3.31.2000

Constructor "animates and edits two dimensional models made out of masses and springs". And it's just plain fun.
posted 3/31/2000 (link me, baby)
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Heh.

• A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers
• Memo from the Consortium for Slow Commotion Research (CSCR)
• Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP/1.0)
• IP over Avian Carriers with Quality of Service
• Y10K and Beyond
• The Infinite Monkey Protocol Suite (IMPS)
• CREATORS ADMIT UNIX, C HOAX
• Internet Cleaning Notice

posted 3/31/2000 (link me, baby)
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Groovy map of China from 1808.
posted 3/31/2000 (link me, baby)
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The World Wide Phone Guide has great information on hooking up your modem "just about anywhere". I was especially interested in the stuff on digital phone systems (near the bottom of the webpage) and the list of resources is very helpful.

You can also get some good traveling/getting online type tips from a couple of TidBITS articles

• Working Off the Beaten Track
• Working Off the Beaten Track, Part 2.

posted 3/31/2000 (link me, baby)
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Finally, an answer to the question, Why do Windows Web Pages Have Tiny Text? Here's the quick summary, "Because Windows thinks monitors use a screen resolution of 96 dpi by default, rather than the Mac's 72 dpi, Windows-based Web designers often lower the font size so text doesn't appear too large for Windows users. Mac users are then faced with tiny text that's hard to read."
posted 3/31/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.28.2000

You may feel the need to write your name in Inuit (Eskimo), Mayan Glyphs or Egyptian hieroglyphics.
posted 3/28/2000 (link me, baby)
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I've found the grail. It's the Douglas Adams Quote Directory. At last.
posted 3/28/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.27.2000

CounterPunch just printed a story about CNN and the military PSYOPS. Their story is based on the findings of a Dutch journalist, Abe de Vries.

"The facts are", De Vries told me, " that the US Army, US Special Operations Command and CNN personnel confirmed to me that military personnel have been involved in news production at CNN's newsdesks. I found it simply astonishing. Of course CNN says these psyops personnel didn't decide anything, write news reports, etcetera. What else can they say. Maybe it's true, maybe not. The point is that these kind of close ties with the army are, in my view, completely unacceptable for any serious news organization. Maybe even more astonishing is the complete silence about the story from the big media. To my knowledge, my story was not mentioned by leading American or British newspapers, nor by Reuters or AP."
posted 3/27/2000 (link me, baby)
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Hmmm... printers with their own IPs. You can print remotely to them without running the associated application. Too bad they're so expensive.
posted 3/27/2000 (link me, baby)
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Monster.com's offices are decorated with diagonally striped purple and lime green carpeting. The designer says, "It had to scream energy. It had to scream attitude." I think if I had to work there, I'd just have to scream period.
posted 3/27/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.25.2000

"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media."
--Former CIA Director William Colby
posted 3/25/2000 (link me, baby)
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The U.S. may not have the highest literacy rate, but at least we have the most death row prisoners. What a great feeling.

"The U.S.A. has the highest known death row population on earth: over 3,300 people await their deaths at the hands of U.S. authorities."
--Amnesty International "United States of America--Rights for All," October 1998
posted 3/25/2000 (link me, baby)
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VarsityBooks.com is handing out a buttload of scholarships. They're giving out 16 scholarships each month totaling $45,000 and an additional $25,000 scholarship for the top submission of the year. So, I guess I'm not sure exactly how these guys make money. I bought my school texts from them for less than I could find anywhere else. And now they're giving out all these scholarships. Maybe they forgot they're supposed to make a profit?
posted 3/25/2000 (link me, baby)
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Just in case there's anyone out there who thinks we just don't spend enough on defense here in the U.S.... This is a quote from former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, in a letter to the UN, November 1998:

"The United States spends more on arms annually, $275 billion presently, than the rest of the Security Council combined. U.S. arms expenditures are approximately 25 times the gross national product of Iraq. The U.S. has in its stockpiles more nuclear bombs, chemical and biological weapons, more aircraft, rockets and delivery systems in number and sophistication than the rest of the world combined. Included are twenty commissioned Trident II nuclear submarines any one of which could destroy Europe."
posted 3/25/2000 (link me, baby)
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A couple of interesting things from a recently released report by the United Nations Development Program, entitled "Human Development Report 1999":

• "The income gap between the fifth of the world's people living in the richest countries and the fifth in the poorest was 74 to 1 in 1997, up from 60 to 1 in 1990 and 30 to 1 in 1960."
• "By the late 1990s the fifth of the world's people living in the highest income countries had 86% of the world GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the bottom fifth just 1%."
• "The assets of the three richest people were more than the combined GNP of the 48 least developed countries. (Comprising some 600 million people.)"
• "The assets of the 200 richest people are more than the combined income of 41% of the world's people."

