Curious George: Digital Cable Question - My cable provider just recently has been able to get us digital cable. (I live in a pretty rural area.) But anyway, we do not get MTV, VH1, Lifetime, USA, and a few others. When I spoke with the cable company, they claim it's because MTV doesn't want these stations on digital feeds because it would be too easy to dump music videos, movies, etc. to DVD.

Does anybody know anything about this? Does that seem right? Strange?

"It Your science humor o' the day. (PDF file)

New Wave Photos From A Flock of Seagulls to Yel

The Monetary Economics of Thurston Howell III In early episodes, we see Mr. Howell hiring various services from other castaways. We eventually learn he's been writing checks on a mainland (and therefore inaccessible) bank. This works while the group consider their condition temporary, but the checks are quickly devalued and eliminated when the castaways begin to prepare for the possibility of an indefinite stay on the island. Hey, it's not just a theoretical discussion, now that Gilligan's island is becoming a reality. Plus, author B.K. Howell manages to sneak in an informative discussion on some basic economic principles. BoingBoing>

Fresh! It's got fruit, sex, Catholics, and sweets. Will that do for today?

Sperm counts fall as guys get lucky even with themselves. more inside

Colossal Storage Corporation seems to be on the bleeding edge of removable storage media. 10 petabytes on a 3.5" removable disk by 2009. (warning: bad site design)

What's your favorite conspiracy? After this earlier post I got to thinking about conspiracies in general, and their entertainment value. more inside

Japanese, Nihilistic, Genre-Pic Autuer The Works Of Seijun Suzuki. Apparently, your freindly, neighborhood, Japanese Embassy has been know to screen a film or two.

Curious George: My privates have been infiltrated. I was the victim of identity theft. I fear that someone has been reading one of my personal email accounts. Some fishy stuff has been going on. Is there a way to find out for sure? What can I do if my fears are confirmed?

James Doohan received his star on the Hollywood Walk-Of-Fame The actor, currently suffering from a host of ailments, including the onset of Alzheimer's disease, attended with his family, and Nichelle Nichols and George Takai, fellow co-stars of Star Trek. This will be his last public appearance. (via Slashdot)

London gets an alternative newspaper - The Line, shamelessly stolen from flashboy's blog, who claims to write for it, or something - maybe he covers the Banana beat.

Black Ships and Samurai. An online exhibit featuring some 200 Japanese and American graphics depicting the 1853-1854 mission by Commodore Matthew Perry that led to the opening of Japan to the outside world.

God's Official Party From the New Republic RNC blog.

Soon after Hagel spoke, the acting state Republican chair--an African-American man in a white cowboy hat named Leon Mosley--urged his delegates, "Let's remember what's paramount in our life: God ... This is the GOP: God's Official Party." At that, the room burst into sustained applause. Behold, the Republican base.

How to build a rocket car (without knowing too much about rocketry and safety) and get away with it. Warning: Somebody's stupid-young-days long long tale.

<strike>Can't.</strike> CAN! We can. We will! more inside

A New Class Of Planet. The McObservatory has discovered 2 new extra-solar planets about the size of Neptune, easily the smallest planets discovered outside the solar system at only 14 times the size of Earth. more inside

"Do you mean that anybody who is not donating a kidney is taking someone's life?"
"Yes," Kravinsky said. "So, by your terms, I'm a murderer?" "Yes," Kravinsky said. Philanthropy, jainism or masochism? It's a long piece but well worth the read.

Knitting

"I have said, technology is what causes the problem, and technology will be the salvation of the problem." - Blogger Engadget interviews Jack Valenti. Other interviews with Jack more inside