2003-04-30
... ? BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Fish do feel pain, scientists sayThe first conclusive evidence of pain perception in fish is said to have been found by UK scientists. Fish have pain receptors like us This complements earlier findings that both birds and mammals can feel pain, and challenges assertions that fish are impervious to it. The scientists found sites in the heads of rainbow trout that responded to damaging stimuli. They also found the fish showed marked reactions when exposed to harmful substances.
... ? Apple - MPEG-4 - AAC Audio
... ? MPEG-4 AAC StandardMPEG-4 AAC has been specified as the high-quality general audio coder for 3G wireless terminals, Apple Computer has incorporated MPEG-4 AAC into QuickTime 6, and the Digital Radio Mondiale system, the next-generation digital replacement for radio broadcasting under 30 MHz, builds on the audio coding of MPEG-4 AAC. These exciting platforms represent the state of the art in audio coding, and Via Licensing is pleased to offer the MPEG-4 AAC Patent License Agreement.
... ? [PushBack] Bill Wattenburg’s Background: Magnetic Credit Cards
... ?The Original Captain Trips
You will not read about him in the history books. He left no diary, nor chatty relatives to memorialize him in print. And if a cadre of associates had not recently agreed to open its files, Captain Alfred M. Hubbard might exist in death as he did in life--a man of mirrors and shadows, revealing himself to even his closest friends only on a need-to-know basis. They called him "the Johnny Appleseed of LSD." He was to the psychedelic movement nothing less than the membrane through which all passed to enter into the Mysteries. Beverly Hills psychiatrist Oscar Janiger once said of Hubbard, "We waited for him like a little old lady for the Sears-Roebuck catalog." Waited for him to unlock his ever-present leather satchel loaded with pharmaceutically-pure psilocybin, mescaline or his personal favorite, Sandoz LSD-25.
... ? The Memory Hole [rescuing knowledge, freeing information]
... ? Bad Designs - Table of Contents... hmm..nice idea, but a little spoilt by some bad design...
... ? Aphex Twin - 26 Mixes For Cash_________________________________________________________
... ? Autechre: Draft 7.30: Pitchfork Review2003-04-29
... ? American Dialect SocietyThe grim forebodings of the past year were reflected in the American Dialect Society's choice of weapons of mass destruction and its abbreviation WMD as word (or phrase) of the year 2002. In the 13th annual vote among members and friends of the society, conducted this time in Atlanta Jan. 3 during the society's annual meeting, weapons of mass destruction received 38 votes of the approximately 60 cast. Vote numbers are approximate because voting was by show of hands.
... ? Slashdot | The Art, Music And Computer Science Of DNA
... ? Killer Apps Share A Common Thread: Hacker GeeksAccording to Tim O'Reilly, founder and president of O'Reilly and Associates Inc., and organizer of the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference here, four trends bear watching: Amazon.com Web Services; BARWN, or the Bay Area Research Wireless Network; hardware hacking; and multi-player gaming. "There's a common thread – a hacker culture that ties together all of these four activities on the O'Reilly radar today," said O'Reilly said. "Essentially it is being able to recognize the alpha geeks in society and leveraging their enterprise."
... ? Telemarketer reveals tricks of tradeTACKED-ON TELEPHONE charges — called “crammed” charges — might seem like a minor modern-day nuisance. But tiny Epixtar Corp., a publicly traded firm in Miami, is proof to the contrary.
... ? Krawtchouk's MindThe gulag condemned many of the Soviet Union’s best minds to anonymity. One of those was Myhailo Krawtchouk, a man with a still almost unrecognized role in the creation of the electronic computer.
... ? FindBugs - A Bug Pattern Detector for Java FindBugs - A Bug Pattern Detector for Java
... ? FindBugs - A Bug Pattern Detector for Java FindBugs - A Bug Pattern Detector for Java
... ? Mandragor & Apinc - Free Documentation Base
... ? A Gallery of Cognitive Systems
... ? Edge: WHY DO SOME SOCIETIES MAKE DISASTROUS DECISIONS?
... ? U N U S E D A U D I O C O M M E N T A R Y B Y H O W A R D Z I N N A N D N O A M C H O M S K Y , R E C O R D E D S U M M E R , 2 0 0 2 , F O R T H E F E L L O W S H I P O F T H E R I N G ( P L A T I N U M S E R I E S E X T E N D E D E D I T I O N ) D V D , P A R T O N E . Priceless...It's hurts to laugh so I'm trying not to read too much of this...
... ? daniel's speech from sxsw... 03/13/03low baggage --- high mileage --- passion before commerce --- intelligence before wasteYou NEED to read this... (Thanks jzelllis)...
... ? Combat StressSince the end of World War 2, the vast majority of the British People have known nothing but peace. But it's been a very different story for the men and women of our armed forces. Time and again, they have been in the front line defending Britain's interests. In Brunei, Borneo, Indonesia, Malaya, the Falklands and the Gulf. More recently, they have played a central peace keeping role in the Balkans, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and elsewhere. And closer to home, many thousands have been involved during the thirty year long campaign in Northern Ireland, an operation that has perhaps been the most difficult and dangerous of all. Each of these conflicts, without exception, has resulted in psychiatric casualties. And for many who are affected, the problems may take years, perhaps decades to surface. The Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society, COMBAT STRESS, exists to serve these men and women. For over 80 years, we have been the only services charity specialising in helping those of all ranks from the Armed Forces and the Merchant Navy suffering from psychological disability as a result of their service.
... ? Guardian Unlimited Books | Extracts | My brother ZacZacarias Moussaoui is the only person to be charged in the US in connection with the September 11 attacks. He has been dubbed the 20th hijacker. Here his brother Abd Samad Moussaoui describes a childhood beset by racism in France and the indoctrination he believes his brother received in London, which drove him into the arms of al-Qaida
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Looking after number oneWe already have three separate pop charts, all of which use different criteria to decide the nation's favourite tunes. This year will see the creation of a fourth - but at least this one takes account of internet sales, says Julia Day
... ? CUP OF CHICHA...Favourite blog of the week by far...2003-04-28
... ? WebFX - What you never thought possible!No matter if you're a site builder or just someone surfin' for something cool, you've reached the right place. On this page you'll be able to find Dynamic HTML samples that you can use on your own pages, all the samples may be used freely for personal use or you may change the source code for your own applications. This page was designed and tested in IE5, Mozilla and Opera. Other W3C compliant browsers might work but these are the one tested.ta to enobrev at YH for pointing these out...Some very usable DHTML/JS UI scripts...
... ? BBC NEWS | Education | 'Creationist' schools attackedA leading academic has attacked plans to open more schools teaching a 'creationist' view of the origins of life. The Vardy Foundation, which already runs the Emmanuel College in Gateshead, a non-denominational Christian school, has plans for six more schools in the north-east of England. The schools would teach creationism - drawn from the Bible's account of the creation of life - alongside the theory of evolution, as developed from the theories of Charles Darwin. But the plans have been condemned as "educational debauchery" by Richard Dawkins, professor of the public understanding of science at Oxford University.
... ? BBC - Arts - Digital ArtsSound artist and curator of Sonic Boom David Toop discusses his love of music and process of creation.
... ?Apple - iPod
The new super-slim iPod once again redefines what a digital music player should be. It’s lighter than 2 CDs, can hold up to 7500 songs, and downloads music at blazing speeds. Now you can take your entire music collection with you wherever you go. Available for Mac and Windows starting at $299.
... ? ieSpell - Spell Checker add-on for Internet Explorer2003-04-27ieSpell is a free Internet Explorer browser extension that spell checks text input boxes on a webpage. It should come in particularly handy for users who do a lot of web-based text entry (e.g. web mails, forums, blogs, diaries). Even if your web application already includes spell checking functionality, you might still want to install this utility because it is definitely much faster than a server-side solution. Plus you get to store and use your personal word list across all your applications, instead of maintaining separate ones on each application.Linked to previously, but after using it for a little while and loving the sheer neatness of it's implementation, I thought it deserved another prop...Paypal donation to the authors as soon as funds permit....
