fri 25 jan 02
another drunken-driving crash on i-40 in albuquerque takes four lives tonight. as usual, the drunk is the only survivor - and has two previous dui's. he was driving at high speed on the wrong side of the interstate. there is absolutely no excuse, no possible reason ...
yowch. just slashed a finger open, while breaking a salad bowl. ever have one of those 'designer moments'? digging around in the refrigerator, looking for some vegetable to add to a salad to give it more color and contrast? we had carrots and orange peppers. too much orange. yeah, you know what i'm talking about. fess up.
salon takes 'the count of monte cristo' on the edge of their rapier, and slits it from head to belly. i wish i could get a copy on video or dvd of the made-for-television version, with richard chamberlain and tony curtiss. chamberlain seems perfect, in my memory, for the role of the count. salon mentioned the 'shading'; i would also mention the recognition that taking revenge into your own hands becomes sour in the end. the count beseeches in the final pages: "... pray for a man who, like satan, thought himself for an instant equal to god; but who now acknowledges, with christian humility, that god alone possesses supreme power and infinite wisdom." somehow, i don't see the lead in this movie being able to express that sentiment. well, i must see it in any case; any excuse to see swordplay.
there are so many boring repeats of past tech articles, i can't tell you. how many different versions of 'linux in business' or 'linux on the desktop' must we swallow? 'rss refuse.'
kuro5hin: the alexandria effect. the remedy is, of course, hari seldon's "foundation." anyone remember their asimov?
dp review: kodak lost 206 mill last quarter. somehow, it feels like there's a race between imminent traditional film company's bankruptcies and the advent of truly high-resolution, affordable digital cameras.
freshmeat: mt news [php], openjade dsssl processor, postgresql session handler for php.
newsforge: review of soyo dragon plus motherboard.
webmasterbase: 'use a friendly popup to boost ezine subscriptions.'
linux journal: requiring msie for use of your website? users will find a way to route around you. the netherlands again.
my mozilla title bar in win2k has begun blinking. what's up with that? guess i'll have to find out ...
about the zope membership component.
political wire: 212 of 248 senators and house members received contributions from enron or arthur andersen. comment: the b-1 bomber of corporate lobbying.
cnet: laid-off techies invoke an old law.
wsj opinion journal: some like it hype. missed opp, there. this statement: "... who saw what was hot as always and everywhere preferable to what is true ..." resonated. it's exactly why i get disgusted with modern media and marketing.
chronicle of higher ed: academic presses approach e-books. with the severe cost-cutting that's been going on in the university presses, this may be a ray of light. weblogs here, anyone?
la times: long live the times literary supplement.
in recognition, i've got bagpipe music in rotation on itunes. "the gallant forty-twa".
ye pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
and dish them out their bill o fare,
auld scotland wants nae skinking ware
that jaups in luggies:
but, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
gie her a haggis!
rabbie burns, the man.
guardian.uk: robert burns' birthday! a youthful 243.
boston globe: folk wisdom. "there are no career moves in folk music."
cs monitor: cleopatra gets a makeover.
times of india: protest in argentina - cacerolazo. i love it.
times of india: read this, lest you think enron's influence was purely in america. apparently the world was sold a bill of goods.
important: 'what is an unlawful combatant, and why it matters.' thanks for the heads-up, knick-knack.
fas: history of india's agni missile.
santa fe new mexican: repeal that food tax! no taxation without degustation!
y'know, itunes has made my work day just so much more pleasant. it just simply works, and pretty much seamlessly, adding a personal muzak channel to my office. just had to mention it.
ny times book review: 'latitudes of melt' sounds decent.
ny times photo review: artful images from science.
ny times: laboratory security bill.
ny times movie review: 'the count of monte cristo.' not true to the book, but it sounds like dumas would have approved. i disagree with this statement, however: "... those that appeal to the early-adolescent sensibility that used to be nourished by dumas and his ilk ..." find me an early adolescent, or even an adult, reading dumas. 'monte cristo' is on that ten-book-list i would take to a desert island.
ny times: house vote set on campaign bill. strike, strike while the iron is hot.
good grief ... 40-some unique visitors from daypop? oh, my sunset. well, i've got hundreds. in santa fe, just about every night is worth taking the time to go out and watch. usually, i see a particular shade of light thrown in my dining room, and i know it's time to grab the digital camera and run outside, stand on the banco in the courtyard, and take some shots. i only post the best, for fear of boring you folks.
reuters: lamenting the downloadable sounds of silence. ah, signs of culture at reuters, with that elegant title.
reuters: rudolph hess' grandson fined.
reuters: bush seeks 2.1 bill to protect borders. the coast guard will be *very* happy about this. they've gotten short shrift for a long time.
reuters: india tests a nuclear-capable missile. the range? around 1,240 miles.
reuters: former enron executive j. clifford baxter commits suicide. it will be interesting to see if this whole enron debacle will end up like iran/contra, where the death of william casey complicated and ultimately stalled much of the investigation.
cnn: aids will surpass 'the black death' as the world's worst pandemic.
cnn: airbus pilots urge the grounding of a-300 jets. the pilots seem to echo my same feel for this ... how reliable are composites, long term, and how can comprehensive tests be performed without compromising structural integrity?
a good eight hours of shuteye can work wonders, but can't totally repair the mental damage. beware the links following.