brucecumming.com

6 global warming skeptics who changed their minds - The Week

2010-09-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

6 global warming skeptics who changed their minds - The Week

What I Am Waiting For

2009-10-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

These are some of the the things I waiting for:

Roku to implement the new channels they have promised — especially twit.tv and Revision3
VMware Fusion 3.0 for the Mac
Fujistu to fix the ScanSnap Snow Leopard compatibility issues
The Apple Tablet
Netflix to offer a streaming only service
Blogger fix the issue causing the outage tonight so I can post this

Fujusti Has a Twitter Account - But Doesn't Get Twitter

2009-10-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

Or maybe I could check your twitter feed?

Fixing Bad GeekTool 3.0 Scripts

2009-09-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

While playing around with GeekTool 3.0, I managed to put in a bad shell command, that caused both GeekTool and System Preferences to become unresponsive.

Since I couldn’t launch the GeekTool preference pane without crashing System Preferences, there was no way for me to delete just the offending shell command. I didn’t want to trash GeekTool and reinstall, since I had eight other scripts (geeklets as they are called in 3.0) that I didn’t want to loose. I needed a way to just delete the one bad shell script.

A Google search turned up nothing, so I poked around the files on my hard drive — and I found the file that contains the GeekTool configuration: org.tynsoe.geeklet.shell.plist in “\\users\username\Library\Preferences”. I double clicked on the file and it opened with Property List Editor. I expanded the keys under the root, and found the key associated with the offending geeklet and deleted it.

I was then able to launch the GeekTool preference pane without a problem.

Daily Kos: Down the Republican Rabbit Hole

2008-11-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

Daily Kos: Down the Republican Rabbit Hole: "Trying to blame the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act for the current fiscal crisis is like blaming a spot on your windshield for engine failure while ignoring the gaping wound in you head gasket."

Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” Ads - made on a Mac - Boing Boing

2008-09-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” Ads - made on a Mac - Boing Boing

The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time

2008-06-08T12:37:00.001-07:00

Every song here has those thrills. But these are rock's greatest guitar moments because of what's inside the notes: hunger, fury, despair and joy, often all at once.

This is a interesting list of songs - in addition to the guitar standards one would expect (Purple Haze), there are surprises as well, (People Get Ready and Beat It). Full list one one page.

read more | digg story

NASA Photo of the Day: Mars Soil Sample

2008-06-08T12:24:00.001-07:00

What surprises are hidden in the soils of Mars? To help find out, the Phoenix Lander Phoenix Lander which arrived on Mars two weeks ago has attempted to place a scoop of soil in Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA).

read more | digg story

Quote of the Day

2008-01-16T23:12:00.000-08:00

Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.

Robert Orben

The Two-Hour Star Wars Holiday Special in only Five Minutes!

2007-12-19T22:30:00.001-08:00

More about this at Wikipedia, which quotes David Hofstede, author of "What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History", saying it was "the worst two hours of television ever". It was broadcast only once — in 1978. Via MacBreak Weekly. Full length version. Happy Holidays!

Barack's Snappy Rejoinder to Hillary

2007-12-13T23:50:00.000-08:00

Classic post-punk music videos | MetaFilter

2007-12-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

Classic post-punk music videos via MetaFilter

Train Runs Through Bangkok Market

2007-12-01T23:22:00.001-08:00

watch to the end - via Metafilter

15 things Apple should fix in iPhone 2.0

2007-10-09T22:03:00.001-07:00

Our version of Apple's to-do list for the next-generation iPhone includes GPS, 3G, mobile iChat, video capture and many more goodies.

read more | digg story

Apple iPhone Repair Dream

2007-09-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my post "Nokia Phone Repair Nightmare", I planned to purchase an iPhone to replace my Nokia 6682 when the iPhone came out in June.

Well, I did purchase an iPhone and I am very happy with. However, I did manage to damage it and had to send it in for repair. This gave me the opportunity to compare Apple's service against Nokia's. To summarize my Nokia repair experience: Nokia took two months to determine that they could not fix my phone. And I had to call them repeatably to get status updates on my repair; their status web page was useless.

My Apple repair experience was completely different. I took my phone to an Apple store, they took care of the paperwork and shipping. I dropped it off on a Thursday night, Apple repair received it on the following Monday, and fixed it the same day! I received it back on Tuesday. I received emails every time my repair status changed, and was able the check the repair status on Apple's repair status page (which was always current, unlike Nokia's status page).

