the birth of <img>

the birth of img From: Marc Andreessen Subject: proposed new tag: IMG, the 5 characters that arguably changed the world, causing us all to go online!!!

Google's 20-Year Usenet Timeline

Google's 20-Year Usenet Timeline: "'Google just released its 20-Year Usenet Timeline. Among the highlights: First Mac rumor, first 'me too' post, Tim Berners-Lee's announcement of the Web, and Linus' announcement of Linux.'"

Google exposes web surveillance cams

Google exposes web surveillance cams: "Blogs and message forums buzzed this week with the discovery that a pair of simple Google searches permits access to well over 1,000 unprotected surveillance cameras around the world - apparently without their owners' knowledge."

Berkman Center Releases Digital Media Policy Paper

Berkman Center Releases Digital Media Policy Paper: "'Last year marked another messy chapter in the music and movie industries' transitions online. Legitimate offerings multiplied while the RIAA and MPAA continued their lawsuits against P2P systems and users, even as P2P traffic reached new heights. How -- if at all -- should policymakers attempt to resolve emerging digital media conflicts? The Berkman Center's Digital Media Project today released a new research study examining options for government action and how it could affect four different business models for the distribution of digital media. The authors caution that government intervention is currently premature because it is unlikely to strike an appropriate balance between the many competing interests at stake.'"

holographic storage

holographic storage: "InPhase today said that it has developed the world's first prototypes of holographic storage drives."

World's Shortest P2P App: 15 Lines

World's Shortest P2P App: 15 Lines: "'The New Scientist has an article about TinyP2P, the world's smallest P2P app. It's 15 lines of Python code brought to us by Edward Felten, CS Professor at Princeton and outspoken supporter of the digital rights the Slashdot community holds so dear. He wrote the program as a proof-of-concept that P2P apps are really easy to write, don't have to be complicated, and thus banning them (a la the INDUCE Act) is pointless and silly.'"

# tinyp2p.py 1.0 (documentation at http://freedom-to-tinker.com/tinyp2p.html)

import sys, os, SimpleXMLRPCServer, xmlrpclib, re, hmac # (C) 2004, E.W. Felten

ar,pw,res = (sys.argv,lambda u:hmac.new(sys.argv[1],u).hexdigest(),re.search)

pxy,xs = (xmlrpclib.ServerProxy,SimpleXMLRPCServer.SimpleXMLRPCServer)

def ls(p=""):return filter(lambda n:(p=="")or res(p,n),os.listdir(os.getcwd()))

if ar[2]!="client": # license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0

  myU,prs,srv = ("http://"+ar[3]+":"+ar[4], ar[5:],lambda x:x.serve_forever())

  def pr(x=[]): return ([(y in prs) or prs.append(y) for y in x] or 1) and prs

  def c(n): return ((lambda f: (f.read(), f.close()))(file(n)))[0]

  f=lambda p,n,a:(p==pw(myU))and(((n==0)and pr(a))or((n==1)and [ls(a)])or c(a))

  def aug(u): return ((u==myU) and pr()) or pr(pxy(u).f(pw(u),0,pr([myU])))

  pr() and [aug(s) for s in aug(pr()[0])]

  (lambda sv:sv.register_function(f,"f") or srv(sv))(xs((ar[3],int(ar[4]))))

for url in pxy(ar[3]).f(pw(ar[3]),0,[]):

  for fn in filter(lambda n:not n in ls(), (pxy(url).f(pw(url),1,ar[4]))[0]):

    (lambda fi:fi.write(pxy(url).f(pw(url),2,fn)) or fi.close())(file(fn,"wc"))

zork1 at forkexec.com

zork1 at forkexec.com: "zork server", geek heaven! a zork machine in java. never played before but what a history lesson!!!

iPod - restore and maximize battery life

iPod - restore and maximize battery life, this guy went from 3/4 of an hour to 8 hours on a g1 ipod!!!

Play Tetris in Terminal via emacs

Play Tetris in Terminal via emacs: "Open up a Terminal window. Type in emacs and press Enter. Once it's loaded, press and release Escape, and then type x. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see M-x; type tetris and press Enter. You're now playing Tetris within emacs. Use the arrow keys and space bar (to drop blocks) to play. When you are done, a highscore will be generated at /tmp. You can then exit emacs by pressing Control-X followed by Control-C."

THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2005

THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2005: "Great minds can sometimes guess the truth before they have either the evidence or arguments for it (Diderot called it having the 'esprit de divination'). What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?"

Folklore.org: Macintosh Stories

Folklore.org: Macintosh Stories: "Anecdotes about the development of Apple's original Macintosh computer, and the people who created it."

Building the AACS Next-Gen Copy Protection Scheme

Building the AACS Next-Gen Copy Protection Scheme: "'The IEEE Spectrum has a piece that discusses the proposed encryption scheme for the upcoming HD-DVD standard. 'The key to the spirit of compromise is an agreement that the AACS specification will allow consumers to move the data on an optical disc to the various devices they own, including video servers and portable video players, either directly or via a home network.' AACS will use a so-called strong key, the 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard approved by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.'"

RIAA Loses DMCA Subpoena Case Against Charter

RIAA Loses DMCA Subpoena Case Against Charter: "'According to an opinion published today (PDF), the RIAA has lost its case against Charter Communications regarding subpoenas for the cable ISP's users to be identified for copyright infringement in the Eastern District of Missouri. You may remember that Charter Communications filed a motion to block the RIAA's subpoena back in late 2003. Now Charter has prevailed. Here's the blurb from the Court 'Civil case - Digital Millennium Copyright Act. District court erred in issuing subpoenas on internet providers to obtain personal information about the providers' subscribers who were alleged to be transmitting copyrighted works via the internet through peer-to-peer programs; the internet providers' function was limited to acting as a conduit for the allegedly copyrighted material, and Section 512(h) of the Act does not authorize subpoenas in such circumstances; case remanded with directions. Dissent by Judge Murphy. [PUBLISHED] [Bye, Author, with Murphy and Bright, Circuit Judges]''"

Moonstone Yells BANZAI

Moonstone Yells BANZAI: "According to SciFi Wire, comics publisher Moonstone has acquired the rights to the BUCKAROO BANZAI franchise, best known from the 1984 film starring Peter Weller. Moonstone announced it would publish a new book written by BANZAI creator Earl Mac Rauch. Stephen Thompson (Star Wars comics) will draft the interior illustrations. As yet, no publishing date has been announ"

Jesusonic - Effects for the enlightend

Jesusonic: "The Jesusonic is a fully programmable effects processor for guitar, bass, vocal and general use. NOW AVAILABLE: Jesusonic Software Preview for Windows, Linux, and MacOS X. The Jesusonic CrusFX 1000 is designed to offer all of the flexibility of a general purpose computer for its effects, without the traditional computer side effects (The CrusFX has (nearly) no moving parts, short boot times, rock solid stability and minimal latency for live performances)"

California Sets Fines for Spyware

California Sets Fines for Spyware: "'The BBC has the story that California is introducing new laws to help eradicate spyware. The bill bans the installation of software that can be used to take over another computer and allows customers to seek $1000 in damages if they've fallen victim to this kind of malicious software. Can this really help cut down spyware or will it just be another fatally flawed piece of legislation?'"

