Ikeaphobia and its discontents

In defense of Ikea and Starbucks: "If your life is mediocre, I promise you, Ingvar Kamprad didn't make it that way. You did. And if you're so desperate for your own soixante-huit moment that you can sit there with a straight face and tell me that you're being oppressed by flat-packable pine furniture with goofy pseudo-Scandinavian names, I'd advise you to spend a few days working with child slaves in the Sudan, or something. Warning - some strong language.

"Creative Class War" by Richard Florida

"Creative Class War" by Richard Florida: "How the GOP's anti-elitism could ruin America's economy. "

America as a One-Party State

TAP: Vol 15, Iss. 2. America as a One-Party State. Robert Kuttner.: "Today's hard right seeks total dominion. It's packing the courts and rigging the rules. The target is not the Democrats but democracy itself. "

MSNBC - ATM fraud: Banking on your money

MSNBC - ATM fraud: Banking on your money: "A Dateline Hidden Camera Investigation shows a new kind of scam, with criminals setting up and operating their own ATM machines, hoping to steal your personal information and later, your cash. And it can happen with a single swipe of a bank card."

"Spirit is still serious but we are moving toward guarded condition now"

Spaceflight Now | Destination Mars | Mission Status Center: "'Spirit is still serious but we are moving toward guarded condition now,' rover project manager Pete Theisinger reports.... A leading theory today is that a portion of the rover's software simply couldn't cope with all that was happening on Wednesday when the trouble began. ...Theisinger predicts that Spirit will resume driving around the surface in a couple of weeks."

Hmmm... a House or a new Stereo Amp?

CES 2004 Consumer Electronic Show Report by Enjoy the Music.com: "WAVAC now offers the SH-883 ($350,000) is their ultimate expression with four chassis per channel (8 for a stereo pair). These are AC conditioner, power supply, power transformer, and amplifier. This all works in concert to produce 150 watts from a single 833 tube. Cabling within the room was provided by Silent Source Audio Cables."

Spirit problem: too many chiefs?

Spirit problem: too many chiefs?:
"Despite the new engineering information from Spirit relayed via the Mars Odyssey, what troubles Spirit is still unknown. There is a growing feeling here [at JPL] that the robot may have been taxed too much that is, too many 'do this, do that' instructions were sent. That multi-tasking could have sparked the problem, according to sources here. Prior to its troubles on Mars, Spirit was being put through its paces -- doing things that were not tested with as much vigor here at JPL before being launched. "

Best Site for Current Status on the Mar's Spirit Rover

This is the best site for the current status on the Mar's Spirit rover: Spaceflight "Spaceflight Now: Landing of Spirit"

Conservatives grumbling at Bush - Jan. 21, 2004

Conservatives grumbling at Bush - Jan. 21, 2004: "Traditional Bush allies from the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation and the Club for Growth voiced disaffection and impatience with him on budget matters. "

The Soviet Exploration of Venus

The Soviet Exploration of Venus: "The Soviet exploration of Venus, from 1961 to 1984, is the largest effort ever undertaken to study another planet. The fundamentals of interplanetary spacecraft design and remote sensing were first realized in these attempts. Successful missions included 3 atmospheric probes, 10 landings, 4 orbiters, 11 flybys or impacts, and 2 balloon probes of the clouds. " - intersting website - the Soviets had more success here than on Mars.

Added Topix.net to the news section

Added Topix.net to the News section (thanks to Research Buzz). Removed ABC News.



I am trying to put links that are exceptional - this is a good news portal site. Check out the local news section - just type your zip code in.

Assassination tries linked to al Qaeda / Pakistan investigation points to inside help

Scary: Assassination tries linked to al Qaeda / Pakistan investigation points to inside help: "Police investigators say Jamil's cell phone call records revealed that just a few minutes before he drove a pickup truck into the president's motorcade, he received a call from Muhammad Naeem - a member of the Special Branch of the Islamabad police who was on duty at the convention center where Musharraf had just completed an official engagement. Naeem was arrested on Dec. 28 and remains in custody."

Yahoo! News - Internet fanatics aren't geeks

Yahoo! News - Internet fanatics aren't geeks: "The typical Internet user -- far from being a geek -- shuns television and actively socialises with friends, a study on surfing habits says. "

2003 Year in Review

2003
Year In Review: "2003
Year In Review"