Life Long Learning is in your Future

Available Courses
Self Study Guides Currently Available at Central Institute of Technology's free online self-study IT courses mirrored at the University of Nebraska at Kearney

Picture the future

MIS | Magazine > Picture the future: "There will be 80 million camera phones in use by 2005. Dan Danbom provides a snapshot of where this alarming trend will take us"

Could chaos come with the camera ordered to the phone? Well, in brief:

Someone might take a picture of you in the locker room

Someone might take an unauthorized picture of Britney Spears

Digital Shoplifting

Employee camera phone use

Study finds fractals relax and remove stress

UO researchers are studying the patterns-within-patterns that humans find soothing
"At their basic level, fractals are repeating patterns that reveal greater complexity the more they are enlarged. Some are geometric and easy to spot, like a snowflake or the popular example known as the Sierpinski Triangle, a triangle made of so many smaller triangles that the closer you look the more triangles you find.

Others are more subtle, their geometry so irregular it appears chaotic. A swirl of clouds or the complex interlacing of tree branches might seem random to the naked eye, but when examined in extremely close detail they reveal patterns built of patterns built of patterns."

Jackson Pollock, stress reliever: Physicist finds fractals have a calming effect

Jackson Pollock, stress reliever: Physicist finds fractals have a calming effect: "Physicist Richard Taylor of the University of Oregon says such fractal patterns, found in nature and in art, seem to reduce stress. He is leading an international team of scientists that has found exposure to these patterns can lessen a person's stress levels by as much as 60 percent."

IHT: Victory and sacrifice honored by memorial

IHT: Victory and sacrifice honored by memorial

"Tens of thousands of aging veterans gathered under a sparkling sky on the National Mall for the long-awaited dedication of the World War II Memorial, a tribute to the United States' greatest military victory and to those who fought to preserve democracy against the threat of tyranny."

Ever wonder about the Cold Process soapmaking method?

AquaSapone - Marina's version of the classic cold process soapmaking method (CP) - Overview
Marina, from Australia, gives an in-depth overview to the soap making process. Remember that soap making deals with certain harsh substances/chemicals, so you might want to read about the process in order to appreciate natural soap making.
It might be easier to buy a bar than to make a batch. Check this out for information on essential oils, soapmaking, kits, supplies, gifts and links!

Czech it out!

National Polka Fest continues through this evening in Ennis
Polka festivals are great family entertainment:
"The sights are colorful and include the traditional red and white polka costumes, as well as multi-colored balloons, handmade floats decorated with tissue paper in a rainbow of colors, with sounds that include the “oohs and aghs” from young and old alike.
“The parade gets bigger and bigger every year,” Cindy Pechal, executive director of the Ennis Convention & Visitors Bureau, said. “The annual Polka Festival continues to draw people from all walks of life looking to have family fun.”
Individuals who have a love for the Czech tradition come from all across the nation to enoy the three day event. "

Harry Potter Stars Predict Gruesome End to Series

Film Article | Reuters.com: "LONDON (Reuters) - It may not be the ending Harry Potter fans are hoping for, but the film's teenage stars predict Harry will die at the end of the series, Ron will turn evil and Hermione may end up with him."

Bloogz The Blog Search Engine:

Bloogz The Blog Search Engine

"Bloogz is a search engine based on feed rss, a format that is appropriate for diffusion of contents on the Internet.
RSS documents are an effective tool for web sites with frequent updating.

Bloogz continuously collects news, using a "Crawler" which scans RSS files of web logs registered in the database."

Bloglines | Free, Web-Based News Aggregator

Bloglines | Free, Web-Based News Aggregator: "Bloglines is a free service that makes it easy to keep up with your favorite blogs and newsfeeds. With Bloglines, you can subscribe to the RSS feeds of your favorite blogs, and Bloglines will monitor updates to those sites. You can read the latest entries easily within Bloglines."

Trends in Blog Searching

"To use Google to find information across blogs, enter your keywords then ~blog inurl:archives. Using blog and archives is somewhat redundant but using archives alone retrieves more newspaper articles and using ~blog alone works and gets more hits but with less precision"

" In Yahoo, adding blog inurl:archives to your search also seems to do the trick. In Teoma, add blog archives to your search. The inurl: shortcut works only if used for the whole search phrase."

Coming Soon – the Death of Search Engines?

"What does the future hold for search engines and searchers?

There is little doubt that both Google and Yahoo will continue to grow their portals. At the present time, generating as much ad revenue as possible is the only viable business model for a free service that depends on huge amounts of traffic for success. The only other pure-search player of significance is Gigablast, and its principals care about improving search query interpretation...Gigablast doesn’t have enough going for it to create a mass migration away from Google. The other major player, Microsoft, is expected to enter the search arena in the coming months with a major new product. What that will look like is anyone’s guess, but given Microsoft’s deals with LexisNexis, Gale, and other paid content suppliers, it is reasonable to assume that Microsoft may expect to earn revenue from its search site – not exclusively from advertising, but also by selling (probably cheap) paid content on demand."

USATODAY.com - Touring farm, Prince William hints at armed forces career

USATODAY.com - Touring farm, Prince William hints at armed forces career
"LONDON (AP) — Prince William hinted strongly on Saturday that he will join the armed forces when he graduates from university."

Economic Data to Call the Shots

Business News Article | Reuters.com: "The economy has shown signs of surprising strength in recent months, but indications that inflation may be rearing its ugly head -- particularly as oil prices hit record highs -- have put stock investors on edge."

Russian Ex-Capital May Sell Palaces to Save Them

Life & Leisure News Article | Reuters.com: "St Petersburg is dotted with palaces and aristocratic mansions built by the cream of Russian society when the city was founded in 1703 marshland by Czar Peter the Great. They were taken over by Soviet authorities in the name of the people.

The dire state of many buildings, particularly lesser known monuments not in the city center, has convinced many that the plan amounts to a last-ditch rescue mission."

Watching Paint Dry Is Latest Reality TV Gimmick

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "LONDON (Reuters) - Some critics say the endless stream of hugely popular reality television shows are as dull as watching paint dry."

The Spoof - Horoscopes, fake, parody, horoscope, horoscopes

The Spoof - Horoscopes, fake, parody, horoscope, horoscopes
These parody horoscopes are amusing :-)

David Vest: Welcome to the Hundred Year Quagmire

David Vest: Welcome to the Hundred Year Quagmire

"'Someone Else For President,' the slogan that will have won the election, may come to ring hollow indeed, and Kerry's presidency could effectively be destroyed before he takes office, by a war that became his very own the day he voted to authorize it, a vote he shows no sign of repenting, launching us forward into what could well turn out to be a Hundred Year Quagmire."

