Puzzlepieces

FootnoteTV - “Examining the issues behind your favorite TV shows.” Choose a television show (currently The West Wing, SNL, The Sopranos, and others), then an episode, and you’ll see information about the issues discussed on those shows. FootnoteTV is part of Newsaic, a great website by Stephen Lee. Via Neat New Stuff on the Net.

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Lyrics Style

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An American’s Guide to Canada - this website is “by an American who has been living in Canada since 1992.” Quite a few things on this site; this Canadian noticed that it listed the Deputy Prime Minister as Herb Gray (now it is John Manley). Via Linkfilter.

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Europe set for toughest GMO labelling laws - “Europe is set to introduce the world’s strictest laws for labelling genetically modified food.” At least some places are getting it right. It is a draft proposal; I’m not sure when it will be in enacted. See also related news (Google), and the EU’s press release. Update, Dec. 10:31 PM: see also Consumers win right to know, from Greenpeace.

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Animal rights group to air provocative ‘turkey terror’ ad - the ad by PETA “depicts a terrorist takeover of a supermarket,” and the terrorist is a “turkey puppet with a demand that people stop eating meat.” You can see a video of it on the PETA link above. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Photos from the Kenya Terrorist Attack - some of these photos from the bombing of an Israeli hotel in Kenya aren’t too pretty. The page contains many large images. Via Blogdex.

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Bin Laden tape a fake, Swiss lab says - just goes to show you how exact this science is. Via Blogdex. See my previous post and related news (Google).

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Auto-ID: Tracking everything, everywhere - “The European Central Bank is quietly working to embed RFID tags in the fibers of Euro bank notes by 2005. The tag would allow money to carry its own history by recording information about where it has been.” Money is just one of the objects which may be tracked with Auto-ID. Via ContraFactos & Argumentos. See also related news (Google).

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Record the Lens That Records You - “Ronald Deibert, a University of Toronto associate professor of political science, wants people to grab their cameras and hit the shopping malls Dec. 24 and participate in World Sousveillance Day. Surveillance means ‘to view from above.’ Sousveillance means ‘to view from below.’” The idea is to “raise awareness about the increasing pervasiveness of all forms of surveillance in today’s hypermedia society.” Via ContraFactos & Argumentos. See also Sousveillance, not just surveillance, in response to terrorism by Steve Mann, the originator of World Sousveillance Day.

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Pound is right to call for Olympic shrinkage - what a great idea: make the Olympics smaller. The games, which have drastically increased in athletes and sports (from 300 athletes in 1896 to 10,650 athletes and 2,000 media members in 2000) have been leaving the host city with large debts (Montreal in 1976). The mayor of Vancouver (Winter Olympics in 2010) wants to hold an Olympic vote, because he doesn’t think it would be good for the city.

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Everything is so 90-10, or 80-20. Today a VP at school couldn’t meet with some of us because there had been a fight she needed to deal with. This reminded me of two years ago, when the project I was working on meant that I spent a lot of time in the office. I realized that the VPs spend almost all of their time (like 90%) dealing with the small number of problem students (like 10%). So the VP’s perspective is gained from dealing with these problem students always; it is a warped view. So many other things have uneven ratios...

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Global Sex Survey 2002. “Opinion across the world is divided between the two actresses - Belgians, Finns and Malaysians prefer Jennifer Lopez, while Austrians, Canadians and Americans vote for Angelina Jolie,” and various other results. Via Linkfilter. See also related news (Google).

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Measles banished from the Americas - “The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) is now reporting an unprecedented two-month absence of any locally transmitted measles infections” of the measles. “In Africa - the last major stronghold of infection...one child dies from the disease every minute.” Here is a PAHO report from October: Transmission of measles virus strain successfully interrupted in the Americas. See also related news (Google).

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Spiders weave huge natural wonder in B.C. - a 60 acre spider web. Via Blogdex.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - add to bref. Technorati and it’s Cosmos; maybe add under metalinker code?

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Barbie bares her belly; can parents bear it? - the main reason is to appeal to “tweens,” as Barbie’s buyers are getting younger (now 3-6!). Via FARK. See also related news (Google), pictures of the new Barbie, and My Scene, the official page for the new Barbies.

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Shhh! American Prisoners Being Held in Afghanistan via FARK and Are Americans dying in Afghanistan?. What truth is there to these articles? Update: Nov 28, 2:27 PM: see also the Metafilter discussion.

