[W]hile other online publishers like Yahoo News and MSNBC earn tens of millions of dollars in revenue each year and continue to grow, Google News remains in beta mode -- three years after it launched -- long after most of the bugs have been excised.
The reason: The minute Google News runs paid advertising of any sort it could face a torrent of cease-and-desist letters from the legal departments of newspapers, which would argue that "fair use" doesn't cover lifting headlines and lead paragraphs verbatim from their articles. Other publishers might simply block users originating from Google News, effectively snuffing it out.
I'm an Australian, based in the Washington, DC, area of the United States. I spend a lot of time there with Jasmine, Australia's best-known speedsolver of the Rubik's Cube. Prior to the US, Jasmine and I were based in London, UK. We have also lived previously in the United States and Australia.
I have worked for an Australian business rules and compliance company since 1999 in Australia, the US and the UK. I have also lectured in IT and Law related topics at King's College, London, and at The Australian National University.
I have some more information and a list of publications available (pop-up window).
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These are a few of my favourite links:
- Jasmine's site
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- Paul's Ramblings (music)
Hits since 1 Sep 2004
500985
Site design by Jasmine
Thu, 30 Dec 2004 [Australian eastern time]
[/United Kingdom] permanent link
Jasmine and I finally made it to London just before Christmas. We flew into Gatwick Airport on the morning of 19 December, after several frantic weeks in the US. We have started to establish ourselves in London, and I will update this site properly very soon!
Sat, 27 Nov 2004 [Australian eastern time]
IT workers migrating to India?
There has been a lot of hype in the media -- especially in the US, where employment and offshoring were big issues in the recent presidential election -- about many businesses' desire to move IT and call centre work to low-cost locations like India. I found an interesting discussion today on Slashdot that discusses another angle on this issue. It refers to a BBC story about an Indian company that hires Europeans to do work that has been sent to India from their home countries. The recruits are often young people who want to travel -- and who are willing to work for local wages (although there seem to be some perks thrown in).
The Slashdot discussion is worth a look for the range of perspectives it raises on the issue, and overall it seems less negative to the idea than the response one might normally expect from the media. Perhaps this highlights the fact that offshoring is a more complicated issue than people often make out.
On the one hand, people in countries like the US, the UK and Australia feel understandably threatened when they see job losses in their own countries while the same jobs are then offered to people elsewhere. Customer service from outsourced facilities is often questionable because offshorers want to save every cent possible and do not necessarily equip overseas employees properly or recognise the communication overheads that are involved in having an offshore workforce. There is also the potential to export particular undesirable labour or environmental practices to less regulated economies, where workers demand less or where environmental protection is less of an issue.
However, on the other hand, part of the problem is that too often people want to be comfortable doing what they have always done, the same same way they have always done it. The world is developing an increasingly global economy, and of course less developed nations have aspirations that will make them compete with more established ones. Perhaps the real threat to the older industrialised economies is that they need to make sure they work smart and innovate to find ways of maintaining a strong competitive position, rather than trying to outlaw work being done elsewhere.
Fri, 26 Nov 2004 [Australian eastern time]
Where's the Thanksgiving turkey?
Financial journalists are hilarious -- almost as amusing as investment bankers and mortuary attendants. An article on the Australian Financial Review website at the moment asks who is the real turkey this Thanksgiving:
As US investors head home for their annual Thanksgiving dinner, foreign exchange markets are treating the US dollar as the biggest turkey of them all.
...
[T]he US dollar was left behind yet again, hitting record lows against the euro, nine-year lows versus the Swiss franc and four-year lows against the Japanese yen. It fell to another nine-month low against the $A just below US79¢.
This is good news for us Australian expats, paid in Australian dollars but living in the US. Silly electronic gadgets are getting even cheaper! I'd better not tell Jasmine!
Meanwhile, Jasmine and I look set to spend a chunk of the four-day Thanksgiving period in the office putting the rest of it into boxes. Our Thanksgiving will come at the end of the process when we can declare: 'Thank *^&%$ we have filled all the boxes here!'.
