Sunday, May 30, 2004
Friday, May 28, 2004
Welcome to LaserMonks
Welcome to LaserMonks: "We really DO pray and help others. Hundreds of years ago, monks survived by baking bread, making wine, or copying manuscripts. We survive by selling Ink and Toner Supplies online, at HUGE discounts.....and YOU benefit!
Lasermonks was founded in 2001 by a team of enterprising monks, and follows in the tradition of monastic business endeavors, uniquely blending philanthropy, spirituality, and enterprise to support a life of prayer and charitable service."
ABCNEWS.com : Catholic Monks Venture Into E-Commerce
ABCNEWS.com : Catholic Monks Venture Into E-Commerce: "Without advertising, LaserMonks has accumulated a wide range of clients ?4 Fortune 500 companies, schools, churches, individuals and small businesses including the Chef's Gallery, a cooking school in Stillwater, Minn."
Linux on the WRT54G
Linux on the WRT54G: "This is a mini Linux distribution for the Linksys wrt54g. In about 20 seconds, you can install a small set of Linux tools to your access point's ramdisk. The distribution is geared towards those who are curious about casually exploring the internal workings of this device. The installation is strictly to the ram disk of the box. No permanent changes are made. If you mess something up, power-cycle the box.
Upon completion of the installation, you'll be able to telnet into the box and have a system with basic tools such as syslog, httpd (with cgi-bin support), vi, snort, mount, insmod, rmmod, top, grep, ls, ifconfig, iptables, nfs, etc. "
PBS | I, Cringely . Archived Column
PBS | I, Cringely . Archived Column: "One of the cheapest Linux computers you can buy brand new (not at a garage sale) is the Linksys WRT54G, an 802.11g wireless access point and router that includes a four-port 10/100 Ethernet switch and can be bought for as little as $69.99 according to Froogle. That's a heck of a deal for a little box that performs all those functions, but a look inside is even more amazing. There you'll find a 200 MHz Intel processor and either 16 or 32 megs of DRAM and four or eight megs of flash RAM -- more computing power than I needed 10 years ago to run a local Internet Service Provider with several hundred customers. But since the operating system is Linux and since Linksys has respected the Linux GPL by publishing all the source code for anyone to download for free, the WRT54G is a lot more than just a wireless router. It is a disruptive technology."
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Ars Technica: The PC enthusiast's resource
Ars Technica: The PC enthusiast's resource: "Why pursue costly civil litigation when you can have the government do it for you? That's the gist of part of the so-called Pirate Act, a new set of legislation aimed at criminalizing various online acts of piracy. While common parlance often talks of file sharing as 'theft' or 'stealing,' in the overwhelming majority of instances, copyright infringement is a civil matter, not a criminal one. The bill hopes to see such acts criminalized, allowing the government to step in and do the grunt work with the added benefit of increased fines and jail times that such criminalization would entail. Previous attempts to do an end-run around civil litigation limitations have included assigning massively skewed financial values to shared music in the hopes of making even minor instances of file sharing into felonious acts. But get this: under the No Electronic Theft Act, file sharing can already be prosecuted as a criminal act if a very large number of files are shared, but the Department of Justice has yet to bring a single case. Apparently the RIAA and MPAA would like the government to ask 'how high,' when commanded to jump."
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Monday, May 24, 2004
t r u t h o u t - Top Rightwing Activist Tied to Lobbyist Scandal
t r u t h o u t - Top Rightwing Activist Tied to Lobbyist Scandal: " Link to Lobbyist Brings Scrutiny to GOP Figure
By Kate Zernike and Anne E. Kornblut
The New York Times
Monday 23 May 2004
Washington - In Republican Washington, Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist worked all the angles.
One was a $750-an-hour lobbyist, the other an antitax activist, and they helped drive the Republican takeover of the capital and cement the party's power. Both had a close ally in the House majority leader, Tom DeLay. And they shared a conservative ideology and a friendship going back to their days in college.
Now, with widening Congressional and criminal inquiries in the capital into Mr. Abramoff's dealings, they are sharing trouble, too.
While Mr. Abramoff has been under scrutiny for more than a year, Mr. Norquist has attracted unwelcome attention in recent weeks. A Congressional committee investigating whether Mr. Abramoff defrauded Indian tribes has subpoenaed records from Mr. Norquist's group, Americans for Tax Reform, after he refused for six months to turn them over voluntarily.