So, the next time someone mentions our fabulous economy and how well off everyone is, you give them a sharp smack. And remember these words from Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1916-1939, "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
posted 3/25/2000 (link me, baby)
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I found this statistic interesting. It's from InternetStats.Com. The leading languages online:

1. English 148,500,000
2. Japanese 19,800,000
3. Spanish 17,000,000
4. Chinese 15,100,000
5. French 10,900,000
6. Korean 10,400,000
7. Italian 9,700,000

posted 3/25/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.24.2000

I wanna WAP device! Dangit. I think the Nokia 9110i is neat, especially since it has a keyboard. I love my palm, but I can sure type faster than I can scrawl. However, I admit, the best looking is the Benefon 'Q' and the Ericsson Communicator. Ooo-la-la.
posted 3/24/2000 (link me, baby)
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FreePad is one of the many neat things I bumped into today.
posted 3/24/2000 (link me, baby)
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People are certainly doing interesting things with magnets these days. NASA has created a couple of magnetic levitation tracks to give a rocket a running start before it has to switch to rocket engines. Once again those wacky NASA guys have a really oddball little graphic on their page. And regular, non-NASA types are messing around with magnets, too.
posted 3/24/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.23.2000

I love this site from NASA. You can see which satellites will pass over your area at what times. You can also watch various satellites moving around in real time. And you can view them in 3-D.

Eros is an asteroid in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Four years ago, a rocket was launched with the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft perched on top of it. NEAR's objective is to go into orbit around Eros. It finally reached Eros and began it's orbit in February. It's getting a great close-up view of Eros and providing NASA scientists with lots of fabulous data concerning Near Earth Objects (NEOs). In December, it will be orbiting only 21 miles above Eros! While you're visiting this nifty NASA site, try and figure out what the little grey animal is near the bottom of the webpage. He's a cute little critter in a violet colored box, but I have no idea what the heck he is! I like his little rumba.
posted 3/23/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.22.2000

What is "existential crunch"? Find out.
posted 3/22/2000 (link me, baby)
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Another way of tracking users: web bugs.
posted 3/22/2000 (link me, baby)
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If you think personal information is easy to obtain on the internet, you'll be shocked to find out what's available over the phone. As private investigator, Ted Moss, says, "That's how private investigators have always gotten their information. We find out more from talking to public servants than we ever do from the Internet." An interesting story from Individual.com.
posted 3/22/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.21.2000

The following is a message from the Dalai Lama. Since I think he's about as enlightened as you can get, I'm passing it along via my blog.

The Dalai Lama has asked that the following practice be shared with as many people as possible.

A group recently spent days visiting with the Dalai Lama focusing upon what they believe are the five most important questions to be considered as we move into the new millenium.

The five questions were:

1. How do we address the widening gap between rich and poor?
2. How do we protect the earth?
3. How do we educate our children?
4. How do we help Tibet and other oppressed countries and peoples of the world?
5. How do we bring spirituality (deep caring for one another) through all disciplines of life?

The Dalai Lama said all five questions fall under the last one. If we have true compassion in our hearts, our children will be educated wisely, we will care for the earth, those who "have not" will be cared for. The group asked the Dalai Lama, "Do you think love on the planet is increasing or staying the same?" His response: "My experience leads me to believe that love IS increasing." He shared a simple practice that will increase love and compassion in the world. He asked everyone in the group to share it with as many people as they can.

