The 1999 Darwin Awards

In the spirit of Charles Darwin, the Darwin Awards celebrate evolution in action by commemorating the remains of individuals who most contributed to the improvement of our gene pool. Winners minimized their own genetic contribution by suffering idiotic and fatal misadventures, thereby dousing our gene pool with chlorine.

Microworlds - Exploring the Structure of Materials MicroWorlds is an interactive tour of current research in the materials sciences at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source. It's intended for science education in grades 9-12. Read about the Advanced Light Source, an X-ray machine the size of a soccer field!

Virtual Friends from Haptek are really interesting - the next step beyond animated web greeting cards. They feature three D talking heads. A small download for your browser is all that's required.

kdem is a program for displaying United States Geological Survey (USGS) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in the KDE.

From TBTF

What comes after 99? In New Zealand, the Aukland International Airport's Web site posted a news flash after local midnight to assure everyone that the airport was open and operating normally. It is timestamped 02:58 1 Jan 100. (In case they fix it soon and you miss it, see this mirror TBTF captured.)

Hubat: The Automatic Directory Builder is now in beta test. It's organised much like Yahoo and other human intensive directories but is created and maintained automatically by software. Check it out.

DaveNet: As time goes by

Simple. A most excellent New Year wish from Dave Winer.

Recipe Finder -- Looking for that "just right" recipe for your millennium celebration. You just might find it here.

A List of Internet Accessible Machines maintained by Bennet Yee at University of Calif. San Diego. Some of the links seem to be dead and some are very slow but there's still some interesting stuff here. It's mostly webcams but there are links to robots, coke machines, model railroads and many other internet accessible devices.

ADS launches receiver small enough for human implant. "The integration of humans and computers has moved on with Applied Digital Solutions (ADS) transceiver that is small enough to be implanted into the human body." Maybe I shouldn't have watched "Enemy of The State" but I don't think this "tracker" is such a good idea. They call it a "digital angel". I can think of other less complimentary things to call it. Here are some more contrarian views on this technology.

Fezbox is a site that allows you to make custom install disks for Redhat 6.0 so all you have to do is just pop the boot disk in, kick back and it will install everything for you. I haven't tried this yet, but I expect to soon.

Science News of the Year, Science News Online. There are some interesting picks here. The main drawback is that not all of the articles are available online. Oh well, there's always the brick-and-mortar library &;^)

Trying to E-Right a Wrong Many book editors have become agents, but Richard Curtis will become the first agent who not only represents authors, but also publishes their out-of-print titles online. E-Rights.com will revive out-of-print books in electronic form. Its sister site, E-Reads.com, will be a consumer destination for these titles.

The Advertising Graveyard: Real Ads That Almost Ran There's some interesting stuff here. Some of these ads look pretty good. Then again, some of them... look for yourself.

Santa's Workshop - HUMOR - Variations on Twas the Night Before Christmas

Variations on "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the shop, The computers were whirring; they never do stop. The power was on and the temperature right, In hopes that the input would feed back that night. The system was ready, the program was coded, And memory drums had been carefully loaded; While adding a Christmasy glow to the scene, The lights on the console, flashed red, white and green. When out in the hall there arose such a clatter, The programmer ran to see what was the matter. Away to the hallway he flew like a flash, Forgetting his key in his curious dash. He stood in the hallway and looked all about, When the door slammed behind him, and he was locked out. Then, in the computer room what should appear, But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer; And a little old man, who with scarcely a pause, Chuckled: "My name is Santa...the last name is Claus." The computer was startled, confused by the name, Then it buzzed as it heard the old fellow exclaim: "This is Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, And Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen." With all these odd names, it was puzzled anew; It hummed and it clanked, and a main circuit blew. It searched in its memory core, trying to "think"; Then the multi-line printer went out on the blink. Unable to do its electronic job, It said in a voice that was almost a sob: "Your eyes - how they twinkle - your dimples so merry, Your cheeks so like roses, your nose like a cherry, Your smile - all these things, I've been programmed to know, And at data-recall, I am more than so-so; But your name and your address (computers can't lie), Are things that I just cannot identify. You've a jolly old face and a little round belly, That shakes when you laugh like a bowl full of jelly; My scanners can see you, but still I insist, Since you're not in my program, you cannot exist!" Old Santa just chuckled a merry "ho, ho", And sat down to type out a quick word or so. The keyboard clack-clattered, its sound sharp and clean, As Santa fed this "data" to the machine: "Kids everywhere know me; I come every year; The presents I bring add to everyone's cheer; But you won't get anything - that's plain to see; Too bad your programmers forgot about me." Then he faced the machine and said with a shrug, "Merry Christmas to All," as he pulled out its plug! (author unknown)

Linux, Melissa, hackers, the trial, and all that money The top ten technology stories of 1999 - according to MSNBC.

