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Is historical revisionism acceptable in the name of "inclusiveness" (or "political correctness" to be less polite)? (More inside)
comment posted at 8:53 PM on Jan-11-02
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comment posted at 10:52 AM on Jan-12-02

After yesterday's feverish response to the greatest bands of all time, I gotta ask who do you think are the worst bands of all time? Creed has got to be it for me. I don't think these guys can ever even have nostalgia value.
comment posted at 9:50 AM on Jan-11-02

On the implausibility of the Death Star's Trash Compactor. [From McSweeney's]
comment posted at 1:28 PM on Jan-10-02

B4 d t+ k s++ u-- f++ i o++ x e l- c--
comment posted at 10:32 AM on Jan-10-02

Could tomorrow's Blogger announcement be that they are launching a Premium Service... (more)
comment posted at 10:14 AM on Jan-10-02

Aztecs Conquer Russian Civilization …Now that Sid Meier's Civilization III has been released for the Mac OS, I shall now begin to wall myself off from our own actual civilization and begin a weeks-long campaign to rule a fictional world.
Civ3 truly is, as its packaging claims, “the Greatest Game of All Time.” Civ is not merely a battle simuator or an extrapolation of the board game Risk — it's a chance to learn how successful (and not-so-successful) societies can be developed through history. Strategy gaming at its finest.
comment posted at 9:42 PM on Jan-9-02
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comment posted at 10:24 AM on Jan-10-02

An interesting twist in the trial of a bunch of Greenpeace protestors. The government drops felony charges in return for a guilty plea to misdemeanors and a promise from Greenpeace USA not to conduct any illegal demonstrations in the US for the next five years. Any bets on whether or not the deal will hold, and if we'll see this tactic used in the anti-globalization arena?
comment posted at 5:19 PM on Jan-9-02

Who killed John O'Neill? If the lads on the Right have their Vince Foster "mystery" death, the folks on the Left now have their John O'Neill "story."
comment posted at 5:30 PM on Jan-9-02

In gaming news, Disney has thrown itsself into the online gaming market, with Toontown, pitting it against some of the other successful online games, but targeted towards kids. The reviews have been decent or better, and heck, who wouldn't want the chance to become a toon. From personal experience, online games can be incredibly addictive and time intensive, limiting actual human contact to zero. So, is this a great way to introduce young kids to the wonders of the online experience, or is it another way for parents to let technology play babysitter?
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Jan-9-02

Anger plays a key role in human cooperation. And not only that, anger is altruistic! The link covers a behavioral experiment probing individual versus group benefits, freeloading, punishment and altruism.
comment posted at 2:12 PM on Jan-9-02

Man, being a junior high student is getting weird these days. Whatever happened to just sharing a joint or a 40? Was that so bad? Seriously though, some say we are over medicating our youth, incidents like this, odd though they may be, have me thinking they may be right.
comment posted at 11:16 AM on Jan-9-02

CitizenX is closing its doors to the public, and is going to only have core members be a part of the site now. There will still be a public lounge, but citizenship will now be by invite or by application.
comment posted at 11:22 AM on Jan-9-02

Apple announces the new iMac. Looks kind of retro. What do you think?
comment posted at 10:15 AM on Jan-8-02
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comment posted at 9:56 AM on Jan-11-02

Time Canada... your source for Mac news gives the product to revolutionize the whole entire universe. As discussed here and here, hopefully this thread will be the last in a trilogy? Feel free to discuss, add, advocate.
comment posted at 10:32 PM on Jan-6-02
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comment posted at 11:03 AM on Jan-8-02

Consider This, America. The Washington Post has nine editorials from around the world on how America should use it's current bully pulpit: Uganda on tunnel vision, Germany on "softly flexing" muscles, Mexico on energy and labor, Canada on women's rights, Peru on capitalism/property rights, Japan against unilateralism, England encourages being a "real" superpower, while Pakistan wants us to be balanced. Sage words of advice, or more finger wagging from the global set?
comment posted at 2:09 PM on Jan-6-02
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Jan-6-02
comment posted at 4:14 PM on Jan-6-02

Akebono's sumo retirement ceremony American-born sumo Yokozuna Akebono retired from the sport Sepetember 29th in Kokogikan, Japan.

This excellent photo essay talks about a few of the 300+ people scheduled to help cut off the topknot, a little on the history of Sumo, and why he needs 8 men to help him with the belt tying ceremony.

Also a few good photographs of another American-born Yokozuna, Musashimaru, and one Japanese one, Takanohana.
comment posted at 9:12 PM on Jan-5-02

"Active Denial Technology uses a transmitter to send a narrow beam of energy towards an identified subject. Traveling at the speed of light, the energy reaches the subject and penetrates less than 1/64 of an inch into the skin, quickly heating up the skin’s surface. Within seconds, an individual feels an intense heating sensation that stops when the transmitter is shut off or when the individual moves out of the beam."
[The link is to an MS Word document, I saved an HTML version here.]
comment posted at 12:07 AM on Jan-5-02

The Polaroid photographic archive is under threat The archivists are trying to sell the collection together, but as always seems to happen in these cases, it looks like it might be separated. If buildings can be listed, why can't collections like this, which documents six decades of social and artistic history, be protected as well?
comment posted at 6:32 PM on Jan-4-02

Do you want to play? "If these rules make sense to you, we could quickly cross the line from words to action, both on the Web and in neighborhoods and villages around the world, by inviting people and organizations that support these goals to meet and work together, locally and face-to-face -- in schools, community centers and houses of worship -- or online and across any cultural or national border." I like the sound of this ambitious initiative of idealist.org.
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comment posted at 10:53 AM on Jan-5-02

Hey, isn't anyone going to link to the Bloggies 2002? Ok, I will. I nominated our genial host here for Lifetime Achievement. Who's with me?
comment posted at 11:31 PM on Jan-3-02
comment posted at 11:34 PM on Jan-3-02

Nothing So Strange is a mockumentary about the assasination of Bill Gates. This Gates doppleganger plays the Chairman, while Microsoft isn't happy.
comment posted at 8:31 PM on Jan-3-02

New Contraceptive to Block 'Sperm and Germs.' Scientists working in conjunction with Johns Hopkins have spent the better part of the past 2 decades working on BufferGel. Now it's in clinical trials with the NIH. Put simply, BufferGel appears to kill sperm and most STDs by raising vaginal pH. Unlike its predecessors, however, it doesn't contain any detergent, which means (they hope) no irritation. (Of course, trials may not end until 2005. Don't have to throw out the Dr. Bronner's just yet.)
comment posted at 5:31 PM on Jan-3-02

Plot to undermine global pollution controls revealed
"A secret group of developed nations conspired to limit the effectiveness of the UN's first conference on the environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. "
comment posted at 9:32 AM on Jan-3-02

Apple setting the marketing bar higher than their engeneers can jump again? Today apple.com reads "Beyond the rumor sites. Way beyond." Apparently yesterday it said something like "This is big, even for us." All of this is reference to the San Francisco MacWorld Expo on Jan, 7th where they presumably plan to launch a new product. The most credible rumour so far is a new iMac with an LCD flat-panel display that has been ready for months, but held back. It's interesting that after the iPod popped the expectations bubble (don't get me wrong, it's a cool toy, but lots of people were disappointed after the hype), Apple is stirring up so much hype themselves. I guess they've got me talking about it.
comment posted at 9:56 AM on Jan-2-02