The Spoof - U.S. Employment up 12%

The Spoof - U.S. Employment up 12%

"Only thirteen employed people left in America, Bureau of Labor Statistics has two of them.

Washington, DC -- Employment grew at a robust 12% in the last quarter as the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor announced its latest findings today. The highlight of the increase was in the fast food sector..."

Bush eyes Democracy R Us in Iraq

The Spoof - Bush eyes Democracy R Us in Iraq

"Iraq's conversion to a Halliburton-based economy will be aided by a transitional Iraqi government comprised of guys who don't mind having a terrorist bull's eye painted on their headgear.

National elections will come soon enough. But first it is vital to teach Iraqi politicians how to divert millions into their campaign war-chests and slime their opponents with negative ads. Presidential candidates will also need seminars on how to exploit family connections and use the Supreme Court to seize power. "

Avril is not afraid to be different

Don't Call Me Punk, Singer Avril Lavigne Warns

Don't try to classify Avril Lavigne: she doesn't want to carry the banner of punk, yet she isn't exactly folk. Avril has her own rock niche and the sounds from Janis Joplin might carry artistic influence into Avril's future sound.

With the hike on ice cream prices, what'ya expect?

Inflation Mild But Consumers Glum

Consumer confidence is down. Worries about the price of oil are up. Ice cream cones are overpriced...plus the weather hasn't been that great.

New York City's Metropolitan Museum Hosts Show of Late-Byzantine Art

Examples of art come from the expanded time frame of 1261 through 1557.

"A new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is perhaps the largest show ever assembled of late-Byzantine art, with works created in the medieval empire that extended from what is now Russia and Ukraine, to the Balkan states, to Turkey, Greece and Egypt. Byzantium: Faith and Power is on view through July 4.

Byzantine art looks away from the natural world, attempting instead to represent what’s eternal, divine and unchanging. The signal pieces in the show are icons, religious images thought to be holy in themselves, that are meant to be venerated. They may be icons of individual saints, like Saint Theodosia, or Russia’s patron saints, Boris and Gleb."

Three Ways To Wreck Your Finances

The Motley Fool UK: Money Comment 27/05/2004
Read the article for the explanations. The 3 ways to wreck your finances are:

Consolidation Loans

Unlocking Your Pension

Equity Release

Ice Cream vendors feel a pinch from rising prices

Crain's New York Business: "New York ice cream lovers may have to pay higher prices for their favorite scoop or cone, starting next week, when the price per gallon of milk jumps by 25 cents, the second price increase in two months. "

High Gas Price Seen Stunting Shopping and Travel

US News Article | Reuters.com: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - Some U.S. consumers plan to cut back on travel and shopping as long as steep gasoline prices keep taking a bigger bite out of their wallets, according to an NPD Group survey released on Friday.

The sales and marketing information group's survey found that 28 percent of American consumers say they have bought less gasoline than usual, and a 'significant percentage' plan to reduce spending on clothing, dining out and entertainment like cinema, theater and sports events."

Advertising Age

Advertising Age
Media & interactive news

Slashdot | Teaching History In Schools With Video Games

Slashdot | Teaching History In Schools With Video Games

This author advocates that learning history can be enhanced through video games.
Why not enhance the teaching of Medieval/Renaissance history with tarot cards?

Space telescope glimpses births of stars: NASA. 28/05/2004. ABC News Online

Space telescope glimpses births of stars: NASA. 28/05/2004. ABC News Online: "The Spitzer Space Telescope has given US scientists their first glimpses of stars being born, NASA says."

Spacecraft on edge of Saturn's rings

The Scotsman - International - Spacecraft on edge of Saturn's rings: "What sets Saturn apart from the rest of the planets are its rings, which are made up by billions of ice and rock particles. "

Visual Collections

"Visual Collections provides simple access to over 300,000 images from over 34 collections including cartography, fine arts, architecture, photography, and other renowned collections."

"Cartography, fine arts, architecture, photography, visual arts, David Rumsey Historical Map Collection, Charting the Nation, Japanese Historical Maps, USF Florida Maps, USF Rare Maps, AMICO Library, MoMA, National Palace Museum, Estate Project for Artists with AIDS, Claire Holt Indonesian Art Images, Andrew Dickson White, Sape A. Zysitra Architectural Slides, CITY2000, The Corner Archive of Chicago, Centro Asturiano Membership Records, Robertson, Fresh, Earl R. Jacobs, Burgert Brothers, Icelandic, Manatee County Public Library, Stokes, Archibald Slaymaker Glass Negative, Ensminger Brothers, Wehman, Hoover Institution Posters, Farber Gravestones, Archive of Early American Images, Hampton Dunn Postcards, The Digital Scriptorium, Walter Scott, Charles Ringling Family Papers, Athanasius Kircher, artists, research, collection, catalog, media content, image search, internet, on-line collection, library, Cartography Associates, David Rumsey, Luna Imaging, Insight, Java Client, resource, metadata, zoom"

Mark Fiore's Animated Political Cartoons!

Mark Fiore's Animated Political Cartoons!
Get the Flash plug-in to see these animated political cartoons.
Mark Fiore is a master of political satire. Turn on your speakers too for the full effect.

OFT warns on store card costs

Guardian Unlimited Money | News_ | OFT warns on store card costs: "Britain's main consumer watchdog yesterday launched a public awareness campaign urging people to look carefully at the costs and conditions before signing up for a store card.

The Office of Fair Trading has published a credit card-sized leaflet, titled Are You Store Card Smart? 'to alert consumers to the serious credit commitment that a store card represents'."

Japanese still falling for 'It's me' telephone scams

The Japan Times Online

"These scams, which have been coined 'Ore ore' ('It's me') frauds, involve mainly young men acting alone or in groups who call targets and persuade them that they are relatives in trouble and need quick cash -- one example is to say they have caused a fatal traffic accident and need compensation money."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Spam messages on the increase

BBC NEWS | Technology | Spam messages on the increase

There will be more spam and lots of it will be devoted to financial scams.

"The Can-Spam Act requires people to reply to e-mails in order to stop receiving them, while the EU favours a so-called opt-in clause, meaning individuals have to actively request commercial e-mails.

The fact that much of the spam is generated in the US renders the EU law ineffectual."

Translating Kabbalah's origins requires a life of dedication

"The Zohar, which means "radiance" in Hebrew, is both a vast metaphysical compendium, full of abstract terms that are light years distant from a modern reader's vocabulary and a kind of mystical novel told in an earthy narrative style."

Posh Denies Kabbalah Link

Totally Jewish - News Channel

"Her personal life may have been thrown into disarray in recent months but Victoria Beckham has denied turning to spiritual offshoot kabbalah.

