March 2007
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Mixed Feelings
Mixed Feelings: “The effects of the ‘feelSpace belt’ — as its inventor, Osnabrück cognitive scientist Peter König, dubbed the device — became even more profound over time. König says while he wore it he was ‘intuitively aware of the direction of my home or my office.’”
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
RIAA casts off logic amid sinking sales
RIAA casts off logic amid sinking sales: “When their latest album leaked nearly two months before its release date, disaster was predicted again when marketing plans had to be rushed. It debuted two weeks ago at No. 2.”
Microsoft fudging facts on Vista sales? What about Office 2007?
Microsoft fudging facts on Vista sales? What about Office 2007?: “Microsoft launched Office 2007 at the same time as Vista. Unlike Vista, Office 2007 is not mandatory for new PCs. The silence has been deafening so far.”
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Bizarre hexagon circles Saturn's north pole
Bizarre hexagon circles Saturn’s north pole: “The hexagon spans nearly 25,000 kilometres – the width of two Earths – and appears to be a clearing in the clouds that extends at least 75 km below the planet’s visible cloudtops.”
On (or off) faisalbadri.com
I got a call yesterday (my phone claims 6:32) from someone claiming to be from my domain registrar, calling about my domain – faisalbadri.com. I tried to explain that faisalbadri.com is not my domain, that I’m not Faisal Badri, that I’ve never heard of Faisal Badri, and the caller had reached the wrong person. He insisted that the domain is registered to me. I pulled up the whois record and, sure enough, faisalbadri.com is not registered to me. I tried explaining this again and he was insistent. Finally he said “ok, I’ll update your record. thank you.” and hung up.
I can’t tell if this is incompetence on the part of some Indonesian ISP, or some new domain-registration scam. If you have any ideas, please mail me. If you’re Faisal Badri, check your domain registration.
Sunday, 25 March 2007
Heavy metal 'a comfort for the bright child'
Heavy metal ‘a comfort for the bright child’: “We are looking at a group with lower than average self-esteem that does not feel quite as well adjusted. They feel more stressed out and turn to heavy metal as a way of relieving that stress.”
Thursday, 22 March 2007
Dazzling new images reveal the 'impossible' on the Sun
Dazzling new images reveal the ‘impossible’ on the Sun: “Another surprise sighting is that of giant magnetic field loops crashing down onto the Sun’s surface as if they were collapsing from exhaustion”
Monday, 19 March 2007
John Cage, “4’33”
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
What’s So Funny? Well, Maybe Nothing
What’s So Funny? Well, Maybe Nothing: “Did that alleged joke make you laugh? I would guess (and hope) not.” – the joke works better when told correctly. The two ingredients for a correct telling are: repetition in the structure (either “Wow…”, “Wow…” or “Holy cow…”, “Holy cow…”), and this guy.
Tuesday, 13 March 2007
Is Home Depot shafting shoppers?
Is Home Depot shafting shoppers?: “That’s what Home Depot does by short-staffing. It abuses our time. We can’t get the help we need, and we can’t make our purchases quickly. The result is that a once iconic, wonderfully American store has become an aggravation rather than a blessing.”
Wednesday, 7 March 2007
This is what happens when I schedule a warroom to handle the DST changeover
This is what happens when I schedule a warroom to handle the DST changeover: “Can’t open this item. This time is not valid due to daylight saving time.”
How FairPlay Works: Apple’s iTunes DRM Dilemma
How FairPlay Works: Apple’s iTunes DRM Dilemma: “Why can’t the music industry just adopt an open standard for DRM? The simple answer is that the basic concept of interoperable DRM makes no sense. Since the point of DRM is to limit interoperability by using secrets, there is no open way to deliver a DRM system that does what it’s supposed to do.” - what Dan Martinez once described as a system to simultaneously give you tea and no tea.