25. oktober 2002

An incredibly stupid email disclaimer I just received an email with the following disclaimer at the bottom of it: "This message contains information that may be privileged or confidential and is the property of the [Dumb Company]. It is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy, disseminate, distribute, or use this message or any part thereof. If you receive this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete all copies of this message." My quesion: Since this disclaimer is on the bottom of the email, how the heck am I supposed to know I wasn't permitted to even read it? If you send me an email, I reserve the right to read and retain it. Thank you very much. 11:58:21 PM    comment []

Solar Flames Now! Look at the awesome pictures of current explosions on the Sun's surface right now. This probably means great northern lights even as far south as here in the coming days. Alas, it's overcast and raining, so not much hope of seeing anything. I witnessed some awesome northern light (aurora) over the city of Bergen just a few months back, and it was many years since I'd seen it earlier. Alas, had no camera. On the other hand, I had a glass of fine Otard XO. 10:32:19 PM    comment []

What YOU can do about spam "Spam is no longer just a minor annoyance, it's a serious threat to the biggest productivity boon delivered by computers since the electronic spreadsheet." (TechWeb) "We're mad as hell, and we're not gonna take it anymore." 10:11:14 PM    comment []

All your Engrish are belongs to us If you've ever travelled in the Far East, you can't have failed to see lots of real life examples of, eh, imaginative use of the English language. The site www.engrish.com (think about that one) is dedicated to funny examples. One of the better ones is this picture of the wallet "Mr Friendly", which carries this piece of advertising: "He always stays near you and steals in your mind tolead youinto a good shituation." [sic!] Or what about this strict warning: "Please use quality batties. Don't use bad batties, or any problem is not any contact with our CO." Makes me wonder what is their sense of quality assurance. The picture on the right is me holding a hotel sign saying "for best result drop your pants at the lobby." The picture above is a detail of the same sign, held by my friend. Another sign I found was no joke, however. I, like most tourists, had a good laugh at the sign "beware of falling coconuts" on a palm tree. But fact is, falling coconuts is a not insignifant cause of death and injury. What a horrible way to go! None of your friends could keep from laughing all through your funeral. PS: I wonder who came up with the bizarre idea of calling an otherwise excellent hotel in Bangkok 'Rembrandt.' I know from experience that no taxi driver in Bangkok calls it anything but 'Lemblandt,' and after a long day (night) on the city, it is very hard to keep from giggling hysterically. 8:28:15 PM    comment []

New Google Logo? I am speechless (a lie, obviously). K, this will take some getting used to, if they are serious... Click the logo, and it is a search for "pablo picasso art." Cool! Apparently, it's a special celebration of Pablo's birthday. 7:53:20 PM    comment []

Colours If anybody has wondered, it's not entirely random whether I have a red or a blue headline for a topic. I use red for culture/music/art topics, and blue for everything else. Thus, this topic falls under 'everything else.' PS. Before you ask: no, the below topic is not mislabeled. 7:47:17 PM    comment []

Mac Stoned Hype If the expression "a kind of ... a bummer" doesn't make you go groan, you either haven't seen the Ellen Feiss installment of the Mac "switch" ads, or you are a die hard Mac cultist. Surprisingsly, the apparently stoned clueless teenager who's so happy to have switched to a Mac is getting a cult following among Mac fans. My question remains: What had she been smoking, and where can I get some? 5:42:15 PM    comment []

Not Easy Money "Some activists are making money pursuing spam cases in small claims court, but few say the profits are worth the hassle." (Wired) But I for one am thankful that somebody is trying to make life misarable for spammers. 6:51:11 AM    comment []

The Argument from the 'Just Right' Universe The argument for God's existence from the "Just Right" universe (also called the anthropic principle) seems to catch on among some "design" creationists, and I find that puzzling. The faults of this argument is so apparent that I suspect that the emotional desires of these scholars may have lead them to lower their intellectual guards to accept a story that, so to say, tickled their ears. [read more...] 6:21:01 AM    comment []

Dream Anatomy Take a look at this richly illustrated guide to anatomical studies through the ages. Knowledge of anatomy was hard to get in earlier times, as religious rules prohibited examination of corpses (remind you of something, not?). An accurate understanding of human anatomy was crucial for developing moden medicine. 4:41:14 AM    comment []

Headline of the day "Hard-up students to test condoms" (CNN frontpage link to this article) 2:33:58 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2002 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.11.02; 00:16:57.