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/_/_/ |_|__/|__/_/ |_/http://www.acronymchile.com/yawn.html
2003-05-28
###!!!!!###### ECG #################################(/.)##################
Homemade Electrocardiograph. Cost: about $5.00
http://www.eng.utah.edu/~jnguyen/ecg/ecg_index2.html
###!!!--###### ECONOMICS ###########################(##)##################
Of the many countries facing economic challenges, Argentina must be one of
the most spectacular. Former model of IMF compliance and economic success,
a collapsing economy has left more than half the population in poverty and
22% unemployed. Mark Weisbrot sees the election of President Nestor
Kirchner as being unlikely to significantly improve matters:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=13&ItemID=3641
Another article by Graciela Monteagudo focusses on the autonomist and
grassroots movements in Argentina. While these groupings are a progressive
force in society, Monteagudo believes them to be currently unable to pose
an alternative to the mainstream government:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=20&ItemID=3660
This is partly because of concerted efforts by the government to drive a
wedge between the middle and lower classes, who had recently been united in
the bitter solidarity of poverty.
Not specifically on the subject of Argentina, but relevant, is an article
at Le Monde Diplomatique by J. K. Galbraith.
http://mondediplo.com/2003/05/06galbraith
Galbraith laments the dominance of corporate finance and bankers in the
world economic system, and the crowning of creditors. He highlights the
very different structure proposed by J. M. Keynes, which was scrubbed from
the landscape by US negotiators at the 1944 Bretton Woods conference.
Nonetheless, a modified Keynesian system has been applied to the US
domestic economy... which could itself be running into rather long-term
difficulties.
Interesting mini-biography of John Maynard Keynes:
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Keynes.html
And a few quotations:
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Quotations/Keynes.html
Other infos here. Longer and more mixed, extensive quotes:
http://econ161.berkeley.edu/Economists/keynes.html
"...The powers of uninterrupted usury are great. If the accreations of
vested interest were to grow without mitigation for many generations,
half the population would be no better than slaves to the other half€¦.
The absolutists of contract€¦ are the real parents of revolution"
###!!---###### MONEY ###############################(##)##################
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/7/30850.html
The European Central Bank (ECB) is considering embedding tiny radio
tags into euro notes in a bid to combat counterfeiters and money
launderers, a report today notes.
###!!!!-###### EDUCATION ###########################(##)##################
"Scientific Elites and Scientific Illiterates":
"The real point, however, is that for most of us in the academic
profession, our real job is not education at all; it is vocational
training. We are not really satisfied with our handiwork unless it
produces professional colleagues."
http://www.phds.org/reading/elites.html
Raises points in relation to the slow down in the expansion of the
sciences. A particularly interesting point is in relation to the
availability of teaching positions:
"The average American professor in a research university turns out about
15 Ph.D. students in the course of a career. In a stable, steady-state
world of science, only one of those 15 can go on to become another
professor in a research university. In a steady-state world, it is
mathematically obvious that the professor's only reproductive role is
to produce one professor for the next generation. But the American
Ph.D. is basically training to become a research professor."
Looking for some linux-pencam software i happened across the following
informative and enjoyable article on life as a lecturer:
"If you show any willingness to engage with these students'
problems at a personal level, many others like them will seek
you out and destroy you."
http://www.kevinboone.com/university.html
This site has a range of further reading material also on various topics.
These include a discussion of miscarriages of justice in UK courts:
http://www.kevinboone.com/miscarriages_of_justice.html
and a brief introduction to household electrics:
http://www.kevinboone.com/electricity.html
###!!!!-###### COMP ################################(##)##################
Buying a printer:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wilf.james/buyprinter.htm
Has lots of information on selecting and running an inkjet printer. Cost
comparisons between Epson, HP and Lexmark models. This site is another
with a wide spread of subject matter... like info on NiCd batteries:
"The nickel-cadmium cell was invented by the Germans during the last
war. They were first produced by Deutsche Akkumulatoren Gesellschaft
and were originally known as "Deacs" (from DeAk). At the end of the
war, the patent for the nickel-cadmium cell was offered as a part of
German war reparations but the patent was rejected by the United States
Patent Office"
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/wilf.james/nicads.htm
Also makes the point (which I highlighted before), that fully discharging
NiCd batteries (rather than cells) is very bad (contrary to conventional
wisdom).
