Year: 2005

If you have a smartphone or cell phone with a WAP browser (here’s mine), check out the BBC’s real life tribute to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The movie opened this week. The mobile (stripped down) address can be found here and both addresses get you access to over 7000 common and eclectic encyclopedia articles. The BBC partnered with HG2G author Douglas Adams to create the site back in 1999.Thumbtype “tipping”, click ‘search’ and voila, the top two articles are “international guidelines for tipping” and “cow tipping”. Both useful when you’re in the field on business. Give the Surprise Me! link a try; I was treated to a random article on Scuba Diving in Croatia. Much like Wikipedia, users can contribute and edit entries, though h2g2 (someone’s domain squatting hg2g.com) is more random and unique with articles ranging from stuffed pork chop recipes to sign language etiquette. Sure, wikipedia has 520,000+ more articles than h2g2, but until wiki has a mobile site, h2g2 loads quick and is a great time waster while your wife is trying on clothes or you’re waiting the requisite 45 minutes for your doctor’s appointment.

It was a busy Friday, so that’s the reason for the lack of posts today. Lots of job related stuff, then UPS delivered a new computer for my work, so there was a lot of software reinstallation, configuring, tweaking, and “trying out” to do. Once I got home, I had to unpack one of these, set it up, and tweak more.

On Tuesday, FedEx will deliver one of these. I also picked up one of these so I can run both platforms from the same Keyboard, Monitor and Mouse. Should be fun.

See? I’ve been busy!

The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

Gotta love it, so why not propagate it?

Courtesy of The Jawa Report, the rumor is not limited to Osama bin Laden dying. It’s expanded now to the idea that Bush called his press conference tonight specifically to announce the news.

Fact or fiction?

I’m putting my money on fiction, but I’ll warm up the crow just in case.

UPDATE: The crow lives to see another day.

Via AP: Frist Won’t Budge on Filibuster Demands

With a showdown looming, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist refused to budge Thursday on his demand that Democrats forgo filibusters against all of President Bush’s past or present nominees to federal appellate court benches or the Supreme Court.

“Throughout this debate, we have held firm to a simple principle, judicial nominees deserve up-or-down votes,” Frist said.

But Frist offered to retain the right to filibuster district court nominees in exchange for 100 hours of debate and guaranteed confirmation votes on the nation’s highest judgeships. The Senate’s top Republican also said that under his plan, senators would no longer be able to block nominees in the Judiciary Committee.

“Judicial nominees are being denied. Justice is being denied. The solution is simple, allow senators to do their jobs and vote,” Frist said in a speech on the Senate floor.

And then there’s Harry Reid, who says matter-of-factly:

“It’s a big wet kiss to the far right.”

So, obviously Harry and Bill won’t be singing Kumbyah anytime soon.

Frist with his finger on the button, but does he really have the guts to push it? Stay tuned…

McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

Via those news hounds at the BBC: Michael Jackson not a model parent

That does it for me…I was a hold-out until now, but this…this breaking news convinces me that the gloved one is guilty! Guilty I say!!!

Duh.

Hey, if this is what it takes to lower the price of the gas I put in my vehicle, I say we take up a collection and get ’em a room. 

I have a feeling that this spoof isn’t too far from reality.

Via AP: Speaker Hastert says he hopes for a vote Wednesday to revert to old rules governing ethics investigations and thus end a partisan stalemate.

“I’m willing to step back,” Hastert told reporters after a closed-door meeting with members of the GOP rank and file.

Later, in a brief Capitol interview, he said he expected the full House to vote on reversing the rules. Asked whether that would take place later in the day, he replied, “I hope so.”

Democrats charge that rules changes pushed through the House by Republicans earlier this year were designed to shelter Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and have stopped the ethics committee from conducting business in retaliation. The powerful Texan was admonished by the panel three times last year and faces scrutiny this year over overseas travel.

Hastert drew little dissent from members of his rank and file at the closed-door meeting.

And the Democrats immediately capitalized on the news.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters that Republicans had decided to retreat under pressure. “I think they just took the heat,” she said. “I think there has been an editorial in every paper in the country saying this is wrong.”

Thanks Tom.