] Once the fried dough embodiment of hot and fresh, Krispy
] Kreme has transformed its original glazed doughnut into a
] new frozen beverage for summer.

Now you can drink your doughnuts. Coming soon, the intravenous doughnut.

[ I dunno... sounds pretty icky to me... -k]

Krispy Kreme introduces glazed doughnut frozen beverage - Jul. 21, 2004

] A judge in Glynn County voided the election results in an
] education board race after a poll worker posted a
] misleading sign.

Just a note on the present hysteria over election postponement, which I believe has riled up some democrats for no reason other then because someone in the administration proposed it. We reschedule elections when people accidentally post misleading signs. You would think a terrorist attack would be a little more serious then that.

[ I wouldn't say I'm riled up, but I still question the functional outcome of such a delay. There's a fundamental limit on how many days it could be pushed back without amending the rules to let the president stay longer or else pass power to congress somehow. All of the shenanigans seem to add up to not worth it, especially since i think any major attack will affect people's voting proclivities for months, rendering a delay somewhat pointless.

As i've said, in cases of public safety, where a known (or believed with high probability) threat exists, then action must be taken, but i just really think the effort spent on this exceeds it's worth.

But what do i know, let's go for it. We'll make elction day v.2 sometime in early december and if some bullshit happens in november we can all go back later.

I still think it'd be beneficial to spread voting out over a longer time frame, like days, but the logistical issues of keeping results secret for that long may render such a change impossible. If not everyone has to vote on the same day, any delays or validity concerns are mitigated somewhat.

Anyway, i've hardly heard talk of it recently... the strikingly well timed Berger incident is overshadowing pretty much everything else. -k]

On terrorist attacks and elections

An investigator for an animal rights group captured video showing chickens being kicked, stomped and thrown against a wall by workers at a supplier for Kentucky Fried Chicken, which has been under pressure since last year over the treatment of animals.
...
In a July 22 letter to the plant, copied to Yum! Brands and forwarded to The Associated Press, PETA says its investigator also obtained eyewitness testimony about employees "ripping birds' beaks off, spray painting their faces, twisting their heads off, spitting tobacco into their mouths and eyes, and breaking them in half -- all while the birds are still alive."

[ "Pilgrims Pride" indeed. PETA does it's job... shit like this makes me not want to eat meat, not because they're convincing me that it's morally wrong, but because there's so much room for inhumane treatment along the way. One wonders what kind of person enjoys these kinds of activities, and what horrors they might inflict if captive chickens can no longer be the object of their violence. Will they turn to wives? Children? Puppies? Or are they otherwise ok, but just can't resist torturing livestock while at work?

Put down that drumstick!

] U.K.-based BTG Plc has sued Microsoft Corp. and Apple
] Computer Inc. for allegedly infringing a patent that
] covers Web-enabled software update technologies, the
] company announced Wednesday.

[ Fun for all. -k]

InfoWorld: Microsoft, Apple sued for offering online updates: July 21, 2004: By : APPLICATION_DEVELOPMENT : APPLICATIONS : WEB_SERVICES

] The turmoil in the Palestinian leadership continued today
] as Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei insisted in front of the
] cabinet that he had sincerely resigned and was running
] only "a caretaker government" while Yasir Arafat told the
] same cabinet that Mr. Qurei was still in charge since the
] resignation had no legal force.

[ Seriously, what the fuck? -k]
]
]
] Advertisement
]
]
] The two men seemed to be playing a poker game. Mr. Qurei
] is apparently hoping that Mr. Arafat will be so
] embarrassed by the second resignation of a prime minister
] in little over a year that he will cede to him genuine
] authority over security in the West Bank and the recently
] unruly Gaza Strip. But Mr. Arafat is continuing to call
] what he sees as Mr. Qurei's bluff, with his advisers
] telling the press that Mr. Qurei already can do what he
] wants about security since he runs the cabinet.

Palestinian Premier Says He Is Running 'Caretaker Government'

] Russell E. Train, who headed the EPA from September 1973
] to January 1977 - part of the Nixon and Ford
] administrations - said Bush's record on the environment
] was so dismal that he would cast his vote for Democrat
] John Kerry.

[ Excellent. -k]

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Republican Ex-EPA Chief Criticizes Bush

] Hmmm. There is argument which says that your musical
] tastes adapt to your job, rather than dictate your choice
] of career. We know of at least one Reg hack who came to
] Vulture Central with a fine ear and an profound
] appreciation of Baroque choral works, but was one month
] later found in a London pub, drunk, and dancing on a
] table to the Sex Pistols while police officers moved in
] with dogs and nets.
]
]
] Sadly, the Training Camp survey does not note what IT
] journalists prefer on their playlist. Neither,
] scandalously, does it recognise what is taken as absolute
] fact among the IT community: that adsales boys, marketing
] directors and Strategy Boutiques in general prefer to
] brainstorm to the sound of whalesong.

[ Nice. -k]

Developers play air guitar to Megadeth | The Register

] All the high-minded rhetoric and outward symbolism ... had
] apparently been erased by the dirty business of litigation.
]
] Befitting the clashes around the design, the Freedom
] Tower itself is now in doubt: it might not reach its
] symbolic height and, if it does, it will probably do so
] with the help of antennae. Likewise the centrepiece
] memorial is being designed by Michael Arad, who won the
] commission in a contest, and it will not be sunk into the
] ground, part of Libeskind's plan that had been praised by
] Pataki.

[ I can think of no more accurate memorial to America than this. Unfortunately.

Great idealism mired by greed, commercialism, pride and legal contest... how unbelievably, terribly apropo. -k]

Freedom tower design in doubt

] "The individual citizen has no federal constitutional
] right to vote for electors for the President of the
] United States," the court said, "unless and until the
] state legislature chooses a statewide election as the
] means to implement its power to appoint members of the
] Electoral College."

[ Well, that's a scary article, even if i put the odds of such outright disenfranchisement right around the death-by-falling-space-debris level. The fact that it's possible is completely absurd. -k]

Usurping the Voters (washingtonpost.com)

] After analyzing the video, you must gather more clues by
] cracking word puzzles, analyzing video clips, scouring
] more than 300 actual and fictitious Web sites and by
] following instructions sent in e-mail messages from
] virtual characters, including The Phoenix himself.
]
] Receiving and reading e-mail and surfing the Net takes
] place outside of the game, using your own e-mail address
] and Web browser. While this helps immerse you in the
] game, it also means you'll need an Internet connection to
] play.

This sounds really damn cool, considering many Memestreams range from casual code crackers and puzzle solvers, to CIA-briefing Crypologists. A friend of mine (who hopefully will start using Memestreams, [elbows JR]) beta-tested EA's Majestic back in Summer 2001. It was this same kind of thing, an interactive game that used Instant Messaging and email to involve you in a "game" with other players. I know he thought it kicked ass. Think of a real life version of the movie "The Game."

I'd love to see how the technology has advanced in the last 3 years.

Games moving into 'real world'