Java Stuff News from the world of Java.A new "Manila" site dedicated to all things Java.

Why do we say, I do? TIES THAT BIND ... Traditionally, men and women view marriage differently. Women gain security. Men lose freedom.

How Stuff Works! Have you ever wondered how the engine in your car works or what makes the inside of your refrigerator cold? Then How Stuff Works is the place for you!

U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association! It all began on April Fools day in 1992. Executives of Chicago-based Gold Eagle Co. makers of STA-BIL® Fuel Stabilizer, brought lawn mower racing to the United States after visiting our friends with the British Lawn Mower Association in England.

Cye-SR Personal RobotThere have been many attempts at introducing robots to the household, and none have enjoyed a great deal of success. This seems to be a company which is developing a home robot with the correct approach, keeping it simple. They have resisted the temptation to fill Cye with sensors, cameras and processors, and have concentrated on building a reliable piece of hardware which has no processing power of its own. All the processing is handled by your home PC, using the supplied Map 'n' Zap software.

Linux Today: Proposed French Law Would Mandate Free Software Use By GovernmentIf this bill passes, all the branches of French government will have to use free software exclusively beginning January 1, 2002. They will be allowed to use non-free software only if no free software alternative exists. A "Agence du Logiciel Libre" (Free Software Agency) will be created in order to control the use of non-free software and help to seek for (and I hope fund) free software alternatives.

The New Homemaker: Clean and Organized: Tips from the Pros: Keeping Up AppearancesA daily quick cleaning routine makes the difference.

Recent Earthquakes in California The Recent Earthquake information system was developed through a long process that included input from seismologists, graphic artists, and users. Our goal is to provide users with as much information as possible in a timely fashion. Because the number of users continues to grow, we have been forced to make some design choices which have not pleased all of you, but which (we hope) will maximize the number of users getting information over the web, especially after felt earthquakes.

Keirsey Character SorterAlong with the Keirsey Temperament Sorter questionaire, there are descriptions of the personality temperaments. Isabel Myers and Carl Jung each have different descriptions of the personality types, although there are many commonalities. David Keirsey has different descriptions from both Myers and Jung, but again with many commonalities. Dr. Keirsey's descriptions of temperament is based on the study of people and the study of psychology, including the works of Jung, Myers, Kretschmer, Spranger, Fromm, Haley, Bateson, etc. The brief descriptions on this web site are short versions of the descriptions in Please Understand Me or Please Understand Me II. Having identified your personality, it is suggested that you read the corresponding personality portrait in the in Please Understand Me or Please Understand Me II to decide how well or how poorly the description fits. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter, like all personality tests, is only a preliminary and rough indicator of personality. Please do not accept any personality test results without checking them out by watching people in action. People-watching will enable you to detect the difference between what people say they do habitually and what they actually do.

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13. ... Fibonacci and the original problem about rabbits where the series first appears, the family trees of cows and bees, the golden ratio and the Fibonacci series, the Fibonacci Spiral and sea shell shapes, branching plants, flower petal and seeds, leaves and petal arrangements, on pineapples and in apples, pine cones and leaf arrangements. All involve the Fibonacci numbers - and here's how and why.

You've got to check out the new and fully Y2K compliant Office 2000. What a HOOT! The fully featured Office Suite of the Millennium!! * If Office 2000 displays any date discrepancies after January 1, 2000, which are not the fault of the operator**, our company will refund 300% of the purchase price to the original purchaser.

