Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

• Gymnast accidentally lands in tiger pen and gets a surprise (JPEG of newspaper clipping) "We all thought he would be eaten, but [...]"
• Another of those "silly things people have said to tech support folks" collections, plus some folks reporting silly mistakes they've made themselves, stupid things programmers have done, and even a section on stupid tech-support people: Computer Stupidities at rinkworks.com. "It's a baffling phenomenon that in today's society an individual, who might in other circumstances be considered smart and wise, can sit down in front of a computer screen and instantly lose every last shred of common sense he ever possessed. Complicate this phenomenon with a case of 'computerphobia,' [...] And yet, amidst the vast, surging quantities of stupidity are perfectly excusable technological mishaps -- but that are amusing nonetheless. After all, even the best of us engages in a little brainless folly every once in a while." It's got a bunch I hadn't seen before (as well as several I've read elsewhere). And here's one for the other side: "I find it curious how you almost never see 'press any key' instructions that are honest enough to say, 'except Shift, Caps Lock, Control, Alt, Num Lock, Scroll Lock....'"
• Optical illusions, most with motion, a bunch of static eyeball-benders, many of which produce the illusion of motion where there isn't any. Large images; takes a while to load. I found the rotating acorns especially effective. I'm not sure whether any of these depend on being on a CRT -- I should bug somebody with a high quality colour printer to put a few on paper for me. more illusions on the same site. I'd love to have a floor in a large room (that I could somehow magically keep uncluttered) tiled in the pattern titled, "A Bulge". Or would that automatically make me a poor host? The second of the pages I've linked to here includes links to several more pages of illusions which I haven't explored yet.
• Google has added an interesting calculator to their list of features. It includes calculations on english phrases, such as (to use examples from their description), "(G * mass of earth) / (radius of earth ^ 2)", or a conversion like, "half a cup in teaspoons" ... or, "The answer to life, the universe, and everything". ( and let's not forget this calculation... )
• Never listen to what they say they plan to do with a law; look at what the law allows them to do. PATRIOT act being used against more than terrorists. "'A lot of these tools can be used in ordinary crimes,' former Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh acknowledged during a recent debate over the Patriot Act on CNNfn. 'But heck, if we happen to catch a murderer, excuse me for not apologizing.'" Yeah, but that's not the problem. This is: "An array of liberal and conservative organizations worry that the law tramples on Americans' civil liberties, reduces judicial oversight, and can be used against people who are not suspected of terrorist or criminal activity. They dismiss the Justice Department's insistence that the law takes aim only at suspected terrorists, saying ordinary, law-abiding Americans could end up on the wrong end of a roving wiretap or other Patriot Act authority. And the law, they argue, undermines bedrock legal principles such as Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures." Remember, this is the law that lets law enforcement folks peek at your library records while prohibiting the librarians from telling you anybody peeked. "Critics say the law opens the door to broader uses by: Expanding the definition of domestic terrorism in such a way that some fear the law could be used against anti-abortion protesters, environmentalists, AIDS activists or other movements with a history of robust, sometimes unlawful, activism. [...]"
• According to The Washington Post, "Sixty-nine percent of Americans said they thought it at least likely that Hussein was involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, according to the latest Washington Post poll. That impression, which exists despite the fact that the hijackers were mostly Saudi nationals acting for al Qaeda, is broadly shared by Democrats, Republicans and independents."
• "A Complete Alternative Sexuality History Timeline" starts with interesting rock paintings circa 5000 BCE, covers same-sex pairings, crossdressing rulers (both directions), the first sex manual, the imposition of laws regarding such conduct, all before the end of the Roman Empire, then continues for several screens to get through the middle ages and Renaissance and start covering the New World, ( an interesting 17th Century theory regarding S&M )
  , and then for page after page of significant dates in the modern era, including kinky politicians, famous gay folks, various milestones in the life of the Marquis de Sade, a famous novelist with a foot fetish, the introduction of the idea that "sins of the flesh" were psychiatric disorders (1843), more laws enacted and repealed, birthdays of various people, the introduction of the word "homosexual" ... and when I got up to 1900 (I'll read the rest later), the scroll bar was only a fifth of the way down. There's a lot here.
• From NASA's web site: Space Station Music, about astronauts who bring instruments aboard. "A lot of astronauts play instruments. There's even an astronaut rock-and-roll band. And a surprising variety of musical instruments have found their way into space: in addition to the keyboard, there's been a flute, a guitar, a saxophone, and an Australian aboriginal wind instrument known as a didgeridoo." Newton's third law, of course, presents some challenges. Ellen Ochoa had to have her feet in loops to keep her breath from moving her around as she played flute. And Carl Walz had to tie his keyboard to his lap because pushing on the keys pushed the instrument away from him. But you don't need a guitar strap. "'The strangest thing about playing music in space,' says Carl Walz, 'is that it's not strange. In most homes, there's a musical instrument or two. And I think it's fitting that in a home in space you have musical instruments as well. It's natural. Music makes it seem less like a space ship, and more like a home.'"
• From anniemal, I got this informative link on computer security -- how to make your computer difficult to steal. Okay, my friends who still use DEC-20 or large PDP-11 systems might not need this help, but this person's instructions show how to make a mere PC too heavy to lift. A quick read, and fun.
• And then there's How To Destroy Your Computer, which begins, "Many computer users perform their own hardware upgrades, and a distressing number of these result in insufficient damage to the system. Destroying your own computer is every user's right and is the pattern of behaviour expected by the manufacturers and, especially, repair personnel, whose very livelihood is put in peril by those users who perversely persist in correctly upgrading their equipment." It goes on to list several ways of screwing things up. Enjoy!

"Mostly when the reckless years end
Something's left to save
Some of them keep running
'Til they run straight in their graves"
    -- Warren Zevon, "Wild Age"

"Someone lost their squirting rose
There's his red nose on the ground
No one's seen his painted smile
He's been gone for quite a while
Something bad happened to a clown"
    -- Warren Zevon, "Something Bad Happened to a Clown"

"Don't it make you want to rock and roll
All night long Mohammed's Radio
I heard somebody singing sweet and soulful
On the radio, Mohammed's Radio"
    -- Warren Zevon, "Mohommed's Radio"