Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Wow, I'd planned to go through some recent email to see which URLs I've gotten lately were worth posting here, but I got sidetracked in several different directions and wound up tripping over enough new links that I think I should go ahead and post this and start accumulating a new set.

• New Tolkien book discovered: "The 2000 handwritten pages include Tolkien's translation and appraisal of Beowulf, the epic 8th century Anglo-Saxon poem of bravery, friendship and monster-slaying that is thought to have inspired The Lord of the Rings." While I'm not he biggest Tolkien fan around (nor seriously anti-Tolkien), I know that some of my friends are (both). And I am something of a Beowulf fan...
• The Insecurities Project: "security personnel are now asking many travellers to take a photo to prove their camera is not a bomb. Canadian visual artist Isabelle Devos is collecting these photographs for an international art project."
• I'm not sure I really needed to know these exist, but since I do know, I'll inflict that knowledge on others. Such is my way. Erotic Animal Calendars: "In addition to his art, Tim O'Rourke also photographs wildlife, and he has a large library of erotic animal photos which he is offering in the form of limited edition wall calendars."
• New hallucinogen: "It is of particular interest that this would be the first hallucinogen of insect origin." Solely abstract scientific curiosity for me, being a) vegetarian and b) not particularly interested in hallucinogens at this time, but I found it fascinating.
• Long article in The Atlantic (September 2002) about security and how we're going about it all wrong. It draws cogent parallels between modern computer security and "homeland security" measures being implemented or discussed, and it starts off with some examples of unintended consequences of security decisions. An important aspect of the discussion is the acknowledgement that all systems fail, so we need our security procedures to fail gracefully rather than catastrophically.
• Superheroes spotted in Manchester (UK): People dressed as Batman, Superman, and The Mask for charity events got into separate altercations with real world evildoers (shoplifters in the store where Batman was the real-life security manager, and a group tried to mug Supermand and The Mask).
• Did you know that Minnesota has a state muffin?
• No wonder I haven't been feeling well....
• More info that I'm not going to use any time soon, but that I'm pretty sure some of my friends will find useful: some links to Linux-for-kids projects that I just tripped over in somebody else's journal: Debian Jr., SchoolForge, and Tux4Kids.
• Remember the announcements just before New Year's Eve about the five suspected terrorists that had just entered the US? This article in The Globe And Mail suggest that the media coverage may have been just a wee bit overblown. I especially loved the closing quote by a Mountie, which I won't spoil for you here even though I'm tempted.

My boss just emailed me a small research assignment, so after I've rested a little to get rid of my current headache, I'll be diving into that instead of back into LiveJournal...