5:04 PM CST     0 comments

Public Service Announcement

I will be out of town and (shudder) largely offline for all of next week. I'm going to be taking a SQL Server Admin course. Aren't you just green with envy?

Anyway, to tide you over until my return here's a great page to spend all that free time you'll have as a result: Spark Online.

Yeah, it's an e-zine. However, you've probably heard of a lot of the writers and, shock, it's actually *readable*. What'll they think of next?

[thanks to Mark for the link]

1:26 PM CST     0 comments

This is odd: MovieReview.com

Why on earth does that address point to Yahoo Shopping?

1:07 PM CST     0 comments

Not Too Bad: UpcomingMovies.com

So here's the deal... I want to see the new John Cusack flick tonight and, just to get a taste of the plot, I attempted to locate an official site, but there doesn't seem to be one. Then I found an entry on Movie Fan Online, but there was frustratingly little meat there.

Finally I fortuitously stumbled across the UpcomingMovies site linked above. It's somewhat unevenly edited in spots, but it tends to deliver the goods and does so without succumbing to the Mr. Showbiz looking-down-our-nose archetype. I dig it.

[update: I apparently can't read. It doesn't open until next weekend, dammit.]

9:03 AM CST     0 comments

Not likely: McCartney suing MP3.com

McCartney himself probably doesn't even know anything about this suit. His music publishing company, MPL Communications, is suing MP3.com and has "been party to similar legal actions before".

Of course, would I have even read the article if it was titled "MPL Sues MP3"? Probably not, even though that is pretty catchy. Such is the state of news today.

8:56 AM CST     0 comments

Ugh: Microsoft's "Freedom to Innovate"

Got a barf bag handy?

8:19 AM CST     0 comments

Wherefore art thou? NameBoy

We've all seen those domain name generators that just combine two or three words all willy-nilly and run a whois to see if the name is available. They're cute, but has anyone ever really chosen a domain that way? I think not.

NameBoy takes this process much, much further. Given two keywords the site deep searches for any and all possibilities using those words or even just using similar words. You can even specify that your domain must rhyme.

It seems a bit slow at the moment, but I still dig it.

8:14 AM CST     0 comments

What's that smell? Swine Online!

Ever wondered what it's like to raise a pig? Well, wonder no more.

8:06 AM CST     0 comments

Whoa, Dude: Star Dudes

This is seriously mondo cool. This guy has packed the whole movie Star Wars into a 750kb Flash movie.

Possibly the best use of Flash I've seen yet.

2:38 PM CST     0 comments

A Brief Confession

When I grow up want to be either Jerry Pournelle or Robert X. Cringely. I'd settle for being able to write like either one though. Or even having the middle initial X.

I'm easy that way.

12:58 PM CST     0 comments

Finally: RoboMow!

Sit back and relax while your own personalized mowing robot finishes the lawn. Seriously smooth Jetson's inspired technology.

Whenever I see something like this advertised all I can think is "Great job, now where's my flying car?!?"

[thanks to Jeff for the link]

9:26 AM CST     0 comments

A new drug of choice: Lip Balm Addiction

Some may consider this a joke, but I have a friend who actually wakes up in the middle of the night to apply lip balm. If you are one of the "silent sufferers", please seek help. *wink*

9:20 AM CST     0 comments

Gotta love it: University uses Backstreet Boys to 'torture' students

I really have nothing to add... I just couldn't pass on that headline.

9:15 AM CST     0 comments

Feel good fluff: House Goes After High Oil Prices

This article speaks volumes about what is wrong with our government. Apparently nobody really wanted to vote 'Yes' on a bill which was basically an empty gesture, but they couldn't vote 'No' for fear of it hurting their chances in a future election.

This is more evidence that the absolute worst people to allow into office are those who want to be there.

8:57 AM CST     0 comments

Browser Wars: Opera browser does an encore

It's interesting to note that while MSNBC did run this story they mysteriously "forgot" to include a link to the Opera website. They are, of course, not a biased news source. Suuure.

