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Peter Nixon
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Sunday, 31 July 2005
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Hello, Planet X. Xeni Jardin:
NASA announced today that astronomers have found a tenth planet --
which is larger than Pluto -- at the edge of our solar system. Link
A SF Chron article states:
Informally, the astronomers have been calling it "Xena"
after the television series about a Greek warrior princess, which was
popular when the astronomers began their systematic sweep of the sky in
2000.
"Because we always wanted to name something Xena," Brown said...
XENA? . Aw, c'mon guys! Where's the love? So close, and yet one vowel away.
Reader comment: John Parres says, "Water ice in crater at Martian north pole! Cool pic, check it out! Where there is H2O there is life." Link [Boing Boing]
10:21:04 PM 
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wastrel
a person who wastes; a loafer.
10:02:24 PM
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Someone has asked me to give a friend a kiss for her today for his birthday. I'm not going to.
Not because I would be uncomfortable, but because I'm pretty sure he would be.
This got me thinking about which men I do kiss and why.
I have two gay friends I regularly kiss in greeting and farewell, I
occasionally kiss one of my two brothers, usually on his shaven head,
but at least once in living memory full on the lips. After many years
of not doing so I kiss my father. My son doesn't like to hug or kiss
indiscriminately, but does so on significant occasions such as when he
left to live in France last year.
That's about it.
I was actually very pleased when in December my other brother had his
fortieth birthday party (fortieth birthday, not fortieth party, you
know what I mean) and greeted his best friend whom he rarely sees (he
lives in Melbourne) in the European manner, with three kisses to the
cheeks.
It was sweet. More kissing please!
10:28:50 AM
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Saturday, 30 July 2005
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Something interesting happened to me yesterday.
I was driving along Salisbury Highway on the way to my place of
employment, sometimes following, sometimes being followed by a police
car with only one officer inside. I noticed something not quite right.
I sped up (I was following at the time) to drive alongside the
policeman. I attracted his attention and made the universal gesture to
"pull over driver".
The policeman looked puzzled, but indeed did pull over to the side of
the road. I pulled in ahead of him just as police cars do for offending
drivers.
I left my car and walked over to his door, just as the police do with offending drivers.
He wound down his window, just as offending drivers do.
He said,"Yes?"
I said, "Were you aware that your left brake light was inoperative?"
"No. Thanks, I'll get it fixed."
We both drove away.
Of course, the building I work in is next to the building he works in,
so we stayed together for several more kilometres and drove into a more
or less shared car park.
I just wish I'd been able to give him a ticket.
12:32:50 AM
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Friday, 29 July 2005
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62 year old woman found guilty of assaulting a federal aviation security staff member. Mark Frauenfelder:
Traveling Salesman says: "62 year old ex-school teacher and member of
the community in a sleepy Wisconsin town, Phyllis Dintenfass was just
found guilty of assaulting a federal aviation security staff member.
She squeezed the breast of the security person after she claims the
security person had done the same to her.
"She claims that she had made repeated verbal efforts to tell the
security person that she didn't want to be felt up. When the security
person said that she wasn't feeling Phyllis up, Phyllis responded, "My
husband has been feeling me up for 40 years, I know what its like to be
felt up". "But...maybe the security person was right. Lets consider the other possibilities:
"1.) Phyllis was horny. she likes breasts. We all do. She saw the opportunity and she went for it.
"2.) Phyllis is a terrorist. This really seems to be the most
likely scenario. The homeland is now secure thanks to the fine
judgement of our people in airport security.
"I'm sure the federal prison inmates are quite worried about the threat Phyllis will pose to their safety."
[F]ederal policy required that Phyllis Dintenfass
undergo a body search. As a result, she now faces imprisonment and
financial ruin because of her understandable reaction. This does
nothing to protect the public from terrorism, but a great deal to
reinforce the idea of illimitable federal power âo[base "] which is,
apparently, the entire point of the "war on terrorism."
Link [Boing Boing]
12:51:46 AM
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Thursday, 28 July 2005
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Digital cowbell
Cory Doctorow:
 The
Rad Monkey VLC800 is a digital cowbell that simulates the sounds of 12
popular analog cowbells through a high-quality digital signal
processor.