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Bush is Soft on Tobacco - R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company has allegedly colluded with mobsters in Columbia and Russia, “and its smuggling operation in Iraq yielded vast profits for Saddam Hussein’s son Uday,” but “the Bush administration persists in siding with RJR and the other cigarette giants in international tobacco control negotiations convened by the World Health Organization.” Via Metafilter. See also related news (Google).

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Administration Proposes More Leeway for Logging - Bush Administration: the new regulations are to “improve the forest management regulations issued by the Clinton administration.” Environmentalists: “It’s a blatant effort by the Bush administration to boost logging and help the timber industry.” Via Google News. Oddly I can’t find anything about this at the Bureau of Land Management.

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New ape population found - about 2,000 orangutans have been found in Borneo. “The find, if confirmed, will raise the number of known orang-utans in the world by about 10%.” Good news; just don’t tell anyone about it. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google) and Orangutan Foundation International.

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Puzzlepieces is now in RSS format. It isn’t perfect yet, but it’s good enough for now. It validates, which is good.

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Where’s George? - enter the serial number of your bills, and see who has had that exact bill before. Once you’ve spent that money you can keep track of where it shows up next. See also Where’s Willy?, the Canadian version. Via Boing Boing.

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If TiVo Thinks You Are Gay, Here’s How to Set It Straight - some interesting results from the services by TiVo, Amazon.com and others that recommend things based on what you have chosen before . Via Metafilter.

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Hawaii Seeks to Save Endangered Bird - “The last three po`ouli birds known to exist will be taken into captivity in a last-ditch effort to save the species from extinction.” Via Google News.

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AIDS epidemic set to explode in Eastern Europe - some results from the latest report by UNAIDS. See the full report: AIDS epidemic update - December 2002. See also related news (Google).

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China approves colossal river diversion plan - the “project involves creating three channels to connect the Yangtze river with the Hai, Huai and Yellow rivers further north,” to provide water to the “drought-stricken northern regions.” The final cost “is expected to exceed that of the controversial $24 billion Three Gorges Dam.” See also related news (Google).

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US launches plan to abolish key tariffs - the US is “calling for countries in the World Trade Organisation to sweep away all duties no later than 2015.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google), tariff (Wikipedia), and Fairness in International Trade.

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Monkeys on Their Backs - it seems that the “population of macaque monkeys has been swelling in [Japan] since World War II.” They are no longer afraid of people, and wander into towns. Via Blogdex.

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Germans Invent Super Sponge for Oil Spill Cleanup - these sponges by eco.carbon should be better than current methods. The scientists are also breeding bacteria that consumes oil (see also How mushrooms will save the world). Via dangerousmeta!. See also related news (Google).

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GOP Looks To Move Its Social Agenda - the Republic plan: “limit abortions, provide greater support to religious groups and increase funding for sexual abstinence and fatherhood programs.” See my previous post.

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Saddam’s chambers of horrors - chilling descriptions of torture in Iraq. See also Iraq’s nuclear non-capability, written by a man who worked for the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission from 1968 until 1998; he now resides in Toronto. Via Blogdex. Update, Nov 26 7:24 AM: see also Iraq - Truth and Lies in Baghdad, videos from PBS, via Metafilter.

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Barbie is banned from Russia, without love - Barbie and Pokémon are among the toys that the Russian Ministry of Education may ban because of their harmful effects on children. Via Blogdex.

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Hail Bush: A new Roman empire - compares the US to the Roman Empire in a number of ways. Interesting read. Via Blogdex. Update, Nov. 28: A Funny Sort of Empire - this op-ed argues that the US is not an empire. Via Blogdex.

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Homeland Security Watch Dogs - the name tells it all. See my previous post about the department. Via Blogdex. Update Nov. 25, 3:50 PM: See Big Brother Is Back and related news (Google).

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‘Intelligent’ design personalization at bbc.co.uk - with a screen capture example, this shows how the BBC is using your own actions to affect the colours of the page. Very neat. Via Blogdex.

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CSS Filters - chart shows which browsers and OS support which rules. Also Anti-Leech protects your website from thieves and e-mail harvesters. Via Blogdex.

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The signs have ears - new billboards will detect what radio station you’re listening to and target the advertisement to suit it. Via Blogdex. Update, December 30: See also the Kuro5hin discussion.

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Oversimulated Suburbia - on the phenomenon of The Sims. Via Blogdex

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Osama issues new call to arms - a 4,000-word letter has been circulating, which is “the most comprehensive explanation of bin Laden’s ideology to be issued for several years.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Afterlife Telegrams - you can pay to have a terminally ill volunteer memorize a message which they will deliver to people who have passed away once they do. Via Metafilter. The fact that I placed this post under the “fun” category gives you my opinion on the matter.