... ? BBC - Experimental Review - Autechre, gantz_graf DVDAfter four seconds of silence in which to prepare yourself, the disc launches head first into the title track - an abrasive, complex and oddly beautiful work of timestretched lunacy. Imagine an old electro 12" fed into about three thousand sound re-processors at once, causing each instrument to spring back and forth like an electronic rubber band before building to a maddening climax and then promptly popping out of existence. Fabulous. The accompanying video is also a stunner - featuring a rotating disc which then morphs itself into a type of motor/electricity generator in perfect time to the rhythm of the track. Director Alexander Rutterford (part of Jake Scott & Marcus Nispel's Black Dog Films Collective) hand animated 90% of the video to sync perfectly with the audio - resulting in a piece that really showcases Autechre's work in a way that has never really been experienced before. Watch
... ? BBC - Music - Experimenta : electronica, post-rock & beyondl
... ? BBC - Experimental Review - Autechre, Draft 7.30Draft 7.30 evinces a ceaseless motion which in transit mutates, corrodes, malfunctions. It's fascinating like the first sight of stop-motion photography. The quality of movement is predominantly heavy as in mercury or cadmium - said density marks Draft 7.30 out from Autechre's previous work. This simple equation (movement/change x weight) conveys a sense of fearsome, unpredictable momentum.
... ?Economist.com | The art of DNA
Fifty years after its discovery, the double helix is twisting itself ever deeper into popular culture “WE WISH to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (D.N.A.).” So began the modest introduction to what turned out to be one of the most momentous papers in the history of biology. It was published exactly 50 years ago, on April 25th 1953, in Nature. Now, even, advertisements for IBM boast that the company can help its customers get “into the DNA of business...to turn old processes into new profits”. Within two generations DNA has moved from academic obscurity—where even scientists needed to see it spelled out—to everyday language, an instantly recognised symbol with little connection to its scientific origins. Much of that cultural shift is courtesy of James Watson and Francis Crick, the authors of the paper in question. The structure they wished to suggest gave birth to an icon: the double helix.
... ?2003-04-26..The recording from Radio 3 last night/this morning seems to have gone fine...Nice 1.5gb .WAV to work with today... ..I'll be encoding using my standard LAME --alt preset fast extreme for a 320kbs VBR MP3 (the best space/quality balance I've found...) today, so will try and put them online here & via Soulseek as soon as they are ready... ..Not sure how long this'll take, but contact me if you'd like a first on the list for a copy....The ATP recording I did came out excellently, but was a big unexpected drain on my server (Looks like I'm going to have to an extra Bandwidth fee this month as the popularity of that swamped my limits...Hopefully as much as my hoster is currently saying, as, if that figure is correct, it may mean I'll have to close the G3RM for a while...times are that tight here :(..:(..)... So...If you see a temporary "donate a quid to jand" link here, you'll know why..... ....
... ?Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Back to the 80s
An untrustworthy corporate spiv, a resourceful heroine and mortal souls... there's something familiar about William Gibson's latest novel, Pattern Recognition
... ? ArtAARON exists; it generates objects that hold their own more than adequately, in human terms, in any gathering of similar, but human-produced, objects, and it does so with a stylistic consistency that reveals an identity as clearly as any human artist's does. It does these things, moreover, without my own intervention. I do not believe that AARON constitutes an existence proof of the power of machines to think, or to be creative, or to be self-aware, to display any of those attributes coined specifically to explain something about ourselves. It constitutes an existence proof of the power of machines to do some of the things we had assumed required thought, and which we still suppose would require thought, and creativity, and self-awareness, of a human being. If what AARON is making is not art, what is it exactly, and in what ways, other than its origin, does it differ from the "real thing?" If it is not thinking, what exactly is it doing? - Harold Cohen, the further exploits of AARON, Painter
... ? Digital Vision >> get layered
... ? Interactive Topological DrawingThe research presented here examines topological drawing, a new mode of constructing and interacting with mathematical objects in three-dimensional space. In topological drawing, issues such as adjacency and connectedness, which are topological in nature, take precedence over purely geometric issues. Because the domain of application is mathematics, topological drawing is also concerned with the correct representation and display of these objects on a computer. By correctness we mean that the essential topological features of objects are maintained during interaction.
... ? STC :: fontBROWSER ::
... ? ieSpell - Spell Checker add-on for Internet ExplorerIntroduction ieSpell is a free Internet Explorer browser extension that spell checks text input boxes on a webpage. It should come in particularly handy for users who do a lot of web-based text entry (e.g. web mails, forums, blogs, diaries). Even if your web application already includes spell checking functionality, you might still want to install this utility because it is definitely much faster than a server-side solution. Plus you get to store and use your personal word list across all your applications, instead of maintaining separate ones on each application.
... ? visual1Visual Explanations in Mathematics
... ? The KnotPlot SiteHere you will find a collection of knots and links, viewed from a (mostly) mathematical perspective. Nearly all of the images here were created with KnotPlot, a fairly elaborate program to visualize and manipulate mathematical knots in three and four dimensions. You can download KnotPlot and try it on your computer (see the link below), but first you may want to look at some of the images in the picture gallery.
... ? Gallery of Data Visualization - IntroductonThe Best and Worst of Statistical Graphics
... ? Fat Chuck's - Corrupt CDs News
... ? BBC - Radio 4 - Another 5 Numbers - Index
... ? BBC - Radio 4 - Reith Lectures 2003 - The Emerging MindThe Reith Lectures were inaugurated in 1948 by the BBC to mark the historic contribution made to public service broadcasting by Sir John (later Lord) Reith, the corporation's first director-general. The subect of this year's lecture series is The Emerging Mind.
... ? The New York Review of Books: Animal Liberation at 30
... ? Wired News: Online Anonymity Comes Under Fire
... ? Wired News: Indie ISPs Fight for Survival
... ? BBC - Radio 3 - What's On Listings22:45 Hear And Now London Sinfonietta And Warp Records The London Sinfonietta conducted by Stefan Asbury joins forces with Warp Records for the opening concert from the second Ether Festival, given in March on London's South Bank. The music of Nancarrow, Cage, Ligeti, Ives and Stockhausen is heard alongside special arrangements by Margan Hayes and David Horne of tracks by Squarepusher, Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin. Plus, Warp artist Mira Calix performs a new version of her piece Nunu, made from recordings of insect noises. With Rolf Hind (prepared piano), Simon Haram (saxophone) and Sound Intermedia (electronics). In Electro-Instruments, the third instalment from the Cut And Splice festival, Robert Worby introduces music from the British sound sculptor Janek Schaeffer; the results of Oval's collaboration with Eriko Toyoda; and Quartet Electronische's new realisation of John Cage's Cartridge Music (1960).
... ? gray 318
... ? Folding@Home: YH Team hits the Top 200 ..50 people onboard...
... ? MEXP for Winamp2Mexp beta 7 has just been released - get it from the Download-section. The new homepage is almost ready, most of the functions should work now, so feel free to explore the site!via teh gerald and robrob..Wish I'd found something like this ealier & my MP3s wouldn't be in such a disorganised state...another reason to stay with Winamp 2.xxx...
... ? William GibsonI don't know why, as someone asked here, back when we started, the UK edition is coming out so much later than the US edition. Prior to the advent of internet bookselling, cunning British publishers sought to be first, thereby ensuring a certain tiny foreign market of people intent on owning "hardcover first". This has gradually changed, although PR has the biggest gap, so far, between US and UK publication. I imagine that it has nothing to do with PR per se, but rather is the result of the internal scheduling issues of both publishers. Publishers bring books out constantly, as do their competitors, and schedule, to what extent they can, to garner the maximum amount of attention for a given title.
... ? Publicity Monkey...
... ? Astronomy Picture of the DayEach day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
... ? Pulp.net
... ? Guardian Unlimited Books | News | Bestseller success for anti-US war books
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Love and poison - part two
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Scrubbed outJohn McKie laments the loss of irreplaceable 1960s Top Of The Pops performances
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts news | Sinead O'Connor bows out - againSinead O'Connor yesterday announced her retirement from the music industry for the second, or possibly third, time. This time, however, it appears that one of the great unfulfilled talents of rock means it.
