Peter Nixon
I'm involved in music and multimedia.

 



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Peter Nixon

  Saturday, 30 November 2002



Lawyer Retires; All Clients Had Died

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
11:03:47 AM    

comments? []



"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread." -- Mother Teresa

[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
10:56:29 AM    

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repast.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
10:46:17 AM    

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  Friday, 29 November 2002



Naming rights and wrongs - the quest goes on

[The Age: Technology]
7:06:58 PM    

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Online schools seeking footholds - Cory Reiss, Herald Tribune. Kelly West was homeschooling her five children near Orlando when an intriguing proposal appeared in her mailbox a few months ago. A scholarship program funded with corporate donations would pay for her 6-year-old daughter to go to private school -- over the Internet.

[Educational Technology]
7:01:18 PM    

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encumbrance.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
1:18:24 AM    

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Helen Keller. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure."

[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
1:13:16 AM    

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Grudge match keeps SA medical services running

[ABC News]
1:07:38 AM    

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Where teachers meet online - Jenny Sinclair. An experiment in online conferencing has spread worldwide from its base in Britain, becoming a forum for Australian educators to learn about teaching with technology. The Vision 2020 Online conference was originally set up as a forum for an elite group of British schools by the British governmentfunded Technology Colleges Trust.

[Educational Technology]

I'm a bit disappointed I hadn't heard of this before.
1:01:54 AM    

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Data Storage to Go - Michelle Thatcher, techLEARNING. The latest portable drives promise easy data movement between classroom and home, PCs and Macs. With the proliferation of MP3s, digital photos, and multimedia presentations, it seems as though the world is filling with information. As our hard drives bulge with ever more massive files, our increasingly mobile lifestyles demand that we carry all our data with us to our home, office, school, or wherever we might be.

[Educational Technology]

I think a problem here is that this article ignores how students are actually using Apple's iPod. It is exactly what these examples describe, only better, in a Firewire environment.
12:57:23 AM    

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State Libs pledge broadband access for all schools

[The Age: Technology]
12:32:01 AM    

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Oliver Wendell Holmes. "Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become. Except in cases of necessity, which are rare, leave your friend to learn unpleasant things from his enemies; they are ready enough to tell them."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
12:20:50 AM    

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  Wednesday, 27 November 2002



Scuttling the pirates

[The Age: Technology]
8:37:13 PM    

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DNA Study Traces Fido's Family Tree

[Scientific American]
8:33:04 PM    

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Prosoft releases Netware Client 1.1 for OS X

[The Macintosh News Network]

Another reason my IT dept won't let us use Macs on our desks blown to bits.
8:24:23 PM    

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That reminds me - "Goss" sent me this one.

Alan Kay, one of the founders of famed Silicon Valley research lab Xerox PARC and a computer-industry pioneer, is joining Hewlett-Packard Co.'s research lab...
8:08:59 PM    

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Epictetus. "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]

Epictetus is fast becoming my favourite philosopher since reading the Tom Wolfe book whose name I've forgotten. "Goss" will remind me.
8:02:16 PM    

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bouleversement.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
2:35:22 AM    

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Cato the Elder. "After I'm dead I'd rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
2:20:09 AM    

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Awesome! Pathe has put 3500 hours of news reels online.

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
1:55:59 AM    

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  Monday, 25 November 2002



Polymer Devices Could Speed Up Data Transfer

[Scientific American]
10:22:55 PM    

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Teachers Mainely Happy With Tech , Wired. When Maine Gov. Angus King unveiled his plan to put a computer in the hands of every seventh-grader in the state, some thought the idea was as loony as trying to catch a laptop in a lobster trap. Teachers in particular were concerned. After all, they would be expected to use the machines with their students -- many of whom knew more about computers than they did.

[Educational Technology]
10:08:51 PM    

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Friedrich Nietzsche. "Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself.

I'm back. I may talk about myself.

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
9:55:54 PM    

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  Tuesday, 19 November 2002



Fake Plaques Puzzle France

I normally hate practical jokes, but this is the kind of harmless prank I just love.

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
5:49:45 PM    

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pukka.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
5:46:41 PM    

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Psst! Wanna buy a Segway?
5:33:29 PM    
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Hand Weights Enhanced Ancient Athletes' Performances

[Scientific American]
5:29:39 PM    

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Here are a few gems from Private Eye that Crikey just sent me.

