PaulMartinTime .ca: a public resource on Canada's Prime Minister
Just in case, you know, really don't like Paul Martin.
29.1.05
Rwanda remembers the Holocaust
On the 60th anniversary of the Russian liberation of Auschwitz, people all over the world remembered. One of the most poignant was in Rwanda where they are still trying to come to terms with their own genocide.
Now a phrase bandied about is "Never Again" but I was trying to think of an actual timely intervention that stopped a genocide from happening. I mean Darfur has been festering for several years now, and we got to Bosnia late as well. Can you think of one that the world actually did right?
Nepal shuts down Tibetan offices
Because when you are small and right next door, and Beijing's ambassador to the country last year thanked the government for, in his words, "never allowing any anti-China activities" on Nepali soil, well then stuff happens
26.1.05
Google puts its hoohoodilly in another chacha
SiliconValley.com reports on Google Video.
With Google Video (www.google.com/video), Google is indexing the closed-caption transcripts from PBS, C-SPAN, Fox News, the NBA and others. Closed captions, originally intended for people with hearing impairments, are the text translations of program that typically scroll across the bottom of TV screens.
For now, the Mountain View search engine will not link directly to video content. Instead, when users click on a search result, they'll be taken to a "preview page'' that will show excerpts of the closed-caption text alongside relevant still images from the video program.
Where available, Google will also display programming information, such as the date and time the show aired and when it will air next.
22.1.05
21.1.05
20.1.05
Jailed for a Song
You will notice over to your right that I am putting my webspace where my mouth is.
TeeVee Archive - Who's Afraid of Jamie Kellner?
Because you don't read the same things I do
I'd like to thank Candis (if she sends me a link, I'll insert it) for reminding me to tell you all about how copyright problems are killing documentaries.
19.1.05
daily dose of imagery
Isa says that this is actually really easy to do in flash, but it still looks way cool.
17.1.05
16.1.05
Sound and Fury: Cosmological Constants
Alrighty then ...
25% of Americans believe the sun goes around the earth.
26% of Europeans believe the Sun goes around the Earth.
Several other shocking misconsceptions (boil radioactive milk to make it safe) are also in agreement within the margin of error of the 2 surveys so iwas thinking that someone just took someone else's numbers, but the provenance seems to be pretty rigourously documented.
Hrmph.
Frequency
Since my new job is interesting, the frequency will drop drastically until some time in February. That is when I will receive my very own portable posting machine (laptop) which will allow me unfettered evening access to the weeb.
11.1.05
New Zulund
Developed from radar images taken by the shuttle Endeavour 5 years ago, here is a Quicktime movie of a virtual fly-by of New Zealand
10.1.05
Software patents: EU Commission called upon to start legislation from scratch
Good news for real this time:
"61 EU members of parliament from 13 countries lead by the Polish ex-prime minister Jerzy Buzek are demanding that the legislative process on the controversial directive on the patentability of "computer-implemented inventions" begin again from scratch."
The Salvador Option
Well, good news. The yanks are pulling up their socks and getting back into the banana republic game. Central American style death squads, now with a twist of Arabic! Please note the Newsweek byline. This article is appearing in a well respected news journal. Actually it's a "web exclusive" but close.
Colombia rejects 'kidnap' charge
The BBC is carrying more coverage of the alleged kidnapping in Venezuala of a Colombian FARC rebel by Colombian security forces without the knowledge of the Venezualan government. I wonder if there will be any fallout from this.
6.1.05
Paper Apologizes for Civil Rights Coverage
"It has come to the editor's attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement," the clarification read. "We regret the omission."
Free Culture vs. Big Media: Lawrence Lessig leads the charge to retake the public domain
Will you please listen to Reason?
Six Apart buys LJ - official
I knew there was a reason I don't like Movable Type. I mean, Live Journal? Ew.
Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Answering Dean Esmay on ID in Science Classrooms
Just in case you want someone to explain why it's a bad idea to allow the teaching of "Intelligent Design" in science classrooms. Aside from the fact that 99.9% of their criticisms of evolutionary theory are either misleading or completely incorrect I mean.
5.1.05
The Command Line In 2004
Neal Stephenson - In The Beginning Was The Command Line. The annotated version.
Hertford, home of the Holy Grail
A very interesting report on someone who the Vatican is ready to apologize to: the Grand Master of the Knights Templar.
Blog Plasma & MusicPlasma
John Battelle proposes a blog version of MusicPlasma. Which is a seriously cool tool. And needs to be combined with that AllMusic thing I could have sworn I linked to but apparently didn't. (Click on "exlpore by ..." in the left column and then move your mouse over the spidery image at the top of the new page)
Instant Detox
A drug cocktail taken under anaesthesia is reported to allow opiate addicts to avoid withdrawal sysmptoms. The article is by the same guy who reported on The Coca Plant That Wouldn't Die
Banks scramble as charities take credit-card hit
Well, some pleasant news about Canadian banks for a change: "More than a week after tsunamis devastated South Asia, Canada's major banks scrambled yesterday to reassure the public that they will not profit from record charitable contributions to the relief effort."
Rude awakening to missile-defense dream
So the US already spends 10 times as much every year on a missile defense program that has never, ever, successfully completed a test than it does on all Customs and Border security (go go War on Terror Rah Rah!). Over Christmas, the Russians successfully tested a new kind of ICBM. One that is designed specifically to counteract the failed US program. So even if they do get it working, it will be too late.
My feeling about military technology is that offense is easier than defense and will be for the forseeable future. Two quotes that are relevant:
"The best defense is a good offense"
"The best way to win a battle is to win it before it is ever fought"
4.1.05
Wikipedia Anti-elitism
Or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Wikipedia Anti-elitism." It's an interesting article repsonding to criticism. The core of it is that the people who are criticising it are criticizing it from their own viewpoint and that the criticisms are not universally valid.
Exploding the Self-Esteem Myth
Now that is interesting: "Boosting people's sense of self-worth has become a national preoccupation. Yet surprisingly, research shows that such efforts are of little value in fostering academic progress or preventing undesirable behavior."
Firefox Help: Tips & Tricks
Start page-rendering with no delay and enable pipelining.
You do not need to do this in user.js, you can also do it from the about:config screen (just type it in the location bar, no http://). nglayout.initialpaint.delay probably won't be there. Just right-click on any line and choose new|integer|nglayout.initialpaint.delay|0.
3.1.05
defective yeti
"Movie that I got on DVD and didn't watch for weeks because I was scared that it would be awful and ruin my fond childhood memories of it, but was actually was pretty good: Ghostbusters.
Movie I Watched On Dvd That Inspired The Aforementioned Dread By Actually Being Awful And Fond-Memory Ruinous: Tron."
I so walked down that road. Yrch.
Software Patents Withdrawn from the Agenda of the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries at Poland's Request
Sometimes I am such an idiot. Sorry I didn't link to it last year. On a related note:
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