From Wired:

Ask the Expert
The author of two books on stupidity has been charged with trying arrange a sexual liaison with a teenager he met online. James Welles, 61, has written books called The Story of Stupidity and Understanding Stupidity. Both are about the dumb moves people make. Welles tried to set up a date with a 15-year-old girl, who turned out to be a 40-year-old undercover cop. No word on when the third book is due out.

Decius wrote:
] ] "The crowd trampled the 25 people out of ignorance
] ] rather than panic."

yes, but what would Ayn Rand say about this?

RE: United Press International: Altruism, not panic, prevails in disasters

Researchers in Japan have scientifically documented what dwellers of Dilbertville have known for years: Prolonged daily computer use can make you sore and sap your strength, energy and motivation.
In a three-year study of more than 25,000 workers,

Japanese researchers discovered that people who sat in front of computer screens were more likely to experience physical pain such as eye and shoulder strain, and to suffer from motivational symptoms such as lethargy.

so THAT'S the problem...

A Canadian father is suing the New Brunswick Amateur Hockey Association after his 16-year-old son failed to win the league's most valuable player award.

Michael Croteau is seeking about $200,000 in psychological and punitive damages from the association. He also demands that the MVP trophy be taken from the winner and given to his son, Steven.

The Problem with Youth Sports is the Parents

The mother of a would-be streaker who lay knocked out and naked on the ice during a Calgary Flames hockey game said she didn't even realize it was him, even after seeing the TV highlights and newspaper photos.

But when Jackie Hurlbut's son phoned her to explain, she said she was furious. "I'm embarrassed for all mothers all over the world. I can't believe this is happening," she said Wednesday from her home in Provost, Alta. "He has really embarrassed his mother and that's not right.

Be cool to your Mom

Decius wrote:
] ] "If New Orleans is "the Big Easy," then Detroit is "the
] ] Big Ugly."
] ] A convenient metaphor for all things scary and doomed,
] ] the city has long served as a bleak backdrop for writers
] ] and filmmakers who paint it as a desolate, dangerous
] ] melange of burned-up buildings and forgotten dreams."
]
] I'm fairly interested in seeing this movie. Making it out of a
] ghetto as a rapper is a difficult road, especially for a white
] guy. There is a very powerful story to tell here if they do it
] well. The thing is that Americans put so much focus on rock
] stars and basketball stars, and the fact is that most people
] who do get out of the ghetto are much more likely to come out
] of it as accountants then as rock stars, and the challenges
] associated with that are every bit as real. Focusing on talent
] based activities instead of skill based activities encourages
] people to focus on stuff that most people will never be good
] at no matter how hard they try.
]
] Of course, right now you are thinking, who would go see a
] movie about an accountant. I'll offer that if we can't make
] the right message interesting its because we're not trying.

Oh how right you are! First, yes, you can make it out of the ghetto, even those in Detroit, if you work hard and you're a bit lucky. I'm proof. Not bad for a Polack I must say.

Second, the message that you're much more likely to succeed in life with skill rather than talent is an important one to propagate. Could you do a movie about it? Absolutely. Although being an accountant would probably not be the skill of choice. Maybe a great networking engineer... ;-)

RE: Detroit Shows Its True Grit in '8 Mile' - 11/6/02

If New Orleans is "the Big Easy," then Detroit is "the Big Ugly."

A convenient metaphor for all things scary and doomed, the city has long served as a bleak backdrop for writers and filmmakers who paint it as a desolate, dangerous melange of burned-up buildings and forgotten dreams.

Detroit Shows Its True Grit in '8 Mile' - 11/6/02

Consumers could be saving money by selecting their premium channels a la carte, but don't expect to hear it from your cable outfit

of course this article forgets to mention that cable cos holy grail is to get every subscriber into a bundled agreement worth $200/home/month.

Big Cable's Package-Pricing Ploy

The best code in the world can be foiled by a single bug. One careless line of code can crash an entire program.

Lawrence Lessig calls laws "East Coast Code," and it only takes a few buggy laws to strangle freedom and innovation in technology. Laws like the DMCA, the Hollings Bill, and the CDA threaten to put the American technology juggernaut up on blocks.

AOTC has researched the sponsors of eight bad Internet laws and compiled a list of their most prolific campaign contributors. These laws were written and sponsored by a tiny handful of lawmakers, backed by a tiny handful of wealthy financiers. These bad coders and their backers have done more damage to computing, the Internet and freedom than all the virus authors, spammers and crackers combined.

The laws that will define the information age

Ducati of Italy, eleven times winner of the world Superbike championships, could soon change drivers. Its largest shareholder, US fund Texas Pacific Group, is putting its 33.5 per cent stake up for sale.

Ducati to be bought by Harley?