In an attempt to get back to normalcy as swiftly as possible, here are some of the latest offerings from this week in the news:
Ok, so it’s coincidental (they say), but surely the people who designed the logo for use when the UK takes presidency of the EU, looked to see if anything similar had been used? Especially by Euro-sceptic groups? Isn’t it common practice for logo/slogan makers to check that (for example) the name of a new chocolate bar doesn’t mean ‘die all you evil people, die’ in Mongolian or something? A quick google search probably could have averted this problem. *shakes head in dismay* The story
Now that the new versions of iTunes is out with its prettily purple integrated podcast function, a little something for all you budding podcasters to bear in mind –
“the seemingly trivial technical fact that you cannot begin to listen to the program before the file transfer is complete turns out to have important legal implications. A podcast falls in the not-a-broadcast category, which is otherwise known as file-sharing. It cannot include copyrighted music without the authorisation from the copyright owners. This is why podcasts are not the place for aspiring disc jockeys to realise their fantasies.
(NYT on podcasts)
Don’t say I never find useful things for y’all.
Two sites that will bear keeping an eye on, especially if you are after free (and legal) moving images:
You what now? a Stoneless Avacado. I repeat, you what now?
Look at ZapWizard’s photos of a wooden iPod he made on Flickr. Asolutely mind-blowingly beautiful.1. [The photos are on Flickr. He didn’t actually make it on Flickr. I’m on dangling modifier patrol at the moment. Tee Hee.]
Well, finally scientists are studying Kennewick Man. It’s been a long road! Note how they don’t plan to do any radiocarbon dating or other biochemical tests on the bones. This would be because they would be useless. For yes, when these bones were supposedly in secure storage with the Army, they were allowed to be used in lots of nice Native American rituals, including ones that involved the burning of sage… Ladies and Gentlemen, way to go to destroy any potential scientific value the bones might have had. I will go on record right here and say that, whilst I am not totally sure where I stand on the reburial issue, I do lean more towards reburial than not, but if you’d studied this case in any depth, you would understand how much like beating your head against a brick wall it has been!
To further piss off all those Native Americans who are dead set against the idea that they might not have been the first peoples in the New World, there’s been some footprints dating back to about 40,000 years bc found in Mexico. That’s a good 30,000 years before previous estimates. Needless to say, all my Human Origins friends are having a rather good week (it’s easy to get them excited). That news story about the old footprints.
Further evidence to go in the Bush Files that the man hasn’t entirely got to grips with how things work:
To those Europeans skeptical of his claims [about Guantanamo Bay], Mr. Bush said he would “suggest buying an airplane ticket” and going to “take a look for yourself.”
So if I walk up to the gate the nice friendly armed guard is going to let me in? Oh, and not to mention, going to Cuba if you’re American isn’t exactly smiled upon by the administration. And if as a non-US citizen you did go to Cuba, you can guarantee that next time you wanted to visit, say, New York, the immigration officials would be taking you aside for a little chat. Moose suggests that I email the Army and ask for permission to tour the base and prison at Guantanamo, quoting Bush, just to see what sort of reaction I got. Whilst that sounds like fun, I am not sure that I want to be permanently branded a trouble maker and refused permission to ever enter the States again. Not that I am planning on going any time soon, seeing as how I have a bit of a problem with their illegal searches whenever you visit. (The whole being forced to turn over potentially incriminating evidence against myself in the form of biometric data doesn’t really appeal. Is my rather shiny and pretty red passport not good enough for them?) But I’m not saying never again. Get what I’m saying?
And what I was going to lead with yesterday before all hell broke loose, Bush falls off bike. I love this story all the more because it is exactly what Bartlet did in the first ever episode of the West Wing. Only in that situation, it was a tree that the president collided with, not a police officer. Made my day that has!
More later. There’s a bit of a back-log to get through.