February 18, 2004
Brain fingerprinting
Brain fingerprinting is about to take centre stage in a last-chance court appeal against a death-row conviction in the US."
The technology was developed by Dr. Lawrence Farwell, one of Time Magazine's "100 Innovators who may be the Picassos or Einsteins of the 21st century."
Is this a positive development for humankind (after all, it may clear innocent accused of their alleged crimes, or uncover dangerous terrorists), or is it yet another scary advancement in the government's encroachment on our privacy ? I personally think Philip K. Dick, author of "Minority Report" may have been more of a prophet than we ever knew. (See this link as well).
Suffragists Oral History Project
The Suffragists Oral History Project has collected and transcribed oral histories from leaders and participants of the American women's suffrage movement. Suffragists Speak has audio clips of Alice Paul. [Via rebecca's pocket.]
This Is Not Sim City
Middle East Enders (3.94mb JPEG), courtesy of SpaceImaging.com's gallery. Other wowsers include Singapore, Venice and the pyramids.
Front lines in the virus war
Front lines in the Virus War. The virus wars are here and getting worse. Read the blog by the warriors on the front line.
Mac Folklore
Mac Insider Folklore Bill [Gates] responded that "No Steve , I think it's more like we both had this rich neighbor named Xerox, and you went in to steal the TV, and found that somebody else had stolen it. So you say, "hey, that's not fair. I wanted to steal the TV". Jobs vs. MS Windows, The Mac Unveiling and other interesting tidbits from the pre-Mac era at folklore.org.
Boy discovers self kidnapped.
Boy discovers self kidnapped fourteen years earlier. Mother then arrested. Yes, CNN.com link but a damned weird story.
even I hadn't heard of this before.
Online Prayer Labyrinth This is an online translation of the Cathedral Labyrinth created by London alternative worship groups Grace, LOPE, and Epicentre. It is currently touring UK Cathedrals during 2001 - 2003. Youth For Christ are running/hosting the tour. The original is described as 'an interactive installation for spiritual journeys'. It consists of a pathway mapped out on the floor for visitors to follow. During this journey participants pause and listen to a piece of music and a meditation. They also undertake some symbolic action or ritual.
made to be broken
Rules for Having an Affair. A great read for you starry-eyed newlyweds!
Plug in, boot up, say yes
Case mod, matrimony style; a geek's marriage proposal [with pics]
Scientists Accuse White House of Distorting Facts
Scientists Accuse White House of Distorting Facts The Bush administration has deliberately and systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad, a group of about 60 influential scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, said in a statement issued today.--would you believe the scientists or the people's (almost) choice? May need free reg for NY Times.
On Becoming a Randroid
10 Easy Steps to Objectivism. When you have achieved true Objectivistivity, join Friend Bear on a visit to the Objectivist Theme Park, so that you too can be one with Ayn Rand's Floating Head.
Your papers, sir?
Papers, please! On March 22, the Supreme Court will hear a case that will answer whether or not citizens have to provide identification whenever police demand it.
Did you hear the joke about the pencil? Its pointless.
The Pencil Pages :: An Introduction to Pencils and Pencil Collecting
with gallery, pencil geek humor, pencil trivia, and much more
with gallery, pencil geek humor, pencil trivia, and much more
FreeTheMusic
Go get your free iTunes from Pepsi Tilt the bottle 25 degrees and look for random letters (winner) or AGAIN (loser).
White + Black = Grey
DJ Danger Mouse has been making waves recently with his Grey Album that cross-pollinates the music of The Beatles' classic White Album with the lyrics and delivery of Jay-Z's recent swan song, the Black Album. The results? "One of the more interesting pirate mashups ever done." (Pitchfork). "Most ambitious remix." (Village Voice). "As fun as it is daring." (Boston Globe). "Ultimate remix record." (Rolling Stone). Not surprisingly, EMI is far from amused by the unsanctioned and unapproved project and the limited release will no longer be distributed. So, download it now (or check out these Real Player samples).
gnip gnop
ping pong [note: shockwave]
The emerging self
The postmodern Church. Called "emerging" or "postmodern" churches, they are diverse in theology and method, linked loosely by Internet sites, Web logs, conferences and a growing stack of hip-looking paperbacks. Some religious historians believe the churches represent the next wave of evangelical worship, after the boom in megachurches in the 1980's and 1990's.
Shake It Like a Paranoid Picture
Polaroid warns: Don't shake the pictures! (from FauxFox News, among other sources). Giving me an excuse to link to these classic collections of warnings and disclaimers (Don't forget Happy Fun Ball!), not to mention this collection of intentionally altered Celebrity Polaroids.
Put that filthy thing out!
Smoking banned from the Irish workplace (including pubs) from March 29th
Looks like all of us smokers will have to comply. Personally, I can't wait for the ban to come in as it will be further incentive for me to fight the addicition. Hopefully the ban on smoking at my office will mean it'll be easier to stop. All that said, I wonder how it's going to be enforced? The way I see it, the only way it could be properly enforced is through the public being prepaired to report transgressions to those charged with enforcing the law. Maybe the fear of that will make sure that business owners see to it that their workplaces are smoke free.
Looks like all of us smokers will have to comply. Personally, I can't wait for the ban to come in as it will be further incentive for me to fight the addicition. Hopefully the ban on smoking at my office will mean it'll be easier to stop. All that said, I wonder how it's going to be enforced? The way I see it, the only way it could be properly enforced is through the public being prepaired to report transgressions to those charged with enforcing the law. Maybe the fear of that will make sure that business owners see to it that their workplaces are smoke free.
Mr. Smarty Pants
It's common for pregnant women to dream they've given birth to an animal. According to a report by the New York Post, Winston Churchill's parrot is still alive. Charlie, a 104-year-old blue and gold female macaw, lives in southeast England and likes to curse Hitler. In the first century, Pliny the Elder claimed that mustard would improve lazy housewives. All of these "facts" and more can be found in the Mr. Smarty Pants Archive.
CNN reports Dean to suspend campaign
Mickey Moose
Muppet News Flash: Disney Buys Muppets Jim Henson had long considered a partnership with the Disney Company, but never was able to work a deal. Now that the Comcast offer has been rejected, Disney is looking to expand its entertainment offerings. But with Pixar and Disney splitting, is this merger the House of Mouse's attempt to revive its "synergy" or just another cultural gem for Eisner to strip mine?
The games people play
Perhaps it says something about the intellectual sophistication of ancient cultures that some of the most entertaining games in existence are thousands of years old: backgammon, Go, mancala... The now-ubiquitous chess is a relative newcomer, dating back merely 1400 years. One wonders whether Boggle or Monopoly will withstand the test of time so well.
cost of living in Tehran
How much is the cost of living in Tehran, Iran? Also look at some other vital statistics about the non-Arab country.
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