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020228 21:11 Politics

oh dear, oh dear. the doomsday clock has been set to 7 minutes to midnight:

Growing concern about the security of nuclear weapons materials stockpiled around the world and a lack of U.S. support for several global disarmament pacts today prompted the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to move the minute hand of the "Doomsday Clock" forward two minutes - to seven minutes to midnight - the same position as when the clock made its debut in 1947.

020228 12:08 Health

Today is International RSI Awareness Day. If you work on a computer every day, take this opportunity to learn more about RSI and Ergonomics, because it is easy to prevent but impossible to cure.

020227 22:28 End of Free

Piro from Megatokyo has something to say about my favorite topic. He say dotcoms didn't succeed because they didn't understand human nature:

Lets face it. One of the reasons people LIKE the internet is that it gives people access to a LOT of information and entertainment for very low cost. It's not free - most of us pay a reasonable amount of money for bandwidth and internet connections - but on the net we pretty much like to think that once we've paid admission, we're free to roam and do whatever we like. Transferring information on the net is CHEAP. its so cheap, you can pretty much give it away for free. If people like it, they keep coming back for more. The commodity of the internet isn't money, it's access. It's connections. You're wealth in net terms is defined by 'what you have access to'.

020225 13:57 browsers

i currently browse the net with mozilla 0.9.8 with third-party images turned off. it's astonishing what i don't get to see now (for example, all yahoo images don't come from the "originating server"). that's mostly good - i'm sure i'm not missing anything - but amazon has been reduced to a text-only page and only because i remember where on the page the 'Add to Wishlist' button is, have i not bothered turning third-party images on again.

good opportunity to mention my amazon wishlist ;)

020225 13:11 Society

Kuro5hin asks:

If you were given a budget of a trillion US dollars, with the goal of making the world "a better place", what would you do?

Some of the suggestions:

"It's ironic [...] because money ( money concentrated in the hands of a few) is one of the reasons why this world isn't "a better place"."

"Why not buy out every bogus patent and over-extended copyright and release them to the public domain where they might better serve mankind."

"Instead of theorizing on a trillion US dollars why not take efforts to redirect the cold hard billions spent on the military budget in the major industrial nations of the world. How many schools, health care centers or public works projects could be created and maintained with a portion of that funding?"

"Free education."

Someone even had the same idea as me:

"I would fund research in developing a star-trek-ish replicator. Once people can replicate all the food and items they need, you really COULD have a pseudo-utopia."

020225 10:57 End of Free

[en] This is a major disappointment and another item to add to my RIP list : StarOffice no longer free (article in german).

[de] Eine weitere Enttäuschung, ein weiterer Eintrag auf meiner RIP Liste : StarOffice 6.0 nicht mehr gratis.

020223 23:27 Politics

Anarchism nowadays has such a - undeservedly - negative reputation that one can't talk about it anymore as a political and culural alternative (especially if you're a member of law enforcement). The word has been reduced to a whisper which makes it all the more suspicious. The violence attributed to it has nothing to do with a political conviction, it is simply an expression of an unhappy population.

020222 21:39 SciFi

Aaaah, such a nice guy! No, really. I like Wil Wheaton and he's deserved his recent rise to Internet stardom. He's got an honest and witty writing style and so far his opinions and allegiances have not disappointed me. Here's a nice little story about him, Patrick Steward and Jonathan Frakes.

020222 19:08 Language

Bad news for diversity:

About half of the world's 6,000 languages are under threat of disappearing under pressure from more dominant tongues or repressive government policies, a new study says. [...]

"With the death and disappearance of ... a language, an irreplaceable unit in our knowledge and understanding of human thought and world-view is lost forever."

I find that this is something that most English speakers are unaware of. When you ask why they find it unnecessary to study another language, most will say that they don't have to, the whole world understands English. Yes, but - your world view remains severely restricted if you don't learn other languages. I understood this when I had the chance to study Dakota, a Sioux language and a culture much further removed from the european experience I'd had so far. I discovered that if you learn a language you learn to understand a culture and a different way of thinking. It would do a lot for tolerance and world peace if we all learned more languages.