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts quizzes | Lit pop
... ? Integrative Medicine | Mindfulness MeditationWhen Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, started the Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program as a pilot project at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (now UMass Memorial Medical Center) in 1979, he wondered if people would come to a stress-reduction program based on the principles and practices of Buddhist meditation. “After 20 years and 11,000 medical patients, I think it’s fair to say that the program has struck a certain chord,” says Kabat-Zinn.
... ? globetechnology.com:The Tungsten C joins Palm’s business product line and, for the first time, brings wireless 802.11b-based connectivity to the Palm family of devices, allowing it to connect to so-called hot spots and share network resources. Hot spots are public places that give people wireless access. The Zire 71 is the latest addition to the Zire consumer line and is the first device from Palm to have a built-in digital camera.
... ? Judge: File-swapping tools are legal | CNET News.comA federal judge in Los Angeles has handed a stunning court victory to file-swapping services Streamcast Networks and Grokster, dismissing much of the record industry and movie studios' lawsuit against the two companies. Read more about file-swapping
... ? The Chronicle: 4/25/2003: Every Unhappy Family Has Its Own Bilinear Influence FunctionResearchers propose a mathematical model of marriage
... ? New ScientistAnalysis of the latest statistics on the global SARS epidemic reveals that at least 10 per cent of people who contract the new virus will die of the disease. The low death rates of about four per cent cited until now by the World Health Organization and others are the result of a statistical difficulty, well known to epidemiologists, that hampers the early analysis of new disease outbreaks. This difficulty is the reason for the apparent rise in death rate - not a change in the SARS virus.
... ? Times Online REEFER MADNESS... AND OTHER TALES FROM THE AMERICAN UNDERWORLD By Eric Schlosser
... ? STLtoday - EntertainmentIn our democratic age, experts are scorned as elitists. But isn't knowledge a useful thing?
... ? Yahoo! News - Iceland Opens World's First Hydrogen Fuel Station
... ? Yahoo! News - Study Suggests DDT-Breast Cancer Link
... ? Telegraph | Arts 'The Hemingway curse? Not me'Five of her family have committed suicide - but Mariel Hemingway is determined to stay in control. She talks to Michael Shelden
... ? [ t e c h n o \ c u l t u r e ] : Inventor of cyberspace steps back to the present - William Gibson interview
... ? Guardian Unlimited | World dispatch | Battlefield EuropeThe struggle for power in a future European Union of 25 member states might not excite but the stakes are high, writes Andrew Osborn
... ? President Bush's Neoconservatives Were Spawned Right Here in N.Y.C., New Home of the Right-Wing Gloat2003-04-25
... ? BBC chief attacks U.S. war coverage..BBC Director General Greg Dyke singled out for criticism the fast growing News Corp's Fox News Channel, owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch, and Clear Channel Communications, the largest operator of radio stations in the United States, with over 1,200 stations, for special criticism. "Personally, I was shocked while in the United States by how unquestioning the broadcast news media was during this war," Dyke said in a speech at a University of London conference on Thursday. "If Iraq proved anything, it was that the BBC cannot afford to mix patriotism and journalism. This is happening in the United States and if it continues, will undermine the credibility of the U.S. electronic news media."
... ?Schools test ‘eye scanner’ security
The iris-scanning technology will be used to identify employees and those authorized to pick up children in the 1,800-student district. Anyone else will have to show ID before being allowed in. Students themselves will never be screened. In the wake of shootings and child abductions, schools nationwide have been taking steps to tighten security, from installing metal detectors and video cameras to hiring extra guards.
... ?Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Star turn : Jasper Johns
Is it patriotic? Subversive? Both? Jonathan Jones on how Jasper Johns made a provocative masterpiece out of the American flag In a recent Simpsons episode, Bart's friend Milhouse vomits on the American flag, offending, as newsreader Kent Brockman reports, "flag hags everywhere". The Simpsons, with its ambiguous patriotism, is in a tradition of American art since the 1950s. What American artists up to and including Matt Groening have done is to at once love and question the US. And perhaps no artist ever did both quite so compactly as Jasper Johns when he painted an American flag. Johns, who has been an unlikely guest voice on The Simpsons, has an exhibition of recent prints opening. But it is his almost 50-year-old Flag that is his most current and contemporary work. So contemporary that some people will find its large-scale presence on these pages offensive. It is there in all its provocation: well, how do you like that?
... ?Guardian Unlimited | Arts reviews | Guy Bourdin
As befits the first retrospective of fashion photographer Guy Bourdin, so adored by French Vogue that it gave him a monthly 10-page spread for much of the 1970s, this exhibition is strikingly good-looking. Darkly sexy and productively perverse in its layout, it thoroughly evokes the spirit of his aesthetic in its design. With its peephole viewpoints, dimly lit corridors and hidden rooms, this show is a tease.
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts reviews | Derek Jarman: Early Days, Dean Clough, HalifaxDerek Jarman was so many things - film-maker, poet, alchemist, gardener - that it is easy to overlook the fact that he was also one of the most original painters of his generation. This exhibition, organised by the artist's sister, places rarely seen early work alongside the vast, vituperative later masterpieces. It suggests that Jarman may have been our greatest apocalyptic visionary since William Blake.
... ? Reuters Scientists Urge Depleted Uranium Testing in IraqThu April 24, 2003 01:55 PM ET LONDON (Reuters Health) - Britain's national science academy has called on U.S. and British military officials to reveal where depleted uranium was used during the conflict in Iraq. The Royal Society said on Thursday the information about where ammunition containing depleted uranium (DU) was is needed so a clean-up and monitoring program for soldiers and civilians can begin.
... ? BBC NEWS | Health | Sars: Is global panic justified?Concern is mounting over the continuing spread of the deadly Sars virus. Some experts say it could have a similar impact to the 1918 flu epidemic that killed 50 million - or the current world HIV crisis. BBC News Online looks at the actual risks faced by people around the world - and how they could change if the virus carries on spreading.
... ?Telegraph | Arts | On stalking Sukhdev Sandhu reviews Unrequited Love: On Stalking and Being Stalked by Gregory Dart
... ? Guardian Unlimited Books | Special Reports | Orange prize shortlist goes for the big namesIt is traditionally the prize that brings writers from the fringes into the limelight, but three literary big-hitters dominate the Orange Prize for Fiction shortlist, announced today.
... ? Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Unsugaring the pillNot since the World Health Organisation took on the tobacco barons has there been such an international cat fight. But the new war concerns an equally menacing public health threat. As the US surgeon general, David Warner, has warned, obesity is quickly eclipsing tobacco as the number one threat to public health in developed states. Indeed, it is no longer confined to affluent societies. Obesity is becoming a growing problem, alongside the more familiar malnutrition, in developing countries too. Over a decade on from its last comprehensive look at diet and nutrition, the WHO launched a new report yesterday setting out the science, which suggested sugar should be restricted to 10% of calories consumed.
... ? Dreamless : The Ultimate 08 members directory - root.......a blast from the past...only 2 yrs ago but still seems like forever...
... ? The Independent : The first global epidemic of the 21st century
... ? Wired News: Futurist Fears End of InnovationAuthor Howard Rheingold believes the freedom of technologists to innovate is under attack as never before. Delivering the keynote speech at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, Rheingold warned that vested interests, flexing their political and economic muscle, are stifling technological innovation.
... ? BBC NEWS | Technology | Where spam comes from2003-04-24For anyone plagued by junk e-mails, the question that often baffles most is how did the spammers get your address. US researchers at the Center for Democracy and Technology set out to answer this question in the summer of 2002. They found that e-mail addresses posted on websites or in newsgroups attract the most spam.
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Life | The end of the world as we know it (maybe)Martin Rees, the astronomer royal, believes our civilisation will be lucky to survive the century. Simon Hattenstone hears why.
... ? Belated thanks to Honda for sending me the DVD of the COG advert ...much appreciated...(BTW anyone who phoned the number I mentioned previously should receive their DVD this week...)..