Apple has put a lot of thought and planning into their repair process, and as a result has a very happy customer.

Hijacked Disney Characters Explain Copyright

2007-05-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

Epicenter - Wired Blogs: "Disney lawyers' heads must be spinning over this one. A movie posted on Stanford University's site called 'A Fair(y) Use Tale' mashes up all your Disney favorites to humorously and effectively explain copyright law. "

Schneier on Security

2007-05-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Schneier on Security: "I tell people that if it's in the news, don't worry about it. The very definition of 'news' is 'something that hardly ever happens.' It's when something isn't in the news, when it's so common that it's no longer news -- car crashes, domestic violence -- that you should start worrying."

Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?

2007-04-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Are mobile phones wiping out our bees? - Independent Online Edition > Wildlife: "It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail."

Via boingboing.

Update - 4/28 - According to this LA Times article, the bee colony collapse is being caused by a fungus.

Kurt Vonnegut Quote

2007-04-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.

Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five
US novelist (1922 - 2007)

From The Quotations Page

The image soaked future

2007-03-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

Fascinating article on the rise of the graphic novel and how they developed from comic books. Via h20boro lib blog.

From the article:

"So, why is this rebirth of the serious graphic novel different? Because this new wave arrives when the ascendancy of the image — presciently described by George Steiner, in 1971, in his book In Bluebeard’s Castle — has begun to dwarf the power of the word. The visual arts are booming. The screen fills our lives through television, cinema and computers. Thanks to computers, even when we are obliged to read words, we expect them to be arranged in helpful modules, with plenty of graphics. The computer normalises the graphic novel as a form. The graphical user interface may one day be seen as the most important invention of our time. Through such devices, the imperial image reigns and is, more successfully than ever before, invading the book."

On The Media: The Gonzales 85

2007-03-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

On The Media: Transcript of "The Gonzales 85" (March 16, 2007)
"What we found is that about seven to 8 out of 10 times [the Bush Justice Department] investigated a Democrat over a Republican. And the statistical analysis says that the chances of that happening by random, about one in ten–thousand."

Dylan does Dr. Suess

2007-03-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Dylan Hears A Who! - Superb Dylan imatator signs Dr. Suess stories.

Pitchfork: Video: U of Arizona Marching Band Covers Radiohead

2007-03-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

From Pitchfork: Video: U of Arizona Marching Band Covers Radiohead: "Our personal favorite piece of footage is culled from the middle of the band's performance. It begins with all 250 students chanting 'Fitter Happier', and from there kicks into a booming, brassy 'Optimistic'. This rolls straight into 'The National Anthem', which features a couple of impressive, range-pushing trumpet solos."
My alma mater's marching band covers my favorite band.

Salon Expo Attendees: Keep Your Chemicals Off Our Towels!

2007-03-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

Last month I stayed at the Westin in Long Bench while on a businesses trip. I happened to be there at the same time as the International Salon and Spa Expo.

I noticed a stack of letters at the front desk intended for the expo attendees, and took a copy for myself. From the letter:

"With the large number of Salon and Spa Expo guests, we have put together a special policy regarding hand and bathing towels. Due to the high amount of chemicals some hair and beauty products may contain, it is increasingly difficult to provide clean towels without product residue. We hope that you will assist us in our efforts to provide clean towels for our guests and suggest that guests throughly rinse off all product before using the towels. Should towels be damaged our stained, a fee will be charged accordingly."

Chinese hackers attack 'anything and everything'

2007-03-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

Scary article on the Chinese government's attacks on our military's computer networks: FCW.com - Cyber officials: Chinese hackers attack 'anything and everything': "Attacks coming from China, probably with government support, far outstrip other attackers in terms of volume, proficiency and sophistication, said a senior Netwarcom official, who spoke to reporters on background Feb 12. The conflict has reached the level of a campaign-style, force-on-force engagement, he said."

Nokia Phone Repair Nightmare

2007-01-28T14:08:00.001-08:00

I have had, frankly, a horrible experience over last two months with Nokia's repair center. I had to send my phone in after I bricked it in my I attempt to update the firmware, even though I was using the official installer from Nokia.

