Friday, February 27, 2004

"We’re ’Pod people"


Posted by MacDood
link
"You’ve seen us. On the bus. In class. Walking across campus, strolling down Telegraph Avenue. We’re everywhere. We’re ’Pod people.



iPod people, to be exact—the creepy “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” connection hadn’t dawned on me until I was recently hailed as “Hey! ‘Pod girl!” by a cute boy in my French class. But since I’ve come to class every day this semester with the Best Christmas Present Ever strapped to my hip and The White Stripes blasting in my ears, I can see how the... [iPodlounge]

White House To Seek Ban On Gay Sex On The Moon


Posted by MacDood
link
This is a pretty good extrapolation of the next probable announcement out of the Bush White House:




Worried by flagging poll numbers, a deteriorating situation in Iraq, and a sluggish economy, President Bush called on Congress today to approve a constitutional amendment that would ban gay sex on the Moon. Republican leaders hailed the move as a bold step to unite the country in a bold and forward-looking strategy to spread family values across the solar system, and protect the legacy of the Apollo missions.



Link



(via Electrolite) [Boing Boing]

A Prolog Introduction for Hackers


Posted by MacDood
link
Strange, but true: Prolog is, without a doubt, currently the simplest and the most straightforward programming language of all mainstream programming languages; however, the special interests of academia and inept teaching have given it a horrible, pariah-like reputation. (After all, you cannot write a PhD thesis explaining obvious, practical things.) This article aims to ameliorate the situation; to introduce the practical simplicity of Prolog to those that might normally sneer at what they consider a horrible, convoluted playing field of doctorate theory. [Kuro5hin.org]

One Small Sniff for Mankind


Posted by MacDood
link

Comment: why clasen's aren't astronauts---

How one man's finely tuned pair of nostrils keeps the U.S. space corps from stinking to high heaven. By Angela Swafford from Wired magazine. [Wired News]

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Scriptable Applications: Safari Bookmarks

Scriptable Applications: Safari Bookmarks

Giant Catfish Alert


Posted by MacDood
link
New state record catfish. 140 lbs., caught in Lake Texoma... [Urban Legends and Folklore]

Maxim '47


Posted by MacDood
link
Stag World Before there was Maxim there were these manly men's magazines from the '50s and '60s. Take that, you metrosexual pansies! [metafilter.com]

Apple vs. Apple, Judge owns iPod


Posted by MacDood
link

Comment: All you need is love...and an Ipod---

"Mr Justice Mann, of the High Court Chancery Division, revealed today that he owns an Apple iPod - the neat little portable computer which allows its user to download thousands of music tracks over the internet. He asked lawyers if this disqualified him from hearing a trademark dispute between Apple Computers and the Beatles company Apple Corps over the computer giant's iTunes online music store.



Lord Grabiner QC, for Apple Computers, said he was delighted to hear the judge had an... [iPodlounge]

Bush administration distorting science to support political agendas


Posted by MacDood
link
These actions, which have been known for quite some while, are the most dangerous actions an administration has taken in my lifetime. The long term implications of these actions will affect Americans, other peoples, and the environment for a long time. What do the politicians involved have to say? "The scientists are biased." Right. [Kuro5hin.org]

Yale Photonegatives Collection


Posted by MacDood
link
Avi sez: "Don't know if you've had this before, but this database is an amazing photographic (and artistic) treasure of America's people and places at the turn of the previous century. Unfortunately, there is no index of the contents so you have to try your luck with keywords, which almost always turn up interesting finds. For example try typing in 'Indian' and see what happens! My favorite entries are 'Garden' and 'Gurdjieff'!"



Link [Boing Boing]

Bull Session With Professor IPod


Posted by MacDood
link
Dr. Michael Bull is the world's leading expert on the societal impact of personal stereos. Bull wrote the definitive treatment on the Walkman, and now he's turned his attention to the iPod. A Q & #038;A with Leander Kahney. [Wired News]

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Garry Trudeau puts $10K up for anyone who will confirm Bush's Air Guard claims


Posted by MacDood
link
Garry B Trudeau, the author of the Doonesbury comic strip, has put up $10,000 of his personal fortune for anyone who will come forward and confirm to having witnessed, first-hand, GW Bush's putiative Air Guard service story, in which the President claims not to have deserted his military post, despite all evidence to the contrary.




