March 19, 2004

A Boy Scout, a Nuclear Breeder Reactor, and the Fallout - This story is from 1998, but very fascinating. A teenager built his own nuclear workshop where he made neutron guns and a breeder reactor--all for his Boy Scout Merit badge. This is the story of what happened during his experiments and when the government found out.
Build a tower, fight Vikings, get egged on by small blond men with swords. An excellent little puzzle game that ranks alongside that damn helicopter game and good-quality heroin in addictiveness.
The capture of bin Laden? Hot rumor bubbling up on MeFi about the supposed capture of Osama. You saw it here first - or, more likely, second. If at all.
This site, created by a couple who have practised voluntary simplicity for over a quarter century, describes the principles behind their lifestyle. Far from being nutjobs, they come across as thoughtful, genuine people who have chosen to live their lives around the philosophy of "Time is not money. Money is worth more than time." They hardly ever buy anything new, instead they use cast-offs donated to them, or repair discarded items found from skips. They have at every turn learned the skills they need rather than paying someone else to do it for them. Before buying anything, they consider whether the item is worth more to them than whatever else they could have done with the time spent earning the needed money. If the answer is 'no', they don't buy it. more inside
Build your own model dinosaur skeleton out of chicken bones. An Apatosaurus, to be specific. See, we told you birds evolved from dinos! If you want a T. rex, that can be done, too.
The Spirit Rover caught a glimpse of some streaking object on the Martian sky. A meteorite? (Another one? Seems every planet's getting one these days...) Another man-made spacecraft? Or the welcoming fireworks?
The Misadjudication of Dr. Butler. Dr. Dick Butler is now serving 2 years in prison as a scapegoat. Be angry and afraid. The prosecutors are comming.
Curious George: Stratocaster Action I want to lower the action on my American Fender Stratocaster. more inside
Stiffs.com
Fifteen bucks gets you into a twothousand dollar pool to bet on which ten celebrities are most likely to kick off this year. Check the leaderboard. Stephen King story waiting to happen.
Jayson Blair Is Back Blair had the nerve to correct preceived errors he felt Jack Shafer did when reviewed (Blair's book) Burning Down. Shafer's response: Allowing Jayson Blair to judge the ethics of a writer
The Whitney Biennial (flash) is in full effect, again! "While there is no substitute for experiencing the 108 artists' work in person, the online version of the exhibition should serve as an introduction to the themes and questions posed in the 2004 biennial." Need a modern art blog to go with it? Or just a comprehensive guide? more inside
Good Old Diebold... ATM crashes; reboots with naught but Windows XP. Gets turned into rudimentary jukebox, security in no way compromised. more inside
MeFi link: Fireworks and Stupid People The video is actually made by the Chiseen label, which recently signed a deal with MTV Networks Asia to produce the "stunt and prank-related content" for the show MTV Whatever Things. "Set in Asia's vast urban landscape, the show exposes the odd, risque, shocking and humorous elements of street and pop culture. By closely examining its intricacies in a deliberately haphazard style, Chiseen's blend of physical stunts, celebrity pranks, provocative journalism and pure-situational randomness will be a new experience for Asian audiences." more inside
Explore your senses.
Stephen Hawking questioned about his mysterious injuries. Recently he's been examined for a broken wrist and various cuts and bruises--all currently unexplained.
Meet my parent's old neighbor, Crazy Tammy. She's been gone from the neighborhood for about nine months now, hopefully getting the treatment she so sorely needed. From what I understand, and from what others have told me, Crazy Tammy is a textbook case of paranoid schizophrenia. We would have never known about her terrible mental problem if she hadn't advertised her insane views on giant sheets of cloth hung from her fence. more inside

March 18, 2004

Life after the oil crash. 25 year old law graduate tells it like it is about the fossil fuel shortage and how we're all going to die. No, wait, this site will tell you how we're going to die. For some moderation on the topic, M. King Hubbert can help out, as can Dr. Albert Bartlett. Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit looks like it might help too.
Will this be the future for the US invasion of Irak? more inside
World's Hardest Movie Quiz The Village Voice has offered a whopper of a contest. Unfortunately, the prize is rather measly.
Curious George: WhachacallIT? Make up a word or phrase for, y'know, it.
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