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Hunger crisis grips southern nations - one of the many articles about the famine happening in Africa, largely in Zimbabwe (see Report: Mugabe starving Zim). See also the Kuro5hin discussion.

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My dad took me tonight to see a play called “The Death of Socrates.” You can see a description of it on the eye, and a review on Canoe.ca. It was essentially a one-man play. At one point, the actor pointed right at me, and said, “You, stand up!” When I finally realized that he actually wanted me to, I did, with some embarrassment. He asked me a question, and fortunately the answer (“yes”) was obvious. I answered it and sat down.

After the play, when we got to our car to leave, we found that someone had been in it. Possibly we had left it unlocked. Anyway, the thief made off with a five-dollar bill and a large bag of charcoal. I’m sure that he will find the charcoal quite useful.

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Roy’s Amazing Links! - check these out, maybe add some to site. Also add Mark Pilgrim’s recommended reading and Organica (and weblog ecosystem?) to Page Info Viewer. Also check out All Surnames (genealogy), Paper of Record (newspaper archives), and Census Finder.

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Jamali takes reins from Musharraf - Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali was sworn in as the new, elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. General Pervez Musharraf will remain president for another five years. Via Google News.

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UrbanDictionary.com - just what it says. Via Linkfilter.

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Food scraps make perfect plastic - scientists have developed “a biological reactor that converts a slurry of food waste into a biodegradable plastic.”

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Bush aide: Inspections or not, we’ll attack Iraq - “George Bush’s top security adviser last night admitted the US would attack Iraq even if UN inspectors fail to find weapons.” via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Bush welcomes Lithuania into NATO - NATO accepts seven new members: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Bush administration relaxes clean air rule - yet another step backwards. Via Google News.

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Misinterpreting Osama’s Message: Erring on the Side of Danger - “Mutually Assured Survival.” Why don’t other people think this way? Via Metafilter. Hmn... it seems that most mefi commenters don’t think this way.

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United [Airlines] Comes Through...13 Years Late - a lost briefcase was found. Via FARK.

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“Heinz ‘Say Something Ketchuppy’” Contest - “To enter come up with something funny to say on a Heinz Ketchup squeeze bottle.” Unfortunately you have to be a U.S. resident. Via FARK.

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Cockeyed is a website by Rob Cockerham. It has lots (and lots and lots) of interesting things, which I have yet to explore. Take a look at Incredible Stuff I Made, such as spring shoes and a giant paper maché globe.

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Sacramento Airport Booty - check out these boxes of items confiscated at an airport. Via Boing Boing. This led me to find some other neat things; see the next post.

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Miss World riots kill 105 in Nigeria - via Google News. Update, about 8:00 PM: Nigerian riots force Miss World pageant to move to London. Update, Nov. 24: See also the Kuro5hin discussion. Update, Nov. 26 4:01 PM: Death sentence demanded for Miss World reporter via dangerousmeta! and related news (Google). Update, Nov. 27 7:22 AM: Nigerian Government rejects ‘fatwa’ - no death sentence, via Blogdex.

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Waypath has added a keyword search engine. It has great boolean capabilities. Update, 11:44 PM: Waypath has also redesigned the website, and is experimenting with “What Weblogs Say About Issues in the News,” still in the development stage. Currently it uses headlines from the Christian Science Monitor, and shows related weblog entries for each one.

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Canada to U.S.: Mind your business - “Defence Minister John McCallum bluntly told George W. Bush yesterday to stop lecturing Canada about increased defence spending.” Well, I’m glad someone had the guts to say so. Via Blogdex. Update, 10:39 PM: See also PM on aide: She calls me a moron, too, via Drudge Report.

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Law Grads Online, Bar None - “Internet law school will debut its first class of Juris Doctorates on Thursday,” but the American Bar Association refuses to accredit the school. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Add Photoblogs to blogs page. and new waypath stuff.

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Daypop is back online!

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How many Giraffes live in Canada? - haven’t you always wanted to know? There are 26. Via Google Answers.

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Icepick.com - this house in the Netherlands is really wired. Everything is tracked and viewable from the website. If someone opens the fridge door, this website has it recorded. There are also ten webcams. Crazy stuff. Via linkfilter.

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Experimental vaccine holds hope for success against cervical cancer - via Metafilter. See also related news (Google).