Safecracking for the Computer Scientist

Safecracking for the Computer Scientist: "'It looks like Matt Blaze (the University of Pennsylvania CS professor best known for finding security flaws in the NSA Clipper Chip and in master keyed locks) is still causing trouble in physical security circles. There's a draft paper (dated December '04) on his web site entitled Safecracking for the Computer Scientist, which is a pretty in-depth look at what computer security can learn from safes (and vaults). The interesting thing is that it describes in detail the different ways that safes are cracked, probably revealing techniques that locksmiths would rather you didn't know about (there's a lot of security-by-obscurity there). The conclusion seems to be that while safes can fail, at least they do so in better ways than computer systems do. Warning: it's a 2.5 meg pdf file with lots of pretty pictures.'"

Comparing Codecs for 2004

Comparing Codecs for 2004: "'Popular encoding/guide/news site doom9.org has just put up its codec shoot-out for 2004, comparing 3ivx 5.0, Divx Fusion 5.9 (prerelease 6.0), Nero Digital Main Profile and High Profile, RealVideo 10, On2 VP6, VideoSoft's VSS, Xvid 1.0, MS's WMV9 and, last, newcomer Jomingo's HDX4. The comparison covers the speed, accuracy, target-file-size-adherence and other aspects of the codecs -- but also lets you compare yourself via high- and low-bandwidth framegrabs of each codec with a nice zoomable image-swap script.'"

mark's back

back from vegas and new years excursions...

where is mark?

until the 23rd of december i will be working and living in las vegas. i may be less reachable than usual. access to email may not be readily available. but i will have my phone and will try to return calls as soon as is possible.

Laserpod

Laserpod: i must have one!!! or two!!! ;)

Lycos Europe: 'Make love not spam'

Lycos Europe: 'Make love not spam' | CNET News.com: "In a new take on fighting spam, Web portal Lycos Europe has launched a screensaver designed to bombard Web sites promoted in unsolicited e-mail."

wow what a horrifically bad idea!

Coldplay, Franz tipped for Coachella 2005

Coldplay, Franz tipped for Coachella 2005: "Rumours are circulating that COLDPLAY, FRANZ FERDINAND, REM and DAVID BOWIE will play at next year’s COACHELLA FESTIVAL. The Californian festival traditionally take place at the end of April or early May at Empire Polo Field, Indio, California and last year saw performances from Pixies and Radiohead. According to Australian website Undercover, next year’s event will take place on April 30-May 1, and also feature Nine Inch Nails, The Streets, PJ Harvey, Polyphonic Spree, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Doves and Tears For Fears, amongst others. The bands are currently unconfirmed by organisers."

Kazaa Betamax Defense, Reports From The Courtroom

Kazaa Betamax Defense, Reports From The Courtroom: "'CBC is reporting that Kazaa, mentioned in a previous Slashdot story has mounted the 'Betamax defence.' The prosecution claims Sharman Networks does not enforce their agreement which stipulates users cannot share copyrighted material.' Also following the case, Dan Warne writes 'Australia's APC magazine is publishing a daily blog from the Kazaa trial proceedings in Sydney's Federal Court. It has some details not reported elsewhere, like the music industry piracy investigation chief apparently losing a $100 bet on the first day of the trial. More seriously, blogging journalist Garth Montgomery says the court heard evidence that Kazaa's software already had the ability to block copyrighted tracks built in, despite Sharman's protestations to the contrary.'"

Paralyzed Woman Walks Again

Paralyzed Woman Walks Again: " 'It's been promised for years, but it's just become a reality. Stem cells taken from cord blood have enabled a paralysed woman in South Korea to walk again for the first time in 20 years. The details are on the Sydney Morning Herald Site which requires registration, but can also be seen on the World Peace Herald. Too late for Christopher Reeve, but not for the thousands of new injuries worldwide each year or the millions of paralysed people from other diseases in the world.'"

Federal Judge: Keystroke Logging Isn't Wiretapping

Federal Judge: Keystroke Logging Isn't Wiretapping: "'A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed wiretapping charges against a California man who used a hardware keystroke logger to spy on his employer, SecurityFocus is reporting. The court ruled that the device doesn't violate the federal Wiretap Act because it only intercepted signals off a keyboard cable, not an interstate network. The government is asking for reconsideration. Ironically, the judge relied in part on the Scarfo precedent, which allowed the FBI to use such a keylogger without a wiretap warrant.'"

Anti-P2P Law Looms over the Horizon

Anti-P2P Law Looms over the Horizon: "'MIT's Technology Review has a piece by Eric Hellweg about pending legislation known as the Intellectual Property Protection Act. According to Hellweg, IPPA could make it illegal to skip past commercials and could 'criminalize the currently legal act of using the sharing capacity of iTunes, Apple’s popular music software program.' More information on IPPA is available at the Public Knowledge website.'"

Google Scholar

Google Scholar: "Stand on the shoulders of giants" this is how research should be!

i fear google may soon run the world, but it might be a nice place to live if it is all this simple to use!!!

MPAA Sues Movie-Swappers

MPAA Sues Movie-Swappers: "'The MPAA has filed a first wave of lawsuits against individuals they say are offering pirated copies of films using Internet-based peer-to-peer file sharing programs.' From the article: 'The MPAA said it would also make available a computer program that sniffs out movie and music files on a user's computer as well as any installed file sharing programs. The MPAA said the information detected by the free program would not be shared with it or any other body, but could be used to remove any 'infringing movies or music files' and remove file sharing programs.'"

sounds like cracking to me...not sure thats legal regardless of motive!!!

