] Among other problems, Berkowitz found that CIA analysts
] must bounce between multiple, isolated systems to gather
] information, including separate systems on each desk for
] accessing the CIA's classified network and using the
] public Internet.
]
] DI agents have no easy way to share classified
] information with authorized intelligence personnel
] outside of the CIA or access information stored in other
] classified information networks within the government,
] such as those at the U.S. Department of Defense.
]
] "The result is that DI analysts work in an IT environment
] that is largely isolated from the outside world. If they
] need to do work that is classified in any way, there is
] virtually no alternative other than to use the CIA's own,
] restricted system," the report said.
]
] Contrary to popular depictions of CIA agents using
] cutting-edge information-gathering technology, Berkowitz
] found that DI analysts lack access to even the most
] common information searching technology, such as
] Web-based search engines, for conducting intelligence
] analysis, relying largely on a 1970s-era database called
] CIRAS, for Corporate Information Retrieval and Storage.

Central Intelligence Agency. Does that name really apply anymore?

PCWorld.com - Study: CIA Behind the Times in IT

] In a plea for the life of "Reading Rainbow," host LeVar
] Burton returned to a familiar setting: the stage where he
] picked up the PBS show's seventh Emmy Award for best
] children's television series.
]
] "If you are a wealthy philanthropist out there, I'm not
] that difficult to find," said Burton, the show's
] executive producer and host since it began in 1983.
]
] He's still waiting. And "Reading Rainbow," which has
] counterintuitively used television to introduce children
] to a world of books, may only have a few months to live.
]
] "Reading Rainbow" has several strikes against it in the
] battle for funding. For starters, it has no access to
] merchandise licensing deals, an increasingly important
] part of PBS' funding scheme for children's shows. There
] are no "Reading Rainbow" action figures to sell, no
] "Reading Rainbow" jammies to keep kids warm at night.
]
] The series is also 20 years old when many corporate
] benefactors prefer being involved with something new. And
] the show's narrow audience -- children 6 to 8 who are
] just learning to read -- doesn't give sponsors the broad
] exposure they're seeking, said Amy Jordan, senior
] researcher on children and the media at the University of
] Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center.

$2m a year - jeez, we spend many times that on those useless "drugs are bad, mmmkay" ad campaigns, don't we? Somebody give this show a budget. At least they're doing some good.

'Reading Rainbow' fights for survival - May. 29, 2003

] Is your brain feeling under utilized? Not enough mental
] challenge in your day job?
]
]
] We can fix that.
]
]
] Map the outer limits of your intellectual acuity by
] registering for the Google U.S. Puzzle Championship, a
] national online competition to identify America%u2019s
] most logical minds.
]
]
] Two winners receive slots on the US Puzzle Team and all
] expense paid trips to the Netherlands for the World
] Puzzle Championship in October. The top 25 finishers
] receive prizes as well as the satisfaction of knowing
] that what they know is well, pretty remarkable.
]
]
] There's no entry fee. No special equipment is required.
] And the questions don't favor a specific cultural
] background. To get a feel for what you%u2019ll be up
] against, try the puzzles below. Solve them and we may
] have a slot for you in our engineering department (we
] love logical thinkers). If you'd prefer to see how others
] tackled the problems, click on the answers link below.
]
]
] The Google U.S. Puzzle Championship will be held on May
] 31, 2003 at 1pm EDT (GMT-4). The 12th World Puzzle
] Championship will be held in Papendal, the Netherlands,
] October 14-19, 2003.

Think you're smart?

Google US Puzzle Championship

When icons go bad...

Icon War

] XV THE DEVIL
]
] THE CARD: Grace Jones is a firey Devil. If she were not
] so desirable, could she be so frightening?

