June 30, 2002

The bad news: SmarterChild, one of the first instant message bot applications, is dead. The good news: ActiveBuddy, the folks that created SmarterChild, will be releasing a toolset to create new bots.
posted by mathowie at 8:01 PM PST - 9 comments

Textbook Publishers Learn to Avoid Messing With Texas.

Textbook Publishers Learn to Avoid Messing With Texas. "Out of Many," the work of four respected historians, is one of the biggest sellers among American history college textbooks in the United States, but it is not likely to be available to Texas high school students taking advanced placement history. Conservative groups in Texas objected to two paragraphs in the nearly 1,000-page text that explained that prostitution was rampant in cattle towns during the late 19th century, before the West was fully settled.
posted by ncurley at 2:54 PM PST - 24 comments

Doubling The Annoyance Factor: The Instantly Recyclable Column.

Doubling The Annoyance Factor: The Instantly Recyclable Column. Spot the differences between Taki's High Life column in this week's Spectator and his Le Maitre column in this week's New York Press. Obviously, all columnists recycle their stuff, specially when they've been on the job for more than 25 years like this guy, but there's generally a time-lag and a modest attempt at hiding the self-plagiarism. No such bloody luck with Taki.[ To my mind, the most objectionable, reactionary, trumpet-blowing, futile, deeply annoying (but, alas, not unreadable...)columnist in the English-speaking world.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:09 PM PST - 16 comments

Chillies.

Chillies. Everything you never wanted to know about the fiery stuff can be found here. Apparently they provide a natural high.
posted by Fat Buddha at 10:18 AM PST - 14 comments

interference in bolivian elections by usa (why if he is unlikely to win?)

interference in bolivian elections by usa (why if he is unlikely to win?) The US Ambassador to Bolivia has told the Bolivian people not to vote for the indigenous Indian candidate for the Movement for Socialism (MAS), Evo Morales Ayma. If he is elected next Sunday, the USA will suspend economic aid and will review its agreements.

why?.. he is unlikely to win, this will surely give him a boost in the polls instead
posted by trismegisto at 7:44 AM PST - 10 comments

Brazil vs. Germany.

Brazil vs. Germany. The 2002 FIFA World Cup has come to an end. History was made today.
posted by riffola at 6:00 AM PST - 48 comments

Serial prankster Karl Powers finishes his trifecta of Pranks with a hit on centre court at Wimbledon. He first joined the Manchester United team for a photograph, then donned the cricket whites and marched out onto Headingley during an Ashes Test with Australia.
posted by Burgatron at 5:33 AM PST - 12 comments

Pork chop shoes

Pork chop shoes results in a lawsuit in Australia. A man who slipped on a grease trail left by pork chop shoes in a pub is awarded £23,000. I guess Nike better think twice before they release their filet mignon basketball shoes. What would be their marketing campaign?
posted by percine at 4:03 AM PST - 8 comments

"Babe Ruth and I were teammates on the Yankees—and lovers, too. It was no big deal back then. After Sunday games were over, lots of players and writers would come by our little flat in the Morrisania section of the Bronx for one of Babe's famous bean dinners. I also remember the evening when Babe, wearing his familiar pink housecoat, turned out a nice catfish stew for Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Everyone in baseball knew how it was with me and Babe. After the company had gone home and we'd done the dishes, he would lie in my arms and I'd whisper, 'You are my bambino.'"
posted by semmi at 12:06 AM PST - 9 comments

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