December 23, 2005
it's a lot like life
From yesterday's New Scientist:
The first evidence that some of the basic organic building blocks of life can exist in an Earth-like orbit around a young Sun-like star has been provided by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
Nicely done. I can't wait to go visit some of these places...
December 22, 2005
a mighty wind from sweden
I have no idea what to make of this. What. were. they. thinking?!?
Extra points if anyone can tell me how it's actually supposed to work. I'm a little afraid to imagine.
December 21, 2005
happy solstice, everybody!
It's kinda late in the day, but this is the first chance I've had to wish you all a happy and healthy solstice. Enjoy this very long night safe in the knowledge that the sun willl return tomorrow and again the day after.
December 20, 2005
a two-hour park
The artsy folks at Rebar recently converted a 2-hour parking space in San Francisco into a temporary urban park complete with grass, tree, and park bench. The reason:
One of the more critical issues facing outdoor urban human habitat is the increasing paucity of space for humans to rest, relax, or just do nothing.
For example, more than 70% of San Francisco's downtown outdoor space is dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a fraction of that space is allocated to the public realm.
Sounds good to me. I'll be sure to put some change in the meter if I happen past one of these.
December 19, 2005
bush can add 'felon' to his list of titles
Just to make it clear, the President of the United States did in fact commit a felony by ordering surveillance of US citizens without court authorization.
There are minor exceptions in the law, but they clearly do not apply in this case. They cover only the 15 days after a declaration of war by congress, a period of 72 hours prior to seeking court authorization (which was never sought), and similar exceptions that clearly are not germane.
There is no room for doubt or question about whether the President has the prerogative to order surveillance without asking the FISC -- even if the FISC is a toothless organization that never turns down requests, it is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years imprisonment, to conduct electronic surveillance against US citizens without court authorization.
The FISC may be worthless at defending civil liberties, but in its arrogant disregard for even the fig leaf of the FISC, the administration has actually crossed the line into a crystal clear felony. The government could have legally conducted such wiretaps at any time, but the President chose not to do it legally.
If this goes without prosecution (or at least an investigation), it will be a clear signal that the rule of law no longer applies to the U.S. government. The fact that this is seen as just another "rule bending" by the President shows how far we've gone down that road already.
December 16, 2005
this old gingerbread house
Finally we have an answer to the age-old question: How would Bob Vila build a gingerbread house? [Thanks to erich for the link.]
December 14, 2005
amazing century-old color photos
The Library of Congress is running an exhibit of color photographs from the 1900s reconstructed from three-color glass plates taken by a Russian experimental photographer. The process is fascinating, but the photos themselves are truly extraordinary. My favorite is "View of the Nilova Monastery", which looks like more a fairytale castle photo from a 1960s Disney adventure film than pre-revolution Russia.
[Thanks to Patrick for pointing this out to me.]
December 13, 2005
Leviticus: Quote One, Quote 'Em All
I hope I can get this to work. One of the students on GVSU's LiveJournal has been using this a lot and I LIKE it:
No link, just that.
December 09, 2005
Happy Birthday to the whole bunch of you!
In honor of Chris, Deb and Ben, it's a birthday cake quiz! See the extended entry...!
It's not MY birthday, but if it were....
you have a formal birhtday cake!! You are very
sophisticated and intelligent. You have good
manners and act older than you are.But
sometimes you let yourself loose sometimes.
What does your ultimate birthday cake look like?
brought to you by Quizilla
Happy Birthday, Chris!!
Now it's my pleasure to wish a big happy, happy day to our own intrepid web geek! Happy Birthday, Chris!
December 08, 2005
Happy Birthday, Deb!
It's that time of year again! The day to celebrate Debby, botanizer extraordinaire and frequent Global Spin contributor. Hopefully she doesn't have to work today, but if so I hope the sheep do a little song and dance number for her. Happy Birthday!
December 06, 2005
I'm not wild about Harry...
...despite what I said in a previous posting. I saw the film, I took a quiz, and now I know. What's weird is that I totally see this. I completely understood Neville's reaction in the spider scene...
(See next page)
Neville Longbottom
Your match is the sweet, shy guy who may not be the
Quidditch star or the company president, but
loves you completely. Snuggles by the fire and
a secure home life make you feel completely
cherished.
Who is your Harry Potter love match? (for girls)
brought to you by Quizilla
December 02, 2005
gettin' hitched, south africa style
Nicely done, South Africa! Their highest court just ruled that same-sex marriages have the same rights as opposite-sex marriages. It might get overruled by the legislature, but that's not considered likely.