The former Spice Girl was recently seen sporting a red string round her wrist as favoured by supporters of the controversial cult including celebrities Madonna and Britney Spears."

Why does Posh deny incorporating helpful philosophies from the Kabbalah into her own life practices?

Porsche Owners: Swift Knights of Action

Survey finds more Porsche owners fool around. 27/05/2004. ABC News Online

"Do not trust a man with a fast car.
Porsche drivers are less faithful than any other group of car owners, with almost 50 per cent of them cheating on their partners, a survey published in German magazine Men's Car has revealed."

Tarot symbolism: The Knight of Wands is often pictured as a warrior in complete armour on a black steed. The Knight of Wands is logic-defying in his actions and is a lover of action. Perspicacious in everything he does, he is energetic, has a quick wit, and can be sexually aggressive.
The Knight of Wands, or in some decks, the Prince of Wands in your spread could signify a person, or an event, or influences around a decision depending on your question and the spread.
If the Knight/Prince of Wands indicates a man in your life or one that will soon be, he will appear as an unanticipated source of support whose enthusiastic creative approach will seem to solve your present problems.
This card has such an emphasis on travel that the proposed solution might be to get away. Sure a vacation from your problems might offer a clearer solution to them, but watch out if travel plans seem too hasty or too costly.
The Knight of Wands or the Prince of Wands in your spread could mean good fortune or misfortune depending on the card's placement in the spread and whether the card is dignified (upright) or ill-dignified (reversed).

You, too, can have your WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Buying an existing business a better alternative to starting one from scratch: "For a growing number of entrepreneurs, buying an existing business has become a good way to reap the benefits of business ownership without having to go through the risk and work of building a company from scratch."

Indian American nets a fortune with anti-spam venture

The Peninsula On-line: Qatar's leading English Daily

"New York: Indian American technology professional Sunil Paul could never have imagined that solving his wife’s nagging complaints about unwanted e-mails would help him earn a fortune."

Former presidents of Peru and Ecuador shared fortune teller - May 26, 2004

CNN.com - She was off by a day: "LIMA, Peru (AP) -- Former president Alberto Fujimori and his Ecuadorean counterpart Jamil Mahuad both saw their terms cut short amid turmoil about three years ago. A new video shows they had something else in common -- a mysterious soothsayer to advise them...It was unclear what tips the fortune teller gave Mahuad, now a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government."

Behind the scenes of 'Wheel of Fortune'

KATU 2 - Portland, Oregon: "Vanna and Pat's interaction with the audience, touching the screens and spinning the wheel has put the show in the captain's seat of television game shows. It is the number one show in the history of syndicated television."

2 fall prey to healer, fortune teller ruses - MAY 27, 2004

Elderly women cheated out of savings and jewellery with tales of black magic and appeasing spirits
"Police spokesman Karen Chen said: 'The elderly should be wary of strangers who try to be too friendly. Do not fall for anything that sounds too good to be true, such as fortune-telling, magic talismans that can cure illnesses, or any get-rich-quick schemes.'"

Fortune teller told Peru's Fujimori to flee. 27/05/2004. ABC News Online

Fortune teller told Peru's Fujimori to flee. 27/05/2004. ABC News Online: "A videotape has come to light showing a fortune teller telling Peru's disgraced ex-president Alberto Fujimori to flee in 2000 and warning him of the huge corruption scandal that caused his government to collapse."

Forbes.com: Yahoo adds anti-spyware feature to browser toolbar

Forbes.com: Yahoo adds anti-spyware feature to browser toolbar: "Anti-Spy for the Yahoo! Toolbar, which is being released as a beta, or test, version, allows users to identify potentially unwanted software that creeps into personal computers. "

Mirror.co.uk - WHY DO STARS PUT THEIR FAITH IN KABBALAH?

Mirror.co.uk - WHY DO STARS PUT THEIR FAITH IN KABBALAH?
"Kabbalah, described as 'a divine system of wisdom', is believed to have been passed by God to Abraham and to Moses.
Rabbi Solomon describes it as the spiritual laws of creation, 'like the DNA of the cosmos', but there's nothing very mystical or esoteric about Rabbi Solomon's presentation on his flip-chart.
The word Kabbalah is Hebrew for 'receive' and it's this 'gimme gimme' aspect that he decides to focus on: 'The creator wants you to have everything you want.'

Later, browsing the Kabbalah Centre's online store, it's the same story. One book, The 72 Names Of God, promises that by meditating on the appropriate name, you'll be able to 'bring more money into your life, ignite sexual energy and passion, meet your true soulmate and radiate beauty to all who see you.'"

CRAZY FOR KABBALAH

New York Post Online Edition: entertainment: "Kabbalah is based on the Zohar, a 23-volume set of books on Jewish mysticism written 3,800 years ago, entirely in Mel Gibson's native Aramaic.

Its numerology and symbology promise the secret to consciousness-raising powers.

And here's the best part for non-Jewish celebs: the center claims that merely scanning the Zohar will cause its magic to rub off; you don't even have to know how to read the Hebrew letters."

Focus: Mysterious, lucrative, cool. So what is the secret of Kabbalah?

News: Celebrity and mysticism: "If you strip away the colourfully Baroque cosmology of the movement, the Kabbalah is an ancient and profound form of personality typing, arising out of the Image of God. This may seem presumptuous, but the Jewish Torah describes God's features and emotions in very human terms, and the Kabbalah continues this tradition.

Its guiding principle, therefore, is that the Unknowable God has made himself known by revealing himself in 10 different manifestations. Each of these manifestations or Sefirot corresponds to a particular human personality type. And so it is that all Kabbalists, as they reflect on their character, the light and the shadow, can find themselves in the divine form. In themselves, they represent a particular truth about God, and are thus part of the image of God."

Perspectives & Forecasts

Perspectives & Forecasts from The Herman Group where you can read about:

We are trapped in an era of escalating change

The past is behind us

Corporate size no longer equals corporate power

Unprecedented churning in labor marketplace will be disruptive

Corporate loyalty is dead

Workers will take control of their own careers

Read about those topics and more! Take the Questionnaire for The Future

What words and where? Applying usability testing techniques to name a new live reference service

What words and where? Applying usability testing techniques to name a new live reference service
"Using a user-centered design methodology has helped to ensure that the new live reference service is visible and used. Because of the testing, we are confident that the level of use is not impeded by the name or the graphic design. Many of this study's findings echoed the findings of the National Cancer Institute: graphics should be chosen by users; banner graphics are ignored by users; Web designers must make it clear where to click; and they must place the link to the service in a prominent location like the center of the screen. Text links worked better than graphic links. Even our graphical links were designed to look like text with a clickable button."