... ? Björk Meets Karlheinz Stockhausen - "Dazed and Confused", issue 23, August 1996
... ? ...Best to let Adam & Josh introduce marginwalker themselves... Needless to say, I'm more than a little excited to be invited along to partipate in this new project...I can't begin to explain how impressed & inspired I've been by these guys over the last few years; as online smartdrugs go, this should be quite some brew..The horizon leans forward, Offering you space to place new steps of change. On the Pulse of Morning, Maya Angelou (via LTJ Bukums DnB Classic "Horizons"..)..
... ? Hmmmm...more visitors when I don't update the site for a whole day. What can this mean?..;).. Stupidly busy day, but so very productive...Day off today (yet more dentistry..) so hopefully I'll be able to grab a chance to catch up with my inbox & the web...2003-04-22
... ? Telegraph | Arts | Q & A with William GibsonOn the eve of the publication of his new book Pattern Recognition, William Gibson, the hugely influential novelist who coined the term 'cyberspace', will answer your questions in a rare interview with arts.telegraph.
... ? Understanding the Psychology of ProgrammingWriting code is an act of creativity. It isn't science and it isn't engineering, although programmers are happy to apply science and engineering to the creative process, when possible. Therefore to be a programmer one has to be highly creative.
... ? A Tribute to Jackie Curtis...
... ? The Turner Prize - 20032003 marks the 20th anniversary of the Turner Prize, widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious awards for the visual arts in Europe. The Turner Prize was established in 1984 by the Tate Patrons of New Art to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art. The £20,000 prize is presented during a live broadcast by Channel 4.
... ? Grub's Distributed Web Crawling ProjectGrub uses the power of distributed computing to build the best search on the Web. It automatically crawls the Web in the background, borrowing your computer's spare clock cycles, so you won't even notice it's there. The download is quick, you control how much you crawl, and the cool screensaver shows you the real-time progress your computer is making. You can even compare your stats to other Grubsters in the project! Help perfect the search engine. Join the Grub project today!
... ? Times OnlineTHE rescue of Private Jessica Lynch, which inspired America during one of the most difficult periods of the war, was not the heroic Hollywood story told by the US military, but a staged operation that terrified patients and victimised the doctors who had struggled to save her life, according to Iraqi witnesses.
... ? Invoice Past Due LettersReceived your inquiry re: January 10th invoice, asking who in the marketing department placed the order. While I feel that answering “someone named Bob” might expedite the payment, I must be frank: no one ordered anything. I am pleased to see, however, that an invoice charging you ten dollars for product placement in a novel did not strike you as unthinkable.
... ? Nike :: Jordan
... ? Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | So I phoned a friend - part oneIt's a devious, dog-eat-dog world in court - and that's just the press bench. But, at the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire trial, Jon Ronson thought he had the inside track - an old school connection, and he'd work it for all it was worth
... ?Salon.com Technology | The Napster backlash
When Savenapster.com founder Chad Paulson decided that the file-trading pioneer cared more about money than artists, he stunned the company by changing sides. An excerpt from "All the Rave."
... ? Local Officials Rise Up to Defy The Patriot Act (washingtonpost.com)Arcata was one of the first cities to pass resolutions against global warming and a unilateral war in Iraq. Last month, it joined the rising chorus of municipalities to pass a resolution urging local law enforcement officials and others contacted by federal officials to refuse requests under the Patriot Act that they believe violate an individual's civil rights under the Constitution. Then, the city went a step further. This little city (pop.: 16,000) has become the first in the nation to pass an ordinance that outlaws voluntary compliance with the Patriot Act.
... ? Sonic Web - TechnoScout.comThe SonicWeb™ works on a genetic level to lure mosquitoes and other biting insects to it. These insects are genetically programmed to be attracted to four types of signals: sound, smell, sight and heat. The SonicWeb simulates all four of these genetic lures, so mosquitoes are irresistibly drawn to it and away from you!
... ? Yahoo! News - The little neurotoxin that couldIt can help children with cerebral palsy walk. It can end migraines. Doctors who once could only recommend multiple surgeries are now using it to cure clubfoot in infants. It can greatly diminish the physical tics associated with Tourette's syndrome and has been used to treat the severely obese. And this week, British scientists announced that it might treat the chronic pain of cancer. Not bad for something normally associated with frivolous self-involvement. Because the drug in question is the
... ? New Scientist : Baby teeth revealed as source of stem cellsThe tooth fairy could soon face competition for baby teeth from scientists who have discovered the teeth are a source of stem cells. The cells could help repair damaged teeth and perhaps even treat neural injuries or degenerative diseases. Currently, researchers can isolate two types of stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can develop into any cell in the body, but their harvesting requires the destruction of embryos, which pro-life groups oppose. Adult stem cells avoid this problem, but have more limited abilities. Now it appears that the stem cells from children's lost teeth could provide an intermediate and easily accessible source.
... ? Salon.com Books | The dangers of democracyHe may be the first of a new, post Sept. 11 breed -- the policy wonk as sex symbol.
... ? Flying to space: A cockpit view
... ? Windows Server 2003 is a Small Step Forward2003-04-21The release of Windows Server 2003 is a small step forward for the platform—an effort that really should be considered Windows 2000 Server Second Edition. With the exception of Internet Information Services 6.0, there aren't any far-reaching or fundamental changes in the product.
... ?ExtremeTech's Semi-Annual PC Case Roundup
Lian-Li PC-35 This is either a tiny server case, or a really slick little desktop case for people who want removable hard drives. The PC-35 is one of the smallest cases we've seen that will accept a full-size ATX motherboard. At 14.25"H x 16.1"D x 7.5"W (36.2cm x 41cm x 18.9cm), it's extremely compact. You can use it either as a small tower or compact desktop case.
... ? Case of another 'Laci' languishes in obscurity / Torso of missing pregnant mom was found in S.F. Bay last year"This girl (Laci), she's white, they have money, and there is a family behind her," said Twiggy Damy, a friend of Hernandez, a single mother who moved to San Francisco from El Salvador when she was 14. "Who cares about Evelyn? "The first time I heard Laci's case, I got flashbacks from Evelyn, because it is the same case," Damy said. "That's very hard to see, why one gets more attention than the other."
... ? Mercury News | 04/20/2003 | NeXT still stands out in its Mac incarnation
... ? V/Vm - Welcome To The Home Of The Musically Insane
... ? Potsdamer Platz: Jean TinguelyJean Tinguely started to create his first moving sculptures in 1952 in Paris. In 1960, the artist, who is a friend of Yves Klein, attracted international attention in New York when he allowed an eight meter tall sculpture, made of a variety of objects such as wheels, bath tubs and bells etc., to self-destruct to the sound of its own accompaniment. Tinguely endeavors to get people to interact with his art, to entrance them whilst simultaneously freeing their minds and creatively encouraging conscious political action.
... ? Duct Tape Clothing, fashion, wallets, hats, purses, and more!2003-04-20
... ? All tomorrows parties 4-5-6-7 April 2003 - Photos
... ? T&C FILM AG : The WAY THINGS GO...requires quicktime....
... ? The IndependentCannabis, the third most popular recreational drug after alcohol and tobacco, could win a new role as the aspirin of the 21st century, with growing evidence that its compounds may protect the brain against the damaging effects of ageing. Although the drug distorts perception and affects short-term memory, it may also help prevent degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntingdon's and motor neurone diseases. Scientists at the Institute of Neurology in Queens Square, London, say the "huge potential" of cannabis compounds is emerging, as understanding of its biological and pharmacological properties improves.
... ? ...Don't do it...I'll be lucky to even suck a Creme Egg today...(I'm sure if I tried hard enough I could come up with some "teaching xxxx to suck eggs" witticism...)... ...only a few more weeks of this left though...and then I can \S-M-I-L-E/ again...2003-04-19
... ? helpaphex twin at the cross road
... ? Edward Tufte: Ask E.T. forum : ET on Columbia Evidence—Analysis of Key SlideThe 3 reports concerning the possible tile damage on the Columbia prepared by the Boeing engineers have become increasingly important as the investigation has developed. The reports provided the rationale for NASA officials to curtail further research (such as photographing the Columbia with spy cameras) on the tiles during the flight. Here is a close analysis of an important slide from a Boeing report. This discussion was prepared for a chapter on the cognitive style of PowerPoint in my new book Beautiful Evidence; the comments here therefore assess both the reasoning about the evidence as well as the methodology of presentation.
