Lot 49

The Doomsday Clock has moved two minutes closer to midnight (aka Armageddon). It now reads 11:53 pm. I'm a bit worried about what happens when we set our clocks forward after Daylight Saving Time takes effect on April 7th. If you're more worried about the threat of being hauled into court than about politicians courting nuclear annihilation, there's always the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse, a legal advice site to help Web site owners threatened with lawsuits for alleged intellectual property crimes.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 09:07 AM | Permalink

It seems the Bush administration is intent on robbing the public of its history. The similarities between George III and Dubya are interesting. Our national nemesis appears to have been robbed as well. Reuters is reporting that bin Laden may have been swindled in his attempt to acquire nuclear bomb components. The Recording Industry Association of America sees record companies being similarly victimized, citing a 10.3 percent decrease in units sold in the US as evidence that piracy is rampant. Another possiblity, that consumers have tired of hyper-commercial pop fluff, isn't discussed in the RIAA press release.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 09:46 AM | Permalink

Boycott-RIAA.com. What a wonderful idea. Of course you can't boycott a trade group financed by the major record labels. Still, it's the thought that counts. Or the picture, as this feature about human rights heroes reveals. Or the wages.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 09:27 AM | Permalink

Wisconsin may ban disabling spycams -- except for hidden sexcams.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 01:25 PM | Permalink

According to the Washington Post, a Federal appeals court has thrown out an FCC rule that limited the size of media behemoths. Let the mergers begin. I'm looking forward to one-stop shopping at AOL Time Warner Disney Vivendi Sony Bertelsmann News Corp. Meanwhile, I'm off to the RSA conference in San Jose.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 02:05 PM | Permalink

Coming soon: gunships with lasers. Time to invest in a big mirror.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 04:06 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press reports that a Texas man is facing up to 20 years in prison for shooting his girlfriend because he thought she was about to say "New Jersey." Other words that set this guy off: "Snickers," "Mars" and "Wisconsin." I wonder whether context makes any difference. Is his aversion to Mars Bars, the planet Mars, the Roman god of war, or the verb 'to mar'? I can only imagine the sort of psychotic epidoes that would have occurred every Halloween.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 10:11 AM | Permalink

Just as The Times reports on the latest in bionic hands, another UK publication offers the rather unsettling prospect of an artificial womb that allows embryos to grow outside the body. In a slightly more positive vein, Lawrence Lessig's Creative Commons sounds like a worthy endeavor.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 10:58 AM | Permalink

Wired News reports that the Magna Science Adventure Centre will soon initiate an experiment in which "smart robots equipped with energy-sucking fangs and big appetites" battle for survival "as they attempt to create their own civilization." With a bit of coaching, their civilization should be every bit as violent and petty as ours.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 09:30 AM | Permalink

Act now and you too can play the Enron Blame Game.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 10:24 AM | Permalink

It seems a cow has been calling a Belgian woman on her cell phone.

Posted by Thomas Claburn at 01:34 PM | Permalink