CCS Your Way to Learner Control

CCS Your Way to Learner Control

"Cascading style sheets enable HTML authors to change the default specifications in a style sheet rather than in HTML code, so that new style rules may be applied to all instances of a specified HTML context in a site. This is similar to functionality of custom styles in MSWord documents. A CSS-enabled Website that’s thoughtfully designed allows the developer direct, immediate, and global control over all major formatting elements."

Inflation is predicted

STLtoday - Business - Story: "WASHINGTON - Fueled by rising energy prices and a rebounding economy, inflation will pick up more this year than previously believed, says a group of forecasters.

In its latest outlook, the National Association for Business Economics estimated that inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, will rise by 2.5 percent in 2004. The index is the government's most closely watched inflation gauge. "

EXCLUSIVE: Madonna's Israel Dream

Totally Jewish - News Channel
Madonna's spiritual beliefs and practices follow the mystical Kabbalah and she would love to perform in Israel; but due to the situation there at this time, it would be wise for Madonna to postpone her concert.

“Perception of Space” at Boijmans Van Beuningen

ROTTERDAM.- Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen presents “Perception of Space,” on view through August 1, 2004. : "Not only the phenomenological or optical perception of space plays a part, but the mental and physical sensation of it just as much. The artists play a deliberate game with the parameters of perception through a strong interest in optical phenomena and different modes of consciousness. "

Artdaily.com - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

Artdaily.com - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

The Mythology of the Constellations

The Mythology of the Constellations: "Most ancient cultures saw pictures in the stars of the night sky. The earliest known efforts to catalogue the stars date to cuneiform texts and artifacts dating back roughly 6000 years. These remnants, found in the valley of the Euphrates River, suggest that the ancients observing the heavens saw the lion, the bull, and the scorpion in the stars. The constellations as we know them today are undoubtedly very different from those first few--our night sky is a compendium of images from a number of different societies, both ancient and modern. By far, though, we owe the greatest debt to the mythology of the ancient Greeks and Romans. "

bubblegeneration - strategy, business models and technology

bubblegeneration - strategy, business models and technology: "If this is a multiplayer game, the really important bit is coordination. But coordination takes (a lot) of time, effort, and usually, money - there are significant costs to coordination. Now, for fanatics, as we've noted, opportunity costs are really low - so the opportunity cost of coordination is similarly low. But for the average person, the opportunity cost of coordination is really high - they've got lives to live. That means, in an extreme case, coordination failure: average people will fail to coordinate among themselves and influence the outcome of the 'democratic' process."

Sprint RFID Loyalty Card Triggers Minority Report-Style Ads: Science Fiction in the News

Sprint RFID Loyalty Card Triggers Minority Report-Style Ads: Science Fiction in the News: "Sprint has developed two RFID applications based on customer loyalty cards that can identify a customer as he or she walks through a store. If the customer is within eight feet of an RFID card reader, the application triggers the appearance of a customized computer avatar on a nearby screen. "

Smile, you're online | The Register

Smile, you're online | The Register: "Draw the curtains, find your loose change and perfect that pout. Normally the domain of snogging couples, there is a plan afoot to transform the humble photo-booth into the next Web environ. Brits will be able to surf the Net or send email from the cabins by the end of this year. "

Forbes.com: Unoutsourcing

Forbes.com: Unoutsourcing: "Dell moved product support for business accounts from India back to the U.S. It seems some customers were not happy with the prior arrangement."

Bringing call centers back to the U.S.....

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | English bishops soften Vatican's moral line

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | English bishops soften Vatican's moral line: "The Catholic Church in England and Wales will today soften the harsh moralistic language of the Vatican in setting out its most comprehensive moral guidelines for many years to the faithful on how they should live their lives. "

Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Hell is 57 varieties

Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Hell is 57 varieties: "Economists have long realised that the perfectly rational utility maximiser only exists in theory. The Nobel laureate Herbert Simon said any firm that tried to make decisions that would maximise its returns would bankrupt itself in a never-ending search for the best option. Instead, they 'satisfice', which means they content themselves with results that are 'good enough'. In business, it's not the utility maximiser who is prized but the decision maker. In this context, to be a good decision maker does not mean that you make good decisions, just that you make a decision. "

A witty article about the paradox of choice.

Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | The ethics of happiness

Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | The ethics of happiness: "The structure of Cherishing Life is inspired by the prophet Micah's appeal that we should 'love tenderly, act justly, walk humbly with our God'. The opening section, Walking Humbly, underlines how vital it is to place our relationship with God at the centre of our striving to live moral lives. He is both our inspiration and the source of compassion, forgiveness and renewed strength to which we return in our moments of weakness. "

Spybot Help - hosted by TomCoyote

Spybot Help - hosted by TomCoyote
How To Install Spybot Search and Destroy & tutorial

SpywareInfo :? Prevent Browser Hijacking

SpywareInfo :? Prevent Browser Hijacking

This author suggests that you use a different browser such as Mozilla, Firefox or Opera. Read the entire article for excellent tips.
Update your browser and operating system.
Replace Microsoft Java VM with Sun Java. You can download that from http://www.java.com/.

SWI Forums -> How to remove spyware or a hijacker

SWI Forums -> How to remove spyware or a hijacker

Read this forum's hijack faqs

SpywareInfo :? CWS Trojan

SpywareInfo :? CWS Trojan

Good article

Island Packet Online: Some flowers are a garden treat that are great to eat

Island Packet Online: Some flowers are a garden treat that are great to eat: "The sweet and peppery flavor of nasturtiums makes vinegar that is colorful as well as flavorful. Add the flowers to a good white wine vinegar and let it sit in the dark for several weeks. Strain the flowers out and pour the vinegar into a clean glass bottle. It can be used to make salad dressings or marinades. You also can make a unique martini by steeping vodka with nasturtiums.
Pansies have a mild wintergreen flavor. They make elegant hors d'oeuvres -- spread cream cheese on a plain cracker and top it with a whole pansy flower. The smaller flower of Johnny-Jump-Ups can be set on top of a pat of butter and frozen for use at dinner parties."

A kaleidoscope of colour and a festival of flowers - Arts - www.smh.com.au

A kaleidoscope of colour and a festival of flowers - Arts - www.smh.com.au: "A year ago Paul Spencer found inspiration for his paintings of plants in his backyard. This time the Melbourne painter's large-scale oil on linen works find their stimulus in more exotic species, many of which were possibly gathered from the ocean floor or rare specimens in a botanic gardens hothouse."

Shrek 2 Sets Record

TEEN HOLLYWOOD.COM - Hang out with the stars!: "Features"

"Animated sequel Shrek 2 has taken more than $11.8 million on its first day of release, smashing American box office records."