Cool Robot Of The Week The honor of being listed as "Cool Robot Of The Week" is bestowed upon those robotics-related web sites which portray highly innovative solutions to robotics problems, describe unique approaches to implementing robotics system, or present exciting interfaces for the dissemination of robotics-related information or promoting robotics technology. This award carries absolutely no monetary value, official recognition, assumed support, or tangible benefit, other than swamping your web site with a few dozen extra hits for a week. But everyone else was putting up their "Cool Site Of The Millenia" lists, so we figured it was our turn too...

Headline Viewer Headline Viewer is a Windows application that lets you see news headlines from a configurable list of Headline Providers (news sources and weblogs). Instead of continuously jumping from site to site to check on headlines (and using a big fat browser window), you can let Headline Viewer do it for you

Luke Tymowski's "Week in Review - 1999 December 19". It's an interesting summation of web and open source happenings.

And what will Suday morning be without Peanuts? I don't even want to think about it.

Charles Schultz according to Encyclopædia Britannica Schulz, Charles b. Nov. 26, 1922, Minneapolis, Minn., U.S. creator of "Peanuts," one of the most successful American comic strips of the mid-20th century.

Charles Schultz, Peanuts creator. "Schulz's message was filled with a uniquely American sense of optimism – 'Li'l Folks' with big dreams, never giving up, always trudging out to the mound one more time."

ZDNet: News: Government asks hackers for Y2K break,

I got this link from Mike's Weblog. Mike says it so right, "Brought to you by the Committee for Surrealism in Everyday Life: according to ZDNet, the chairman of the President's Council on Y2K has asked all the hackers everywhere to not break into anything during the January 1 confusion, but to wait a week till everything is all better. I assume that in the same vein the FBI will be asking bank robbers to please not rob any banks between January 1st and 7th, and that the CIA will be quietly contacting terrorist leaders around the world and suggesting they not set off any bombs while we're busy with the date rollover. Is it just me, or is this sort of thing actually an ENCOURAGEMENT to do all your hacking January 1?"

This is one I intend to look deeper into. Mercator helps you create "mind maps". Mind maps are based on visual learning and are meant help you organize your ideas, tasks and activities. Mercator is free alpha software but there are also several links to mind mapping software for sale.

I've always been interesetd in cryptography and here´s a new book on the history of cryptography that is getting very good reviews. It has warfare, politics, and royal intrigue. And at the back of the book is the Cipher Challenge -- $15,000 goes to the first person to crack the code.

Here´s an another one from Mike´s Weblog. A comprehensive index of 6000 artists represented at hundreds of museum sites, image archives, and other online resources. The Artcyclopedia. You can search by artist, movement, medium, subject and nationality. They also have a monthly Top 30 list.

Here´s an awsome one from Mike´s Weblog. A java applet that demonstrates various juggling techniques. You can really waste a lot of time studying or just admiring the the many juggling tricks the applet can simulate and animate.

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I'm reading a really, really good book right now called Cryptonomicon. Here's what the author, Neal Stephenson, has to say about it:

"Cryptonomicon" is a book about many things -- World War II, the Philippines, venture capital and the high-tech economy, to pick just a few -- but the axis around which everything revolves is precisely that issue of how important science and technology have been -- as viewed from "the end of a century like this one." The novel's journey back in time follows directly, Stephenson says, from his ruminations about the future.

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Hey Noah! I'll probably pass on this one. Cool cover art though.

Killer tornadoes. Violent tropical storms. Devastating temperatures.Are these just the prelude to an unprecedented environmental disaster in our near future? It will begin with a massive, unprecedented storm that will devastate the Northern Hemisphere. This will be followed by floods unlike anything ever seen before -- or perhaps a new Ice Age.

Scientists have made a pair of tweezers capable of picking up objects just 500 nanometers (billionths of a meter) across. The achievement is being hailed as another milestone in the fast-developing field of nanotechnology in which researchers manipulate matter at the scale of individual atoms and molecules. The nanotweezers could become an important part of the toolkit that one day allows us to create a host of molecular-scale devices with extremely miniaturised electronic circuitry.

Now from Muppetlabs we have an interesting essay on Albert Einstein´s Theory of Relativity. Don´t run off screaming, "I can´t understand that weird stuff". You see, this is the Theory of Relativity explained using words of four letters or less.

