Forwarded humor of the day:
The moon is moving away a tiny, although measurable, distance from the earth every year. Do the math and you will clearly see that 85 million years ago it was orbiting the earth at a distance of about 35 feet from the earth's surface. This would explain the death of the dinosaurs. The tallest ones, anyway.
Marylaine this morning on where she gets her ideas .
Oh, the arrogance. Bug in Windows exposes the source of server side scripts to the world .
"It's not a bug in Windows that's doing anything," said Jason Garms, product manager for Windows NT security. "There are a number of bugs that only happen on one platform, and it's the responsibility of the vendor to understand the platform that they're running on. An application vendor is responsible for the security of their applications."
"There are a number of bugs that only happen on one platform...", but it's not the fault of the platform? Typical Microsoft arrogance.
The folks at Crypt news point out that the risks of lone terrorists influencing government policy in bad ways is far more likely than, say, biological attacks by isolated terrorist groups .
Jamie Zawinski is a programmer at Netscape who's done a bunch of cool stuff. His homepage goes into detail, but it opens with this cool quote:
``We all enter this world in the same way: naked; screaming; soaked in blood. But if you live your life right, that kind of thing doesn't have to stop there.''
-- Dana Gould
A new NTK (http://www.ntk.net):
"The Windows 98 launch party on Thursday was a relatively subdued affair in comparison. In comparison with anything. Bill Gates took the stage on 5PM, San Francisco time, and ran through the list of new improvements to the operating system. Then ran through it again, slowly, in case anyone coughed.
Oh yes, and there's pictures of the Linux folks at the Fry's midnight Win98 event at http://hugin.imat.com/svlug/
Just got a new Club Norm . I suppose if your newspaper isn't hip and cutting edge, you wouldn't understand, but I live in Marin!
As of today, I've survived 30 revolutions of the earth around the sun! Who'd a thunk?
The folks in the south bay are planning to _Launch Win98_ (http://www.svlug.org/events/launch98.shtml) , or at least a rocket using the CDs from two beta versions as fins.
And there's a new Rumor Mill , nothing cosmic, a couple of rehashed easter eggs you've probably already seen.
Jon Katz has an interesting rant in Wired. What if you lived in a country where the officials elected to highest office belonged to an organization which believed that a woman should "submit herself graciously" to her husband? Chances are good that you do.
If you're an SF resident, the Pride Parade is on Sunday.
A new mouthorgan .
You just can't make this stuff up: Amish Buy Cocaine From Motorcycle Gang
JUST SAY N2O!
AP reports that Fox Interactive has pulled ads for the N2O: Nitrious Oxide video game that had tags such as "Never trip alone" and "Breathe in, breathe out".
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom presents the 1st National Survey of Violence & Discrimination Against Sexual Minorities .
Marylaine Block ponders the push to make libraries more like bookstores (I'd argue some of the reverse is also happening), while Peter Zale has a new set of Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet strips.
A new Net Future .
Susie Bright in Salon magazine this morning on Teen Sex again, a bit of backpedaling from the last column.
If you're a game developer, this is interesting:
Team 47 GoMan Source Code
47-TEK would like to thank the gaming community for its support over the years and hopes that the memory of our work can live on by releasing out the source code and shareware versions of our titles for free to the public.
The following links will allow you to download the source code for Team 47 GoMan, tools to convert 3DS rev 4 to our proprietary model & animation format, as well as the original models for the game. We are releasing this code for the purpose of helping out any software or hardware company that is working with DirectX. There are no restrictions for the use of this code. It can be incorporated into any product you wish, including products you will sell commercially. 47-TEK does not warrant or guarantee any of this material and will not support it in any way. You cannot use any of the original art or sound resources. The characters and storyline remain the exclusive property of 47-TEK, Inc and its shareholders. The interactive rights based on this content remain the exclusive property of Coconuts Entertainment Japan Inc.
http://www.47-tek.com/source.htm
Oh dear god, make it stop. Through a new technique in composite video technology, your child can star with Barney in his or her own personalized video about a surprise party!
A new Mouth Organ titled "is it tough to be a man", about the narrowing of the gender gap.
Philip Greenspun, host of http://www.photo.net/photo/ , is writing a book, and to test out the parts on electronic commerce he's selling two prints for a $20 donation to the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital .
In Nerve Magazine , the trials and tribulations of gay seeming straight males . Not that any of you flannel wearing lumberjack types out there would have this problem.
So I was reading Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to Understanding Images, and I ran across this doozy:
To deconstruct a "text" (a term defined broadly enough to include the Declaration of Independence and a Van Gogh painting) means to pick it apart, in search of ways in which it fails to make the points it seems to be trying to make. Why would someone want to "read" (defined equally broadly) like that? In order to experience the impossibility of anyone writing or saying (or painting) something this is perfectly clear, the impossibility of constructing a theory or method of inquiry that will answer all the questions or the impossibility of fully comprehending weighty matters, like death.
-- Jacques Derrida
I think that pretty much sums up Postmodernism: Pick a piece of art with a simplistic enough message that you can sum it up in a sound bite, then look for flaws in the mechanics of the execution until you can convince yourself that it's saying the opposite.
Codpieces and more in the Did You Know? column at Good Vibrations.
Pat Califia's got a new Topping The News in Spectator Magazine. Little known facts: Koreans use the word "Texas" to describe virtually all brothels.
The only religion that will matter in the next millennium: The First Presleyterian Church . He has a hunka-hunka burnin' love for whosoever believeth in Him.