The Justice Department is reviewing records of an advocacy group Mr. Norquist started with Gale A. Norton, now secretary of the interior, after reports that Mr. Abramoff instructed Indian tribes to give it $250,000. And Mr. Norquist's name appears over and over in newly disclosed documents outlining Mr. Abramoff's work in the Northern Mariana Islands, an American protectorate in the Pacific, which Democrats are agitating to investigate."
Labels:
Abramoff,
GOP,
Grover Norquist,
lobbyist
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Saturday, May 22, 2004
Mikado Ryotei - Restaurant Review - Dining Out with Rob Balon - Roving Gourmet
Mikado Ryotei - Restaurant Review - Dining Out with Rob Balon - Roving Gourmet
Let's begin with the Robata or Japanese tapas. These little oak charcoal grilled appetizer sized snacks have their origin in Northern Japan. Largely comprised of seafood, meat and vegetables, these little doodads just rock.
I've tried the grilled Gulf Prawns. Heads on these, so the squeamish beware, with ground miso and crushed pepper. Delicious. Exemplary flavor.
The Fillet of Sea Bass, again oak grilled with mirin and fresh lemon is exquisite. An ethereal flavor, born of the sweetness of the sea. Cannot recommend it highly enough. And finally, the Sea Scallops and shitake mushrooms, served on a skewer. Wonderful taste and riveting presentation.
- Rob Balon
Okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki a mixture between pancake and pizza. "Okonomi" means "as you like". This refers to the ingredients.
The BeOSJournal ~ Current News
The BeOSJournal ~ Current News: "As of just a few hours ago, Orkut has over 340,000 people signed up to their community system, with hundreds joining each and every day since its inception. What does this have to do with the great BeOS Community, I can hear you asking...?
It means we have a captive audience, one already tuned into things with a technical bent, one eager to try out something new, and a smart population not afraid of challenges. Orkut hasn't hit mainstream, yet despite their lack of advertising, dramatic flair or just bad taste marketing campaign (unlike some insensitive companies), Google has established itself in all that it does, as a company that tries not to be evil.
The BeOS Community can relate to the moral dilemma of trying not to be evil. Throughout our varied history we have had our share of the good times and the bad times, with it being mostly better-than-average overall. Despite having a company steer itself into oblivion, we have forged ahead, and have quantifiable measures of success with the continuation of our beloved OS.
Can we still label it the 'Media OS'? Perhaps not, but it sure looks like OpenBeOS (or whatever it will be named, shortly :-) will try to fill this niche in due time. In the meantime, we must stay the course, and continue diligently with our combined efforts.
So what does this have to do with Orkut, again I hear you asking... :) As I stated already, the Orkut system has over 300,000 people at this very moment signed up, and for the immediate future, it doesn't look like the rate of admissions is slowing down. This is a great opportunity for our fledgling community to pick up new members, since the type(s) of people joining Orkut are very communicative, open to new ideas, and willing to share whatever they find as interesting anyhow.
Here's the breakdown (as at 19-May-2004, from the Orkut Statistics community) of Orkut members:
346631 total
114095 women
232541 men
That's approximately 33% women who are members, which is quite incredible, considering that traditionaly men have dominated the IT mindspace till now. This might not be as incredible as I state, but to me, its a sign of some dramatic shift online, with the consequences still unknown. So, how best to use this new-found knowledge, I hear you asking... And no, I do not point out the female statistic as some sort of chauvinistic chest-thumping exercise, but merely as an indicator that I find interesting given the general history of IT, computing, etc.
Here's what I am going to be doing more of, which in fact have been doing since Orkut began. I will be crawling (for lack of a better word) the communities, friend's list and FOAF feature, among other things, and generally trying to make contact with people whom I value as being interested in BeOS, or alternative OS's.
What you do with this knowledge, these statistics, and the ideas I present here is entirely up to you. If you wish to contact me with an idea or two, please do. Not only will you be doing me a favor, but you will be able to offer the idea to hundreds of people when I post it here in the future. ;-)
I wish everyone success, and may our great BeOS Community grow and grow. ;-)
Peace,
-Chris Simmons,
Avid BeOS User."
Friday, May 21, 2004
Ducati.com || WDW2004
Ducati.com || WDW2004 The most secret, under-wraps news at Ducati is about to be made public at WDW2004.
Ducati CEO Federico Minoli will personally deliver the sensational surprise announcement from the stage at WDW on Saturday, May 22nd.
Animal lovers, never fear. Squirrels can take care of themselves!
