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| compos mentis. Concision. Media. Clarity. Memes. Context. Melange. Confluence. Mishmash. Conflation. Mellifluous. Conviviality. Miscellany. Confelicity. Milieu. Cogent. Minty. Concoction. |
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Robot Race Is Giant Step for Unmanned Kind |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
9:20 am EST, Mar 10, 2004 |
Police cars swarmed them. "They had never seen anything like it. They thought we were terrorists." No, officers, we're computer scientists and engineers. This begs for a Weird Al parody of Jazzy Jeff's "Parents Just Don't Understand." Robot Race Is Giant Step for Unmanned Kind |
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Robot Vehicle Successfully Navigates Test Course |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
9:17 am EST, Mar 10, 2004 |
A robotic vehicle designed by a team from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on Tuesday became the first driverless contestant to navigate a 1.36 mile test course in preparation for the Pentagon's $1 million robot race this weekend. The Carnegie Mellon vehicle, named Sandstorm and representing an investment of more than $3 million, has generally been considered the favored entrant in the race, which is scheduled for Saturday between Barstow and Las Vegas. To win the $1 million prize, a vehicle must complete the desert course, expected to be as long as 200 miles, in less than 10 hours. Robot Vehicle Successfully Navigates Test Course |
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Amateur Celebrities Pick a Movie and Join In |
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| Topic: Movies |
9:09 am EST, Mar 10, 2004 |
In a way, movieoke is a means to allow people whose personalities are basically a pastiche of pop-culture references to get together, drink and put some of that hard-won knowledge to good use. Can you picture sake-sated Japanese office workers, katana in hand, trying to re-enact scenes from Shichinin no samurai? Amateur Celebrities Pick a Movie and Join In |
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| Topic: Science |
8:55 am EST, Mar 10, 2004 |
Galaxies, galaxies everywhere -- as far as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope can see. This view of nearly 10,000 galaxies is the deepest portrait of the visible universe ever achieved by humankind. Called the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, this galaxy-studded view represents a "deep" core sample of the universe, cutting across billions of light-years. NASA offers a higher resolution (1275x1275) version of this image than most news organizations. Follow the link for "View Full Size Image". Hubble Digs Deeply |
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Lingering Job Insecurity of Silicon Valley |
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| Topic: Business |
9:38 am EST, Mar 9, 2004 |
For computer scientists and engineers, the 1990's were close to paradise -- until the technology boom collapsed. But even as business has started to pick up again, the job market they operate in has become the toughest ever. While this group represents a comparatively affluent sliver of the American work force, it illustrates the broader forces -- higher productivity, cost-cutting business practices and increased global competition -- that have combined to make job growth throughout the American economy so frustratingly sluggish. Lingering Job Insecurity of Silicon Valley |
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| Topic: Open Source Development |
10:28 am EST, Mar 8, 2004 |
Consider a software tool that automates the following: 1. Select files.
2. Select a strong password.
3. Create a ZIP archive containing the selected files, protected by the selected password.
4. Use Captcha to "encode" the selected password in a GIF image.
5. Add said GIF image to the archive -- without password protection. |
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| Topic: Intellectual Property |
9:53 am EST, Mar 8, 2004 |
Audible Magic provides innovative electronic media identification and copyright management solutions for content owners, publishers, broadcasters, duplicators and IT organizations. Audible Magics products and services identify, monitor, track and manage copyrighted multimedia content in all of its forms. How about terrorists? Can you find terrorists? Because that would actually be helpful. The companys core copyright-sensing technology, CopySense, accurately identifies digital or broadcast media content based on the perceptual characteristics of the content itself. Built on a patented electronic fingerprinting process, the technology is robust, efficient, and massively scalable. Can you spell SSL? Audible Magic |
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| Topic: Health and Wellness |
9:37 am EST, Mar 8, 2004 |
The New York Times continues the series of random editorials with their take on my "Damn McDonald's for creating so many fast food nations!" rant. Eating a great deal less than all you can eat is a very good idea in terms of health and life expectancy. And yet the basis of America's eating habits is that if the food isn't as good as it should be, more of it will make it better. Thus, America's waistline. Eating food is just one of many human activities where this logic applies. Try it; it's like a mad lib. Just replace "eating" and "food" in the sentences above. Almost anything works, but some choices are clearly better than others. What's the first thing that comes to mind? Downsize That Order! |
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| Topic: TV Drama |
5:16 pm EST, Mar 7, 2004 |
The Sopranos are back. "The Sopranos" is back. Are they and is it as good as ever? Yes. Maybe better. It should quickly reassert itself as the most sensational, suspenseful and unpredictably explosive drama series on television. You will be shocked, you will be amused, you will be disturbed. And you will be glued to the tube. The Mobster Shift |
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| Topic: Travel |
4:53 pm EST, Mar 7, 2004 |
When was the last trip you took where: * the guide wouldn't allow you to keep your passport?
* you weren't allowed to use the local currency?
* criticism of the place you traveled could get a guide into serious trouble?
* on your return you felt you had to be careful bringing back books, pins and T-shirts because they might be illegal? All this and more can be yours with a trip to the DPRK, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Orwellian Country Names, better known as North Korea. Journey into Kimland |
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