(side note: I wonder how the Opera programmers can *write* a browser and yet not understand the basics of anti-aliasing images? Check their logo on the main page. ick.)

8:41 AM CST     0 comments

Win2k Woes: BugNet Top 30 Windows 2000 Bugs

In all fairness to Microsoft, given the complexity of Win2k these bugs are pretty minor. I'm sure the folks who have had their enterprise shut down wouldn't consider them "minor", but then again they should know to never trust a point-oh version of any Microsoft product.

2:35 PM CST     0 comments

Trippy: Bewitched

No, it's not a fan site dedicated to the nose-twitching suburban housewife witch we all know and love, it's a gallery of distractions. Little time wasting utilities which are nonetheless quite cool.

9:19 AM CST     0 comments

Startling News: Is Microsoft playing favorites?

Is the Pope Catholic?

9:09 AM CST     0 comments

DVD woes: Sony red over PlayStation2 flaw

"We are asking buyers to return memory cards or consoles for checks and repairs while at the same time investigating the reasons for the glitches," the spokesman said.

Ok... let me get this straight. I can play any DVD from any country and you want me to bring my unit in so you can correct this "flaw"? Heh. Not bloody likely.

8:48 AM CST     0 comments

Speaking of car sites: Auto Dealers Spinning Wheels on Web

Consumer Reports has released a report which places the internet car buying sites below more traditional outlets. To be perfectly honest, even as much as I love the web, I can't ever imagine buying a car online. It's just to big a decision to base on a handful of jpegs.

8:36 AM CST     0 comments

Car trouble: iCarumba helps pinpoint car troubles online

It's a fairly simple idea which, as the article points out, has been done before. Do you remember hearing anything about these "other" car sites? Just goes to prove that a reasonably clever name and a buttload of vulture capital can most certainly ensure good press.

8:20 AM CST     0 comments

Curious about Win2K? Panders' 5-n-5 Top Features

Pander from Ars Technica has put up a fairly unbiased review of the top ten Windows 2000 features. In order to better represent both the home and business user, he has split the list into five for each.

If you are on the fence about Win2K this is one of the better articles I've found.

2:04 PM CST     0 comments

Updates are going to be rather sporadic over the next few days. I'm in the middle of migrating our enterprise from Access 97 to SQL Server 7 and I'm up to my neck with indexing and such.

I expect to be back in full update mode sometime next week.

8:54 AM CST     0 comments

Dig it: Synchronicity Archive

You've probably read about playing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon while watching The Wizard of Oz, but did you know that Wish You Were Here synched up with Bladerunner?

8:44 AM CST     0 comments

Yawn: Big Blue takes wraps off Net PCs

How many times will it take before the computer industry understands that if you sell a box that does less it needs to *cost* less. Much like Compaq's iPaq the $2000 IBM model has basically zero expansion options and no legacy ports for printers, modems, etc. About all it has to offer over your basic $500 homebrew machine is sex appeal.

Mark my words, the home market will eventually divide into two camps: people who want a full-blown computer and people who just want a light-weight web appliance. The prices for computers will likely rise slightly into the $1500-3000 range while the appliance market will drop into a $150-200 price point. If the net appliance makers can't hit the sweet spot currently held by VCR, DVD, etc. they'll never get the market penetration they'll need to survive.

8:32 AM CST     0 comments

Clearing the air: MS vs RealNetworks - What's the real deal?

This article shines a bit more light on the story I commented on yesterday. Basically Real added the WMF codec to the RealPlayer and RealJukebox, but only as one of many other codecs available. Microsoft's announcement was a huge surprise to Real, who isn't planning on implementing the codec until later this year.

I can't believe Real expected Microsoft to "play fair". What was that old saying? If you mess with the bull, you'll get the horns...

8:22 AM CST     0 comments

Forget 60GB: IBM claims largest desktop disk drive

This one is a whopping 75GB and, although it doesn't list the access method, I'm betting it's a SCSI drive. I'm surprised that they chose 7,200 rpm though... mostly server-class drives are running at 10,000 rpm these days.

