MacBlogg's Blog of Web

http://www.exuberance.com/docs/openmic/

http://www.riptidesf.com

Guitar Legend Leo Kottke

The Future of the Hammond B-3 organ

House of Antique Hardware
Antique Restoration Hardware for Home Renovators. Supply Yourself With Quality Restoration Hardware for Period Home Renovation Projects.

Pioneer PRO-1140HD 50" PureVision Plasma HDTV(ELIPRO1140HD). 6ave.com
This Pioneer TV for $3k, and other plasma televisions on the cheap.

Paper Airplanes - the best origami paper planes to fold and fly bestpaperairplanes.com
All new, soon-to-be classics like Spike, Canada Goose and Moth.

Asian American Cancer Support Network aacsn.org
May's nonprofit. Support. Donate. Get involved.

LG Shine Titanium Black LGe.com
Merlin was all over this and brought one back from Hong Kong. Very nice.

Plasma vs LCD: Which is right for you? Cnet.com.au
"If you're in the market for a flat screen television, then you probably have one big question you want answered: plasma vs LCD, which is right for me?
"The two different camps of flat panel display standard will, of course, gladly spruik the advantages of their own standard and the deficiencies of the other. But which type of display, plasma or LCD, is better? And which will give you more bang for your buck?"

Cnet weighs in on the age-old question of TV technology. One question, what's "spruik"? Maybe that's what I get for reading Cnet.com.au.

San Francisco Household Hazardous Waste SFRecycling.com
"Since 1988, SF Recycling & Disposal Inc. has operated one of the first permanent facilities in the country for people to safely dispose of the hazardous waste generated from their homes. The most common wastes received are leftover paint, motor oil from cars, thinners, spray cans, and old garden products, such as pesticides and fertilizers."

SF Environment: Toxic Materials Pick-Up SFEnvironment.com
Info on arranging pickups or dropping off toxic materials (like paint) for San Francisco residents.

MashupAwards - The best mashups on the web mashupawards.com
MashupAwards is a hand-picked showcase of the best web mashups with awards served on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis.

Ascii Table - ASCII character codes and html, octal, hex and decimal chart conversion aciitable.com
AND... mouse reaction time and dexterity skill challenges on the right side of the page.

FINAL FANTASY XI Official Web Site playonline.com
ffxi, yo!

Partially Hydrogenated Oils treelight.com
What's Wrong with Partially Hydrogenated Oils?

Anderson Floors
"There's only one style that really matters. Yours." *blech*

Microsoft Surface (Milan) PopularMechanics.com
Touchscreen coffee table computer. Will they introduce induction technology to charge my peripherals and keep my coffee warm?

Dell Latitude D600 meets Bluetooth | support.dell.com

Noah's Rafting
Incredible Oregon Whitewater Rafting Trips

Pinyin lessons. Learn Chinese pinyin for free. Pinyin.org

Top Digital SLR Cameras for Consumers About.com
Top cheap digital SLRs for first-time SLR beginners.

CNET editors' digital SLR camera buying guide CNET

ROSIE vs TRUMP GSN - The Network For Games
Pick a side and fight to the death.

Caparo T1
0-60 in 2.5. That's hot.

Fixitnow.com Samurai Appliance Repair Man
Kicking appliance butt all over the globe!

California Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors

Structural Engineers Association of California

BBC Construction, Inc.

BBC Construction, Inc.

Marin County > Company Profile > Better Built Construction

What You Should Know Before You Hire a Contractor California Contractors State License Board (CSLB)

Games played with Flower Cards pagat.com
Includes rules for the Korean game Go Stop.

The case against 1080p - Fully Equipped CNET reviews
Bottom line: "So when buying a TV, the last thing you probably want to do is agonize over its native resolution. If you don't mind spending the extra dough for 1080p, go for it. But if it's stretching your budget, then take a pass, knowing it's not all that it's cracked up to be."

Welcome to Writer's Voice Radio
Each week's 30-minute program features a guest author reading from their latest book; a literary calendar highlighting selected author appearances around the San Francisco Bay Area for the upcoming week; and a brief interview with a local independent bookseller with recommendations of great new books.

More Time - Watch repair in the SF bay area.

Absolutely the best place to take your time piece.

Shooting War - Web comic worth checking out.

"The year is 2011, and Jimmy Burns, a young anti-corporate blogger has just seen his Williamsburg apartment blown to bits by yet another terrorist attack on New York City. He’s recorded the gruesome scene on his videoblog camera—footage Burns beams live to a freaked-out world and that makes him an overnight media sensation. Exploited by his own network (Global News: “Your home for 24-hour terror coverage”), enraged by the terrorists, and determined to tell the American people the truth, Burns takes off for Iraq to get the real story of a war that’s been raging for more than eight years. SHOOTING WAR is written by Anthony Lappé, illustrated by Dan Goldman."

Tesla Motors
- 100% electric
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Titus Nihi Kinimaka Dramatic Rescue | Willis Brothers Surfing

TopoZone - The Web's Topographic Map, and more!
Ostrander Lake, Yosemite

M O F R O
Front porch soul.

SFBags - WaterField Designs
Looks like the laptop sleeve I've been looking for, and oh so much more.

Timbuk2 Bags
Trendy choice for a reason. The bags work.

Laptop Backpacks, Laptop Sleeves, PowerBook Bags by Booq
Looks tough. No idea how it performs.

| KaleCoAuto, Hard to find automotive items!
Get your muffler bearings and flux capacitors here.

Donkey Home Page
(self explanatory)

Vancouver/Richmond Restaurants
"Most of the authentic Chinese/Japanese restaurants are in the city of Richmond which is a little bit south of Vancouver, they are all scattered around 3rd St. which is a popular place for people from HK." - culinary tips for Vancouver, BC from a friend.

Irving St. / Outer Sunset Food Map Brad Templeton's guide

Thanks to Zooomr, Flickr has some catching up to do | TechCrunch

It's Usually Not Wrong to End a Sentence with a Preposition

Prepositions at the Ends of Sentences: Further Explanation of Why the 'Rule' Is Wrong

Tips from grammartips.homestead.com on how to handle those damn adverbial particles.

Explore the World with Mountain Travel Sobek. "Adventure Travel and Adventure Vacations."
I've got the adventure travel jones. Bhutan, here I come!

Minimus - For All Your Travel Size Item Needs

Growing Bamboo Indoors | American Bamboo Society (ABS)

LED Throwies | instructables.com (via Gizmodo)
Great idea. I really want to do this.

South Bay Ramen | Metroactive Dining

World Ramen.net

Volve Cross Country
The new, old Cross Country.

Roi Rene Hotel | Yahoo
Decent place to stay in Aix-en-Provence, France. Pay for wireless in the lobby or in upgraded rooms.

Game Year in Review: 2010 | Wired News
"Nintendo has once again drawn controversy by announcing that its upcoming console, the Nintendo Apocalypse, will lack any sort of game controller whatsoever. Instead, you will direct the onscreen action by grabbing a household pet by the front legs and 'making it do a little dance.'"

Battle of the Big-Ass TVs | Wired News
A review of the latest in big TVs and other TV technology (mostly from CES).

OTABO Fine Custom Fit Shoes
Unique laser measuring creates 3-D models to provide a customized fit for each foot.

From blog.wired.com/monkeybites/
In another attempt to get professional sound engineers to adopt an enhanced stereo and multi-channel surround standard for MP3 audio, the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany has released two new MP3 surround formats. The two new formats, MP3 SX and Ensonido, encode audio so that it presents itself as accurately as possible on surround-sound systems and on 2-channel stereo systems. Both of the formats are "containers" for surround-sound MP3 audio standards that devices and web services can adopt. MP3 SX and Ensonido are enhanced stereo formats that will represent multi-channel presentations more faithfully than standard 2-channel stereo audio played back on 5.1 or 6.1 channel systems.

