May 29, 2002
Amazon.com restaurants.
Amazon.com restaurants. Reminds me of
Google Catalogs. Is this a win-win for all parties, or is Amazon just angling to try and grab yet another slice of the pie? (Via Yahoo! News.)
Ok, this one's weird.
Ok, this one's weird. On May 11, "Jacksonville, Fla., police arrested a Fort Stewart soldier after finding him armed, wearing black clothes and leaving a power plant where he allegedly left an explosive." The story got a tiny bit of play, but searches at CNN and FoxNews turn up no sign of it, despite the possible terror angle and a bond set at $5 million. Days later, a follow-up story (can't find the original) quotes a detective saying, "This has been blown way out of proportion." Bizarre cover-up? Or really nothing worth mentioning?
Gujarat rocked by a series of bomb blasts.
Gujarat rocked by a series of bomb blasts. "It appears that the bombs are crudely made bombs and intended to create a panic" says a police spokesman. About a dozen people were injured in three explosions in the city of Ahmedabad.
Cantor Fitzgerald tells its stories in new ad campaign
Cantor Fitzgerald tells its stories in new ad campaign...the brokerage house that lost 658 employees from the 9/11 attacks on the WTC is telling its story in some nationally released television spots. The ads can also be found at Cantor Fitzgerald's site under the "View our stories" link (flash and quicktime required).
The end of free zoo day in Buffalo, NY
The end of free zoo day in Buffalo, NY Darn! Sometime a group of folks can really ruin it for the rest of us. But this was out of hand!
Moon Speech Raises Old Ghosts as the Times Turns 20
Moon Speech Raises Old Ghosts as the Times Turns 20 One of my favorite charlatans helps to bring back memories of the good old days that his moonie organization is trying to put behind them in order to appear "repsectable." But then the article published by the town's rival paper.
"It was 1931 that we last reported on television, and our readers must be wondering how things are shaping up. Not any too good." The New Yorker reports on the state of television, 1936.
World-wide obsession
World-wide obsession I am told these sports betting sites are readying themselves for an onslaught of World Cup Soccer traffic never seen in history. Will you play? Does it make the sport uplifting or uncouth?
Paralyzed H.S. senior works for two years to achieve dream of walking across commencement stage to take her diploma. At the last minute, principal makes her use her wheelchair, citing liability concerns. Lawyers have us all running scared, so sad. (via Romensko)
A blasphemy trial out of the 17th century
A blasphemy trial out of the 17th century "Let's be clear. Criticising the precepts of modern Islam and the resultant actions of its adherents is not racist. Philosophically, it is the precise opposite of racism. It is an intellectual position arrived at through a consideration of ideas, rather than a cruel and irrational prejudice based upon the colour of someone's skin." Rod Liddle discusses the upcoming prosecution of French writer Michel Houellebecq for a comment he made about Islam in an interview. Some interesting points here about the wider context, in which Houellebecq has been attacked for the beliefs of the fictional characters he creates.
Underwear, raw eggs, temporary tattoos, condoms designed to match your blood type, emu jerky, marijuana, hot noodles, super glue. What do they all have in common, besides possibly being things you need to have a really unforgettable Saturday night? They're all things that have been sold in vending machines. From Raphael Carter, author of the insect-centric Honeyguide weblog.
Dave Marsh on Ticketmaster
Dave Marsh on Ticketmaster : Bands used to be able to get around Ticketmaster's high surcharges by setting aside tickets for fan club members, because TM's "convenience" charges didn't apply to fan club tickets. Now "artists can hold back no more than eight per cent of their tickets, and they can only sell them to fan clubs of which Ticketmaster approves."
How busy is LAX?
How busy is LAX? Take a look! Zoom out to 96 Miles and it looks like a busy anthill.
Cadence engineer fired for activism:
Cadence engineer fired for activism: So, an engineer for Cadence Design Systems, on his own time and dime went to Bethlehem to do humanitarian work with the International Solidarity Movement, a group of pro-Palestinian activists who believe in non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. When he returned, he was immediately terminated due to "inappropriate politics in an area where Cadence does business (Israel)".
