16 Dec 2005
The Web Will Read You a Story

Neat idea - and a new source of audio books for our long trips in the truck!

Ever wish someone would read you a story, but you couldn't scare up any volunteers? LibriVox may have the answer. By Cyrus Farivar.

(link) [Wired News]

00:00 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

Reports: Bush Authorized NSA to Spy in U.S.

Bill of Rights - Void where prohibited by lawAP - The National Security Agency has eavesdropped, without warrants, on as many 500 people inside the United States at any given time since 2002, The New York Times reported Friday.

That year, following the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush authorized the NSA to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people inside the United States, the Times reported.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

00:00 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

You've got mail, and maybe gonorrhea

On the surface, an interesting and innovative idea. The only problem: it'll never really work. Two words: SPAM filters. Anonymous mail that mentions anything sexual is almost certainly SPAM, and will be treated accordingly. Even when it's not.

And folks still wonder what I mean when I talk about the "hidden" social costs that SPAM inflicts on all of us.

New sites are designed to help people tell sexual partners--anonymously, if they wish--to get tested for STDs.

(link) [CNET News.com]

00:00 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

Wintry mix of misery across East

We got a taste of this yesterday - a little rain, a little sleet, a bit of snow, some freezing drizzle, a little more sleet, a dash of snow ... "miserable"' doesn't do it justice. But -

This has been a much colder and snowier month than is usual for December in Indiana. Usually it's pretty rainy, and fairly mild (30°F - 40°F) this time of year, with the real cold and snow holding off until January and February. So far we've had better than a foot of snow and temperatures have been averaging between ten and twenty degrees below normal. So yesterday, even though it was still chilly by California or Florida standards (35°F was the high) felt positively balmy, and much more seasonable.

Much of the Northeast was under a winter storm warning Friday as freezing rain, sleet and snow made roadways dangerous.

(link) [CNN.com]

00:00 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link