Try out the software at all4mp3.com

Head Rush Bottle Bong | DrinkingStuff.com
Must see to understand.

iMeat: Heartburn for iPod Fans | Gizmodo
"But when the big moment arrived on Christmas morning and the present was ripped open, there was no iPod to be found. Just a wrapped up piece of meat."

Dad Replaces Bad Kids 360 with Coal | Kotaku

Ramen HALU
Japanese noodles in San Jose, California

Snow Shack Online purveyor of snow gear. Free shipping if you refer some people (and if you can find the link).

Dictionary.com
Sub rosa comes from the Latin, literally "under the rose," from the ancient association of the rose with confidentiality, the origin of which traces to a famous story in which Cupid gave Harpocrates, the god of silence, a rose to bribe him not to betray the confidence of Venus. Hence the ceilings of Roman banquet-rooms were decorated with roses to remind guests that what was spoken sub vino (under the influence of wine) was also sub rosa.

San Francisco Zip code map (1995, Pacific Bell)

Windows XP Backup Made Easy | Microsoft.com

Changes to Luggage Weights and Fees | www.dod.mil

Knee Defender | KneeDefender.com
"protect against reclining seatbacks on airplanes - save more legroom - can help you guard against economy class syndrome - thrombosis - DVT"

I want it that way | Google Video
Back Street Boys classic performed by two Chinese dudes in Houston Rockets jerseys.

NewYorkology: A New York Travel Guide
"Welcome to NewYorkology. I'm Amy Langfield, a freelance reporter who has lived in New York City for six years. I update the site daily and it aims to be a clearinghouse of the most interesting and useful stuff to see and do in New York."

Welcome to Galactic
"Galactic was born in the early '90s, after two Washington DC punks – guitarist Jeff Raines and bassist Robert Mercurio – relocated to New Orleans and found themselves intoxicated by the sounds of the scene that nurtured The Meters, Professor Longhair, the Neville Brothers and Dr. John."
Stream live music from their site. Fire it up and leave the window in the background to groove all day, or at least for 7 tracks worth.

Porsche models throughout time | DennigCars.com
"The overview is continuously being updated so that when finished, it will include all models from 1948 and onwards."

PHP succeeding where Java isn't | ZDNet Australia
"The simplicity of scripting language PHP means it will be more popular than Java for building Web-based applications, Internet browser pioneer Marc Andreessen predicted Wednesday in the US in a speech in California at the Zend/PHP Conference."

Vlogville, the new video blogging community brought to us by a couple of friends/former coworkers. Get your first-choice account name while you still can.

Flybar Model 1200 | Amazon.com
"The patented Flybar 1200 spring system consists of 12 independent rubber thrusters. Each one is capable of storing up to 100 pounds of thrust when stretched to full extension (300%). Multiply that by 12 and that puts up to 1,200 pounds of thrust under you. (You didn't think the model number was coincidental, did you?) That's enough to get a 170-pound rider over 5 feet of elevation. Engaging thrusters is quick and easy and can be done with the outer shell on or off. Adjusting the number of thrusters will change the feel of the spring from soggy to stiff and can be used to limit the bouncing height of the Flybar for beginners. Adjustability is also how the Flybar is capable of accommodating such a wide range of rider weights. To start we recommend engaging one thruster for every 20 pounds of rider weight using a minimum of four at any time."

Love your kids? Prove it by beating them.

Nokia to inoculate phones with antivirus | ZDNetIndia.com
"Nokia has entered a pact with Symantec to help secure its mobile phones from viruses that target certain kinds of handsets. "

Ariel Motor Company

Free Wi-Fi for SF | SFGate.com
"Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi -- for free / Company's bid is one of many to realize mayor's goal of giving online access to all."

Where does your transit/ABA number appear on your check? Find out with this sample check.

SPLENDID Mills:: Better Tshirts.

Ride A Wave
Ride-A-Wave is dedicated to the thought that everyone, no matter what physical limitations life might have given them, should have a chance to take pleasure from a day in the sun, enjoying all the wonder the ocean has to offer.

IPod's Law: The Impossible Is Possible | New York Times
Concerning the new Nano... "Beware, however: to see one is to want one. If you hope to resist, lash your credit card to your wallet like Odysseus to the mast."

OfficerStore.com
"OfficerStore.com exists to offer service and products at the highest level of quality to ensure that we maintain a position as a leader in law enforcement supplies on the World Wide Web."

You Have to Start Meeting Like This! | Fast Company
diff link: You Have to Start Meeting Like This!
Article:
You Have to Start Meeting Like This!
We work -- therefore we meet. But why do so few of our meetings meet our expectations? Michael Begeman may be the world's foremost expert on the business world's most universal ritual. Here's his short course on running meetings that will work for you.

From: Issue 23| April 1999 | Page 204 By: Gina Imperato Illustrations by: Greg Clarke

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Begeman is a leading authority on one of the business world's most universal rituals: the meeting. An anthropologist and computer scientist by training, he serves as manager of the 3M Meeting Network, a loose-knit collection of meeting experts that's been assembled by 3M, the innovation-obsessed manufacturing giant headquartered in Minneapolis.

But Begeman, 41, is much more than a meeting planner and facilitator. He spent four years as a member of the technical staff at Intel. He spent six years as a research manager at MCC, a high-tech research consortium based in Austin, Texas. He has run his own consulting firm. In short, he knows as much about how business works as he does about how meetings work.

So what's the most effective meeting that Begeman has seen lately? He says that it didn't take place in a high-rise office building or at a cutting-edge chip factory. In fact, it took place in a tepee -- in a scene from Dances with Wolves (1990), the Oscar-winning film featuring Kevin Costner. The scene takes place after a group of Native Americans discover Costner not far from their camp. Between 20 and 30 members of the tribe gather around for a meeting. There's one big question on their agenda: What should they do with this mysterious white man -- kill him to send a message to others who might follow, or leave him alone to signal their willingness to reason with such newcomers?

What follows, claims Begeman, is a clinic in good meeting behavior. "People actually listen to one another," he marvels. "There are some genuine disagreements, but everyone recognizes merit in everyone else's position and tries to incorporate it into his thinking. The chief spends most of his time listening. When the time comes to make a decision, he says something like 'It's hard to know what to do. We should talk about this some more. That's all I have to say.' And the meeting ends! He is honest enough to admit that he's not ready to make a decision."

How does Begeman compare that powwow with what takes place inside most conference rooms today? "Do you want to know the truth?" he asks. "Here's my mental image of what happens at most business meetings: You could take the people out and replace them with radios blaring at each other, and you would not have changed very much. That's what most meetings are like. People wait for the person who's speaking to take a breath, so they can jump into the empty space and talk. The quality of communication in most meetings is roughly comparable to the quality of the arguments that you used to have with your 10-year-old brother."

Begeman's mission is to change all that. The monthly email newsletter published by the 3M Meeting Network goes out to thousands of subscribers. The group's Web site offers a collection of useful tools and techniques, of valuable hardware and software. "There is a 'science' of meetings that's available to people now," he says. "We have the knowledge we need to make meetings better. But most people haven't learned it or don't bother to use it. And then they wonder why their meetings just stumble along."

In an interview with Fast Company, Begeman offers a short course on how to make your meetings work.

Meetings Are Work -- And Great Meetings Take Lots of Work

Great meetings don't just happen -- they're designed. Producing a great meeting is a lot like producing a great product. You don't just build it. You think about it, plan it, and design it: What people and processes do you need to make it successful? But first you have to create agreement among people that meetings are work -- they are not an empty ritual to be suffered through before getting "back to the office." Meetings are events in which real work takes place.

That's a big mind flip. All primates -- monkeys, apes, humans -- are social creatures. When you're out in the wild, studying nonhuman primates, one of the things you appreciate is just how social they are. They hang out together, they play together, they groom each other. You very rarely see solitary behavior. But if you walk into a typical company, what you see are rows and rows of cubicles. We've taken these wonderfully social creatures -- human primates -- and we've isolated them. And then we've asked them to be productive in that environment.

Now, as more and more of what people do takes place in teams, meetings become the setting in which most of the really important work gets done. I see this everyday in my own work and life. I do almost all of my work with a team of people -- some from inside 3M, some from outside the company. If I spend most of the day sitting in my office, instead of interacting with people, a warning bell goes off in my head: I'm not getting my job done.

So many people complain to me, "I wish I didn't spend so much time in meetings." To which I say, "Resistance is futile!" The simple fact is, some of our peak experiences as people take place in work groups. Most people have attended at least a few meetings in which there's been a real breakthrough: People are facing a problem, banging heads, not making very much headway -- and then a kind of magic overtakes them. A wind comes along, it blows away the clouds, and you can just feel the energy in the room. It's possible to have more experiences like that -- if you design your meetings with the same care that you use to design your products.

Different Meetings Need Different Conversations

One of my main roles is to create useful linguistic distinctions for people. Organizations call meetings for lots of different reasons. And it turns out that different kinds of meetings require different kinds of conversations. If you're not clear about the kind of conversation that you should be having, then your meeting probably won't achieve a clear outcome.

For example, some meetings are built around a "conversation for possibility." The group acknowledges that it has come together to generate ideas, not to make decisions. The goal is to maximize creativity. Other meetings are built around a "conversation for opportunity." The goal is not to reach a final decision but to narrow down a field of ideas or options. You gather lots of information; you do some analysis; people take positions. Finally, there are meetings that are built around a "conversation for action." The goal is to decide, to commit: "We want to leave this room with our three investment priorities for 2000."

Unless everyone understands these distinctions, you run into certain familiar problems. You convene a brainstorming session (a "conversation for possibility"), and people are afraid to speak up because someone might shoot down their idea -- or worse, someone might say, "Let's do it." Or you convene a budgeting session (a "conversation for action"), and someone loops back to an idea that was rejected earlier -- which drives everyone else crazy. If you call a meeting, make it clear to people what kind of conversation they're going to have, and then impose a certain amount of discipline on them. Remember: Meetings don't go off topic. People do.

Always Play by the Rules (of Engagement)

Most participants come to a meeting with clear expectations about how other people should act. And if the meeting lives up to such expectations, the participants will feel like they've had a really good experience. If the meeting violates those expectations, then people will become upset or withdrawn. So the key is to translate implicit expectations into explicit agreements -- into what I call "rules of engagement." Do people feel strongly about starting and ending on time? Then make an explicit commitment to doing that. Are people concerned that a meeting doesn't have a clear enough objective? Then make an explicit promise: "If we can't agree on a clear objective within the first 10 minutes, then the meeting is over. We'll schedule another meeting when the objective becomes clear."

You can even create rules of engagement about individual behavior. For example: Before anyone makes a point, that person has to find merit in the point made by the previous speaker. Or, the senior people in the meeting can speak only after the junior people have had a chance to express themselves.

It's a pretty simple idea, really. All you are trying to do is to make the invisible visible, to make the automatic deliberate. These rules of engagement take the bad behaviors that groups stumble into, shine a light on those behaviors, and then address basic questions: How can we change all of this? How do we want to act? Such rules of engagement give people a chance to design how they treat one another in meetings.

One last point about rules of engagement: You should be clear that not all successful meetings end with a decision -- which goes back to why I love that scene in Dances with Wolves. Decisions are the Valium of meetings. They offer relief from the tension of what lies ahead, from the uncertainty of the world. They tend to create an illusion of progress: "We've finally made a decision. Now we don't have to worry about that issue anymore." Often it takes courage for a group to end a meeting without making a decision.

Small Talk is a Big Deal

There is a legitimate social component to meetings. Sure, we'd all rather be efficient than sloppy in our work. Sure, we'd all rather spend our time on "real work" than on "idle chitchat." But you should never overlook the social side of work rituals -- even in meetings that are "all business." In many of the meetings that I run -- especially in meetings that take place early in the day -- I schedule 5 or 10 minutes of open time, just to encourage people to relate to one another. If you plan for such time, if you put it on your agenda, then you won't feel as if you're not doing what you ought to be doing. Instead, you can enjoy going around the room and asking people what they did last night, or over the weekend.

For some meetings, I book a certain amount of time at the beginning to ask, "Is there anything that people need to say in order to be 'present' at this meeting?" Remember, just because people walk into a conference room doesn't mean that their mind is on your meeting. They may be thinking about an argument that they just had with a colleague, or about a computer glitch that they've been struggling with all day. If you let people express their frustrations before you get down to business, you allow them to clear their mind and to focus on your meeting.

Want Serious Meetings? Hand Out Toys!

There is much more to people -- even serious businesspeople -- than what's above the neck. We are not just intellects that come together to interact with other intellects. The more you involve the whole person in your meetings, the more people will learn, and the more of that learning they will retain. If you want people to work together effectively, let them play together.

That's why I think there is so much value in having kinetic stuff in meeting rooms: squeeze balls, Slinkies, little gizmos that you turn over and play with. Every so often, just go into a toy store, blow $20 on junk, and put all of it in your conference room. Toys are a great stress reliever -- and a great creativity enhancer. I've found that when people have something to play with, when they can get more of their body involved in what they're doing, they become more creative.

I'm famous around here for my bag of meeting toys. It comes in handy. Last summer, for example, I was working with a group of senior executives. The first thing I did when I started off the meeting was to give everybody two toys: a Meeting Network mouse pad and a Meeting Network squeeze ball. The executives played with this stuff throughout the meeting. It was great: One person would say something that another person didn't like, and the second person would throw a ball across the table. Everyone at the meeting had lots of fun.

And these were senior executives, by the way -- people who are not given to playing at work. A week later, I was in the same room, sitting in as an observer for someone who was presenting to the same group. The executives came in and sat around their table, and as the meeting was about to start, one guy said, "Wait a minute. We can't start yet." Then he ran out -- and came back a few minutes later with his squeeze ball!

Even Good Meetings Can Get Better

If you're serious about improving the quality of your meetings, then you should borrow an idea from the quality people: continuous improvement. Set aside five minutes at the end of every meeting you hold -- make it a discipline for your team or your company -- and ask some simple questions: What did we do in this meeting that really worked well? What happened that we never want to repeat? Are there bad habits that we seem to keep falling into?

Write down people's answers, keep a running record of their comments, and then see how well the entire group improves over time. A written record can also be a great source of ideas for future rules of engagement. It can tell you not just how to behave, but why people believe it's important to behave that way.

But don't overdo this. The best medicine in the world can make you sick if you take too much of it. If you become too intent on improving meetings, you're likely to become the most dreaded person in your department: "Oh no, Joe's in this meeting. What's he gonna come up with this time?" So, please, use these ideas and practices, but use them wisely.

Meeting Minutes
One classic meeting dilemma is deciding how much to record. Michael Begeman's proposal: Don't worry too much about taking detailed minutes -- that is, exhaustive notes about who said what. Focus instead on three categories of information: decisions reached, action items that people need to follow up on, and open issues. "The record of all this becomes input for future meetings," says Begeman. "Plus, encouraging people to use these categories will sharpen the quality of their participation."

