semi-living artist'." I don't know what all the fuss is about. I think the last couple of guys I've dated could be described as "semi-living artists," and at least one of them may well have been controlled by rat neurons.
Link DiscussA picture-drawing robot in Perth, Australia whose movements are controlled by the brain signals of cultured rat cells in Atlanta... the robotic drawing arm operates based on the neural activity of a few thousand rat neurons placed in a special petri dish that keeps the cells alive. The dish, a Multi-Electrode Array (MEA), is instrumented with 60 two-way electrodes for communication between the neurons and external electronics. The neural signals are recorded and sent to a computer that translates neural activity into robotic movement." The team hopes "to establish a cultured in vitro network system that learns like the living brains in people and animals do." Thi s summary contains images of the robotic arm and of a picture drawn by the 'semi-living artist.' It also contains other references to similar works.
[Boing Boing Blog]
4:44:52 AM
comment [] trackback [] Those Amazing Antigravity Machines?. surfimp writes "Wired is running an interesting article about 'lifters', hovering UFO-looking vehicles that have no moving parts, no onboard power supply, and ... [Slashdot]
4:21:47 AM
comment [] trackback [] Wednesday, July 09, 20035:31:32 PM
comment [] trackback [] Human Development Report, 2003. Did you know that... Aid fell in the 1990's[per thou]by nearly a third on a per capita basis in Sub-Saharan Africa? In Sub Saharan Africa, half the population lives on less than 1$ a day? At current rates Sub-Saharan Africa will not meet the poverty Goal until 2147? If all the food produced worldwide were distributed equally, every person would be able to consume 2,760 calories a day (hunger is defined as consuming fewer than 1,960 calories a day)? These and more facts can be found in the 2003 UN Human Development Report. [MetaFilter]
3:51:16 PM
comment [] trackback [] The Emerging Sixth Estate.
Blogging News
An emerging sixth estate in Global governance and influence is arising - the blogosphere. In this article I argue the case for the blgosophere being an emerging sixth estate rather than being an extension of the fourth estate - mass media. Some of you are perhaps sniggering and questioning "Blogs a power? Those personal journals that contain personal thoughts, journals about looking after kids, and personal biased crap?" Yes, these personal journals are becoming a real influence in global governance. [Elwyn Jenkins: MicrodocHeadlines]
1:27:52 PM
comment [] trackback [] Revolution in Iran.
A revolution is in the making in Iran tonight organized by young Iranians fighting for freedom. Tommorrow, July 9th, is going to be a date to remember in Iranian history, hopefully start of the path to freedom.
Tommorrow, we'll find out if those ellipses are blood drops for young Iranians and tear drops for rest of the world.
[Don Park's Daily Habit]1:05:47 PM
comment [] trackback [] Ambrose Bierce. "Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles." [Quotes of the Day]
12:36:09 PM
comment [] trackback [] Indigo Arts. Indigo Arts. Folk art from Africa, Asia, and the Americas - barbershop signs, Hindu gods, vodou, Cuban art and more. [MetaFilter]
5:07:41 AM
comment [] trackback [] USA: Privacy in the library? (Christian Science Monitor) [STOP1984]
3:54:28 AM
comment [] trackback [] Fury, God and the Pastor's Disbelief. A popular Lutheran pastor's atheistic remarks and subsequent suspension have set off a tsunami of theological discourse across Denmark. By Lizette Alvarez. [New York Times: International]
3:50:02 AM
comment [] trackback [] Monday, July 07, 20037:41:41 PM
comment [] trackback [] Washington Post. Wow. This is an amazing tale of how the Hollywood system works for the small guy (it is also similar to Silicon Valley and the music industry). [John Robb's Weblog]
6:56:23 PM
comment [] trackback [] The Tail Gunner Said It: 'I Love Them People'. Every year a French village honors the Fourth of July because, in 1943, it was the day that David Butcher fell to earth. By Savannah Waring Walker. [New York Times: International]
3:28:55 PM
comment [] trackback [] Sunday, July 06, 20033:53:12 AM
comment [] trackback [] Saturday, July 05, 20035:28:00 AM
comment [] trackback [] The Declaration: Read it again for the first time. You know, this is a pretty subversive and excellent document right here.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
Discuss [Boing Boing Blog]
5:27:23 AM comment [] trackback []
432: Cosmic Key. 432: Cosmic Key. 'A compendium of fact, theory and speculation relating
to the number 432, and its primary divisors and
multiples - 108, 216, 864, 1296; and also the
number 9 - being the sum of digits 4+3+2; with
excursions into many other mysterious and exotic
phenomena. ' Good clean fun. [MetaFilter]
5:08:33 AM comment [] trackback []
kaboom. You too can build thunderous and exciting matchstick rockets! [MetaFilter]
5:07:39 AM comment [] trackback []
Similar Solar System Found Only 90 Light Years Away. A team of British, Australian and American astronomers announced on Thursday that they had found a hint of home 90 light years away in the constellation Puppis. By Dennis Overbye. [New York Times: Science]
4:35:51 AM comment [] trackback []
Thursday, July 03, 20036:22:28 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.