For the past several weeks, trolling-for-trash journalists have made repeated forays into the continuing mystery of George W. Bush's Air National Guard service (to catch up on developments, read Salon's "Bad news doesn't get better with age", The Decatur Daily's "Former Dannelly worker: Bush not AWOL", The Nation's "W's AWOL Spin Update!", and -- of particular interest -- The Memphis Flyer's "On Guard -- Or Awol?"). With just eight months left in the presidential campaign, GBT is hoping to speed the disclosure process along by offering a $10,000 reward to coax a witness to step forward and confirm President Bush's story, thereby putting the whole sordid mess behind us.





Link [Boing Boing]

Pentagon warns Bush of apocalyptic climate change by 2020


Posted by MacDood
link

Comment: read the whole story---

The Pentagon issued a secret report to Bush warning him that catastrophic climate changes in the next 15 years are a bigger threat than terrorism, and will lead to massive riots and nuclear war.



A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.



The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents.



Link (Thanks, Tony!)



AndyHat sez: For those who want to make up their own minds about the Guardian story on the "suppressed" Pentagon report, Greenpeace has the full text available. Of course, as it says right at the top: "We have created a climate change scenario that although not the most likely, is plausible, and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately." I like how The Guardian has changed "plausible" but "not the most likely" to a statement of near certainty.



A Boing Boing Pal sez:The Pentagon climate change paper story is interesting - but not quite accurate. The more interesting story is how the European press distorted what was a very interesting piece on abrupt climate change into a would-be smoking gun for the Bush administration.  



Initial press on the abrupt climate change paper was neutral. It was a scenario exercise written for Andy Marshall in the Pentagon, profiled a month ago in Fortune Magazine.




From that piece, here is the story in a nutshell:

"Three years ago Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld picked [Andrew Marshall] to lead a sweeping review on military "transformation," the shift toward nimble forces and smart weapons.



When scientists' work on abrupt climate change popped onto his radar screen, Marshall tapped another eminent visionary, Peter Schwartz, to write a report on the national-security implications of the threat. Schwartz formerly headed planning at Royal Dutch/Shell Group and has since consulted with organizations ranging from the CIA to DreamWorks—he helped create futuristic scenarios for Steven Spielberg's film Minority Report. Schwartz and co-author Doug Randall at the Monitor Group's Global Business Network, a scenario-planning think tank in Emeryville, Calif., contacted top climate experts and pushed them to talk about what-ifs that they usually shy away from—at least in public.



The result is an unclassified report, completed late last year, that the Pentagon has agreed to share with FORTUNE. It doesn't pretend to be a forecast. Rather, it sketches a dramatic but plausible scenario to help planners think about coping strategies."



So a month later, the world press catches wind of the story and sensationalizes the hell out of it.
Headlines:



Agence France Presse: Leaked Pentagon report warns climate change may bring famine, war

The Observer: Now the Pentagon tells Bush: climate change will destroy us: The US President has denied the existence of global warming. But a secret report predicts a looming catastrophe - a world riven with water wars, famine and anarchy

The story was picked up by Al Jazeera, Hindustan Times, Times of Oman, and more I'm sure.

That's just what landed in my inbox.



At this point the Oakland Tribune has the best coverage of the story - as well as the story behind the story.
[Boing Boing]

Saturday, February 21, 2004

The Wealthiest Seek End to Extreme Poverty


Posted by MacDood
link
In January 2004, a group of business leaders in Seattle announced the Seattle Initiative for Global Development, a plan to attack poverty. Initiative organizers include Bill Gates, Sr., father of the Microsoft founder, the world's wealthiest person. The Seattle Initiative was most probably influenced by collapse of the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks during the Battle in Seattle in November 1999. Social movements have long fought for sustainable development. [Kuro5hin.org]