--~}-Pirate Cat Radio 87.9 fm-{~-

--~}-Pirate Cat Radio 87.9 fm-{~-: "Pirate Cat Radio 87.9fm
is an unlicensed low powered community radio station, broadcasting on 87.9 megahertz, with an effective power rating of 220 watts, serving the San Francisco Bay Area."

i love cats :)

What is encryption?

What is encryption?: "What's the difference between a cipher and a code? Encryption schemes explained." an encryption primer!!!

The World Wide Website of Ricky Jay

The World Wide Website of Ricky Jay: con, card, and acting man!

ABC affils balk at 'Ryan' airing

ABC affils balk at 'Ryan' airing: "ABC affils balk at 'Ryan' airing Fearful of the FCC crackdown on indecent broadcasts, at least 19 ABC affiliates plan to pre-empt the network's unedited broadcast of the film 'Saving Private Ryan' at 8 p.m. tonight. The pre-emptions come despite the network's decision to warn viewers during each commercial break about the graphic violence and language in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated World War II epic. ABC has aired 'Ryan' twice before without any pre-emption, to commemorate Veterans Day in 2001 and '02, though some stations cited past complaints from viewers that they also factored into their decisions. Station groups that plan to cancel 'Ryan' at all of their ABC-affiliated stations include E.W. Scripps, Citadel Communications and Belo Corp. Other pre-empting stations are owned by Cox Communications, Hearst-Argyle, Pappas Telecasting and Tribune Broadcasting."

fuck powell and the fcc, anti first amendment bastards!!!

Music Downloading not Entirely to Blame

Music Downloading not Entirely to Blame: "'A recent article in The Economist discusses the proximate causes for the decline in music sales. Of some note is this quote in the article: 'According to an internal study done by one of the majors, between two-thirds and three-quarters of the drop in sales in America had nothing to do with internet piracy. [...] Other explanations: rising physical CD piracy, shrinking retail space, competition from other media, and the quality of the music itself. But creativity doubtless plays an important part.' The article discusses in some depth the short-term viewpoint of the majors and why that is likely to be the dominant problem, not the internet bogeyman.'"

THE LIKELY LADS TAKE A BREAK

Carl takes The Libertines off the road: "THE LIKELY LADS TAKE A BREAK, CARL BARAT is to retire THE LIBERTINES from playing live for 'the foreseeable future' at the end of the year, NME.COM can exclusively reveal."

John Peel: 1939-2004

John Peel: 1939-2004: "JOHN PEEL: 1939 -2004 When John Peel’s sad, sudden death at the age of 65 was announced today (October 26) BBC Radio 1, the station that had been his home for five decades, broke with programming and played The Undertones ‘Teenage Kicks’ – his all-time favourite song.

It was a fitting tribute to a man whose dedication and unerring passion for all that was fresh and vital and youthful and vigorous about music saw him reject the dictats and mores of broadcasting to pursue a singular path launching the career of hundreds of bands, and soundtracking the youth of millions of music fans.

Born John Robert Parker Ravenscoft in Heswall, near Liverpool, in 1939, Peel was the son of the wealthy owner of a cotton mill. He was sent away to boarding school in Shrewsbury, which he hated, an ordeal made bearable when he first heard Elvis Presley singing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’.

'Everything changed when I heard Elvis,' he said. 'Where there had been nothing there was suddenly something.'

In 1959, after National Service, Peel moved to America where Beatlemania soon took hold. The Liverpool connection helped Peel land a spot as DJ on WRR radio in Dallas. He moved back to England in 1967, where he first joined Radio London, before moving to BBC Radio 1 for its launch. He was to remain with the station for the rest of his life, the only original DJ.

His style was immediately different to other presenters. He played the records from start to finish without interruption – which later became useful if you wanted to tape the tracks - providing an informative commentary for listeners. During his early period, Peel was a friend and supporter of some of the biggest names in rock. Marc Bolan, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix all recorded Peel Sessions and Peel famously once showed up on Top Of The Pops miming mandolin for Rod Stewart on the chart-topping‘Maggie May’.

As the 70s progressed, Peel’s tastes evolved. He was in the vanguard of punk, pushing the sounds of The Ramones, The Clash, The Undertones, The Buzzcocks and the Sex Pistols, then latterly Joy Division. In the 80s, he kickstarted the careers of New Order, The Fall, Smiths and any number of other acts you care to name. We would never have heard the Pixies or Pulp or The White Stripes if it wasn’t for John Peel.

As the years rolled on, the scope of his radio show widened. He moved between gum-bleeding German techno, world music and the occasional Roy Orbison hit with ease – even if it was sometimes a little taxing for his legions of fans. Until recently, a place on his annual countdown of the best singles of the year – Peel’s Festive 50 – was a much sought-after berth for bands on independent labels.

In recent years, Peel built a new army of fans. His award winning ‘Home Truths’ programme on BBC Radio Four grew into a must-hear for middle-aged listeners in middle England. And his spots on the BBC’s ‘Grumpy Old Men’ – a series featuring irritated men of a certain age riling against the things they found most absurd about modern life – were frequently the funniest and most telling.

Balding, a little plump, a devoted father, grandfather and husband not to mention a big fan of genteel radio series The Archers, Peel kicked open the door for people like Steve Lamacq and Zane Lowe, letting the mainstream programmers see that an audience existed for music that was not always a chart fixture.

His influence is immeasurable.

John Peel often told the story hearing ‘Teenage Kicks’ for the first time. He was driving in his car listening to the song on a demo tape. He was so overcome by the tune that he pulled onto the side of the road to have a cry.

There are thousands of people across Britain today who will have had a similar experience on hearing of his untimely death.

Paul McNamee"

i don' want to imagine a world where kids will no longer be able to dig through bins of peel sessions...

:(

Pumping Up the Power of the IPod

Pumping Up the Power of the IPod: "Wired News tested a $40, high-capacity, 2,100 mAh (milliamp hour) replacement iPod battery from Newer Technology. It was easy to install and delivered 22 hours of continuous play -- more than double the play time of the original battery. (The battery tested is for first- and second-generation iPods; Newer also sells one for third-generation iPods.)"

big up mike for pointing this one out!!!

Oasis and Blur unite for Band Aid III

Oasis and Blur unite for Band Aid III: "The Oasis and Blur stars, who famously fell out back in 1995, have become the latest big names to agree to help raise cash for stricken victims of famine in Africa, according to a report in today's (October 22) Sun newspaper. Ure told The Sun: “Noel said he’s going to do it and I heard Damon is going to do it as well, but as one of the Gorillaz. “So whether he’s going to actually be in the studio or whether it’s going to be a cartoon character, I don’t know. But they’re both going to do it.”"