... ?Folding@Home Educational Project : Requires Java...
... ?BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Nazi hunter Wiesenthal to retire
Renowned Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal says he is to retire after spending most of his life tracking down perpetrators of the Holocaust. Mr Wiesenthal, himself imprisoned in several Nazi concentration camps during World War II, is credited for bringing several high-profile members of the Nazi leadership to justice. But in an interview with an Austrian magazine Mr Wiesenthal, who is now 94, said he felt that his work was complete. "My job is done," he told Format magazine. "I found the mass murderers I was looking for. I survived all of them. "Those whom I didn't look for are too old and sick today to be pursued legally."
... ? THE etoy.CORPORATION...still going strong....
... ? The Atlantic | May 2003 | "I'm Right, You're Wrong, Go To Hell" | LewisFor a long time now it has been our practice in the modern Western world to define ourselves primarily by nationality, and to see other identities and allegiances—religious, political, and the like—as subdivisions of the larger and more important whole. The events of September 11 and after have made us aware of another perception—of a religion subdivided into nations rather than a nation subdivided into religions—and this has induced some of us to think of ourselves and of our relations with others in ways that had become unfamiliar. The confrontation with a force that defines itself as Islam has given a new relevance—indeed, urgency—to the theme of the "clash of civilizations."
... ? w w w . p r o s p e c t - m a g a z i n e . c o . u kEinstein's famous equation E=mc2 is the only scientific formula known to just about everyone. The "c" here stands for the speed of light. It is one of the most fundamental of the basic constants of physics. Or is it? In recent years a few maverick scientists have claimed that the speed of light might not be constant at all. Shock, horror! Does this mean the next Great Revolution in Science is just around the corner?
... ? Tandy Computer Whiz Kids Comics - Classic Computer Magazine Archive
... ? Solesides DJ Shadow Blackalicious Latyrx ... Futura 2000 work...& video...
... ? Wired 11.05: START : The Shape of Things to ComeThe bell curve, that beautiful form of regularity, is getting turned upside down.
... ? NewsGenetically modified crops specially engineered to kill pests in fact nourish them, startling new research has revealed. The research – which has taken even the most ardent opponents of GM crops by surprise – radically undermines one of the key benefits claimed for them. And it suggests that they may be an even greater threat to organic farming than has been envisaged.
... ? The RegisterWorkers are prepared to give away their passwords for a cheap pen, according to a somewhat unscientific - but still illuminating - survey published today. The second annual survey into office scruples, conducted by the people organising this month's InfoSecurity Europe 2003 conference, found that office workers have learnt very little about IT security in the past year.
... ? DaFONT :: Download free and shareware fonts
... ?2003-04-18first rate EP from ant on Angstrom records....(Pity more CDs don't come in such interesting packaging, let alone containing choice tunes...)... Available from WARP at http://www.warprecords.com/mart/music/release.php?cat=AEP01 additional info from Angstrom at http://www.angstrom-records.net
... ? ZNet | Iraq | Anti-Colonial WarAmerica's war of 'liberation' may be over. But Iraq's war of liberation from the Americans is just about to begin
... ?As Aphex pictures go , this is a long-time favourite; conjures up that early vibe..(like the Quoth London Underground cover...)..... Taken from Music Technology - July 1993...Scanned interview to follow, one of AFX's best....
... ? Soulseek NewsPosted 146c to the website. It fixes the much reported problem of new uploads not getting started if there are downloads coming from the same user. Also fixed a minor bug to slightly reduce bandwidth consumption on file transfer negotiation. Nir 4:52 PM
... ? DivX 5.0.4 codec goes FinalI am sure were all well aware of the extensive beta testing this one ahs gone through.... ie: DivXNetworks have actually done the right thing for once, and given out there PRO version for free over recent weeks so "the world" and not just a few techie boys inside the land of DivXNetworks can use, abuse and generally test this codec and report/feedback any bugs, features or whatever.... back to them to make this codec actually work. Still early days, but feel free to d/l and go use/test the new version over @ DivXNetworks.
... ? Introduction to RSS - WebReference.comWant more traffic? An easy way to distribute your news? Then you need an RSS news feed. To start all you need is content you want broadcast, and one RSS text file.
... ?.... Incudes Aphex, Autechre, Venetian Snares...Perhaps even some BoC (There's always fast-forward ;)...)... <<<--- Larger version of Image ... Don't kill this MP3 link as I don't want any Bandwidth major bills ( and I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!!...)....... Download and then share via P2P... Thanks... ****NOTE..HAD TO TAKE THIS MP3 DOWN NOW - DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE *THAT* POPULAR *** E ME if you still want a copy & I'll sort you out...
... ?Francis Bacon Image Gallery_Bacons got the guts
In the final extracts from his new book of interviews with Damien Hirst, Gordon Burn asks the bad boy of British art what he really thinks about the other major talents of his time. These conversations between Burn and Hirst are extracted from interviews that took place over a period of eight years, beginning before Francis Bacon's death in 1992:
... ? Guardian Unlimited Books | Review | Man and supermanWagner searched myths for tales of ancient heroism. But the ideals he found there - of sacrifice, redemption and the sanctity of love - led him back to the modern world
... ? Pros, cons of hiring ex-criminal hackersThe theory in the world of hacking is this: No one can test the security of a computer system better than former attackers themselves. But some security experts say that notion is nonsense.
... ? Japan Media Review -- Blogging 1012003-04-17What the heck is a blog, and how do you make one? An inquiring reporter at Japan's No. 1 paper recently trained his sights on the blogging phenomenon, which has yet to take off in Japan. While the Western press has penned hundreds of stories on blogs, this article is one of the first to explain Weblogs to readers in Japan
... ? tripTych Music Festival Scotland see WARP for more info...
... ?
Enjoy :) ...
... ? BBC - Radio 1 - One World - All Tomorrow's PartiesThis year's All Tomorrow's Parties took place at the Camber Sands Holiday Centre in East Sussex, and the event was curated by Autechre, who selected the whole line up, including live acts and djs. On this week's One World, you can hear live sets from Drexciya, Aphex Twin and Venitian Snares, recorded at ATP two weeks ago. Other artists who appeared included: A Guy Called Gerald, Andrea Parker, Baby Ford, Carl Craig, LFO, Mira Calix, Kool Keith, Public Enemy, REQ and The Fall.12 mignight to 2am tonight....
... ? If you call the Honda Contact Centre (0845 200 8000) you can get it on DVD or VHS gratis of the COG advert... UK only, I'm afraid....
... ?More from Edward Tufte's site..A design by Ryan Singer (and very nice it is too)...Visualizing song structure to maximize studio productivity Gets even better with Tufte on the case..
... ? BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Agent Orange use 'understated'The United States military used much more Agent Orange and other defoliant spray during the Vietnam war than previously thought, scientists say.
... ? American Visionary Art Museum - High On Life: Transcending Addiction
... ? Albert Hofmann: LSD - My Problem Child
... ? Geographic Map of London Underground...
... ? Edward Tufte: Ask E.T. forum : London Underground Map ...
... ? Edward Tufte: Ask E.T. forum Graphic of the Day: Cancer Survival Rates and Redesigns, including PowerPoint.. Thanks to The Eyes Have It for pointing this out...I keep forgetting Tufte has a website...
... ?LED Watches - Photos...
