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The Fairest Lady
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Google...don't be evil!
Don't go evil on us, Google!
When Google's founders developed a new approach to navigating the Internet in their Stanford University dorm room, they coined a company catch phrase: "Don't be evil." The saying was meant to be an insider's dig at Microsoft, the corporate giant that they felt had abandoned the principles of "creativity and challenge" on which Google is based. In its rapid growth and drive for profits, Google seems to be in danger of forgetting its own mission, to "make the world's information universally accessible and useful." The consumers who turned "google" into a synonym for search should remind Google that the Internet was meant to be about access to more information, more perspectives and more speech. As one of the most dominant forces on the Internet today, Google has the power to make sure it stays that way.
When Google's founders developed a new approach to navigating the Internet in their Stanford University dorm room, they coined a company catch phrase: "Don't be evil." The saying was meant to be an insider's dig at Microsoft, the corporate giant that they felt had abandoned the principles of "creativity and challenge" on which Google is based. In its rapid growth and drive for profits, Google seems to be in danger of forgetting its own mission, to "make the world's information universally accessible and useful." The consumers who turned "google" into a synonym for search should remind Google that the Internet was meant to be about access to more information, more perspectives and more speech. As one of the most dominant forces on the Internet today, Google has the power to make sure it stays that way.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Flee Charlie, or hunker ye down!
Aug 13, 3:39 PM (ET)
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) - Hurricane Charley unexpectedly grew into a dangerous Category 4 storm Friday as it stored toward the coast of populous west-central Florida with 145 mph wind and a surge of water up to 20 feet high.
MORE
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) - Hurricane Charley unexpectedly grew into a dangerous Category 4 storm Friday as it stored toward the coast of populous west-central Florida with 145 mph wind and a surge of water up to 20 feet high.
MORE
DaVinci Code: "Olive-green eyes"
From THE DAVINCI CODE by Dan Brown...
"Langdon took her soft palm in his and felt himself momentarily fixed in her stronggaze. Her eyes were olive-green, incisive and clear."
"Sophie's olive gaze was keen."
"The docent recoiled, a look of bewilderment in his olive-green eyes."
So...is Dan Brown saying that the desposyni, or descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, have olive-green eyes? Just asking?
EXTRA CREDIT:
Dan Brown implies that the Plantard and St.Clair family are the only descendants of the Merovingians. But later in the book, he says they are the most prominent. Which is it?
And...the Merovingians were not the only descendants of Jesus et Maria. They are the descendants of Merovech. But between Merovech and Jesus, there were others who also had prolific offspring...Pharamond's son, Fredemundus, comes to mind, as he was quite fertile.
[Talk amongst yourselves]
"Langdon took her soft palm in his and felt himself momentarily fixed in her stronggaze. Her eyes were olive-green, incisive and clear."
"Sophie's olive gaze was keen."
"The docent recoiled, a look of bewilderment in his olive-green eyes."
So...is Dan Brown saying that the desposyni, or descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, have olive-green eyes? Just asking?
EXTRA CREDIT:
Dan Brown implies that the Plantard and St.Clair family are the only descendants of the Merovingians. But later in the book, he says they are the most prominent. Which is it?
And...the Merovingians were not the only descendants of Jesus et Maria. They are the descendants of Merovech. But between Merovech and Jesus, there were others who also had prolific offspring...Pharamond's son, Fredemundus, comes to mind, as he was quite fertile.
[Talk amongst yourselves]
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
dKosopedia, the free political encyclopedia
Main Page - dKosopedia
Welcome to the dKosopedia, a collaborative project of the DailyKos community to build a political encyclopedia. The dKosopedia is written from a left/progressive/liberal/Democratic point of view while also attempting to fairly acknowledge the other side's take. It was started in April of 2004, and currently consists of 1648 articles. You are invited to contribute; see below for instructions.
Welcome to the dKosopedia, a collaborative project of the DailyKos community to build a political encyclopedia. The dKosopedia is written from a left/progressive/liberal/Democratic point of view while also attempting to fairly acknowledge the other side's take. It was started in April of 2004, and currently consists of 1648 articles. You are invited to contribute; see below for instructions.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Future Presidents, Edwards and Obama, choose Chigago for 1st Joint Appearance
In their first joint appearance since the Democratic Convention, the beautiful & brave John Edwards and the elegant and sublime Barack Obama, greet hominids and future supporters in Chicago, the capital of the Midwest.
A BIZARRE QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE:
"He said, 'It was a privilege and honor to run, God bless you,'" she said.
(Is it really OK to write like that now?)
A BIZARRE QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE:
"He said, 'It was a privilege and honor to run, God bless you,'" she said.
(Is it really OK to write like that now?)
