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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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