Nanobob Construction, under contract to Lexacor Industries, today announced the start of construction on Quad Cat Towers, a multidollar project designed to bring affordable feline lounging to Red Hook. Project managers predict that construction will be complete by December 16, 2005 and the first residents are expected to start scratching at its doors the same day.For lovely pictures of Quad Cat Towers in its early developmental phases, see: callalillie: Condo Update.
First, most of the issues that propelled conservatives to power have been addressed. Modern American conservatism was formed by people who wanted to defeat the Soviet Union, reduce crime, reform welfare, cut taxes, deregulate the economy and reintroduce traditional social values. All those problems are less salient today.Running Out of Steam - New York Times (behind TimesSelect firewall)
Second, conservatism has been semi-absorbed into the Republican Party. When conservatism was in its most creative phase, there was a sharp distinction between conservatives and Republicans. Conservatives chased ideas, while Republicans were the corporate hacks who sold out. Now that conservative Republicans are in power, that distinction is obliterated.
There are a number of consequences. A lot of the energy that used to go into ideas is now devoted to defending Republican politicians. Many former conservative activists have become Republican lobbyists. (When conservatism was a movement of ideas, it attracted oddballs; now that it's a movement with power, it attracts sleazeballs.)
Within a few years, having a strong technical ability may not be enough to get you a job.Source: Tech Skills Not Enough for a Job in 2010?
That's the warning coming from Gartner, Inc., an industry analyst firm. Being a specialist in a specific technology, like Linux, Windows or database administration, isn't going to be enough of a calling card in the not-so-distant job market.
''Let's just say it's no longer going to be a question of just having good technical ability -- of having a specialty,'' says Diane Morello vice president of research at Gartner. ''If you're just maintaining a specialization without raising their caliber, it's not going to be enough... Companies will need people who are broader. The people I'm talking about are 'versatilists'.''
Morello says a new Gartner study shows that the job market for IT specialists will shrink by 40 percent by 2010.
It sounds like science fiction: a brain nurtured in a Petri dish learns to pilot a fighter plane as scientists develop a new breed of "living" computer. But in groundbreaking experiments in a Florida laboratory that is exactly what is happening.Dude. It's the "Rat Thing" from Snow Crash, morphed into a Top Gun pilot.
The "brain", grown from 25,000 neural cells extracted from a single rat embryo, has been taught to fly an F-22 jet simulator by scientists at the University of Florida.
They hope their research into neural computation will help them develop sophisticated hybrid computers, with a thinking biological component.
Source: Why this brain flies on rat cunning - The Age (Australia)
I pick up my cellphone and call the front desk at the hotel and as for Mr. Smith’s room. The lady at the front desk says “Eric Smith?” And I tell her yes. The phone rings, someone picks up, the conversation goes like this:Nice. Very nice.
Me: Eric Smith?
Eric: Uhh, yeah?
Me: My name is Jim Grant, and I’m an investigator with the RIAA. Have you heard of us?
Eric: Uhhhhh….. What does that stand for?
Me: Recording Industry Association of America. We represent several large record companies. In monitoring several p2p filesharing networks, we have found that you Eric, are currently downloading copyrighted material. Are you aware that this is illegal?
Eric: Ummm…. my laptop is off. (At this point, I no longer see him on the network)
Me: We are in the process of filing 18182 lawsuits against people who steal copyrighted music on the internet. We will continue monitoring these networks, and if we see you on them again, you will hear back from us.
Eric: Ok, thanks. Bye.
LAWRENCE, Kan. - A college professor whose planned course on creationism and intelligent design was canceled after he derided Christian conservatives said he was beaten by two men along a rural road early Monday.Now that the holy season is upon us once again, it's good to see that the fine citizens of rural Kansas are brimming over with Christian love and goodwill for their fellow man.
University of Kansas religious studies professor Paul Mirecki said the men referred to the class when they beat him on the head, shoulders and back with their fists, and possibly a metal object, the Lawrence Journal-World reported.
'I didn't know them,' Mirecki said of his assailants, 'but I'm sure they knew me.'
CBS and College Sports Television have teamed up with the NCAA to provide free live video streaming rights for out-of-market game coverage of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.For the first time, NCAA March Madness on Demand will be offered free of charge. Beginning March 16, 2006, fans will be able to watch live CBS Sports broadcasts of the NCAA tournament from outside their viewing area via NCAAsports.com, the official NCAA Website, produced by CBS SportsLine.com. NCAA March Madness on Demand will be supported by advertising sales.
As a fanatic ACC basketball fan now living in New York City, I just can't tell you how happy this makes me. Good for y'all, CBS.
Researchers at the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service in Washington state say sometimes a bark is just a bark — but a long, loud panting sound has real meaning.They say the long, loud pant is the sound of a dog laughing, and it has a direct impact on the behavior of other dogs.
This is absolutely fascinating news to me - especially as one of my Chow Chows (this one) routinely makes a panting/huffing vocalization that fits this description to five decimal places.
Meet John Gilmore. He's a 49 year-old philanthropist who lives in San Francisco, California. Through a lot of hard work (and a little luck), John made his fortune as a programmer and entrepreneur in the software industry. Whereas most people in his position would have moved to a tropical island and lived a life of luxury, John chose to use his fortune to protect and defend the US Constitution.Oral arguments in the case of Gilmore v. Gonzalez will be heard in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on December 8th.
On the 4th of July 2002, John Gilmore, American citizen, decided to take a trip from one part of the United States of America to another. He went to Oakland International Airport -- ticket in hand -- and was told he had to produce his ID if he wanted to travel. He asked to see the law demanding he show his 'papers' and was told after a time that the law was secret and no, he wouldn't be allowed to read it.
He hasn't flown in his own country since.
[emphasis added - bc]
Here's the best book I've ever read on office politics:Related:
The Way of the Rat: A Survival Guide to Office Politics
Author: Joep Schrijvers
ISBN: 0954282922
However: to understand the cultural anthropology of the modern office, you need to understand anthropology in general, preferably with a smattering of evolutionary psychology thrown into the mix. Human beings have built and designed some wonderful things, ranging from flint arrowheads to Michelangelo's David to the Brooklyn Bridge to particle accelerators, but we're still giant hairless apes with swollen forebrains, and despite our carefully constructed facades, that's still how we act much of the time.
And you'll never see better examples of primate dominance hierarchies than you'll find in most "modern" offices.
Thus, I recommend:
The Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal
(Good general introduction to practical anthropology)
Author: Desmond Morris
ISBN: 0385334303
The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are
(Good general introduction to evolutionary psychology)
Author: Steven Pinker
ISBN: 0679763996
And for more general background:
Office Space
(Motion picture, 1999; director, Mike Judge)
Time allowing, it's also not a bad idea to brush up on your Von Clausewitz, Machiavelli and Sun Tzu. A little dose of Hobbes and Kant wouldn't hurt either.
