Sunday, January 02, 2005

January 02, 2005. Most college students, fortunately, are brash enough never to bother asking their elders for advice, which, in the field of computer science, is a good thing, because their elders are apt to say goofy, antediluvian things like "the demand for keypunch operators will exceed 100,000,000 by the year 2010" and "lisp careers are really very hot right now." I, too, have no idea what I'm talking about when I give advice to college students. But that's never stopped me from writing before. College Advice [Joel on Software] 10:59:26 PM    comment []

One from Roland's Sunday Smart Trends #39. Souped-up blog takes South Korea by storm Eleven million South Koreans now have a Cyworld "mini-hompy," or mini home page. That is nearly a quarter of the overall population and a third of the country's online population. SK Communications says that about 79 percent of Cyworld users are in their 20s or 30s. In November, the Cyworld Web site attracted 16.8 million unique visits, according to KoreanClick, a research concern, which also estimated that 90 percent of South Koreans in their 20s were members of Cyworld. Source: Su Hyun Lee, International Herald Tribune, December 31, 2004 [Smart Mobs] 4:36:02 PM    comment []

"TAKEDOWN" TO FINALLY BE RELEASED IN USA AS "TRACK DOWN". The movie that outraged the hacker community and served as a catalyst for our own documentary on the Kevin Mitnick story has finally (and quietly) been given a release in the United States. [2600: The Hacker Quarterly] 11:42:25 AM    comment []

BTD SUNDAY COMICS [Begging To Differ] 11:42:13 AM    comment []

Exchange That Funky Gift Card. If a plastic card that gives you credit for something you don't want isn't your idea of a great gift, you can put it up for sale or swap. [Wired News] 9:53:19 AM    comment []

Even Einstein Had His Off Days. While we should laud Einstein's achievements, we may learn a more valuable lesson by investigating his greatest failure. By SIMON SINGH. [NYT > Opinion] "Lemaître Suggests One, Single, Great Atom, Embracing All Energy, Started The Universe." [NYT] Hubble's hometown newspaper in Missouri, The Springfield Daily News, preferred to focus on its local hero: "Youth Who Left Ozark Mountains to Study Stars Causes Einstein to Change His Mind." 9:39:24 AM    comment []

Worming Into Apple. What happens when you work at Apple on a pet project but it is canceled before it ships and you're fired? If you're Ron Avitzur, you ignore reality and finish it anyway by sneaking into work. By Leander Kahney. [Wired News] 9:32:56 AM    comment []