Actions speak louder than rules. Leaders send nonverbal as well as verbal messages. So it's quite possible, says Michael Begeman, for your words to abide by the "rules of engagement" for a meeting, while your informal actions don't. If you're leading a meeting and people expect you to move the group toward a decision, then act accordingly. Sit at the head of the table to signal, "I'm in charge." Stand while others are sitting to signal, "I have the floor." If participants expect a collaborative meeting, ask one of your team members to run the meeting -- to signal, "I want to share leadership." Or to signal, "I'm with you," sit on one side of the table. All of this may sound obvious, but it's amazing how small, nonverbal behaviors can undermine -- or promote -- what you are trying to accomplish.


Associate Editor Gina Imperato (gimperato@fastcompany.com) has learned to love meetings. You can contact Michael Begeman by email (mlbegeman@mmm.com) or learn more about the 3M Meeting Network on the Web (www.3m.com/meetingnetwork).

"What it takes to become a millionaire" calculator | Bank of America, Financial Education and Tools

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"For Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), it's as if its business were blessed by the gods. But yesterday's settlement between the company and GEICO reveals an Achilles heel for the rapidly growing search-engine provider. While we may never know who got the better of the "closed" settlement, investors should have serious concerns about the sustainability of Google's business model..."

Barbara Bush: It's Good Enough for the Poor | Yahoo! News

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"The company also wants to build the first permanent human settlement on Mars, using strictly Martian materials, as early as 2025..."

Review: Samsung PM-A840 | MobileBurn

Steve, Don't Eat It! Vol. 1. | The Sneeze
Ralph's Potted Meat Food Product

The story of Press Your Luck champion Michael Larsen. No whammy, no whammy, no whammy... whammy.

Dr. Greg Henderson, MD: a Doctor in the Flood

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Flying Toasters

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Google Announces Plan To Destroy All Information It Can't Index | American's Finest News Source

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Understanding Oracle OLAP Dimensions And Cubes | Mark Rittman's Oracle Weblog (Some guy)

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Dog Poop Girl | Washington Post
"Subway Fracas Escalates Into Test Of the Internet's Power to Shame"

Flickr Fans to Yahoo: Flick Off! | Wired News
"A splinter faction of Flickr photo-sharing community members is threatening a symbolic 'mass suicide' to protest closer integration with the website's new owner, Yahoo.

"... angered by a new requirement to tie their member profiles with Yahoo accounts, some Flickrites say they plan to kill off their identities before they can be moved into the new family next year. "

Cell Phone Reception and Tower Search | MOBILEDIA
"We have searchable databases of over 115,000 cell phone tower locations registered with the FCC, and over 14,000 cell phone carrier comments submitted voluntarily from real customers using their service all over the U.S."

Posing, Speaking, Revealing | - New York Times

"'Endurance,' a video at Newark's Center for Contemporary Art that shows 24 homeless youths standing, in turn, for an hour each on a Seattle street." The film is sped up so that each hour passes in 5 minutes with a voiceover - "recorded autobiographies; the subjects tell how and why they got where they are, and how they feel about it.

"They speak, often revealingly, about families, truncated childhoods and complicated love, about their plans to change their lives, and their equally determined plans not to change. And as they're talking, you see them on the screen, holding their places as life whizzes around them as day turns to dusk, dusk to night. At first they look awkward and unromantically vulnerable, then substantial and resilient, then admirable - valorous, even."

Become a Google Power Searcher
"Whether you're new to using Google or a seasoned search professional, Google Power is an essential addition to your search library. In his book, Chris Sherman not only shows you how to become a better searcher, he also provides valuable information for preparing your site for Google visibility."

Great, a book on how to use Google. Couldn't you just google the information?

Google Blog: The linguasphere at large | Google
Google now available in 116 different languages including "Swedish Chef," "Hacker," and "Klingon."

Falling Costs of Big-Screen TV's to Keep Falling | New York Times
"In consumer electronics, as in much of life, good things happen to those who wait - good things as in plunging prices."

Usability Makes the Web Click | Fast Company
"Jakob Nielsen has spent the past 15 years pioneering the art and the science - but mainly the science - of user interfaces. Exhibit A: the Web. Yet if you ask him to name the most user-friendly sites, he protests: 'Most sites don't work from a user standpoint. The design is confusing. It takes too long to move from page to page. Most companies don't understand Web business - or the Web itself.'"

useit.com: Jakob Nielsen on Usability and Web Design

Va. Laptop Sale Turns Into a Stampede | Yahoo! News
"RICHMOND, Va. - A rush to purchase $50 used laptops turned into a violent stampede Tuesday, with people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over. One woman went so far as to wet herself rather than surrender her place in line. "

Apple, Microsoft in Patent Pickle | Wired News
"Bloggers and other tech pundits snickered at the prospect of Steve Jobs having to pay Bill Gates royalties on the beloved iPods, which account for more than one-third of Apple's revenue. "

Common Errors in English
Find simple answers to annoying problems like this one...
alot; a lot
"Perhaps this common spelling error began because there does exist in English a word spelled “allot” which is a verb meaning to apportion or grant. The correct form, with “a” and “lot” separated by a space is perhaps not often encountered in print because formal writers usually use other expressions such as “a great deal,” “often,” etc. If you can’t remember the rule, just remind yourself that just as you wouldn’t write “alittle” you shouldn’t write “alot.”"

What Can Google Learn From Netscape's Downfall? | PCWorld.com
"'What do we want? More than anybody else has,' Ballmer said recently about Microsoft's battle against Google in the search market. 'We are going to invest: we'll invest in R&D, we'll invest in sales and marketing, we'll invest in advertising, we'll do what it takes [to win] on this front.'"

"It seems unlikely that Microsoft will usurp Google's position at the top of the search space anytime soon. New data released this week by Hitwise, an online market researcher, shows that Google claimed 59.2 percent of searches across all major search engines in July 2005, a 14 percent increase in share versus a year ago. On the contrary, MSN Search captured only 5.5 percent of searches in the same month, lagging far behind second-place Yahoo Search, which captured 28.8 percent of searches in July."

Blogger: User Profile: illaH
Innocent blogger? Pimp? European gigolo? Who knows - the brother has style.

iPod Hacks :: The Latest and Greatest for Your iPod

Site has great helper app downloads... and DOOM!
"It finally happened. DOOM has been ported to the iPod. Though it was once only an April Fool's joke, the folks over at iPodLinux.org have gotten DOOM..."

DNKA - remote desktop search tool
"...search tool for remote computer. It acts as a web server (search server) by interacting as a layer between Google Desktop Search (Enterprise) and user."

Install GDSE and DNKA on your server, and away you go.

'Ninja miners' in Mongolian gold rush | The Sun News
"'As long as there is gold in Mongolia, there will be ninja miners'..."

500indie: 2004 Colorado Independent Music Video Competition
Gotta check out #15 "McRap" from my friend's cousin.

Revolutionary Venom Line Being Developed by Specialized | MountainBikeTales.com
Note: Check the publisher

Possibly the best avatar I've ever seen. Wait for it.

Managing Your Career
by Hal Lancaster
(WSJ, 6Feb96)

[excerpt]

Gregory Wingfield, president of the Greater Richmond Partnership, the economic development arm for the Richmond, Va., area, has been thinking about how people can decide whether their jobs have a future. He says to ask yourself these questions:
- Is your boss well regarded and on the way up in the organization?
- How much time do your superiors spend with you developing your skills?
- Do you still feel challenged by your job? Are you still learning?
- How does the company view you? Does your pay compare favorably to others of comparable experience and skills? Have you been passed over for promotions? Do your bosses listen to - and act on - your recommendations?
- Is your company a growing market leader in an industry with a long-term future? Does it aggressively develop new products or rest on past laurels?