But then we will need to go home and pack our apartment.
Tue, 23 Nov 2004 [Australian eastern time][/United Kingdom] permanent link
I have been doing a very poor job of maintaining this blog because I have been very busy and quite preoccupied.
Much of the reason for that preoccupation is that Jasmine and I look like we will be moving to London with SoftLaw!
Stay tuned for more details.
American researchers: taking important steps to nail the big issues!
Go Clemson University researchers! I applaud your research into a nanoparticle treatment for textiles that will make them repel dirt. My life will be better if I don't need to remember to clean my clothes! There's a short article and a link about this on Boing Boing.
I am personally hoping that self-washing dishes are also on the agenda.
Here in America, we can already buy robots to do the vacuuming (really), although I have to admit that I have not yet committed to this idea. Jasmine probably wishes I would do more about vacuuming.
As I enter what look like they will be my final few weeks in the US for a while, I have been considering a few last-minute purchases from the great technology stores over here.
Last week, I watched while Jasmine quickly succumbed to temptation and bought a new iPAQ. She got a good deal... but is her old iPAQ going to get a good deal? Currently, Jasmine is having to use two Pocket PCs while she is held back by a couple of issues: a combination of early adopter glitches (not all of her old software runs on the newer iPAQ with its more recent operating system) and the time it is taking to migrate all her files and software. She keeps telling me that I might be allowed to use her old iPAQ, but only if I show enough interest in it to convince her I would use it properly.
I watched with interest while Jasmine downloaded her first eBook, The Da Vinci Code, last week. I think part of her initial motivation was that this would be a cheaper option than buying a real paper book, but I was initially sceptical of eBooks. There is something I still like about having paper in front of me and being able to turn pages without having to spend yet more time staring at another computer screen.
It was interesting to watch Jasmine in action with The Da Vinci Code. She tore through the book pretty quickly considering how busy she was last week. This was probably partly due to the book being an easy read. However, I think it was also partly a result of the way she was able to read electronically stored material. Real books are bulky, but Jasmine always has her iPAQ with her. As soon as she had the book, I found that she would pull out her iPAQ and read a few screens whenever she had a spare second, in a way that she would never have done with a normal book. We could be waiting for a lift in our office building or standing in a lunch queue and Jasmine would be reading. And as someone who is probably about to be spending a lot of time on UK public transport, this convenient way of having a library at my fingertips suddenly became quite appealing to me.
Then Jasmine pointed out to me that there is a vast volume of classic literature that I have always meant to read available online. There is a good thread discussing this at Pocket PC Thoughts. Now I am even more tempted (finally) to start using an iPAQ.
I also made another belated geek move today. After years of relying on other means for portable music (which is an important topic as I spend so much time away from my record collection in Canberra), I finally ordered an iPod. And I am thinking of getting another digital camera. I still like my Olympus C-50 a lot, but I want another camera with a monster zoom as well. The Panasonic FZ20 looks like it could be the one, subject to some final research.
The bank manager will have had some good business from my credit card by the end of the month.
Sun, 31 Oct 2004 [Australian eastern time]
Follow-up link -- Jon Stewart on CNN Crossfire
A friend sent me this link to a Hissyfit review of Jon Stewart's Crossfire appearance the other week.
[/Credit where it's due] permanent link
Thanks to Jasmine for redesigning the look of this page! There will be more tweaks to its appearance over the coming days.
Tue, 19 Oct 2004 [Australian eastern time]
The Daily Show's Jon Stewart on CNN Crossfire
This is a few days old -- and I am really only linking to what others have said -- but I still think this is worth posting.
I was filled with awe at the appearance that Jon Stewart from The Daily Show put in on CNN's Crossfire last Friday (US time), where he basically took the CNN debate show to task over what he saw as its failure to deal responsibly or appropriately with issues. He accused the show of being harmful to America, but he did it in a way that was also very funny.