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Getting to know Drudge
So...who is this Drudge upon whom the world has bestoyed her fate?
Turns out he is just a regular, slow-to-mature, bumpkin with agoraphobic tendencies, who works from his home, and has a soft spot for fetuses.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/925929/posts
Some of his thoughts from an interview with some Ayn Rand wannabe...
DRUDGE: What I represent, if I see it correctly, is an independent voice who's willing to take on presidents and networks, and reveal ratings they don't want you to see.
DRUDGE: Well, in any case, I think it's my job to be critical of whoever is in power....So to hide behind the World Trade Center to start going into our hard drives is a complete folly, and the Bush administration will pay the price with votes.
DRUDGE: I was actually very on the fence on the war. It put me in a difficult position. If you've noticed, I thought I did a pretty clever job of at least sharing with readers what the U.K. Mirror, the Independent, all these antiwar outlets were doing. Probably it was perceived as just mischief-making, but it reflected my own lack of clarity about the war issue. I don't have to be clear, though. I'm not a politician.
PAGLIA: You're antiestablishment down the line, except when it comes to your politics. Do you really consider yourself a conservative?
DRUDGE: Oh, yeah. I'm a prolife conservative who doesn't want the government to tax me. There are issues that I'm so frightened of—1.2 million abortions a year scares the hell out of me. Oftentimes when I see these superstorms forming, you know, sometimes—I wouldn't be honest if I didn't think it was retribution. I also am opposed to big government. Now, you would argue: Well, how could you support a government interfering with the rights of a woman over her own body? But I would argue: No. That all life is sacred. Abortion is the issue that really motivates me.
DRUDGE: In any case I no longer do the Clinton beat. Or cover any politicians who are out of office.
DRUDGE: You could probably call me a –new-age Jew. I'm really into meditation. I have been meditating since I was five years old. I love reading Jesus. I am open to a lot of different things. Again, it's a formula for my personal self that I've come up with. I don't go to shul, I don't go to church every Sunday. But the older I get, the closer I feel to a creator.
--------------
How did it all begin?
Matt Drudge was born in Washington and, in his own words, "didn't go to the right schools, never enjoyed any school, as a matter of fact, didn't come from a well-known family". "Burning I may have been," he recalls, "but I was sophisticated enough to know I would never be granted any access, obtain any credentials ... or work with 'Newsweek' magazine.
There wasn't a likelihood for upward mobility in my swing-shift position at 711 (a street corner grocery chain)." So, he followed that classic piece of advice: he moved West, out to Hollywood where he found a job at CBS - not in the news division but the gift shop - where he wrapped T-shirts and souvenir coffee mugs. His father, overcoming his fear of flying, came over, failed to persuade him to return and went back but not without first buying him a home computer. "Oh, yeah, and what am I going to do with that?" the son asked.
Famous words because that PC marked the birth of 'The Drudge Report'. He started playing with the thing and liked it. He also kept his ear open at the CBS gift shop for any gossip or tidbits. He also collected a few e-mail addresses of interest. Someone suggested that he start a mailing list, so he set one up calling it 'The Drudge Report'. He also began to post interesting messages and news on his site. In his words, "One reader turned into five, then turned into 100. And faster than you could say, 'I never had sex with that woman.' it was 1,000 - 5,000, 100,000 people. The ensuing website practically launched itself."
So what happened? Matt explains. "Well, clearly, there is a hunger for unedited information, absent corporate considerations. As the first guy who made a name for himself on the Internet, I've been invited to more and more high-toned gatherings ... and I mention this not to blow my own horn, but to make a point. Exalted minds ... didn't appear to have a clue what this Internet is going to do; what we are going to make of it, what this is all going to turn into ... We have entered an era vibrating with the din of small voices. Every citizen can be a reporter, can take on the powers that be. The difference between the Internet, television and radio, magazines, newspapers is the two-way communication. The Net gives as much voice to a 31-year old computer geek like me (this was in 1998) as to a CEO or Speaker of the House. We've all become equal. And you would be amazed what the ordinary guy knows."
Matt Drudge lives in a rented $600 a month apartment in Hollywood with a computer, a six-toed cat and he consistently breaks big stories for which he is indebted to what he calls his "network of ordinary guys".
Turns out he is just a regular, slow-to-mature, bumpkin with agoraphobic tendencies, who works from his home, and has a soft spot for fetuses.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/925929/posts
Some of his thoughts from an interview with some Ayn Rand wannabe...
DRUDGE: What I represent, if I see it correctly, is an independent voice who's willing to take on presidents and networks, and reveal ratings they don't want you to see.
DRUDGE: Well, in any case, I think it's my job to be critical of whoever is in power....So to hide behind the World Trade Center to start going into our hard drives is a complete folly, and the Bush administration will pay the price with votes.
