2/22    Can't believe this didn't get posted:
        http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2009/02/19/flashy-protesting
        \_ I agree with the protestors. Adobe Flash Player's monopoly
           on personal computers must be stopped. We seriously don't
           want the next Microsoft, in the form of a Flash Player.
        \_ NSFW
           \_ Doh, sorry!
        \_ How come their breasts are so small? Anyways, I couldn't help
           myself staring at that big Canon camera + lens with a wired
           off-camera flash the photographer had. Is that a 24-70mm f/2.8?
           I swear it looks like the 24-70mm but it has a pedestal
           hood so it's probably something else. I'm almost certain it's
           a 5D given the size of it, but not 100% sure since it's blurred.

2/23    Why is Slumdog Millionaire rated R ?
        \_ http://screenit.com/movies/2008/slumdog_millionaire.html

2/23    Has anyone read Anathem yet? How good (or bad) is it in comparison
        to Cryptonomicon?
        \_ Depends: what did you like/dislike about Cryptonomicon?
           \_ I started to dislike the overlapping WW2 and present day stories
              by the 1/2 half of the book.  And it seemed like a lot of the
              technical details were thrown in to prove how smart Stephenson
              was rather than to add anything to the narrative.
              \_ Paradoxically, those were the parts I enjoyed. Anyway,
                 Anathem is comprised significantly of technical details and
                 philosophy of science/math. If you thought C was too clever
                 for its own good, you may find A suffers from the same.
                 That said, I enjoyed it as much as C, less than System of
                 the World, about as much as Diamond Age, less than Snow
                 Crash.
                 \_ In the first half of C, I liked the overlapping narrative
                    b/c it kept me guessing how the two stories were related,
                    but I found it tiresome and confusing in the 2d half.
                    WRT the technical details - it just felt like I was reading
                    a watered down, inarticulate version of Applied Crypto.
                    Maybe I will get Anathem a try. Thanks.
                 \_ What if you just thought C was too smarmy for its own
                    good?
                    \_ Don't know that I'd call A smarmy. It does have its
                       fair share of being interested mostly in itself,
                       though.

2/23    Otter with a camcorder:
        http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_11736680

2/23    Three Chinese people on the HEADLINE of http://cnn.com (finally!).
        Unfortunately, it's bad news. Moral of the story: killing 3
        lives is only worth 34 years in prison.
        http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/23/china.parents.ohio/index.html
        \_ Actually, the dude had already killed two others.  I don't
           understand why he was allowed to drive either.
           \_ that question is best answered by sympathetic jurors.
           \_ There's no guarantee he wouldn't drive just because he
              "wasn't allowed to".  It said he had no insurance...
              is that allowed in Ohio?  Shit happens.
              \_ Apparenlty he had a licence.
                 \_ That doesn't mean it's legal to drive.
           http://www.bmv.ohio.gov/financial_responsibility/fr_requirements.htm
                    Although, the minimum $ insurance and the penalties look
                    pretty wimpy.
                    Anyway, maybe parents shouldn't mortgage themselves
                    like crazy investing in their kid.  Not only might this
                    happen but it seems like a huge burden to put on the kid.
                    \_ Maybe, but they only have 1 kid, and probably don't
                       trust the govt. to deliver on the pensions...
        \_ "Only" 34 years?  Dude.
           \_ OJ Simpson got nothing. So relatively speaking...
        \_ This Skaggs person should be rendered down for parts and
           sold on the organ market, and the $$ given to his
           victim's families.
        \_ I gotta say, Skaggs is a great name for a random jerkwad.
        \_ I vaguely remember there was an old guy who drove his car into
           a farmer's market & killed whole bunch people back then.
           all he got was a slap on the wrist, no?
           \_ George Weller in Santa Monica. And yes only a slap on the
              wrist. First of all he's old and doesn't know what the heck
              is going on, what good is it to jail him? Secondly, everyone
              in LA needs to drive, even the old guys, so if you doom this
              guy, you'll doom a bunch of Angelenos. The gloves don't
              fit, you gotta acquit!
              \_ Nobody walks in LA.
                 \_ There's nowhere to walk to in LA.

2/23    "Deficits don't matter." --Dick Cheney