TechnoSphere is a 3D model world inhabited by artificial lifeforms created by WWW users. There are thousands of creatures in the world all competing to survive. They eat, fight, mate and create offspring which evolve and adapt to their environment. When you make a creature it will email you to let you know what it has been getting up to in its world. Using the creature tools you can find out how your creature is surviving, what it is doing at any time, and where it is in the terrain.

Use the creature tools to make your own artificial lifeform for free and take part in this unique simulation.

According to Space Views, "If it launches this month, STS-103 will become only the third NASA mission to be in space on Christmas Day."

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Here´s a cool one from the stuffed dog: "I happened across a great site describing the appearance and history of the famous Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which includes lots of links to related information as well as a bit of history about where the list came from and a list of forgotten and modern wonders from the Mayan temples at Tikal and the Great Wall of China to the Panama Canal and the Petronas Towers."

Have you ever thought about going on a "Hunt For Red October"? Well, this isn't it, but then again... Dive! Dive!

Or maybe I should say ïîãðóæàòü! ïîãðóæàòü!

From the "Rose by any other name..." department comes this scary little item. What's your name? Is it yours? Think again if you said yes.

Laura Walker has gotten some strange phone calls, including one from a gaming industry trade group and another from WebVan, the online grocery-delivery firm. Both wanted to know how they could benefit from XML, the Extensible Markup Language standard for data interchange that's seemingly taking the world by storm.

Here's a good one from Mike's Weblog .

"The LEWIS CARROLL Home Page You know…the guy who wrote ALICE IN WONDERLAND and all that? This page links to a vast variety of online resources, including online reprints of much of Carroll's work, bibliographies, translations of "Jabberwocky" (even into Klingon!), and a lovely centenary exhibition. I could spend a lot of cheerful hours rereading some of this. In fact, I think I'll go have a look at HUNTING OF THE SNARK right now. IN LEWIS CARROLL'S "Through the Looking Glass", Alice innocently wonders at one point whether looking-glass milk is good to drink. In fact, there is an answer to that question: looking-glass milk is best avoided. The reason is that it would contain proteins that are mirror-images of the ones normally found in the body. And although molecules and their mirror-images are chemically identical, our bodies are not used to mirror-image proteins -- making them quite indigestible."

Also from Mike, a site with all sorts of antique labels for sale. The "Alice In Wonderland" bookplate (above) and the food label at the left are miniature examples of only two of the many labels for sale. They have crate labels, cigar box labels, seed packets and more. I love maple sugar and found their maple syrup labels very interesting.

Ahhhhhh. Now here's an interesting link on skinning. Now wait a minute. We're not talking about small furry creatures here. The type of "skinning" this article talks about has to do with creating applications, like mp3 music players, with interchangeable appearances. Sort of like hi tech wallpaper hanging.

If, like me, you're interested in learning more about XML then, The Annotated XML Specification might be a good place to start. Without the annotations these specifications can be a difficult to read.

Here's a unique happening from the bendypig. This year the Winter Solstice, December 22 -- the longest night of the year, will be extremely special. The moon will will probably appear about 14% bigger and 7% brighter than any other time this millenium. Follow the link to read about the extremely rare circumstances responsible for this rare occurance.

The first entry today isn't a web link. It's for my daughter Megan. I just returned from an assembly at her school, where she received awards for Social Studies and making the Honor Roll. Two of her best friends Casey and April also received special awards and made Honor Roll. Way to go, Kids!

Well it's that time of year. Would you like to learn how to wrap a present? Free instructions on present wrapping and a multitude of other things are available from Learn2.com.

What date or time is it anyway?

My daughter and I like to go outside on a clear night to look at the stars and planets. Here's a site with all sorts of interesting facts about The Nine Planets in our solar system.

Have you ever come across a law that you thought was really dumb. Well, there seem to be an awfully lot of them according to Dumb Laws.

Inside the Geekosystem is an interesting examination of the growth and meaning of the Internet.

Are you interested in the infamous AREA 51. Well, here's a site where you can get an Area 51 weather forecast.

Here's a good quote from an excellent teacher and a very good friend, JoAnn Ayers, "I don't teach because I love children. I teach because I hate ignorance".

Eureka! It works! Now to start the fine tuning.