February 2009
0 posts
Privacy in the Age of Persistence →
Bruce Schneier recently wrote another essay on privacy for the BBC concentrating on how data seems to be the “pollution of the information age” and where this seems to be leading. “We’re not going to…
FAIL Stickers, Helping You Publicly Call Out... →
Go Media is selling wonderful FAIL stickers that help you publicly call out real-life failures. They feature the authentic Impact font and a clear background to help produce the realistic…
Safari 4 Released, Claimed "30 Times Faster... →
CNETNate writes “Apple has released the beta version of Safari 4 for Mac and PC, with claims that its Nitro rendering engine is ‘30 times faster than IE7,’ and three times faster than Firefox 3….
Tearful Atlanta Cops Express Remorse for Shooting... →
I liked Radley Balko’s headline for this story (about three Atlanta police officers who are going to prison) so much that I copied it above. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
The trio of…
Urine-to-Fertilizer kit →
drinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee is an art installation based on converting urine into houseplant fertilizer or even drinking water. Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray created it last year and…
Chinese bluegrass video →
This is a fine example of “Chinese bluegrass” performed by Mei Han’s Red Chamber 紅庭 with John Reischman and the Jaybirds. The instruments include an iluqin, mandolin, bass, pipa, guitar,…
FAIL Stickers, Helping You Publicly Call Out... →
Go Media is selling wonderful FAIL stickers that help you publicly call out real-life failures. They feature the authentic Impact font and a clear background to help produce the realistic…
Safari 4 Released, Claimed "30 Times Faster... →
CNETNate writes “Apple has released the beta version of Safari 4 for Mac and PC, with claims that its Nitro rendering engine is ‘30 times faster than IE7,’ and three times faster than Firefox 3….
Gmail back after two-hour outage →
Google’s Gmail service was unavailable starting around 10:30 AM GMT on Tuesday, but it appeared to come back online for most…
Leaked Snow Leopard Grabs Reveal Slimmer, Faster... →
The next generation of Apple’s Mac OS X, dubbed Snow Leopard, will focus on stability and speed improvements rather than flashy new features, but what do those improvements look like?
DoubleTwist Beta for Mac Offers Easy Media... →
Startup company doubleTwist has launched a public beta of their new universal media application for the Mac today. Their vision for the product is “a single, streamlined interface that connects to…
Microsoft Office vulnerability affects Excel for... →
Microsoft said a new vulnerability that allows remote code execution affects Mac users, as well as Windows users.
Tearful Atlanta Cops Express Remorse for Shooting... →
I liked Radley Balko’s headline for this story (about three Atlanta police officers who are going to prison) so much that I copied it above. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
The trio of…
Chinese bluegrass video →
This is a fine example of “Chinese bluegrass” performed by Mei Han’s Red Chamber 紅庭 with John Reischman and the Jaybirds. The instruments include an iluqin, mandolin, bass, pipa, guitar,…
Urine-to-Fertilizer kit →
drinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee is an art installation based on converting urine into houseplant fertilizer or even drinking water. Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray created it last year and…
Mardi Gras, about 70 years ago, New Orleans LA. →
Amateur (silent) film from the Prelinger Archives: New Orleans Carnival Week, February 22, 1941. Mardi Gras this year is tomorrow, Tuesday February 24, 2009.
Mardi Gras, about 70 years ago, New Orleans LA. →
Amateur (silent) film from the Prelinger Archives: New Orleans Carnival Week, February 22, 1941. Mardi Gras this year is tomorrow, Tuesday February 24, 2009.
Apple releases public beta of Safari 4 →
Apple on Tuesday released Safari 4 public beta with many new features, including Top Sites and Cover Flow.
New dual internal hard drive option available for... →
MacBook and PowerMac G4 users who don’t need an internal optical drive can now replace it for a custom fit hard drive case, providing a secondary drive for as much as 1 TB of total disk storage and…
Judge Nixes McCain's 'Completely Unaware'... →
Sen. John McCain says he was an unwitting dupe when the Republican National Committee used Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” in a presidential campaign commercial. The Arizona Republican is…
Help Save San Francisco’s DNA Lounge →
Our friends at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco are having a tough time with the The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control who appear to be trying to force them out of…
Mardi Gras, about 70 years ago, New Orleans LA. →
Amateur (silent) film from the Prelinger Archives: New Orleans Carnival Week, February 22, 1941. Mardi Gras this year is tomorrow, Tuesday February 24, 2009.
Get Up, Stand Up: Ammiano Introduces Marijuana... →
The famously funny lawmaker reined himself in, presenting “The Marijuana Control, regulation and education act (AB 390)” as a simple matter of fiscal common sense. Betty Yee, the chairwoman of the…
Legalization of Marijuana Bill in California →
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano will announce legislation on Monday to legalize marijuana and earn perhaps $1 billion annually by taxing it.
Drug Deletes Fearful Memories →
Al writes “Technology Review has an article about a common drug that seems to ‘delete’ painful memories related to a fearful experience. Experiments carried out by neuro-scientists at Emory…
The Roots of Statism →
From Zeal for Truth - by Colin Typically, those who are opposed to “pure” libertarianism - which is generally articulated as some form of anarchy or decentralised society - do so on the grounds…
Kevin Kelly reviews The Deniers →
Kevin Kelly reviewed The Deniers in his Cool Tools newsletter.