4:45 PM CST     0 comments

Why dating shows suck: TV Dating Show Sets Woman Up With Ex-Con

And people thought Ms. Conger had it rough.

4:35 PM CST     0 comments

Et Tu, Real? RealNetworks licenses Microsoft's Windows Media technology

As much as I hate to say it, this may be the last nail in Real's coffin. Supporting Microsoft WTF (err... WMF) is a huge mistake in my opinion. It effectively wipes out any hopes of making Real any different from the other 70 licensees of the Microsoft technology.

8:58 AM CST     0 comments

PDA Users: Stowaway fold-up helps turn handheld devices into near laptops

This is pretty cool technology. I don't use a PDA myself, but I could see it if I had one of these.

8:48 AM CST     0 comments

Uh-oh: Microsoft, RealNames to develop Net keyword standards

Any time I hear Microsoft and standards in the same sentence I get nervous. This strikes me as a particularly bad idea, because the company with the deepest pockets will control these "keywords". It was bad enough that AOL and MSN propogated such business practices.

Can you imagine how much words like "books" or "music" are going to cost?

8:42 AM CST     0 comments

Silly: AOL, Sears to team in cross-marketing effort

Anybody remember Prodigy? Hm? Didn't think so.

8:40 AM CST     0 comments

MP3 Heaven: Maxtor Releases DiamondMax 60GB ATA Hard Drive

That, friends and neighbors, is a seriously large hard drive. Be the first geek on your block to be able to do a "Complete Install" of Win2k and Office2k on the same drive!

5:08 PM CST     0 comments

Security Probe: Shields UP!

Is your computer secure? Can a malicious user with a port scanner find a weakness and enter your system without your knowledge? Unfortunately, the answer is often "Yes".

This page uses every dirty trick available to the author to expose security risks on your machine. He also provides suggestions for eliminating any vulnerabilities the tests identify. A very cool, free service.

4:25 PM CST     0 comments

From ABCNews: Anti-Milk Ads Draw Fire

Apparently people are upset that PETA is encouraging college students to drink beer instead of milk. Read that again: encouraging college students to drink beer. This whole thing reminds me of the right-wing objections to condom distribution in schools stating fears of encouraging kids to have sex. The cold, hard truth is that college (and younger) students drink alcohol and high school (and younger) kids have sex. Let's not placate our fragile egos by suggesting we have any control over these things.

Besides, would you have even heard of this PETA campaign if they had suggested orange juice instead of milk? I think not.

4:06 PM CST     0 comments

TSR-nix: Dungeons & Dragons to go open-source?

If TSR is even half the money-grubbing company it was when I started playing D&D back in the day, I doubt seriously they would ever "degrade" the value of their intellectual property in this manner. There will always be the loyal stalwarts who must have all the TSR books in the latest cover design.

2:40 PM CST     0 comments

Via Bad Hair Days: A Picture of Weblogs

This is a seriously cool graphical depiction of 500 weblogs and their links to one another. It really needs a much catchier name though.

11:41 AM CST     0 comments

HTML Coders: Cross-Platform Browser Blues

This is a pretty decent roundup of the major differences between Netscape and IE implementations. There's not much new here for the experienced web designer, but it's still worth reading as a refresher.

10:15 AM CST     0 comments

MP3 for the living room: AudioReQuest

This sounds like a neat idea, but I doubt the RIAA will be very happy about it. I mean, you can't let people actually *listen* to the CDs they buy...

9:57 AM CST     0 comments

Sign the Petition: Americans for Cloning Elvis

[from USA Today Potholes]

9:47 AM CST     0 comments

Good vs Evil: NBC tangles with affiliates over 'God, the Devil and Bob'

Ok, I watched the show. It was cute. I doubt I'll put it on my "must see" list (particularly if they continue with plans to air it on Buffy night), but I certainly wouldn't avoid watching it either.

