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I know this is a bit off the pace; but since I don't live in New York it was hardly a top story here (sorry, New Yorkers, we really don't care about you as much as you seem to think :)).

As many people have noted, MS could have been fined $50 per decal; and most companies probably would have copped a lot more than the slap on the wrist that MS has been given. I suspect they've probably got away with it mostly because the butterfly logo is actually quite pretty. It fits right in on the subway station sign posted on the NY Times article.

Insert "swarm of bugs" joke here.

Poking through the referrer list often turns up a chuckle or two. For example, apparently this site is second on the list if you google for hacked hard corn porn free. Now, "e" and "n" are an awfully long way apart but yet someone managed to do it. Either that or they like their produce far more than me. In any event, they took a detour to my site.

It's still not as impressive as someone actually searching for the phrase they've got bugger all chance of figuring this one out. Which is exactly what I said one time. Doesn't seem like that post is still indexed by google though.

Slashdot | Suit Up Or Ship Out? Now that the dotcom boom has burst, the old ways of suit and tie for everyone are coming back. It's a tired old argument and proof that managers don't fucking understand the concept of morale. They know they should have it, they just don't understand what it is. Sooner or later someone in America will sue for discimination based on wardrobe - after all, turning down the best person for the job on irrelevant grounds is discrimination. Wearing a suit can mean nothing more than making slobs look like they might be productive.

Today's quotable quote goes to Zeldman... "In 1998, when Netscape 4 was dumped on the world like an incurable virus ..."

The full quote and article actually raises a good point about why Netscape 4 was so crap in a particular manner:

Ironically, absolute positioning works well in Netscape 4. Seems absolute positioning is the only part of CSS1 that Netscape attempted to get right in their 4.0 browser. Which makes sense in a way. In 1998, when Netscape 4 was dumped on the world like an incurable virus, semantic markup and separation of presentation from structure were not high on most people’s wish lists. Absolute positioning promised visual control, and that’s pretty much all most of us cared about.

Wired 10.11: Play - the physics, maths and coding...... for realistic breasts. It's unfortunate that the games industry can't deal with females without making themselves look like complete fucking losers. If they'd just focussed on the fact that they're working on realistic humans in general, they might not have sounded so pathetic.

NEWS.com.au | Sniper advice: zigzag (October 18, 2002). We live in a fucked up world, we really do. The ballistic fingerprinting idea seems like a good one if it's feasible. You can file off serial numbers, wipe off fingerprints... but as far as I know, a gun's ballistics will always stay the same (I'm hardly an expert but I've never heard anything to suggest the ballistics could change). The White House is avoiding a commitment though. Interestingly, Smith & Wesson and Glock are both setting up such a system anyway (sidenote: check out the NRA guy's poor rhetoric).

woot

There is now a heretic's linkblog of fun site search, powered by Google. If I get really keen I might even use their free search and co-brand the results, but really I can't be bothered. It works. No mess, no fuss. You can get to it by clicking the "search" link up top, or just scroll to the bottom.

'Australia, south of Indonesia' - smh.com.au. The world media once again proving they know sweet fuck-all about Australia/Australians. "[T]he Australian public are now aware that they are equally vulnerable to violent, unexpected tragedy."

We were already quite aware of that, you twit. We're also aware that our dumbarse PM has arse-licked America so damn much that we're rapidly becoming a likely target for further attacks.

Ex-Lucas Employee Charged with "Star Wars" Theft. Poor bastard is going to be sentenced on the basis of "estimated losses" from I can tell - that is, how much money the company reckons it lost due to an unquantifiable set of events. You cannot prove that early reviews lost the company any money - hell, it could have increased their revenue. Maybe they could expend less energy on this sort of crap; and more on making decent movies.

Driver Down has been updated.

