ABC News: Koppel to Leave ABC
Has it really been 25 years since Nightline started? God, I'm getting old. I remember very clearly when Nightlight started as a daily special, covering the Iran hostage crisis.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Fallacies
Do you know what "begging the question" really means? Or how Ad Hominem Tu Quoque differs from just plain-old Ad Hominem? This tutorial on fallacies will set you straight. Interesting reading and will equip you for the next hype-filled public debate.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Writing, Briefly
Paul Graham has written an excellent guide to Writing, Briefly, albeit in one very long sentence.
Interesting Supreme Court hearing today
The case of file-sharing company Grokster versus the film studios and record labels is hard for the average person to understand, made harder by an unrelenting propoganda campaign. But this issue isn't as simple as the film and music companies argue. They conveniently forget to mention that they fight almost every technology advance. And when they lose, as they did against the VCR 20 years ago, they still end up winning big.
Interesting take on the issue by David Byrne, formerly of the Talking Heads, via Boing Boing.
"In 1984, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling unleashed what became the $24 billion home-video market. Two decades later, the court is again set to shape the future of the entertainment business."
Interesting take on the issue by David Byrne, formerly of the Talking Heads, via Boing Boing.
Skype
The New York Times finally catches on to Skype. It's not perfect and, because it is proprietary, you really don't know what kind of security problems it has. Still, for family chatting or for cheap work-related calls, I've been very happy. Two things I'd recommend:
1. Only use it on a broadband (cable modem or DSL) network.
2. Don't pick a user name that's immediately recognizable as your name.
The username wasn't a problem for me, but because theresa's is recognizably a woman's name, she gets a lot more calls from teenage boys worldwide. She doesn't answer them and it is easy to block all calls except those in your contact list, but they are annoying.
I've had chats so far with people from Malaysia (a male student trying to find an excuse not to study), Turkey (a woman trying to learn English) and San Diego (a retired teacher passing on a joke he heard from someone in France). The world really is getting smaller.
1. Only use it on a broadband (cable modem or DSL) network.
2. Don't pick a user name that's immediately recognizable as your name.
The username wasn't a problem for me, but because theresa's is recognizably a woman's name, she gets a lot more calls from teenage boys worldwide. She doesn't answer them and it is easy to block all calls except those in your contact list, but they are annoying.
I've had chats so far with people from Malaysia (a male student trying to find an excuse not to study), Turkey (a woman trying to learn English) and San Diego (a retired teacher passing on a joke he heard from someone in France). The world really is getting smaller.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Theresa
Theresa contemplates a half-hour trip in the car with Dude, who has just rolled in something dead...
A natural arch in the woods
Unfortunately, this was just before Shana took a tumble backwards and hit her head on a tree. She's fine, but wasn't a happy camper for a while.
Dude in his element
One of the advantages of baseball/softball season is that we get to make frequent visits to a very large forest reserve near the military base in High Wycombe. Dude seems to enjoy it.
Baseball season begins
Around this time of year, for about two or three months, we become American again. The U.S. military base at High Wycombd (Navy/Royal Air Force) run a t-ball, baseball and softball league. This year, Aidan is doing baseball and Cara and Shana (shown here) are doing softball. Ailish isn't participating this year for the first time in a long time because the season conflicts with her GCSEs. Liam declined. We're making him attend the practices, anyway, just to get the fresh air.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal
I've found this a good resource on economics, and most recently on the effort to privatise social security. A good read.
IVF parents should choose baby's sex
I'm not one to think this is a moral precipice. I just think it takes half the fun out of having a baby. We never wanted to know the sex. I just wanted to be surprised on the day.
FT.com / Comment & analysis - Thomas Hazlett: Is Microsoft toast?
FT.com / Comment & analysis - Thomas Hazlett: Is Microsoft toast?
No, of course not. But it would be good for everyone if Microsoft is cut to size and becomes one of many successful companies.
No, of course not. But it would be good for everyone if Microsoft is cut to size and becomes one of many successful companies.
Monday, March 14, 2005
The New York Times > Technology > Liberal Bloggers Reaching Out to Major Media
The New York Times > Technology > Liberal Bloggers Reaching Out to Major Media
I can't imagine this will work, nor is it a good idea. This isn't what "real journalists" do. This is what advocacy groups do, and I've never called into a single one of these conference calls unless I absolutely had to, such as for a company's earnings presentation or a government briefing.
I can't imagine this will work, nor is it a good idea. This isn't what "real journalists" do. This is what advocacy groups do, and I've never called into a single one of these conference calls unless I absolutely had to, such as for a company's earnings presentation or a government briefing.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Thursday, March 03, 2005
The New York Times > Arts > Frank Rich: Gonzo Gone, Rather Going, Watergate Still Here
The New York Times > Arts > Frank Rich: Gonzo Gone, Rather Going, Watergate Still Here
An excellent take on the sad state of affairs right now in journalism. And it isn't much better out here.
An excellent take on the sad state of affairs right now in journalism. And it isn't much better out here.
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