Marc Almond critically injured in bike smash

Marc Almond critically injured in bike smash: "MARC ALMOND is critically ill after a motorcycle crash in LONDON. The Soft Cell star is currently in hospital after an accident in central London yesterday. Almond was a passenger on a bike that was involved in an accident with a car near Cannon Street station around 4pm yesterday. He was taken to hospital for emergency surgery."

:(

The Hardware Behind Echelon Revealed

The Hardware Behind Echelon Revealed: "'Techworld has got an interesting article on the technology behind the Echelon spying networks run by the US, UK, Cananda and Australia. Apparently the super storage and analysing technology used in the US is sold by privately owned Texas Memory Systems. It can deal with one trillion floating point operations per second. Now that's some technology.'"

Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire

Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire: "'Instead of plugging his new book, Jon Stewart tonight on CNN's Crossfire used his time to slam the media's coverage of the election. Although Stewart leans left, he attacked political shows and begged them: 'Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America.' Is it time to really stop all the political games that both sides play? Torrent of the event is available.' And another set of .torrent links."

please watch it! it brilliant, but more than that, its important! if you can't or don't know how to get torrent files, let me know and i will get you my copy of the program!!!

Brain Controlled Computing a Reality

Brain Controlled Computing a Reality: "'Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems told attendees at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation annual conference that a 25-year-old quadriplegic with wires run from 100 tiny sensors implanted in his brain and out to a computer can use his thoughts to control a computer well enough to operate a TV, open e-mail and play Pong with 70% accuracy.'"

Red vs. Blue Season 3 Begins

Red vs. Blue Season 3 Begins: "'Episode 39 'Best Laid Plans' weighs in at 8 minutes and 45 seconds and is available in Divx, Quicktime, and WMV. You can download it from our Video Page. Thanks for being so patient waiting around for it. '"

Supreme Court Rejects RIAA Appeal

Supreme Court Rejects RIAA Appeal: "'Recall that the RIAA originally used to directly send DMCA-laced supoenas to ISPs to obtain information about a P2P user. Then recall how Verizon and other providers balked saying the RIAA had to file John Doe suits first. It ultimately reached SCOTUS, with the RIAA appealing a decision that was in Verizon's favor. SCOTUS has declined to hear the case, effectively casting the Verizon opinion in stone. Wahoo! Part of DMCA shot down!'"

Google Launches SMS Search Service

Google Launches SMS Search Service: "'Google's been busy introducing a lot of new things this week. The latest, a SMS search service. SMS a message to 46645 (googl) and find local business listings, product prices, dictionary definitions, and more. Go Google!'"

U.S. album sales in a groove

U.S. album sales in a groove: "The U.S. record industry showed continuing renewed health through the first nine months of the year, with album sales rising 5.8% during that period, according to figures released Wednesday by Nielsen SoundScan. The American public bought 463 million albums in the first three quarters of the year versus 437 million during the same period last year. The ongoing upswing in sales, which began in the fourth quarter of 2003 after a downturn that lasted nearly three years, is encouraging as the music business approaches the December holidays, with its slate of major album releases. In the wake of last year's iTunes boom and an ongoing crackdown on illegal downloading by the industry, the digital music business continued to explode. Consumers purchased 94 million digital tracks through September, compared with just 19 million in the first nine months of last year."

BPI to sue 28 UK file sharers

BPI to sue 28 UK file sharers: "The BPI have announced this morning (October 7) that they are taking legal action against 28 UK file sharers, kicking off a rolling programme of legal action against “major uploaders”."

EFF Goes To Court To Fight The Broadcast Flag

EFF Goes To Court To Fight The Broadcast Flag: "'The Electronic Frontier Foundation and nine other organizations including Public Knowledge (PK) and the American Library Association (ALA) have gone to court to fight the Broadcast Flag. The press release sums it up: The brief argues that the FCC has no authority to regulate digital TV sets and other digital devices unless specifically instructed to do so by Congress. While the FCC does have jurisdiction over TV transmissions, transmissions are not at issue here. The broadcast flag limits the way digital material can be used after the broadcast has already been received.'
"

Stern Will Jump To Sirius In 2006

Stern Will Jump To Sirius In 2006: "'Howard Stern announced it on his current radio show, and several feeds including this CNET article are reporting that Stern has signed a multi-million dollar multi-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio starting in January, 2006. As I've watched technology grow from the time I was listening to Stern in the eighties, I can't wait to hook into a shockjock-timeshifted-podcast...'"

NASA Quakesim Predicts 15 Out of 16 CA Quakes

NASA Quakesim Predicts 15 Out of 16 CA Quakes: "'NASA's QuakeSim project has successfully predicted15 out of 16 of California's earthquakes with magnitude > 5, including 11 since the map was published in 2002. 'So far, the technique has only missed one earthquake, a magnitude of 5.2, on June 15, 2004, under the ocean near San Clemente Island.''"

Court To Reconsider Decision On ISP Mail Snooping

Court To Reconsider Decision On ISP Mail Snooping: "'In June, Slashdot reported that ISPs can read email (according to a decision by the 1st circuit court of appeals). In short, the court felt it was not a violation of U.S. wiretap laws. Last month, the Justice Department asked for the full court to reconsider the decision. C-Net now reports that the court will 'reconsider its June 29 decision'. Arguments are scheduled for Dec 8.'"

Two Women Found With HIV-Immune Mutant Gene

Two Women Found With HIV-Immune Mutant Gene: "'China Daily reports that researcher Tuofu Zhu has discovered two women in an HIV Research program that are immune to the disorder via a mutant gene.'"

Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies at Age 82

Comic Rodney Dangerfield Dies at Age 82: "Rodney Dangerfield (news) knew 'I don't get no respect' was funny when it cracked up New Yorkers, notorious for being tough. From there on out, the one-liner became his catchphrase — and the pudgy, bug-eyed comic became the perennial loser. Dangerfield, 82, died Tuesday afternoon at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, where he had undergone heart surgery in August, said publicist Kevin Sasaki."

