Michigan amassing huge database of children’s email addresses, phone numbers, screennames to block spam – I mean, sure, why not, what could possibly go wrong?
Category Archives: Aside
There are NO sound recordings in the Public Domain – Every recording since the invention of the phonograph are protected until at least the year 2067, and it is likely that Congress will extend that term again. Meanwhile, think any of the original copyright holders are doing anything to preserve these old recordings? Yeah, I thought not. Why do they insist on locking up and destroying our shared art and culture?
A meta-study says kids who eat breakfast do better at school, but it completely ignores any questions about proper sleep habits – The author’s contention that there is a correlation between those who are “morning people” and those who eat breakfast does feel right to me. I’m not a morning person, and I’m also not a breakfast person.
Your Health This Month – If you haven’t heard about recent news concerning mercury preservatives in vaccines, a new method of treating type 1 diabetes, how Chinese farmers are doing things that will help to kill us all when Bird Flu finally arrives, or a study of why episiotomy is stupid, feel free to read up. I’d personally heard about all of them except the diabetes one…
Overcoming Procrastination Through the Pull Method – Advice such as “just buckle down and do it,” “get organized,” and “try harder” are based on a dysfunctional definition of procrastination. What they’re really saying is: “If you weren’t such a lazy bum you could do this.”
In the wake of a SCOTUS decision allowing cities to take over private property to sell to another private party, a proposal to replace Justice Souter’s house with a hotel – I’ll write about the recent Supreme Court decisions later, but I sure like the sound of this particular idea…
Idaho resolution commending the makers of the film Napoleon Dynamite – Freakin’ awesome!
TSA screeners confiscate man’s car key because it is “switchblade-like” – They also refused his request to empty the contents of his bag in a private room. Cost to replace the car key? $300. Think the TSA is gonna pay for it?
Eight-year old suspended from school for reciting his own, more universal version of the pledge of allegiance – Ah, such a messed up world.
Ways for dealing with motion sickness – I’ve never heard about ginger. Might have to try it.
You thought E was big? Apparently bra cup sizes go up to T… – I can’t imagine the back problems these women must face…
Is a perfect storm gathering that will bring down the Bush administration? – I’m amazed that after all this time journalists are finally, finally asking a few hard questions. Its like one day they woke up and remember how to do their jobs.
Autism follow-up – Letters claim the author is parroting the same lines that have been used for ten years by an anti-vaccination movement that misinterprets the findings of rigorous scientific studies, ignores important facts, and takes transcripts out of context. Good to know.
The Crappy Bootleg DVD covers pool on Flickr is hilarious – It includes scans of the covers of pirated movies, which are full of typos, incorrect information, and really poor choices of quotes from reviews.
TSA employees at Newark fail to catch a steak knife in a carry-on for the third time, blame the passenger – “[I]t still is totally unacceptable, nearly four years after 9/11, for a passenger to come to the airport and present themselves for screening with a 5-inch steak knife.” Well, I’m sure the terrorists will follow all the rules, so we should be fine.
Picture of my car iPod setup – As promised.
Tufts profile of Meg Hourihan, co-creator of Blogger – Companies like Google advertise for employees with computer science degree, but as Hourihan herself points out, “On paper I don’t qualify for what their requirements are, and yet they bought my company. Looking at different types of experience and different types of backgrounds is important.”
David Pogue loves the new Nikon D50 – He calls it a “family-friendly” digital SLR. I still love my D70, but need to find more opportunities to play with it.