Inches before impact, the squirrel flipped to his feet. He was standing on his hind legs and facing the oncoming Valkyrie with steadfast resolve in his little beady eyes. His mouth opened, and at the last possible second, he screamed and leapt! I am pretty sure the scream was squirrel for, “Banzai!” or maybe, “Die you gravy-sucking, heathen scum!” as the leap was spectacular and he flew over the windshield and impacted me squarely in the chest.
Ars Technica: The PC enthusiast's resource
Ars Technica: The PC enthusiast's resource: "Speaking of the SCO and IBM, Big Blue has filed a memorandum opposing SCO's request to extend the discovery period by nine months and move the trial date back to September 2005. In their eyes, the fault for any delay lies entirely with SCO due to its own misconduct in the discovery process, such as ignoring judicial deadlines. And what of the original order entered by the Judge last December compelling SCO to turn over the allegedly infringing code? From IBM's memorandum, filed two days ago:
'More than a year after it filed suit, however, despite repeated requests from IBM and in disregard of two Court orders, SCO still refuses to identify the specific code from UNIX System V that IBM is claimed to have misused, either in violation of IBM's licenses for UNIX System V with SCO's alleged predecessor-in-interest, AT&T, or the UNIX System V copyrights SCO claims to have been assigned.'"
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Google ups the email storage ante - again - ZDNet UK News
Google ups the email storage ante - again - ZDNet UK News: "Google just escalated the email storage arms race by a factor of 1,000.
Several users of the search engine's Gmail Web-based email service noticed on Tuesday that their storage limits had quietly been raised to one million megabytes, or one terabyte. That's four times the typical capacity of a new high-end PC's hard drive.
The Gmail service still is in testing, and it wasn't immediately clear how widely Google will offer the higher storage limit, under what conditions, or to which users."
Monday, May 17, 2004
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Motivation - Atom Wiki
Motivation - Atom Wiki: "Why are you doing this? RSS is five years old. It was designed for news sites, a way for them to list the stories they had. Things are different now, and RSS is mostly used as a way of sending around the content of weblogs. RSS has been kludged and pushed into this world, but it doesn't really fit.
This isn't just a theoretical problem; there are real interoperability issues. Take a title like ''. Some tools, like RadioUserland, will treat this title as the beginning of the link and it won't show up at all. Some, like NetNewsWire, will assume that it's a bit of HTML left in by accident and strip it. Some will treat it as the exact title and display it properly. Who's doing the right thing? The spec doesn't say."
css Zen Garden — Resource Guide
By no means exhaustive, this list has been put together to reconcile helpful CSS tips web-wide in one spot. Expect it to expand over time.
A List Apart
A List Apart Not real sure what this is, but I'll check it out later. Ha, found this on the site:
A List Apart Magazine (ISSN: 1534-0295) explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on techniques and benefits of designing with web standards.
Hot Topics
- Accessibility 34
- Browsers | X-Platform 26
- Business 41
- Content 43
- CSS 49
- Culture 41
- Design 71
- DOM | Scripting 20
- Flash 9
- HTML | XHTML 41
- Process 23
- Server-Side 19
- Tools 21
- Typography 10
- Usability 21
- XML & Pals 12
Friday, May 14, 2004
CNN.com - 'Toothing'?craze goes underground - Apr 18, 2004
CNN.com - 'Toothing'?craze goes underground - Apr 18, 2004:
"Toothing is a form of anonymous sex with strangers -- usually on some form of transport or enclosed area such as a conference or training seminar,' says the 'Beginner's Guide To Toothing' on a Web site dedicated to the pursuit.
It is made possible by Bluetooth technology which allows users to send phone contacts, pictures and messages to other Bluetooth-enabled equipment over a range of about 10 meters (yards).
Users discovered they could send anonymous messages to people they did not know with Bluetooth equipment, spawning a craze dubbed 'bluejacking.'"
Hello : Introducing BloggerBot
Hello : Introducing BloggerBot: "Now you can use Hello to publish pictures to any Blogger blog."
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Honda Diesel Sets New World Records
Honda Accord
Honda’s new Accord 2.2 i-CTDi Sport has this week set no fewer than 19 world speed records and achieved 3.07 litres / 100 km (92 mpg) fuel economy to boot. British racing driver Robin Liddell and freelance journalist Iain Robertson were part of the European record-setting team.
