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January 9, 2003
The Mystery Pit of Oak Island. In 1795, two boys found a treasure map on Oak Island, on the coast of Nova Scotia; two hundred years, tens of millions of dollars and six lives later, the island is nearly obliterated with holes and excavations, and no one is any richer... The story of Oak Island makes a fine allegory for pursuing phantom riches at the expense of all else, in addition to just making a damn fine story.
posted by jonson at 10:01 PM PST - 27 comments
Microsoft altering its ".NET" strategy Microsoft has announced that it's changing its overall use of .NET on its products, as it seems they've figured out that it's confusing to most users or potential customers, and flat out that "many people were unable to figure out just what it was." says the AP Wire.
Now they're coming up with a nifty new logo to go with it, and perhaps they'll end up actually competing with IBM in the backend business. For some background on what .NET does, check
here.
posted by djspicerack at 6:28 PM PST - 13 comments
Mark Fiore is a Californian political cartoonist, whose work may be familiar to those of you in the States, but who is new to me.
His
animations are topical as well as funny.
posted by essexjan at 4:11 PM PST - 3 comments
Benedict.com has a bunch of useful articles about copyright, including film, music, and software. Undoubtedly useful to those interested in copyrighting works, but also highly entertaining to the rest of us.
posted by SilentSalamander at 3:22 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a Comment
Why We Watch TV Revisited Sure cable is great, but
what should we watch? Given the proliferation of "dumb" mass-market network TV shows (
Joe Millionaire being the latest abomination), it's a relief to still find interesting/entertaining niche programming, albeit relegated to hinterland TV channels/time slots. Here are 4 Indie TV Programs worth considering (if you are lucky to have a cable company that airs them): C-Span
Booknotes ; History International
World Conflict ; NYMetro
Strictly Personal ; WNET
Theater Talk - Other suggestions ?
posted by Voyageman at 1:29 PM PST - 44 comments
The greatest pictures ever. According to the refined aesthetes from SomethingAwful, that is. Surprisingly, it isn't altogether unsafe for work, illegal or ultra-offensive as long as you stay on the path.
posted by 111 at 11:38 AM PST - 22 comments
Dow and Their PR Agency got more than a pie in the face, more like egg all over 'em. Two different activist parody productions exposed their continuing despicable behaviour toward the Union Carbide release in India back in '84 when thousands died and many more continue with serious health problems. Dow and said PR firm tried to get the sites shut down, which just generated a WHOLE BUNCH more negative publicity. The sites were moved, but remain for you viewing pleasure.
posted by acutetype at 10:49 AM PST - 3 comments
Another reason why we can't win. If we stay, we are labeled as imperialist agressors, keeping the two Koreas apart. If we leave, the South Korean economy will collapse as investors flee (and the North might well take the opportunity to invade again); we will then be blamed for causing South Korea to collapse.
The only winning move is not to play. I say leave them to it and shrug when they come crying back to us for help.
posted by mrmanley at 10:18 AM PST - 32 comments
Is Bill Gates behind the times? (NYT link - reg req'd) Microsoft today introduced designs for "a new class of watch" which can "provide weather information, text messages and other data." The simplest versions "will cost less than $150," the story says.
But Timex currently offers its own, cheaper version:
the Internet Messenger Watch for only US$50, and a year's free service, for almost the same features.
Is Microsoft actually
behind the times with their 'innovation'? Is this embarrassing for the software giant?
posted by busbyism at 10:03 AM PST - 33 comments
Join the mission to rig this
poll by voting for the red bar. (You can vote a second time by deleting your GuardianUnlimited cookies.)
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:22 AM PST - 36 comments
Is there a Moore's Law for roller coasters? Ohio's own
Cedar Point has announced it's newest record-breaking roller coaster - the Top Thrill Dragster. Here are the high points (pun intended):
- a 420-foot tower - the first coaster ever to top 400 feet
- top speed of 120mph - in 4 seconds
- a 90-degree turn at the top of the tower and an almost vertical drop back down
Downside - the whole thing lasts a mere 30 seconds. But I bet it's a fun 30 seconds. Can't wait to go.
posted by starvingartist at 8:22 AM PST - 58 comments
A Party of Non-Belief? In the most religious country in the developed world, it would be difficult for any political party to grow strong without a large part of its constituency
keepin' the faith. Yet the story of America's
Culture Wars is not complete without an understanding of the Secularists fealty to the Democratic Party, and the role of Christian Fundamentalists in ensuring they'll stay there.
(Sorry, your gonna have to scroll down and click on the article titled:
Our Secularist Democratic Party)
posted by dgaicun at 7:11 AM PST - 33 comments
William Gibson's weblog Gibson, the man who popularized cyberpunk and who, through his invention of the word "cyberspace," may have been the first to assign the sense of space to network interactions (but who also gained a measure of early net.notoriety by shunning even email for years), began publishing a weblog a few days ago. Early topics include his thinking on "piracy," the physical perfection of form found in books, inspirations for his work, and the relationship of one well-regarded writer to grammar nazis.
posted by NortonDC at 5:24 AM PST - 21 comments
Emmett just barely got on that train to Mississippi. We could hear the whistle blowing. As he was running up the steps, I said, 'Bo,'--that's what I called him--'you didn't kiss me. How do I know I'll ever see you again?' He turned around and said, 'Oh, Mama.' Gently scolding me. He ran down those steps and gave me a kiss. As he turned to go up the steps again, he pulled his watch off and said, 'Take this, I won't need it.' I said, 'What about your ring?' He was wearing his father's ring for the first time. He said, 'I'm going to show this to my friends.' That's how we were able to identify him, by that ring. I think it was a Mason's ring.
Mamie Till-Mobley, 81, who wanted the world to see her teenage
son's disfigured
face after his slaying in Mississippi in 1955 and who became a figure in the civil rights movement, died of a heart ailment Jan. 6 at a hospital in Chicago. She had kidney failure.
The impact of the Emmett Till case on black America was even greater than that of the Brown decision. On January 20, 2003, The American Experience will present, on PBS,
The Murder of Emmett Till. (Continued Inside)
posted by y2karl at 1:18 AM PST - 51 comments