The firmware update died partway through, leaving my phone completely dead (lesson 1). Wouldn't even power on. I will take the blame for damaging my phone - I know there is always a risk when updating firmware of bricking a device, even though I have successfully updated firmware on other devices, including computers and routers, and never had a problem.

I tried everything I could to try to bring my phone back to life, but nothing worked. So I did the only thing I could - send it in for repair. Luckily I had kept my old 6590i phone (lesson 2), so I still had a working cell phone.

I sent it in on November 27th of last year, via second day shipping. Then I dutifully checked my phone's repair status on Nokia's web site every day, to see if they had received my phone and had a quote for the repairs. I did this for almost two weeks, and each day there was same status results:

11/27/06 - Pending Receipt by the Repair Center

This seemed like an awfully long time for them to receive my phone. So finally I called them (lesson 3) on December 7th, and they informed me that it would be $100 to repair my phone and I should have it within 10 days. I authorized the repair and waited.

Again, I checked the web site, every day, but no change in status. Finally I called them again about a week later, and they told me that the turn around time on phone repairs was approximately ten days and I should be getting it soon.

Soon after that phone call, my phone's status was updated:

12/14/06 - Quote Approved

I thought the date was strange, since I had already approved the quote by phone on the 7th, but the 14th was also the day they also charged my card, so I guess it took them a week to actually get around to approving the quote on their end.

Again, I waited and checked the status page every day, but no new status. On December 27th I then called the repair center again, and I was told that, "yes my repair seems to be taking too long", so I was transferred to "Repair Escalation". I explained to the person I was transferred to my situation again, he then transferred me to someone else, who was not in, so I left a detailed message on that person's voice mail, asking him to call me back. (I think that most of the repair staff was out of the office for the holidays that week.)

I waited a few more days, but no call back and no change in the online status. I then sent Nokia an email explaining how I called them and repair escalation never called me back. I received an email response three days later, which told me to call the repair escalation center (lesson 4).

I called the repair center again, they gave me the updated status, which then also appeared on their web site shortly after my call:

01/08/2007 - Repair In Progress

So now it appears that it has taken Nokia over three weeks to start the repair of my phone after they approved the quote, four weeks after I gave them my credit card over the phone to pay for the repair.

Then a few days later, a new status on the web site:

01/11/2007 - Waiting for Parts

This appeared to be a good sign - at least something was happening.

I wait another two weeks, but no change in status. I then call them back. This time I am told that my phone can't be fixed, and they were waiting for a replacement phone. They had no idea when my replacement phone would arrive, and offered to refund the $100 I paid for the repair.

After a quick check on eBay, I realize I can get a used Nokia 6682 for about what I paid for the repair. I call them back, and tell them to refund my money.

I now have my replacement phone from eBay, it works fine, same firmware version as my original phone; but I won't be upgrading the firmware on this phone.

In fairness to Nokia, my calls to them were always answered quickly and politely, and my money was refunded promptly. I don't think the problems I had with Nokia could be blamed on the reps answering the phones; there seems to be larger problem with communication and workflow at the repair center.

Since I am both a Cingular customer as well as a very happy Apple iPod customer, I am planning to get the iPhone when it comes out in June. My wife has already switched from her Nokia to Motorola Razr; I doubt our family will ever purchase another Nokia product.

Lessons:

Don't upgrade the firmware on your Nokia 6682 phone yourself. According to reports I have read in some forums, others have been successful doing it; but if you are not, it doesn't seem like Nokia will be able to repair your phone.
Keep your old phone when you upgrade to a new one - you may need it as a backup if something happens to your new one.
Keep calling the Nokia repair center every week - the online repair status can be significantly behind the actual status of your phone. It seems that you have to call them to get the online status updated.
Don't bother emailing the repair center, they will simply tell you to call the repair center.
Nokia has absoultely no idea idea how long it will take to fix your phone, or wheter they can even fix it at all.

Microsoft Provides Better Support for Google's Blogger Than Google Does

2007-01-01T20:38:00.001-08:00

Google just released their new version of Blogger. However, the "BlogThis!" button, which allowed users to blog directly from Firefox via a bookmarklet or a button on the Google Toolbar, no longer works with the new version.