Working with Internet Explorer 6 Security Settings

Working with Internet Explorer 6 Security Settings

"Internet Explorer also offers three other zones, including Trusted and Restricted zones, to which you can assign Web sites that you trust completely or that arouse your suspicion. You can add sites you trust, like Windows Update—where you can download the latest security updates for your computer or operating system—to the Trusted sites zone."

CoolWWW - The Scream! Discussion Forum

CoolWWW - The Scream! Discussion Forum

Coolwww is driving Rhianna nuts! So now, knowledge about spyware will be passed on to you...

starting IE, home page is always www.coolsearch.com/etc...

starting IE, home page is always www.coolsearch.com/etc...

Delete REG33.EXE to get rid of Coolsearch

Update: At that time, so much spyware was coming at the computer and the above instruction was suggested by the forum at nocrash.com that Rhianna, frantic at the time, deleted REG33.EXE but it did not get rid of Coolsearch, or at least entirely.

For a more complete analysis, read:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?showtopic=227

What Is She Thinking About During Sex?

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "BERLIN (Reuters) - Women watching erotic films are stimulated in a part of the brain associated with planning and emotion, research from scientists in Germany said Friday. "

Experts predict increased '04 travel - 2004-05-20 - South Florida Business Journal

6 of Wands: rising gas prices won't stop travel: "Crediting a surge in consumer travel and travel planning, the Travel Industry Association of America has predicted a 6 percent growth in travel this year over last. "

The Tarot card, The 6 of Wands brings forth the obstacle(s) up front and yet declares that victory over the obstacle(s) is possible. Rising gas prices pose an obstacle for everyone, and yet there will be a way to carry on and advance in spite of the obstacle(s). In your daily life, don't let obstacles get you down. To overcome an obstacle is a taste of sweet success.

nbc6.net - News - Radar Research Soon May Predict Riptides

nbc6.net - News - Radar Research Soon May Predict Riptides: "Researchers say the new technology will not only be able to spot rip currents, but also beach pollution and boating conditions. It's about technology saving lives...this information will soon be available at http://www.iwave.rsmas.miami.edu/hf_radar/"

Meteorologists predict heavy hurricane season (HamptonRoads.com/Pilot Online)

Hurricane season about to begin could be formidable--so be prepared: "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists believe there will be 12 to 15 tropical storms, with six to eight of those becoming hurricanes with sustained winds of 74 mph or higher.
Of those hurricanes, they fear two to four will become major storms with winds of 110 mph or higher. "

More types of jobs to move offshore, analysts predict

More types of jobs to move offshore, analysts predict: "Forrester Research Inc. said it expects 1.6 million office jobs to have moved to India and other countries by the year 2015 because of big companies' push for cost savings and a boom in overseas companies offering such services. About 542,000 computer jobs are next on the list, followed by 356,000 business and 259,000 management jobs, Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester estimated."

CATHOLIC CONVICTION: BISHOP MICHAEL SHERIDAN: NO COMMUNION FOR ANY CATHOLIC SUPPORTING IMMORALITY By J. Grant Swank, Jr. posted May 17, 2004, 11:08

Charlotte Observer | 05/17/2004 | Nasty adware haunts a PC

Charlotte Observer | 05/17/2004 | Nasty adware haunts a PC

"Download the latest definitions files for Spybot and Ad-aware and keep your fingers crossed. If that doesn't work, go to www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html for a copy of CWShredder and the latest info on removal."

Viruses, anti-viruses, events, facts and commentary

Viruses, anti-viruses, events, facts and commentary

Kaspersky Labs - antivirus protection - protect your cyberspace

Kaspersky Labs - antivirus protection - protect your cyberspace
Info about Viruses, hackers, spam; has virus encyclospedia, downloads, removal tools etc...

Attack spyware with 2-punch approach

Attack spyware with 2-punch approach: "To remove spyware from your computer, I recommend either Ad-Aware or Spybot. Both are available in free versions and both do a good job. Ad-Aware has been around longer; Spybot (also called 'Spybot Search & Destroy') seems to have a more enthusiastic support team.

Install Script Sentry, a free program that cures one of the worst security flaws in Windows. On its own, Windows allows Web sites and e-mail messages to plant small programs on your system. These scripts can allow viruses or spyware into your computer. Get Script Sentry from www.jasons-toolbox.com. "

The above two are excellent tips. Read the rest of this helpful article!

Students hear Greenspan speak on career path

Students hear Greenspan speak on career path: "Greenspan stressed that in today's workplace it is important to keep refreshing and adding skills and that education can be a lifetime pursuit."

Greenspan Speak

American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: "Just imagine the outcry from Greenspan, Wall Street, and the Republican Party if these deficits had been the result of social spending rather than tax cuts for America's wealthiest. For half of the cost of the projected deficits - $200 billion a year - we could have universal, high-quality child care and health insurance for all Americans. Think of that."

Rebecca St. James, Grammy winner with a message

Entertainment News Article | Reuters.com
Rebecca's message is that true love waits.

Avril Goes Back To Basics

BILLBOARD
Avril gave free shows in 21 malls in the U.S. and 3 in Canada.
Good luck, Avril, with your new album!

Pro-life symbol to be made saint by Pope

Pro-life symbol to be made saint by Pope
Sun 16 May, 2004 05:03
Pope John Paul will canonize people today. The six people come from different classes and cultures; this fact highlights that anyone can lead a holy life. Among those who will be canonized are: Nimatullah Al-Hardini , a Lebanese monk who cared for Muslims and Christians,
Luigi Orione , and Gianna Beretta Molla , an Italian physician who while pregnant with her fourth child, underwent surgery for a life threatening ovarian cyst but refused to abort her baby.

Cuba Holds Massive March to Protest U.S.

ABCNEWS.com : Cuba Holds Massive March to Protest U.S.

"HAVANA May 14, 2004 — The communist government summoned hundreds of thousands of Cubans to participate in a massive demonstration on Friday morning to protest new U.S. measures aimed at squeezing the island's economy and pushing out President Fidel Castro."

Fuel protest fears as oil prices hit new high

Rising oil prices have left their mark on world markets : " Oil prices climbed to their highest level in 21 years today as dealers fretted over a security breakdown in the Middle East.
Markets watched as the cost of a barrel of crude reached 41.50 US dollars in New York - higher than the level at any time during the Gulf War in 1990.
The upward surge was sparked by fears that oil installations in Saudi Arabia and Iraq were being lined up as targets by Islamic militants. "

Robots to Replace Researchers in Underwater Monitoring

Underwater robots to watch for sabotage

: "OTISCO LAKE, N.Y. - A network of underwater robots beaming up a near real-time environmental profile of lakes, rivers and reservoirs could soon be on the prowl, helping safeguard the nation's drinking water from sabotage.
The robots would replace researchers who painstakingly collect water samples in bottles and take them back to a laboratory for analysis, an expensive, time-consuming and sometimes dangerous practice."