Link
(via Red Ferret)
[Boing Boing]
2:05:39 AM
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Shoot someone? Not Smith & Wesson's fault. Copy a movie? Grokster's fault. Mark Frauenfelder:
Good stuff from Daily Koz.
Regarding Grokster:
"We hold that one who distributes a device
with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by
clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster
infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties," Justice Souter wrote.
Regarding guns: Senate Republicans on Tuesday moved
the National Rifle Association's top priority ahead of a $491 billion
defense bill, setting up a vote on legislation to shield firearms
manufacturers and dealers from lawsuits over gun crimes.
"The president believes that the manufacturer of a legal
product should not be held liable for the criminal misuse of that
product by others," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
[Senator Larry] Craig said such lawsuits are "predatory and
aimed at bankrupting the firearms industry," unfairly blaming dealers
and manufacturers for the crimes of gun users.
Link (thanks, Earl!) [Boing Boing]
1:13:52 AM
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Time to stand still on New Year's Eve.
So far this year seems to be going quickly for me. Thankfully we'll have an extra second.
And in the holidays too!
Australians will have a little bit longer to enjoy New Year's Eve this
year thanks to a decision by global timekeepers to extend the last day
of the year by one second. [ABC News: Science and Technology]
1:06:09 AM
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Morons in the News: Congressman Suggests Bombing Mecca.
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) makes one of the most profoundly
moronic statements thus far...
Earlier this week, Congressman Tom Tancredo stated during a
radio interview that we should bomb Muslim holy sites in
retalation for extremist Muslims attacking the United States
with nuclear weapons.
Tancredo: Well, what if you said something...
[morons.org headlines]
12:04:13 AM
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Tuesday, 26 July 2005
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Sunday, 17 July 2005
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As hard to believe as this is, it seems to be true; a drug that makes you gamble!
[Scientific American]
12:22:02 AM
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Friday, 15 July 2005
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I read some, liked some. He had a nice way of paying homage to Dashiell Hammett and his other predecessors. He'll be missed.
Evan
Hunter, who as Ed McBain wrote a genre-defining series of gritty police
novels, has died at his home in Connecticut in the US, his
representative said. [ABC News: Top Stories]
11:48:44 PM
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Thursday, 14 July 2005
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This is absolutely priceless.
I especially liked the description of the Bolsheviks overthrowing the Russian people's representative [sic] government!
Cory Doctorow:
This
1961 Catholic Guild Red-scare comic, entitled "This Godless Communism,"
is a surprisingly comprehensive, incredibly stilted account of the
Russian revolution and the events which followed it. Pure Red-scare
gold.
Link
(Thanks, karramarro!)
[Boing Boing]
6:00:09 PM
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It seems it really does make you go blind!
Public
health authorities in the United States have ordered new warning labels
on drugs for male sexual dysfunction, after reports emerged of sudden
vision loss after use of the drugs.
[ABC News: Health]
5:15:05 PM
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My brothers are twins, but not
identical; one of them is married to an identical twin. It has always
puzzled me how the little differences between them come about when they
share the same genetic structure. Here's a clue.
[Scientific American]
4:45:32 PM
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He could have come to mine too; but I'm in Australia, and my broadband is usually pretty slow.
[Paul Boutin]
1:06:36 PM
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I should probably probably point
out that bonking has a meaning in cycling that is a little different
from the commonly understood meaning.
Maybe it would be more fun if I didn't point it out.
But then would it make sense? After all, I for one have rarely had much trouble avoiding bonking...
Bonking can be a serious problem when riding, particularly long
distances. Learn to avoid this dangerous low blood sugar and ride
without fear of passing out...
[About Bicycling]
12:43:38 PM
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Now this is very cool musical fusion!
Jah DivisionDavid Pescovitz:
Last week, Xeni posted
about a throatsinger who covers heavy songs like "Love Will Tear Us
Apart" by seminal postpunk act Joy Division. Now my sister-in-law
Heather Sparks tells me about Jah Division, a Brooklyn dub consortium
that plays stunning versions of Joy Division tunes. Link to "Dub Will Tear Us Apart" MP3, Link to minimal Jah Division page, Link to PUNKCAST #250 with a performance video from 2003
[Boing Boing]
11:40:15 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Peter Nixon.
Last update: 27/9/05; 9:52:26 PM.
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