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The Ultimate Homeless Shelter - “New York City Looking At Retired Cruise Ships As Shelters.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google). Update, December 31: see Housing idea: USS Homeless about the same idea for San Fransisco, via FARK.

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Scientists Planning to Make New Form of Life - “Their intent is to create a single-celled, partially man-made organism with the minimum number of genes necessary to sustain life.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Pentagon to Track American Consumer Purchases - yet another article about the US government’s efforts to track everything about everyone, purportedly for the “war on terror.” Via Blogdex. This is such a large issue that I won’t attempt to cover it here. For more information, see related news (Google), the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Information Awareness Office, of the US Army’s DARPA.

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Violent, Unhappy and Brief -- The Life of a School Bully - this journalist catches up with his childhood bullies. Via Blogdex.

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Global goofs: U.S. youth can’t find Iraq - the results of a National Geographic survey about geography and current events. The survey included youth in nine countries, including Canada. Some of the results are obvious and others are surprising. You can take an example survey. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google). Update, Dec. 1, 12:15 AM: See also the Kuro5hin discussion.

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The Democratic Dividend - (US) it seems that the stock market and GDP do better when the president is a Democrat than when the president is a Republican. Via Metafilter. In my opinion, the calculations should be redone factoring in “legacy.” That is, the economic indicator for each president should start counting after a year they’ve been in office, and end a year after they leave office. Perhaps the bridge should be extended to two years after a two-term president.

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Countdown for shuttle launch under way - this United Press International article about the damaged Canadarm somehow fails to mention either “canadarm” or “canada.” What’s up with that? Via Google News.

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improvements to inktomi. update stuff!

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Recommended Reading - a great new tool by Mark Pilgrim. It recommends blogs based on links on a page you input, using data from the blogging ecosystem. Via Blogdex. See also his project page for Recommended Reading.

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Television’s Tiniest Stars - about hidden cameras, via dangerousmeta!.

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Matsushita develops advanced plastic recycling system - they have developed the “first plastic recycling system capable of separating flame retardants from used plastic...The system has the potential to accelerate the recycling of end-of-life consumer electronics.” Via Google News.

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Article on Parsing RSS using PHP, via Blogdex

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The Costly Case of the Purple Pill - explains how the cost of pharmaceuticals is pushed up by the large companies. AstraZeneca’s Prilosec-cum-Nexium is used as an example. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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The march of phones - apparently rotary phones, “patented in 1891 by Almon B. Strowger,” were invented because he was losing business to a competitor who’s wife was the telephone switchboard operator. Also other fun facts, from the Globe and Mail’s Social Studies.

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Puns Galore - doesn’t have that many puns, add it to bref anyway

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On Covers of Many Magazines, a Full Racial Palette Is Still Rare - how true. Apparently Halle “Berry became only the fifth black to appear on the cover of Cosmopolitan”. Via dangerousmeta!.

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This Is a Headline For an Essay About Meta - an interesting article about “meta”. For those not in-the-know, meta is a prefix , where metasomething means something about something. Not the best definition, but examples are metadata (data about data), metacognition (thinking about thinking), metaphysics, etc. Via dangerousmeta!. Update, Januery 28 2003: See also Hipsters never meta hyperbole they didn't like, via Metafilter.

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Real Quotes - a collection of quotations about technology, such as “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers,” Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

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...Find a Blog - good article. may have something missing on my blog page, don’t forget to add blogwise and waypath. maybe even add a link to said article

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Why microchips weigh over a kilogram - “A typical 2-gram silicon chip requires 1.6 kilograms of fossil fuel, 72 grams of chemicals and 32 kilograms of water to manufacture,” via Greenpeace.

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Fossilised “Nessie” found - a “120-million-year-old plesiosaur” was found in Australia, which may be of a previously unknown species. Via Google News.

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Surgical tags plan for sex offenders - Britian is considering a plan to implant tags into sex offenders, so that their location, heart rate, and blood pressure could be tracked. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Geneticists Track More of Earliest Humans’ First Itineraries - what we know about human migration from studying DNA. Via Google News.

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Ivory sale angers environmentalists - the UN has let South Africa, Namibia and Botswana sell up to 40 tonnes of ivory, but only from existing tusks, not by killing any more elephants. Some fear that this will lead to more elephants being killed anyway. Via Google News.

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Italian Men Legally Allowed to Slap Women’s Bums - this is now legal, as long as it does not become a habit. Via Blogdex.

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"Purple flash" when opening an envelope - it seems this is caused by triboluminescence, interesting. Via Google Answers.