020222 11:46 Internet

Oh dear! The attention span of a goldfish, what?

If we spend our time flitting from one thing to another on the web, we can get into a habit of not concentrating.

Reader's comment:

I clicked the link to cast my opinion here even before finishing the story. Hopefully I'll remember to go back after I press the 'submit' button, but I've got four other websites open that i'm also looking at...

020222 11:04 Language/Sprache

[de] Interessanter Artikel über die Entwicklung von Sprache und Konsequenzen für die Weltraumfahrt:

Thomason meint, dass zwar Wörter wie Vater oder Mutter - trotz aller biotechnologischer Möglichkeiten?? - oder wie Gehen oder Stehen überleben werden, während solche wie Auto oder Wolkenkratzer im Weltraum keinen Sinn machen und daher aussterben könnten.

020222 10:46 Geeks

Slashdot readers mostly like their jobs, they just wish all managers would go away. I voted 'yes'. Fred Astaire once said, he feels guilty for having a job he loves because there are millions out there who don't.

020222 10:32 Internet / End Of Free

The End Of Free: a whole website dedicated to a subject I've been obsessed with for quite some time now, the demise of the free Internet.

020221 23:22 SciFi

Has Science Fiction become afraid of the future?

Absent from these distant futures are types of conflict more in tune with the current Zeitgeist --for example the fragmentation of local communities, the burgeoning of ethnic and cultural diversity, and ideological and religious retrenchment in the face of these trends.

020221 22:40 Library

A passionate plea for equal access to knowledge: Library: the most powerful tool on the planet

I am quite disgusted to think that the greater mass of people should somehow have 'less access' to the ideas that shape the very fabric of our lives, to the people and stories that run the world, it is sorely undemocratic, it is the most horrible crime committed by the elite against the lower class.

020221 21:16 Civil liberties

You do have the right to complain, at least in Canada:

The court said that consumers not only have a right to express their dissatisfaction with products or services - including on Internet sites - but also to read what others have to say.

020220 12:54 Internet

The web community is keeping a paranoid eye on Google's advertising program. So far so good. Advertising is still clearly distinguishable from search results and they are still giving the impression of being ethical. Nevertheless, it's worrying. How long can Google stay kosher? No one has so far survived without giving in to the forces of the economic system we unfortunately live in.

Google plans to turn away companies trying to buy a listing under categories unrelated to their main business. For instance, Google already has refused advertising from credit card companies that tried to buy listings under the "Palm Pilot" category... [...]

020219 17:24 Language

Unlike the french, the germans love the english language and seem to have no problems enriching their own language with english terms. English is considered 'cool' ever since the days of of the bubblegum-chewing GI. One could find numerous arguments against the cultural imperialism that has changed german culture since the end of the second world war. On the other hand, I am all for the development of a world culture and find changing language quite fascinating. I just wish they would research the connotations of english words before adopting 'cool' sounding names for products. 'Body bag' is not a good word for 'rucksack' / 'backpack'. Trust me.

020219 14:04 Politics

Rebellion in the ranks : Europe is getting fed up with the US's "simplistic" and "absurd" view of the world:

The left-of-center press in Europe has naturally been critical of US President Bush's every move all along, but the surprising development of late has been the mass defection of formerly supportive papers on European right.

Blatant arrogance doesn't help. The article quotes Dick Cheney:

"America has friends and allies in this cause, but only we can lead it... The United States and only the United States can see this effort through to victory."

020216 01:51 scifi

You would assume CmdrTaco had better things to do, so shortly after his let-me-tell-250,000-people marriage proposal (there, i've done it, i linked to it), than put up 3 consecutive polls in 24 hours. Comments from the current Farscape poll :

You mean some of the characters are NOT sleeping with each other. I think Pilot's pretty much the only one who never has... even the damn SHIP has managed to get laid somehow [...]

and

Is that some kind of new web browser?

