link We've all heard about "reasonable doubt," when it comes to law, but where does this come from? The "reasonable doubt" rule was not originally designed to serve the purpose it is asked to serve today: It was not originally designed to protect the accused. Instead, it was designed to protect the souls of the jurors against damnation. Convicting an innocent defendant was regarded, in the older Christian tradition, as a potential mortal sin. The purpose of the "reasonable doubt" instruction was to address this frightening possibility, reassuring jurors that they could convict the defendant without risking their own salvation, as long as their doubts about guilt were not "reasonable." In its original form, the rule thus had nothing to do with maintaining the rule of law in the sense that we use the phrase, and nothing like the relationship we imagine to the values of liberty.

As if Google wasn't awesome enough... As if Google wasn't awesome enough - now it provides voyeurism! eheh Search Google with this string: inurl:"MultiCameraFrame?Mode=" You'll find hundreds and hundreds of "unsecured" webcams, many of which are security cameras. You can control a lot of them, too. (snagged from several places)

Tsunami Relief: Charity Efficiency and Transparency Ratings It seems everyone wants to help with victims of the recent tsunami. But does your assistance get where it needs to? I know a lot of charitable organizations have ridiculous "overhead," meaning a lot of your money doesn't help as much as it should...and of course, there are shady organizations. With that in mind, someone else decided to rate the various charities, noting problematic or troublesome issues, as well as links to pretty reputable sites that tell you how you best can help. link. Check it out, if interested. Help add to the list of organizations too, to help others. If you want to help but aren't interested in personally researching things, my recommendation would be to use the Red Cross, based on experience with them.

What is happening to me? "My name is Kirk Thomson. I am 31 years old, live in Brooklyn New York, and work at Reel Life video on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. In late September of 2004, I was attacked and bitten by what seemed to be a large animal of some kind. I don't know what is happening to me." The blog of a guy who was...uh, bitten by a werewolf, documenting the transformation process. Funny and very cleverly executed. Start from the bottom (October) and read-up (through December, if you want).

Hacking Coke Machines A how-to on hacking Coca-Cola vending machines using the drink buttons on the front of the machine! Anyone tried this? (If that site's down, just google for "Hacking Coke Machines" and you'll get several sites)