###!!!--###### SOUNDS ##############################(##)##################
Obscure and bizarre music and records:
http://www.corporatemofo.com/stories/really_really_alternative.htm
and written sounds:
http://www.corporatemofo.com/stories/vanity_press_1.htm
###!!!!-###### SCO #################################(##)##################
SCOundrels that they are, Santa Cruz Operation are in their final death
throes but they obviously have the mad idea they can take some other folk
down with them. As such they have launched a lawsuit against IBM and are
threatening the entire GNU/Linux community with similar treatment. There
is rather more heat than light surrounding this affair as SCO has yet to
publish the details of its claims. However, Eric Raymond has formulated a
well written position paper outlining the OSI's view of the SCO-vs.-IBM
complaint:
http://www.opensource.org/sco-vs-ibm.html
###!!!--###### BROTHER #############################(IB)##################
The Pentagon plans to index every bit of info about every single person.
This gigantic amalgamation of personal information could then be used
to "trace the 'threads' of an individual's life," to see exactly how a
relationship or events developed, according to a briefing from the
Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency, LifeLog's sponsor.
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,58909,00.html
###!!!--###### OSCILLOSCOPE ########################(##)##################
Using a soundcard as an oscilloscope. Very short, but maybe a couple of
useful links:
http://www.linuxnetmag.com/en/issue4/m4oszillo1.html
###!!!!-###### BIFURCATION #########################(DP)##################
Tongue bifurcation gets coverage on CNN. Sure to catch on with cool
pictures like this floating around:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/05/13/tongue.splitting.ap/
###!!!!-###### PHOTOS ##############################(DP)##################
Fire..Cuffs and Guts and sometimes other stuff
http://www.fotolog.net/ekavet/
Bizarre mix of photography. Many medical/accident themed, but animals and
other things too. Another interesting picture here:
http://www.gyford.com/phil/photos/2003/05/11/?img=05_Car.jpg
###!!!--###### ATOM ################################(DP)##################
Illustrated booklet from 1957 celebrating the mighty atom, and it's role in
winning the War:
http://www.ep.tc/atmc/
###!!!!-###### TOTN ################################(##)##################
New web-log on tompaine.com:
TOTN will be publishing throughout the day, commenting on the latest
media hits and misses, White House boasts and blunders, and general
Beltway ups and downs.
http://www.tompaine.com/blog.cfm
###!!!--###### BLOG ################################(IB)##################
The dullest blog in the world... very funny
http://www.wibsite.com/wiblog/dull/
###!!---###### BOOKS ###############################(/.)##################
Good news for anybody with a load of dead trees hanging about: robots that
can turn pages and digitise books.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/19/BU52555.DTL
And if you feel like killing a few more trees, then this might be of use:
http://www.sandroid.org/GutenMark/Foundation.html
###!!!--###### MATRIX ##############################(IB)##################
Interesting article charting some of the sources the author feels are
reflected in the thinking behind the Matrix movies. I found some topics
more interesting than others:
The first movie made use of Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation;
this movie seems to be dipping into Foucault and Derrida, who wrote
that the systems of power and control are all-pervasive, and language
is one of the ways they make their influence felt.
http://www.corporatemofo.com/stories/051803matrix.htm
Nice final line:
Will Neo wake up and say, "Bill, dude, you won't believe this bitchin'
dream I just had..."?
###!----###### MOVIE ###############################(IB)##################
If you are disappointed by Matrix: Reloaded, maybe Peter Greenaway's new
work will be more palatable. His latest film "The Tulse Luper Suitcases,
Part 1: The Moab Story" is the first in a trilogy. His trilogy is
complemented by 92 DVDs which show nothing but the contents of the film's
hero's 92 suitcases -- ranging from live frogs to blood-spattered
wallpaper.
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/va/20030524/105379559300.html
###-----###### FIN #################################(##)##################
Archived: http://www.acronymchile.com/yawn_archive/2003-05-28yawn.html
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