About 99% of the scientists involved in climate studies, paleontology, atmospheric chemistry, and planetary ecology agree…
Canon Tries To Shut Down "Fake" Canon... →
Thomas Hawk writes “An interesting twist over at the Fake Chuck Westfall Blog. Fake Chuck (like Fake Steve before him) has a blog out parodying Canon’s real Technical Information Advisor Chuck…
Japanese Architecture →
Danny Choo is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. Danny resides in Tokyo, and blogs about life in Japan and Japanese subculture - he also works part time for the empire.
A nice photo…
Our Food is Full of Crap. Also, Rodent Hair,... →
In the wake of the peanut butter salmonella scare (caused by rats, roaches, and other awfulness inside the factory), an op-ed in today’s New York Times examines the government’s standards for…
Bits: Twitter Gets a Style Guide →
For Twitterers who want their twoosh to pass a copy editor’s muster, some suggestions— and the definition of twoosh.
George 'King' Stahlman dies at 85; well-known bail... →
George “King” Stahlman, a bail bondsman and fixture in the community for more than 60 years, died Friday morning of emphysema, his family announced. Stahlman, 85, was known for his gregarious…
Being coached on Getting Things Done →
What a day. Yesterday I spent 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with Michael Dolan, a coach who works for David Allen’s company and helps busy people get their careers to the next level through David Allen’s…
Roald Dahl's "writing hut" →
Here’s a fun tour through author Roald Dahl’s cramped and — let’s admit it, filthy — writing hut. Interesting to see where all the magic happened.
My favorite Dahl story is …
Penis Jousting and 7 Other Great Animal Mating... →
Humans may have Valentine’s Day, but other animals have courtship rituals that make ours pale by comparison.
Willy Wonka-style golden ticket contest for... →
As part of a promotion for the DVD release of The Wackness, the film company has hidden a golden ticket in one of the first 1,000 DVDs. The winner gets a trip to Amsterdam and a free…
The E-Cigarette, A Fake LED Cigarette That Helps... →
Shared by Fatsleroy
I still haven’t gotten around to trying one of these, but I should. Very cool!
Laughing Squid Web Hosting sys admin Adam Elkins demonstrates the E-Cigarette,…
Reactions mixed to ruling that vaccines don't... →
Shared by Fatsleroy
Ignorance is a daunting obstacle.
A federal court’s unprecedented declaration yesterday that childhood vaccines don’t cause autism landed like a punch to the gut for Rebecca…
Fiery objects reported in sky in South County →
SOUTH COUNTY: Reports of some odd, fiery objects in the sky in the South County yesterday evening set law enforcement on a futile search. The FAA had no answers, either.
Clinton won't cancel talk at boycotted hotel →
Despite pressure from supporters of same-sex marriage and organized labor, former President Bill Clinton will speak as planned at a San Diego hotel whose owner gave money to help pass Proposition 8.
Priest files in sex abuse lawsuits to be released →
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said yesterday it will begin to release files of priests accused of molesting parishioners over decades, but a lawyer for many of the victims said the…
Nursing home cited and fined as result of woman's... →
A nursing home in Lemon Grove has been cited and fined $80,000 by the state for failing to properly supervise a 74-year-old woman who caught fire last year while smoking at the facility and later…
“Colorful local celebrity and war hero George “King” Stahlman of...”
– ‘King’ Stahlman Dies At 85
I had the distinct pleasure of working in Stahlman’s building a few years ago. He was indeed a colorful character and I came to truly admire him. I even got to hear him tell the story of how he lost his virginity! Gonna miss you George…
Senator Diane Feinstein Trying to Kill Net...
— Senator Diane Feinstein Trying to Kill Net Neutrality (via feedly)
Federal judge allows rapist sheriff to remain free... →
Bill Keating (above, from this video), a former Texas Sheriff, pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually assaulting a woman, telling her she had to comply or face jail on a drug…
New Feedly combines Google Reader, friendfeed,... →
Edwin Khodabakchian founder of Feedly yesterday showed me why Feedly is cool (I recorded him telling me about what makes Feedly special and demoing these new features): it combines inputs from…
FAA Network Hacked →
coondoggie writes “The Federal Aviation Administration has joined the growing list of government agencies that have had their supposedly safe systems hacked. The agency this week notified about…
False Fact On Wikipedia Proves Itself →
An anonymous reader writes “Germany has a new minister of economic affairs. Mr. von und zu Guttenberg is descended from an old and noble lineage, so his official name is very long: Karl Theodor Maria…
Well: Confusion About Mediterranean Cuisine →
What can countries who created lasagna and steak frites tell us about healthful eating?.
Obama's "Disgraceful Abandonment" of Civil... →
The Wall Street Journal may have said it best today: “On State Secrets and Rendition, Holder Holds the Bush Line.” Or, NPR — “Deja Bush.” Yesterday, the Obama administration invoked the “state…