It's a pretty simple equation. You don't like it, don't watch it. Shows depend on ratings to attract advertisers. No viewers, no show. Simple as that. The more people protest this show the more attractive it becomes to viewers like me who resent people meddling in our lives.

In short, while I may not *want* to watch a show (read a book, listen to a song, etc) telling me I can't is the quickest way to insure I will.

9:26 AM CST     0 comments

Not Good: Click here ... and lose your rights

As a programmer, I've been on both sides of this issue. I have been robbed of income by software "sharing" and I've also used software to which I had no license. It's a very spiny issue and, quite truthfully, I don't think there will ever be a "silver bullet" solution.

Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, I can't see anyone finding much value in allowing software makers the kind of power this article suggests they will have under these new provisions.

9:07 AM CST     0 comments

Oops: MIT says grade change not hacker attack

After reporting on Friday that a hacker had tampered with grades, MIT has now recanted and admitted that a TA's misunderstanding of Excel was the culprit. Apparently the TA highlighted a single column of the grading spreadsheet and clicked "sort". There are probably a million people who have done the same thing. Unfortunately, Excel does not consider rows to be linked datasets the way most users expect. It only sorts the items in the selected column and, in effect, randomizes the data.

Either way, it is disturbing that "hacker attack" is becoming the "dog ate my homework" of the 2000's.

3:32 PM CST     0 comments

Whoa: Simpson's Online

This site offers streaming video of a phenomenal number of Simpson's Episodes. Pretty cool for chilling during that mid-afternoon snack break.
(requires Flash and RealPlayer)

2:15 PM CST     0 comments

Things that make you go huh? Paper Pays Damages in Chocolate Penis Case

The story is impossible to follow and really makes little sense at all. Great headline though.

11:47 AM CST     0 comments

Not Too Shabby: Ray's Music Site - Lyrics

Remember back in the day when lyrics.ch actually worked? Well, this site almost makes up for the loss. Almost.

11:02 AM CST     0 comments

Because knowing is half the battle: Zamboni.com

Ever wonder how a Zamboni works? Now you can find out and order a cute little Zam-beanie (i.e. Zamboni beanie baby) all from the same convenient site.

10:27 AM CST     0 comments

Be Prepared: Bunny Survial Tests

Easter is on the way you know. Can your favorite marshmallow treat survive the hot tub? Find out for yourself.

10:19 AM CST     0 comments

Updated: The Ars Technica System Guide

Every so often the boys (and presumably girls) over at Ars update their system guide. Recommendations are given for the God Box, the Hot Rod, and lastly the Budget Box with special consideration given to gaming performance.

Very recommended if you are shopping for a new system.

10:04 AM CST     0 comments

Attention Exibitionists: myUndies.com

myUndies.com is giving away a cool million pairs of $20 boxers. Not only that, but one lucky winner will get a chance to flash their endowment on prime time tv. You even get to pick the show during which the commercial will air.

9:55 AM CST     0 comments

Dammit: Nintendo delays Dolphin console

I may have to get a PSX2 after all.

9:39 AM CST     0 comments

Think Globally, Act Locally: Helping.org

Pop in your zip code and select an area of interest to recieve a list of organizations in your area in need of a helping hand. You can also find charities in your area which accept donations or read a few inspirational stories.

9:33 AM CST     0 comments

Got Sneakers? Charlie's Sneaker Page

Not the prettiest page, but he certainly has done his homework. I was sort of disappointed he didn't have a pictures of those ginchy 70's era JC Penney suedes. I had a green pair and a burgundy pair to wear with my velour pullovers. Yep, I was a lady killer.

5:02 PM CST     0 comments

I'm in love: ThinkGeek

Toys, Tools, and T-Shirts for the dedicated geek.

9:12 AM CST     0 comments

Finally: A technical explanation of Quartz and Aqua from Ars Technica.

All the articles I've seen prior to this one focused on the user experience. This one is a purely technical dialogue regarding the technology.

