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Why Your Digital Data Could One Day Disappear HBS Working Knowledge has a Story (actually it's an Excerpt of Dark Ages II: When the Digital Data Die, by Bryan Bergeron) that says data stored on discs and other forms of computer storage are anything but permanent. Not only are the disks themselves the trouble (they last 5-20 years), the computers that read/write them are an added problem, tried opening a Commodore 64 file lately, or a 5 ¼ inch disc?
comment posted at 9:47 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 10:53 PM on Feb-18-02

Does this ad for an SUV make you want to buy one? I think that it says a whole lot about our society, non-withstanding one's preference for soy-based foods. I see the humor here and I can laugh at myself as readily as the next person, but this seems to embody the "Bush/Cheney" ethos at its most cavalier. Comments?
comment posted at 5:22 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 5:33 PM on Feb-17-02

Reed proposed faith-based Enron support Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition leader and now corporate lobbyist and Georgia GOP chief, made a business offer to the Enron Corp. in October 2000. In a memo outlining the offer, he proposed mobilizing religious leaders and pro-family groups for a battle over electricity industry deregulation. The price? Reed suggested $380,000. Could any cynical comments made about this proposal possibly be harsh enough?
comment posted at 1:16 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 3:46 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 4:25 PM on Feb-17-02

Those who vote for Democrats only aid the terrorists. "In a series of TV and radio ads in each of five states hosting top Senate contests, President Bush utters the tag line to a narrated paragraph slamming the Democratic senator of that state for being partisan during a time of national duress." Has anyone seen any of these ads? What did you think of them?
comment posted at 1:32 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 1:48 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 3:35 PM on Feb-17-02

Regional Coding of DVDs is a common practice among the large movie studios. Mostly American companies putting into place regional coding "to protect American interests" in many cases. But then why does content vary so much between the US and the European counterparts of the home entertainment industry. The industry claims it is to protect themselves from piracy, but is it really the control of content that they want? And whether they've created that content or not, is it collusion and unfair business practices to give one region completely different availability than another, or just business as usual?
comment posted at 5:11 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 5:13 PM on Feb-17-02
comment posted at 11:34 PM on Feb-20-02

Understanding USA is (almost) worthy of Tufte (presentation wise), but best of all you can download the whole book in PDF format. As a non-American I ask, does this help us understand the USA or is it all just statistics? (more inside).
comment posted at 6:09 PM on Feb-16-02

Though the president has claimed Ken Lay is merely an acquaintance that he hasn't seen in months, the smoking gun uncovered documents pointing out historically there has been a fairly regular correspondence and perhaps a close friendship between the two. They're all from 2000 and earlier, but will things like this dog the president or raise any suspicions?
comment posted at 4:40 PM on Feb-15-02

Is the New York Times rewriting history? This link claims (and an archives search backs up) that the Paper of Record deleted a bin Laden-related story published two days before 9/11, and now redirects searchers to a story written on 9/12. The story isn't damning, but it does point out how much we knew about him before the event. Is it bad journalism? Bad politics? Extra points awarded for Orwell quotes.
comment posted at 4:55 PM on Feb-15-02

There is a form of support for just about everything under the sun, but when it comes to something like having a large penis wouldn't one think a good pair of underpants would be enough? Apparently not, welcome to The Large Penis Support Group--and their message board. There are no pictures (which is why I felt this is not innapropriate), and there are some hillarious threads, and ego/hymen-shattering stats.
comment posted at 1:35 PM on Feb-15-02

Chariots of Ire Olympics may never be held again in the U.S. because of--well, what many perceive as too much security and flag waving. As though terror had never before struck the Olypics (Germany) when it was not very well guarded. Or am I perhaps a part of the jingoism that is here deplored?
comment posted at 12:38 PM on Feb-15-02

There goes Colin Powell, pissing off the far right again. This time the Family Research Council and folks like Gary Bauer demand to know how dare he go on MTV and, in response to a teen's question about AIDS, tell kids to USE CONDOMS! (And for that matter, what is the secretary of state doing appearing on that smut-filled network in the first place, and what kinds of parents allow their children to listen to satanic rock music and hip-hop, and how dare insolent children raise filthy questions with government officials about SEX?!)
comment posted at 1:23 PM on Feb-15-02

