September 23, 2002
While it's hard to say when the dotcom bubble began to burst, it's now officially clear when the internet stock bubble ended, which would be today. With the NASDAQ taking the first dip to 1996 levels, it's time to grab a Webvan-delivered 40oz out of your orange Kozmo-surplus bag and tip it in honor of all them Pets who still can't drive.
I vividly remember watching Ken Burns' amazingly great The Civil War during the Gulf War. Now that we're apparently having a Gulf War sequel, The Civil War has been remastered and re-released. The Washington Post jumps on the bandwagon with an online discussion with Ken Burns and a great Flash map of the campaign from the Seven Days to Antietam.
This may not make as effective a sales pitch
This may not make as effective a sales pitch as "weapons of mass destruction," but with two oil men in office, it can't be ignored as a possible ulterior motive to war in Iraq. Am I a cynic or should we be asking if this "preemptive" war is really about what they are saying it's about?
CodeDoc, a new exhibition at Whitney Artport, forces us to view the scripts and codes that generate software art before seeing the “art.” The other aspect of the curatorial premise: each artist's code must create art that connects three points in space.
[via rhizome].
[via rhizome].
Dr Venter says he will be able to provide an individual's genome on a CD in about a week for $712,000 (£400,000) from later this year with the ultimate goal to sequence someone's entire genome in 24 hours for $1,000 (£562).
Is Germany next on the list?
Is Germany next on the list? Well, no, but the way the Bush administration approaches diplomacy needs some work. Is a war in Iraq worth "poisoning" America's relationship with the international community?
Gore Assails Bush's Iraq Policy
Gore Assails Bush's Iraq Policy The text of former vice president Al Gore's speech before the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco.
The Trick Behind the Trick?
The Trick Behind the Trick? A great piece about the subtle and ongoing dismantling of democracy in America by the Bush Administration. What's so sad about this ongoing disaster is that there are no Republicans willing to stand up for liberty, when the last great speech by a President on our present danger was given by Eisenhower.
Ah, skydiving. The air around a dropzone, especially a big one like SkyDive Chicago, is pretty rarefied: a newcomer to the sport like myself is entirely lacking in cool, even if normal people think having made even one solo jump is pretty impressive. I'm certainly nowhere near the cool-level of the Golden Knights, the Army's team of crack parachutists. Speaking of them and SDC, they were of course there when this year's national championships were held in August. I especially liked the video of them showcasing their excellent HALO technique.
~Did I ever tell you I'm your hero? I am the subtext beneath your sling~
[Not work-safe. Don't read it out loud, anyway.]
While Nerve strives for intelligent, what about full-on intellectual erotica? I submit Foucault's Pendulous... at Suspect Thoughts. Not – at all – to be confused with Foucault's Pendulum, which oddly enough has its own bit of intellectual erotica in it that ties together the Khaballah, new pregnancy, and a woman telling her husband he's being an idiot, all at the same time.
[Not work-safe. Don't read it out loud, anyway.]
While Nerve strives for intelligent, what about full-on intellectual erotica? I submit Foucault's Pendulous... at Suspect Thoughts. Not – at all – to be confused with Foucault's Pendulum, which oddly enough has its own bit of intellectual erotica in it that ties together the Khaballah, new pregnancy, and a woman telling her husband he's being an idiot, all at the same time.
Reporters Find New Outlet, and Concerns, in Web Logs
Reporters Find New Outlet, and Concerns, in Web Logs according the Gray Old Lady today. I never read the blog by Steve Olafson, a.k.a. Banjo Jones, but it was shut down at the request of his employer, the Houston Chronicle. Today's NYT article confirms he was fired over it. Other journalists mentioned: Eric Alterman, Dan Gillmor, Mickey Kaus, and Sheila Lennon (professional blog | personal blog).
Schplerter. Schplutz! Sklop, splerd, and splood, too! No, I'm not cussing you out. I am telling you to get thee hence to the Museum for Non-Primate Art, where you can learn what these terms mean, as well as see cats dance and paint!
Given the fact we will have a lot of soldiers in Iraq
Given the fact we will have a lot of soldiers in Iraq for a long time after we invade them, not to mention in Afghanistan and other places all over the world, what do you
suppose the odds are of the draft being
reinstated in some form?
The demise of the honey bucket.
The demise of the honey bucket. Many of us take running water and sewage services for granted.
