Just another weblog
Rummaging through the recycle bin of Net obsessions Good news: Net fashionistas have already declared the “flash mob” — in which participants follow instructions given by e-mail and mobile phone to gather, annoy passersby, and disperse — passé. Like a vapid-but-catchy summer anthem (here’s looking at you, Nelly), a sartorial whim that everyone follows and […]
Scientists Crack Secret Strength of Silk A Tufts team has figured out how spiders and silkworms spin such strong silk, which could have far-reaching implications for everything from hospital dressings to body armor. http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/082903Silk.htm
Report: Wal-Mart was top furniture retailer in 2002 Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which employs about 9,000 people in the Houston area, sold more furniture than any other U.S. retailer in 2002, according to a survey by Furniture/Today magazine.. http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/08/25/daily49.html
Fatigued neurons explain waterfall illusion It is an illusion that has bedazzled people since Aristotle described it 2000 years ago. If you look at a waterfall for a short time, then look at the bank beside it, the bank will appear to drift upwards. Now an experiment that monitors brain activity has explained how the […]
Next SoBig worm may trigger torrent of spam A new version of the SoBig computer worm, expected in September, could not just overwhelm networks with infected mail but also lead to a massive increase in spam, according to some experts. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994110
Holy Shit! I found the recipe for Rudy’s Creamed Corn! I’m so excited! Ingredients * 1/2 Gal + 1 cup milk * 1/2 Gal +1 cup Heavy Cream * 15 lbs Frozen Corn * 3 cups Sugar * 1 tbsp White Pepper * 1 tbsp Salt * 2 cups Parmesan Cheese (Grated) Roux for Cream […]
Study: Women’s family businesses more productive Women-owned family businesses are not only a growing segment of the U.S. economy, they’re also more productive, on average, than those run by men, according to the results of a study released this week by MassMutual Financial Group and Babson College. http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/08/25/daily38.html
Ok, ok…I watched the VMA’s… it was somewhat entertaining – was it just me? or did Chris Rock look a bit old? hmm. Oh, and what was with security pulling off Snoop’s buddy off stage? And yes – I saw the hot girl on girl action involving Madonna and Britney – and if you were […]
Mount Rainier is the future of DVD writers – unfortunately hardly any drives support it. But its something to look out for – its a great vision… having DVD-RW drives as replacement for floppies!
Ah – that annoying phenomenon where a tune gets stuck in your head and you can’t get rid of it… Last night’s TechLive had a short segment on it… evidentally its called an “ear worm”. I’ve found an essay on it for your amusement. http://www.larrygoodcomposer.com/essay14.html
Want to make video CDs? Annoyed by how complicated it is? Well, the latest version of Nero Burning Rom will automatically convert any video file and make it VCD compliant for you… this is awesome! Burning Rom has now got to be the easiest way to make VCDs. Also, a TSS review of Nero is […]
Majoring in rating colleges When rankings bring good news for a school, most campuses bask in their success. … But when the distinction is dubious, the rankings become an annoying headache. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2003-08-27-college-rankings-usat_x.htm
Dark chocolate boosts antioxidant levels Eating chocolate can boost the level of heart-protecting antioxidants in the blood, but consuming milk at the same time cancels the potential health benefits, according to a new study http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994101
Interesting video… view it here.