It's a rushed Monday, but there's a new My Word's Worth .
Dave Winer rambles a bit on why governments fear communication . One of his better DaveNets in a while.
Mary Anne Mohanraj has been writing an online diary . Note especially My Corporation Is A Jealous Lover.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: A new Rumor Mill , dissin' the network computer.
Aaaaand, in case you have been living in a cage, Wired has been sold to Cond Naste. The revolution is not only way over, it's going to make its way into high school history books real soon.
A new Need To Know .
David Chun tried to buy a computer without Windows . 12 vendors told him they couldn't sell him one.
Salon Magazine reports on the doomsayers heading for the hills over the Y2K problem . Anyone notice how it always seems to be the same people scrambling for the hills anytime anyone reports prophecies of doom?
I'm not optimistic enough to think that civilization will eat itself on the Y2k, I'll be hangin' out inside the society.
Okay, one more try, hopefully with corrected parser now. A new Queen On-Line at Good Vibrations. Nothing cosmic, some notes from the road and awards on a couple of books she's edited.
New Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet , and, of course, Marylaine's got a new My Word's Worth . Oh yeah, I missed it last Wednesday, but she's also got a new Observing US over at Fox.
A new Rumor Mill , bemoaning land costs in the valley and Sun's recent land grab in Santa Clara where Sun managed to get a bunch of property for $412k/acre, as opposed to Intel paying $2.2 million per acre last year, and Cisco paying $1.74 million per acre.
Sorry about that missing block quote end below, I'll fix it later. I just commented today about limitations in my scripts...
Most of you probably won't care about this, but I, at least, am interested in the politics and practice of the computer animation world. This piece was forwarded around the Pixar internal lists with original attribution stripped but one of several from PDI people today.
Have you or your cohorts have got wind of today's Hollywood Reporter article(front page) about CG films? As usual there's a misquote that seems to pit our studios against one another in the bug film race.
At the end of the article, when asked if he though we could match the success of Disney/Pixar, one of our producers, Brad Lewis, is quoted as saying, "You can enter a race in a Ferrari, but I can beat you in a Chevy Nova if you're a shitty driver."
The original question was "What do you think of the quality of your software?", and Brad used the above analogy to say that it's the animator and not the software that makes good animation. Unfortunately the writer thought it would be more interesting if it sounded like a big squirt in a pissing match. Guess it just shows once again that you can't be too careful talking to the press.
Anyhow, regrets. I think that I can speak for all of us when I say that we want this to stay friendly.
Please feel free to post this.
Byte Magazine is gone. It's been a long time coming, they outstayed their usefullness by many years, but it's still a sobering reminder of how the computing world's changing. I hear the biotech folks are hiring...
In Salon Magazine today, Susie Bright ponders a link between sexual repression and violence , especially as it applies to the recent killings in Springfield Oregon. I agree with her, but in this case I don't think she shows a strong enough link.
And, of course, it being Friday that means a new issue of the venerable Need To Know . Teaser this week?
> "There's really not much in the way of news here. People > point out security issues with the product all the time." > - NT product manager KEVIN KEAN
They also claim Teletubbies merchandise is outselling Godzilla merchandise 3-1. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad.
>From a forward originally attributed to the /dev/null mailing list. "Men or married couples please apply..." Hmmm...
http://www.theatrics.com/doughenning/dougtoday.html
Now as you know, I am working to create Maharishi Veda Land world class theme park, a magical theme park which will bring enlightenment, knowledge a entertainment to everyone. I believe this new project will be the height of my career, and will bring wonder to generations of people of all ages.
Doug Henning is looking for CG artists. India, anyone?
Softimage animators wanted
Experienced computer graphics artists wanted to work in Bhopal, India with world-renowned illusionist and entertainment technology expert Doug Henning who is assembling a world class, state of the art digital film/video studio. The studio will produce films and videos on the themes of enlightenment, knowledge and entertainment for theme parks and universities around the world. The films and videos are based on the knowledge and inspiration of his Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhis program, Maharishi Vedic University and Maharishi Ayur-Vedic University.
Applicants should be experienced with Alias and/or Softimage. Men or married couples please apply by sending email to gleete@fairfield.com or by faxing +1 515 472 9056 with your experience, education and desired salary. A one year commitment is required.
A new Net Future , some thought provoking stuff on the ethics of genetic manipulation, monitoring technology, distance learning.
Well, if I'd read my messages more carefully I'd notice that the deadline for voting was yesterday. As a consolation prize, here's some information on Margaret Sanger
>From http://www.usmint.gov/dollarcoin/meeting.html
Any member of the public wishing to submit a design concept should do so via the Internet by accessing the Mint's web site ( http://www.usmint.gov ) and e-mailing the Mint at dollarcoin@usmint.treas.gov by June 1, 1998. Alternatively, if no Internet access is available, design concepts may be submitted in writing to Michael White (see below); mail must be received no later than June 1, 1998. A summary of suggested concepts that comply with the parameters listed below will be compiled and presented to Committee members prior to the meeting.
I'm going to nominate Margaret Sanger.
Marylaine Block goes on about Sexual Harassment .
And will someone please tell me what it is about the domain name flutterby.com that leads random internet lusers to think that they can have an address on it? And to those who would send moderately private stuff to such addresses, it's a good idea to confirm that an address works before you start to flood it with love notes...
Archives of neat sites posted to Flutterby , notes to webmaster@flutterby.com
