Monday, February 23, 2004

How Catapults Married Sciences With Politics. In wars of antiquity, no weapon struck greater terror than the catapult. By John Noble Wilford. [New York Times: Science] 8:34:27 PM    comment []

From The 'Poor Choice Of Words' Dept.... Via Atrios - Rod Paige, Education Secretary, called the NEA a terrorist organization. I am NOT making this up. WASHINGTON - Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization" during a private White House meeting... [Andrew Bayer is Dreaming of China] 4:45:44 PM    comment []

Rheingold blogs Trippi. I am sitting at O'Reilly's Digital Democracy Teach-in. Joe Trippi just talked, Howard Rheingold was blogging the speech in real time. I just took a look -- what Howard wrote is what I heard. Awesome, my hat is off. David Weinberger did a pretty good job too! [isen.blog as the feed catches up, apparently] 4:35:54 PM    comment []

Not a great shock, given the disqualifications, etc., but here's the report that comment []

Not a great shock, given the disqualifications, etc., but here's the report that Iran hard-liners win parliament control, by Ali Akbar Dareini (AP). Also, unrelated news that got mushed together here earlier for reasons as yet (and perhaps ever) unclear: Microsoft files response to RealNetworks' suit (AP) RealNetworks claimed Microsoft violated state and federal antitrust laws, and accused Microsoft of illegally tying its Windows Media Player software with copies of the ubiquitous Windows operating system, regardless of whether users wanted the digital media player system. RealNetworks claimed that has made competition difficult for its own Real One software, resulting in substantial lost revenue and business for RealNetworks, according to the lawsuit. The charges are similar to those brought by the European Commission, which has accused Microsoft of trying to quash competition by including its media player with Windows. In a statement Friday, Microsoft argued that, while its media player cannot be uninstalled from Windows, the system can be hidden from view. The company also argued that its actions, instead of destroying competition, have benefited consumers because the competitive market has prompted rapid innovation. 1:46:42 PM    comment []

Declan's politech draws to our attention National Security Notes: Myths, memes, developments and dilemmas in various aspects of national security as they pertain to the war on terror. Particularly interesting is THE RECIPE FOR RICIN: Examining the legend Today, the drumbeat of the menace of bioterror and the complimentary idea that the technology of weapons of mass destruction is simple and in the hands of anyone who wants it have combined to give "how to make ricin" way more currency than it ever deserved. However, to continue to believe in it requires that everyone swallow that some anonymous American teen, pecking away in his bedroom, cribbing from yet another source of suspect rigor, has some professional expertise in the isolation, purification and toxicology of plant proteins. This is not the case. But because the legend of ricin on the internet is so often repeated by news sources viewed as authoritative -- politicians believe it, a large assortment of experts view it as true, terrorist-hunters go by it and, presumably, terrorists and criminals themselves accept it. Finally, the mythology of the recipe for ricin exposes one of the most nettlesome ironies of instantaneous world wide communication. Although it has always been promised that the ubiquity of networked computing would enable a host of alternative information sources, what is found is that -- in practice and when push comes to shove -- the allegedly vast ocean of alternatives all say the same thing, with only minor variations, all drawing from the same text, the same myth. Great piece. 11:45:45 AM    comment []

Kevin sends this headline: Wi-Fi'S GROWING PAINS Business Week has a special report this week on wireless fidelity's short-range-radio functionality. The technology promises transmission of data, including songs and movies, at sizzling speeds. A range of articles cover 1) why technology won't achieve the status it deserves until it overcomes several obstacles now keeping it stuck in a techno-limbo, 2) a Wi-Fi future, 3) new rivals already arriving, and 4) a Wi-Fi how-to. Wi-Fi enables people to wirelessly connect to the Internet at speeds 100 times the speed of a dialup connection. What does the future hold for Wi-Fi. Some predict it will be in half of both homes and businesses connected to the Internet by the end of the decade. Wi-Fi is already connecting to data cell phone networks, allowing people to check email when they leave Wi-Fi network areas. In the not distant future, cell phones will be able to place calls over both wireless carriers networks and the Internet. Wi-Fi is also being incorporated in consumer devices -- refrigerators, gaming consoles, printers and televisions -- allowing them all to interact. For example a song may be streamed from a computer to a stereo or a video could go from the PC to the TV screen. But there's hurdles to realizing this potential. First, there's security concerns must be overcome. Second, there is a lack of comprehensive roaming agreements that would let any customer who buys Wi-Fi service from a phone company, for instance, use the technology anyplace in the country. And the biggest hurdle, at least for frequent travelers, is the lack of in-flight Wi-Fi networks. [SOURCE: BusinessWeek] 11:45:39 AM    comment []