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Complete list of units of measure and their abbreviations

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Movie-A-Minute - they’ve taken famous movies and condensed them into a sentence or two each. Here’s an example, Analyze This: “Robert De Niro CRIES, and it is FUNNY.” Via Blogdex.

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Saddam pays Gaddafi $3 billion to give his family safe haven in Libya - The deal doesn’t include Saddam himself, or his son Uday. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Titanic volcanic eruption seen on Io - a volcanic eruption on Io (one of Jupiter’s moons) is thought “to be the most powerful eruption ever witnessed in the entire Solar System.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Military boots 9 gay linguists despite shortage - “Nine gay linguists, including six trained to speak Arabic, have been discharged from a U.S. Army language institute despite the threat of war in the Middle East and a critical shortage of language specialists in the military and intelligence agencies.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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PETA Interrupts Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show - a number of PETA members stormed the runway, chasing Gisele Bundchen, who has “signed a modeling contract with Blackglama, a leading American fur company.” See also related news (Google).

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White House Wages Stealth War on Condoms - Bush and his appointees are pushing an abstinence agenda, which includes the removal of information about how condoms protect against HIV. As if telling people not to have sex has or ever will work. Via Blogdex.

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Pencil sharpener: Sculptor gets the lead out with miniature carvings - a sculptor has made amazing sculpures out of the graphite at the tip of a pencil. Via Blogdex.

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I’ve just returned from the school, where I submitted my graduation quote:

What high school has taught will always find its way into my daily life. What I now know, I would not know without T.S.S. As I look forward to what will occur, I am thankful for many amazing instructors that I had. My high school companions’ contributions account for this outstanding point in my history. ~~ You won’t find any “e”s!

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GooglePeople is a new tool which utilizes the Google API to answer questions. Ask it “who invented whatever?” or “who is the president of wherever?” and the answers are quite good. It tried asking for the Premier of Québec, and who delivers presents to children on Christmas, both of which were answered correctly. Via Google Weblog.

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This war brought to you by Rendon Group - for six years, an American student has worked with the Rendon Group, broadcasting messages into Iraq impersonating Saddam Hussein’s voice. Rendon Group seems to be a public relations quasi-government organization. Via Blogdex.

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250 to compete for rock, paper, scissors title - it takes place in Toronto. Via Blogdex.

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Marge Simpson’s boob job - does anyone even watch new Simpsons episodes anymore? Via Blogdex.

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The Online Books Page

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Theory on ancient Greek athletes gathers momentum - “Olympic athletes in ancient Greece swung heavy weights in their hands so that they could jump further,” via Google News.

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Bill Moyers on Election 2002 - a commentary about the Republican’s power and thier agenda (US). Just how I feel. Via Blogdex.

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U.S. officials approve first home defibrillator - via Google News

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Saddam, Aides Meet Before UN Announcement -TV - Iraq “announced on Wednesday its ‘unconditional’ acceptance of the resolution.” So much for my previous post. Not that this will stop Bush from pushing the war, though. Via Google News.

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Iraq parliament rejects resolution - this is gonna be trouble. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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I thought it was pretty good that Bill Gates donated $100 million US to fight AIDS in India. However, The Register points out that Gates gives $100m to fight HIV, $421m to fight Linux. Linux is an open-source operating system that is in competition with Microsoft’s Windows. Via Blogdex.

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British Troops Given LSD - I’m not sure when this old footage is from, but it shows LSD being tested on British soldiers. It is an MPG file. Britain used LSD in Cold War tests says that this was done between 1961 and 1968. Via Blogdex. See also 100 years of altered states and Acid Dreams: Timeline.

#permalink 7:53 AM

Experts scrutinize bin Laden message - the voice on a tape, played recently on Al-Jazeera, is definitely that of Osama. The tape is recent enough to mention the Bali attacks. This doesn’t, however, confirm that he is alive, as it could possibly be a compilation of pre-existing recorded words. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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The human Swiss Army Knife - this guy carries 1,300 useful items in pockets that he’s made in his clothes. Great idea, too bad it weighs 12 kg. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Iraq Said to Try to Buy Antidote Against Nerve Gas - “Iraq has ordered, mainly from a Turkish company, a million doses of the drug” which has led to speculation that Iraq plans on using nerve gases against attackers and is protecting its military and possibly civillians agains this. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 7:12 AM

Prepare something for World Aids Day (Dec. 1), maybe get some resources about Aids in Africa, or maybe southeast asia.

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Green graves give back to nature - some of the various methods that people are now choosing for after their death, such as biodegradable caskets. Via Greenpeace.