Cannes wine documentary is a thriller

Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "CANNES, France (Reuters) - Boardroom battles, warring dynasties and death threats. According to documentary maker Jonathan Nossiter, these are just some of the ingredients that go into the making of the world's finest tipples."

This documentary explores traditions of independent winemakers and the current struggle for their survival against multinationals.

Trojan war shows Bush and Blair's Achilles' heel say actors who see a modern-day similarity

Trojan war shows Bush and Blair's Achilles' heel say actors who see a modern-day similarity
: "The epic Greek story in the Hollywood movie Troy of bloodthirsty, power-seeking rulers laying ruin to a city has clear parallels with modern British and American leaders and the war in Iraq, the film's stars, Brad Pitt and Saffron Burrows, said yesterday."

Gas Prices Mute America's Love for Big SUVs

Reuters Recommends News Article | Reuters.com: "The recent rise in U.S. gasoline prices to record levels has Americans shopping for more fuel-efficient cars, and has at least dampened their love for SUVs which some consider the biggest gas guzzlers in suburbia. "

Yahoo boosts free e-mail storage to 100MB | CNET News.com

Yahoo boosts free e-mail storage to 100MB | CNET News.com: "Web portal Yahoo will begin offering 'virtually unlimited storage' for its paid e-mail customers and will upgrade free users to 100MB, an executive said Thursday. "

Search engines take the stand | CNET News.com

Search engines take the stand | CNET News.com: "In the United States and abroad, judges are turning to search engines such as Google to check facts, to look up information about companies embroiled in litigation, and to challenge statistics presented by attorneys in court. Dozens of judges have penned opinions describing Google as a valuable--and sometimes crucial--source of knowledge. "

Anchorage Daily News | Expert: Mexico UFOs may have been atmospheric gas

Anchorage Daily News | Expert: Mexico UFOs may have been atmospheric gas: "MEXICO CITY (May 13, 5:02 pm ADT) - A series of brightly lit, rapidly moving objects filmed in the skies over Mexico could have been caused by a scientific phenomenon involving gases in the atmosphere, a scientist said Thursday.
Visible only with infrared equipment, the hauntingly fast-moving lights were captured by air force cameras on March 5 but made public only this week, sparking rampant speculation they were flying saucers."

Spyware: A Thigh on the Desktop--Wednesday Matinee

This morning as Rhianna connected to the Internet to read & write e-mail and to check some www sites, the desktop of Rhianna's WIN 98 computer displayed a new edition: an icon of a woman's thigh. The icon said, "movietrading1" or something to that effect. That had to be removed! Rhianna's machine had traces of many different spyware programs entrenched in her WIN 98 computer. Among those were: CDilla, Belgiandip, Coolwww, and nCase. At one point Rhianna could not type urls into the browser address bar of her Internet Explorer. At another point, Rhianna could not type while connected to the Internet in any installed program in her machine. Extremely annoyed (frantic is not the term here), Rhianna--I've tried to type this story 10 times tonight, but must continue later---Rhianna needs her beauty sleep...Internet Explorer repeatedly closed unexpectedly as this message was being typed. It is too late to re-cap all the details. Something must be done about the censorship of this malicious spyware.

Hercules--the Constellation

Hercules:
"Hercules is the hero who performed twelve labors of heroic proportion. Stretching from just west of the head of Ophiuchus to Draco, its eastern border on the Milky Way, is one of the oldest sky figures, although not know to the first Greek astronomers under that name. Hercules, whose name, perhaps, means 'glory of the air', known to the first Greek astronomers under the name Eudoxos, Bending on his Knees; the Kneeling One, and the Phantom, while Manilius described in the Phenomena..." which leads to an aspect of Hercules some are not as familiar with.

Brad and Jennifer 'trying for baby'

Ananova - Brad and Jennifer 'trying for baby': "Movie star Brad Pitt has confirmed that he and his wife Jennifer Aniston are trying for a baby, saying: 'We've been in rehearsals long enough'."

Janet brings US government into 'Nipplegate'

Ananova - Janet brings US government into 'Nipplegate': "Janet Jackson has accused the US government of using the 'Nipplegate' affair to deflect the public's attention from criticism over its foreign policy."

Do It for Your Country

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian couples owe it to their country to have more children and should get on with the job, the nation's treasurer said on Tuesday. "

Boys Prefer Video Games to Toys

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "Toy categories, like action figures and building sets, were most affected by the increased tendency among boys to play virtual games than real games. "

Remember when "Pong" was the coolest video game?
Remember Space Invaders, Asteroids & Pac-Man?

Kate Beckinsale a bride

Beckinsale a bride - Film - www.smh.com.au: "Actress Kate Beckinsale and Underworld director Len Wiseman were married in a small weekend ceremony at the lush Bel-Air Hotel in Los Angeles."

Lopez 'engaged again'

Lopez 'engaged again' - Entertainment - www.smh.com.au

Is a marriage in the stars for Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony?
rings & things...

Zodiac launches redesigned Web site

Boating Industry: Article Detail

"STEVENSVILLE, Md. – Inflatable boat manufacturer Zodiac of North America recently launched a redesigned Web site, at www.zodiacmarineusa.com, to allow consumers to learn more about its products, and to provide detailed product descriptions, specifications and photographs, as well as links to other Zodiac sites, the company said in a recent release."

Macworld UK - Raskin: Telepathic computers 'possible'

Macworld UK - Raskin: Telepathic computers 'possible': "The original project-leader on Apple's Macintosh Jef Raskin believes that one day, computer users will have 'direct mind input' to their machines.
He told his local paper, the Pacifica Tribune all about it: 'We will see a change to simplicity,' he says. 'People are too fed up with the complexity of computers. And I predict we will see more wearable, head-mounted displays. We will eventually have direct mind input; we could do it now.'"

Ice Cream Prices May Cause'Licker Shock'

1010wins.com: "A combination of political unrest and natural disasters overseas, and fluctuations in the dairy industry in this country has left ice cream manufacturers grappling with higher prices for key ingredients including milk, vanilla and cocoa."

U.S. stocks end at 2004 lows on rate-hike fears

Forbes.com: U.S. stocks end at 2004 lows on rate-hike fears: "NEW YORK, May 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell for the third straight session on Monday, ending at their lows for the year and pushing the blue-chip Dow below the psychologically key 10,000 level for the first time since December on fears the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as early as June. "

Vamping it up

MegaStar - Vamping it up: "Who said vampire films are a bit naff? Well, clearly not the Americans, who've sent the action-packed Van Helsing to the top slot, grossing $54m this weekend.
Fangs for the memories, no one cried!"