It wouldn't be a bad idea to file this list of questions and revisit it every year about this time.

Shinden (English) - "In may 1944, the Kyushu Aircraft of Japan received an order from the Imperial Navy for a trial manufacture of the 18-shi (experimental) interceptor that became known as J7W1 'Shinden'..."

Google's Chief Is Googled, to the Company's Displeasure | NYTimes.com
"... Google would not speak to any reporter from CNET for a year."

G.M. Thrives in China With Small, Thrifty Vans | NYTimes.com
"LIUZHOU, China - In this obscure corner of southern China, General Motors seems to have hit on a hot new formula: $5,000 minivans that get 43 miles to the gallon in city driving. That combination of advantages has captivated Chinese buyers, propelling G.M. into the leading spot in this nascent car market."

Nike Makes Barefoot Breakthrough | Wired News
"At the end of the experiment, Nike had the most comprehensive picture of the biomechanics of barefoot running ever developed."

"...Google feature involves Gmail, its e-mail message service. A free utility from a site in Denmark lets you use each free Gmail account as a 2-gigabyte supplement to your own computer's storage. This is valuable for transferring files and for backup. The utility is at viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm. " | NYTimes.com

New Rating System Aims To Take Mystery Out Of Open-Source Tools | Yahoo! News (TechWeb)

"... triumvirate of Carnegie Mellon University, Intel, and open-source software certifier SpikeSource is looking to change that by making it easier for IT departments to determine which open-source tools they should adopt."

A Hacker Games the Hotel | Wired News
"A vulnerability in many hotel television infrared systems can allow a hacker to obtain guests' names and their room numbers from the billing system.

It can also let someone read the e-mail of guests who use web mail through the TV, putting business travelers at risk of corporate espionage. And it can allow an intruder to add or delete charges on a hotel guest's bill or watch pornographic films and other premium content on their hotel TV without paying for it."

STANFORD Magazine: July/August 2005 > Just Cool It: "Athletes, and patients, know that overheating hurts a body's performance. Biologists H. Craig Heller and Dennis Grahn, using a vacuum and the palm, have learned how to chill out efficiently."

Hugh Ferriss (1889 – 1962) was an American delineator (one who creates perspective drawings of buildings) and architect.

Osprey Packs, Inc. These packs rock and their customer service is top notch. I have their Aether 75 from a few years ago and I can't say enough about how well it fits me and how much it doesn't weigh. Of course, the folks at Feathered Friends in Seattle sold me on it and fitted it perfectly (unlike those jokers at REI who wasted my time trying sell me a huge pack and couldn't fit it correctly at all). Bottom line - it's hard to go wrong with Osprey, but the folks at Feathered Friends will get you the right gear.

Map of the auto industry. Who owns, or is somehow linked, to who.

Mobile home phone launched in UK | CNN.com
LONDON, England -- The world's first cell phone that can switch between fixed and mobile networks has been launched in the UK.

1988 MUSTANG GT 5.0 - 5spd, clean title, stock
I'm more than a little sad to part with this.

Bruce Campbell Online
Bruce Campbell is on tour promoting his new book, "Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way."

PedalHawg.com: A bicycle chopper with a new look.
Style you can ride.

What every salesman should understand about pricing and greed.

A young boy enters the barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, "This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you."

The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other,
then calls the boy over and asks, "Which do you want, son?"

The boy takes the quarters and leaves. "What did I tell you?" said the
barber. "That kid never learns!"

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store.

"Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?"

The boy licked his cone and replied, "Because the day I take the dollar, the
game's over."

Top Ten U.S. Unsubscribe Violators. | LASHBACK: The Unsubscribe Authority

Spamming Outside the Box : Wired News

"Recently a publicist offered me a nice little scoop involving two of her clients, who planned to post a list of 10 U.S. advertisers that have been flouting the Can-Spam Act of 2003 by ignoring consumers' demands to unsubscribe. Instead of cutting down on spam, attempted delisting just generated more mounds of e-mail..."

BaitCar.com | Bait Cars Are Everywhere. Steal One. Go To Jail.

Then we watch your sorry ass get caught on video.

I have to say that this one is just pure comedy. "Today" by the Smashing Pumpkins comes on right as the thieves are getting busted. Here are the lyrics you'll hear:
Today is the greatest
Day I've ever known
Can't live for tomorrow,
Tomorrow's much too long
I'll burn my eyes out
Before I get out

I wanted more
Than life could ever grant me

Pure comedy.

PHILADELPHIA -- A Boston College rower died Saturday [5/14/2005] after passing out just as his crew won the men's lightweight eight at the Dad Vail Regatta.

Scott Laio, a junior, collapsed as the Eagles' boat moved just past the grandstand and under a large stone bridge. Laio, accompanied by his parents, was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he died, Boston College sports information director Chris Cameron said.

There was no immediate word on the cause of death.

"We are extremely saddened by the untimely death of Scott Laio. We extend our deepest sympathy to Scott's family and friends. They are in our thoughts and prayers," Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo said in a statement.

Laio, from Pittsford, N.Y., was rowing in seventh position, second from the back.

Teammate Ned Borgman began performing CPR on Laio in the boat until emergency medical technicians took over and treated him with a defibrillator.
--

The Laio family asks that donations be sent to:

Scott Laio Memorial Fund of Boston College Men's Crew
Boston College Rowing
Scott Laio Memorial Fund
140 Commonwealth Ave.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Dell - W4200 42-inch High Definition Plasma TV with 1-year Onsite Exchange Service

YaGoohoo!gle Better searching for a better life.

Section 83b Election
"...the tax rules for restricted stock provide both an advantage and a disadvantage when compared to the rules for vested stock. If you don't like the trade-off, you can make the section 83b election. When you do, you'll be treated (mostly) as if you received vested stock. But you have to act fast: the election must be made within 30 days after you receive the stock."

Hong Kong Airport

MTR
The route map. (Thanks Merlin)

MTR
Hong Kong Subway system.

YPMap - Hong Kong
Clickable yellow pages map of Hong Kong.

China Map | SuperTravelNet.com
Clickable map of China Not 100% comprehensive (a few train lines missing) but good for overall trip planning

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Immigration Department

12hk.com - the unofficial travel guide on Hong Kong

Turbojet
Information on jetfoil services between Hong Kong Island/Kowloon and Macau.

Travel Channel Destination Guides - Hong Kong
Hong Kong etiquette and other odds and ends about visiting Hong Kong brought to you by the Discovery.com people.

bc magazine, hong kong
BC Magazine is a free print magazine that has club, gig, restaurant, and bar listings. You can also pick up free copies around town. HK Magazine is also a great free magazine to pick up around town - any centrally located bar, restaurant or some shops will have copies.

Discover Hong Kong
This is the Hong Kong tourist Authority Website (with information on free taijiquan lessons, free junk rides, and much more).

Sony aims to beam sights, sounds into brain | CNN.com
"If you think video games are engrossing now, just wait: PlayStation maker Sony Corp. has been granted a patent for beaming sensory information
directly into the brain."

XenSource: The Art of Virtualization.

Emerging Technology - Self-Assembling Robots | Discover Magazine

"The future belongs to shape-shifting machines that don’t look like humans"

Shocking Fun Shocking Remote Control Tanks

Warning:
"Not suitable for persons under the age of 14. Do not use if you suffer from epilepsy or any similar or related illness. This is a novelty gift and is not intended to be used as a toy. Emits electrical shock."