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Well this blog is coming along. I took the Metalinker code and personalized it for this site, which is why you see [BW]s all over this page (on most browsers, anyway). If you click on the B you’ll see a list of other blogs that link to the same link as beside the B, courtesy of Blogdex. That way you can see what other bloggers opinions about that link are. If you click on the W, you’ll see posts from other blogs that Waypath thinks are related. Very useful for the same reason as the B. I’ll put up an about page later to explain this all. Also I created the template for the search results (you’ll see it if you use the search box on the right), but it still needs work. Still left to do: create an advanced search page, a contact page, an about me page, create an RSS feed and a favicon, and then add Puzzlepieces to blog directories.

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Psst! Sell Your Kidney? - an op-ed suggesting that the US allow sales of organs. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Web panhandler pays off $20,000 debt - Karyn Bosnak, who launched savekaryn.com in September to beg online, has paid off her debt. I’m not sure how much money has been raised by dontsavekaryn.com, where they promise to waste your money. See also related news (Google).

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check out this image search from corbis. what can you get without paying?

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Canadian “Switch” Parody (requires QuickTime) - there have been tons of parodies of Apple’s switch commercials, but this one is great, about an American who “switches” to Canada. Via Boing Boing.

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Pseudodictionary - “the place where words you’ve made up can become part of an actual online dictionary,” has over 12,000 “words.” Try a random word, it’s pretty neat. Via Metafilter.

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Hunting a Deadly Soviet Legacy - article about the radioactive cesium that the USSR used in experiments, “U.S. and international nuclear experts have begun quietly searching former Soviet republics to recover the remains of the...[cesium project]...before someone else does.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

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Films to Be Rented on the Internet - “Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Brothers” are collaborating to offer legal downloadable movies. The project is called Movielink. Via Google News.

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Cannabis smoke “worse” than tobacco - via Blogdex.

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An Animal’s Place - a good article about animal rights. The author suggests that this will be the next liberation movement, after women, blacks, and gays. Via Blogdex.

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I think sometime this week or next I will go the whole day without using the letter “e.” Any thoughts?

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Belgian pensioner killed by his own booby-trap - a retired engineer had rigged his home with 19 traps to kill his family with. One trap killed him and narrowly missed a police officer who came to investigate the death. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 10:30 PM

Airplane Homes - if you win the auction on eBay, Max Power Aerospace will install an airplane home on your property. The 153-foot airplane will sit on a platform so that it can rotate. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 10:26 PM

From the Oops Files - a newscaster makes an interesting slip-of-the-tongue. Requires Java. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 10:21 PM

Guantanamo’s Unhappy Campers - an article by a journalist who visited Camp X-Ray, where the captured Taleban are held. He says that they’re getting very good treatment, which contrasts with other views. Via Blogdex. See my previous post about prisoners being transported. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 2:23 PM

EU recruits Canadian and U.S. top pop stars to say “no” to smoking - the anti-smoking ads will be seen across Europe on television and in movie theatres showing Harry Potter. Via Google News.

#permalink 11:35 AM

Canadian Newspaper Association’s guide to Canadian newspapers. Also take a longer look at the new altavista and their news search.

#permalink 10:28 AM

A Few Questions, Mr. Shakespeare - some of the most common questions (with their answers) asked of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington. Includes an interesting list of words that Shakespeare invented. Via dangerousmeta!.

#permalink 9:41 PM

I was standing beside my dad when he saw the most amazing shooting star. I turned in time to see some light out of the corner of my eye. This seems to happen to me very frequently; the amount of amazing things that I have almost seen would be amazing, if I had only seen them.

#permalink 9:29 PM

We are the living - a great article about the 13 living Canadians who served in the First World War. Read the article and the story of each one.

#permalink 7:27 PM

Pop stars seek to find female programmers of the future - a contest for girls to design a website for their favourite band is intended to attract more women to the male-dominated IT sector. Via Google News.

#permalink 6:23 PM

Afghan War Faltering, Military Leader Says - apparently the US campaign is faltering and some within the Pentagon think that efforts should be refocused on reconstruction. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 5:45 PM

Bush Lies, Media Swallows - via Blogdex. See also Bush’s Lies And Simple Truths via Google News, and Bush twists facts to fit, analysts say and Bush Lies (a list) via Blogdex.

#permalink 5:36 PM

add this to Page Info bookmarklet and fix blogdex and remove daypop (re-add it later). Also add The Waypath Project and add that to the blogs page.