Discuss [Boing Boing Blog]
5:47:45 AM comment [] trackback []
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, 19992) Daiwa Bank Ltd.
Type of Crime: Financial
Criminal Fine: $340 million
10 Corporate Crime Reporter 9(3), March 4, 19963) BASF Aktiengesellschaft
Type of Crime: Antitrust
Criminal Fine: $225 million
12 Corporate Crime Reporter 21(1), May 24, 1999
(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."
(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.
Discuss [Boing Boing Blog]
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]
4:50:40 AM comment [] trackback []
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]
4:36:59 AM comment [] trackback []
Tuesday, July 01, 20039:49:35 PM
comment [] trackback [] "Pentagon develops world's scariest machine gun" [Daypop Top 40]
3:59:16 PM
comment [] trackback [] 10 things to celebrate / Why I'm an anti-anti-American [Daypop Top 40]
3:53:42 PM
comment [] trackback [] Dear Sir: Your Credit Card Number Has Been Owned. An anonymous reader submits: "California has become the first state in the nation to require companies victimized by malicious computer attacks to disclose ... [Slashdot]
3:52:12 PM
comment [] trackback [] Kalifornisches Gesetz zur Meldung von Angriffen auf IT-Systeme in Kraft [heise online news]
3:51:54 PM
comment [] trackback [] Only in America -. Distinguished British historian Eric Hobsbawm writes, "Our problem is ...that the U.S. empire does not know what it wants to do or can do with its power, or its limits. It merely insists that those who are not with it are against it. That is the problem of living at the apex of the 'American Century.'" Chronicle of Higher Education [Follow Me Here...]
3:50:55 PM
comment [] trackback [] Library of Alexandria Internet Bookmobile. The Internet Archive's Ashley Rindsberg is in Alexandria, Egypt, setting up a print-on-demand system based on the Internet Bookmobile. Check out his progress at his Egypt blog. [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service: O'Reilly Network Weblogs]
3:49:30 PM
comment [] trackback [] Celtic Found to Have Ancient Roots. An ancient bronze tablet suggests that the Celtic speakers arrived in England and Ireland much earlier than the usual estimated date of 600 BC. By Nicholas Wade. [New York Times: Science]
3:15:40 PM
comment [] trackback [] Alexi Sayle. "Americans have different ways of saying things. They say 'elevator', we say 'lift'...they say 'President', we say 'stupid psychopathic git'...." [Quotes of the Day]
2:51:36 PM
comment [] trackback [] Interdependent Thoughts in Dutch and German.
Ton starts Dutch/German bilingual version of his blog. This makes me happy because only recently I thought that it would be nice for me to read some Dutch blogs to improve my Dutch. Any other suggestions of blogs in Dutch about KM/learning are welcome.
This thinking was inspired by two posts about blogs and language learning by Steffanie.
[Mathemagenic]2:26:08 PM
comment [] trackback [] Michelangelo masterpiece goes online:. "The Vatican is expanding its rather dry website - the 50 million visitors a month may be enthralled by the section headed Vatican Secret Archives, but will find it is still 'under construction' after eight years - to include virtual tours of the Sistine Chapel and many of the miles of galleries containing treasures from all over the world." Guardian/UK [Follow Me Here...]
4:45:17 AM
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