__ _____ _ ___ __
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\ / /| | | /| / / |/ /
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/_/_/ |_|__/|__/_/ |_/http://www.acronymchile.com/yawn.html
2003-01-02
There's no real need to do housework -- after four
years it doesn't get any worse.
############## EAT ############################################
George Monbiot comments on consumerism.
"As long as the economy continues to grow, we imagine, the world will
become a more congenial place in which to live. There is no basis for
this belief. If we take into account such factors as pollution and the
depletion of natural capital, we see that the quality of life peaked in
the UK in 1974 and in the US in 1968, and has been falling ever since."
...
"Capitalism is a millenarian cult, raised to the status of a world
religion. Like communism, it is built upon the myth of endless
exploitation."
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1231-01.htm
This is a really good article. It reminds one of the manifest madness
of current behaviours. Trouble is, it is very difficult to maintain
clarity.
############## FILM ##########################################
This is very good indeed. Wired report on Pathe's enlightened policy of
offering free downloads of its newsreel archive. The downloads are of low
resolution, while high resolution versions suitable for presentation may be
purchased:
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,56667,00.html
Maybe related is this link, which appears in the story:
http://www.archive.org/movies/prelinger.php
############## FLYING ########################################
flying saucers are real. Old book on the topic.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ufo/fsar/
############## FLYING II #####################################
Datalogger for monitoring albatross behaviour:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/cprog/news/albatross_1202.html
The article is pretty interesting. Non-breeding albatrosses can spend 5 to
10 years at sea without touching land. The birds travel tremendous
distances, and although they average 20mph, this is because they rest a lot
on the water, and actually travel at 60mph to 90mph when on the wing.
############## PRINTERS ######################################
Tom's Hardware has done a year end printer roundup:
http://as1.emv2.com/I?X=bc353b58325fa3a7eeb26830f93dce59
############## BINS ##########################################
Interesting story on The Register, regarding inkjet cartridges. Ties in
with a recent article in Beo
EU tells HP et al to scrap inkjet 'clever chips' to facilitate recycling
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/28653.html
And on Beo:
http://www.beo.ie/2003-01/cursai_teicneolaiochta.asp
############## BINS II ########################################
Nice article. In Portland, Oregon; some journalists thought it seemed a
bit invasive that police (or anybody else, in fact) were allowed to
randomly go through household garbage. To highlight the issue, they raided
the garbage of three officials in Portland who have supported this
behaviour, and observed their reaction.
http://www.wweek.com/flatfiles/News3485.lasso
############## STRESS ########################################
Stress and Duress interrogation techniques used in Afghanistan:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37943-2002Dec25.html
############## STRESS II #####################################
First Hand Account Of The Treatment of INS Detainees: Shackled, Starved,
Verbally Abused, Sleep Deprived, Kept In The Cold and Kept In The Dark
http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000779.php#000779
This should be read. It's really frightening what can happen to people,
even in an ostensibly democratic country. One particular feature of the
detention was moving the detainees around the country (in linked hand and
foot shackles). While in transit, they could be denied rights like medical
attention and phone calls.
############## IGNORANT ######################################
The whole ".ie" top-level-domain (TLD) is listed in the RFC-Ignorant.org
list.
http://www.rfc-ignorant.org/tools/detail.php?domain=ie&submitted=1010804575&table=whois
The Ireland whois server does not include email, postal, or phone
contact addresses, as far as I can tell, apparently due to something
known as the "Data Protection Act", under which the privacy of domain
name registrants is to be valued over the privacy of spam recipients
from said domain names.
Some people blacklist email addresses on the basis of rfc-ignorant.
Another good reason not to bother registering ie domain names.
############## FREEDOM #######################################
Interesting piece highlighting the fact that Bush and his fellow travellers
claim that Americans were attacked because others hate the Americans'
freedoms and want to take those freedoms away. The main agent active in
reducing American freedoms in the past year has been the US Government:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/analysis_inganamort_122402_bush.html
############## AIRPORT #######################################
Well written account of over-zealous scrutiny (and arrest) of a couple by
airport authorities.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/monahan1.html
############## COMPUTE #######################################
Understanding the microprocessor, an overview
http://arstechnica.com/paedia/c/cpu/part-1/cpu1-1.html
############## COMPUTE? ######################################
How Nigeria money can help the US national debt
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/28561.html
############## REALITY #######################################
Interesting article about soil erosion in NZ. Apparently it takes 400
years to build up a centimetre of topsoil, and 12,000 years to develop
sufficient soil to form productive land. Soil erosion, however, removes
soil at very rapid rates. Some farmers are using tyres to slow down the
erosion, though apparently marram grass is a better option.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3049051&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
############## SPACE #########################################
European Union space exploration ambitions: a hu-man on mars by 2025.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2580817.stm
############## SMELL #########################################
Identify suspects by body odour:
http://www.eps.gov/spg/USA/USAMC/DAAD19/DAAD19-03-R-0004/SynopsisP.html
############## VOLUNTEERS ####################################
Back to Iraq as a human shield
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,866259,00.html
############## NELSON ########################################
Willie Nelson's hotel room was burgled while he was staying in Oslo:
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=460483
############## STAR ##########################################
Home brew fusion
http://fusor.net/
############## WARS ###########################################
Star wars origami:
http://www.happymagpie.com/swdiagrm.htm
############## STOP ###########################################