:(

SpaceShipOne Captures the X Prize

SpaceShipOne Captures the X Prize: "SpaceShipOne's second flight was a success, the craft successfully launching from mothership White Knight and returning safely about 20 minutes later. If the flight is certified to have reached the X Prize's target height (62.5 miles) before its safe return, it will win the $10 million purse, and more importantly attain the prestige of repeatably (if only technically) reaching space, on a budget embarrassingly smaller than NASA's. Today's flight was manned by 51-year-old test pilot Brian Binnie (rather than Mike Melvill, who piloted last week's trip), and according to spectators present at both launches seemed even smoother than last week's flight. The view from the sidelines was incredible. flapjack submits a link to CNN's coverage of the launch (which lists a claimed height attained of 368,000 feet), noting 'Interesting to note that a majority of its funding ($20-$30 million) was put up by Microsoft's own, Paul Allen.' See also the official X Prize site for continuing live coverage. Update: 10/04 17:05 GMT by T: I was able to attend the launch; read below for my short sketch of the event."

The Newton O.S. Creeps Toward New Hardware

The Newton O.S. Creeps Toward New Hardware: "'As previously reported, the Apple Newton refuses to die! The Worldwide Newton Conference 2004 has wrapped up (photos) and, thanks to Paul Guyot, there is real hope for an emulator. His talk, titled 'Newton never dies, It only gets new hardware,' describes and shows the Einstein Emulator, that will eventually allow the Newton OS to be built and run on top of Unix. Will your next Linux PDA boot Newton OS next year?'"

Astronaut Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper, 1927-2004

Astronaut Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper, 1927-2004: "'Leroy Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper, one of America's first seven astronauts, died today in his home at the age of 77. A number of space related sites are carrying the news.' Grant points to coverage at SpaceRef.com, Space.com, Nasa Watch, and CNN, writing 'His accomplishments will continue to inspire and he will be missed.'"

:(

Suing Your Customers a Good Idea?

Suing Your Customers a Good Idea?: "'Boycott-RIAA is running Fred von Lohmann's article which looks like the ideal answer to solving the P2P problem. He suggests setting up a payment system similar to SESAC, ASCAP, and BMI, collecting organizations for songwriters. This seems such an obvious solution and a great way to get artists paid and give listeners the right to listen to their favorite songs cheaply and keep them out of jail. Why wouldn't this work?'"

haven't had the opportunity to read it yet, but fred's a wise man. all his writings are worth a read too all!!!

White House Lied About Iraq Nuclear Programs

White House Lied About Iraq Nuclear Programs: "'This New York Times article reports that in 2002, the Bush Administration's assertions that Saddam Hussein was rebuilding his nuclear weapons program were based on evidence that was doubted by the government's foremost nuclear security experts. Specifically, aluminum tubes most likely meant for small artillery rockets were interpreted by the administration as parts for uranium centrifuges.' In a nutshell: while Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld were announcing to the American public that these tubes were slam-dunk evidence of Iraq's nuclear ambitions, they already knew that there was completely overwhelming evidence that the tubes were just for artillery rockets (as Iraq said) and that the tubes were totally unsuitable for use in centrifuges."

Kodak Wins $1 Billion Java Lawsuit

Kodak Wins $1 Billion Java Lawsuit: "'The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle is reporting that Eastman Kodak Company has just won a patent suit against Sun on the Java Language. According to the article Kodak owns a patent which describes a way for a piece of software to 'ask for help' from another application. What they are claiming is that Sun violates this patent when Java byte code uses the Java engine to run the code. This may really upset the industry, because not only Sun uses this technology for Java but Microsoft uses this technology in .Net.'"

i wonder if under this logic, plugins or libraries count. or for that mater anything that might ask the help of say a complier?! guess we better stop using non-kodak software!!!

Stars come out for Libertines in LA

Stars come out for Libertines in LA: "LIBERTINES TAKE LA, Members of The Charlatans, Queens Of The Stone Age and Hot Hot Heat were amongst the audience who packed in to see The Libertines as they stopped in Los Angeles on their US tour last night (October 2). The sell-out show at the 1,000 capacity Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre in Hollywood saw Charlatan’s frontman Tim Burgess, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy van Leeuwan, Hot Hot Heat’s Steve Bays and Paul Hawley and ‘That 70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson in attendance. It was The Libertines biggest US show to date. The Libertines ripped through a 90 minute set including new single ‘What Became of the Likely Lads’, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’, ‘Boys in the Band’ and ‘I Get Along’. One fan in the enthusiastic crowd managed to get on stage twice, though he was eventually corned by security and led away. The band have thirteen dates left on their North American tour, which will wrap up October 22 in Florida."

worth every min! go see them where ever you are! they fuking rock!!!

Blizzard Stomps Bnetd in DMCA Case

Blizzard Stomps Bnetd in DMCA Case: "'The EFF reported that the Vivendi/Blizzard vs. the good guys case has been decided, and it doesn't look good. Some highlights from the ruling are: A clickthrough EULA isn't unconscionable (and thus enforceable); Fair Use rights can be waived in a EULA; First Sale rights (!) can be waived in a EULA; The DMCA's interoperability provisions are not a defense. If this ruling is allowed to stand, it will allow one-sided EULAs to force the waiver of the rights of First Sale and Fair Use. This, combined with the Supreme Court's recent assent to perpetual copyright, a few decades at a time, will destroy any semblance of balance in U.S. copyright law. Fortunately, the EFF plans to appeal the ruling.'"

bad bad shit, watch what you click kids!!!

N.Y. Ruling Overturns Bootleg Law

N.Y. Ruling Overturns Bootleg Law: "Bootlegging live concerts in New York isn't a federal crime anymore, at least for the moment. A federal District Court on Sept. 24 held the law to be unconstitutional. The 1994 anti-bootlegging law, enacted by Congress to fulfill its obligations under an international treaty, makes the unauthorized recording, transmission or distribution of live musical performances a crime."

GmailForums -> GMail via WAP

GmailForums -> GMail via WAP: "GMail via a WAP enabled browser." give it up for these guys! direct link is http://www.nodrm.com/gmail!!!

Iceland and USA Feel the Copyright Industry's Wrath

Iceland and USA Feel the Copyright Industry's Wrath: "'Iceland's Internet traffic saw a substantial decrease this week as police raided the homes of 12 individuals suspected of sharing massive amounts of copyrighted material over a private, local DC hub that was infiltrated by SMAIS, the Association of film right holders in Iceland. The people who were raided were questioned by the police, and had computer equipment confiscated. It is unclear at this point what their fate is, but there is a distinct possibility might face charges.' And in the U.S., an anonymous reader writes 'The Recording Industry Association of America strikes again with yet another round of lawsuits. Jon Newston over at P2Pnet.net doesn't hold back anything in his great commentary on it today. Best quote 'It's almost as if having lost its bitterly fought case against the p2p application owners and failed in its many obvious (and expensive) attempts to disrupt the p2p networks, the music industry is now determined to vent its wrath on helpless men, women and children who can't hope to stand up to it with its tremendous political and financial power.''"

they are now starting after closed networks!!!

