Engage, d00ds! - 11 April 2007

Well, no more lectures for one course, but that’s the one that has the project still due. Lab tomorrow will hopefully be more informative than the comments that I got back on the latest report. Considering that the object in question is basically functional, what I want from them is what’s left to be done. I’m probably too close to it, but I don’t know what I should be doing, or whether I should just sit on it and turn it in again. Hopefully tomorrow I can get that question answered. Today was a restful day - made headway in Disgaea toward what will have to be the eventual crushing of the Lord of Terror. That’s probably a loooooong way off, though. Tomorrow, need to restock the larders. May do so after lab, or wait until after class. depends on how motivated I get.

Leading once again with humor, we have HTML tags illustrated. (Not necessarily what they’ll do on the webpage, but the tags do enclose an appropriate object.)

Following on something earlier, the quake that brough the tsunami in the Solomons also lifted one of the islands up three meters. This exposes coral reefs and does mean things to the marine ecosystems with longer effects than the tsunami itself.

Sticking with the following theme, Comment Is Free suggests that the UK augment the talking cameras with patrolling Daleks, also with childlike voices and levels of lethality.

Finally, bradhicks dissects the "shock-jock" radio personality, in the context of the Don Imus thing, concluding that they're there because there are enough people that will listen to them and support them, even though suspensions and fines. The comments note that this is probably a big and explosive thing because it occurred in the realm of sports, which may be a god on par with money in the country. Had this been about something other than athletes, it probably would have passed by and made a small splash for those who listened to it.

I haven’t read any of his works. I do recognize titles, and apparently he’s a big enough d00d to make the NY Times. Kurt Vonnegut is dead. And so it goes.

To show off just how long it’s been since Duke Nukem was supposed to have a sequel (are they still maintaining that it’s going to appear?), here's a list of noteworthy things that have happened in the time it is supposedly taking to produce. Actually, that makes me wonder about how much time just zipped by while I wasn’t looking...

Homosexual men appear to have more incidence of eating disorders. This makes sense to me, just from the likeliness of getting extra stress from society that doesn’t really accept them. There are probably a lot of other factors that contribute to this effect, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head.

For those who enjoy science (SCIENCE!) and explosions, Preston Boomer has a class or two for you. Actually, for those who might not otherwise enjoy science but like explosions, from the looks of the pictures, Boomer might be the right professor for you. On a more serious potential note, stem cell injections may be able to reverse type I diabetes by reversing the immune problems that lead to the condition. The studies were done on people who had just been diagnosed, so I don’t know how long they had the condition beforehand. The results are apparently such that insulin dependence can be lessened. Very preliminary results, but encouraging possibilities. (And the requisite war over whether embyronic stem cell research is effective or murderous or anything else goes in the comments.) The Economist has an article about prototype wind power generators designed to fly, possibly all the way up into the jet stream. If they can survive at the altitude with the force of the jet stream and stay up long enough to be economically feasible (or possibly to start generating cheap worldwide power), wind power could get a boost in providing energy to the grid.

I was linked to a Stay Free! Interview in 2006 with Giles Slade about the increasingly shorter (planned) lifespans of consumer electronics, with a second interview, with Robert Zagaroli, about the lifespans of houses following soon afterward. A different article in the Guardian, in the Observer section, has Jonathon Porritt decrying consumerism as a disease that is killing the planet. Shorter lives, so buy more when they break one week out of their warranty period. Spend more, make more plastic go to waste, consume more resources. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Now in the middle of things, we can do politics. John Bolton, who was the United States ambassador to the United Nations, and is now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, claims Iran is now more likely to be confrontational, having witnessed how the matter of the British sailors was resolved. I don’t like the trend of thought that seems to imply that the only good way of dealing with Iran in any way is by turning their sand into glass with a barrage of bombs, nuclear or otherwise. I mean, we’ve already ignored Vezzini’s advice twice - the third time would certainly not be charming. Down in Texas, the state legislature has a bill introduced that would require couples who didn't take premarital classes to pay double for their license and have to wait two years before being granted a divorce. At least, I think that’s the right way to read it. I’m not sure if the two year period is on the premarital classes or those who don’t take crisis classes if the marriage should turn rocky. Either way, I think I’ll claim that the “marriage agenda” is being pushed in Texas. Maybe that’ll catch on as a phrase.

The Guardian has a post endorsing the suggestion floated by Tim O'Reilly and Jimmy Wales of an on-line code of conduct. The anonymity of the web makes for great things being possible, and for a large possible pile of steaming crap. Sorting the diamonds from the drek is always a tough prospect. The suggestion that tagging a name or some other real means to on-line identities would probably curb some outbursts. But the anonymity of the web also permits discussion of otherwise-taboo things. Those looking for discussion or to express their sexualities would be hindered greatly by having something tied to their real names or identities. (And yes, this does mean that people who do things that are illegal can also hid behind pseudonyms.)

A false dream leads to a real number and a romance that works. Dreamt a telephone number, called the other end. Met the person, fell in love, got married. Let’s see what further dreams come true for them.

Google now offers a free 411 service. Currently only working on businesses, and has a text-messaging option as well. It uses the data in Google Maps over the phone, rather than over the web. Yet another Google-thing. I wonder whether Google is aiming to take over most of the functions of our daily lives. If they succeed, what will that mean for the development of the Internet? And society in general as it continues to get more wired up?

Smart Money’s 10 Things list for this month is 10 Things Your Restaurant Won't Tell You, which has to do with why things are expensive, where the tip actually ends up going, and what days and things on the might deserve a second look before being decided on.

Beautiful pictures of Anarctica's valleys. These are valleys that don’t have snow... and look more like the deserts we’re used to, right down to the skeletons.

Last, but certainly not least, A gigantic Random Swap Meat, going on until 1 May. You send them stuff, they evaluate it, you get stuff back that has the same value. This is not an invitation to clean out the closet, though - send good stuff that can be carried in one hand. Some of the things available may be purchasable apart from the swap. If you want to see what’s already in the pool, have a look at some of the featured items in the swap. Lots of neat stuff from neat people. If you want in, send in your stuff.

And thus, I’m tired, and going to bed. Hopefully lab in the morning is much more informative than my comments.