I'm here because his defense lawyer thinks I will understand Reiser. The accused is a 43-year-old geek — he lives in his own world of computer code, videogames, and science fiction books. He spent his early twenties developing a role-playing game to compete with Dungeons & Dragons while writing a novel about aliens invading Earth. By age 30, he'd decided that his talents would be better applied to recrafting overlooked aspects of the Linux operating system. As a technology writer, I frequently meet people like this. Just because he doesn't behave like the rest of us — and just because he evaded police surveillance and bought a book titled Masterpieces of Murder shortly after his wife's disappearance — doesn't mean he's guilty. I have been asked to try to understand this, to try to understand the man.

Hans Reiser: Once a Linux Visionary, Now Accused of Murder

I.B.M. is introducing a high-performance computer system that is intended to rapidly analyze data as it streams in from many sources, increasing the speed and accuracy of decision making in fields as diverse as security surveillance and Wall Street trading.

I.B.M. to Show Stream Computing System Tuesday - New York Times

The bottom line: I have decided to shift my academic work, and soon, my activism, away from the issues that have consumed me for the last 10 years, towards a new set of issues. Why and what are explained in the extended entry below.

Whoa!

Lessig blog: Required Reading: the next 10 years

Terry S. Semel ended his six-year stint as chief executive of Yahoo today and will hand over the reins to co-founder Jerry Yang in the Internet icon’s latest attempt to regain investor confidence.

Terry Semel Will Step Down as Yahoo C.E.O. - New York Times

Hyperion Resources, a closely held Dallas investment firm, said it might build an oil refinery in South Dakota to capitalize on record gasoline prices.

Refinery Considered for South Dakota - New York Times

The eviction of a newspaper reporter from a baseball press box for blogging about a game while it was in progress has stirred a debate about First Amendment rights, intellectual property rights and contract law.

Blogger’s Ejection May Mean Suit for N.C.A.A. - New York Times

Lolcats, a compound of lol and cat,[1][2] are photos of cats with humorous captions. They are a type of image macro, and are thus also referred to as cat macros. Lolcats are created for the purpose of sharing them with others on imageboards and other internet forums, especially on Saturdays ("Caturdays").[3]

Lolcat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Most major Internet companies use captchas to keep the automated programs of spammers from infiltrating their sites.

There is only one problem. As online mischief makers design better ways to circumvent or defeat captchas, Web companies are responding by making the puzzles more challenging to solve — even for people.

A Dog or a Cat? New Tests to Fool Automated Spammers - New York Times

The shuttle Atlantis thundered off the launching pad into a stunningly clear evening sky on Friday on a mission to continue building the International Space Station.

Shuttle Atlantis Appears to Have Flawless Liftoff - New York Times

No up-close-and-personal tours will take place at Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A next week after NASA finishes pressurizing helium and nitrogen tanks aboard the 22-year-old spaceship, which is scheduled to launch at 7:38 p.m. Friday.

The precaution is being taken to reduce the risk created by aging pressure vessels in the orbiter that could burst, triggering a rocket fuel fire or explosion that might injure or kill workers and seriously damage the launch pad.

It never ends...

SPACE.com -- Orbiters Feel Pains of Aging