Pseud's Corner

Balls

I-Spy

Dumb Britain
5:19:03 PM    

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Supercomputing: Australia falls behind

13th in the world. Behind Sth Africa!

[The Age: Technology]
4:41:54 PM    

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President Bush's Road Map to a Palestinian State

[New York Times: International]
12:33:03 AM    

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Amrozi lied to escape firing squad

[Sydney Morning Herald]
12:00:25 AM    

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  Sunday, 17 November 2002



Students Treat Laptops with TLC - Katie Dean, Wired. Not many middle-schoolers would refer to a 500-page textbook or graphing calculator as a buddy. But that's the term one student in Maine used to describe his iBook, which he received as part of Maine's initiative to provide every seventh- and eighth-grader in the state with a laptop.

[Educational Technology]
11:53:57 PM    

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visage.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
11:50:13 PM    

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Voluntary water restrictions come in at midnight

[Sydney Morning Herald]
1:12:24 PM    

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"Love at Goon Park" by Deborah Blum.

Psychologist Harry Harlow proved that children need warmth and affection -- but he tormented dozens of monkeys to do it.

[Salon.com]
1:09:13 PM    

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Man Frees Girl Trapped in Washer

But how did she get in this predicament?

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
1:06:46 PM    

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Apple and Innovation

[Apple]
1:01:49 PM    

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"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up." - Rev. Jesse Jackson

[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
12:58:13 PM    

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  Saturday, 16 November 2002



PM's reputation on the line in HIH lawsuit

[Sydney Morning Herald]
10:36:43 AM    

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  Friday, 15 November 2002



Bali suspect apologises to family, not victims

[ABC News]
2:15:45 AM    

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Oil Spills Leave Lasting Mark

[Scientific American]
2:11:11 AM    

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The political obstacles of the Bali investigation

[ABC News]
2:07:10 AM    

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Man Steals Over 3,000 Books, Tapes

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
2:03:30 AM    

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Suspect 'delighted' by Bali bombing. The chief suspect in the Bali bombings has said he was "delighted" by the attack's success? according to Indonesia's police chief

[BBC News | WORLD]
2:00:52 AM    

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HIH saga takes yet another twist

[ABC News]
1:57:35 AM    

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Dr. Robert Schuller. "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
1:54:38 AM    

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Nude protesters escape conviction

[Sydney Morning Herald]
1:51:57 AM    

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New ethics guidelines for physicists.

The American Physical Society (APS), the world's largest professional body representing physicists, has updated and expanded its professional ethics guidelines. .

For background see previous posts on misconduct in physics

Further resources:

Revised Guidelines on Professional Conduct:
http://www.aps.org/statements/02.2.html
New Statement on Policies for Handling Allegations of Research Misconduct:
http://www.aps.org/statements/02.3.html
New Statement on Improving Education for Professional Ethics, Standards and
Practices:
http://www.aps.org/statements/02.4.html
All APS statements and guidelines can be seen at:
http://www.aps.org/statements/

Federal Policy on Research Misconduct:
http://www.ostp.gov/html/001207_3.html

[David Harris: Science news]
1:34:28 AM    
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  Thursday, 14 November 2002



James Thurber. "Early to rise and early to bed makes a male healthy and wealthy and dead."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
11:08:52 AM    

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Listening for oceans on Europa.

An intriguing idea for finding oceans on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, involves not much more than a microphone. As tidal forces squeeze the moon, any ice sitting above water will flex, crack and quake, creating audio signatures.

Nick Makris, an acoustical oceanographer and associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will present this idea next week at the Geological Society of American conference in Denver.

The technique has already been tested on ice above the Arctic Sea and more trials will be done at Lake Vostok and other thick Antarctic ice sheets, more similar to Europa's estimated 20 kilometre depth of ice.

More information

[David Harris: Science news]
11:03:08 AM    

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Glenn Gould: "Goldberg Variations". A new box set offers the ingenious 1955 interpretation of Bach's odes to God that turned Gould into a star, and the remarkably different version he recorded in 1981 out of contempt for the former.