I personally like The Hermit and The Emperor.

the eighties tarot

] Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich signed a law Thursday that
] will greatly reduce penalties for disease sufferers who
] use marijuana to relieve pain.
]
] The new law sets a maximum fine of $100 for "medical
] marijuana" users who have less than an ounce of the leaf.
] It makes Maryland the 10th state since 1996 to ease or
] eliminate sanctions for medical use of the herb, which
] gained wide use during the 1960s because of its euphoric
] effects.
]
] Maryland's move is a setback for the Bush administration,
] which had called on Ehrlich, a fellow Republican, to
] reject the measure.
]
] The White House has made marijuana a particular target of
] its anti-drug efforts, arguing that users often move on
] to more dangerous drugs. It has campaigned against
] medical marijuana proposals in several states, prosecuted
] distributors and growers of medical pot in California,
] and urged Canadian officials to reject a plan to
] eliminate criminal penalties for most marijuana users in
] that country.
]
] Despite those efforts, lawmakers in states across the
] nation have shown a willingness to separate marijuana
] from other banned drugs. That's largely because of claims
] by scientists and patients that the drug's most active
] ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can ease pain and
] nausea and improve the appetites of those suffering from
] AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and other ailments.

It’s a step in the right direction, but as long as it remains a "controlled substance" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) with fines for possession, the illegal drug trade will continue to profit. C'mon folks - quit being so damn wishy-washy on decriminalization. It's gotta be all or nothing.

Attitudes ease toward medical marijuana

] Welcome to the most respected, domesticated penguin
] dealer on the Internet! Relax and take a look around our
] site where you can find information on our company, our
] products, and what goes into the care of a penguin.
] Penguin Warehouse, Inc. sells certified purebred
] penguins, useful penguin books, and many other items to
] make you and your new pet happy.

Penguin Warehouse, Inc. - Buy a Pet Penguin Today

] A set of four glass ramps positioned in a square clearly
] show water travelling up each of them before it pours off
] the top, only to start again at the bottom of the next
] ramp.
]
] It is a sight which defies logic, and has become probably
] the most memorable image of this year's show.
]
] Mr Dyson says his inspiration was a drawing by the Dutch
] artist MC Escher (he of Gothic palaces where soldiers are
] eternally walking upstairs, and of patterns where birds
] turn into fish).

BBC NEWS | UK | How does Dyson make water go uphill?

] As a Senate committee sought answers yesterday on how to
] curb the overwhelming surge of junk e-mail, one of the
] nation's most notorious spammers told members just how
] hard their job would be.
]
] Ronald Scelson, an eighth-grade dropout and self-taught
] computer programmer from Louisiana, riveted the Commerce
] Committee hearing room as he explained that he sends
] between 120 million and 180 million e-mails every 12
] hours.
]
] He boasted that in 24 hours he could crack sophisticated
] software filters designed to block spam.
]
] And he accused Internet providers of hypocrisy in
] claiming to want to protect their customers from
] unsolicited messages.
]
] Large Internet companies spam their own members, he said,
] while other network access providers have signed
] contracts allowing known spammers to send out mass
] e-mail.
]
] "I'm probably the most hated person in this room," said
] an unapologetic Scelson, responding to a parade of
] technology, government and marketing officials who
] decried the purveyors of junk e-mail.

So all we have to do is grab this guy and beat him senseless as an example to spammers, right?

A Spammer Speaks Out (TechNews.com)

] The DVDs can be re-molded into other products if they are
] recycled, he said. Customers can mail their used DVDs to
] GreenDisk, a company that recycles old DVDs. Flexplay
] will cover the cost of recycling the discs. It's also
] working to get a collection or drop-off process in place,
] so people could avoid the cost of mailing in their old
] EZ-Ds.
]
] "You could save up a year's worth of Flexplay discs and
] then drop it off once," LeBlanc said, comparing the
] process to dropping off aluminum cans at a recycling
] facility. "As we broaden our retail and distribution
] opportunities for the product, we will also broaden our
] collection points."

And exactly how many people do you know that really do recycle, even though collection points are common, and curbside recycling is commonly available? Just how many people are going to bother putting them in the mail (regardless if they have to pay for postage or not) or saving up a year's worth and taking them somewhere? Face it - these are going to get thrown away.

Wired News: Disposable DVDs Go to the Dumps