8:59 AM CST     0 comments

HiTech Heartbreak: The rise and fall of Netscape

This is a pretty good article and even has some good quotes from jwz. There is also some half-hearted mention of Mozilla.

I've been testing the daily builds of Mozilla for more than a month and I've just about decided that, even if they improve the stability, I won't be able to use it as my main browser. My two big gripes are cosmetic: a) you can't set a sans-serif font (like Arial) as your default and b) you can't turn off link underlining. These two decisions when taken together make many web pages render uglier than sin.

I'll probably stick with Communicator 4.72 until I am forced to move to Internet Exploiter.

8:34 AM CST     0 comments

Attention Stephen King Fans: Simon & Schuster offers Net-only Stephen King novel

It will sell for $2.50 and will contain a copy protection scheme dubbed SoftLock. I'll be interested to see how this so-called copy protection will work. We all remember how well it worked for floppy disks.

8:26 AM CST     0 comments

Free Gloves: Nintendo of America has agreed to provide protective gloves to owners of a video game blamed for cuts, blisters and other hand injuries.

If you have ever played Mario Party then you know what game they are talking about. A few of the mini-games require you to rotate the analog stick very fast. If you use your palm to do this it creates a really nasty blister in a very short period of time.

I thought it was a cool gesture on Nintendo's part to offer this solution. They were, of course, facing a class action lawsuit, but I hardly think that was a consideration.

1:48 PM CST     0 comments

Cool service: VIDnet USA

They offer free streaming music videos, movie trailers, and even sports clips in multiple speeds and formats. Not a bad interface, but I don't really see a need for the speed selection to be in a popup window.

(requires RealPlayer or the Microsoft knockoff thereof)

1:43 PM CST     0 comments

It had to happen: The need for clock speed isn't abating

This guy seems to disagree, but to his credit falls back on industry opinion rather than his own.

1:38 PM CST     0 comments

I'm amazed: The great microprocessor race

This guy agrees with me *and* is a computer journalist. What're the odds?

9:35 AM CST     0 comments

The world's only performing flatulist: Mr. Methane

That's one career my high school guidance counselor never even mentioned.

9:23 AM CST     0 comments

9021-uh oh: Where have all the Oscar ballots gone

After dropping off ten mailbags full of ballots at the 90210 post office, they "appear to have been mistaken for junk mail". Sounds like a fair assessment of their importance to me.

8:51 AM CST     0 comments

This can't be good: MCI WorldCom expects to close new AOL deal soon

Is it just me or is this whole merger thing starting to look like one colossal circle jerk? I'm just waiting to see who shakes out as pivot man.

8:44 AM CST     0 comments

You've already heard about this: Researchers work to eradicate broken hyperlinks

My question is, who gets to pick the five magic words? Can you imagine having to select five unique words from every single document you link? What a nightmare.

I think a better solution would be to have browsers "expire" links that are 404's. Expired links would just appear as plain text in the document. This would, of course, completely absorb every shred of bandwidth on the planet as everyone's browser feverishly tracks down each and every link in a page.

I think most people are fairly comfortable with the fact that an old link is often a broken link. Just let sleeping dogs lie.

2:35 PM CST     0 comments

A great domain name for a great concept: ClueTrain.com

I only spent a few minutes reading through the site, but it seems very intriguing. What do you think?

2:04 PM CST     0 comments

This is pretty cool: A Tour of the 1939-1940 World's Fair

A rich multimedia tour through what was perhaps the most influential World's Fair in history.

9:37 AM CST     0 comments

Ever look down at your mousepad and think "there's got to be something better out there"? Well, there just might be. Check out the First Virtual Mousepad Museum and see for yourself.

Even if you don't care about mousepads, they just got a new cat named Tux!

8:57 AM CST     0 comments

From MSNBC: Drug-trafficker arrested with heroin in bowels

Kinda gives "smack in the ass" a whole new meaning.