The Alaska Dept of Environmental Conservation
is slowly converting
rural Eskimo villages from a "fill and haul a bucket" sewage/water system to modern services. A fascinating look into the logistics required to bring these services into remote Artic villages.
"Why isn't Burma on Bush's 'Axis of Evil' list?"
"Why isn't Burma on Bush's 'Axis of Evil' list?" A fair question considering the threat to its neighbors from its drugs and weapons trades, its nuclear ambitions, and its continuing horrible treatment of its own people. And though Aung San Suu Kyi was released shortly after Kurlantzick's article was written, the junta still has not held substantive talks with her, but they have continued with their plans to build a nuclear reactor (perhaps they're looking for a promotion from the measly 'Axis of Occasionally Evil'.)
Is self-regulation a legitimate approach to protecting copyright on the internet? This question is being debated at Spiked online which has commissioned responses from a variety of sources and also welcomes comments from readers.
Cooking the Books
Cooking the Books The Office of National Statistics feels that the UK population is a little too small - so they're inventing one million people to fill the gap. Why did they do a census if they were going to make it all up?
"In late January 1994, Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl entered Bob Lang's studio in Seattle for their final recording session. Following a long jam, they captured this powerful tune in one take, including the gut-wrenching vocal -- a spooky, ambient intro of echoed harmonics and a fractured guitar solo."
--Jim DeRogatis
Is Pippi Longstocking the devil?
Is Pippi Longstocking the devil? Read this and let me know what you think.
Silence is Golden: A bizarre legal battle over a minute's silence in a recorded song has ended with a six-figure out-of-court settlement.
So that woman on video beating her child...
WAIT! Don't delete this yet.
Something I found interesting was that at least one news article mentioned that she was an Irish Traveller. Apparently there are ten thousand Irish Travellers in the USA but little is known about them academically , as a result, they have developed a rather negative stereotype, primarily as con artists and scammers. Probably one of the only nomadic groups left in modern times, these gypsies are a discriminated race in native Ireland.
A font created by the hive-mind
Google's News
Google's News has launched as a new tab on their other search interfaces with a heavy redesign, though it still carries a "beta" label. The front page changes every few minutes based on some hidden popularity algorithm, as do the sub-pages. Featuring a stark ad-free design that looks quite a bit more attractive than CNN.com or any other major news site, perhaps robot-collected news is the wave of the future.
Caroline Myss,
Caroline Myss, Ph.D., is a wildly popular best-selling self-help author, loved by Oprah and PBS stations. She has her own show on Oxygen. But in what did she earn her cherished and paraded Ph.D.? Intuition and Energy Medicine. Where did she earn it? From a non-accredited correspondence school. Who founded the department from whence she graduated? She did. She maked it up. I'm always a bit skeptical of the intelligence and merit of anyone who so prominently adorns their pop writing with academic credentials. Here, my skepticism seems vindicated. Any other gurus out there with bogus credentials?
The All Species Inventory
The All Species Inventory is a non-profit organization dedicated to the complete inventory of all species of life on Earth within the next 25 years - a human generation. It's an interesting project, based on open-source ideology (check out their "Principles") but seems to be limiting itself to strictly Linnaean methods.
"'The best thing is being able to write my name,' says Siddiqa, 18...." Simple and powerful lessons are being taught in Afghanistan.
Cats Can Be Workaholics Too, You Know!
Cats Can Be Workaholics Too, You Know! Some, like Doncaster's sixteen pest-control experts, hate being out of work so much they're desperately looking for new fields of employment. Others are important tools of bibliographic research. Non-intellectual types prefer police work and other less desk-bound jobs. Shopcat.com has compiled a state index of these working stiffs so grateful citizens may more easily seek them out and warmly shake their paws: Good work, guys! How can anyone still imply you're a bunch of lazy, selfish bastards whose breath smells of cat food? [ My favourite employee, who's many a time given me her signature cold-shoulder treatment is Matilda, the official recepcionist and furniture-duster at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.]
Earthquake hits the UK.
Earthquake hits the UK. 'Big one' too, 4.8 on the Richter scale, so not quite California standard. Anyone want to share their experience?
Kodocha calls it
quits. Kodocha Anime, one of the best known and most reliable anime fansub
tape distributors, is closing down operations. Why? Because everything's going
digital. [more inside]
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