020215 23:47 Anthropology

Competition is not the main driving force of social behavior. If it wasn't for overpopulation we would all be living happily ever after.

In place of the "aggression-competition-reconciliation model" of primate sociality, the researchers offer a new theory that recognizes cooperation and affiliation as the species' primary social behaviors.

020215 22:32 Web standards

Scott Andrew gives us real reasons for the push for XHTML/CSS :

We don't use web standards because the W3C says to. We use them because they make sense, and we like them.

Please, give us some credit.

020215 20:31 Civil liberties

Chomsky heroically saves his turkish publisher from jail :

A Turkish publisher accused of disseminating separatist propaganda was acquitted yesterday after one of his authors -the celebrated American linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky - appeared in an Istanbul court and asked to be tried alongside him.

020215 19:27 Spam

Cameron Barrett is having Fun with Spam:

Them: Hello, Sweepstakes Center, this is Jerome.
Me: Yes, can I speak with Mr. Hormel please.
[...]
Them: There's no one here by that name, you must have the wrong number.
Me: Yeah, you guys make a packaged meat product called Spam, I'd like to speak to someone about it.

Weird. He is constantly complaining about spam but seems to find time to read it !?

020214 23:16 Search engines

This article claims that these days people use direct navigation and bookmarks more than they use search engines, pointing to the fact that they know where they are going and surf and explore less than they used to a few years ago.

Yes, that would definitely describe my experience. I'm sure weblogs have something to do with this.

However, there is also a trend to use Google as your bookmarks, in a way. My own bookmark file is huge - in fact i have 4, I'm a librarian by nature - but these days i only use bookmarks to do my daily round, otherwise i use Google - because it's so much quicker having Google find it for you than digging into your bookmarks.

020214 21:36 Intellectual property

Wired: Move Over, BT: He Invented Links :

Bemer said he has no desire to "own" hyperlinks himself but he would really like to see BT's claims shot down just on principle.

020214 18:09 Media

Ah. Those clever hollywood decision makers messed up. By introducing the typical big-breasted catsuit babe that is so popular at the moment in scifi series, and by killing off the more geeky, not-so-perfect and therefore more lovable character, they lost their loyal fanbase. The Stargate rebellion:

Indeed, it was during the fourth Showtime season [...] that "Stargate" was significantly retooled. The planetary-exploration premise was dumped for "X-Files"-style conspiracy-theory plots. In the eyes of many viewers, the warm, "Trek"-like camaraderie vanished. A new latex-clad female cast member briefly appeared, who was dubbed "Tok'ra Barbie" by longtime fans [...].

Disenchanted female fans found that their favorite characters had become unrecognizable. Internet "word of mouse" turned increasingly negative and ratings began to tumble. By mid-August of 2000, a third of the way through the fourth season, Showtime reported that "Stargate SG-1" had lost 26 percent of its adult audience from the year before. The young male demo, however, was up. [...]

MGM has already introduced Jonas Quinn (Corin Nemec), the new "Stargate" hunk, but female viewers want their ethereal geek restored to the screen and insist that they will accept no beefcake substitutes.

020212 15:23 Corporate Madness

Food Patented. That's as ridiculous as Water Privatized. Nobody naive enough thought that would cause any problems either. (via boingboing)

...and while we're on the subject: BT gets the Greatest Cheek in Corporate History Award for trying to enforce a patent on hyperlinks!

020212 12:14 Intellectual property

Lawrence Lessig, the free (as in 'speech' not 'beer') Internet's lawyer has got a plan. He is creating the Creative Commons for those of us who want their work in the public domain but don't find the GPL applicable:

Creative Commons will make available flexible, customizable intellectual-property licenses that artists, writers, programmers and others can obtain free of charge to legally define what constitutes acceptable uses of their work. The new forms of licenses will provide an alternative to traditional copyrights by establishing a useful middle ground between full copyright control and the unprotected public domain.