Why Are So Many Americans Cancelling Their Subscriptions To "The London Review of Books"? This letter from Paul Genova rings true - and touché - to this European at least. Ever since the very respectable LRB published its issue on the September 11 attacks, American readers(and some notable contributors) have been writing in droves to cancel their subscriptions and connections to the journal. Mary Beard's article(op.cit.) aroused most of the fury, though others are arguably just as outrageous. In the pages of this most lively of letter sections - graciously available online - this particular correspondence seems to demonstrate an ever-sharpening divide between American and European intellectuals. Are Paul Genova's and other readers' disgusted reactions justified? Are they specific to the WTC attacks or, more worryingly, representative of a wider separation?
comment posted at 5:22 PM on Feb-15-02

download your crappy free aim client here Yup, this morning got bounced from trillian using AOL Instant Messenger again.
This time, got an interesting message from AOL. The AIM client opened itself with this message:

AOL Instant Messenger: You have been disconnected from the AOL Instant Message Service (SM) for accessing the AOL network using unauthorized software. You can download a FREE, fully featured, and authorized client, here http://www.aol.com/aim/download2.html .

So, fellow Mefi readers, how long can AOL block Trillian? Shouldn't they be coming up with more innovative campaigns, or is this a sign that the IM market is about to become a lot more competitive? Tawk amongst yourselves.
comment posted at 2:07 PM on Feb-15-02

Proposal for a 9/11 Memorial. Two piers: one points toward the Statue of Liberty, the other toward Ellis Island. From the air they look like a fallen WTC. Some might call this ingenious.
comment posted at 12:50 PM on Feb-14-02
comment posted at 1:13 AM on Feb-15-02
comment posted at 12:48 PM on Feb-15-02

A Time For Dissent This piece suggests that the Bush team has been riding high and mighty because of or since 9/11 and that it is time to ask specifically what has been gained and what lost. Leftist rant or spot on?
comment posted at 11:24 AM on Feb-14-02
comment posted at 1:00 PM on Feb-14-02
comment posted at 1:21 AM on Feb-15-02

Looks like the Olympics isn't the boon to business Salt Lake City expected it to be. It might be convenient to blame the terror scare, but the same thing happened to Atlanta a while back. Businesses hired extra workers and spent money to prepare for crowds that never showed. Is all the money to be made taken in through corporate sponsorship deals and television? How have other cities fared financially during and after past Olympics?
comment posted at 1:39 AM on Feb-15-02

·Why do black folks seem to always order red or orange soft drinks?
·Why do men have nipples?
·Why do Indian woman have a red dot on their forehead?
·In Jewish dietary laws...can fish and milk be mixed, i.e. cod in cheese sauce?
The Y?Forum, the National Forum on People's Differences. The Y?Forum "gives you a way to ask people from other ethnic or cultural backgrounds the questions you've always been too embarrassed or uncomfortable to ask them." Some of the topics discussed: Differences between people of different age, class, gender, geography, occupation, race, religion, sexual orientation.
comment posted at 12:02 PM on Feb-14-02

Cam Girls Gone Wild... Looks like Webpig from InternetGossip is putting together a little side project to complement his popular tabloid site. I bet the parents of these girls would be thrilled to know the type of subculture their daughters have gotten involved in. Nevertheless, this is genius, ( as far as tacky things like this go). There's a P.O. box somewhere in Orange County just begging to be filled up with cash from this methinks.
comment posted at 4:19 PM on Feb-14-02

Was the fix in on 9/11? My guess is if the accusations the author makes are true we'll never know, but if just one of them is true...
comment posted at 1:20 AM on Feb-14-02

Valentine's Teddy Bear bomb warning The FBI said a man, "possibly of Arab descent", bought 14 gas canisters, 12 packages of lead gun pellets and nine white Valentine teddy bears at Stevenson Ranch in California on January 15. Please be careful.
comment posted at 9:45 PM on Feb-13-02

Country Great Waylon Jennings Dead Well, there aren't too many outlaws left.
comment posted at 5:01 PM on Feb-13-02