A nation of groveling pussies willing to give away anything for the illusion of safety. One arm over our eyes, the other one blindly waving a butcher knife at spooky sounds in a darkened room. We can't sleep. Monsters are everywhere. Once we kill all the monsters, then we'll ask for our rights back. But until then, you can slip that computer chip right beneath my tongue and I'll be a quiet little patriot. A glazed eye flag zombie. I'm hugging cops. I'm buying cars. I'm cutting down trees. I'm stifling dissent. I'm drilling in Alaska. I'm harassing cab drivers in turbans. I'm not asking questions. I use phrases like 'regime change' in normal conversation. .... This is not a war, this is a business decision. This is distraction from a collapsing economy. This is election fodder. This is power in action. This is propaganda in its barest form. This is way more cynical than anything I could ever think up.

I love the way this guy writes. Oh, and he has a new girlfriend.

Some guy's 1970 Dodge Charger page... you know, despite the fact I drive a Holden Astra, there's a little part of me that would love a bad-arse Charger like this one :) A mate of mine is slowly overhauling a Charger... I think it's a kind of addiction; or perhaps it's more like having a child. It arrives, you tend to it and watch it grow up... Difference here is you don't want them to leave in the end :)

Economist.com | Internet topology - What does the Internet Look Like? Not as crazy as it sounds. Basically an accurate model of the net would be a useful thing. Some scientists think they've done it; or are on the right track. Weird sidenote is that mapping the net is very similar to "mapping the network of human sexual partners", that is, a map of the net looks much the same as a map of a society's bonking habits. If that doesn't break your head, you need to go outside and get some fresh air.

Slashdot | (CD) Pirates Take to the Ocean "www.cdfreaks.com reports that asian CD pirates now produce thousands of pirated VCD's on anchored ships in international waters to avoid getting caught. Malaysian marine police have been asked to be on the lookout for pirate ships"

ARRRR MATEY!!! That be a fine pune, or playe on wordes, me 'earties...

Farewell Netscape, a once-powerful pioneer that's now largely irrelevant - smh.com.au - a somewhat brief opinion piece, which feels truncated. But the sentiment stands. Where is Netscape heading? Most people say it's headed straight for oblivion. But will people really just toe the Microsoft line? Well, yeah, unfortunately. If people could only buy one car - just one, and it wasn't exactly perfect - would they be happy? No. But people seem quite willing to make their businesses totally reliant on one single company's product. They're happy to make their home computer use the same software that everyone else uses - whether it actually suits their needs or not. All the while they're shelling out seriously big bucks for expensive software.

The browser might be free; but it is a big factor in Microsoft's domination of the personal computing world.

dive into mark/October 3, 2002 - Microsoft redesign. Although I can't see the difference (I don't visit MS that often), microsoft.com has been redesigned. Dreadfully. They're still using font tags, for smeg's sake - this from the company that makes browsers. Not to mention their cynical use of accessibility technology as a marketing tool; when their site fails accessibility tests absolutely miserably. All in all, it's the quality we expect from microsloth.

CNN.com - Official! World's funniest joke - Oct. 3, 2002. LONDON, England -- The world's funniest joke has been revealed after a year-long search by scientists. And here it is...

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy takes out his phone and calls the emergency services.He gasps: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says: "Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a gunshot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: "OK, now what?"

Slashdot | Laser Vision Surgery for Developers? Basically a discussion of To LASIK Or Not To LASIK. I keep looking at the small chance of irreversibly worsened eyesight.... then I look at my super-lightweight titanium glasses... and I decide not to LASIK. Basically I've been told that some forms of reconstructive eye surgery tend to "fail" after 20 years or so; essentially vision is lost. So, I figure I'm going to wait this one out - watch the long-term effects. Meanwhile glasses and contacts are something you can live with. They're one hell of a hassle, not to mention a high cost. But that's life and it's safer than cutting your eyes with a laser.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami goes off: Yahoo! News - WAR CRY

"Nearly two years ago, the civilized world watched as this evil and corrupt dictator subverted the world's oldest representative democracy in an illegal coup d'état," said Khatami. "Since then the Bush regime has continued America's systematic repression of ethnic and religious minorities and threatened international peace and security throughout the world. Thousands of political opponents and ordinary citizens have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. Basic civil rights have been violated."

Some big things said here; and note the bit where the articles says he was applauded. Seems a lot of people are tired of the biggest, richest bully on the block.