But the blogging Live Writer extension for Firefox works with the new version. You'll need to download Windows Live Writer and the Firefox extension for Live Writer and install them. The intersting thing is that Live Writer is from Microsoft. I am not a MS fanboy, but in this instance, they are providing better support for Blogger and Firefox than Google is!

Coffee With a "Drop" of Milk

2007-01-01T19:56:00.001-08:00

This is a great picture of a drop of milk hitting a cup of coffee.

Switching Web Hosts

2006-07-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Switching to new website host. SpeakEasy was a great host, but I can save $120 a year by changing.

Animusic - Pipe Dream - Google Video

2006-05-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Cool video: Animusic - Pipe Dream - Google Video

On Scene: How Operation Swarmer Fizzled

2006-03-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

TIME.com: On Scene: How Operation Swarmer Fizzled: "On Scene: How Operation Swarmer Fizzled"

Salon.com | Rx for GOP doom

2006-02-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

Salon.com | Rx for GOP doom: "The Medicare drug program disaster could cost Republicans control of Congress"

'Digital' Vinyl: An Ideal Marriage of the Past and the Future :

2006-02-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Big Takeover: The 'Digital' Vinyl: An Ideal Marriage of the Past and the Future.

This is a cool idea - you buy the LP, and you get a coupon to download the songs in MP3 format for your iPod.

Invasion of iPod people spurs new office etiquette

2006-02-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

USATODAY.com - Invasion of iPod people spurs new office etiquette: "Invasion of iPod people spurs new office etiquette"

Apple iMac (Intel Core Duo) review by PC Magazine

2006-01-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

Why Mac's are better than PC's:
Apple iMac (Intel Core Duo) review by PC Magazine: "Aside from cooler cases, another benefit of running dual-core on Mac OS X over Windows is that in a Windows environment, you must run security software (such as antivirus, antispyware, and a firewall). Though dual-core processing helps speed up general performance even with such software running in the background, you are still diverting processor cycles. With Mac OS X, such security software is not necessary, so you're getting more processing power dedicated to apps you're actively using."

Starbucks Economics - Solving the mystery of the elusive "short" cappuccino. By Tim Harford

2006-01-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

Starbucks Economics - Solving the mystery of the elusive "short" cappuccino. By Tim Harford: "Here's a little secret that Starbucks doesn't want you to know: They will serve you a better, stronger cappuccino if you want one, and they will charge you less for it. Ask for it in any Starbucks and the barista will comply without batting an eye. The puzzle is to work out why."

Cool Radiohead Creep (Acoustic) Animation

2005-12-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

Cool Radiohead Creep (acoustic)flash animation.

Current TV // Blog // Citizen Rescue

2005-09-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

A video clip from a citizen that used his boat to rescue people in New Orleans: Current TV // Blog // Citizen Rescue

Court docs: Ballmer vowed to 'kill' Google | CNET News.com

2005-09-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Court docs: Ballmer vowed to 'kill' Google | CNET News.com: "Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer vowed to 'kill' Google in an expletitive-laced, chair-throwing tirade when a senior engineer told him he was leaving the company to go work for Google, the engineer claimed in court documents made public on Friday."

As Ukraine Watched the Party Line, She Took the Truth Into Her Hands

2005-08-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

As Ukraine Watched the Party Line, She Took the Truth Into Her Hands: "As Ukraine Watched the Party Line, She Took the Truth Into Her Hands"

A moving story about a courageous sign language interpreter who helped to overturn the fraudulent elections in the Ukraine.

The Bay Area is Talking - Bay Area Blogs

2005-07-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

In the Bay Area section of "100 Pixels" added link to "The Bay Area is Talking (dot com)" - a compendium of Bay Area blogs from KRON4 - a local TV station.

The Mall Goes Undercover - It now looks like a city street.

2005-04-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

The Mall Goes Undercover - It now looks like a city street. By Andrew Blum: "There's something a bit unhealthy about faux public places designed to attract rich people and make them feel comfortable. (At least the traditional mall didn't try to hide the fact that it was a shopping center.) The lifestyle center is a bizarre outgrowth of the suburban mentality: People want public space, even if making that space private is the only way to get it."