8:47 AM CST     0 comments

Coming in 2001: Final Fanstasy: The Movie

Knowing Squaresoft, the movie will probably be six months late and crash during the final boss fight.

8:37 AM CST     0 comments

From CNET: Gates Sells Stock

Anybody remember what happened to Apple back in the 80's when Steve Jobs started selling his stock? Apparently Mr. Bill has a bad memory.

4:33 PM CST     0 comments

Cheap Gear: OutletZoo.com

I found this site last Christmas, dutifully filed it away in my bookmarks, and promptly forgot all about it. The basic premise is companies who have to liquidate products can set an initial offering price and a rock bottom price. The site then automatically deducts a set percentage from the price on a set schedule until either all units are sold or the bottom price is reached. Sellers can set their own price reduction schedules as well.

Long story short, you get cheap gear if you're willing to wait a while for the prices to drop. I haven't actually ordered anything from them yet, so Caveat Emptor.

10:52 AM CST     0 comments

So the weather outside is frightful and a trip would be quite delightful, but since we don't know where to go, we'll use the Weatherbase.com VacationFinder.

Ok, so my rhyme skills suck. It's still a cool site. Put in the weather you want and when you expect to take your vacation and the site does the leg work for you.

10:40 AM CST     0 comments

Behold, the power of cheese: The Cheese Poet

(quite slow, but worth a chuckle)

10:31 AM CST     0 comments

From ABCNews: Oldest Stone Tools Found

Apparently scientists were unconvinced of the artifacts' age until they found Strom Thurman's initals on one of the pieces.

10:22 AM CST     0 comments

Peep this: phone sex callers dial from kindergarten

Sometimes the story itself can't hope to compete with a good headline.

10:18 AM CST     0 comments

One for the scrapbook: Stabbed Woman Doesn't Notice Knife

I've heard of inattentive people, but wow. Can you imagine being this woman's husband?

4:56 PM CST     0 comments

<pimp>journal update</pimp>

3:36 PM CST     0 comments

What a surprise... Bush sides with Microsoft in anti-trust case. He is, of course, back pedalling furiously now, but I have no doubt he is quite firmly in the Microsoft camp on this one.

3:31 PM CST     0 comments

Me Tarzan, you powerless consumer: Disney DVD forces viewers to watch commercials.

This is the sort of thing that I simply hate to read about. One of the main advantages of the DVD format is the ability to skip around throughout the disk. Disney denies viewers that capability. Any time a company uses technology to harm the consumer, the whole industry walks away with a black eye.

1:19 PM CST     0 comments

LinkExchange finally does something really cool: Charity Frogs.

Each click donates $1 to the Red Cross. Lending support to a good cause has never been easier.

11:31 AM CST     0 comments

If anyone can explain this to me I would be quite grateful.

Not to mention amazed.

11:29 AM CST     0 comments

Here's a neat little gadget...

ScreenTime for Flash converts any Flash animation file into a portable screen saver. As an added bonus they have versions for both Mac and Windows.

9:24 AM CST     0 comments

Colleges are beginning to move toward creating a degree in Video Game Design.

After reading the article, I can see their point. As video games become further ingrained in our lives, the need will increase for game designers to have understanding of their impact on society. I think this is doubly important as the game machines themselves get more realistic in their depictions of gameplay.

Mostly I'm just ticked off I couldn't have majored in gaming myself.

9:03 AM CST     0 comments

Something tells me Mr. Bill isn't terribly happy with Spyglass today.

After licensing its browser code to Microsoft to form the basis for Internet Explorer, the company has now inked a deal with Sony to provide customized browser software for Sony's set-top boxes. Considering Microsoft is preparing to annouce their XBox quite soon, this seems to throw an wrench into the proverbial works.

What hasn't been mentioned is whether the Spyglass browser will make an appearance on PlayStation 2 at some point in the future.

2:11 PM CST     0 comments

Ever come across a computer acronym you couldn't decipher? Don't know an ATAPI from an ATARI?