DRUDGE: I was actually very on the fence on the war. It put me in a difficult position. If you've noticed, I thought I did a pretty clever job of at least sharing with readers what the U.K. Mirror, the Independent, all these antiwar outlets were doing. Probably it was perceived as just mischief-making, but it reflected my own lack of clarity about the war issue. I don't have to be clear, though. I'm not a politician.
PAGLIA: You're antiestablishment down the line, except when it comes to your politics. Do you really consider yourself a conservative?
DRUDGE: Oh, yeah. I'm a prolife conservative who doesn't want the government to tax me. There are issues that I'm so frightened of—1.2 million abortions a year scares the hell out of me. Oftentimes when I see these superstorms forming, you know, sometimes—I wouldn't be honest if I didn't think it was retribution. I also am opposed to big government. Now, you would argue: Well, how could you support a government interfering with the rights of a woman over her own body? But I would argue: No. That all life is sacred. Abortion is the issue that really motivates me.
DRUDGE: In any case I no longer do the Clinton beat. Or cover any politicians who are out of office.
DRUDGE: You could probably call me a –new-age Jew. I'm really into meditation. I have been meditating since I was five years old. I love reading Jesus. I am open to a lot of different things. Again, it's a formula for my personal self that I've come up with. I don't go to shul, I don't go to church every Sunday. But the older I get, the closer I feel to a creator.
--------------
How did it all begin?
Matt Drudge was born in Washington and, in his own words, "didn't go to the right schools, never enjoyed any school, as a matter of fact, didn't come from a well-known family". "Burning I may have been," he recalls, "but I was sophisticated enough to know I would never be granted any access, obtain any credentials ... or work with 'Newsweek' magazine.
There wasn't a likelihood for upward mobility in my swing-shift position at 711 (a street corner grocery chain)." So, he followed that classic piece of advice: he moved West, out to Hollywood where he found a job at CBS - not in the news division but the gift shop - where he wrapped T-shirts and souvenir coffee mugs. His father, overcoming his fear of flying, came over, failed to persuade him to return and went back but not without first buying him a home computer. "Oh, yeah, and what am I going to do with that?" the son asked.
Famous words because that PC marked the birth of 'The Drudge Report'. He started playing with the thing and liked it. He also kept his ear open at the CBS gift shop for any gossip or tidbits. He also collected a few e-mail addresses of interest. Someone suggested that he start a mailing list, so he set one up calling it 'The Drudge Report'. He also began to post interesting messages and news on his site. In his words, "One reader turned into five, then turned into 100. And faster than you could say, 'I never had sex with that woman.' it was 1,000 - 5,000, 100,000 people. The ensuing website practically launched itself."
So what happened? Matt explains. "Well, clearly, there is a hunger for unedited information, absent corporate considerations. As the first guy who made a name for himself on the Internet, I've been invited to more and more high-toned gatherings ... and I mention this not to blow my own horn, but to make a point. Exalted minds ... didn't appear to have a clue what this Internet is going to do; what we are going to make of it, what this is all going to turn into ... We have entered an era vibrating with the din of small voices. Every citizen can be a reporter, can take on the powers that be. The difference between the Internet, television and radio, magazines, newspapers is the two-way communication. The Net gives as much voice to a 31-year old computer geek like me (this was in 1998) as to a CEO or Speaker of the House. We've all become equal. And you would be amazed what the ordinary guy knows."
Matt Drudge lives in a rented $600 a month apartment in Hollywood with a computer, a six-toed cat and he consistently breaks big stories for which he is indebted to what he calls his "network of ordinary guys".
IRAQ: "the uprising is just beginning"
A first-hand account by the only Western reporter in Najaf as major fighting broke out this week.
"the heaviest fighting since the fall of Saddam Hussein"
"the heaviest fighting since the fall of Saddam Hussein"
Bush-induced Suicide?
U.S. Soldier Dies in Non-Combat Related Incident, Military Says - from TBO.com
Why are so many of our soldiers committing suicide? This is not good. What are they trying to tell us, signalling from the flames?
If guaranteed a job back home, our soldiers would race toward home, like a bird who flies, yes, but always toward home.
Had we just waited or the UN inspectors to do their work, these soldiers would never have been put into such dire straits that suicide would be a typical thought.
For them too...help is on the way. Hang in there, buddy!
Why are so many of our soldiers committing suicide? This is not good. What are they trying to tell us, signalling from the flames?
If guaranteed a job back home, our soldiers would race toward home, like a bird who flies, yes, but always toward home.
Had we just waited or the UN inspectors to do their work, these soldiers would never have been put into such dire straits that suicide would be a typical thought.
For them too...help is on the way. Hang in there, buddy!
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