Shadowcrew: Web Mobs

2005-03-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

Shadowcrew: Web Mobs: "They operate under names such as carderplanet, stealthdivision, darkprofits and the shadowcrew. They buy and sell millions of credit card numbers, social security numbers and identification documents, typically for less than 10 bucks apiece. And they create sites and services to breed more skilled, like-minded organizations. Here's how the growth of electronic commerce is threatened by the operations of these Web Mobs."

Mobile PC - Features - The Top 100 Gadgets of All Time

2005-03-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

Mobile PC - Features - The Top 100 Gadgets of All Time: "The Top 100 Gadgets of All Time"

Yahoo! News - Calif. Man Sets Off Nuclear Alert Detector

2005-03-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

Yahoo! News - Calif. Man Sets Off Nuclear Alert Detector: "ESCONDIDO, Calif. - A man who recently had received radiation treatment for a medical condition set off a nuclear alert detector on a fire engine, prompting police to close down a roadway in Escondido while authorities searched for a nuclear weapon."

The New York Times > Washington > New Poll Finds Bush Priorities Are Out of Step With Americans

2005-03-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

The New York Times > Washington > New Poll Finds Bush Priorities Are Out of Step With Americans: "Americans say President Bush does not share the priorities of most of the country on either domestic or foreign issues, are increasingly resistant to his proposal to revamp Social Security and say they are uneasy with Mr. Bush's ability to make the right decisions about the retirement program, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll."

Screens hide crashes from curious drivers

2005-02-23T22:16:00.000-08:00

Boston.com / News / Local / Mass. / Screens hide crashes from curious drivers: "Seven-foot-tall by 10-foot-wide screens made of piping and vinyl material have been in use since late last year, intended to obscure accidents from passersby and keep drivers moving, officials said."

A Complete Waste Of Time

2005-01-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

A Complete Waste Of Time WARNING: Do Not Read This If You Have Work To Do!!!!!!!!! :: MarkTAW.com: "A Complete Waste Of Time WARNING: Do Not Read This If You Have Work To Do!!!!!!!!!"

Getting Back To Work: A Personal Productivity Toolkit

2005-01-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

Getting Back To Work: A Personal Productivity Toolkit || kuro5hin.org: "

I procrastinate. You procrastinate. We all procrastinate. Let's get back to work."

Salon.com News | The scandal sheet

2005-01-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Salon.com News | The scandal sheet: "Here are 34 scandals from the first four years of George W. Bush's presidency -- every one of them worse than Whitewater."

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2004-12-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Intersting trivia - France still has two islands in North America, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon: "The islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions". From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"I am now the proud possessor of a bottle of Prozac and a Bob Marley box set. "

2004-12-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

A poignant piece (loosely) about Bob Marley from Katy St. Clair's column in the SF Weekly: sfweekly.com | Music | Bouncer | 2004-12-15: "I am now the proud possessor of a bottle of Prozac and a Bob Marley box set. "

Airlines Should Calculate Prices By the Pound (washingtonpost.com)

2004-11-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Airlines Should Calculate Prices By the Pound (washingtonpost.com): "So why shouldn't you pay an airline according to how much you weigh and how much space you take up?"

The American Conserative - Kerry’s the One

2004-10-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

The American Conserative: "Bush has behaved like a caricature of what a right-wing president is supposed to be, and his continuation in office will discredit any sort of conservatism for generations."

Obligatory Bush Joke

2004-10-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Joke: "Q: What's the difference between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War?

A: George W. Bush had a plan to get out of the Vietnam War."

From the defective yeti.

MSNBC - Frequently Unasked Questions

2004-09-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

MSNBC - Frequently Unasked Questions

"Most professionals at the C.I.A., the State Department and the Pentagon who’ve devoted their lives to working in the Middle East have a fundamental rule for dealing with its very complicated problems: define them realistically and address them individually. Don’t try to tie everything together with a nice bow (or even a Gordian knot) and pretend they can be solved with a single idea like “liberty.” As much as possible, unravel the problems, or, in diplo-speak, disaggregate them.

If the Bush administration had followed that rule, we wouldn’t be up to our eyeballs in Iraq, we would be much safer, and the president would richly deserve a second term for his administration’s performance in the immediate aftermath of 9/11."

US launches 'talking' book to help Afghan women : HindustanTimes.com

2004-08-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

US launches 'talking' book to help Afghan women : HindustanTimes.com

I have a gmail invitie!