If so, check out WhatIs.com for the answers. It contains "over 2,000 individual encyclopedic definition/topics and a number of quick-reference pages".

1:58 PM CST     0 comments

I suppose it was inevitable: Porn Site Offers Darva Conger $1 Million to Pose Nude.

Thus far she has refused all offers and insists she wants to return to a quiet life. Perhaps that might have been a consideration prior to offering her body for money on live TV? Just a thought.

11:54 AM CST     0 comments

It's finally here: Smell-a-vision.

Personally, I've always been grateful not to have been able to smell the things which happen on screen. Can you imagine watching Blazing Saddles, for instance?

10:17 AM CST     0 comments

Should kids be allowed to use a computer rather than a pencil on tests?

My first reaction to this was negative, but then I considered how much difficulty I would have taking an essay test with a pencil and paper. In short, it would be a nightmare. I can barely write for thirty seconds without getting hand cramps these days. And editing? Forget about it.

They just may be onto something here.

10:08 AM CST     0 comments

HP and others are set to release initial 1GHz Pentium III machines. The move is "largely symbolic" since the chip won't be available in volume for several months.

This is so silly. CPU speed is only one of the multitude of factors which affect system performance. On most systems greater than 300MHz, the bus speed and hard drive access times are the bottleneck. Increasing the CPU speed two to three times, while making no other changes, often results in less than a 20% increase in overall system performance.

The bottom line is that AMD is pushing Intel to innovate faster than the market requires. While I agree there will always be a need for faster CPU speeds eventually, this rate of growth is far outpacing the needs of software and operating systems. My prediction is that either software makers will begin to artificially reduce system performance to force users to upgrade, or we will reach a point when chip makers will have to wait 6 to 8 months, with no sales whatsoever, while software needs catch up.

Which do you think is more likely? Better yet, are we sure it hasn't been happening already?

1:34 PM CST     0 comments

Some call it the "Crime of the Century" while others reserve that title for the Kennedy Assassination. Regardless of popular opinion the facts and fictions surrounding the Lindbergh Kidnapping and its subsequent trials, remain engaging to this very day.

Take a moment on this, the anniversary of the kidnapping, to learn a little about the case and a lot about human nature.

12:05 PM CST     0 comments

Fun for a girl or a boy: Globz

And, yes, I am aware that most of you have seen this already. For those that haven't, check out "The Microbe". Isn't that simply mesmerizing?

(requires Flash)

10:11 AM CST     0 comments

I submitted an example program to the Hello, World! archives many, many moons ago. Since then I hadn't been back and was shocked to discover the overwhelming number of entries they have amassed during my absence. It's certainly worth a visit for any programmers or even programmer-wannabes.

For the non-programmers among us, a "Hello, World!" application is often the first practical exercise when learning a new programming language. It is, arguably, the simplest possible application written in any language.

(my entry is under Dataflex, btw)

10:01 AM CST     0 comments

At first glance the Uptime service seem like a pretty cool idea. (click on the "About" link for info)

I hate to be the one to stand in the path of progress, but... if your e-mail happens to be hosted by the same ISP as your website then how can the notification e-mail get through?

9:54 AM CST     0 comments

Zannah may have gotten the scoop on the Hot Wheels PC, but she neglected to mention its Barbie PC companion.

Coincidence? I think not!

9:30 AM CST     0 comments

Visit The Tomb of the Chihuahua Pharaohs!

Remember when I said it seems like some people have more than 24 hours in their day? Well, some people should have less. Much less.

9:21 AM CST     0 comments

I simply adore a good headline, don't you?

9:13 AM CST     0 comments

With Palm, Inc. scrambling to prepare for it's much anticipated IPO, wasn't it almost inevitable that the sharks would begin to circle?

I'm beginning to think patents are a bad idea altogether. I mean, the basic concept is sound and perhaps even vital, but the current "fix it in the courts" attitude of the patent office leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. Ignorance I can excuse, lassitude I cannot.