WizKids - MechWarrior

Man builds own battle mech in back yard.

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | White House acts to shed arrogant image

"The White House will set up a new office to try to salvage America's plummeting image abroad, it was announced yesterday as an independent taskforce reported that even the country's allies saw the US as 'arrogant', 'hypocritical' and 'self-absorbed'. "

Shakespeare vs. Britney Spears

Who is the greater artist?

Woman insists she socked Schell

"A woman came to James Garrett's defense yesterday, telling jurors she bashed then-Mayor Paul Schell in the face last July -- and that she's pretty sure she did it with her fist."

Republicans desperately seeking leadership and ideas

"During the fall of 2000, many of them bluntly warned that if I did not wholeheartedly back Republican George W. Bush, the following terrible things would happen: The Dow-Jones average would lose 4,000 points; the nation's unemployment rate would climb higher than it had been in eight years; historic U.S. budget surpluses would be replaced by budget deficits as far as the eye could see."

Hearing is Believing

"But when the ultrasonic waves interact after being processed by Norris’s creation, they reproduce the original audible frequency. Even better, since the audible frequency is being carried by those ultrasonic signals, it’s highly directional. That means you can effectively “shine” a spot of sound wherever you want it."

Mutable Overview

"Come in, sit down, I'll put the kettle on and we'll have a pot of tea... You will have to excuse the mess - been doing a spot of home improvement and I haven't vacuumed yet."

I should have blogged this ages ago. Clara is an old friend of Farida's who has recently moved to Seattle. There are pictures of our cats and our BBQ in Clara's pictures section. I have also added her to "Blogging the Northwest", so you can now always reach her page from here. Woot!

Mouse Pad Couch

The title says it all.

BookCrossing - Home - FREE YOUR BOOKS!

Toast, who I am always bugging for book recommendations, sent me this link.

Salon.com Books | Fundamentally unsound

I actually wanted to enjoy the Left Behind series, but it was so abysmally awful that I couldn't even finish the first book. I suggest you watch the movie instead. The one starring Kirk Cameron. The one with the "urgent message" from Kirk following the movie. Left Behind is the worst kind of kitch, the most egregious religous pornography, bad fiction that does nothing but reinforce the prejudices of its fans.

Salon.com News | Jumbo flying squid wash ashore in Calif.

From the signs of the apocalypse department:

"Thousands of jumbo flying squid measuring up to 2 feet long have washed ashore at a La Jolla beach, surprising scientists and swimmers."

Hill Set to Toughen Bankruptcy Law (washingtonpost.com)

"The proposed law is promoted by the credit-card industry, which says it is needed to close loopholes that make it too easy for people to wipe out their debts when they could repay some of them."

When in doubt, look to the source. These are the same companies who send me letter after letter inviting me to go into debt to buy luxuries I do not need. Do you trust them?

Espresso tax has businesses, some latte lovers steaming

"I don't have a problem taxing a luxury item. If people are worried about 10 cents, they can get a machine and make it at home."

The article, however, says nothing about the impact this will have on latte stands, many of which are small, independent businesses.

Salon.com News | Seattle man arrested in terror probe

"Ujaama has not been formally charged. Holding him as a material witness -- someone with possibly important information -- allows federal authorities to keep him in custody indefinitely."

Project Cryo

Philos sent me this link to some extreme mouse modification.

deadmalls DOT com

An entire site dedicated to dead malls! WOO HOO!

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Space rock 'on collision course'

"This asteroid has now become the most threatening object in the short history of asteroid detection."

Gephardt Is Preparing a Measure to Legalize Illegal Immigrants

"Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, the minority leader, told a meeting of Hispanic activists in Miami today that he would soon propose legislation to allow illegal immigrants with a work history in this country to qualify for residency. Aides said the measure would probably be introduced in September."

Thanks to Orkgrrrl for the link

Salon.com Life | New study says female brain is wired for emotion

"Canli said a risk factor for depression is rumination, or dwelling on a memory and reviewing it time after time. The study illuminates a possible biological basis for rumination, he said."

Citigroup Said to Mold Deal to Help Enron Skirt Rules

"In the 1999 deal, the records show, the bankers knew that a secret oral agreement they had reached with Enron required that the accounting for the transaction be changed. Instead, investigators said, Citigroup left that side deal out of the written record and allowed Enron to account for the transaction in a way that the bankers knew was improper. In other words, the full terms of the deal were left out of the paperwork, with the result being that anyone reviewing it would have no idea that the accounting treatment being used by Enron was not proper."