Senator Alleges White House Wrote Allawi's Speech

Senator Alleges White House Wrote Allawi's Speech: "'In a letter to the White House, a leading US Senate Democrat, Diane Feinstein, expressed 'profound dismay' that the White House allegedly wrote a large portion of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech to Congress last week. 'His speech gave me hope that reconstruction efforts were proceeding in most of the country and that elections could be held on schedule. To learn that this was not an independent view, but one that was massaged by your campaign operatives, jaundices the speech and reduces the credibility of his remarks.''"

thats a whole new level of king making, if true!!!

Red vs Blue Meets The Sims

Red vs Blue Meets The Sims: "'The folks over at Rooster Teeth Productions, best known for their Red vs Blue comedy movies based on the Halo rendering engine, are branching out with a second series, with more of a sitcom flair, called The Strangerhood. This time, they're using the Electronic Arts Sims 2 game as their rendering engine.'"

glad to someone doing this, after reading an article recently in wired about the new sims, it was the first thing i thought of! can't wait to see it, red v blue was dope!!!

Details On Inflatable Space Modules

Details On Inflatable Space Modules: "'Although it's been mentioned on Slashdot twice now, this article contains more details about Robert T. Bigelow's plan to orbit massive inflatable space habitats, with the first test modules to be launched next year. It also details the $50 million 'America's Space Prize', with the objective to 'spur development of a low-cost commercial manned orbital vehicle capable of launching 5-7 astronauts at a time to Bigelow inflatable modules by the end of the decade.''"

The Cure take over Radio 1

The Cure take over Radio 1: "THE CURE TAKE OVER RADIO 1! THE CURE’s ROBERT SMITH is just one of the guest presenters who will fill BBC RADIO 1 DJ JOHN PEEL’s slot in October. The presenter will be taking a holiday from October 19, and in his absence three musicians will be given a free reign to play what they want, and to raid the BBC archives. Rod Stewart will kick things off on October 19, followed by Siouxsie And The Banshees’s Siouxsie Sioux on October 20. Smith will round off the week of guest presenters on the John Peel show (October 21) when he takes over the studio. The star will also be chatting about Peel sessions The Cure have done in the past, as well as playing a few tracks from them too. The John Peel show airs between 11pm and 1am on Radio 1 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays."

Features: A Small New Future

Features: A Small New Future: "ALEC HANLEY BEMIS on the casualties and survivors in the war between the Cynics and the True Believers"

a very interesting article on the future and recent past of the music industry. holds water till about 3/4s of the way through where it gets a bit soapboxy and fails to factually back its argument. not that i disagree at all with the argument made, but that last bit could be made stronger. anyway definitely worth a read to anyone who is interested in the effects of new technology on the copyright industries!!!

Sony Japan to Abolish Copy Controlled CDs

Sony Japan to Abolish Copy Controlled CDs: "'In a complete reversal of their policy and on the heels of Avex's partial cessation of copy protected CDs (translation), Sony Music Entertainment in Japan has announced that it will abolish its Label Gate CCCD format (translation) beginning in November 2004 and move back to normal CD-audio format discs for all future releases. Reasons cited are music users' increased consciousness about copyrights and maintenance of legality (conformity to the CD-audio format specification). In related news, Sony also released a slightly updated HD walkman (translation) due to pressure from the iPod, but because of hardware limitations the device still does not support MP3 playback.'"

Part Of The Patriot Act Shot Down

Part Of The Patriot Act Shot Down: "'In a victory today for the ACLU, (and many Slashdotters I presume) the section of the Patriot Act which gives power to the FBI to demand confidential financial records from companies as part of terrorist investigations has been ruled unconstitutional by a U.S. District Judge. Victor Marreo, the District Judge who made this ruling, states that the provision of the Patriot Act in question 'effectively bars or substantially deters any judicial challenge.''"

thank you aclu!!!

The Induce Act: Innovation Under Attack

Induce this!!!: "Senator Orrin Hatch's new Inducing Infringement of Copyright Act (S.2560, Induce Act) would make it a crime to aid, abet, or induce copyright infringement. He want us all to think that the Induce Act is no big deal and that it only targets "the bad guys" while leaving "the good guys" alone. He says that it doesn't change the law; it just clarifies it. He's wrong. Right now, under the Supreme Court's ruling in Sony v. Universal (the Betamax VCR case), devices like the iPod and CD burners are 100% legal -- not because they aren't sometimes used for infringement, but because they also have legitimate uses. The Court in Sony called these "substantial non-infringing uses." This has been the rule in the technology sector for the last 20 years. Billions of dollars and thousands of jobs have depended on it. Industries have blossomed under it. But the Induce Act would end that era of innovation. Don't let this happen on your watch - tell your Senators to fight the Induce Act!"

or for more info see downhill battle's save betamax!

this is important! say something before your rights disappear!!!

CDs have five years left versus downloads

CDs have five years left versus downloads: "The compact disc has at least another five years as the most popular music format before online downloads chip away at its dominance, a new study says. Technology consultancy Jupiter Research said in its annual report on Tuesday that in 2009 European music fans will buy €836 million euros ($1.02 billion) worth of music in the form of digital downloads and subscriptions to internet radio services. At that level, digital music revenues will account for roughly 8% of Europe's estimated €10.2 billion ($12.56 billion) music market. The study does not take into account the surprisingly successful market for mobile phone ring tones."

SpaceShipOne blasts off up into space

SpaceShipOne blasts off up into space: "SpaceShipOne landed safely Wednesday after blasting off up into space in what appeared to be the successful start to its bid to win a $10 million prize for private spaceflight."

Long Trip for Psychedelic Drugs

Long Trip for Psychedelic Drugs: "Psychedelic drugs are inching their way slowly but surely toward prescription status in the United States, thanks to a group of persistent scientists who believe drugs like ecstasy and psilocybin can help people with terminal cancer, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, to name a just a few."