2004-07-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have a gmail invite to give out. Send me an email if you are interested.

Chicago Tribune | 50 best magazines

2004-07-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

Chicago Tribune | 50 best magazines: "What makes a magazine great? The writing. The ideas. The photography. The design. Sure. But more importantly, a magazine's worth depends on how it catches readers' glances, and then their hearts. Here, Tempo presents its second annual 50 Best Magazines list."

The Year's Best Headlines

2004-06-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

The year's unintentionally funniest headlines, from Car Talk. For example: "Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says"

The Super Dollar - North Korea Perfects Counterfieting

2004-06-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Panorama | What is a superdollar?: "The superdollar is the name given to an almost perfect forgery of an American banknote."

Yahoo! News - Squirrel Steals Yellow Ribbons From Tree

2004-06-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Squirrel Steals Yellow Ribbons From Tree: "BETTENDORF, Iowa - A couple has finally discovered what was happening to the yellow ribbons they were tying to the trees in their yard in support of their son and other troops in Iraq"

The 100 greatest British albums

2004-06-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Observer | OMM | OMM June 2004: "The 100 greatest British albums
It is the most authoritative poll of its kind and over the following 50 pages, OMM's outstanding team of critics introduce each of the best British albums of all time. Before revealing what made it to Number 1, celebrated pop writer Paul Morley explains the purpose of such an undertaking and trumpets the wealth of music contained herein "

The Serious Implications Of President Bush's Hiring A Personal Outside Counsel For The Valerie Plame Investigation

2004-06-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

FindLaw's Writ - Dean: The Serious Implications Of President Bush's Hiring A Personal Outside Counsel For The Valerie Plame Investigation: "This action by Bush is a rather stunning and extraordinary development. The President of the United States is potentially hiring a private criminal defense lawyer. Unsurprisingly, the White House is doing all it can to bury the story, providing precious little detail or context for the President's action."

THE NEXT REAGAN? Many on right doubt that the mantle will fit on Bush

2004-06-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

THE NEXT REAGAN? Many on right doubt that the mantle will fit on Bush: "'I think he's trying, but he's no Reagan in my view,' said Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute who worked for Reagan as a special assistant to the president for policy development.

'No. 1 is the fact that Bush really doesn't have a vision,' Bandow said. 'Reagan clearly had a set of ideas that he had thought about very deeply, and believed in very deeply. There is nothing to indicate that George W. Bush does so.' "

Added links to Furl.net and everything2

2004-06-06T19:03:00.000-07:00

Added a link to my Furl links on Furl.net in the "my links" section in the left sidebar. Furl allows you to archive sites you visit on the web, and retrieve them from any computer, as well as share them with others. Very cool. (Make sure you click on the link - or type Furl.net. Furl.com is an ugly ad site.)

Also added a link to everything2 in the "Cool" section in the right sidebar. This is an online user community/user written encyclopedia. It recently won a Webby award for Technical Achievement.

The Way We Eat Now

2004-06-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

The Way We Eat Now: "Ancient bodies collide with modern technology to produce a flabby, disease-ridden populace."

Father of SigAlert Dies

2004-06-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

KTLA.com | LA's WB | Television Los Angeles | Father of SigAlert Dies: "Loyd Sigmon, 95, coined L.A.'s favorite term for traffic jam. "

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Diamond star thrills astronomers

2004-06-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Diamond star thrills astronomers: "Twinkling in the sky is a diamond star of 10 billion trillion trillion carats, astronomers have discovered. "

From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity (washingtonpost.com)

2004-06-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity (washingtonpost.com): "From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity
Scholars Say Campaign Is Making History With Often-Misleading Attacks "

The Word Spy - information environmentalism

2004-06-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Word Spy - information environmentalism: "The movement that seeks to reduce information overload and its effects on peoples' lives."

Politics & Science - Investigating the State of Science Under the Bush Administration

2004-05-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

Politics & Science - Investigating the State of Science Under the Bush Administration:

The American people depend upon federal agencies to develop science-based policies that protect the nation’s health and welfare. Recently, however, leading scientific journals have begun to question whether scientific integrity at federal agencies has been sacrificed to further a political and ideological agenda.

At the request of Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the Democratic staff of the Government Reform Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives assessed the treatment of science and scientists by the Bush Administration.