[Salon.com]
1:46:39 AM    

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Robby Benson's clean white underpants. The pretty-boy teen movie idol of the late '70s was uncool, ultra-girly and as sexless as a Ken doll. It's about time he was given more respect.

[Salon.com]
1:44:25 AM    

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multifarious.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
1:37:26 AM    

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NSW declared 99 per cent drought affected

Umm, is this serious?

[Sydney Morning Herald]
1:35:05 AM    

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Arab Proverb. "Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
1:32:31 AM    

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nugatory.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
1:30:22 AM    

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Page Six: Clinton still getting oral sex offers.

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
1:28:00 AM    

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BBC. Smoking pure cannabis is just as harmful to lungs as tobacco. But not half as fun!

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
1:06:29 AM    

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Security guards at Rolling Stones concerts are ordering people to hang up their cellphones and stop "violating copyright" by letting long-distance pals listen in on the show.

I think all of this talk of copyright is getting out of hand.

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
1:03:01 AM    

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Alston's Net censorship regime fails: EFA

Anyone who knows anything about the internet knew it would fail; it was only intended to look like action against depravity. The internet was designed to treat nuclear war as a data error for goodness sake!.

[The Age: Technology]
12:57:57 AM    

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Mr. Qaddafi, You've Got Mail. How easy is it for the average Internet user to communicate with the world's least friendly regimes? By David F. Gallagher.

[New York Times: International]
12:50:03 AM    

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Firefighters Cut Up Wrong Car

Could have happened to anyone.

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
12:41:16 AM    

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Michigan Judge Caught Smoking Pot

What does this tell us?

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
12:35:56 AM    

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Austar may have to sell assets

[Australian IT - Business]
12:31:47 AM    

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Moderate Alcohol Consumption Clouds Brain's Ability to Detect Mistakes

Thank goodness I rarely consume alcohol in moderation!

[Scientific American]
12:26:32 AM    

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"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." --Winston Churchill

[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
12:20:50 AM    

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Give yourself a new name!

Kids, you should try this; it's fun!

[ABC News]
12:15:44 AM    

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Fred Allen. "[Television is] the triumph of machine over people."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
12:10:55 AM    

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  Wednesday, 13 November 2002



Macbeth Descendants Feud Over Estate

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
6:59:34 PM    

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Studying Music & Audio

[Apple]
12:27:14 PM    

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aver.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
12:18:29 PM    

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From crayon to keyboard

[The Age: Technology]
12:10:22 PM    

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Surprising Swiss to chase hour record

[Eurosport: Cycling]
11:58:07 AM    

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I blog, therefore I am

[The Age: Technology]
12:15:57 AM    

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E. F. Schumacher. "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."

[Rick@Leaders.net: Quotes]
12:12:27 AM    

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Research Unravels Mystery of Martian Meteorites

[Scientific American]
12:06:02 AM    

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  Tuesday, 12 November 2002



Author Faces Computer Sex Charge

[Yahoo! News: Strange News - AP]
11:58:54 PM    

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Wildfires Factor Significantly in Global Carbon Balance

[Scientific American]
11:56:33 PM    

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Turkey entry 'would destroy EU'. Admitting Turkey to the EU would be the "end of Europe"[cedilla] says the man drafting a new EU constitution - but Turkey says it will not give up.

[BBC News | WORLD]
11:54:13 PM    

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Making Microchips Takes Mountain of Materials

[Scientific American]
11:49:54 PM    

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Interpol ditches the telex and joins the Internet age

[The Age: Technology]
12:29:18 AM    

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Star 'Heartbeats' Help Stir up Galaxies

[Scientific American]
12:24:06 AM    

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matutinal.

[Dictionary.com Word of the Day]
12:19:23 AM    

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Victor Hugo. "A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
12:11:50 AM    

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  Monday, 11 November 2002



Global Estimate of Endangered Plant Species Triples

[Scientific American]
9:38:02 AM    

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Celebrity Rants.com is aggregating all the messed up audio and video that we love to hear and see. Including my favourite; Casey Kasem freaking out in the studio.

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
9:34:33 AM    

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George Burns. "Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair."

[Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]
9:29:20 AM    

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"Goss" pointed me to this article about putting a CD-ROM drive in a very old, very small computer indeed!