Spies infiltrate zombie computer networks | NewScientist.com

"Fake 'zombie' computer spies are infiltrating zombie networks and recording online exchanges between the networks and their human commanders.
The fake zombies are deployed by members of the German Honeynet Project, which started collecting data on zombie armies in November 2004 and released the first paper detailing how to spy on zombie networks on Monday. "

Spies infiltrate zombie computer networks | NewScientist.com

"Fake 'zombie' computer spies are infiltrating zombie networks and recording online exchanges between the networks and their human commanders.
The fake zombies are deployed by members of the German Honeynet Project, which started collecting data on zombie armies in November 2004 and released the first paper detailing how to spy on zombie networks on Monday. "

Q&A with Kim Polese | MercuryNews.com, 03/14/2005
"Kim Polese, chief executive of SpikeSource, spoke recently with Mercury News Staff Writer Matt Marshall about her career, the software business, and women and girls in technology. Here are edited excerpts."

Might have to link through Google or sign up for the Merc site. Here's Google's cache.

Keyhole "The ultimate interface to the planet [for just $29.95]"
(by Google)

Ghibli Museum

Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison Photography?

New Passat Launched In Germany - Over 40 New Photos And Full Specs, Thanks Tom.

Are You a Scary Boss? - Computerworld

ashes and snow - Gregory Colbert (photography)

eWEEK Labs Review: Dell Latitude D610

SpikeSource: Productized Open Source Software

Cathay seas | China & South East Asia Surfers.
"Have a clue"

The PowerBook Sudden Motion Sensor
How to hack it and use it for things like rotating windows based on laptop orientation.

New research opens a window on the minds of plants | csmonitor.com
Plants poised to win the new presidential election; take over world.

Invisibility Shields Planned by Engineers | news.nationalgeographic.com

"In popular science fiction, the power of invisibility is readily apparent. Star Trek fans, for example, know that the devious Romulans could make their spaceships suddenly disappear.

But is the idea really so implausible? Not according to new findings by scientists who say they have come up with a way to create cloaking device."

ASCII Character Map

Mapping color to night-vision systems.



Article here.

CREMAX (ICY DOCK) i201-B2-T External Enclosure | Newegg.com
Cremax iTANK Transparent 2.5' IDE USB2.0 External Rack, Model 'i201-B2-T' - $16.99

Maori haka -- explained and applied to modern life.
"From earliest times, the haka has inspired and energised generations of Maori in both peace and war..."

Found it here.

Blue Monkey Studio Frauenfeld: What does a GIS for "drunk fishing" come up with? Why, Notty's Jug Serenaders, of course.

United States Army | Wikipedia

Spherical robot provides rolling security cover | New Scientist
Great, more security robots ableit a spherical one this time. One day these articles will mention lasers (and not for navigation), and that will be the day I buy one. Or think about buying one. Or at least go to the store to look at one.

At [the World Economic] Forum, Leaders Confront Annual Enigma of China | The New York Times
"'China is going to be the change agent for the next 20 years,' said Bill Gates..."

Auto, Gas Security Chips Vulnerable, Study Finds | eWeek.com
Free Gas! (and cars) thanks to Texas Instruments and RFID.

TiVo.com | TiVo Press Releases: TiVo SDK. WooHoooo!
As part of the launch of the early-access SDK, TiVo is also announcing a developers contest.

To download the TiVo SDK, please visit http://tivohme.sourceforge.net/.
Complete contest rules and prizes can be found online at www.tivo.com/challenge.

GPS Tron | Kotaku
Who wants to play? I want to play. Who wants to play?

CAUGHT DANCING
I have no idea what this is - can't load it at work. I'm just throwing it up here so I can check it later.

jamjuree thai restaurant in seattle
Yum.

Seattle City Clerk's Office Neighborhood Map Atlas: Sweet Seattle maps.

southwest.com - Movielink : Free MovieLink movie download from Southwest Airlines.

Six Dual-Layer DVD Burners Reviewed | ExtremeTech.com (via eWeek.com)

Musclecarclub.com - American Muscle Car information, statistics, and pictures.

Welcome To wscff.org! | Washington State Council of Fire Fighters

mattw.fn_blog()
"Hi. I'm Matt Westervelt, this is my blog. Most of what you'll find here relates to SeattleWireless and/or the FreeNetworks movement. Other things may make it in here, feel free to ignore them. "

Wal-Mart Stung in $1.5 Million Bar-Code Scam: eWeek.com
Who hasn't thought about this?

iPods Store Medical Images | eWeek.com
"Radiologists are turning to iPods to deal with the hassles of managing medical images. They're not listening to music, though; they're looking at pictures."

San Francisco Multiple Listing Service

Food security starts at home | SFGate.com article by a buddy of mine.

"Earlier this month, outgoing Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson ruffled his bosses' feathers when he admitted, 'For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do.'"

"Litany" : a poem by Billy Collins
"You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine..."

WannaSurf: Kauai

The Slash'EM
"But because of the Freely Available Source Code Phenomenon, people began making their own versions of Nethack to tide themselves between magical releases.

SLASH'EM is the (continuing) saga of one such variant..."

NetHack

eBay Ad Lists Manhattan Judge for Sale | eWeek.com
"The ad criticized Judge Jerald R. Klein for the way he dispensed justice and showed a photograph of him smiling, seated in the courtroom. It drew 6,400 and 21 bidders over four days. "

Saving Jesus | Boulder Weekly
Read about the Christian Left - an alternative to the conservative Christian Right that was so active in the recent Presidential election. Article quotes a friend of mine.

White Hot Odyssey The super slutty glam rock band you've been jonesing for since the late 70's.

Symantec Security Response - W32.Sober.I@mm

mind-flaying levitating jellyfish (sort of) | Gizmodo

Sprint PCS Info

PSCTA: Search for u-cut Christmas tree farms in the Puget Sound

AnnualCreditReport

Namotu, Fiji
(www.namotuislandresort.com)

Seattle's Best Burrito

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Screensaver Strikes Back at Spammers

Hertz Coupon | Alaska Airlines offer

Budget coupon | Alaska Airlines offer

Foreign Policy: Web of Influence
"Every day, millions of online diarists, or “bloggers,” share their opinions with a global audience. Drawing upon the content of the international media and the World Wide Web, they weave together an elaborate network with agenda-setting power on issues ranging from human rights in China to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. What began as a hobby is evolving into a new medium that is changing the landscape for journalists and policymakers alike."

DEVI GARH
"Tucked away in the age-old Aravali hills of Rajasthan, the 18th century Devi Garh Fort Palace, in the village of Delwara commands one of the three main passes into the valley of Udaipur. Today, after years of restoration and reconstruction, Devi Garh has regained its past glory. An imposing and impressive structure, it is now a unique all-suite boutique hotel, with 30 suites and 6 tents."

Got Anti-Nuke Pills? Probably Not | Wired News
"Last year, a report commissioned by Congress recommended that everyone under 40 near a nuclear power plant should have the pills on hand."

The :30 Second Candidate: Lyndon Johnson campaign spots

Blogs Blamed for Exit Poll Fiasco | Wired News
If it's on the web, it must be true. Bloggers now seen as quality news source, scapegoat, and general alternative to real reporting.

In unrelated news, Denmark's space program successfully landed their first cow on the moon. The landing is the first of a program to eventually establish a lunar dairy farm. You heard it here first.

Local Style Ahi Poke | Food Network.
Da Kine Yum.

Basic Ahi Poke | All Recipes
Yum.

CNN.com Election 2004

Welcome To Colorware - Computers in Color

TV's hip-hop party is in your house! Dance360.net
Do you rock personality, serious STYLE and lots of ATTITUDE? Then DANCE 360 WANTS YOU!
Respect.

