] Little by little, we're turning into a planet of techies.
]
] Which should come as no surprise. It has happened before.
] Time and again, attractive new technologies have trickled
] out of the labs and into homes and offices, forcing
] ordinary users to develop skills that once would have
] seemed far too advanced for them. Early automobiles were
] so unreliable that drivers carried tool kits and learned
]
]
]
] to fix the balky machines. Early radio sets were
] handbuilt by avid hobbyists. "This is all part of a
] fairly predictable pattern," said Harvard Business School
] professor Debora Spar, author of "Ruling the Waves,"

We're all geeks now

] Want to soar like an eagle? Then go with a parasail or a
] hang glider. But for those who dream of screaming through
] the air like a superhero, there's the Skyray - a solid,
] triangular, carbon-fiber contraption that lets skydivers
] shoot above the clouds at 186 mph for two exhilarating
] minutes. That's quadruple the air time of the usual free
] fall and almost twice the speed of the world's fastest
] bird, the spine-tailed swift.

I will have to do this someday.

Wired 11.09: Wingman

] In an era of double-digit percentage increases in health
] premiums and a general consumer backlash against
] insurers, it's a pitch that has been gaining traction in
] recent years. American Healthways manages the equivalent
] of approximately 850,000 health plan members, more than
] double what it did two years ago. The new business helped
] American Healthways nearly triple its earnings in 2002,
] and analysts expect profits to grow in excess of 50% this
] year. Annual revenues are expected to eclipse $160
] million.

American Healthways creating a buzz

] Unreliable software exposes California recall to fraud

Hack the vote

] A Brazilian man who considered an inflatable puppet his
] "bride" killed his parents because they demanded he
] divorce her and damaged the toy, media reports said
] today.

Blow-up bride proved deadly - smh.com.au

] A Senate panel will hold hearings on the recording
] industry's crackdown against online music swappers, the
] chairman said Thursday.
]
] Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) made the announcement in a
] letter to the Recording Industry Association of America.
] He had received information he had requested from the
] group about the campaign, which Coleman has called
] excessive.
]
] The Senate Governmental Affairs' Permanent Subcommittee
] on Investigations is reviewing the group's responses and
] declined to make them available Thursday, as did the
] industry group.
]
] The association announced plans in June to file several
] hundred lawsuits against people suspected of illegally
] sharing songs on the Internet. Copyright laws allow for
] damages of $750 to $150,000 for each song.
]
] In his letter, Coleman said he would look at not just the
] scope of that campaign but also the dangers that
] downloaders face by making their personal information
] available to others. Coleman said he would review
] legislation that would expand criminal penalties for
] downloading music.

Finally - a glimmer of hope the RIAA is going to be told to call off the dogs.

Senator to hold hearings on recording industry's piracy crackdown

Dusk shot of the big apple with the lights off, from the New York Times Website.

Everyone in the world shares the same reference point to this moment in time.

Picture of New York City with no power

RENO, NV, August 13 - Reno police arrested a local man for possession of stolen property after a traffic stop involving a motorized bar stool.

Reno police pull over speeding bar stool

] A couple who met through a saucy mobile phone text
] message sent accidentally are preparing to get married.
]
] Paul Bishop, 30, was intrigued when he received a mystery
] message which read: "26, ski instructor, GSOH,
] 36-26-28ish and brunette."
]
] Mr Bishop, from Royston, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire,
] replied: "Tell me more."

I love fate.

Mistaken text leads to marriage

] Heads up, sharers of music, video and software files: If
] a prominent Michigan lawmaker has his way on Capitol
] Hill, you will soon be a felon.
]
] U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Detroit Democrat, is the
] sponsor of the Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner
] Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act of 2003, which
] declares sharing a single copyrighted file online to be a
] felony.
]
] Because the bill doesn't specifically name the type of
] file, you could theoretically become a felon by copying
] and posting this very column on your Web site. (We frown
] on that sort of thing anyway, but webmasters, be warned.)
]
] Giving fake information to the folks who register domain
] names, the basic Internet Web addresses (such as
] freep.com), would be punishable by up to five years in
] prison and a fine. Using a camcorder to record a movie in
] a theater -- whether you share it or not -- would be a
] federal criminal offense.

HEATHER NEWMAN: 60 million file sharers could face prison, fine