The resulting report -- Politics and Science in the Bush Administration -- found numerous instances where the Administration has manipulated the scientific process and distorted or suppressed scientific findings. Beneficiaries include important supporters of the President, including social conservatives and powerful industry groups.

This website -- www.politicsandscience.org -- is an ongoing record of interference with science by the Bush Administration.

Transfer of Website Complete!

2004-05-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

The transfer of my website from Yahoo! to SpeakEasy is now complete. Very happy with SpeakEasy - cheaper than Yahoo! and live 24/7 tech support.

Transferring Website and Domain to a New Host

2004-05-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

I will be transferring my website from Yahoo! Domains to SpeakEasy.net over the next few days. I will also be transferring my domain registration from Register.com to SpeakEasy as well. This means there could be intermittent access problems to my website over the next several days.

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: Rock of Ages

2004-05-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: Rock of Ages: "the novelist David Gates talks about literature hitting 'that high-low fork in the road, leading on the one hand toward `Ulysses' and on the other toward `Gone With The Wind,' ' and maybe rock music has experienced its own version"

Yahoo! News - Police kill mountain lion near homes

2004-05-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Police kill mountain lion near homes: "A policeman has killed a wild mountain lion in a prosperous residential neighbourhood of Palo Alto, at the centre of California's Silicon Valley. "

Danish Crown Prince Weds Australia's Mary

2004-05-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Entertainment: People Article | Reuters.com: "COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Heir to the Danish throne Crown Prince Frederik married Tasmania's Mary Donaldson on Friday in a fairy-tale wedding of a prince and a commoner that delighted pro-monarchy Danes and Australian republicans alike. "

He's back, and this time Clinton is getting personal about Bush

2004-05-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

News: "'We had unanimous support for going into Afghanistan, they [the United Nations] participated in the hunt for Bin Laden and supported giving an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to open his country to weapons inspections,' Mr Clinton told a business gathering in New York on Tuesday night. 'We were in good shape. What happened?'"

Kerry gets help from rival party in Marin

2004-05-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Marin Independent Journal - Marin: "A group of Marin Republicans turned off by President Bush's performance joined with Democratic supporters of John Kerry at a rally in Tiburon last night, which raised more than $80,000 for Kerry's campaign."

The Convicted Felon Behind "The Restaurant" - April 26, 2004

2004-05-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Convicted Felon Behind "The Restaurant" - April 26, 2004: "Jeffrey Chodorow, the grim-faced nemesis/financial backer of chef Rocco DiSpirito on NBC's 'The Restaurant,' is a convicted felon "

Rocco DiSpirito and Jeffrey Chodorow Feud - The Restaurant - Rocco's

2004-04-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Rocco DiSpirito and Jeffrey Chodorow Feud - The Restaurant - Rocco's: "The made-for-reality-TV feud between publicity-loving chef Rocco DiSpirito and litigious financier Jeffrey Chodorow raises some deep philosophical questions: What is reality? What is publicity? And where can you get a good red sauce these days? "

Wired News: Onion Taken Seriously, Film at 11

2004-04-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Wired News: Onion Taken Seriously, Film at 11: "The case of the Evening News taking The Onion seriously is but Kolb's favorite example of something that happens constantly.
'People every single day think The Onion stories are real,' says Kolb. "

Lists of Bests

2004-04-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Lists of Bests : Home: "Our purpose is to provide a one-stop shop to find all the 'best of' books, music, and movie lists."

Hey Trump - Your Fired!

2004-04-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Tri-Valley Herald Online - Local & Regional News: "Should bondholders accept that deal, it would ... flick Trump from the chief executive's perch. "

The Dangers of Southern Cooking

2004-03-31T22:01:00.000-08:00

Foods: Urgent Safety Notice Regarding Ice Box Rolls Recipe in April Issue on Page 154: POTENTIAL FIRE AND SAFETY HAZARD.: "Please DO NOT USE the Icebox Rolls recipe that appeared on p. 154 of the April 2004 issue of Southern Living. It has been determined that heating the water and shortening, as described in the original recipe, is dangerous, and may pose a fire and safety hazard. DO NOT USE this recipe."

Liberal talk radio network comes to Bay Area

2004-03-31T20:43:00.000-08:00

Industries & Communities - bizjournals.com: "A tiny Berkeley AM radio station that carries Chinese and Korean programming is the likely Bay Area home of Air America Radio, a new left-leaning political talk radio network designed to counter conservative talk shows."