Should corporations have the right to mandate the political views of their employees, contractors and subsidiary workers? Would there be more outrage if he was fired for supporting the Israeli occupation? When a Christian's beliefs run contrary to Jewish interests, is it automatically fair to fire the Christian?
One Nation, Overseas
One Nation, Overseas Wired Magazine on the Philippines as one of the world's leading labor exporters. Hearing the words "flexible, industrious, and frequently skilled" applied to Filipinos is certainly encouraging to us, but... (more inside)
Polygyny vs. polyandry. Are we mildly polygynous? Rebecca considers the evidence. Although some feel polygyny is a divine right, wouldn't polyandry be the solution to overpopulation?
You may have heard of Conway's Game of Life, where pixels "live" or "die" based on a few simple rules about how many neighbors they have. But did you know that in the 30 years since the game was created, Life enthusiasts have (created? discovered?) an extensive catalog of (objects? creatures?) which interact to form some amazing, nifty, grinning, sometimes beautiful, rube-goldberg, occasionally even a little scary patterns often starting from the simplest of building blocks? (Including a Turing machine!) Or that a lone pixel can exert remarkable control over its environment? Now you can see in a few seconds in a java applet, on your desktop, or even on a PalmOS handheld the outcome of simple patterns that, when first discovered, no computer could handle. A mind blowing example of the power of emergent properties.
Georgia Republicans Attempt to Derail Democratic Primary
Georgia Republicans Attempt to Derail Democratic Primary "Overzealous staffers" signed affidavits of identity for candidates in eight Senate seats to pose as primary opponents to more established Democratic candidates. Dirty pool or legitimate tactic?
Arafat cheese puffs.
Arafat cheese puffs. Is Yasser the first world leader to have a brank of snacks bearing his name?
Sorry to post a shockwave.com link, but Groove Blender 2 has eaten away almost my whole morning. Drag and drop blocks onto the canvas to create your own grooves- the downloadable version includes many more beats and the option to export your groove, or save it to Shockwaves servers. Anyone know of something else this simple that is simlar but allows you to import others grooves?
Tired of trying to flag down a waitron?
Tired of trying to flag down a waitron? Here's one solution. But if you want a different drink, you're probably back to yer old aerobics routine.
Something about Shooting Stanley Fish in a Barrel
Something about Shooting Stanley Fish in a Barrel Once, when asked by a student how he can get away with his famously unsourced assertions and oddly malicious personal attacks, Stanley Fish replied, "Because I'm Stanley Fish, and you're not." Which he defends by claiming that his actions derive from his theoretical work, mostly on the subjective nature of authority (albeit in a literary sense, but then who's to argue).
So it's a little odd that in this article he attacks journalists - whom, other than a few anonymous beat reporters and David Brooks (who is a columnist and commentator, but hardly an objectivity-seeking reporter), he groups as "they" - for being less than fair to academics. Don't get too riled up, though; this is likely just Fish's latest attempt to bait a controversy and stick his name at the top.
Has one of terrorism's former poster children, Qaddafi, finally turned over a new leaf?
Has one of terrorism's former poster children, Qaddafi, finally turned over a new leaf? At last some genuinely good news from the Middle East. Libya's offer to pay $2,7-billion in compensation to the families of the victims of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland seems to indicate so. Although the Libyans are almost certainly motivated by their desire to end sanctions against them as a 'state sponsor of terrorism,' this is a hopefully a declaration of 'mea culpa' from the 'colonel' and maybe a sign of better things to come from others in the region that still think that there is something to be gained from blowing up so-called 'infidels' in civilian aircraft.
Woo, trams to return to London
Woo, trams to return to London At last it looks as though there may finally be real progress in tackling the transport problems of one of the world's most congested cities. I wonder whether other nations should take note, or is it all just a pipe dream?
Of GM food, the PR industry and Tony Blair.
Of GM food, the PR industry and Tony Blair. George Monbiot exposes the questionable methods (fake public interest groups) of the PR industry in defense of big Agribusiness.
Punk was rubbish
Punk was rubbish, so says Nigel Williamson. Tuneless noise of no merit whatsoever which sought to destroy anything that was good. Nothing good came of it and it has left no credible legacy.
Well, what would you expect from a guy called Nigel?
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