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diesel
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Crown Paradise Club - Cozumel, Mexico
Crown Paradise Club - Cozumel, Mexico: "Another possibility may be to file a complaint against the time share management operation listed on your contract, in the US, in the state where they are located. For example, some members who bought when VNI was handling the contracts, have already gotten refunds through the Florida State Consumer Protection agency. If you contract was with VNI & you want to file a complaint go to : www.800helpfla.com/
For people interested in filing a complaint against Century-21 TRI-Timeshares, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website is www.vdacs.state.va.us
The official complaint form is on-line and can be downloaded. You may also want to contact the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulations at 703-912-4165. This is the office that will handle your complaint."
Labels:
VNI
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comments
Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc. - Crains - March 2000
Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc. - Crains - March 2000: "The agency started 2000 by hiking its booking fee per airline ticket to $20 from $15, and there's been no backlash, Ms. Wilson says. The industry average for the large number of agencies that now charge fees is $13, according to the American Society of Travel Agents.
Ms. Wilson is also embarking on a brand new e-venture, Luxury4less.com. She launched it last fall with another New York firm, Vacation Network Inc., and is hoping to back it up soon with some marketing. It hooks up leisure travelers looking for high-end travel help with Valerie Wilson agents and offers a range of tantalizing travel options. "
Monday, May 10, 2004
'Junk' DNA reveals vital role: Inscrutable genetic sequences seem indispensable.
'Junk' DNA reveals vital role: Inscrutable genetic sequences seem indispensable.: "Scientists are puzzling over a collection of mystery DNA segments that seem to be essential to the survival of virtually all vertebrates. But their function is completely unknown.
The segments, dubbed 'ultraconserved elements', lie in the large parts of the genome that do not code for any protein. Their presence adds to growing evidence that the importance of these areas, often dismissed as junk DNA, could be much more fundamental than anyone suspected."
PortRoyal
PortRoyal: "Port Royal offers a premier beachfront location with 25 acres of recreational activities. With 210 condominiums and 7,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, Port Royal can meet both business and personal needs.
In addition, Port Royal is home to the 500-foot Royal Blue Lagoon swimming pool, the largest pool in Texas. With two swim-up cabanas, four heated whirlpool spas and a giant water slide, this beautiful pool is an oasis from the South Texas heat.
For those interested in non-water activities, Port Royal also offers a private boardwalk to the beach, two lighted tennis courts and several outdoor shuffleboard and volleyball courts."
Exclusive Vacations - Long Stay
Exclusive Vacations - Long Stay: "Accomodations - One Bedroom Suite:
# Sleeps (1-4) persons, 660 sq. feet
# Master Bedroom King or Queen Size Bed
# Living Room Sleeper Sofa or rollaway(s)
# Whirlpool Tub
# All Suites Overlook the Gulf of Mexico
Features:
# 210 fully furnished condominium units with full size appliances
# wet bar
# stereo
# microwave
# washer, dryer and dishwasher in every condominium suite
# Large balconies overlooking Mustang Island
# 25 acres of Port Royal beachfront property along the Gulf of Mexico
# A 500 ft. Royal Blue Lagoon Swimming Pool (Still the Largest in Texas!)
# Two Swim-Up Cabanas
# 'Twisting Dune' Water slide and Four Heated Whirlpool Spas
# Private Boardwalk to the Beach
# Two Lighted Tennis Courts
# Outdoor Shuffleboard
# Water & Sand Volleyball Courts
# Horseshoes
# Fishing
# Golf and Horseback Riding Nearby
LAND ONLY Rates are valid November 2003 - March 2004
Minimum 1 month rental for January, February & March
One bedroom Suite from CAD$1150 per person, per month
Above rates are per person & based on double occupancy. Rates are only valid with a minimum 1 month stay. Deposit Policy requires an initial deposit of $450.00 and payment in full 90 days prior to arrival. Cancellation Policy requires written notice at least 45 days prior to arrival in order to be eligible for refund of deposit monies, less a $150 processing fee. No refunds for early departures.
"
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Friday, May 07, 2004
Thursday, May 06, 2004
SlySoft - AnyDVD
AnyDVD is a driver, which descrambles DVD-Movies automatically in the background. This DVD appears unprotected and region code free for all applications and the Windows operating system as well. With AnyDVD's help copy tools like CloneDVD, Pinnacle Instant Copy, InterVideo DVD-Copy, etc. are able to copy CSS protected Movies. With the help of AnyDVD you can watch movies with non matching region codes with every DVD Player Software you like!
AnyDVD decrypts not just DVDs: AnyDVD allows you also to play, copy and rip protected Audio CDs!