CNN.com - New planet freeway could transform space travel - July 22, 2002

"An elaborate matrix of paths scattered throughout the entire solar system can dramatically cut the amount of power needed for spacecraft to explore our celestial neighborhood, NASA announced this week."

The case of the missing anthrax

"Moreover, germ warriors in the CIA and the Defense Department decided -- without bothering to consult the White House -- to produce anthrax secretly and tinker with it in ways that arguably put the U.S. in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention."

The Seattle Public Library - Press Release -

"All Seattle Public Libraries, excluding the *Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, will close Monday, Aug. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 1 due to citywide budget cuts."

U.S. Inquiry Said to Focus on 2 Mosques in Seattle

"A federal grand jury is investigating a group of people affiliated with two defunct Seattle mosques for possible ties to Al Qaeda, a lawyer for a former mosque member said today."

I'm still looking through the many stories my lovely wife emailed me over the last week and a half. This link and many others today are courtesy of her.

An Arab Poet Who Dares to Differ

"When I read this poem today, it frightens me."

Don’t type that: Yahoo edits e-mail

"For example, Yahoo’s filter changes the term 'eval'—a JavaScript command used to evaluate a string of code—to 'review.' So an HTML message sent to a business acquaintance with the word 'evaluate' would change to the curiously formed 'reviewuate.' "

Don't use Yahoo. I use it, but only as a spam catcher.

Woo Hoo! I traded out my old Atmoz.com search for a spiffy new Google search!

Head trips: Nordfors' sculptures take viewers on a journey into their souls

"To see their dreams, turn them on and look through their eyes"

Why free downloads help, not hurt - Tech News - CNET.com
"When researching an article, I normally send e-mails to friends and acquaintances, who answer my request with opinions and anecdotes. But when I said I was planning to argue that free Internet downloads are good for the music industry and its artists, I was swamped."

Thanks to Philos for the link.

download CAPOW. CAPOW is a program which uses celluar automata (simple, rules driven programs) to simulate various wave functions. The program also draws pretty pictures, which is cool if you have several unused laptops in your cube

Chaos in Action

This page has a number of cool chaos simulations and computer programs.

Boomerang thrower will return home and keep her record clean

"I was wrong to have said that one intemperate word, and I do regret that,"

This link, like so many of today's links, courtesy of my lovely wife.

Council road-tests Segway transporters

"Franklin said the Segway costs about half as much as the Cushman electric carts used by the city's parking enforcement officers."

Looks like we'll see Segway in Seattle!

BBC News | SCI/TECH | You can beat entropy

"One of the most important principles of physics, that disorder, or entropy, always increases, has been shown to be untrue."

This is undoubtedly one of the breakthroughs that has been provided by NATOs flying saucer friends and which they are slowly leaking into our culture to prepare us for the coming alien invasion.

being homeless

I'm on the road this week, so little blogging. I just had to post this one, though, about two Seattle web devs who decided to be homeless for a week and find out what it's like. At least the Star Wars guys got cots.

FOUND magazine- A 21 Balloons Production.

"it belonged to an old woman who had presumably died recently. other personal items, including a handwritten joke book, a funeral register, and a sheet of paper that listed all her medical conditions were nearby. this book is several decades old. the cover says "Birthdays" and is re-bound with tape. other than birthdays, she recorded facts from her life, when each of her friends died, anniversaries, the circumstances of her pet's death, surgeries, etc. i found this page, where she notes her husband's burial particularly heartbreaking, especially since she retraces her own words repeatedly. "

BBC News | SCI/TECH | First synthetic virus created

"Having constructed the virus, which appears to be identical to its natural counterpart, the researchers, from the University of New York at Stony Brook, injected it into mice to demonstrate that it was active. The animals were paralysed and then died."

I am reminded of children on the playground. One of them finds an ant hill. They all look on in amazement at the spectacle of life. Then one of them says 'I have an idea, let's stomp on it and see what happens!'

Suffer the Children
Marion Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, put the matter well: "The Bush administration's words say, `Leave no child behind.' The Bush administration's deeds say, `Leave no millionaire behind.' "


As Edelman says, "Follow the money and you will find what we truly care about and stand for as a nation."

pearls before swine

This is awesome. Warning! Has sound.

Superhero Hype! - Calling All Heroes: LOEG starts filming

""The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" began principal photography in Prague on Wednesday. The Fox picture's start was delayed two days due to illness of star Sean Connery. Some background photography had begun June 28."