S.A. housing market remains solid San Antonio’s housing market is holding its pace of record growth, according to a new report by Metrostudy. http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/08/25/daily20.html
Colleges brace for bigger classes and less bang for more bucks It’s an axiom among state policymakers: In tough economic times, colleges and universities take the cuts first, and hardest. After all, there’s always a backup money source: students. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2003-08-27-college-tuition-usat_x.htm
CarMax rides road to profit In 1998, things were so bleak at CarMax used car stores that employees were betting on when parent Circuit City would kill the 5-year-old venture, which had never made money and whose stock was trading at close to $5 a share. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-08-26-carmax_x.htm
Interchange Planned for Highway 281 The Texas Department of Transportation says it gets more complaints about the Loop 410/Hwy. 281 area than anywhere else in the city. Now, frustrated drivers can relax because help is on the way. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-1A296CE7-C78E-4F7D-9FF2-7ED1D3AB29AA.asp?0na=x2203370Q
Osirusoft Blacklists The World ariehk writes “As of today, Osirusoft, distributer of the SPEWS and open relay blocklists, among others, is no longer operational. Servers using these lists (including the FTC) are currently rejecting ALL email. This shutdown seems to be in response to a several-week-long DDoS attack on Osirusoft, SPEWS and others, resulting in […]
Schooled in compatibility Freshmen Lauren Flowers and Anna Love are giving Wake Forest University rave reviews, and classes don’t start until Wednesday. Why? Because the school in Winston-Salem, N.C., faced with 1,000 incoming freshmen, paired them as roommates http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-08-25-roommates_x.htm
The search engine that could Susan Wojcicki remembers when two Stanford students came to rent a room in her house in September 1998 for a new dot-com enterprise. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-08-25-google_x.htm
Press coverage of the Rackspace’s PrevenTier press release. http://news.com.com/2110-1009_3-5067676.html?tag=cdshrt http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0825spbriefs.html http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/08/25/daily5.html http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/rac082503.cfm http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=lightreading&doc_id=39120
Bright ideas Pop quiz: name the one technology in your home that hasn’t changed much since it was invented in 1879. Some hints: It breaks when you drop it, it’s hot when you touch it, it dies unpredictably, and it sucks up excessive amounts of electricity. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2003/08/25/bright_ideas/
I’ve heard people talking about this, but I never spent the time to actually watch it… I have to admit, its pretty funny. http://www.btinternet.com/~moondoggy/star_wars_kid.html
Crime Rates Down In San Antonio Good news here in San Antonio. New numbers show the city is a safer place to live. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-B8B9B399-94D8-45AF-A46B-FD0523D8DD93.asp?0na=x2212120O&cp1=1
Want a tatoo? Watch the latest Red vs Blue… funny funny stuff… http://www.redvsblue.com/archives/000110.shtml
Spam Filters Spam is a growing problem for email users, and many solutions have been proposed, from a postage fee for email to Turing tests to simply not accepting email from people you don’t know. Spam filtering is one way to reduce the impact of the problem on the individual user (though it does nothing […]
Say Goodbye To Your CD-Rs In Two Years? Little Hamster writes “According to an article on cdfreaks.com, a test done by the Dutch PC-Active magazine showed that among 30 different CD-R brands tested, a lot of them were already unreadable after twenty months. This is shocking, and makes me wonder how should I backup my […]
Humans trained to hunger like Pavlov’s dogs Humans can be trained to crave food in response to abstract prompts just like Pavlov’s dogs, reveals new research. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994083
Red wine chemical extends life – in yeast A chemical found in red wine can mimic the life-extending effect of calorie-restricted diets in yeast, researchers have found. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994085
Marketers, FBI unite to curb spam The Direct Marketing Association intends to help the FBI nab spammers–and help preserve its members’ ability to send commercial e-mail. http://news.com.com/2100-1024_3-5067369.html
Farting – the new trend in Porn… (thanks Pad. 😉 http://www.farthammer.com
What do you call the @ symbol used in e-mail addresses? The funny little a with its tail circling back around it is probably one of the most commonly used symbols today. So it is truly amazing to learn that there is no official, universal name for it. The most accepted term, even in many […]
Study: HIV cases increase 31 percent in Alamo City San Antonio Metropolitan Health District officials on Friday released the results of a new study showing that the number of reported cases of human immunodeficiency virus rose 31 percent in 2002 over the previous year http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/08/18/daily40.html
The trailer is out. I’ve mirrored it here. Enjoy!
“Ear Candling,” also known as auricular candling or coning, refers to various procedures that involve placing a cone-shaped device in the ear canal and supposedly extracting earwax and other impurities with the help of smoke or a burning wick. This is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard… Evidentally people do this to other people, […]
Trinity ranks No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report once again ranked Trinity University No. 1 in its category in this year’s America’s Best Colleges issue. http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/08/18/daily33.html My sister is now officially a first-year at Trinity starting today! Yay! (wow I feel old)
Win or lose, drawing endorsements is key They say in sports that winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing. Not true in the upside-down world of sports endorsements. http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2003-08-21-endorse_x.htm
Hormel produces special Spam can for Hawaii Hawaiians, who eat more Spam per person than any other group in the United States, now have a Spam product of their very own http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2003-08-21-spam-can-hawaii_x.htm
New Point System For Texas Drivers If you speed or have a wreck, it’s about to cost you a lot more to drive. The effects will last a lot longer as well. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-0B345574-AE67-4DB4-A7C4-21AE19591EAD.asp?0na=x2212250K