] MP3 4U is a network of music lovers called "sources" who
] search the Internet for MP3s that are available as free
] and legal downloads. When a source finds a song they like,
] they post it on their MP3 4U Page. They also create a song
] card containing a brief reason for the posting and a link to
] download the MP3

Musical Memestreams

MP3 4U - About Us

] Federal agencies have been put on notice that National
] Institute of Standards and Technology officials plan to
] phase out a widely used cryptographic hash function known
] as SHA-1 in favor of larger and stronger hash functions
] such as SHA-256 and SHA-512.

If you had been paying attention you'd have caught the wispers a few days ago.

U In retrospect I think this is more a commentary on the strength of 2^80 rather then a warning shot. 2010 is not as distant as it once seemed. 2^80 is looking a bit weak. 2^69 even more so...

Hashing out encryption

] SHA-1 has been broken. Not a reduced-round version. Not a
] simplified version. The real thing.

Oh Fuck.

Schneier on Security: SHA-1 Broken

] Aside from buying teams through bankruptcies, NHL owners
] could offer to buy and fold teams in flawed markets. One
] banker suggested the league could afford to reduce the
] number of teams to as few as 22 using this strategy, and
] that many owners, realizing their teams would never make
] money, would be willing to accept $50 million to $80
] million for their franchise.
]
] Said the banker: "Since it will make the NHL a more
] financially stable league, I'm confident that those banks
] that lend to the NHL will give the league the money, at
] least $500 million, to do this in a heartbeat."

An interesting analysis of the finances in the NHL.

The risk of loosing the preds or the thrashers...

] Archaeologists say they have discovered some stone
] remains from the coast close to India's famous beachfront
] Mahabalipuram temple in Tamil Nadu state following the 26
] December tsunami.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Tsunami throws up India relics

] He takes that a step further by arguing that such an
] incumbent-protection system, in which neither party risks
] losing what they already have, is the reason compromise
] has been replaced by deadlock in state politics. The
] state legislature seems forever polarized as extremists
] of left and right win safe party seats in Sacramento --
] and in Washington, too. His solution: panels of retired
] judges (and computers) to create new and presumably
] competitive elections.

This is a significant cause of polarization of politics at the federal level as well as at the state level.

CITIZEN SCHWARZENEGGER UPSETTING HIS PARTY

] Three dramatic departures in recent days have highlighted
] the one-strike-and-you're-out nature of trial by
] Internet.

Assasination politics. If you're in the public sphere and you do anything controversial, you're dead, unless your job is to do things that are controversial. The result, we're going to have fewer and fewer CNNs and a lot more Bill O'Reillys. ONLY rabit partisanism is immune from reproach because it doesn't claim to be anything respectable.

In the Blogosphere, Lightning Strikes Thrice (washingtonpost.com)

] Howard Dean was elected Democratic National Committee
] chairman by acclamation yesterday after promising to end
] his party's decade-long decline by sharpening its
] message, broadening its base and strengthening its
] operations at the grass roots.

And Republicans everywhere laughed their assess off.

] "Today will be the beginning of the re-emergence
] of the Democratic Party. The first thing we have to do is
] stand up for what we believe in," the fiery former
] Vermont governor told hundreds of cheering DNC members
] who gathered at the Washington Hilton to choose their new
] party leaders.

They're still describing him as fiery.

] "We are definitely going to do religious
] outreach. We're definitely going to reach out to the
] evangelical community," he said.

What part of standing up for what we believe in puts reaching out to authoritarian christians at the top of the list? The actual priority for the party is "attempt to emulate the other guys because they are doing so well right now."

Dean elected DNC chairman - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - February 13, 2005

] I never thought about the political side of this when
] making the film," Mr. Eastwood says. He is both bemused
] and concerned that a movie with no political agenda
] should be construed by some as a polemic and arouse such
] partisan rage. "Maybe I'm getting to the age when I'm
] starting to be senile or nostalgic or both, but people
] are so angry now," he adds. "You used to be able to
] disagree with people and still be friends. Now you hear
] these talk shows, and everyone who believes differently
] from you is a moron and an idiot - both on the right and
] the left."

How Dirty Harry Turned Commie

] Eyedrum is a non-profit organization developing
] contemporary art, music and new media in its gallery
] space.

This is Eyedrum - Art Music Atlanta