For a good set of links on this, see Boing Boing. The exchange is available in glorious streaming video from IFILM.com (other sources of video are listed on Boing Boing).
And the hosts were probably just expecting a bland interview about Stewart's hilarious new book, America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction.
Update: MyWay news has run an update on the Crossfire exchange, drawn from AP. The update quotes follow-up barbs that CNN's Tucker Carlson made on Monday, and it also draws on comments made by a Comedy Channel executive.
Distress at the state of television
The state of American television can be pretty distressing -- plastic surgery-based reality shows everywhere when you want to watch something with a bit of substance, and never the episode of Dr 90210 you keep missing when you are in the mood for some frivolous and superficial plastic surgery action.
I do not know what my television thinks of my trashy viewing habits, but one American flat-screen TV recently took matters into its own hands, emitting an international distress signal. According to a report on CNN (drawing on Reuters):
An Oregon man discovered earlier this month that his year-old Toshiba Corporation flat-screen TV was emitting an international distress signal picked up by a satellite, leading a search and rescue operation to his apartment in Corvallis, Oregon, 70 miles south of Portland.
Toshiba offered to replace the TV for free with another one that did not emit a 121.5 MHz distress signal.
On a completely different note, I have not been doing a great job of adding to this site of late. Work has been non-stop, and I have been doing some travel, and one of my brothers has just flown into Washington DC for a few days. But I will try to post more very soon!
Thu, 14 Oct 2004 [Australian eastern time][/Popular culture] permanent link
Special advance screening of The Incredibles
Jasmine and I were lucky enough last night (Wednesday, 13 October in the US) to go to a special pre-screening of The Incredibles (IMDB entry; official site) in Washington, DC. It was fantastic! The session was filmed by ABC America's 20/20 (Jasmine was asked to pose with our tickets for a cameraman) and there was a question and answer session with Director Brad Bird at the end.
I am going to write a more detailed report sometime in the next day or so (although I will be good and not fill it with spoiler information). In the meantime, however, check out Jasmine's post.
Tue, 05 Oct 2004 [Australian eastern time]
It's all about Nicki McRoberts
A little while back, I wrote about Nicki McRoberts, who is obsessed with gaining weight to achieve her target of 500-600 lb. The statistics for this website show that Google searches for Nicki McRoberts are the most common single reason for people to visit my site, so this is obviously a very important current affairs issue. There is obviously a real need for news about Nicki as I am not (at the time of writing) even listed on the first page of results that Google returns!
Oh, and I still think what Nicki is doing is stupid.
Washington tornadoes -- update
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about tornadoes in the Washington, DC, area. It seems that the weather had one unexpected result: an arrest in nearby Frederick, Maryland, on child pornography charges. Robert L. Medvee's house was damaged during the tornado and it is alleged that workers stumbled across 24 boxes of porn material while repairing the building. At the time of writing, Medvee is in prison on US$96,000 bail.
Sun, 03 Oct 2004 [Australian eastern time]This isn't a very substantial post...
... but I thought I would link to Jasmine's post about what we did today -- Saturday 2 October in the US -- for any family and friends who are wondering.
Thu, 30 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time][/Cyberspace/IP] permanent link
Google News still in beta after three years
There is an interesting article on the Wired website (discussed on Slashdot) that describes a curious legal issue for Google News. It seems that while the launch of Google News terrified online news services that spent a fortune writing their own content, the Google model of inexpensively scraping headlines from other sites ultimately hit a snag. One of the interesting passages from the article reads:
My school never offered me a margarita
The school I attended in Canberra, Australia, had a typical, and not especially exciting, lunch menu when I was there in the 1980s and 1990s. Recently, here in the US State of Virginia, there has been an unplanned exercise in more interesting school catering -- a Virginia school accidentally handed out margaritas (including tequila) that were left over from a board/faculty/staff event. It seems that the margarita mix in the refrigerator was mistaken for limeade.
The students "said [the margaritas] didn't taste good". Staff "quickly collected all of the cups and saw that although some small sips had been taken; none were emptied".
