November 11, 2002
KidPub
KidPub is an enchanting little website that I rediscovered after rediscovering a list of my circa-1995 bookmarks. (And it looks today almost exactly like it did then -- you can even see a bit of Siegel influence) KidPub is a place for children to post their stories, poems, etc. Most of the authors seem to be in the 9- to 12-year-old age range, and the stories have titles like "The Mystery of the Circus Clown" and "Crazy School". A cute site to remind you of the importance of reading and writing for children.
we come in peace
we come in peace det! det!
...you'll be glad you did. flash
Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit.
Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit. Yeah, seems pretty faultless to me.
Karyn has been saved.
Karyn has been saved. Her $20k debit has been paid off thanks to her website. 18 months of buying crap at department stores with credit cards were paid off even though her web site wasn't fancy, her story wasn't all that tragic, and many found it hard to sympathize with her .
so what have we learned? is this a success story? is this another fine example of the web wielding it's magic? or will this open a can of worms for the next jackass who overspends and hopes the society will pay for their ills?
Someone set us up the bomb.
Someone set us up the bomb. The Bomb Project is a comprehensive on-line compendium of nuclear-related links, imagery and documentation. It makes accessible the declassified files and graphic documentation produced by the nuclear industry itself, providing a context for comparative study, analysis and creativity. (courtesy of Bruce Sterling's Infinite Matrix)
Diego Doval
Diego Doval has just announced the first public alpha release of the decidedly non-vaporous PIM-like app: Spaces.
Coming quickly after the announcement of Mitch Kapor and the OSAF's plans for an MS Outlook competitor, Spaces seems to already do a lot of what Chandler has plans to do, but is ready for download and testing right now.
A very cool feature of Spaces is the integration of an RSS new aggregator right alongside the email client. News items and email messages are fundamentally the same and the app takes advantage of that. Spaces is blurring the differences between how we read news and email and it's about time!
Coming quickly after the announcement of Mitch Kapor and the OSAF's plans for an MS Outlook competitor, Spaces seems to already do a lot of what Chandler has plans to do, but is ready for download and testing right now.
A very cool feature of Spaces is the integration of an RSS new aggregator right alongside the email client. News items and email messages are fundamentally the same and the app takes advantage of that. Spaces is blurring the differences between how we read news and email and it's about time!
Here's a story
Here's a story that's been circulating the sports talk circuit but transcends to normal walks of life, and might brighten up your day.
Alien Tiles Game
Alien Tiles Game.
Play the game, then see the scientific papers from the UK
and from Rutgers University
on the subject. Enjoy.
Eight hundred years ago,
Eight hundred years ago, the Empire of Mali was the West African equivalent of Byzantium (succeeding Ghana's Rome), and its legendary founder was Sundiata. [more]
Nobody follows through on their hoaxes anymore.
Nobody follows through on their hoaxes anymore. I'm kind of disappointed. I didn't think that this would turn out to be anything big, but I was really hoping that it would be something ridiculous. Sigh.
Abigail and Brittany Hensel
Abigail and Brittany Hensel are in the 6th grade and continue to defy the odds. After the initial struggle with the personal pronoun (her? their?), one is left with both curiosity and sympathy. The greater issue is how to assimilate the truly miraculous.
Archaeological Collage. Neat old cityscene photographs dissolve part by part into modern shots of the same location. Slide the slider and trollies morph into cars, stoop tragedy is supplanted by stoop dalliance. This site has been my white whale: I spent many months tracking it down after losing the link, asking here, asking there, and finally getting an Answer. SPOILER: In the saddest one, going left to right, you're delighted that the grand hotel survives, until in the last 10% it yields to a parking lot. *sob* (Shockwave required)
Detailed collection of resources about the movement to reform the UN Security Council, including news, data and commentary.
US Soldiers' dogtags
US Soldiers' dogtags are sold on the streets of Vietnam. An American backpacker bought as many as she could find and is now trying to find their owners. Interesting story.
"if you like God in government, get ready for the Rapture"
"if you like God in government, get ready for the Rapture" a word from bill moyers via drudge on the party now in control of the US government - and a word from garrison kiellor on one of its newest members complete text here. anyone else uneasy with the direction the county seems to be headed?
Our Bastard(s) Somoza
Our Bastard(s) Somoza Speaking of brutal Nicaraguan dicatator Somoza, Harry Truman is supposed to have said "He's a bastard, but he's our bastard." Looking for a source for this quote, I discovered it's attributed to Truman, FDR, and Nixon. This is such a broad chronological range that I figured I could narrow it down by finding out when Somza lived. No such luck: according to two biography*/histories, there were actuall three Somozas: Anastasio Somoza Garcia, who fathered Luis Somoza Debayle and Anastasio Somoza Debayle, and the Somoza dynasty that ruled Nicaragua from the mid 1930s through the late 1970s. All three of those presidents could well have made the comment. But I'm still stuck for a source...
* This link (the first history/bio) requires anyone clicking from an outside page to go through an extra "Welcome Mat" page on the first time through. Annoying, but no registration required.
* This link (the first history/bio) requires anyone clicking from an outside page to go through an extra "Welcome Mat" page on the first time through. Annoying, but no registration required.
Did The Good Old Days Really Exist
Did The Good Old Days Really Exist or was it just the iconography that was cute? Not to mention the cars. Or the clothes. Or the refrigerators. And the music. Or the supermarkets.... But were any of these commodities and comforts actually any good? Could we live with them today? Accomplished websites like Ephemera Now and Fifties Boulevard give the impression of an increasingly unrealistic American Dream that's still fighting against waking up. Is there - can there be - any equivalent nowadays? [First two links from today's Bifurcated Rivets.]
An on-the-job feel good story.
An on-the-job feel good story. Anonymous customer gives waitresses a hefty tip. Have you ever been unexpectedly rewarded on the job, either from a customer, boss or co-worker? (link via Obscure Store)
Why has Microsoft granted Saddam Hussein's son a .NET passport?
Why has Microsoft granted Saddam Hussein's son a .NET passport? A Microsoft representative would not comment on the issuance of a passport to the murderer, rapist, torturer and smuggler, but said Microsoft complies with all trade laws. Looks like it's time for Iraq to switch to Linux. Also, Yahoo is likely in violation of U.S. trade sanctions against Iraq by providing him with a free email account. You can show your support for 38-year-old Uday by emailing him at udaysaddamhussein@yahoo.com. What next? Cancel the accounts of all criminals?
Learning from the RIAA's mistakes?
Learning from the RIAA's mistakes?
"Seeking to protect movies from the rampant online piracy that afflicts the music industry, five major film studios plan to begin offering today rental feature films that consumers can download from a Web site for a fee." Sounds like at least a step in the right direction, but I still wonder: who watches movies on their computer anyway? Would you rather wait for your 90 minute feature film to download, or just get off your butt and go rent one? (first link is to the NYT)
"Seeking to protect movies from the rampant online piracy that afflicts the music industry, five major film studios plan to begin offering today rental feature films that consumers can download from a Web site for a fee." Sounds like at least a step in the right direction, but I still wonder: who watches movies on their computer anyway? Would you rather wait for your 90 minute feature film to download, or just get off your butt and go rent one? (first link is to the NYT)
A college professor has been rebuked
A college professor has been rebuked for sending an abusive email to an Air Force cadet. Was the professor out of line for his rant, or is "academic freedom" under attack?
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