The Practice:

1. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering we all want the same things (to be happy and to be loved) and we are all connected to one another.
2. Spend 5 minutes - breathing in - cherishing yourself; and breathing out - cherishing others. If you think about people you have difficulty cherishing, extend your cherishing to them anyway.
3. During the day extend that attitude to everyone you meet. Practice cherishing the "simplest" person (clerks, attendants etc.) as well as the "important" people in your life; cherish people you love and the people you dislike.
4. Continue this practice no matter what happens or what anyone does to you. These thoughts are very simple, inspiring and helpful. The practice of cherishing can be taken very deep if done wordlessly, allowing yourself to feel the love and appreciation that already exist in your heart.

Will you commit to creating Peace in yourself and thereby "On Earth" by spending 10 minutes a day with this simple meditation? Peace on Earth, Good Will to All - Not a Season, it's a daily practice. Please pass this on to as many people as you can.
posted 3/21/2000 (link me, baby)
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Well, I don't think any of our systems people would agree with this description of windows from KatieSoft.

"katiesoft is an award-winning software tool that is built upon the solid Internet technology of the Windows operating system. katiesoft is compatible with most Internet browsers and versions of the Windows operating system."
posted 3/21/2000 (link me, baby)
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A statue of the Buddha, 500 feet tall, is being built in India. That's more than 3 times taller than the Statue of Liberty. The current "world's tallest Buddha" in Tokyo is a scant 394 feet tall. A British firm in Sheffield will be building it. Thanks to Ed Portal's net.Headlines for this bit of news.
posted 3/21/2000 (link me, baby)
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Wow, it's the coolest mug ever!
posted 3/21/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.20.2000

How many clicks does it take to get from one randomly selected webpage to another? Researchers at the University of Notre Dame say that there are 19 clicks of separation. They state that the web is "developing along the same mathematical principles that govern the organic development of plants in the natural world." Very interesting!
posted 3/20/2000 (link me, baby)
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How many clicks does it take to get from one randomly selected webpage to another? Researchers at the University of Notre Dame say that there are 19 clicks of separation. They state that the web is "developing along the same mathematical principles that govern the organic development of plants in the natural world." Very interesting!
posted 3/20/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.17.2000

Wow, blogblog shows up on this nifty picture of weblogs!
posted 3/17/2000 (link me, baby)
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I just watched a great piece of film noir, called Detour. It's a terrific movie, starring Tom Neal and Ann Savage. And, wow! That Ann Savage is really something! What an incredible actor! She appeared in person at American Cinematheque's First Annual Festival of Film Noir. It sure would've been neat to meet her.
posted 3/17/2000 (link me, baby)
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Which is more popular? coke or pepsi? netscape or explorer? Bill Gates or Steve Jobs? Let the web decide.
posted 3/17/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.16.2000

Groovy. It's the Poor man's Lava Lamp.
posted 3/16/2000 (link me, baby)
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Well, I don't know, but this just seems like a good idea. It's the Tour de Butt.
posted 3/16/2000 (link me, baby)
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My favorite state quarter so far...
posted 3/16/2000 (link me, baby)
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Yowza! I'm now part of the webloggers webring. Right on.
posted 3/16/2000 (link me, baby)
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Just in case you've ever wondered where your money's been.
posted 3/16/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.15.2000

So, whenever I create a form, I test it and I like to use humorous names, so I get responses like this!
posted 3/15/2000 (link me, baby)
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The mainstream media drive me crazy and although they're fun to analyze and poke, I certainly wouldn't want to get my news from them! A good place to go is AlterNet. They were created by the Independent Media Institute. WebActive is another good one. I love FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting). And I have some other good resources on my bookmarks page under "news & politics".
posted 3/15/2000 (link me, baby)
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Hmmm... one is now able to send email into outer space. You probably thought you were already doing that when you replied to email from pacbell's helpful customer service people. Well, yes, you were. But, now you have the opportunity to pay for the privilege!
posted 3/15/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.14.2000

So, I haven't been blogging lately, because I'm trying to write a paper for my class. Thanks goodness for all these fab About.com Chinese Opera links! Yes, my paper is on Beijing Opera. Did you know there are over 1,000 types of painted face in Beijing style opera? Here are a few examples. And here are some great pictures of costumed performers. It's in Chinese, but just click on the links. My personal favorite.
posted 3/14/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.10.2000

