November 12, 2002
Potter Pirates Fail/Succeed to Copy Film on the Internet
Potter Pirates Fail to Copy Film on the Internet and Potter Pirates Swap and Copy Film on the Internet. C'mon Reuters, which is it?!
Omar Zabir's Portal
Omar Zabir's Portal. It's a DHTML/Javascript tour de force. But is it for real, or a subtle joke? (IE only, I'm afraid, but worth booting Windows for).
State Coalition Approves Internet Sales Tax Plan
State Coalition Approves Internet Sales Tax Plan Ignoring, it seems, both Bush and Clinton, the states, greedy for money in these tight times, have a source of revenue from Net sales. And this will help retail stores on pricing (they must pay taxes), but how will it impact on the Net--or will Net sales manage to skirt a tax somehow? Are you for or against taxing net sales?
Bloody Lipo Brand lollipops
Argentinian Blood Pops? The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning consumers about "reddish-brown spots" that were found in Lipo Brand lollipops from Argentina. "Based on available information, consuming the candy is unlikely to pose a health risk...however, consumers may wish to exercise caution by not consuming this product." I guess you should always stick with candy you know is safe to eat.
Prattling on about Pancakes
Mmmmm. Pancakes. Called by many names - Blintz, Palascinta, Flensjes, Pannkuchen, Po-Ping - yes, you know they're yummy, but what do you know about their history or their religious significance? For instance, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day and for the past 53 years, women in Olney, England and Liberal, Kansas race down the streets of their towns flipping pancakes, continuing an English tradition that goes back more than 500 years. (Melbourne, Australia has a Pancake Day race, too!
) The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Shrovetide with a type of pancake called Blini, and I think most of us know that Latkes (potato pancakes) are a traditional part of the Hanukah feast. (Although apparently there is some debate on the virtues of Latkes over Hamentashen.) On a more secular note, we've just missed the 2002 Fall Flapjack Festival, held every year in Land O'Lakes, Florida. Glenn, Michigan has an annual Pancake Festival, too (since 1938). Hey! I'm getting hungry ... somebody pass the Maple Syrup!
Antibiotics no good anymore?
First vancomycin-resistant bacteria found in Detroit. This is worrisome, as vancomycin is usually the last antibiotic of choice when fighting a bacterial infection. Bacteria are both helpful and hurtful to the human body, but the little bugs seem to evolve much more quickly than humans own immune systems. Have we seen an end to antibiotics used in the fight against bacteria? What alternatives do we have?
Achewood
Yes, it's another Internet-only comic strip But this one would never make it past the security guard at your local newspaper. It happens to be really, really funny, especially if you appreciate humor on the warped side. What are the other worthwhile comics that may be flying under the radar due to their "not quite ready for mainstream" content?
Darwin Country
Darwin Country A virtual visit to Shropshire - Roman Viroconium and Ironbridge; the microscope and apothecaries' weights and measures; Wenlock Priory and Darwin on garden roses.
The International Dunhuang Project,
The International Dunhuang Project, developed jointly by the British Library and the National Library of China, makes thousands manuscripts and paintings from ancient caves and temples along the Silk Road viewable to the public. The artifacts were found in the Dunhuang cave in China in 1900 and dispersed to museums around the world, but now they have been brought together on the web. And if you want some appropriate music to go with it, check out Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Project.
The Smithsonian offers an online sampling of its Collection of Aeronautic Sheet Music. From the introduction: "...widespread fascination with flight has inspired an enormous output of historical drawings, paintings, advertisements and illustrations for publications. Some of the most colorful illustrations are those which adorn sheet music. In the Bella Landauer collection, you can find illustrations that range from the bizarre to the commonplace, from the humorous to the mundane. But most are colorful and interesting."
The collection is divided into categories such as "Ballooning", "Biplanes", and "Flying Machines". I love this one from 1914, called "A Hundred Years From Now".
The collection is divided into categories such as "Ballooning", "Biplanes", and "Flying Machines". I love this one from 1914, called "A Hundred Years From Now".
Brew your own
Brew your own Biodiesel! My brother just bought a new VW Jetta Turbo Diesel, and one of his reasons for picking this particular car was it's ability to run on reformulated fatty acid alkyl esters.That got me Googling, and I found this site where you can purchase your own home-brew kits. They even have demo starter kits.
Broadwaybox.com
Broadwaybox.com Share theater Discount Codes with fellow theater goers in New York. Great idea. So simple. So perfect. Everyone wins.
Cyprus
Cyprus the tiny island, smaller than Connecticut, fought over for millennia, divided by war between the Greeks and Turks. Is Cyprus finally going to come to a peaceful resolution and reunification, or will it be the lynch pin for the whole EU?
China. Abandons Communism. Gets AIDS. May be about to lose its shirt. While everybody on the pink side of Ebenezer Scrooge is pissing and moaning about the state of America, here's one American who thinks the state of the Middle Kingdom is at least equally interesting (as in ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times.")
100 Questions and Answers About Arab Americans.
100 Questions and Answers About Arab Americans. While researching the Middle East conflict, I happened upon this journalist's guide from the Detroit Free Press containing background on Arab-American culture, language, and religion. Many of the questions are simplistic (some might even say moronic) and the answers obvious, but I found I learned a thing or two.
Mr. Print, Meet Ms. Web; Ms. Web Meet Mr. Print...
Mr. Print, Meet Ms. Web; Ms. Web Meet Mr. Print... As a long-time Argentinian exile, I'm quite proud to report that, amidst (and notwithstanding) the economic chaos, my favorite daily newspaper, Clarín, is experimenting with a (free and complete) Internet edition that ambitiously attempts to combine facsimiles of the printed pages with the Web-friendly version. It even has (perhaps excessively) an estimated time for reading! What do you think? [In Spanish, but, for the purposes of the present evaluation, not important. Please click on "Ingresar".]
Are you being served, Ma'am?
Are you being served, Ma'am? Need an update on the latest twists and turns in top-rated British soap opera 'Royal Family'? It's an endless saga of hidden homosexual rape, trollops, locked boxes, yacht orgies, bungled police raids, regal amnesia, tittle-tattle, KFC, naked princesses in fur coats, and endless amounts of rocks.
If you see only one /switch spoof this season,
If you see only one /switch spoof this season, see this one. [quicktime movie] And decide whether you want to /switch... to Canada.
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