The Technology Elite: Banking's Most Effective CIOs | Bank Systems & Technology

Coffee-Based Log Burns Cleaner -- But No Starbucks Smell | NationalGeographic News
The Java-Log burns brighter and hotter than sawdust logs while producing 85 percent less carbon monoxide than traditional firewood.

Hacking: the must-have business tool | The Register
Learn how some companies are using hacking as a part of their business strategy.

Anatomy of the mouth | WebMD

Daylight Saving Time - When do we change our clocks?

Dictionary.com/etymology: The etymology of "etymology"

[Middle English etimologie, from Old French ethimologie, from Medieval Latin ethimologia, from Latin etymologia, from Greek etumologi : etumon, true sense of a word; see etymon + -logi, -logy.]

Children's Home Society Volunteer Application Form

Children's Home Society of Washington Home Do something good.

gringo | Dictionary.com
"Word History: In Latin America the word gringo is an offensive term for a foreigner, particularly an American or English person. But the word existed in Spanish before this particular sense came into being. In fact, gringo may be an alteration of the word griego, the Spanish development of Latin Graecus, 'Greek.' Griego first meant 'Greek, Grecian,' as an adjective and 'Greek, Greek language,' as a noun. The saying 'It's Greek to me' exists in Spanish, as it does in English, and helps us understand why griego came to mean 'unintelligible language' and perhaps, by further extension of this idea, 'stranger, that is, one who speaks a foreign language.' The altered form gringo lost touch with Greek but has the senses 'unintelligible language,' 'foreigner, especially an English person,' and in Latin America, 'North American or Britisher.' Its first recorded English use (1849) is in John Woodhouse Audubon's Western Journal: 'We were hooted and shouted at as we passed through, and called "Gringoes."'"

Asia's green gold under biopiracy threat | Asia Times - "Biopiracy, or the stealing of genetic material and knowledge from communities in the biodiversity-rich developing countries is an exploding issue in Asia."

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrg.

RadioLovers.com - Old Time Radio Shows Free old-time radio shows in mp3 format.

School District Bans Halloween Festivities | Yahoo! News
"[The District Superintendent] said the 20,000-student district ... doesn't have enough time in the day as it is to teach students everything they need to know."

What school actually teaches students everything they need to know? What about the important lessons like being realistic, having fun and not taking one's self too seriously? I hate that WA makes the news for crap like this.

Did 'SNL' Gaffe Expose Simpson Vocal Aid? | Yahoo! News
Ashlee Simpson gets busted.

F*cking villagers vote against name change | Ananova

Magnetic beams could power swifter spacecraft. | New Scientist
"Focused beams of plasma could rocket astronauts to Mars and back in just 90 days."

'Three-parent' babies | New Scientist
Scientists in the UK are applying for a licence to create children
with three genetic parents.

Ningyoushi.com | For all your crazy Japanese collectable toys.

MacGyver Homepage Unofficial, but Mac would have wanted it that way.

US Airport Distances Calculator | Good reference for distances between all US airports. Plus, a handy explanation of statute and nautical miles.

Jotspot The Application Wiki

Berkeley teams with U.N. on tech initiative | East Bay Business Times
aka UNIDO, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

UC Berkeley - Large Campus Map

Getting to the Haas School Publicly

Haas School: Floor Plans

UC Berkeley - Campus Map

Virulent 1918 flu genes resurrected | New Scientist

This should only worry you if you were born after 1918.

Hackers use Google to access photocopiers - ZDNet UK News Fun at the office.

Wireless Froogle Froogle on your phone. Openwave does something cool?

Next big thing: The Web as your servant | The world network; Internet 2.0 (USAToday)

Can Africa Get Out Of Debt? | Time Magazine examines the complex issue of African debt relief.

evhead | I just blogged Mr. Blogger himself, who, it turns out, is leaving Blogger.

evhead | I just blogged Mr. Blogger himself, who, it turns out, is leaving Blogger.

Seattle Dodgeball at the Ballard Community Center

Who are the Digerati?" Indeed.

Wired News: IPod Promoters Feel the Heat: "As well as FreeiPods.com, Gratis Internet is also behind FreeCondoms.com, FreeDVDs.com and FreeFlatScreens.com. The company recently launched FreeDesktopPC.com and is planning to introduce a couple of similar sites in the next few days. "

Wired News: IPod Promoters Feel the Heat: "As well as FreeiPods.com, Gratis Internet is also behind FreeCondoms.com, FreeDVDs.com and FreeFlatScreens.com. The company recently launched FreeDesktopPC.com and is planning to introduce a couple of similar sites in the next few days. "

Sayulita Dining Fish Taco fish tacos are good.

Suzuki GSXR 750
2004
~1800 dry miles
Black & Yellow
kept in downstairs playroom
$8500

Honda CBR600F4i
2004
~1600 dry miles
Red & Black
kept in downstairs playroom
$8000

Engineering God in a Petri Dish
On a steep, narrow street above Chinatown works Jonathon Keats, a tweed-suited, bow-tied 32-year-old who, with assistance from a phalanx of scientists, is genetically engineering God in his apartment.

Karel Capek:
The word "robot" was first used in a work of science fiction written by Karel Capek in 1920. The word comes from the Czech noun "robota," meaning "labor."

Shutterlog
Carlos Johnson's experiments in photography.

Batiduende y el Ataque del pez�n ninja el�ctrico.
I don't know what Batiduende is blogging about exactly, but I bet it's pretty funny.

Bnoopy
"Allow myself to introduce... myself. My name is Joe Kraus and Bnoopy is a blog about entrepreneurship -- thoughts, lessons learned, open questions. It's all stuff I'm thinking about right now in the midst of starting a new company. My background is that I was one of the founders of Excite. Then I co-founded DigitalConsumer.org and now, I've got a new project still in stealth mode. "

Bnoopy
"Allow myself to introduce... myself. My name is Joe Kraus and Bnoopy is a blog about entrepreneurship -- thoughts, lessons learned, open questions. It's all stuff I'm thinking about right now in the midst of starting a new company. My background is that I was one of the founders of Excite. Then I co-founded DigitalConsumer.org and now, I've got a new project still in stealth mode. "

Yo, Player Appreciate. Get your Pimp Name! How to be a true PIMP!

Improved body armor on the way | USATODAY.com - "Lightweight, flexible body armor that looks like dragon scales and is more comfortable to wear than today's bulletproof vests could be available within two years."

Did you read that?! Dragon scales, people!

Shhh, they're hunting cybercrooks | USATODAY.com - Learn more about the people who track down cyber-criminals.

China to Europe via a new Burma road | Asia Times Online - Pipe dreams of a cheaper, shorter and safer trade route between China and Europe through Myanmar to the Bay of Bengal are once again edging onto official agendas.

Lemony Snicket ::: Sunny Baudelaire | all creations of Daniel Handler, an auther currently residing in SF who is releasing 2 movies soon. One based on his "Series of Unfortunate Events" and backed by Dreamworks, and an independent film entitled "Rick."

The Forgotten Technology | A retired carpenter solves the mystery of Stonehenge and the Pyramids?

John J. McGraw | Friend, author, thinker.

DizzeeRascal.com - The Unofficial Dizzee Rascal Site! | The right way to do things.

Seattle Underground Tour Not just for tourists.

It's not often that results from conferences on mathematics make the news, but that's precisely what happened last month at the annual Crypto conference in Santa Barbara, CA when researchers from France, Israel, and China all showed that they had discovered flaws in a widely used algorithm called MD5—an algorithm that I wrote about in some detail last month.
The 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade' message that came out of the conference was that this process of breaking codes and developing even stronger ones is all part of the cryptographer’s game. But what if a fundamental breakthrough in mathematics rendered useless all of the fancy encryption that the world now depends upon?"
Learn more about this interesting question in the Technology Review.

how to be creative (long version) | gapingvoid
read this with an objective eye

Self-sustaining killer robot creates a stink | New Scientist: It may eat flies and stink to high heaven, but if this robot works, it will be an important step towards making robots fully autonomous.