I reckon my classmates would have been much more adventurous!
Tue, 28 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]
Krispy Kreme not the solution to all religious attendance problems
A little over a week ago, I wrote a post about the local church here in Arlington, Virginia, which was advertising a free donut day.
It turns out that food-based incentives are becoming part of religious observance outside the US, too. In the United Kingdom, it seems that chocolate is being offered to attract people to church.
According to the Bishop of Manchester, the Rev. Nigel McCulloch: "People can lose touch with church for simple reasons -- a house move for example -- but some of the reasons are more complex."
Perhaps people have also been rebelling against the absence of calories from their weekly churchgoings.
Mon, 27 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]
Customer service in the call centre age
I was amused today to read of a hacker or disgruntled employee who had modified the automated greeting used by a call centre for British cable company NTL. The new message announced:
You are through to NTL customer services. We don't give a (expletive) about you. We are never here. We just (expletive) you about, basically, and we are not going to handle any of your complaints. Just (expletive) off and leave us alone.
The story is amusing, but it also strikes me as a quite valid parody of the service that many call centres actually offer.
One great example from my personal experience springs to mind.
Earlier this year, I noticed a strange charge that had been appearing on some of my credit card statements. I called the company that provided the card -- the Australian subsidiary of an international company -- and I was transferred to an offshore call centre.
No one could explain how the charge was calculated, but I was told that the charge was a Queensland government stamp duty for cardholders with addresses in Queensland, Australia. I pointed out that the address I had registered on the card is in the United States. Over several calls, several call centre operators asked if I had had an Australian address on the card before I relocated to the US. I said that I had -- an address in Canberra.
Amazingly, over several calls, several different operators in the offshore call centre told me: "That explains it. Because Canberra is in Queensland, you have to pay the stamp duty."
This was quite amazing to me -- the Australian credit card provider had a group of people dealing with customers who not only were unable to interpret a credit card statement, but who also did not even know where the capital of Australia is (for overseas readers of this post, Canberra is in the Australian Capital Territory, which is a very long way from Queensland).
And, annoyingly, not only was the call centre unable to help me with my problem (which was ultimately resolved in the company's Sydney complaints department), but they would adhere religiously to a script that required them, after delivering bogus advice, to offer me a credit limit increase and to check why I had not chosen to pay my account by direct debit.
Now don't misinterpret me. I have no inherent objection to call centres as a way of providing services, and I also do not want to weigh into the merits of offshoring to various countries in my post here.
However, it does seem that call centres and offshoring have been used by too many companies as a way of saving every cent possible in customer service delivery. The key problem in my credit card experience was not the location of the call centre, or even the fact that I had to use a call centre, but rather the fact that the card company had leapt at the prospect of lower labour rates overseas without bothering to provide the infrastructure -- technical information for employees, basic training -- that would allow them to do their job effectively.
Not OK.
Thu, 23 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time][/Cyberspace/IP] permanent link
An open letter from the software industry to content owners and producers
I read an hilarious open letter from the software industry to content owners and producers (linked from Boing Boing) today. It's very funny, but it emphasizes the way that the music and film industries in particular are suffering from their inability to devise new offerings and revenue models for the digital age. The letter suggests that this is why these industries have been so aggressive in pursuing, for example, people who download music as sales of traditional entertainment media drop. It points out the ways that the computer industry has devised new offerings that allow its revenue stream to keep growing.
The article grabs the reader's attention immediately with a very catchy opening:
Dear Content Producers and Owners:We lied to you. In the golden 80s and 90s we told you micropayments and content protection would work; that you would be able to charge minuscule amounts of money whenever someone listened to your music or watched your movie. We told you untruths which we well knew would never work - after all, we would've never used them ourselves. Instead, we wrote things like Kazaa and Gnutella, and all other evil P2P applications to get the stuff free.
Later, it makes its substantive point:
Look at us: every year, we churn out more computer games than your entire industry is worth. You know how we do it? We like our customers. We don't treat them like potential criminals, and try to make our products do less. We invent new things like online role-playing -games, where the money does not come from duplication of bits (which cannot be stopped, regardless of your DRM scheme) but from providing experiences that the people want.