... ? Index of /prentz/obit/
... ? Wired News: Will Genetic Engineering Kill Us?Bioethicists and scientists contemplating the future fear that genetic engineering and other technologies are going to divide human beings into classes that may one day try to destroy one another. Rich, powerful people will use technology to make their kids smarter, they say. The poor and the disenfranchised, meanwhile, will become a kind of subhuman servant class, like the Yahoos in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
... ? Reuters | LSD Takes Trip Down Memory Lane at Age 60ZURICH (Reuters) - LSD, the hallucinogenic drug that launched a million trips for hippies, was discovered 60 years ago when a Swiss chemist accidentally inhaled a substance that made his bike ride home something special. Albert Hofmann was actually trying to develop stimulants for the circulatory system in his Sandoz AG lab on April 16, 1943 when he mixed up a batch of LSD from ergot, a fungus that grows on rye. Instead, he created one of the most powerful agents ever to change perceptions of reality, an icon of the 1960s Flower Power movement and the drug of choice for a generation of musicians and writers who rode the psychedelic wave.
... ? USATODAY.com - Even 'safe' lead levels in blood may be unsafeChildren with blood lead levels considered safe by federal guidelines may suffer impairment of their intellectual abilities, a study suggests. If additional studies verify the findings reported in today's New England Journal of Medicine, many American children may be at risk for academic difficulties caused by exposure to even low levels of lead, a toxic metal found in the environment and especially in older homes with chipping lead-based paint.
... ? Saying ‘no thanks’ to the InternetOnline growth in U.S. flattens as some simply opt out
... ? Wired 11.05: Prepare to Meet Thy Doom2003-04-16John Carmack's game engines set the standard for PC graphics - and legions of gamers and the industry love him for it. Now he's brought the world to the brink of Doom III.
... ? Feral Robot Dogs: Art, Technology, Activism
... ? BBC Radio 3 have confirmed the broadcast of the Warp Works & 20th Century Masters concert for Saturday 26 April, 10.45pm gmt. The show can be streamed worldwide from the radio3 website....
... ? The Association of Computing Machinery plans to announce today that Ronald L. Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard M. Adleman will receive the 2002 A. M. Turing Award for their development work in public-key cryptography.
... ? Cryptographers sound warnings on Microsoft security planJust three weeks before Microsoft Corp. publicly details plans to create a secure operating mode for Windows PCs, two top cryptographers have raised concerns about Microsoft's approach. Whitfield Diffie, a distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems Laboratories, said an integrated security scheme for computers is inevitable, but the Microsoft approach is flawed because it fails to give users control over their security keys. Ronald Rivest, an MIT professor and founder of RSA Security, called for a broad public debate about the Microsoft move.
... ? Connecting my own dots - Adam Greenfield - v-2.orgAll of my work is designed to return as much authority, agency, and power as possible to the human being using these products and services. Anything I've ever designed has started from the fundamental assumption that "users" are real people with real pressures, constraints, hopes and desires, and that considering these prerogatives is not optional. I understand the entire user-experience field as being the information technology's long, slow rediscovery of humanity and compassion: a long-term project, a deep and important one, and one that I am terrifically proud to be associated with. In talking to other people engaged in this work over the last several years, it's become clear that while these values are by no means shared by everybody in technology, they are common (if latent) in the user-experience realm. Not to get all we-are-the-world on you, but by and large we believe that as a user, you deserve to be dealt with honestly, be offered meaningful choices and allowed the agency to make them. This stands in particularly clear relief when defined against other voices in technology, notably those coming from a marketing perspective. And guess what? These values have political implications. Once you assume that these things are true in the comparatively trivial context of a Web site, it begins to dawn on you that they're probably also valid in the wider world, the world of politics and economics in which the decisions that contain our lives are made.
... ? Clash of VisualizationsPaul Berman's Terror and Liberalism is concerned with what he seems to believe is an entirely different problem: How should liberal societies defend themselves against totalitarian ones? In fact, however, it is the same problem, with the same solution: adherence to prevailing international law and whatever collective security regime exists to enforce it. Such adherence is of course anathema to the present American government and its apologists, whose viewpoint was summed up by spokesmen for the first liberal superpower, Athens, as it prepared to invade a smaller neighbor for reasons of "national security": "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must."
... ? Wilson Quarterly:The Puzzle of Leni RiefenstahlLeni Riefenstahl—“Hitler’s filmmaker”—must have hoped that her 100th birthday this past August would bring that final rehabilitation of reputation for which she has worked with awe-inspiring tenacity since the Thousand-Year Reich collapsed and took her career with it. But the birthday changed nothing: Riefenstahl remains the most important female film director in history, and the most controversial.
... ? Did CNN Turn Up The Boos During Michael Moore's Speech?
... ? Guy BourdinThe first time I looked at the worldwide web in the Winter of 1997, I searched for the name Guy Bourdin but there was not much information on him and certainly no website that showed any of his work. Three years later not much had changed so I decided to create a tribute to him myself with the small selection of his work in my possession.
... ? SecurityFocus HOME News: Fear of a Million Big BrothersLast month, scientists at Carnegie Mellon University's Laboratory for International Data Privacy even published a formal algorithm for "re-identifying" a Web surfer from pieces of information left like breadcrumbs on different sites. "The methodology involves constructing trails across locations from small amounts of seemingly anonymous or innocuous evidence the person has been there," the paper reads.
... ? SecurityFocus HOME News: 'Super-DMCA' fears suppress security researchA University of Michigan graduate student noted for his research into steganography and honeypots -- techniques for concealing messages and detecting hackers, respectively -- says he's been forced to move his research papers and software offshore and prohibit U.S. residents from accessing it, in response to a controversial new state law that makes it a felony to possess software capable of concealing the existence or source of any electronic communication.
... ? Reuters: Prozac Kills Burkitt's Lymphoma Cells: ScientistsBritish scientists said on Tuesday that early lab research suggests Prozac and similar antidepressants could treat at least one form of the cancer lymphoma.
... ? Forbes.com: Reaching America Through EBay
... ? The Register: Xbox modded - without a mod chip
... ? ..I mean Dan at gusset.co.uk...:)...(God knows where I got Matt from, Dan...)..
... ? ..then upgrade to latest version ( 145c ) and all will be fine again...2003-04-15
... ? Celebrated Math Problem Solved, Russian Reports
... ? Free VSJ subs (UK only) ....Free Subscription Application Form UK Residents Please answer all questions below, in order to apply for a free one-year subscription to VSJ. This offer is only open to individuals giving a UK postal address, and Bearpark Publishing reserves the right to reject requests which do not match the magazine's terms of control. This subscription offer is available completely free of charge - there are no strings attached, this is not a trial offer, and you will not be sent an invoice!..bit unclear what VSJ stands for, possibly Visual Studio Journal...
... ? ... Doug Engelbart Mind-dump.......(31 page PDF but well worth it..)...
... ? 10yrs (nearly) of the Browser...On April 22, 1993, a group of students at the University of Illinois released a piece of computer code designed to get information from various public networks. Little did they know that their pet project, a humble application named Mosaic, would fundamentally change everyday life. While Web browsers with graphical interfaces had traded hands among academics years earlier, Mosaic was the first to be widely adopted and introduce the masses to the Internet.
... ? NHS booklet HC11 - Are you entitled to help with health costs?... I hate being on the receiving end of such bad design & layout (although to give them credit, trying to present this information in any simple way would be quite a task...)...Attempting to work out whether my upcoming dentistry is covered by the NHS seems stupidly over-complicated. I guess I sit in the same difficult position as many others; that middling-mass that earn too much to claim anything, but too little to be able to afford the treatment...The surgury involved itself is worrying enough without all this additional pressure & anxiety... I know I exist within a privilaged system and I do consider myself lucky, but that doesn't stop these small feeling of being let down...
... ? Manual on Uniform Traffic Control DevicesThis Web site is devoted to information about the Millennium Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The MUTCD contains standards for traffic control devices that regulate, warn, and guide road users along the highways and byways in all 50 States. Traffic control devices are important because they optimize traffic performance, promote uniformity nationwide, and help improve safety by reducing the number and severity of traffic crashes.
... ? BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | New test for Sars virusA German biotechnology company is distributing a new high-speed test for Sars, as China expresses grave concerns about the spread of the virus.
