Monday, September 09, 2002

posted by djacobs September 9 7:51 PM | 8 comments. Have you heard of Speed Stacking? [MetaFilter] Hey, I went to college with djacobs. I remember him getting irritated with some of us playing Carmageddon in the computer science lab and winnuking our systems. Strange man, Dave Jacobs.
11:36:23 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

I've added a new permanent link group to the sidebar - Strange History. If I can ever manage to find enough Strange History to post about, I'll make a Radio category for it, but I don't expect that to happen any time soon. However, if you come across anything relevant, web pages, news stories, articles, etc on Strange History, drop me a line. They just mentioned on Monday Night Football (I only watch 'cos it's the opening night for the new Gillette Stadium) that Scott Pioli, the head of player management for the Patriots, is married to Bill Parcells' daughter Dallas. I only repeat this because, well, she's kinda cute - I was stranded in the Philadelphia airport waiting for the same flight they were.

11:06:31 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Nations no more [bOing bOing] Oh god - history geek crack. Once-existant, now vanished nations. Oh. My. God. This is almost as great as the alternate history site I linked last week...
10:22:57 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Rock to stage anti-Spain rally [BBC World] Ok, wrestling has ruined my brain - I thought this meant the wrestler The Rock, not Gibralter. I feel very dumb right now.
10:15:49 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Trimble challenges Sinn Fein over Eta links. UK latest: Sinn Fein was today under pressure from unionists to state whether it had kept its links to the outlawed political wing of the Basque terrorist organisation, Eta. [Guardian Unlimited] Wasn't I just talking about E.T.A./Sinn Fein connections/parallels yesterday? I say: what's wrong with Sinn Fein still having ties to Batsuna, which MIGHT have links to E.T.A.? Trimble's just looking to make the nationalists look bad.

9:23:48 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Switzerland stereotypically enters the UN with gifts of chocolate and swatches [FARK] The Vatican is the only government of note left in the world that isn't officially a member of the UN. I always found Switzerland's non-UNness fascinating. Ah well!
9:20:38 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Blair to take on union critics. Tony Blair will face down union hostility over war with Iraq with an uncompromising TUC speech branding Saddam Hussein an "outlaw." [BBC News | Front Page] While extremely powerful unions can cause some problems if they abuse their power, it's really inspiring as a left-leaning American to see Tony Blair having to persuade the unions that attacking Iraq isn't ridiculously stupid - I wish we had Unions powerful enough to merit this kind of attention. Unions politically aligned such that they would actually oppose the Attack On Iraq. Ah well - one can dream.

9:12:56 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

posted by debralee September 9 4:02 PM | 13 comments. It looks like Jim Caviezel will be our next savior. He joins a long list of them, such as Willem Dafoe, and Jeff Goldblum. Does it take more than just being a Catholic actor to portray Jesus on film? What qualities should a savior have? [MetaFilter] Jeff Goldblum is Catholic? Huh - I thought he was Jewish. Am I just jumping to conclusions based on appearence and name, or is he actually Jewish? Anyone have any idea?

9:10:26 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

I had the first half of my ClearCase Administration training today...I left good and early, since I was going with the majority of rush hour traffic. Of course, I got to the approximate area of the training really early, and then spent like 40 minutes trying to find the right building. I shouldn't be allowed out on my own. Anyway - made it to class on time, sat through it. I finished the lab sections within a couple minutes of starting them, while my two fellow students took about half an hour a piece. Oh, and there was next to nothing I didn't already know in the class...and what there was, I gleaned more from the class handbook than the lecture. Argh. And I get to go back tomorrow, too...I have to stick around at least until the teacher passes out the sign-in sheet, after lunch today. I need to prove I was there, so that they certify me. Otherwise, I wasted a bunch of Cisco's money and a day of my life. Argh. Argh. Argh.

6:26:14 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Over the years, I've seen so many of those Ditech.com commercials that I feel like I should buy a house just so that I could get a second mortgage on it through them. Maybe then they'd shut up.
6:16:31 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

from the 'fun-with-referral-logs' dept: (to steal a bit from slashdot) I've got a free referral tracker set up on my blog - it's in the bottom of my side column. Nothing special, just there for my own entertainment...I'm fascinated by hostnames and referral URLs...I can tell when a friend of mine who teaches at a Jesuit high school in New Jersey hit the page (this afternoon alone, 1:28, 2:24, and 3:55...and she should know I was in training all day and offline. Silly Rachel. =) ). I can tell when someone does a search for "Andrew Bayer" from a dial-up account in Pittsburgh. How did we ever live without this much useless information?

6:12:40 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Hey! According to A geographic guide to Blogistan, I'm an example of a good weblog. Nifty. I really like one line - "It’s also an attractive blog in a weird sort of way". THAT is exactly what I'm going for.
6:05:54 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Outside view: Who lost Boston?. UPI Sep 9 2002 0:59AM ET [Moreover - Boston news] The author of this editorial is a dingbat. That's the only word I can come up with - he actually seems to think that the best way to protect this country from terrorism is anti-ballistic missles. rrrright. 'cos Scuds launched in Iraq CAN'T GET NEAR HERE or anything. Moron...
7:00:58 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Our Insane Focus on Iraq [Washington Post: Editorial] Good read...
6:58:04 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Sampras savours 'awesome' win. Pete Sampras says his triumph at the US Open with a four-set win over Andre Agassi was the sweetest of his career. [BBC News | Front Page] If I were a cynic, I'd point out how perfect it is for tennis to have Sampras make a comeback at the US Open...the BBC was making a big deal out of Sampras doing well in the prelims, basically saying how great it would be if he could win another Open. Not saying that it's rigged, but if it were, this would be the exact same result as if the Open HAD been fixed.

6:53:45 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Basque March Reflects Gains in Anti-Madrid Separatism [New York Times: International News] Alright, now terrorism is bad - unquestionably, undeniably bad. That said, I firmly disagree with the Spanish government's decision to ban Batasuna, the Basque nationalist party linked to E.T.A., the Basque terrorist group. It's my belief, based on Sinn Fein's role in the peace process in Northern Ireland, that having a political group with associations with the terrorists the peace process is supposed to defang is a GOOD thing. Could a peace settlement have been reached in N. Ireland if Sinn Fein hadn't been at the table? I don't think so - Sinn Fein had the power to speak for the IRA, which no other nationalist group could do. If E.T.A. actually is behind Batasuna, wouldn't that mean that Batasuna could play a greater role in ending the terrorism? And if they're not involved with Batasuna, then they damn well shouldn't be banned at all...

6:48:01 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Year After 9/11, Cyberspace Door Is Still Ajar [New York Times: Technology] I only link to this because I HATE when the media says "cyber". It totally destroys any credibility the article might otherwise have had...
6:36:08 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []