This Week's Onion Must-Read

WASHINGTON, DC—After more than 30 years spent hiding in the Los Angeles underground as wanted criminals, the members of the crack commando unit Alpha Team, commonly known as the A-Team, were cleared of all charges brought against them by the U.S. military, an army official announced Monday.

"In 1972, we arrested the members of the A-Team for a crime they swore they didn't commit," Gen. Stephen Lupo said. "They broke out of our maximum-security stockade, and from that moment forth, I thought of nothing but their recapture. However, a recent audit of their file has revealed that the arrest of the Alpha Force members was made in error. The U.S. military deeply regrets the mistake."

According to Lupo, the A-Team members' exoneration will occur before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces on Aug. 24.

Just hours after Lupo's announcement was made, Cpt. H.M. "Howlin' Mad" Murdock, the A-Team's pilot, resurfaced to speak with journalist Amy Allen, who often reported on the mercenaries' charitable acts.

"For decades, we've been forced to live in the shadows," Murdock said. "Somehow, we always found a way to help people who had nowhere else to turn, but we operated under the constant threat of recapture. Finally, the nightmare is over."

Onion | US Military Clears A-Team of all charges

] In two new tests, car owners will be able to let
] insurance companies monitor their driving via new
] technology in exchange for lower rates.
]
] The technology will track some combination of when,
] where, how far and how fast they drive, giving insurers a
] way to reward low-risk driving. Now just experiments, the
] technology might be a glimpse of the future of car
] insurance.
]
] At the end of each policy term, the customer would
] download the data and see what discount he or she
] would get. Customers can see all their data before
] deciding to send it to Progressive, and can decide
] not to send it — and not get extra discounts.

[ Voluntary trading of privacy for money... reasonable idea or beginning of the end? -k]

USATODAY.com - Drivers let Big Brother in to get a break

The Right Number is a three part story about a man who believes he’s found the key to love’s mysteries in the most unlikely of places — and he may or may not be right.

Each chapter is the equivalent of a traditional comics magazine in length but presented in a radical new zooming format. Click at right to see it in action.

[ Scott McCloud is one of my favorite visionary artists... now, if only i could remember the password to my bitpass account. -k]

Scott McCloud Website - The Right Number

] At most room temperatures the glass lets both visible and
] infrared light pass through. But above 29�C, a substance
] coating the glass undergoes a chemical change causing it
] to block infrared light. This will prevent room from
] overheating in bright sunshine or if temperatures outside
] start to soar.

[ That's over 84 F for us silly 'mericans. Presumably that's the temperature the glass itself must reach... which makes me wonder if it's practical. If it's 90 outside, and 70 inside, will the glass be at 84? What if it's 85 outside? If they could get the transition temp closer to 70, i think it'd be a lot more useful, but it's still pretty damn neat. -k]

Smart glass blocks infrared when heat is on

] Bush criticized Kerry's plan to eliminate the tax cuts
] for those making more than $200,000 a year, saying that
] the "the rich in America happen to be the small business
] owners" who put people to work.
]
] Bush also said high taxes on the rich are a failed
] strategy because "the really rich people figure out how
] to dodge taxes anyway."

[ Sweet tapdancing baby chimps. What the fuck?!

Does anyone else feel like they're in fucking Sliders? Pushed through some bullshit portal and ended up in this version of America? Seriously, is that an OK thing to say?

I thought I'd reached outrage overload, but damned if I don't keep finding reserves... great pools of untapped fury, buried deep, accessible only by application of such fathomless inanity as this. -k

p.s. bold mine.]

Bush campaign holds rally in Va.; Dems sense weakness

] Of, By, and For is an experimental site dedicated to
] discussion of new political ideas.
]
] We believe that a return to the principles of the
] founders of the republic is a vital first step toward
] necessary democratic reform in this country.

[ Another site worth checking out, i think... some smart people on here... -k]

About ob4

] Unfortunately, over the past 20 years, I've noticed
] that cruft has been appearing in computer interfaces. And
] few people are trying to fix it.

[ Good, if short, article on some UI elements which are either obsolete or just plain foolish... worth thinking about if software is your passion. -k]

When good interfaces go crufty

"I am amazed no one has come up with this before, it's incredible," he told Reuters.

"Just like Atlantis, Ireland is 300 miles long, 200 miles wide, and widest across the middle. They both have a central plain surrounded by mountains.

[ Yeah, no one could invent such a geography unprompted... doh. -k]

Ireland Is Lost Island of Atlantis, Says Scientist

This year's Phreaknic T-shirt art is pretty cool.

[ Very cool. -k]

PhreakNIC Pictures :: PN8 :: hack_or_die_final

] Funk legend Rick James (search), best known for the 1981
] hit "Super Freak," (search) died Friday, apparently of
] natural causes, police said. He was 56.

The man was extremely talented, I'll give him that. But I have to wonder how much his life was shortened, by the drug excesses of his youth. :/

[ I don't have to wonder... i'm thinking probably about, say 20-25 years, give or take. Truly unfortunate... -k]

Singer Rick James Dies at 56