MovieLink 2004's Top Film Download Service, So Far

MovieLink 2004's Top Film Download Service, So Far: "'The NPD Group has released some research on the fledgling pay digital movie download services. Numbers for the first half of this year show MovieLink as number one with a third of total users followed by MovieFlix with 13% of the market. It's a very small market though, with purchases equalling only 0.3% of the total movie market (and nowhere near the numbers of those trading on the free P2P services). Also of note, 80% of users are male and the top films purchased are sci-fi and fantasy.'"

Virgin Atlantic Licensing SpaceShipOne

Virgin Atlantic Licensing SpaceShipOne: "'According to the Australian Broadcasting Commission, British airline magnate Richard Branson has announced a plan for the world's first commercial space flights and has signed a technology licensing deal with Mojave Aerospace Ventures - the US company behind SpaceShipOne. See scaled composites' media release and the Virgin Galactic website'"

Cheap Ipod Idea

i was just inspired by "hmurchison" on this board, who said "For 2005 I'd like to see Apple go here. $99, 512MB USB based Flash card with store support."

so i got to thinking...is it possible. because i certainly think there is a sub $100 market now that apple is missing out on. anyway i looked. seems that it might just be!

according to Steves Forums the drive used in the mini is similar to a compact flash. "It is an OEM (Black/White label) drive. And as such, is customized for that companies application at their request. Also at their request I cannot divulge what is different. There are no CF compliance labels on it since it is NOT Compact Flash org complaint. Only our retail package (blue label) drives are trully CF Compliant as indicated by the CF mark on them. Hence, they will work in all cameras that are also CF complaint.
William F. Heybruck, Ph.D.
Senior Applications Engineer
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies"

it is likely that apple has it slightly modified to keep people from moding them ala rio or MuVo2.

anyway point is the mini is nearly designed for cf as it is. a 512mb cf is about $65 when bought by a consumer. the ipod mini's hitachi microdrive is about $360. both obviously are much cheaper bought oem in volume. but still thats 5.5 times as much for the microdrive as a 512mb flash!

assuming the drive is the major cost (as it seems to be) and since the mini is $250, divided by the 5.5 and you got less than a $50 device!!! but still all other costs do not drop proportionately like, 3rd party licences, same size box and cost for other components, screen, wheel, battery, etc... but you can double the cost of the estimate above and still end up under $100 with the same profit margin as the ipod mini!!!

seems to me it would be totally doable with very, very minor modifications to the existing ipod mini. same form factor, same features, same os except maybe just a firmware update to read an unmodified cf compatible card. and there you go the sub $100 ipod mini capable of using the itms is within reach! maybe they can call it the ipod micro!!!

iMac Case Mod

iMac Case Mod: really crazy wooden trunk style!!!

Slyck - File Sharing News and Info

Slyck - File Sharing News and Info: massive site covering p2p news and stats.

We're Alright

We're Alright: "Campaigning against recording copyright extensions". nice little blog on copyright issues!!!

Skin Flick Pioneer Dies

Skin Flick Pioneer Dies: "Skin flick pioneer Russ Meyer, producer-director behind such films as FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!, passed away Saturday at his home in the Hollywood Hills. He was 82. A spokeswoman said he dementia and died of complications of pneumonia. Meyer's films tended to focus on large-breasted women rather than hardcore sex itself. He worked on at least 23 movies during his career, including BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, which was co-written by film critic Roger Ebert."

:(

Are poker ‘bots’ raking online pots?

Are poker ‘bots’ raking online pots?: "Pull up a chair at a friendly poker game in a buddy’s den and you probably know the other players and have some idea of their card-playing weaknesses – like Big Al's habit of fingering his chips when he's itching to raise. But take a seat at a table in one of the rapidly multiplying online card rooms and there's no telling who’s sitting to your right – or if the player is even human."

Windows Upgrade, FAA Error Cause LAX Shutdown

Windows Upgrade, FAA Error Cause LAX Shutdown: "'The recent shutdown of LAX due to an FAA radio outage was apparently caused by a Windows 2000 integration flaw, possibility related to an old Windows 95 bug. An article at the LA Times claims that the outage was caused by human error, as the system will automatically shut down after 49.7 days (related to this Windows 95 flaw?), and a technician didn't reboot the system monthly as he should have. This happened after an upgrade from Unix to Windows. I don't think blame should be assigned to the technician who missed the task; rather, it seems a gross oversight for the FAA to guarantee that such a critical system will crash after only one missed maintenance task. Who's really at fault?'
"

MPAA applauds Calif. piracy law

MPAA applauds Calif. piracy law: "California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Tuesday a bill that makes it a crime to mass-distribute a video, music or other file distributed on the Internet without including information that links the file to its source. The law, SB 1506, requires a person transmitting copies of movies, music or games over the Internet to more than 10 people to include their e-mail address or face a misdemeanor charge that could bring up to a year in jail and $2,500 in fines. The law was patterned after an existing state law that requires people to publish their 'true name and address' on a video, DVD or music CD when it is being distributed so that others will know whether it is legitimate."

last i checked the 1st A didn't require you to flash id before exercising it! wow, thats some shit!!!

A Wi-Fi/VoIP Phone Booth In the Burning Man Desert

A Wi-Fi/VoIP Phone Booth In the Burning Man Desert: "'I, (of EFF/ClariNet/rec.humor.funny) along with Brent Chapman (Majordomo/Building Internet Firewalls) and the satellite dish of John Gilmore (EFF/Cygnus/Cypherpunks/etc.) put together an engaging hack -- a battery-powered free phone booth using 802.11, VoIP and a satellite IP uplink. This was placed in the desert at the Burning Man arts festival deep in the remote Nevada Black Rock playa, exactly where you wouldn't expect a working phone booth to be. With cheap VoIP people were able to call all over the world. The reactions of people to such incongruous technology were great fun and emotional as well. There's a page about the phone including details of building it and live experiences including totally non-gratuitous photos of naked people using technology. (There, that ought to stress-test my new server!)'
"

Johnny Ramone of the Ramones dies at 55

Johnny Ramone of the Ramones dies at 55: "Johnny Ramone, guitarist and co-founder of seminal punk band the Ramones has died. He was 55. Ramone died in his sleep Wednesday afternoon at his Los Angeles home surrounded by friends and family, his publicist said. He had been fighting a five-year battle with prostate cancer. A tribute concert and cancer research fund-raiser was held Sunday in Los Angeles to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary. It featured performances from Los Angeles punk band X, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Henry Rollins and others. Johnny Ramone was one of the original members of the Ramones, whose hit songs 'I wanna be sedated' and 'Blitzkrieg Bop,' among others, earned them an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002."

