dangerousmeta > Archives

mon 21 may 01

identity and deception in the virtual community.

~6 pm mst gmt-7: for those interested, metafilter is back online.

zope.org: xsltemplate, proof of concept. cool.

xmlhack: xml apache announces batik svg toolkit 1.0.

the register: cpu coolers.

macnn: new os x server, web objects 5.

geeknews: all your mobile devices are belong to aol.

geeknews: barcode your kids. hmmph.

a couple of whacky and interesting programs for html coders ...

cnn: power or nature? in california right now, it's not even worth asking the question.

mother jones: fourteen percent of worldwide nitrogen oxide pollution comes from ... cargo ships. would requiring catalytic converters go a long way towards the kyoto treaty? i do have to point out, this is another example of how corporations *do not* look out for our environmental welfare without regulation. in the face of global warming, or just human health in general, is this responsible behavior? thinking of our current 'energy initiatives'. i hadn't realized, however, that double-hull tankers had finally been regulated. that was a long-overdue move, and a great one.

speaking of which, check out the brill's content cover ... thnx, massless.

check haughey if you're concerned about metafilter. server's hosed from kaycee traffic. the static page is a joke; many seem to be taking it seriously ... ironic.

cnn: gyro gearloose at nasa. thinking up shuttle escape methods. when i was teleprompting for upjohn during the launch of 'rogaine' (don't even ask), we had jim lovell as a speaker for the entire tour. you remember, apollo 13, right? well, he gave us the whole story of developing a workable 'bathroom' for space travel. the nasa story reminds me of one ... the centrifugal chair, that you spin at speed, and throws everything outwards. well, on the 'vomit comet' it didn't work so well. the engineers got, well ... a little dirty. so what does mr. lovell pull out of his coat? a plastic thing looking for all the world like a vinyl top hat. the rim of the hat was spread with industrial-strength adhesive. you can guess where to attach it. claimed he still carried it on commercial flights ... 'for emergencies'. great guy, btw.

mac versiontracker: iview media pro updates. i use this for my digital camera thumbnails, and general bulk image management.

mysql: building a database-driven site with php and mysql. straight from the horse's mouth, as it were.

nytimes op-ed: closing clinic doors. this can't help resonate if you were in manhattan in the 80's ... when the homeless were unceremoniously dumped on the street.

nytimes: seeking to publish unknown writers, digitally.

nytimes: apple starting to ship macs with os x installed.

i think craig's changing from 'booknotes' to 'musicnotes'. just teasing. hey, sharing what you enjoy is what it's all about.

just because ... i think we all need it today.

cnn: as we suspected, it isn't necessarily just the firestone tires. stats show it could be the design of the ford explorer.

linux planet: rest in peace, linux on the desktop.

linux today: weekly python news.

chicago tribune: huge demand for hybrid cars. well, detroit?

allaire: moving up from cold fusion to macromedia spectra.

happy birthday, audrey! mrs. blivet?!

if you're coming here from scripting news, scroll down to yesterday's posts for the information about dad. oh, and dave's real. but then you knew that already.

no wait. one last comment. i'm gravely concerned over a couple of items: 1. the 'living colours' and 'journey to the rainbow' websites may have been part of another, local scheme. some assume a 'net presence is authoritative, and cons have been played to bilk others. we have no way of knowing. 2. these pictures of 'kaycee' may be someone else's child, someone who is still alive and unrelated to 'debbie.' i'm sure the family would want recourse. the heavily cropped and photoshopped nature of the pictures used on the two weblogs, to my mind, is congruent with this type of deceit. 3. that this 'debbie' has some issues to work out, and may be a danger to herself (as jish mentioned). i believe it is incumbent upon those who unwillingly assisted in this mischief to call the kansas (or oklahoma) attorney general's office and get matters cleared up officially. we may be fiddling as rome burns. it's all well and good to want to play 'perry mason', but this is not a child's game, or a petty prank. it was premeditated, by this person's own admission. it will also go a long way towards rehabilitating the trust in those who advocated this. also, someone should be saving these randomly 'found' pages, in case someone goes on a search-and-destroy mission. and now i'm done with the subject.

dan hartung's comments about 'baloney detection' on the mefi thread are great. when looking around the other day, i found this page. don't know if anyone's linked to it. sure looks like 'kaycee'. when digging in the newton, kansas sports pages, i found a 'kaycee mcgill' as well. i don't plan to pursue this any further; do with these as you will.

on deciding ...better: reality and art.

great stuff at zopenewbies, as usual.

i just got a spam email selling 'proximity cards'? what are they? magnetic i.d. cards that you don't have to swipe?

santa fe new mexican: looking at one of the independent films being made here in santa fe. remember 'the lawnmower man'?

nytimes book review: 'american patriots', the unsung role of blacks in america's wars.

nytimes: bible belters 'put asunder' more. divorce as an economic issue. "... for every three divorces, one family ends up below the poverty line ..." and forty-three percent of marriages end in divorce. brings up a whole host of interconnected issues.

reuters: you can buy a soviet sst, the tu-144, over the internet. 10 mil or best offer ...

cnn: mccain plants himself squarely at odds with the nra over campaign finance. republican or democrat, you have to admire the man.

new york press: missonary come home. a good argument, worthy of some contemplation.

globe and mail: hollywood reverential. looking at the upcoming movie, 'pearl harbor.'

the age.au: welcome to new zealand, home of the rings. hmmm ... actually, where are xena's amazons?

mac versiontracker: css suitcase. another piece of shareware to fiddle with ...

bbc: worldwide worship.

zdnet eweek: linux looks great on the server, not so great as a client. ... and maybe that's apple's niche ...

cnet has an article on how jupiter has written-off web-only grocers as an unprofitable business model at this time. i'd link to it, but those big ads bug me to death. now that everyone seems to be using them, i may have to give in. maybe i should make a little icon or something to warn you to 'turn off images' or something. it's like a kid who wants attention; a simple 'hey' would be enough ... but no, they have to run in front of you, yell and scream and wave their arms ...

zope.org: kaivo document library. document indexing and full-text searching. hmmm ... may have to play with this one.

xmlhack: two items today ... xml inclusions enters last call, and new css draft: media queries and text module. i recommend the last one there ...

northern journey: grant'll love this one. 'linux disaster recovery tips.' people who are norton-challenged'll have no problems here ...

unix review: the book of scsi, second edition. i admire that quote: "scsi is a black art" ...

linuxjournal: printing under samba.

the register: aol wins rights to 'aimster' name via arbitration.

the register: intel reveals very-low-voltage mobile chips. 600 mhz? a bit behind, that. oh, and the xeon is finally out for real, too.

antioffline: locking down linux/bsd in 2001.

kuro5hin: where the internet shines: penguin sweaters. heart-warming, with a twist.

geeknews: the origin of 'the finger.'

freshmeat: sandstorm's updated again. hot property, this one.

dpreview: nikon 995 supports print image matching.

i've gotten a few requests, so the next snake-wrangling i do, i'll see if i can con someone into taking pictures. just for verification's sake, i guess.

it came to me in the middle of last night, and i began to laugh. it's 'the music man'. think about it.

welcome to the real world™.