#permalink 5:25 PM

The Know It All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Guy in the World will be the title of a book being written by A.J. Jacobs as he reads the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Honestly, I wonder if he’ll ever finish it. Note, it is the second article on the page. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 9:42 PM

Photos of terrorism suspects cause stir - an article about these photos of POWs being transported. It should cause a stir. The Pentagon is trying to find out who leaked the photos. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 9:22 PM

Journeys with George is a “network television producer’s video diary” of Bush’s year and a half election campaign around the US. “This is W. unplugged, the baloney and cheetos-eating matchmaker you didn’t see on tv.” It’ll be on tv in the US, France, and UK, but no word on Canada. The site has a preview, here is another. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 9:02 PM

The Phrase Finder - add to bref

#permalink 1:40 PM

Michael McNevin - Sketch Art - this guy has made some amazing pictures with Etch A Sketch. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 1:35 PM

Facts in science that have been proven wrong - a interesting question asked and answered on Google Answers.

#permalink 1:05 PM

Officers find themselves barking up wrong tree in five-hour standoff - a SWAT team in Seattle stormed a house to find that they had surrounded only a dog. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 7:20 AM

Alfred Hitchcock mosaics, Leytonstone - in honour of 100 years since the birth of famous director Alfred Hitchcock, the place where he was born now sports 14 mosaics, mainly images from his movies. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 7:50 PM

Al Qaeda admits Bali blasts on Web - via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 7:45 PM

How the world sees Americans - an interview with journalist Mark Hertsgaard, the author of a new (but long researched) book on the topic. He went around the world (started before 9-11) asking all types of people their opinions on the United States. It’s long but worth it. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 5:36 PM

China Communists Pledge to Modernize - one of the many articles about China’s 16th National Congress, which will include big changes in their leadership.

#permalink 4:53 PM

Akiyoshi’s illusion pages - crazy optical illusions. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 4:45 PM

Monorail on City’s One-Track Mind - Seattle will soon have America’s largest monorail, as “the 14-mile-long Green Line will be up and running within five years.” Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 4:41 PM

Nasa challenges Moon hoaxers - NASA has “asked James Oberg, a leading aerospace writer, to produce a book” to explain why all the conspiracy theorists that claim the moon landing was fake, are wrong. Via Google News.
Update, November 9: Nasa pulls Moon hoax book - the book will still be written, although NASA isn’t paying for it. See the Slashdot thread.

#permalink 1:32 PM

I’m inclined to believe that this is nothing at all, or something stupid, but 8march2003.com claims that on that date they will reveal photographs of something that has “global implications.” Via Blogdex.

#permalink 1:02 PM

Scientists learn to suppress fear in rats - scientists have been able to do this by stimilating the prefrontal cortex (part of the brain), which they hope “will lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of anxiety, phobias, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.” Via Google News.

#permalink 7:24 AM

Ossuary was genuine, inscription was faked - the ossuary that was supposed to be the oldest material evidence Jesus of Nazareth, which is now at the Royal Ontario Museum, is apparently not evidence of Jesus at all. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 11:07 PM

’97 Bonnie and Clyde by eminem

#permalink 10:59 PM

Indonesian wildfires spark global warming fears - in 1997, peat bogs burning in Indonesian were responsible for “40 per cent of the global emissions from burning fossil fuels that year.“ The bogs are burning again. Via Google News.

#permalink 7:34 PM

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Ottawa’s tobacco lawsuit - Canada’s attempt to collect the estimated $1 billion that was lost in taxes due to alleged cigarette smuggling in the early 90s has been thrown out of US court. A lower-court ruling was upheld, that said “foreign governments cannot use U.S. courts to collect lost tax revenues.” See also related news (Google).

#permalink 3:00 PM

Japan’s low birth rate is due to Hello Kitty, this article claims. Via Linkfilter.

#permalink 2:35 PM

Aiming to Hook Up Every Home to the ’Net - South Korea, already the most wired country, is planning to get every household connected. Via Google News.

#permalink 2:25 PM

DNA Identifies Child Victim of Titanic Shipwreck - the “unknown child” buried in Nova Scotia has finally been identified. Via Google News.

#permalink 2:19 PM

Google’s database now includes over 3 billion pages (normal web pages, pdf files, others), a significant increase from Google’s last monthly update. No other search engine includes this many pages, although Openfind (in beta) claims to.