:(

Windows Fails 8% of the Time

Windows Fails 8% of the Time: "A Journal du Net article reports that about 8% of Windows sessions require a machine reboot. The relevant quote (translated from french) is: 'The average rate of failures requiring a system reboot has been measured at around 8% per session. This number varies widely depending on the version of Windows. Windows 2000 has a failure rate of 4%, and NT4 is at 3%, whereas Windows XP is close to 12%.' The study was originally made by Acadys and Microcost and gathered data from 1.2M machines belonging to about one thousand companies over a period of one month in seven different countries."

The Virtual Window Project

The Virtual Window Project: "What if only your imagination limited what you could see outside your windows? Flat panel technology is quickly becoming bigger, better, and more affordable, which will allow for all sorts of fun ways to transport your domicile to wherever tickles your fancy. This is my modest attempt to view something more interesting than my neighbors."

i always thought screen savers should be like windows to other places. but this is some next level shit!!!

Wind Power Falls Under $0.01/kwh UPDATED

Wind Power Falls Under $0.01/kwh: "Colorado State University's Rocky Mountain Collegian reports that, 'as of June [the price of wind power] dropped to 1 cent per kWh.' Even without further expected improvements in turbine technology, the U.S. would now need to use less than 3% of its farmland to get 95% of its electricity demand satisfied by wind power."

this ones for paul.

also check the new article at wired on the wind farm being designed in nyc for freedom tower.

Flash Animation Website Characters (Avatars), Text to Speech, Audio for Websites - Oddcast VHost SitePal

Flash Animation Website Characters (Avatars), Text to Speech, Audio for Websites - Oddcast VHost SitePal: weird toy. site avatars. worth a check.

Peter Saville Graphic Design

Peter Saville Graphic Design: the works of the man! give it up for the best album art work of all time!!!

B-Boy Jazz Productions Los Angeles CA.

B-Boy Jazz Productions Los Angeles CA.: "B-Boy Jazz Productions! Jazzy Soul Produced by Qwest and T-Bird... Pawn Shop and Jazz and Funk based House and Downtempo Produced by A-Dub and Qwest... The Beat Poets" givin' it up for the kidz!!! wikkid new and old trax glad they are up were they can be heard!!!

Reqwireless - Products - WebViewer

Reqwireless - Products - WebViewer: "Reqwireless WebViewer is a fast HTML Web browser for Java-enabled (J2ME) mobile devices. WebViewer gives you access to the same Web content on your Java-capable cellphone or PDA that you get with any desktop browser. WebViewer is not a WAP browser; it's an HTML browser."

Blink 182 cover The Cure

Blink 182 cover The Cure: "BLINK 182 are to cover THE CURE at a one-off event in LONDON. Hosted by Marilyn Manson, the pop-punk stars will perform at MTV Icon (September 17). The ceremony is intended to feature performances and testimonials from artists and celebrities who have been influenced by the band, their videos and their music. The Cure will also play live at the event. Blink 182 are fans of the band, and their single 'All Of This' featured guest vocals from Robert Smith. More performers will be announced in the coming days. The event will be shown on MTV Europe from October."

starting to get really frustrated with all the mtv europe programing thats the shit not making it here. hope this one gets through!!!

Brilliant takes RIAA to court

Brilliant takes RIAA to court: "Brilliant Digital Entertainment and its subsidiary Altnet sued the RIAA and several online companies Wednesday for alleged patent infringement. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, asks the court to stop the RIAA, Overpeer Inc. and Loudeye Corp. from using Altnet's patent for 'identifiers,' a way of tagging content with a unique tracking number. Loudeye, which acquired Overpeer in March, is accused of infringing on the patent by distributing fake or damaged files in an effort to thwart illegal peer-to-peer music trading. The RIAA and the other defendants, including several current and former RIAA executives, were not immediately available for comment."

this should prove an interesting fight. wonder what the prior art is like?!?

Satellite Pics Going Dark?

Satellite Pics Going Dark?: "'Defense Tech reports the U.S. Gov't. is proposing to exempt satellite images from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The proposed exemption has already passed the Senate and awaits House/Senate conference committee this month. Not only does the exemption apply to Gov't. satellite images, but also any commercial satellite images the gov't buys and 'any... other product that is derived from such data.' That would include maps, reports, news footage, etc. This would heavily impact news gathering and probably the income of commercial satellite operators - who would only be able to sell to the U.S. Govt. And how big is the deficit already?' peter303 writes with a more optimistic story in USA Today ' about building and launching a satellite for as little as $65K,' as long as you can squeeze it into a 4 inch-cube."

that top bit is petrifying but the bottom bit reminds me of another article i read on creating satellites out of the mac cube.

The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock

The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock: "This is a book that attempts to cover the music scene in Britain in the 1990s, contrasting the rise and fall of an indigenous rock music movement with the rise of Tony Blair. The author chooses to focus on a group of bands - Oasis, Blur, Suede, Elastica and Menswear - that were all part of the same incestuous group (The lead singer of Elastica went out with both the lead singer of Suede then Blur for instance). The book is full of minute detail - he said, she said about each other, dates and locations for early gigs, chart positions and such like. I can only say that I think only a real fan would be interested in most of this detail - and if you were a dedicated fan you would probably know most of this anyway. The author's attempt to make links between the rise of Blair and the development (and fall) of Britpop is tenuous. It is true that there was interaction between the Blair camp and bands like Oasis and Blur, but they feel like adjuncts to the story. Yes, Blair and his people co-opted the rise of `Cool Britannia' to their cause, and Britpop was a part of Cool Britannia idea, but the author doesn't make a very strong cause for the association with Blair being a major part for the sell-out, and therefore end, of Britpop. It is as though the author wanted his book to be taken seriously, and thought a book 'just about pop music' wasn't enough, so he threw some politics in."

on my to read list. despight the review above more and more i am runnning in to discussions of "cool britania" and the blair-blur-oasis connection!!!

Tivo and Netflix Partner For DVDs on Demand

Tivo and Netflix Partner For DVDs on Demand: "'The details are not really there yet, but it looks like Tivo and Netflix are going to team up! This is great for those who watch a lot of DVD's. You will be able to order a DVD and have it appear sometime later on the Tivo. Blockbuster will not be far behind with your favorite cable company.'"

The Seventies To The Eighties - Transmute!

The Seventies To The Eighties - Transmute!: wikkid history of star blazers and battle of the planets etc....