Logitech's new $80 laser mouse with 2-dimensional scroll wheel. Click here for a close-up.

Maths holy grail could bring disaster for internet | The Guardian: "Two of the seven million dollar challenges that have baffled for more than a century may be close to being solved "

US plans portable nuclear power plants (SSTAR) | New Scientist

ABA Games: "TUMIKI Fighters"

For the love of gadgets : An interview with the current editor of Gizmodo.

Filter, 3MTM Notebook/LCD Privacy Computer | Info straight from 3M... and some old pricing info:

Mmmpf141------14.1” notebook privacy filter -------- $77.28
Mmmpf150------15.0” notebook privacy filter -------- $93.57
Mmmpf170------17.0” notebook privacy filter -------- $112.36
Mmmpf181------18.1” notebook privacy filter -------- $120.68

3M Privacy Filters | Expensive technology to narrow the viewing angle of your computer screen. Seems wrong.

Maui Vacation Rental : 1BR cottage in Paia

Sinclair C5 | What is this thing?!

Skycar Just $5,000 will cover the down payment.

Aerocar - Yeah, this is practical. I'll just land it on my incredibly long driveway and park it in my huge garage.

Gibbs Aquada | Homepage Aqua man's car.

Small Claims Home Page | King County, WA (Seattle)

Business 2.0 :: Online Article :: Features :: Saving TiVo

OregonSurf.com

Ali-G Says... | Random Quote Generator

X-treme digital photgraphy | SanDisk CF Card Survives Blast That Destroys Camera

Catalog.com | Cheap web hosting.

GoDaddy.com | Domain type services.

WINSAVE Web Hosting

I roast coffee. | t o n x . o r g
(Victrola, Seattle)

Daddies pilgrimage now an Odyssey | The Register-Guard Eugene, Oregon

San Francisco Multiple Listing Service

WHOIS

Polestar Music Gallery
“It just seems that the music has been directed by businessmen, I would suppose, who know how to arrange the making of a dollar... The music, changing as it is, there are a lot of times when it doesn't make sense, man, to have somebody drop a glass, or somebody asks for money right in the middle of Jimmy Garrison's solo... And these kind of things are calling for some other kind of presentation... I think the music is rising. In my estimation, it's rising into something else, and so we'll have to find this kind of place [for the music] to be played in.”

—John Coltrane, 1966

Simulated Annealing Methods: How to solve the famous traveling salesman problem.

Evil People | WMD chronograph

Subservient President

CyberSpeed Technologies | Motorcycle performance monitor

FENDERS - Rock N Roll Nightclub (Tacoma)

FENDERS - Rock N Roll Nightclub (Tacoma)

seattlepi.com: Neighbors

Your Disease Risk | Harvard health calculator

Mucklestone & Mucklestone - Attorneys At Law | The motorcycle people.

Fighting a ticket in Washington

Whistler 5 Star :: Whistler Accommodation, Whistler Accomodation, Private homes in Whistler

Whistler Accomodations Search

Ultimate Whistler | Seasonal Rentals - Longer term accommodations

...::: Mountain Life - The Whistler Ski Season and Gap Year Specialists :::...

Whistler Lodging: Link might go to one of the Horstman condos.

Chevelle SS Identification

Avoid Points in Court | Some speeder's tips on getting out of speeding tickets in court.

AventureMail.com - The worlds largest inbox. | free 2GB

Free MP3 Downloads | Really? And all I have to do is trust some oddly described code-signing certificate and download a plugin? Hmmm... let's check Whois.

NEGATIVEBEATS.COM

Registrant:
positive web creations
Bd. Uniri, 25
Bucuresti, BUC 70000
RO
4092335064

Admin:
Ionescu, Andrei positivebeats@hotmail.com
Bd. Uniri, 25
Bucuresti, BUC 70000
RO
4092335064

Tech:
Ionescu, Andrei positivebeats@hotmail.com
Bd. Uniri, 25
Bucuresti, BUC 70000
RO
4092335064

Jim Rogers on Russia - Email Exchange with a Russian Student Dmitry Alimov | Logged on the net by the Los Angeles Chinese Learning Center! Thank you Sam Chong.

Dmitry v Rogers recap thanks to The New Yorker

Dmitry's back - To Russia with Love I'd like a second helping of myself please. You see, I just can't get enough!

The Euphoria Tape | Life Sines
Do The Euphoria Tape alone the first time, and then
with a lover. It's a phenomenon you'll feel within
the first 3 minutes of use -- what you'll feel the
rest of the time is unbelievable.

POKIA retro phone of the future

AMP your web experience.

Rainier Mountain Festival

Glacier Backpacking Guide - 2004

Glacier National Park Map (pdf)

Retropod. : iPod case made from a vintage Sony Sports Walkman shell.

Tin Foil Prank! This is good.

Merijn.org | Great, Excellent, Awesome Tools that everyone should have or at least know about. Includes HijackThis, the spyware removal tool, and other tools to get rid of crapware or organize DVD rips.

Find A Physician @ Swedish (Seattle)

HawaiiVTMaps.com | Sweet Hawaii point of interest maps.

Quiz : Do You Know Your 80s Hair Band Lyrics?

CASIO [SPS201-1V] | Good travel watch with moon and tide info.

Directed Electronics | Car alarms and such.

Directed Electronics | Car alarms and such.

Oddball: Large Men's Shoes: :

Sushi Finder | Seattle link. Other cities available.

Out Of Town Form | JP Tuxedos

Mount Rainier National Park Maps

Site Availability Status | Does this link work?

North Cascades Challenger - North Cascades Highway | NPS.gov

Hidden Washington campgrounds | NWsource

Car Camping at Mount Rainier

Linksys: Network Storage Link (NSLU2) | $99
(Thanks Gizmodo)

Midway Classic Games :
Bubbles
Defender II
Defender
Joust
Rampage
Robotron 2084
Satan's hollow
Sinistar
Spy Hunter
Tapper (Root Beer)

The Seven Blessings Recited At A Traditional Jewish Wedding | Impress your friends and family.

First Congregational Church of Boulder Website | Where to go in Boulder, Colorado.

Pitstopautoparts.com

Chip Foose designed 1955 Chevy Nomad custom station wagon

The Big Shocker | The Original Foam Shocker Hand

The Capitol Hill Block Party

Trunkmonkey.com :: Your rice-burning, supped-up, slammed and tricked import is nothing without a trunkmonkey.

The Video Game Museum :: Yet another resource.

ROM-World.com :: heh. Look, another one.

Coinop.org | THE arcade game resource.

Or at least one of them.

Ultra high resolution television (UHDV) prototype

Otona no Kagaku | Sophisticated Science Kit Series for Adults

SpyBot | Wall Climbing Camera Bot from those geeks (in a good way) at Gizmodo.

GSI Outdoors- Outdoor Cookware

guyotdesigns: SplashGuard | How to drink from a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle.

Pretty damn funny foreign commercial | from Gizmodo.

Ju-on: The Grudge (2003) | Coming soon, stateside, to scare the bejeezus out of us.

Daft Punk - Interstella 5555 | Action figures from the last round of Daft Punk anime-styled videos.

the apology project | check the sample calls.

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra with special guest 3 Inch Max @ Showbox :: Thu, June 17

July-September 2004 BRC Schedule | Washington State will subsidize your motorcycle license.