Insomniac's Lounge

Fri, 11 Apr 2003 06:25:16 GMT

Major League Soccer (MSL) marks new season with Frisco (Dallas) Soccer Stadium Announcement
One more soccer specific stadium is announced. This one will be ready by next season sometime? What great news! The more stadiums the better. The teams will then be the primary tenants and enjoy better rates. This will help the teams actually make money, increasing the potential pay for the players. This will then enable us to get better players. This will also be good for the fans who can enjoy soccer the way it should be enjoyed, in a facility designed for the sport, not these oversized poorly designed American football stadiums. Yea for MLS!

Fri, 11 Apr 2003 06:17:39 GMT

Sun considers AMD chip
Wow. So, what sort of world would it be if both Sun and Apple were AMD customers? What sort of pressure would that put on Intel? That's a hardcore potential customer base that Intel has to be a little worried about.

Fri, 11 Apr 2003 06:13:36 GMT

I saw Cowboy Bebop tonight. What a great flick! For this subgenre of Anime (action flick?), it is certainly one to see. You shouldn't try to compare it with Sprited Away. Cowboy Bebot is the animated version of...I don't know..Die Hard and [insert some vigilante movie here]. This is an action flick with a lot of thoughtfulness. A lot of reviewers say it could have been shorter. But, why? It gives the movie atmosphere. It lets the viewer reflect on the actions of the characters and their moods. The animation is top notch. Again, not the super slick Spirited Away type of animation, but just a detail bonanza of a kicked up Mars cityscape. Way to go!

Check Slashdot for a good review with links other reviews.

Mon, 24 Mar 2003 04:22:27 GMT

Spirited Away wins Best Animated Picture.

Finally, Anime has received the critical acclaim it deserves.

Sun, 23 Mar 2003 23:23:03 GMT

Who is Richard Cheese?

This cat covers some popular songs in a swanky lounge style. Yea!

Thu, 14 Nov 2002 14:27:56 GMT

2 more days to Ren Fest. Ahh..mead and beer..yummm.

Wed, 23 Oct 2002 03:17:04 GMT

Copyright law and roasted pig

"In 1930, 10,027 books were published. Today, 174 of those books are still in print. What would it take to put the remaining 9,853 out-of-print books onto the Internet?"

Here is another great piece by Lawrence Lessig. One might immediately assume the answer to that question is one of technology. However, you might be surprised by the real answer. It is legal problem, not a technical problem that keeps all of those books tied up in a legal black hole. And, it's a nasty legal issue at that. Thus, we ask why. That seems to be the question in the ongoing Eldred vs. Ashcroft Supreme Court case.

Lessig ends the piece as brilliantly as he starts it:
"As the Supreme Court once said about a statute that banned all indecent speech so that children would not be exposed, we don't "burn the house to roast the pig." Exactly right--not even to save a mouse."

Sun, 29 Sep 2002 16:33:42 GMT

China's First Server 'Dragon Chip' Made its Debut
"The semi-conductor market in China's mainland will see an annual growth rate of 35 percent and a requirement of 17 billion chips before 2005. By the year of 2010, China is going to be the second large semi-conductor market of the world...."

I am not sure how much of this is propaganda and how much is real fact, but it is very interesting point of view from China on the semiconductor sector and China's stance versus Intel and other "intellectual property right traps". I love that phrase :-)

The translation on this article is somewhat loose as well. We've used the word Engrish for poorly translated Japanese content before. I wonder what the Chinese equivalent word for that would be in this case?

Fri, 27 Sep 2002 16:26:45 GMT

So there are 2 festivals in Austin this weekend: Pecan Street and Austin City Limits. That's a lot of music, beer, and other goodies!

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 03:45:20 GMT

Madrigal Dragons continue on a winning track
Phew. 2-1 was the score today. After last week's awesome 7-1 victory, we are sitting pretty with 2 wins and no losses. Not a bad start to the season. Somehow I have managed to score 2 goals in 2 games. Not bad for a former defender. Moreover, I have also receieved 2 yellows in 2 games, both very questionable. :-)
Our womens' team is also doing great. They have shutout both of their opponents. Sweet!

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 03:42:53 GMT

Electronic Fronter Foundation: Draft TV Mandate Bill Freezes Innovation
The EFF came out against another freedom restricting proposal by our goverment to mandate the type of electronics equipment we can buy and would also obsolete many of today's current TV's and VCR's. It's time to start fighting for our fair use rights!!