The full document is a worthwhile read.
Wed, 22 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time][/Cyberspace/IP] permanent link
This is a couple of days old, but I still thought it worth posting. I came across it in a blog run by Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law professor.
Wired magazine's November issue (out next month) will ship with a free CD containing 16 tracks that are intended for online copying and other uses that record companies normally try to proscribe. Lessig links to an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal that discusses the CD and its Creative Commons licence (which reserves only selected rights under copyright, rather than all rights as is normally the case; the Creative Commons approach encourages people to build on the creations of others with far fewer legal restrictions).
The Journal describes the project as follows:
This makes me miss the lecturing I used to do in Information Technology Law at The Australian National University. The digital challenges to traditional intellectual property were an area we covered in some depth. Maybe I will get back to lecturing one day.
Mon, 20 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]
Tornadoes in the Washington, DC, area!
I had always known that Washington, DC, can get a ridiculous range of weather -- a cold winter with snow, a very hot and humid summer, and very rapid changes. On Friday night, we had the first tornadoes I can remember since I arrived in the area. They didn't come particularly close to the area where I am located (in Arlington), but they did cause significant damage in nearby areas of Virginia and Maryland. Here's a link to a photo taken in nearby Manassas, Virginia -- about 45 minutes' drive down Interstate 66 from my place. You can just see the tornado's funnel starting to taper before the building cuts it off from view.
Sun, 19 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]I don't know why, but with the US election unfolding all around, I found the idea of a Republicans for Voldemort t-shirt strangely amusing. You can, too, if you follow this link.
Fri, 17 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time][/Popular culture] permanent link
One note, over and over; and low tech music for high tech people
I have been known to listen to The Ramones, although I have to admit to seeing another band instead when The Ramones played on one of the many stages at Sydney's Big Day Out in 1994. I was young and stupid back then.
The net has been littered with articles and tributes following the passing of guitarist Johnny Ramone, but one in particular caught my attention. I came across an article in BoingBoing that published Johnny Ramone's guitar solo for "I wanna be sedated" -- one note, over and over. When I followed a link back to the original source of the guitar tab comment (a site called Crooked Timber), I felt like I was entering a web of linked Ramones tributes. One comment (originally from Weasel Manor) caught my eye: Johnny Ramone "took the instrument away from the rock gods and handed it back to the rest of us".
Recently, I found another site which proves that cool music can be made of quite simple stuff: www.micromusic.net, which bills itself as a community about "low tech music for high tech people". MicroMusic is all about music inspired by early computer game soundtracks -- the type that contained lots of "ping" noises -- not like today's game soundtracks that just have some CD-quality industrial band to keep you company as you blow stuff up. I thought the site was a lot of fun.
And I could go on now about all the cool bands that have ended up writing computer game music, but I might save that for another time.
It's all about God, relationships, donuts
I got home today to find a flier from a local church (Grace Community Church of Arlington) in my mailbox. Apparently, the church is about to run a series of sessions about relationships -- finding the love of your life and then living with them. But what really grabbed my eye was a note down the bottom:
FREE DONUTS. September 19th is Krispy Kreme Sunday! Join us for free donuts.
You can see this announcement if you scroll to the bottom righthand corner of the church homepage (as of today, anyway).
This is a great gesture. Krispy Kreme donuts are one of the things that make America great (even if Krispy Kreme coffee is possibly the worst I have ever tried). But I had never seen donuts used as a marketing tool by a church before.
Still, this might not be a bad idea. At work, maybe I should offer every government agency that signs up for a large deal with my company a Krispy Kreme donut.
Mon, 13 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time][/Popular culture] permanent link
My musical discovery of this week is a band called The Faint, who hail from Omaha, Nebraska. Their sound is interesting: a bit retro, a bit electronic, a bit something else, tongue-in-cheek and catchy. There's a band profile on the MTV site that includes a link to listen to their entire new album online (the CD is due in stores on 14 September, when the listening online will cease).
