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| "I don't think the report is true, but these crises work for those who want to make fights between people." Kulam Dastagir, 28, a bird seller in Afghanistan
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Military Bids to Postpone Iraq Invasion (washingtonpost.com) |
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| Topic: Current Events |
3:44 pm EDT, May 24, 2002 |
The uniformed leaders of the U.S. military believe they have persuaded the Pentagon's civilian leadership to put off an invasion of Iraq until next year at the earliest and perhaps not to do it at all, according to senior Pentagon officials. Tommy Franks told the president that invading Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein would require at least 200,000 troops ... The administration is focusing more on undermining Hussein through covert intelligence operations ... The Pentagon debate is only part of a larger discussion of Iraq that also involves the White House, the State Department and the CIA, among others. One top general said the "Iraq hysteria" he detected last winter in some senior Bush administration officials has been diffused. ... There is no evidence that there is a clear successor who is any better, and that there are significant risks that Iraq may wind up with a more hostile, activist regime. Military Bids to Postpone Iraq Invasion (washingtonpost.com) |
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Read Darwin -What Are the Dangerous Technologies? - Technology Fear Factor: Part 1 |
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| Topic: Technology |
3:22 pm EDT, May 24, 2002 |
"These biotech terrors are far more likely to be unleashed in a world where the positive powers have relinquished biotech research and development. A society that's full of vibrant, productive and creative biotech companies is going to be far more alert to potential threats. " An intelligent discussion on the threats and risks posed by new technologies. Its one sided discussion, and there are points I agree with and points I disagree with. Whats most interesting about this discussion is the perspective it offers on the effect of corporate globalization. Read Darwin -What Are the Dangerous Technologies? - Technology Fear Factor: Part 1 |
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| Topic: Science |
1:36 pm EDT, May 23, 2002 |
"Can you imagine having Stephen Jay Gould as a babysitter?" Gould's Serious Fun |
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washingtonpost.com: Spying at Home |
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| Topic: Current Events |
10:13 am EDT, May 21, 2002 |
"We must learn from those errors and get it right this time. We need a domestic intelligence capability. Every major power in the world has one, most with too much power. Britain's M.I.5 and France's Renseignements Generaux can open mail and tap phones at will. (Many in Washington believe that one reason so many terrorists operated out of Germany is that -- fearful of creating another Gestapo -- it has a weak internal security agency.) In an age of terrorism, when the enemy will often be operating inside America, we can't remain blindfolded." Its only a matter of time before a cure like this becomes worse then the disease. The FBI does not have to wait for a crime to occur inorder to investigate. They DO have to have reason to suspect that crime may occur. What this article asks for is a organization that can spy on you just because they don't like your politics. The reason this isn't done has nothing to do with the way the FBI works. The reason this isn't done is because its not constitutional. If everyone else is jumping off of a cliff are you going to do it too? washingtonpost.com: Spying at Home |
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Salon.com Technology | Clone free |
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| Topic: Science |
10:02 am EDT, May 21, 2002 |
Maybe in 2053, when my clone is having coffee with your clone, the arguments in Francis Fukuyama's cautionary polemic "Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution" will seem as quaint as the early opposition to railroads does today. ... Fukuyama told Salon why he thinks that the right to be cloned and to tinker with our offspring's genes aren't liberties that we should all enjoy, and what should be done to restrain the onrush of biotechnology. This appears to be more oriented toward concerns about actions rather then concerns about thoughts. Therefore I find it more reasonable. Salon.com Technology | Clone free |
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Los Angeles Times: New Ad Campaign Aimed at TiVo Owners |
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| Topic: Society |
9:52 am EDT, May 21, 2002 |
A new breed of interactive TV commercial debuts today, aimed at the people most likely to skip them. Watch my ad, please! Ad Wizard: Hey! I noticed that no one is using video-on-demand to deliver real content, and no one wants to watch ads. The two must be made for each other! Let's use VOD to deliver ads! Isn't that a great idea? Los Angeles Times: New Ad Campaign Aimed at TiVo Owners |
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washingtonpost.com: Famed Harvard Biologist Stephen Jay Gould Dies |
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| Topic: Science |
9:10 pm EDT, May 20, 2002 |
Stephen Jay Gould, a famed evolutionary biologist and prolific author who influenced his field for decades, died Monday. He was 60. Gould died of cancer at his home in New York City. It is a sad day for science. And given his failing health, I am all the more impressed with his recent publication of a mammoth 1464 page treatise on evolutionary theory. washingtonpost.com: Famed Harvard Biologist Stephen Jay Gould Dies |
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O'Reilly Emerging Technologies 2002 [Audio] |
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| Topic: Technology |
2:31 pm EDT, May 19, 2002 |
TechNetCast is making available the audio tracks for the keynote speeches given at the recent O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. As I log this URL, only four are available, but the rest of them are promised within days. (Hopefully that will include Steven Johnson ...) The keynotes include: Rethinking The Modern Operating System, by Richard Rashid, Microsoft.
Fixing Network Security by Hacking the Business Climate, by Bruce Schneier.
Autonomic Computing, by Robert Morris, IBM.
The Shape of Things to Come, by Tim O'Reilly. O'Reilly Emerging Technologies 2002 [Audio] |
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New bin Laden film vows revenge |
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| Topic: Current Events |
2:18 pm EDT, May 19, 2002 |
An encrypted video containing previously unseen footage of Osama bin Laden singling out Britain as a terrorist target has been obtained by The Sunday Times. The film includes an interview recorded after the start of the West's offensive in Afghanistan. Those who provided the video to the newsnpaper claim it was made in March, indicating that bin Laden is still alive and plotting against the US, UK, and others. (Free registration required; login: cypherpunks, password: cypherpunks) New bin Laden film vows revenge |
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