020211 15:45 Civil liberties

Today is Civil Liberties day, it seems. If the last two posts had you worried you can relax now. Avoid suspicions from neighbors and early morning raids by registering as a USA Patriot :

ATTENTION CITIZENS:
As part of the Bush Administration's ongoing efforts to obliterate all traces of terrorism in the United States, the Department of Justice has commenced registration* of each and every American Patriot. By registering all non-terrorists within our borders, it is our intention to make use of the process of elimination to identify the evil ones who walk among us.

I must admit, this one had me for a moment, until I got to 'Political Affiliation' where you can choose between 'Republican (Right-Wing)', 'Republican (Conservative)', 'Republican (Moderate)' and 'Other/Communist'.

020211 12:21 Civil liberties

The New McCarthyism

"These old moldy charges of 'anti-American,' 'un-American'--they seem laughable at first, like we can't be accused of anything that silly. But they've started coming down with this." [...]

Attorney General John Ashcroft is rounding up or interrogating thousands of immigrants in what will go down in history as the Ashcroft Raids. The FBI and Secret Service are harassing artists and activists. Publishers are firing anti-war columnists and cartoonists. University presidents are scolding dissident faculty members. And rightwing citizen's groups are demanding conformity. [...]

"What's analogous to McCarthyism is the self-appointed guardians who are engaging in private blacklisting"...

02021 12:04 Civil liberties

Anti-globalisation Activists are Terrorists

According to Spain, the European Member States have noticed 'a gradual increase at various European Union summits and other events, in violence and criminal damage orchestrated by radical extremist groups, clearly terrorising society'. In the eyes of Spain, these actions from activists against globalisation are without doubt terrorist activities.

020207 11:47 Politics

Satirewire helps Bush to classify the world:

Cuba, Sudan, and Serbia said they had formed the Axis of Somewhat Evil, forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the Axis of Occasionally Evil, while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the Axis of Not So Much Evil Really As Just Generally Disagreeable.

020207 10:20 email

those pesky unsubscribe requests to mailing lists... here's how a witty evolter responded on the evolt chat list:

Here's how to unsubscribe:

First, ask your Internet Provider to mail you an Unsubscribing Kit.
Then follow these directions.

The kit will most likely be the standard no-fault type. Depending on requirements, System A and/or System B can be used. When operating System A, depress lever and a plastic dalkron unsubscriber will be dispensed through the slot immediately underneath....

020206 14:35 Politics

Shocked by a remark i just found in a Salon article:

Not since the Hollywood Ten refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee has this nation witnessed such a brazen display of impudent pusillanimity.

One person's hero is another person's coward. It's astonishing, however, how quickly everybody's heroes have become everybody's cowards. The Hollywood Ten were movie screenwriters who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee during the cold war witch hunt of the late 40s / early 50s, which was - until recently, it seems - considered one of the dark periods in US history, of state censorship and political prosecution.

There's another sentence in that article reminiscent of the rhetoric of those paranoid days:

In this perilous age for our nation, we must be as alert to attacks from within as from without.

Oh, and, according to this writer it's the communists who are to blame for Enron.

020206 13:38 humor

illiad takes a swipe at web designers.

020202 16:56 internet

damn. too bad i missed 020202 02:02 :)

sad article from late 2000 about Jorn Barger of robotwisdom, the weblog ur-father, as NTK calls him. in my ideal society this man, who, over the last few years, has done the internet community an invaluable service, would not have to live on bread and water.

"I live on bread and water," Barger explains. "So as not to submit to the Idiots."

an idea: why couldn't the web community sponser him like the Perl community sponsers programmers? maybe because the service he provides is now provided by thousands of other webloggers? but his list of well-researched links from a huge variety of subjects has always been one of the highest quality weblogs around. it was the first weblog i ever read and it's been in my daily bookmarks ever since. yes, he is opinionated. so what? i liked his weblog best when it still had lots of commentary with each link. i think the community should support him in what he obviously loves and does very well, to our benefit.

his domain is currently down, but his weblog is still there.

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