... ? The State News - www.statenews.comStudent leaders are urging caution in protecting personal rights as police aggressively pursue punishment for those involved in the March 28-30 disturbances. "While I condemn the students who participated in this riot, I don't want to create a situation where students are constantly looking over their shoulders." said Kevin Glandon, director of community affairs for ASMSU. "It's not illegal to take a picture."
... ? pallalink....
... ? health.com :: Tunnel of Love: Sex in an MRI ScannerAntoine Faix, a researcher in Montpellier, France, is one of those who have looked at what happens inside the body during sex. He and his colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see how a woman's internal anatomy accommodates a penis in different sexual positions.Safe for viewing at work BTW...
... ? Telegraph | News | Lights! Camera! Retake!The Honda Accord campaign launched last week looks certain to become an advertising legend. Quentin Letts goes behind the scenesSee V-2 for an interesting view on how this isn't quite as groundbreaking as people are saying...
... ? CNN.com - Scientists map suspected SARS virus genome - Apr. 14, 20032003-04-14ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Researchers in Canada and the United States, working independently, announced they sequenced the genome for the suspected cause of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Researchers can use the information "to begin to target antiviral drugs, to form the basis for developing vaccines, and to develop diagnostic tests that can lead to early detection," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
... ? Scientific American: Hearing Colors, Tasting ShapesPeople with synesthesia--whose senses blend together--are providing valuable clues to understanding the organization and functions of the human brain
... ?Wired News: Hey, Who's That Face in My Song? The spooky image of a creature with a diabolical grin has been accidentally discovered on Aphex Twin's Windowlicker EP, a 1999 hit. The sinister face is revealed when the song is played on a computer through special software that visualizes sound waves. matt at gusset.co.uk reminded me of these old artlces from Wired & Slashdot about the Steganographic images hidden on the Windowlicker EP... Slashdot: Music Meets Steganography The guy who found it...
... ? Saatchi's new shock tactics..
... ? Corrections and clarifications..An description of the mole, in a column, page 7, G2, yesterday, referred to its "weird, spazzy, claws". The use of "spazzy" is totally contrary to the Guardian's approach to disability.(via NTK)..
... ? Steganography RevealedOver the past couple of years, steganography has been the source of a lot of discussion, particularly as it was suspected that terrorists connected with the September 11 attacks might have used it for covert communications. While no such connection has been proven, the concern points out the effectiveness of steganography as a means of obscuring data. Indeed, along with encryption, steganography is one of the fundamental ways by which data can be kept confidential. This article will offer a brief introductory discussion of steganography: what it is, how it can be used, and the true implications it can have on information security.
... ? Speculation about Microsoft's mysterious X#
... ? Mobile Phone Games To Generate $7 Billion By 2008
... ? New iPod design with dock, 30GB model due by month's endA re-designed Apple iPod in two new hard drive sizes with control buttons and a docking/charging station will be announced toward the end of April, sources have confirmed to Think Secret. The new models will be available in 15GB and 30GB sizes, as the 5GB and 20GB models will be discontinued. In addition, Apple's new music service is expected to be announced at the same time the new iPod's debut.
... ?New GESCOM ISS:SA ... It's a great time to be an AE fan...CD version includes the track previewed during the Radio 1 Skam show...
... ? Lou Rosenfeld and Steve Krug on the User Experience Consulting Experience
... ? New ScientistNow, there are no substantial holes left in the string of three billion base units that make up our chromosomes and determine our biology. There are still parts that are technically unsequenceable, says Collins, "but it's only about 1.5 per cent. That's what we called the finishing line when we began this enterprise, and now we've actually done it."
... ? The Observer | UK News | Students make 'E' to pay off their loans
... ? The Observer | Review | Death becomes herGuy Bourdin influenced a generation of photographers with sadistic images drawn from his own appetite for sexual perversion. Now a retrospective reveals his tortured genius
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts reviews | Autechre: Draft 7.30This twitching-and-glitching is a lesson on what your ears take for granted. Life without repetitive beats, basslines and tunes may feel like a musical version of purifying yourself with hessian underpants, but Sean Booth and Rob Brown insist that once your brain starts spinning at the same speed as the CD, all will be revealed. And it is, if you give it a right good listening to - an unfashionable demand for a CD to make. Buried in this splintered, maths-driven world, down there with the metal insects, are shards of musical convention that keep a humanity alive: offcuts from grooves, traces of symphonic strings, limping breakbeats, a weird oriental tune. What sounds like computer confusion becomes quite a beautiful picture of the chaos of your brain. Autechre show an admirable resistance to all those letters they get explaining how they should make their stuff work on the dancefloor.
... ? ZNet | Anti War | Turkey and The US War On Iraq
... ? ZNet | VisionStrategy | Noam Chomsky Interviewed2003-04-13The agenda, as always, begins with trying to find out what is happening in the world, and then doing something about it, as we can, better than anyone else. Few share our privilege, power, and freedom -- hence responsibility. That should be another truism.
... ?Yo-Yos With Mystery Fluid Worry Agency and Parents
She considers herself a careful mother and doesn't even let her children play with rubber balloons, which she calls dangerous....hmm...I'm so glad someone is doing something about this hidden danger. The only sensible parenting solution I've been able to come up that would satisfy this mother involves lamination...Wipeable, Stackable Kids...with handles... Anyway...by the look of the thing, the mystery fluid would be the least of my worries....
... ? Maggot Art
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Drawing fire
... ? Witnessing the Truth David Loyn - openDemocracyBBC correspondent David Loyn asks what happened to the objectivity that underpins good old-fashioned reporting. There should be no 'peace journalism' or 'war journalism', he argues. Reporters can only 'witness the truth'. "I am with the war photographer Guthrie, in Tom Stoppard’s play Night and Day, who says, ‘I’ve been around a lot of places. People do awful things to each other. But it’s worse in places where everybody is kept in the dark. It really is. Information is light. Information, in itself, about anything, is light. That’s all you can say really.’ "
... ? Bin Laden, Dostoevsky and the reality principle: an interview with André Glücksmann André Glucksmann - openDemocracyEurope is trapped by complacency and an all too human desire for oblivious contentment, says a leading French philosopher. This helps ensure the success of the nihilistic terror and extremist ideology exemplified by al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein. Nobody wants war – but genocide is worse than war.
... ? Retail Alphabet Game2003-04-12
... ? Amazon.co.uk: DVD: Tron - Special Edition [1982]...10 quid....Did someone say BARGAIN or what?...
... ? Google Directory - Arts > Movies > Titles > T > Tron Series > Tron....
... ?Tron (1982)...Easily wins my "Best Film that isn't PI" award....The 20th anniversary "Collectors Edition" is the one to go for (I seem to recall the original DVD release was a real shite transfer....No such problems with this set tho...)...
Difficult to say how influential that whole TRON aeshetic has been on me, the look & texture has certainly stayed with me in a big way...A must see really...A Year Zero film...
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Blix: US was bent on warWar against Iraq was a foregone conclusion months before the first shot was fired, the chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has claimed. In a scathing attack on Britain and the US, Mr Blix accused them of planning the war "well in advance" and of "fabricating" evidence against Iraq to justify their campaign. Letting rip after months of frustration, he told the Spanish daily El Pais: "There is evidence that this war was planned well in advance. Sometimes this raises doubts about their attitude to the [weapons] inspections."
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Life | The battle for American scienceCreationists, pro-lifers and conservatives now pose a serious threat to research and science teaching in the US, report Oliver Burkeman and Alok Jha.. "Intelligent Design"??..Pur-lease!!...This would be almost funny, if we're weren't entering a century when Genetics will reign & shape our lives in ways unimaginable...Kids need arming with information now, not fed some newspeak voodoo...
... ?Indigen - Infos
Indigen est un court-métrage d'animation en images de synthèse réalisé dans le cadre de notre spécialisation en infographie au sein de Supinfocom. Dans une savane ou subsistent les traces de guerres révolues, Koundou, jeune chasseur africain, protège son repas d'un adversaire aussi stupide que résistant... La production du film (scénario, story-board, production, post-production) nous a demandé 6 mois de travail pour un film d'une durée de 5 min.Great piece of animation...Dunno what the above means but it makes me look a little cultured so it stays....