Man Who Sold Urine Over Internet Sentenced: Kenneth Curtis To Serve 6 Months. (AP) Curtis has said he sold the kits because he thinks workplace drug testing is a violation of individual privacy rights. 11:45:33 AM    comment []

Why Biologists Don't Vote Republican. Details here.... [The Leiter Reports: Editorials, News, Updates] 7:31:39 AM    comment []

Microsoft Creates a Stir in Its Work With the U.N.. Several technologists contend that Microsoft has been moving behind the scenes to undercut support for a set of business-to-business electronic transaction standards. By John Markoff and Jennifer L. Schenker. [New York Times: Technology] 7:28:13 AM    comment []

Radio Takes Music From the Street. A pair of radio shows in two countries are painting urban soundscapes by tapping directly into the headphones of people on the street. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News] 7:25:19 AM    comment []

All the news that's fit to fool. While it's still live, go to Google News and search for "PriceKut". Until the system forgets it, this story will come up: Businesses turn to Net for making new contacts Chicago Tribune (subscription), IL - Feb 21, 2004 ... Amazon.com will join the fray when it rolls out PriceKut, a social network where customers can meet each other to discuss bargains, but only after first ... You can go there and read the story (warning — ccs* registration required), or you can go to the source: Denouce.com. Here's how the story opens and closes: AMAZON LAUNCHES NEW SOCIAL NETWORK CALLED "PRICEKUT" Customers Can Now See and Comment on the Contents of Other Customers' Shopping Carts Seattle, WA /DenounceNewswire/ -- 27 January 2004 -- Amazon.com announced today the launch its own "social network", called Pricekut, allowing its customers to meet old friends and make new ones while shopping for products on the site. The catch? A customer can only enter the social network by first making a purchase on the site, or by having a friend buy an item on his or her wish list. Like its name suggests, Pricekut members may buy items for less than non-members: typically they'll save 10 to 25 percent on top of any existing discounts.... Bezos said the best is yet to come with Pricekut, which, by the way, is protected by sixty-two patents pending, including the ability to reach out with one's hand and hold a mouse to click on it. Later this year, Pricekut 2.0 will be released, offering the ability for members to not only see, comment on, and buy items that appear in their friends' shopping carts, but also to take the items out of others' carts and put them in their own. "This should drive people crazy!" said an excited Bezos. Next question: Who gets fired at the Tribune? If the Trib had done the kind of digging they're paid to do, they would have discovered that Denounce is a steady source of satire from the fertile and prolific mind of Brian Dear. I'll let Brian take it from here: Wow, I duped the Chicago Tribune. They ran a story in today's paper (21 Feb 2003) about social networks, and it mentions that Amazon is getting into the business, with its new "Pricekut" network. Only one problem. I made Pricekut up as a joke, in a story I wrote in Denounce.com: http://www.denounce.com/archives/000049.html What's more, the Tribune even gets this guy "Tom Anderson", president of something called Myspace, to comment on Amazon's new Pricekut. Here's a clip from the Tribune story: Amazon.com will join the fray when it rolls out PriceKut, a social network where customers can meet each other to discuss bargains, but only after first purchasing something at the site. Tom Anderson, president of MySpace, thinks this branching out will only confuse consumers. "People are always going to associate certain names with certain ideas and utilities," he said. "Their branding is too strong; they've done their job too well." Mr. Anderson, according to this link is "a graduate of University of California, Berkeley with two Bachelors Degrees¹ in English and Rhetoric. Anderson later received his Masters Degree in Film Theory at the University of California, Los Angeles." I wonder if he took a class on satire and parody? I've emailed him for more comments about Pricekut. This should be interesting. Speaking of cluelessness, the Tribune not only requires registration to read its stories (for free!), but offers this nice little bonus: From time to time, we will send you e-mail announcements on new features, products and services from the Chicago Tribune and selected advertisers and affiliates. The quality news and information in chicagotribune.com is supported by advertising revenue, and a controlled program of e-mail marketing is an important element of our online publishing business. We limit the amount of advertising you receive. [ ] Some advertisers may prefer to contact you directly. Please check this box if you do not wish to be contacted directly by a non-affiliated advertiser. If you have checked this box, we will not share personally identifiable information provided on this form with non-affiliated advertisers for such purposes. However, we will continue to include you in our e-mail announcements, as explained above. Information is used as described in our Privacy Policy. *ccs is the initialism for "chocolate covered spider" -- a nasty offering made superficially appealing. [The Doc Searls Weblog] 7:18:39 AM    comment []