] Over the years our world famous "Dynamite Clock" has
] repeatedly made the news due to it's super-realistic
] appearance. Designed by a REAL demolitions expert, each
] unique piece is and hand assembled one-at-a-time. Each of
] these works of art will instantly command anyone's
] attention. Talk about a conversation piece... Each clock
] features multiple sticks of dynamite (simulated), and
] realistic explosives wrapping paper. We then attach a
] hi-quality digital clock, motion sensor (mercury switch),
] circuit board with functional L.E.D. lights, a speaker,
] battery power supply, and top it off with a de-activated
] detanator pin. Once the battery has been connected the
] unit will be "set-off" if it is moved, jostled, or picked
] up in any way. The red L.E.D. lights blink, the buzzer
] sounds, and the poor fool who moved it will need a change
] of underwear!

There are all kinds of entertaining gadgets on this site...

Realistic dynamite clock

Today's Astonomy Picture of the Day that shows plane
contrails like scars across the SouthEast. NASA is running
a count the contrails program for kids over the next two
days.

Boing Boing: airplane exhaust scars

] The U.S. Justice Department recommended a sweeping
] transformation of the nation's intellectual-property
] laws, saying peer-to-peer piracy is a "widespread"
] problem that can be addressed only through more spending,
] more FBI agents and more power for prosecutors.
]
] In an extensive report released Tuesday, senior
] department officials endorsed a pair of controversial
] copyright bills strongly favored by the entertainment
] industry that would criminalize "passive sharing" on
] file-swapping networks and permit lawsuits against
] companies that sell products that "induce" copyright
] infringement.
]
] "The department is prepared to build the strongest, most
] aggressive legal assault against intellectual-property
] crime in our nation's history," Attorney General John
] Ashcroft, who created the task force in March, said at a
] press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon.

Justice Dept. wants new antipiracy powers, supports induce | Tech News on ZDNet

Vodaphone's futurism magazine has an excerpt from Doctorow's Eastern Standard Tribe.

receiver: Eastern Standard Tribe

] What is Dropload?
]
]
] Dropload is a place for you to drop your files off and
] have them picked up by someone else at a later time.
] Recipients you specify are sent an email with
] instructions on how to download the file. Files are
] removed from the system after 7 days, regardless if they
] have been picked up or not. You can upload any type of
] file, mp3, movies, docs, pdfs, up to 100MB each!
] Recipients can be anyone with an email address

This seems pretty cool.

Dropload - Drop off downloads

] Equipment and materials that could be used to make
] nuclear weapons are disappearing from Iraq (news - web
] sites) but neither Baghdad nor Washington appears to have
] noticed, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported on
] Monday.

So we invaded to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of possible terrorists, but paid so little attention to what was going on that we may have handed over exactly that? Something about "sowing the wind" is jumping into my head and I really don't like it.

Yahoo! News - UN: Iraqi Nuclear-Related Materials Have Vanished

] Internet Censorship - As part of a major overhaul of the
] nation's telecommunications industries, both the House
] and Senate approved major new censorship schemes for the
] Internet. The Senate adopted its version, the so-called
] Communications Decency Act, by a vote of 84 to 16.

Kerry voted for the CDA. Now, Bush would have voted for proposals that were much, much worse. But I thought it worth underlining again. We're not going to get someone who "gets" the internet or who is particularly a friend of civil liberties regardless of who we vote for.

Whoever...

`(1) knowingly within the United States or in foreign communications with the United States by means of telecommunications device makes or makes available any indecent communication in any form including any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image, to any person under 18 years of age regardless of whether the maker of such communication placed the call or initiated the communication; or

`(2) knowingly permits any telecommunications facility under such person's control to be used for an activity prohibited by paragraph (l) with the intent that it be used for such activity,
shall be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned not more than two years or both.

Senate Vote on amendment 1362 to S. 652 - Internet Censorship (1995)

] Qanuni and Mohaqiq have shown willingness to drop
] the boycott demand after meetings with Khalilzad,"
] said one candidate, referring to Hazara chieftain
] Mohammad Mohaqiq.
]
] "Khalilzad urged them to do so in return for
] accommodating them somehow in the future government."

I memed this earlier so I thought I'd follow up. Its great news. Afghanistan is now a democracy.

Afghan election crisis resolved.

Chrisopher Reeve died yesterday

Superman has fallen

Any comments on this list?

1. Stable government with system of laws that enable the ownership of property, and the ability to leverage that property to borrow money.

2. Did not get bombed out during WWII.

3. The worlds largest single language, single culture market.

4. A self contradictory culture that teaches rebellion while it teaches conformity, resulting in subculture of independents who innovate in the face of threats, quickly adapting the society to changes.

The next question is going to be harder.