Social Cruelty in Adults: Does High School Ever End? An upcoming ABCNews Special with John Stossel (airing Friday) explores peer pressure, being in the "in crowd", and the role that popularity plays not only during our years in the groves of academe but also in the professional workplace. We'll see John's report on Friday, but I wish to redirect this discussion to the mefi crowd: Were you in the "in crowd" during your high school/collegiate years or on the outside looking in? Did it even matter, and if it did, how and in what way? Has it played a distinct role in the person who you feel you've become?
comment posted at 4:58 PM on Feb-13-02

"They are hardened criminals." Is the "domestic terrorism" of radical animal-rights and environmental groups really the same as the 9/11 attacks? Or just an excuse to crack down on liberals?
comment posted at 2:29 PM on Feb-13-02
comment posted at 4:08 PM on Feb-13-02

Make way for the Mormons :) Reports of religions' demise have been greatly exaggerated. The Economist reports, "[w]ithin four decades, one in 20 Americans may be a Mormon and there may be 50m or more worldwide. How will outsiders react to the next world religion?" Minivans, trampolines and canned food, hooray!
comment posted at 2:37 PM on Feb-13-02

Is this really news reporting? This entire article is based on one source: another ABC Reporter. I'm not saying the allegations aren't true, but the ABC piece just seems more fit for a newsgroup posting than for a major media outlet. Tell me if it's just me.
comment posted at 11:32 AM on Feb-13-02

are you a music loser? 25 albums that make you a dido fan. how many have YOU got?
comment posted at 12:04 PM on Feb-13-02
comment posted at 12:15 PM on Feb-13-02

MSNBC declares State of Palestine The Arabic version of MSNBC's site includes Palestine in its list of countries. More interestingly, there is no mention of Israel as if it did't exist. I can understand including Palestine to represent the PLO, but c'mon like it or not we can all agree Israel DOES exist, right?
comment posted at 1:22 AM on Feb-13-02

This is unbelievable! Make sure you read about Mike and Craig's adventures at the Adult Expo in Las Vegas. Talk about taking medicine to the sick. Thought provoking, to say the least. (This link is work-safe.)
comment posted at 10:39 PM on Feb-12-02

Worst losers ever. Get over it LA
comment posted at 2:41 PM on Feb-12-02

First the Family Guy gets the ax, and now this: according to gotfuturama.com and aint it cool, Futurama will be cancelled. For me, there's officially no reason to watch the Fox network now, as they've cancelled the only things I recorded each week.
comment posted at 3:35 PM on Feb-12-02
comment posted at 3:59 PM on Feb-12-02

If, like me, you were part of the "underground" in the early 1990's, you'll remember that for awhile the 'zine scene seemed to be producing our next great crop of non-fiction writers. Of the original crop of greats Paul Lukas(Beer Frame) published a book that quickly faded. Jim Goad(Answer Me!) published a book, went to prison and is now up to his old tricks. David Greenberger(Duplex Planet) seems to be MIA. Other 'zinesters stories seem to have followed the same pattern. Is the reason the aging of their original audience? Are today's zinesters bloggers instead? Or perhaps todays media corporatization is, in part a reaction to that burst of independent creativity?
comment posted at 1:19 PM on Feb-12-02

House set to vote on campaign finance reform It would be the biggest overhaul of the nation's campaign finance laws since Watergate. "We should win it," Shays, R-Conn., said Monday. "We've had the votes in the past and, frankly, I think our cause is just." Some people are against it.
comment posted at 11:53 AM on Feb-12-02

Compassionate Conservatism? Why is anyone surprised by the difference between campaign rhetoric and action once in office?
comment posted at 11:49 PM on Feb-12-02

Here's Entertainment Weekly's Top 5 Surprisingly Romantic Films for Valentine's Day. (Star Man!?) This begs the question: who actually reads Entertainment Weekly? Oh, and what are YOUR Top 5 Romantic Films for Valentine's Day?
comment posted at 11:23 PM on Feb-11-02

The 22nd Annual Razzie Nominations are in. Looks like Tom Green stands to be the big winner this year.
comment posted at 11:12 PM on Feb-11-02