On the internet, nobody knows you’re Ravi Desai (with apologies to Peter Steiner).
Going, going, gone
There’s a very interesting article on Slate talking about Arthur Andersen’s disappearing act, as the accounting firm enters negotiations investigating being absorbed by other major accounting firms (disclaimer — I am presently employed by Todays Office Staffing, a temp agency who contracts me to Xerox, who has me running the print shop for Arthur Andersen‘s Seattle office — however, I learn more about the current Enron/Andersen scandal from papers and the ‘net than I do from the office).
Which flawed election?
I don’t know what he’s talking about, but as I was just delivering something to another floor, Bush was on TV giving a press conference. I walked by just in time to hear him say something along the lines of “…we’ll see what we can do about this flawed election.” My first thought — with the caveat that I have no context for his statement — is he really one to talk?
(This CNN story talks about the press conference, however, since the conference is in progress right now [2:45pm], there’s just an overview of what was expected to be talked about, but the article may be updated later.)
Fun with Π
My birthday is within the first 100 million digits of Π (specifically, 1,040,331 digits in [or 11,057 digits in, if I use the non-zero-padded version of my birthday 5373]). So is my current phone number, sans area code (49,168,544 digits in). My social security number isn’t, though. Bummer.
Text Pong
Just in case Infocom making Tetris wasn’t weird enough, here’s one weirder — text-based Pong!
Let’s nuke Mecca!?!?
Just in case things in the world weren’t getting freaky enough, the editor of the National Review is pondering nuking Mecca. There is a column at The American Prospect looking at this from a slightly saner perspective.
Something for Casey
Something for Casey — how to hack a half-price Apple Airport base station.
The truth about Asimov
Janet Asimov, in a biography of her late husband Isaac Asimov (It’s Been A Good Life), has revealed that he actually died of AIDS contracted during bypass surgery, but the doctor at the time advised that the information not be disclosed to the public. Interesting.
Sure, we checked their credentials
Why I trust my government to keep me safe: On Monday, the INS approved student visas for two of the 9/11 airplane hijackers.
Those eyes!
How completely fascinating. If you’ve ever picked up a National Geographic magazine, you probably remember a cover from 1985 of a girl with stunning green eyes, from a story about war in Afghanistan. Somehow National Geographic found her again.