Well, since we're on the topic of animal cams.. don't forget the Panda Cam! Panda! Panda! Panda!
posted 3/10/2000 (link me, baby)
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Absolutely hands-down the most fabulous thing I ran across today is OinkerNet Guinea Pig TeleVision - Almost Live!. Dig it.
posted 3/10/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.9.2000

Philip Agee worked for the CIA, but quit during the Vietnam War. He later exposed various undercover agency officers and operations around the world and wrote a book called, "Inside the Company: A CIA Diary." Now, he's involved in a Cuban travel agency. Interesting, eh? Find out why.
posted 3/9/2000 (link me, baby)
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Unravel the mysteries of email attachments. Here's the exciting conclusion.
posted 3/9/2000 (link me, baby)
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Dig Wendy' Stalking Techniques. These ought to come in handy.
posted 3/9/2000 (link me, baby)
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Laugh your ass off with this review of Disgusting Digital Stench Technology. I know I did. But, my cats slept through it. It was published in the Pigdog Journal.
posted 3/9/2000 (link me, baby)
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Holy Mackerel! VarsityBooks.com is giving away tons of scholarships! They're giving away 16 scholarships totaling $45,000 each month, plus one $25,000 scholarship for the top submission of the year. Man, that's alot of money.
posted 3/9/2000 (link me, baby)
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I've been using this really keen program called Kaleidoscope. It allows you to customize your mac's interface. It's extremely groovy, very fun and hasn't muffed anything up on my machine! What more could you ask for?
posted 3/9/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.7.2000

On March 1st, the State of Texas executed Odell Barnes Jr. He was innocent. His last words were, "I thank you for proving my innocence, although it has not been acknowledged in the courts. May you continue in the struggle and may you change all that's being done here today and in the past."
posted 3/7/2000 (link me, baby)
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These are the most vivid peeps I've ever seen.
posted 3/7/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.6.2000

The SF Bay Guardian is a resource I trust. Check out their endorsements. I also trust Sonoma County Conservation Action. Although I hate their homepage. The design is like the opposite of what they represent!

Once again, I'm voting for Ralph Nader. The Greens have nominated him. Why would he make a good president?
posted 3/6/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.2.2000

Gee, as a library worker, I had no idea I was working in a pit of perversion. According to Dr.Laura, I certainly am. Apparently the American Library Association has the audacity to link to websites that offer kids and teens actual information about their bodies, health and nutrition issues, emotional health, drug and alcohol use, relationships and sex. One of the websites that Dr. Laura criticizes is Go Ask Alice, which is maintained by those notorious perverts, The Columbia University Health Education Program. Hilariously, Dr.Laura's own website not only provides the url for Go Ask Alice, but also includes excerpts from the website! That nucklehead! Now kids have even more access to Go Ask Alice. (Which, btw, is quite an informative and nifty site.) Get even more irritated with Dr. Laura... read her monologues. You might want to get involved in giving the ax to her new tv show. Hmmm... looks like HateWatch finds Dr.Laura as irritating as I do.
posted 3/2/2000 (link me, baby)
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3.1.2000

Ahhh... Great Moments in the History of the University. Gee, there are so many to choose from. Here's one in particular that I enjoyed:

"It was at Wittenburg in 1517 that Martin Luther posted his theses on the doors of the church, and challenged anyone to debate them with him. At first, no one answered his challenge, but soon Luther was invited to Leipzig University to debate the issue of papal indulgences. At that time, the academic world was a little more demonstrative of its opinions than it is today, and Luther arrived with his colleagues and two hundred muscular students, carrying battle axes. His opponent in the debate, Dr. John Eck, had a round the clock escort of seventy-six well armed men. Remarkably, no bloodshed occurred, though the issues remained unresolved after the debate."
posted 3/1/2000 (link me, baby)
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Travel down this webpage a bit and discover a little something about El Santo. El Santo was a silver-masked wrestler who went on to become a tv and film star in Mexican. He's still very popular and considered a super-hero. His children thought he was a traveling salesman and discovered his identity by accident!
posted 3/1/2000 (link me, baby)
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This sort of thing always piques my interest. It's an "internet appliance" called i-opener. I think this (or something like it) will be the reason everyone (practically) gets online. Just from my experience here in the library, I know that many people want online with no muss and no fuss. This is probably the best way to do it.
posted 3/1/2000 (link me, baby)
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