My musical disappointment of the week is realising, a couple of months after it happened because I have been based overseas, that Impact Records in Canberra is no more. The store has been bought out by JB Hi-Fi. Impact was the best brick-and-mortar record store I had found anywhere. Earlier this year, I was even able to get something from them that I was unable to find in my searching (online and in the Washington DC area) of the United States and Europe.
Sun, 12 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time][/Popular culture] permanent link
New BBC radio series: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I was excited to realise a short while ago that the BBC has announced two new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series, based on the final three books in the inaccurately-named "trilogy in five parts". The first episode will be broadcast in the UK on 21 September 2004, and it looks each episode will be made available online for a short period (link). The new series take off where the original recordings finished.
In addition to all the material on the BBC website, there is a Slashdot thread discussing the new episodes.
Fri, 10 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]
America is about liberty, not shooting puppies
Americans speak often of the liberties that define their country. There is an ongoing rights dialogue about the right to bear arms and use them in self-defence.
Recent news, however, reveals that not only American citizens, but also puppies, have a right to bear arms and to defend themselves, as this example of a puppy that shot its owner with a .38 revolver demonstrates. The puppy sprang to its own defence, as well as acting to save its puppy friends, when its owner tried to shoot the litter. The puppy was able to get a paw around the trigger and shoot its owner in the wrist.
Jerry Allen Bradford, of Pensacola, Florida, claimed he was killing the puppies because he couldn't find a home for them. Authorities have charged Bradford with felony animal cruelty.
53 per cent of Los Angeles region workers aged 16 or over are functionally illiterate
I saw a link today to an amazing story in the Los Angeles Daily News. The article claims that 53 per cent of Los Angeles region workers aged 16 or over are functionally illiterate. It is hard to know what to say about a statistic like that. It is interesting to read the statistic in line with statements from the Bush Administration early this year that outlined a plan to grant an amnesty to certain illegal immigrants. According to CNN:
Bush said the reform confronts "a basic fact of life and economics -- some of the jobs being generated in America's growing economy are jobs American citizens are not filling."
"These jobs represent a tremendous opportunity for workers from abroad who want to work and to fulfill their duties as a husband or a wife, a son or a daughter," he said.
The Bush statement suggests that for whatever reason -- US standards of living and aspirations, perhaps -- there are some jobs that US citizens simply will not do. But this policy, coupled with very high levels of illiteracy, must surely bring a risk of building a large underclass in the US.
Tue, 07 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]
Maybe I don't need a CD burner any more
I still remember how cool I felt when I first got a CD burner -- and how many questions I fielded from interested friends.
But maybe I don't need a CD burner any more, because the Vestax VRX-2000 record cutter is a truly awesome combination of technology and retro chic. This device allows you to make your own records in the comfort of your lounge room! Blanks are somewhat more expensive than blank CDs or DVDs -- apparently about the cost of an imported 12-inch single.
Mon, 06 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]I have been a big fan for a while now of a site called the Wikipedia. Wikipedia stands for what the internet should be about. It's a publicly accessible encyclopedia, with the twist that it's written by the people who read it. As you browse the Wikipedia, you can edit any entry or even create entries for new topics. It's an awesome platform to share ideas.
The obvious catch with this system is that there is no authoritative editor to ensure the correctness of material that users post. The answer to this is meant to be that "the market will sort it out". In other words, users will find errors and fix them -- and I know I have done this myself. The fact that the material could have been contributed by anyone makes me think critically about what I read -- but the fact that there are topics documented in Wikipedia that are poorly documented elsewhere online means I don't worry too much about this. In other words, the benefit I derive from the system outweighs the risk.
However, not everyone agrees. I have been following a recent thread on Slashdot based around responses to a journalist who was critical of Wikipedia. The thread came with an interesting idea, and a perhaps disappointing outcome:
Techdirt suggested an experiment: insert bogus information into Wikipedia, and see how long it takes for the mistake to be removed. Well, I did that experiment, and the results weren't good: five errors inserted over five days, all of which lasted until I removed them myself at the end of the experiment."
