The Bush Administration takes crony capitalism to new lows in Iraq reconstruction. As New York Time columnist Paul Krugman writes, “It’s not just that reconstruction is much more expensive than it should be. The really important thing is that cronyism is warping policy: by treating contracts as prizes to be handed to their friends, [...]
Reminder: Next time I have several thousand dollars I don’t need for anything else, consider obtaining some digiscoping gear. For instance:
Canon G2 4 megapixel digital camera (already have)
Swarovski ATS65 spotting scope
Swarovski ATS80 HD :-)
Scopetronix Maxview 40 eyepiece/camera adapter
other misc. adapters, brackets, tripod, etc. as necessary
Here’s why.
Before:
<http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/mr/ds/power_of_ds/168-6862_example1.htm>
After:
<http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/mr/ds/power_of_ds/168-6864_example1c_final.htm>(35 mm equivalent focal length of 3060 mm)
Resource pages:
<http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/mr/ds/>
<http://www.caracara.org/misc/digiscoping/>
<http://www.wingsofnature.com/gallery/>
See [...]
Why is music enjoyable and emotionally stimulating?
A pop science article from yesterday’s New York Times offers some possible explanations from evolutionary neurology and sociobiology:
We Got Rhythm; the Mystery Is How and Why (no login required, but may stop working in several days)
We Got Rhythm; the Mystery Is How and Why (base URL with free NYT [...]
Howard Levy is a genius with a 10-hole harmonica. He’s well-known as the musician who pioneered the technique to get a full chromatic scale out of a diatonic harmonica, which is an amazing skill in itself.
But he can do so much more, too. I was fortunate enough to be at a small conference [...]
It’s September 12th! Make someone smile.
I just e-signed a pledge at MoveOn to vote “no” on the California governor’s recall and to spread the word.
Personally I believe that the ability to recall an elected official is important, but I don’t find much merit in the current effort. I do hope it puts whoever ends up as governor on notice [...]
Well-written article on Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, or the lack thereof.
I think Microsoft has done a lot of good for computing, but they’ve really got to figure out a way to make their software less vulnerable to malware.
Mary Jo Foley says Microsoft Bloggers Multiplying Exponentially:
It had been a while since we updated our list of current and former Microsoft employees who are blogging. There are now more … lots more. Kind of makes us wonder if Microsoft is secretly making blogging part of employees’ job descriptions these days. (Hey, if there were [...]
From Happy Labor Day — Now, Get a Job! (A letter from Michael Moore), 2003-08-29:
Bush is on pace to raise almost $200 million in time for the Republican primaries where his only competition will be his own dismal record. In Minnesota this past Tuesday, Bush raised $1.4 million by giving a 24-minute speech. ThatÂ’s about [...]