Report: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science


Posted by MacDood
link
A scathing report from the Union of Concerned Scientists on the misuse of science and scientific process by the Bush Administration for political purposes has capped probably the most dismal six weeks for the presidency of George W. Bush. The report has won endorsements from many luminaries, and it provides a chilling insight into how the Truimph of The Bush Political Philosophy has put into danger the lives of the public, and that of the planet itself. In other words, President Bush and his Administration may itself be the ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction. The report opens with a quote that describes the vision of the current president's father, and ends with damning evidence of the son's misdeeds by the standards set by his own father. This is probably not surprising as GWB has tried to do almost everything differently from his father, the 41st and one-term President of the United States. In its conclusion the report seeks to strongly reprimand the president himself asking him to change course dramatically and immediately, chastises the almost pliant Congress, exhorts the Scientists to speak up, and asks for help from the public. [Kuro5hin.org]

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Over 100,000 iPod minis pre-ordered


Posted by MacDood
link

Comment: PodheaDS OF THE WORLD, don't bother me while I'm jacked in...---

"Apple today announced that iPod mini, the world’s smallest portable music player ever to hold up to 1,000 CD-quality songs, will be available on Friday, February 20 at 6:00 p.m. at the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers throughout the U.S. iPod mini is encased in an ultra-portable, lightweight anodized aluminum body and available in a choice of five colors—silver, gold, pink, blue and green. Apple has received over 100,000 pre-orders for... [iPodlounge]

Product placement future cityscapes


Posted by MacDood
link

Comment: and they call it modern culture---



Nice gallery of photoshopped images of a sponsored future in which logomarks are plastered everywhere we look. Erm, kinda like today, but moreso. Nice counterpoint to the idea that in a PVR world, product placement displaces direct ads.



Link



(via Beyond the Beyond)




[Boing Boing]

College Republicans Sponsor White-Pride Scholarship


Posted by MacDood
link

Comment: Republicans and Lawyers, my gawd---

I caught an AP story linked from a blog today that I just knew had to be a hoax; even after I saw the website for my own eyes, I couldn't believe how far conservative ideas have degenerated.   [Kuro5hin.org]

Darpa Offers No Food for Thought


Posted by MacDood
link

Comment: Hey I think I saw this Twilight Zone, or was it the Outer Limits or the Terminator... ---

Pentagon scientists are trying to find a way for GIs to live without food for up to five days. The effort is part of larger initiative to develop soldiers who are immune to everyday human concerns. By Noah Shachtman. [Wired News]

Monday, February 16, 2004

iPod Cocoons


Posted by MacDood
link
Describing how iPods insulate their owners — including many New Yorkers — from their environment, Warren St. John writes in the New York Times, “There is no rewinding or CD-changing to permit the outside world to leak inside the cocoon. With a jukebox in your pocket, a suitable tune is always at the ready, no matter your mood. And if you have little white ear buds rammed in your ears, there is always an excuse not to acknowledge fellow humans. ’I’m busy right now,’ iPod users seem to say. ’I’ll get back to you in 10,000 songs.’” [Feb 16] [Apple Hot News]

Is Ulysses Overrated?


Posted by MacDood
link
With the centenary of the first Bloomsday coming later this year, the scene for a showdown between Joyceans, literary critics and generic whiners of all sorts has been set. The perennial debate regarding the worth of James Joyce's Ulysses has been sparked off yet again by a dude called Roddy Doyle. [Kuro5hin.org]

Sunday, February 15, 2004

George Sand


Posted by MacDood
link
"It is a mistake to regard age as a downhill grade toward dissolution. The reverse is true. As one grows older, one climbs with surprising strides." [Motivational Quotes of the Day]

Sir Winston Churchill


Posted by MacDood
link
"When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber." [Motivational Quotes of the Day]

Hubble telescope catches glimpse of an unknown galaxy


Posted by MacDood
link
AFP via Yahoo! Feb 16 2004 4:38AM GMT... [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service]

Earn $25 for each junk fax you send in.


Posted by MacDood
link
The Demirali Law Firm says it will pay you $25 for each junk fax you send it (if a collection is made). You need to send in at least ten faxes at a time.Consumer rights advocate Tom Martino is behind this. Link (Thanks, Travis!) [Boing Boing]

Freud/Jung slash


Posted by MacDood
link
Short (but high-larious) Sigmund Freud/Carl Jung slash fiction:




'I had a dream last night, Siggy.'


