Catonic wrote:

Random Guy, I salute you for your daring breach of national security and efforts at exposing a lack of security around critical infrastructure. Also, your message is one of hope for an oppressed and voiceless people everywhere. God Bless You, American!

Counting coup on a country is impressive...

RE: Guy Tags Air Force One

Jello wrote:

LONGMONT, Colorado (AP) -- A man who said he bought a device that allowed him to change stop lights from red to green received a $50 ticket for suspicion of interfering with a traffic signal.

Fifty bucks?
Great deal.

RE: No green light for driver with traffic signal gadget - Apr 18, 2006 - CNN.com

Thirteen minute video of various Rube Goldberg machines from Japanese TV.

Incredible Machines - Google Video

The plethora of USB ports now offered by today's PCs has spawned an abundance of ridiculous devices. A small culture of collectors has even emerged around odd USB gadgets, and chances are one of them works in your office, displaying his collection of eyesores proudly on his desk.

In case you're lucky enough to have avoided seeing these in person, here are some of the weirdest examples we've found.

Wired News: Weirdest USB Gadgets

Well, well, well. Amidst all the posturing and fist-shaking about who dared to leak the career information about CIA employee Valerie Plame, and the resulting witch hunt, it looks like we've actually found that Bush indeed did happen to "accidentally" release that information to disgrace his political enemies. Libby has now apparently testified that Bush OK'd the release of the oh-so-career-destroying information.

Whodathunkit!

I wonder if perhaps we'll get lucky and Bush will actually follow through with firing the person who leaked this information like he swore he would at a press conference shortly after this witch hunt began, and fire himself and Cheney?

Who let the secrets out! Who! Who-who-who!

SAN JOSE, Calif. - To broaden its appeal in a Windows-dominated world, Apple Computer Inc. unveiled software Wednesday to help owners of its new Intel-based Macs run not only its own operating system but also Microsoft Corp.'s rival software.

I wonder how Vista will run on it.

Apple Unveils Software to Run Windows XP

Everyone who speaks a language, speaks it with an accent. A particular accent essentially reflects a person's linguistic background. When people listen to someone speak with a different accent from their own, they notice the difference, and they may even make certain biased social judgments about the speaker.

The speech accent archive is established to uniformly exhibit a large set of speech accents from a variety of language backgrounds. Native and non-native speakers of English all read the same English paragraph and are carefully recorded.1 The archive is constructed as a teaching tool and as a research tool. It is meant to be used by linguists as well as other people who simply wish to listen to and compare the accents of different english speakers.

This website allows users to compare the demographic and linguistic backgrounds of the speakers in order to determine which variables are key predictors of each accent. The speech accent archive demonstrates that accents are systematic rather than merely mistaken speech.

All of the linguistic analyses of the accents are available for public scrutiny. We welcome comments on the accuracy of our transcriptions and analyses.

Pretty neat.

The Speech Accent Archive

Brian J. Doyle, 55, is charged with seven counts of use of a computer to seduce a child and 16 counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor, according to a sheriff's office statement.

On March 12, according to a police statement, Doyle contacted a Polk County computer crimes detective posing online as a 14-year-old girl "and initiated a sexually explicit conversation with her ... Doyle knew that the 'girl' was 14 years old, and he told her who he was and that he worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"Judd said that Doyle, in the first conversation, told the detective his position with DHS and "started immediately into pretty vulgar language. He explained in graphic detail the sexual acts he wanted to perform with this 14-year-old."

As the two continued chatting online, police said, Doyle gave her his home and office phone numbers, and the number to his government-issue cell phone. He also had explicit telephone conversations with a detective posing as the girl, authorities said.

In addition, he used the Internet to send "hard-core pornographic movie clips" to her, and also used an America Online instant-messaging service to have explicit online conversations with her.

Doyle also sent photos of himself that were not sexually explicit, but said he would send nude photos if the "girl" would buy a Web camera and send him nude photos of herself. In one photo, Judd said, Doyle's DHS security tag is clearly visible.

"I read the transcripts," Judd said. "I wanted to see if this was just as outrageous as the detectives depicted it ... It shocked all of us who have worked vice, narcotics, organized crime, homicides."

This is sure to be all over the news today...

While not directly related to this, I've asked this question around lately: "what the hell is DHS doing?" Answers have varied. No one seems to know exactly. Mostly stuff about establishing little fiefdoms and sharing email servers. My favorite comment so far has been "creating new ways to fuck up." Their press center is simply the "Remarks from Michael Chertoff" page. DHS appears to be a black hole.

CNN.com - DHS spokesman arrested in child sex sting - Apr 4, 2006

US scientists have successfully implanted bladders grown in the lab from patients' own cells into people with bladder disease.

wow

BBC NEWS | Health | Lab-grown bladders 'a milestone'

Ninjas can kill anyone they want!

CollegeHumor Movie: Urban Ninja.