December 9, 2001
Sperm doner held liable for child support.
Sperm doner held liable for child support. Lawyers run amok in America? Guess again. And, the sperm doner knew the mother. Should that make any difference? Can this happen here?
Cougars:
Cougars: women in their thirties, forties, fifties, maybe even sixties, going after men a decade or three younger. This article says they're a new phenomenon, and a Canadian (in fact, Torontonian) one at that. Surely not?
freeform light:
freeform light: glowing wires, cool to the touch. uses very little power, and usable for...anything you need to light. really beautiful light sculptures waiting to be created.
The 2002 Olympics have some unintended consequences for Salt Lake City:
"Along the Wasatch Front, police say they have seen an influx of 'circuit girls' -- migratory prostitutes who travel from city to city for high-profile events -- and their pimps, typically men who exploit hookers for a healthy cut of the cash"
"Along the Wasatch Front, police say they have seen an influx of 'circuit girls' -- migratory prostitutes who travel from city to city for high-profile events -- and their pimps, typically men who exploit hookers for a healthy cut of the cash"
"There is a deep hunger in America post-Sept. 11 in many people who feel this is their war in their backyard and they would like to be summoned by the president to do something more than go shopping.
"There is a deep hunger in America post-Sept. 11 in many people who feel this is their war in their backyard and they would like to be summoned by the president to do something more than go shopping. If you just look at the amount of money spontaneously donated to victims' families, it's clear that there is a deep reservoir of energy out there that could be channeled to become a real force for American renewal and transformation — and it's not being done." Excellent editorial in today's NY Times (free registration required) by Tom Friedman exhorting Bush to use his currently formidable political capital by calling on Americans to step up and "be the best country, and the best global citizens, we can be."
One idea a day
One idea a day for the rest of time, copyright-free.
Air travel used to be prestigious and considered quite safe,
Air travel used to be prestigious and considered quite safe, but no more. It seems like it's just one thing after another this past year for the industry. How much of a beating can such a cash-flow intensive business take? What's your feeling about flying these days?
(some) British Muslims
(some) British Muslims - an interesting article from Prospect describes how different generations (and classes) of British Muslims view the conflict in Afghanistan (starts as personal history; the political meat of the article is in the second half).
The Cypherpunks email list, an online forum that in many ways defined Internet activism, was booted unceremoniously from its original home, the Toad Hall Web site, earlier this week. Cypherpunks veteran John Gilmore all but dismissed the computer-security and privacy forum he co-founded in the early 1990s. It had, he wrote, "degenerated a long time ago to the point where I have no idea why more than 500 people are still receiving it every day."
Linguistic profiling.
Linguistic profiling. Take the test: can you tell a person's race or ethnicity by their voice? Also, a survey on the relationships one makes between voice and character; a survey on bidialectalism; an NPR feature in RealAudio format on the subject from September 7; and a Brazilian secondary school teacher's simple assessment of the disconnect between students who write well but speak poorly.
Deodorant is meant to be used directly on the body.
Deodorant is meant to be used directly on the body. Handbook for operating undercover in the West.
Kali.net
Kali.net (once one of the world's largest Internet gaming networks) is created. Makes money. BeTech buys Kali to impress investors. BeTech stops paying for upkeep. ISPs get peeved. No more Kali. Or is there? Is this a funeral or a phoenix? And is there anything else on the 'Net about this? I'm coming up with bupkus.
If we begin cutting back on fundamental freedoms,
If we begin cutting back on fundamental freedoms, if we let a bunch of pussy farmers cut the balls off our music, if you don't take advantage of our low, low interest rates by refinancing your home now then the terrorists have already won.
A Very Nice Advent Calendar
House hunting for the rest of us. A 280 sq. m. Parisian apartment: FF20.5m. ‘Lazybones’ on St. Peter: $6m. ‘La Barakat’ on the coast of Portgual: $11.5m. James Island, Vancouver, Canada: $49.9m.
Veteran foreign correspondent Robert Fisk attacked in Afghanistan.
Veteran foreign correspondent Robert Fisk attacked in Afghanistan. Fisk's been my dispassionate-knowledgeable-counterpoint-supplier-of-choice for the events of the last few months, and unfortunately he's been very badly beaten by a mob near Quetta . His reaction: "They had every reason to be angry... If I had been them, I would have attacked me".
A sunken megalithic city, perhaps 6,000 years old, has been sonar-photographed with an underwater sub, off the coast of Cuba, 2100 feet down. Well, at least they didn't describe it as 'cyclopean'. Nor is there any word on whether its architectural angles are non-Euclidean. [More inside]
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