From Pathetic Earthlings comes a story about a possible union between Canada and the small Caribbean nation of Turks and Caicos. While my Canadian roommate is not currently available to comment, I think it is a good idea. Maybe the Canadian government can teach the islanders how to make a better website. [...]
The developers of Gaim have released a new version, 0.76, with many exciting features.
More frightening is the news that the Gaim development team (due to internal differences) have decided to forgo Sourceforge's donation mechanism (which is ironic, since Gaim is touted as one of the reasons to donate) and have set up some eBay auctions [...]
A number of the blogs that I read (including Peking Duck and North Korea Zone) have recently focused on what seemed to be an increase in repression in China. The actions include increased censorship (including what is almost certainly a block on all TypePad sites), a number of arrests, and an attempt at "revising" [...]
Despite (or perhaps as a result of) yesterday's network connectivity outage and not getting very much sleep last night, I have been in a ridiculously good mood today. Of course, becoming part of Orkut and liking the music video for "Roses" (courtesy of Stereogum) a lot helps…
I think the American government's investigating whether Aristide is guilty of corruption after they *ahem* "suggested" he leave is a bit sketchy. Even stranger is the idea that no investigation into the terms of Aristide's exile is necessary. Saith Colin Powell in response to this:
"I don't think any purpose would be served by [...]
Alas, the auction for Sean Egan's DNA (referenced in an earlier post about the Gaim auctions) has disappeared. So long, and thanks for all the toenails.
Despite this New York Times article's (link from the International Herald Tribune; the original Times article was called "Helping People on the Move Keep Addresses Up to Date") claims to the contrary, Plaxo (previously mentioned in this post) is not Google. Google is a search engine. Since most Internet journeys begin at a [...]
If I remember correctly, several military pundits had the opinion that the army would become bogged down in urban warfare after a quick invasion of Iraq. They would have to capture the city "block by block."
U.S. forces faced a tough urban battle Tuesday in their drive to pacify one of Iraq's most dangerous cities. [...]
The Userland New York Times International RSS Feed: 12 Marines Believed Dead in Fight in Iraqi City, Military Says
The New York Times International Page
This post from Pathetic Earthlings about possible effects of Facism on the stance against terrorism of various countries (France, Germany, Spain, and Iraq) made me want to say "Blogga, please!" At first blush, the idea that their previous authoritarian governments is affecting current European foreign policy seems rational.
I hope that all those who claim there is something inherently violent in Islam read this New York Times article about the growth of Islam after the Rwandan genocide:
Muslim leaders credit the gains to their ability during the 1994 massacres to shield most Muslims, and many other Rwandans, from certain death. "The Muslims handled themselves [...]
Rebecca Mackinnon writes about the uselessness of sanctioning North Korea without the support of other countries. Matthew Yglesias agrees.
I feel that more pressure should be put on the European countries and our allies in regards to presenting an united front towards repressive regimes. Similarly, there should be more stringent enforcement of penalties against [...]
Jew. As Pathetic Earthlings reports, the Googlebomb wars continue. Excellent attempt at technical analysis in the comments section of Brian Flemming's blog.
One must wonder about the Googlebombs that go undetected (which I would assume would include the majority of topics that are less charged than politics or anti-semitism). They must lurk in [...]
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
I'm am posting this from twm, because I did not have the foresight to emerge a better/newer/shinier windowmanager before emerging gnome 2.6. But you did not want to hear about that, and more of half of you, unable to understand what the heck I was talking about in the last sentence, have probably walked [...]
Battlefield: Vietnam, that is. Wagner James Au plays the game as LtJohn Kerry, leading to some interesting interaction between him and the players.
In another skirmish, the Americans are being vastly outnumbered and outplayed; their strategies have failed. LtJohn Kerry advises his teammates to surrender, asking, "How do you ask a man to be the last [...]
This blog started in December of last year, well after the war in Iraq began and ended, mission accomplished!, leading what seems to be a new era in American foreign policy.
There are those that would have you, dear reader, believe that Iraq also represents the growing divide in American politics. On one side, this [...]
There might not be any posts up here for a while; I am currently trying to simultaneously keep up with schoolwork and do some Windows programming (it has been much too long…). I will still be reading blogs (there are too many in my OPML for me to stop without falling horribly behind), but [...]
Having finished today's classes (5 hours!), I settled down in front of my computer, and began to read the New York Times, as I am wont to do. I immediately jumped up again as I read this article:
The cable television network YTN estimated that up to 3,000 people had been killed or injured in [...]
I was actually excited to read this post from the F-Secure team about how the source code for Phatbot is circulating. Now I fully realize that such source will make copycat Phatbots far easier, but at the same time it means people like me who do not want to go through the trouble of [...]
…even Communist newspapers have to tell the truth sometimes. It is a relatively terse article, considering the scope of the Ryongchon distaster, but it's better than nothing, I guess.
This open letter on craigslist is the funniest thing I have read in a long while. Best part follows:
I am an engineer. Do you ever see me shaking down bums in the Loin for a calculator and sliderule? No, you don't. Because engineering is the main thing I do, I went and bought myself [...]
After reading endless assertions by Scoble on the benefits of ClearType, I finally got around to looking at the ClearType website to find out how to enable it on my machine. It's pretty simple, you just go to the activation page with Internet Explorer, go through a couple of pages of configuration, and ClearType [...]
One day, I too will have female bodyguards who wear blue camoflague.
Seriously though, what is the point of blue camoflague (other that to match with your dashing blue robes)? The only place it would possibly come of service would be 1,000 feet in the air or underneath the sea. In both places, I [...]
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
I feel obligated to blog about the debate about whether to raise the Activities Fee and make it mandatory. I am personally going to vote 'no' to both questions (although I doubt that my endorsement means anything to those Harvard students reading). The burden of proof is on those who seek to increase [...]
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
…but they still have money to spend. This AP article talks about Al Gore's generous donations of over 6 million dollars to various Democratic party groups to help them prepare for the elections in November. Where did he get all of this money? From his 2000 campaign fund.
As I have previously griped, the [...]
According to this Washington Post article (courtesy of BoingBoing), provisions in the Patriot Act are preventing the ACLU from revealing details about their lawsuit challenging other provisions in the law.
I apologize for linking to a Washington Post article. I do not subscribe to their required, free registration scheme (yes, I registered at the New [...]
Also from BoingBoing comes an interview with a graphic designer who worked on a project that most would find cryptic - Meta Haven: Sealand Identity Project.
However, as soon as I saw the words "Haven" and "Sealand" in the same sentence, I knew exactly what was meant (HavenCo and the Principality of Sealand, for the ignorant). [...]
From the AP article:
The European Union expanded at midnight Friday to take in a region isolated during the Cold War, creating a 25-nation economic giant with the potential to rival the United States. Church bells rang and fireworks exploded over eastern Europe in celebration.
While it is obvious that the expansion of the European Union (from [...]