... ? FUSED returns.....great to have you back, Ren...
... ? I, Cringely | The PulpitOut of the Mouths of Dogs Bob Finds a Few Facts That Simply Don't Compute
... ? We Are 10 ... Old Microsite for the WARP WE ARE 10 Celebrations and releases...Cool screensavers; TDR at it's finest...
... ? Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | In pursuit of the factsSecond world war battles led Antony Beevor into tussles with reluctant archivists
... ?Guardian Unlimited | Arts critics | This is a stick-up
The floor's disappeared, Rodin's lovers have been tied up and half the exhibits are outside. There's nothing gentle about Days Like These, says Adrian Searle
... ?Guardian Unlimited | Arts Friday Review | Don't hang the DJ
Can this be true? Morrissey has mixed a compilation album - featuring the Ramones, Patti Smith... and Diana Dors. Alexis Petridis reports
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Sonic adventurersMore esoteric artists have looked to "instruments" such as live rodents, rhinoplasty and cooking kohlrabi for their musical properties. Electronic musicians Aaron Funk (aka Venetian Snares) and Rachael Kozak (aka Hecate) are due to release an album made entirely from the sounds of sex, captured direct to MiniDisc while the lovers toured Belgium.
... ? Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Love and poisonBritpop was the most exciting era in UK music for decades; and at the heart of it was a vicious rivalry between Suede's Brett Anderson and Blur's Damon Albarn. Lighting the fire was Justine Frischmann, lover of both and founder of Elastica. John Harris untangles the backstabbing, the drugs, the disorienting success locking them together in an indie soap opera
... ? My Oscar "Backlash": "Stupid White Men" Back At #1, "Bowling" Breaks New Records
... ? FileShack.com
... ? Magazine...
... ? Wired 11.05: To Live and Die in L.A.To Live and Die in L.A. Information leaks, bid-rigging, pumping and dumping. Just another day inside the secret network that will make or break you in Hollywood.
... ? HTML: Adding a Favorite Icon to Your Site (favicon.ico)
... ? Green Eclipse Software..Cool Freeware Utils...
... ?O'Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf... Much as I love the physical side of books & their sublime interface I've subbed up my $9.99 monthly fee for this system... Despite being unsure how practicable this will be in day to day use, I'm more than willing to do my little bit to support the idea...This wouldn't work for the vast majority of publishing houses. O'Reillys synonymous with Quality IT Publishing in my experience and so I've no doubts about signing-up site unseen (so to speak...)... The Music Industry & its online efforts could learn a lot from these people... I'll keep you posted how the service goes...
... ? TASCHEN Books: Design & Interiors - Between the Covers - Avant-garde graphics from around the globeAvant-garde graphics from around the globe Introduction to the book 'Graphic Design for the 21st Century', by Charlotte and Peter Fiell Over the last decade the practice of graphic design has undergone a momentous change as pixels have become a handy substitute for print and software has lessened the profession's reliance on its traditional tools of pen and paper. In no other discipline of design has computer technology had such a transforming impact, and this is why "Graphic Design for the 21st Century" has been dedicated to the thoughts and visions of designers working at today's graphic coalface. The one hundred designers included in this celebration of contemporary graphic design have been specifically selected for the forward-looking nature of their work. From the Netherlands and Switzerland to America and Iceland to Japan and Australia, this book features a truly international sampling of graphic design that reveals a shared desire to communicate ideas and values in the most visually compelling way possible....Beautifully written excerpt, the entire Introduction I believe, from the TASCHEN "Graphic Design for the 21st Century" book I posted about recently... I must confess it does give me more than a tiny thrill to see my TASCHENs and O'REILLYs resting amidst each other on my crowded bookcase...And it always messes with peoples knee-jerk Venn-Diagrammism when it comes to the technical and the creative & how "you are either one or the other.."..(The "You're either with us or Against us" mindset that reduces language to little more than a grunt....)....
... ?2003-04-11TASCHEN Books: Digital - All Titles - 500 3D Objects Vol. II - Facts
Architects, designers, graphics professionals, and 3D junkies take note: here are 500 more 3D models to fuel your creative projects. This time around we’ve updated the introduction and “how-to” parts of the book, with a history of 3D, a description of the key players, and an explanation of how 3D is used in movies, graphics, industry, games, and architecture, as well as a section dedicated to showing how others have put 3D models to creative use. We’ve also added some new categories in Volume II: airports & space, bathroom furniture, contemporary furniture, antique furniture, plants, sculpture, and sports. Of course, included in the bargain price of this book is the right to use the models and the rendered images for any purpose you can think of!
... ? Human clones doomed?Whether or not rogue scientists could clone a human is hotly debated. After 6 years trying, on over 700 monkey eggs, Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh says not.
... ? Salon.com Technology | Steal this barcode
... ?Nice Interview from the April issue of Future Music....and the source of so many AFX myths....
... ? ..... More to follow... E me any mutations etc. or if you want a hi-res copy... Beats bloody Kittens for Wallpaper anyday....
... ? lovebytes2003
... ? AIM IV_Interference_Patterns
... ? Make a Movie With Digital Stills - RES Magazine
... ? CG Talk - Digital Visual Effects Professionals...must resist urge to join yet another community...Too much work to do already without more endless chat.... Shit...I sound like my Dad...
... ? Iconico - WebToolsThe Webtools is a must for any HTML coder or web designer. Ever wanted to instantly see all the forms, images or styles on a page? Ever wanted to see how the tables are laid out on your favorite site? Well now you can, and you can also see them on any page on the net! Webtools manipulates the HTML that you view, providing reports and that hard to find information that will make you wonder why you ever 'Viewed Source'Might have mentioned this before; I've been using daily at work for a few months; very very useful....this YH: Useful Programs Thread reminded me to get it working on the rest of these machines....
... ? Guardian Unlimited Observer | Review | Observer review: Homeland by Nick RyanNick Ryan's far-ranging study of neo-Nazis, Homeland, finds that race hate wears the same face in Essex and TennesseeAuthor of the award winning piece below... I've oftened commneted to my trans-atlantic friends that the choice of "Homelands" as a suitable post911 word for use in US Govt circles must surely be an Orwellian joke...
... ? ...nazi fuckers......The Railway Tavern is a small, grotty pub with peeling green paint, squatting inconspicuously opposite Chelmsford railway station. Inside, Charlie and Steve Sargent are sitting silently, awaiting my arrival. Charlie is in a dark, tetchy mood, answering questions with a brief "eah" or "naa". A baseball cap is perched precariously on his large head. As the "Big Man" of C18, he has already warned me at our previous meeting "not to stitch us up, or we'll fuck you over badly". I have come to see the brothers on home territory - their power base - to try and understand something about them as people, about their motivation and their aims for the future. This bustling Essex commuter town, with its territorial pubs and large, white council estates, will be the centre, C18 argues, for a paramilitary struggle. The group will slowly and surely take over the estates, populated as they see it by white East End emigrÈs, and become the dominant political force in the area. Like other such areas, Chelmsford has a schizophrenic character. On the one hand, there are quiet, suburban parks and green-belt areas. Marconi has its headquarters there. Bright Christmas lights hang over the old market area and a single tiny mosque nestles inconspicuously behind a curry house. From this angle, it seems a quiet, suburban commuter town. However, the street with the longest row of pubs is known locally as "The Road of Death", due to the number of fights which take place there. At weekends, young lads from the surrounding towns and villages pile into nightclubs - looking, as Steve Sargent says, "for booze, a shag and a fight". And the predominantly white, working-class estates have proved themselves to be an ideal breeding ground for the insularity and youthful discontent upon which C18 thrives."... Voting time again here soon....These jokers, too lame a phrase I know, always try it on and take 100 votes as some sort of "Mandate from the people"...More like a "Note from your Mum".. As promised, Minty.... sorry for delay....being lumbered with Sloth DNA is no phun...I owe ya a drink now...(Catch ya at the Weekend probably...)...