Chaos: The Tarot of Temblors || kuro5hin.org

Chaos: The Tarot of Temblors || kuro5hin.org: "Keilis-Borok has received a lot of attention in the press, with all of the sensationalism and doomsaying that you might expect, but not much detail. His technique for making these predictions is usually described with a paragraph or two, as being based on identifying patterns of small tremors, with an occasional short reference to something called 'chaos theory'."


Vladimir I. Keilis-Borok

Earthquake prediction

Chaos Theory
a butterly that flaps its wings ...

Fractal Geometry

Truth Media - www.truth-media.org - U.S. Preparing For Military Draft in Spring of 2005

Truth Media - www.truth-media.org - U.S. Preparing For Military Draft in Spring of 2005

If re-elected, President George W. Bush very likely will reinstate the military draft sometime next spring.

"Legislation is already on the table in both the House and the Senate, in the form of twin bills S 89 and HR 163, "in order to staff up for a protracted war on terrorism," writes Adam Stutz, from Project Censored. Meanwhile, the Selective Service System has received an extra $28 million in funds for this year's budget to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide."

The problem of military conscription might not be solved if Bush were defeated. Kerry is gifted in doublespeak as well.
Read Rick Jahnkow's well organized article about how Kerry or any politician could lead us into a conscription quagmire:

With Kerry as President, Our Work Would Be Just as Urgent
"Besides the fact that Kerry advocates enlarging the military (imagine spending more on war making than we already are!) and supports continuing the occupation of Iraq, Kerry has a plan for national service that could be an intermediate step in the direction of mandatory civilian/military service."

Bowie + Ozzy To Play Zombie Rockers?

George A. Romero is creating Diamond Dead

"Diamond Dead" is a new horror musical create by George A. Romero and composer Richard Hartley.
Will Bowie, Ozzy or Manson star in this new project?

Eckart presents new range of pearl and metallic pigments for cosmetics

Cosmetics Design - Breaking News on Formulation, Packaging & Markets

"The company’s expanded range of Prestige products, which now comes in 38 colours, has been developed with three themes in mind. The company said the coloured pigments they refer to as ‘jewels’: “owe their striking fashionable effects to a combination of pearlescent and colour effects by use of different colourants. Their ‘Northern Lights’ range are reminiscent of the natural phenomenon with their sparkling, transparent and saturated colours, while their unique gold combination pigments are launched within the ‘Fire’ scheme. A three-dimensional transparent lustre and eye-catching colours can be developed based on the sandwich structure of titanium dioxide and iron oxide coated mica, they explained."

US drugstore chain CVS introduces beauty and skin care counters

Cosmetics Design - Breaking News on Formulation, Packaging & Markets: "CVS, the US' largest chain of drugstores, is copying department stores and adding beauty and skin care centres staffed by consultants trained to analyse skin types and recommend a specific skin care line, writes Louise Sheridan.

Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS announced its acquisition of the Eckerd chain recently, which will enchance its presence in Florida and Texas, in a deal that will see its store count rise to 5,000 in 36 states, making it the largest chain in the US."

"Groovy": Microsoft setzt mit neuer Maus voll auf die coolen 70er!

NETWORLD

Remember the groovy 70s when the Tune-a-Loop radio was the rage? Rhianna remembers her family had a red one that you could twist into a groovy shape; it only had AM radio reception, FM had yet to catch on. The Tune-a-loop was way cool.
Now Microsoft sets out to be groovy with with its new mouse-collection. The new type of mouse will combine ergonomics and groovy, modern designs.

Queen thinks Kingston's Value RAM is groovy

BlogPulse [BETA]: Automated Trend Discovery for Weblogs

Reuters RSS

Latest News and Financial Information | Reuters.com

ABCNEWS.com : Germans Arrest Teen 'Sasser' Worm Suspect

ABCNEWS.com : Germans Arrest Teen 'Sasser' Worm Suspect

"BERLIN May 8, 2004 — German authorities have arrested an 18-year-old high school student suspected of creating the "Sasser" computer worm, which infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide, an official said Saturday."

Colorado State Collegian - Astrology: A question in the stars

Colorado State Collegian - Astrology: A question in the stars: "For thousands of years, those curious people having been turning to the stars for answers about their love lives, careers, money or for a quick glimpse into the future. Some seek true guidance and understanding of their lives, while others turn to the stars for entertainment purposes or a good laugh. Whatever the reason, it is a known fact that most human beings have been obsessed, or at the very least curious, about what their horoscopes may reveal."

Univs can teach astrology: SC : HindustanTimes.com

Univs can teach astrology: SC : HindustanTimes.com: "The UGC contended that Vedic astrology was part of the Indian culture and heritage and that it formed an important part of the country's traditional science."

The CGI Resource Index

The CGI Resource Index

FAQ about host & CGI

What should I ask my web hosting provider before trying to set up a CGI script?

How to make one window's curtains fit four smaller ones

Alameda Times-Star Online - Bay Area Living
Genuine silk draperies and mahogony poles are expensive, so if you have the perfect combination of draperies, duvet, bed skirt, shams, and throw pillows for your home but then changes of fortune prompt you to relocate, how do you keep the look when the new home has different window measurements? Read the article to see how Toni Berry of Marie Antoinette Custom Home Interiors, California accomplished this beautifully.

Bead bazaar touted as bigger and better

Contra Costa Times | 04/30/2004 | Bead bazaar touted as bigger and better: "The Northern California Bead Society is expanding its annual bead bazaar. The spring show, which is Saturday at the Oakland Marriott City Center, will have more than 100 vendors displaying contemporary and collectible beads, buttons and baubles."

Beads: beauty in numbers

Rocky Mountain News: Home & Garden: "A single seed bead is mighty tiny. But when a handful of them are crafted into a basket or a lampshade, they unite and add a little sparkle to a room.
'Something glitzy makes people feel better,' says interior designer Mena Moran of Denver. 'By adding a beaded edging down a curtain or a beaded picture frame on a desk, it gives you that pep and surprise that interiors ought to have.' "

Oldest-Known Shell Beads Found In South Africa Show Modern Human Behaviour

Oldest-Known Shell Beads Found In South Africa Show Modern Human Behaviour

The link between beads and communication is scientific!

"It is believed that full syntactical language is a requisite to share and transmit the symbolic meaning of beadworks and abstract engravings such as those at Blombos Cave. Last year, the same cave also yielded two pieces of 77,000-year-old ochre cut with abstract patterns.