The League is an excellent steam-punk graphic novel where the great heroes of the Victorian age, Minah Murray (from Dracula), Alan Quatermain, The Invisible Man, Cpt. Nemo, and Jeckly/Hyde team up to fight evil. Apparently the movie will move Quatermain into the hero role (since it IS Sean Connery playing).

Salon.com Technology | Showdown in cyberspace: Star Wars vs. The Sims

"I'm kind of embarrassed to mention this," says Blackman, "but we have a hairdressing skill tree."

Will Star Wars Galaxies be able to tap into the women gamer market? The developers seem to think so. As a gamer whose wife is something of a Star Wars guru, I have a feeling this will have a direct impact on my life.

Expert Eye Spots a 'Michelangelo' in Old Box

"n the ultimate case of finding treasure in the attic, a visiting museum director from Scotland on a busman's holiday in New York sifted through old boxes of drawings of light fixtures at the Cooper-Hewitt design museum and has discovered what several experts agree is a work by Michelangelo."

Salon.com Technology | Showdown in cyberspace: Star Wars vs. The Sims

"Are too many game companies chasing too few hardcore gamers?"

Star Wars: Databank | Greedo

"Greedo had lost his patience, and opened fire."

Why can't Lucas face the facts? Solo fired first.

Stephen Wolfram: A New Kind of Science

I just received my copy of this book, and I'm looking forward to delving into it on my holiday. The book is thick, including over 200 pages of footnotes. We'll see if it's worth it or not.

Garrett complains of illness

"Garrett could face three to nine months behind bars if convicted of second-degree assault, with an additional year if the jury finds that a deadly weapon was used."

Has anyone considered the possibility that Mr. Garret is unbalanced? Thanks to my wife for this link and others today.

Two spans should be on priority lists

"Voters need to get up to speed quickly on the transportation situation and the state and regional proposals. Voting without understanding these key transportation issues would be irresponsible."

A wonderful call to arms about an issue of great importance to Seattle. But do the voters have any real say? Seattle's voters have repeated called for monorail and voted against the contruction of Safeco field, yet Safeco is open for business and the monorail is still mired in committees and bickering.

Andrew Lipson's Mathematical Lego Sculptures

"I write some C code to generate whatever the shape is and figure out which cells in a grid made up of 1x1x1 Lego bricks should be filled in. The code outputs this as an LDraw .DAT file, separated into construction steps adding one complete layer of the structure in each step. Then I use MLCad to view the .DAT file. I play around with the parameters and repeat until I have something that looks nice and which will probably be able to balance."

let us go then, you and i...

Philos pointed me to this well-written blog.

Time for new approach -- and regret -- in Afghanistan

"Collateral damage is inevitable in a military operation as complex and destructive as America's war on al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. But callousness or indifference to civilian losses is not. The Bush administration needs to show Afghans, Americans and the world that it understands that difference."

Drunken Pirate Software Proudly Presents - Philosofighter!

Write Like an Egyptian

Your name in heiroglyphics.

From The Globe and Mail — Mysterious deaths of Microbiologists

Weekly World News

"According to Atlanta-based Remarsh, McMullen designed a primitive, steel-encased fission bomb using dynamite, uranium ore and other elements -- 80 years before American scientists developed the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "

Civilization Fanatics' Forums - PNN - Phoenatica News Network

Metafilter today reports that Civ 3 players have found a new way to play Civ. It seems that a group of people are playing a historically based scenario as a deomcracy. They use a discussion forum to propose initiatives and vote on them concerning the running of their "country". What the Metafilter article doesn't tell is that Europa Universalis players have been doing this for ages.

The Seattle Times: Brier woman arrested carrying boomerangs

" world-class competitive boomerang thrower from Washington state faces a criminal charge after trying to bring boomerangs through a security checkpoint at Bradley International Airport. "

Star Wars: Episode II | From EU to Episode II: Aayla Secura

"With Aayla Secura, the process had an interesting twist. She was already an existing heroine, with a built-in audience of comic book readers who understood her origins before she ever made it onto the screen. "

My better half, who is currently researching her first ever RPG character, a Twi'lek Jedi for JH's Star Wars game, pointed me to this link.

Theban Mapping Project

Featuring 3d maps of ancient Egyptian tombs.

KODT Online Webstrips

I realize I'm about 10 years behind the rest of the gaming world, but I've just discovered Knights of the Dinner Table, a hilarious comic strip about role-playing games and gaming in general. Check it!

Charlie's Ghost