$50 MILLION IN ROYALTIES RETURNS TO ARTISTS
$50 MILLION IN ROYALTIES RETURNS TO ARTISTS
State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today announced a deal with the nation’s top recording companies that returns nearly $50 million in unclaimed royalties to thousands of performers.
The agreement comes after a two-year investigation by Spitzer’s office found that many artists and writers were not being paid royalties because record companies had failed to maintain contact with the performers and had stopped making required payments. This problem affected both star entertainers with numerous hit recordings and obscure musicians who may have had only one recording.
"As a result of this agreement, new procedures will be adopted to ensure that the artists and their descendants will receive the compensation to which they are entitled," Spitzer said.
Under the deal, the recording companies have agreed to do the following:
• List the names of artists and writers who are owed royalty payments on company websites;
• Post advertisements in leading music industry publications explaining procedures for unclaimed royalties;
• Work with music industry groups and unions to locate artists who are owed royalty payments; and
• Share artists’ contact information with other record companies.
In addition, each company has agreed to have the heads of the royalty, accounting and legal departments meet regularly to review the status of royalty accounts and take steps to improve royalty payment procedures.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Amazon.com: Books: Building Bamboo Fences
Amazon.com: Books: Building Bamboo Fences: "THIS IS THE BOOK I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR!, April 16, 2000
Reviewer: Diana V. Poteete from San Jose, California
'Building Bamboo Fences' has all the information you will need to build your own bamboo fence. Additionally, Mr. Yoshida has included a brief history of bamboo fences in Japan, a complete glossary of terms and many beautiful color photographs for inspiration. Fence diagrams range from simple see-through fences to more complex bamboo screening fences. The diagrams, techniques, and instructions for building different types of bamboo fences are clear, complete, easy to follow and even include tips on how to correct any problems you may have in construction. I turned an open work bamboo fence diagram into a trellis for my climbing rose bush in one afternoon. Whether you are looking to build simple edgings for garden paths or a full-screen fence - this is the book to use. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title
"
Kevin Kelly -- Cool Tools
Kevin Kelly -- Cool Tools: "Cracker Barrel Long Distance Books on Tape
Cheap audio book rentals
My wife and I have discovered an economical source for renting books on tapes or CDs: Cracker Barrel restaurants.You buy a tape or CD at any branch for the full price ($20), and when you are done, you return it to ANY Cracker Barrel restaurant. Hold on to your receipt. They will refund your purchase price minus a weekly fee of about $3. May not work that well for a commute, but for a long car trip, it's just the thing. Cracker Barrels are usually located along the Interstates, which makes it very convenient to pop in and get a new 'book'.
-- Juergen Lorenz [also suggested by Travis Allison]"
Monday, May 03, 2004
SciScoop || SciScoop - Exploring Tomorrow
SciScoop || SciScoop - Exploring Tomorrow: "The number of eyes requiring an enhancement procedure ranged from 0 percent in the winter months to 50 percent in September, when outdoor humidity was at its highest. During less-humid months, there was a tendency to overcorrect vision. During the more humid summer months, there was a tendency toward undercorrection. "
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Wired News: Voting Software Firm Gets Sued
Wired News: Voting Software Firm Gets Sued: "Voting Software Firm Gets Sued
By Joanna Glasner | Also by this reporter Page 1 of 1
02:00 AM Feb. 27, 2003 PT
In a case calling into question the thoroughness of the certification process for touch-screen voting systems, a former engineer for an election software company has filed a lawsuit against his ex-employer, claiming executives ignored his warnings of potential defects."
SciScoop || SciScoop - Exploring Tomorrow
SciScoop || SciScoop - Exploring Tomorrow: "This paper reports the extraordinary biology of the microorganisms from the mysterious red rain of Kerala, India. These chemosynthetic organisms grow optimally at an extreme high temperature of 300 degrees C in hydrothermal conditions and can metabolize inorganic and organic compounds including hydrocarbons. Stages found in their life cycle show reproduction by a special multiple fission process and the red cells found in the red rain are identified as the resting spores of these microbes. While these extreme hyperthermophiles contain proteins, our study shows the absence of DNA in these organisms, indicating a new primitive domain of life with alternate thermostable genetics. This new biology proves our earlier hypothesis that these microbes are of extraterrestrial origin and also supports our earlier argument that the mysterious red rain of Kerala is due to the cometary delivery of the red spores into the stratosphere above Kerala."
• Key Players in the Plame Affair