'Ja?'


'It was you and me together skipping in a field. Und then this great serpent appeared and slithered into a cave.'


'Du lieber gott! Do you know what you are saying to me? Do you know what zis serpent means?'


'Ja, it is some manifestation of the World-Spirit.'





NSFW Link



(Thanks, Quinn!) [Boing Boing]


Posted by MacDood
link
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are. Wonder no more, the nursery rhyme has been proven correct. [Kuro5hin.org]

Saturday, February 14, 2004

Web Zen: Love Zen


Posted by MacDood
link




(1) the things we do for love

(2)
we love cards

(3)
i love egg

(4)
love calculator

(5)
candy heart maker


(6)
and the classic...

chaoskitty hearts you






web zen home, web zen store, (Thanks, Frank).
[Boing Boing]

Great Star Wars photo remix


Posted by MacDood
link



I'm greatly amused by this remixed, Star Wars-themed photo of an iced-over freezer.



160k JPEG Link



(Thanks, Neils!)




[Boing Boing]

Journal of a Schizophrenic


Posted by MacDood
link
Schizophrenia is one of the most widely spread psychological disorders around, and its sufferers show a wide assortment of symptoms, sometimes easily coped with, sometimes not. Studies have shown that in any given hospital as many as 1 in 5 patients suffer from some form of schizophrenia. Nationwide, approximately 1% of the US population is schizophrenic. [Kuro5hin.org]

Thursday, February 12, 2004

INSULTINGLY STUPID MOVIE PHYSICS



For example, James Bond can't really jump from an
airplane without a parachute and zoom through the
air to catch up with the bad guy to wrestle his
parachute away. Apparently the producers pulled
that trick out of their ass.
http://intuitor.com/moviephysics/
Phasers can't really be set to stun

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Trippi: Net Politics Here to Stay


Posted by MacDood
link
Howard Dean's presidential bid may have flopped, but don't blame the Internet, says former campaign manager Joe Trippi. He sees the 2004 campaign as the beginning of an online revolution in politics. Noah Shachtman reports from San Diego, California. [Wired News]

Monday, February 9, 2004

 

Use apachetop to monitor web server process


Posted by MacDood
link
 Mon, Feb 9 '04 at 09:39AM • from: Anonymous
 






If you are administering an Apache web server and want to see what your Apache server is doing in real time, take time to look at apachetop [112KB download]. It is essentially the same as the UNIX top command, but instead of the top system processes, it displays the top Apache requests in a concise and helpful display. Building the file is simple:
% cd apachetop-0.10
% ./configure
% make
% sudo make install



Once the file is run, you can then see what your server's up to and tweak away to your hearts content. One note: because of the non-standard location of the OS X Apache log file, you'll need to tell it where to look when you run it:
% apachetop -f /var/log/httpd/access_log



[robg adds: This compiled and ran successfully on my machine, despite a couple warnings in the configure section...]

Sunday, February 8, 2004

Mark Twain


Posted by MacDood
link
"Do something every day that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain." [Motivational Quotes of the Day]

Notes From Antarctica, Part 1


Posted by MacDood
link
I was fortunate to spend 10 days in Antarctica recently. It was an experience that I haven’t quite shaken, and probably never will. Frankly, I still can’t quite believe I was there. The trip opened my eyes to a few... [Globalization Blog]

Friday, February 6, 2004

Wi-Fi Enters the Space Race


Posted by MacDood
link
If people do land on Mars, NASA wants to make sure they can get a decent wireless connection. By Daniel Terdiman. [Wired News]

Win a leather-bound "insanely detailed" Necronomicon


Posted by MacDood
link



The HP Lovecraft society is holding a contest to write the best "spell, drawing, chapter, or passage of mad Mythos rambling." The grand prize is a "handmade, leather-bound, super authentic copy of the finished work, done up in full 17th-century style at the insane level of detail the HPLHS is known for!"



Link



(Thanks, Alan!)




[Boing Boing]