You can read more at Dispatches from the Frozen North (a recommended link).
[/Credit where it's due] permanent link
Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker named top scientists
CNN has just run a Reuters story that Dr Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker, have been named the world's top screen scientists. The two Muppets roundly beat other contenders like Dana Scully from The X-Files, and Doctor Who.
My favourite quote from the story:
"They're the kind of scientists you would like to be but never quite dared to," said Alan Slater, a scientist at the University of Exeter in southwestern England.
The poll was run by the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the BBC Cult TV website. The BBC site is pretty cool -- full of all sorts of important stuff about Doctor Who and other important topics.
Back after denial of service attack
This site is back after some denial of service problems at the ISP. Hopefully, everything will be clear sailing from here.
Thu, 02 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]
American diets to gain weight. Goal: 500-600 lb!
I came across this story on an episode of Totally Obsessed, a show that runs on US cable network VH1. American Nicki McRoberts, who used to weigh in at 140 lb (about 63.5 kg) claims, like many reasonable people, to be offended by underweight models.
Nicki's response? She commenced a 14,000 calorie per day eating program (most people need 2,000-2,500 calories per day) with the aim of growing to 500-600 lb as quickly as possible! She claims to feel great about her new figure and to get excited each time she outgrows her wardrobe. I just wonder whether her heart or liver or some other vital organ will give out on the way to her 600 lb goal. Quite aside from any health issues associated with obesity, imagine the shock of non-stop junk food and such a rapid weight gain. You can read more about Nicki in this Daily Record article. Her best quote: "I feel like the Titanic -- before it sank."
Wed, 01 Sep 2004 [Australian eastern time]
Alice Cooper on musicians' politics
There has been a succession of incidents here in the United States in which musicians have come out against President George W. Bush or the Republican Party. These actions have been quite controversial:
The Dixie Chicks were pulled from radio after criticising the President last year.
Linda Ronstadt was escorted from a Las Vegas casino after praising Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11.
When a large group of musicians, including the likes of Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Pearl Jam, announced a "Vote for Change" tour, they led rumoured-Republican Alice Cooper to weigh-in. In a tongue-in-cheek style Cooper argued in a recent interview that:
"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."
"Besides," he continued, "when I read the list of people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush." (citation)
Cooper got himself in some trouble with his remarks due to his use of the word "treason" to describe the anti-Bush musicians in his remarks ("I call it treason against rock 'n' roll because rock is the antithesis of politics."). His official website currently features a clarification that he never meant to suggest the artists had committed treason against the United States.
Meanwhile, the website You Have Bad Taste in Music freely slams bands based on more basic criteria than political analysis. The website features a silhouette of a figure in a gown, wearing a helmet, and imploring people, "Do not attend this concert, stop listening to bad music". You can see the figure in action in a series of "documentaries" (the Christina Aguilera/Justin Timberlake one is great but you need QuickTime and a good net connection), and there are t-shirts for sale as well!
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Big Bad Al and Sheena Gothskull -- thanks, curiously strong Altoids mints!
I've just finished playing a cute game on the Altoids website. It's a point-and-click quest-style game, done with Flash so it runs in a web browser window. The player takes the role of Big Bad Al, a loser who has managed to arrange a date with Sheena Gothskull over the internet. The quest is to get through the nightclub to find her and then to perform a sleuthing task that Sheena specifies. Along the way, it helps to hand out lots of curiously strong Altoids mints. If you win the game, you are offered a series of downloads as a reward.
I enjoyed it! Maybe I have too much spare time.
I just found a link on Slashdot to the American Library Association's list of most frequently challenged (banned) books for the period 1990-2000.
It's amazing what is being banished from some libraries in the US. The list includes a number of staples from my Australian school education (at a relatively conservative church school), although there are several more controversial titles listed as well.
[/Credit where it's due] permanent link
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