::India:: Photo Gallery by Charles Marut

2004-03-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

::India:: Photo Gallery by charles marut at pbase.com: "These photographs were made in Delhi, Bombay, and the Indian Himalayas in September, 2003." - some fantastic photos. Saw these Friday night at the Spring show at PhotoCentral.

Costco: The Only Company Wal-Mart Fears

2004-03-27T19:14:00.000-08:00

Costco: The Only Company Wal-Mart Fears: "Nobody Runs Warehouse Clubs Better Than Costco, Where Shoppers Can't Resist Luxury Products at Bargain Prices" - it also treats its employees much better - to the chagrin of Wall Street - via metafilter.

PCWorld.com - Beyond Google

2004-03-27T18:53:00.000-08:00

PCWorld.com - Beyond Google: "The Web is so full of useful info that no search engine can find it all. But a multitude of specialty sites deliver shopping advice, reference databases, leisure-time ideas, and more--fast." - good article on other place to to find information on the net besides Google.

The Word Spy - man cave

2004-03-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

The Word Spy - man cave: "man cave

n. An area of a house, such as a basement, workshop, or garage, where a man can be alone with his power tools and projects."

MSNBC - Local officials nearly fall for H2O hoax

2004-03-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

MSNBC - Local officials nearly fall for H2O hoax: ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - City officials were so concerned about the potentially dangerous properties of dihydrogen monoxide that they considered banning foam cups after they learned the chemical was used in their production.

Then they learned, to their chagrin, that dihydrogen monoxide — H2O for short — is the scientific term for water.

Business phrases people hate - Mar. 24, 2004

2004-03-24T20:02:00.000-08:00

Business phrases people hate - Mar. 24, 2004: "The fact of the matter is that at the end of the day there is nothing, like, value-added about using cliches 24/7. With all due respect it's not awesome, it's annoying. "

Robot Kids In Race Against Time

2004-03-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

Robot Kids In Race Against Time: "In just six weeks, they designed and built a robot that could climb stairs, navigate obstacles, throw balls into a basket, even pull itself up on a bar ten feet above the ground. That won them the right to go to the national championships in Atlanta next month. "

Data Dispute Bush's 'Rich' Label for Small Business

2004-03-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

Politics News Article | Reuters.com: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the presidential race's war of words over the economy, President Bush makes it sound as if small-business owners are in the cross hairs of Democrat John Kerry's plan to roll back tax cuts for wealthy Americans.

But data from the Internal Revenue Service and the Census Bureau suggest the vast majority of small businesses provide their owners with incomes far below the $200,000-a-year mark where Kerry says he would begin eliminating tax cuts. "

McCain says Kerry not weak on defense

2004-03-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

McCain says Kerry not weak on defense nor is his election a threat to national security: "Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Thursday he did not believe Democratic candidate John Kerry, a friend and Senate colleague, was weak on defense or would compromise national security if elected president. "

Take the stairs ... if you can find them

2004-03-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

"Fellow (unhealthy) Americans -- let us rise to the challenge and take to the stairs... if we can find them "

Fry's Concord branch scheduled to open today - 3/19

2004-03-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Oakland Tribune Online - Business News: "After months of speculation, Fry's Electronics has said it was to open its newest store in Concord at 8 a.m. today [3/19]. "

The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA)

2004-03-15T20:59:00.000-08:00

The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA): "The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) is the world's only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms." - from metafilter.

Judge reduces lawyer's fees because of typos

2004-03-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

Judge reduces lawyer's fees because of typos: " federal judge in Philadelphia, in prose suggesting barely suppressed chortles, reduced a lawyer's request for fees last month because his filings were infested with typographical errors."

Bush's Bagmen - Meet the Pioneers and Rangers, the president's A-team for campaign cash

2004-03-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

RollingStone.com: "Welcome to the most ambitious and best-organized shakedown in the history of American presidential politics. Bush is working to raise a record $200 million -- and so far, at least sixty percent of his campaign donations have come from just 416 elite fund-raisers like Bionda. Never before have so few raised so much so quickly. It's a fine-tuned operation that takes the principles of corporate America and applies them to political fund-raising"