#permalink 2:04 PM

China’s Cyberwall Nearly Concrete - a good article about China’s internet censorship. They point out that most of China’s censorship technology is from American companies, while the US government is now funding efforts to circumvent the censorship. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 1:54 PM

A follow up to my post about odd things sold on eBay: The Weird eBay Auctions Warehouse. Also available on eBay: 160-room hotel in Kabul, only $10 million US - via linkfilter. Update, Nov. 6 1:41 PM: also available on eBay: 800 pages of someone’s personal information - via Blogdex.

#permalink 5:30 PM

I’ve avoided posting about all the speculation that the current US election voting will be as bad or as worse as two years ago. Now, however, the polls have been open for some time and the problems are already emerging. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google).

#permalink 4:56 PM

China, ASEAN sign deal for world’s largest Free Trade Zone - China and ASEAN (Indonesia, Philippines, others) have signed the AFTA, making a free trade area that includes “1.7 billion people struggling to attain prosperity after having remained in decades of poverty.” Via Google News.

#permalink 1:53 PM

I need a World Issues ISU topic. I was thinking of maybe something to do with oil and energy. Or maybe about globalization and loss of unique cultures. Any ideas?

#permalink 1:46 PM

The Strange Tale of Unlucky Luciano - this Italian guy’s birth certificate mislabelled him female, so he was unable to join the army, get a driver’s license, or get married. He’s finally got the courts to fix that. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 1:43 PM

Smart paint creates chameleon tanks - apparently the US military is working on tanks that can change colour and repair themselves. This would be accomplished by coating the tanks in nanomachines. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 7:24 AM

FetchBook.info - great price comparison search for books. Via Library Stuff.

#permalink 7:18 AM

Word Up: Keeping Languages Alive - an article about The Rosetta Project’s project to preserve over 1,400 of the world’s languages. Most of the world’s languages will be gone in the next century. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 10:27 PM

Army’s secret “people zapper” plans - some basic information about the US and UK’s work on developing non-lethal weapons. Via Blogdex. See also related news (Google), the US Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program, and the UK Non-Lethal Weapons Project.

#permalink 10:19 PM

CIA may be behind deadly Yemen blast: report - via Google News. Update, a few minutes later: it seems that the US is acknowledging that they did it.

#permalink 7:20 PM

101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that IE cannot - via Blogdex

#permalink 5:34 PM

available on eBay: a Classic Mach 2 Russian Jet Fighter, currently just $70 thousand US. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 5:11 PM

check out The Asilomar Institute for Information Architecture - via Blogdex

#permalink 5:09 PM

a donkey and a mule had a baby, which is a “miracle” because mules were previously thought unable to have children. So what should you call the baby? Via Google News.

#permalink 1:30 PM

Cities plan to put ads on police cars - via Blogdex

#permalink 11:00 AM

Atheist Eagle Scout Faces Expulsion - via Blogdex

#permalink 10:54 AM

I’ve just been reading some of the true adventures of Patrick Combs. They’re great stories, and well written. And did I mention that they’re true?

#permalink 11:50 PM

A very pessimistic view of the Earth’s future, and suggestions that won’t happen because the “political will, international cooperation and huge resources” needed are not very likely to occur. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 8:58 PM

Using Lists for DHTML Menus - via Blogdex

#permalink 8:52 PM

I’ve been going crazy trying to get this blog to work ok in Netscape 4.7. Now it does but the “comments” link doesn’t show how many comments there are. If I enabled that, then it wouldn’t work in Netscape. Stupid browsers...

#permalink 3:56 PM

ARSEiam is a collection of a lot of crazy things made in flash. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 9:06 PM

there is no box

#permalink 3:08 PM

Researchers estimate that as many as one-half of Earth’s plants are threatened - via Google News
Also, Shy bug may help clean pesky pollutant and related stories.

#permalink 3:01 PM

There are a lot of websites which link to mine (Fagan Finder), however this link was a surprise. My website is listed under the “personal favourites” of W. Michael Fagan, a finance instructor in New Jersey.

#permalink 2:42 PM

Blogwise is a new blog direcory, it doesn’t have enough blogs in it to link to it.

#permalink 1:53 PM

check out this photo of a 15-year-old bin Laden with 22 of his siblings. Via Google Answers.

#permalink 1:47 PM

Albanian and Russian observers sent to monitor American elections - in Florida. Via Blogdex

#permalink 7:32 AM

Toyota plans all gas-electric vehicles by 2012 - more good news today. Via Blogdex.

#permalink 7:28 AM

Talisman to pull out of Sudan - great news, I didn’t think that would happen. Talisman is an oil company that has been “generating hundreds of millions in revenue for a [Sudanese] government accused of widespread human-rights abuses.”

#permalink 7:19 AM