Article from Le Monde Diplomatique English edition about the pitfalls of cartography. ...cartography is more than the tracing of borders. It is also a picture of the relations between people and territory. Maps enable us to comprehend at a glance how territory is organised and occupied, and the extent and consequences of conflicts.

You know you have what it takes to be a porn star. Now all you need is a name. Plug in your name--in a manner of speaking--and some bogus algorithm will determine the nom de porn which will launch you on your new career. Now, if you can only handle the DPs. (If you don't know what those are, don't ask.) [No nudity or naughty words. Should be SWF. If in doubt...] more inside

Why do national anthems suck? Telegraph article explores the aesthetics and history of national anthem, as well as a little background on a few of them. I can say confidently that America's is one of the least inspiring and arguably the most unsingable of the bunch. (Is it the only one in 3/4 count?)

Self appointed, self anointed "grammar cop" goes on a crusade against all grammar, spelling and punctuation infractions. Humouously of course, though he does dole out fines. Admit it, you've always wanted to do that.

Buildings that look like animals and other things. I stumbled across this bb devoted to skyscrapers, and one very cool thread in particular. This is why I love the internet.

Misunderstanding Iraq. According to this article, the US and the new Iraqi government doesn't have a chance. The reason: Saddam understands Iraq....and we don't. [International Herald Tribune printer friendly]

Signs of the Apocalypse....well not exactly. Just a bunch of funny church signs. Some intentionally so, others not.

Danish IT company *pays* for internet pr0n for its employees. The catch: they can't look at it at work. It makes employees more "relaxed," apparently. Indeed. [Probably SFW. No nudity, no dirty words, no dirty ads.]

IMDB's 100 lowest rated movies. Most of these shouldn't come as a surprise: Gigli comes in at 14, Shanghai Surprise at 31. At 51 is Spice World, and at 99 is Freddy Got Fingered. But Glen or Glenda came in at 93, and that was a lot worse than Spice World. lol. The worst of all time: 'Manos' the Hands of Fate (1966). Has anyone seen this? Can this be verified as indeed the worst movie in all movie history.

Curious, George. I'm sick of registering at news sites and was wondering if there was one particular login name and password that can be used at most sites and is a matter of public knowledge.

Many of the world's languages are, like endangered plants and animals, becoming extinct. Claim is made that 90% of the world's languages will become obsolete or moribund by 2100.

Busted! German teen discovered to be the originator of 70% of computer viruses in the world. A lot of people are breathing a sigh of relief. Seems someone turned in Sven Jaschan for the $250k reward Microsoft® is offering. Will the Brits use this as another reason to hate the Germans?

"Don't Smoke". A fun but pointless Flash animation. Good for killing 5 minutes.

Just in case you were thinking of taking up the Japanese language, this guy's here to tell you to forget it.

A joint study by the British Council and the Goethe Institute has discovered that most Brits accociate Germans with three things: Hitler, Beer and Soccer. Rhetorical question to self: What's wrong with Beer and Soccer?

You thought Gene Simmons was getting a lot of trim. Gene study shows that 8% of *all* Asian men are descended from a single patriarch; and it had to have been a guy who, uh, gets around. Speculation is that it was Ghengis-Khan.

This article claims that Bush in retreating into his own little world and that he is not handling his job well at all. This one claims that he's taking anti-depressants. We can hope that things will not turn out well for him. (Both articles Capital Blue)

Suicide is reaching epidemic proportions in Japan. The rate is one nearly every 15 minutes. Particularly disturbing is the problem in rural areas, where it is said that nearly everyone knows someone who has committed suicide. Very sad.

Meet my son "Buttocks" and my daughter "Prostitute". Japanese Diet allows the adaptation of new kanji for names. The sky's not the limit though: "rape" and "cancer" are still verboten.

Who was General Tso and why are we eating his chicken.? [Washington Post]