The team’s work is part of a European Science Foundation EUROCORES programme, Origin of Man, Language and Languages, the largest interdisciplinary effort in Europe to study language and its development. The work was also funded by the National Science Foundation (US), the South African National Research Foundation, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), the University of Bergen (Norway), the Anglo-Americans Chairman’s Fund and the British Council."

Figure out your decorating style

The Daily Camera: Home And Garden: "'Romantic' decorating provides a new, fresh twist on more traditional elements, creating rooms that are comfortable and beautiful. 'Adventurous' expresses an appreciation of different cultures and artifacts, combining elements to create an eclectic look. And the 'serene' style seeks to create a harmonious, quiet oasis. "

What's your decorating style? You can take the quiz at http://tinyurl.com/2jnr6

What meal is your room? Recipes for decorating your home

Alameda Times-Star Online - Bay Area Living
Each rooom has a flavor of its own; think of using flavors when you decorate.
This article suggest ways to decorate the rooms of your home with pizzaz.

Consider & take action

Journal Gazette | 05/02/2004 | Note to pack rats: Use it or lose it

"Well, here’s the biggest solution to most peoples decorating problems: You have too much stuff.
Spring is the season to purge, of taking out the old and, hopefully, not bringing in the new. My motto is: If you haven’t used it or looked at it for at least a year, it’s gone.
But if you don’t use it, donate it, sell it, pitch it, burn it. It will only sit there waiting for you to make a decision. It won’t get rid of itself."

Matt Fox claims that his Mother won't throw anything away. Is she right or is he right?

IT Jobs Decline Slightly In April

Networking Pipeline | News | IT Jobs Decline Slightly In April: "Non-farm employment rose 288,000 in April, but one category of IT jobs wasn't part of that growth, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The category known as computer systems design and related services lost 3,900 jobs last month, falling to just under 1.099 million workers. The computer systems design category includes IT consultancies and separate IT subsidiaries of large companies. "

Sasser Worm Impacted Businesses Around the World

Networking Pipeline | News | Sasser Worm Impacted Businesses Around the World: "Delta Airlines, American Express, Associated Press, two major universities, and a leading hospital were among Sasser's victims."

Sasser, Netsky Work Of Same Hacker > May 7, 2004

Internet Week > Security > Symantec: Sasser, Netsky Work Of Same Hacker > May 7, 2004: "After analyzing Netsky.ac and Sasser, Symantec researchers Friday concluded that it was almost certain the worms were written by the same hacker(s). "

beSpacific

beSpacific

Digitizing groovy records

Digitizing groovy records: "Library of Congress officials have turned to scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for a way to preserve thousands of recordings on grooved media that fill the library's archives."

El Museo del Prado exhibirá durante un año un retrato de Botticelli

:: Actualidad ::: "El Museo del Prado exhibirá durante un año un retrato del artista italiano Sandro Botticelli, que ha sido cedido en depósito temporal por la familia Guardans-Cambó, heredera del político catalán Francisco Cambó, autor de una de las donaciones más importantes que ha recibido este museo a lo largo de su historia. "

Guardian Unlimited | Arts critics | The sword in the sky

Guardian Unlimited | Arts critics | The sword in the sky: "The two men in Sandro Botticelli's life could not have been more different. One was a collector of rare gems, a lover and a poet. The other was a prophet best remembered for consigning vanities to the fire.
Botticelli - the nickname of Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi (c1445-1510) - lived in the shadow of these two charismatic figures, whose names form the subtitle of the exhibition dedicated to the sublime painter at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris: Botticelli: From Lorenzo the Magnificent to Savonarola."

Portrait of a Young Man, Botticelli (c1480-5)

Guardian Unlimited | Arts features | Portrait of a Young Man, Botticelli (c1480-5): "Today we're right to recognise Botticelli as the essence of the Florentine Renaissance...Botticelli had patrons in the highest circles; his paintings allude to neo-Platonist theories circulating at the Medici court...Botticelli's late works, such as his Mystic Nativity (1500) in the National Gallery, and his unforgettable illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy, revert to an intense late medieval spirituality."

Botticelli was revolutionary during his time in his painting of the portrait.

You can see Portrait of a Young Man at National Gallery, London WC2 (020-7747 2885).

Prepare Breakfast in bed for Mother's Day

ABCNEWS.com : Recipe: Emeril's Breakfast in Bed Recipe
This article has recipes for Ham and Cheese Omelets with Potato Hash, Blueberry Muffins and Breakfast Smoothies

Natural Blue Roses May Be Within Reach

ABCNEWS.com : Natural Blue Roses May Be Within Reach: "Scientists Say They're Close to Creating the Blue Rose"

Where does all this spam come from?

Michael Ketchel discusses spam
There are many ways for spammers to thrust their spam upon you. Some businesses are professional spammers. There are many methods and tactics to flood the recipient. This is good background information.

China wages war against spam

80 million Internet users in China are annoyed by junk e-mail.


Spam has become a problem in China. It is interesting to note that the expansion of broadband
has increased spam (this has implcations for everyone):

"'The boom of broadband service has partly boosted the proliferation of spam,' Huang said.
The increased bandwidth has enabled spammers to send more junk e-mail, he explained."

Charging for e-mail will only compound problems. Remember during the late 70s when cable television was being proposed? Remember the great promise of watching television shows without the ads? What happened? Now on cable TV, the ads have tripled. Placing a charge on e-mail won't diminish the spam just like charging postage doesn't stop the darn clutter in one's snail mailbox. Spammers will probably benefit from bulk postage too.

Just a thought on the broadband: think in terms of demographics, if the majority of people connect to the Internet in cable or DSL, spam will cluster and multiply--it will be easier for spammers to glut you with spam. Not only that, if you have a broadband connection, the ads for enlarging you know what might be coupled with a mini movie for you to watch.

Humorix | Microsoft Unveils "Perfect" Anti-Spam System

James Baughn predicts Microsoft's Win MT: "Microsoft demonstrated the new patent-pending system last week at AssimilCon '04 in Redmond ('The Premier Convention For Members of the Microsoft Collective'). During one demo, the presenter logged in to his online banking site with Internet Explorer and then Clippit appeared and said, 'I see your bank account is running low. Would you like to apply for a low-interest loan from FlyByNightLoans2004.com?' "

ivarch.com: Quick Spam Filter

ivarch.com: Quick Spam Filter

Wonder if a spam blocker written in open source software could really work?
Looks rather complicated but hey, it's an option against spam, right?

beSpacific: Survey Reports Rising Concern With E-Mail Fraud

beSpacific: Survey Reports Rising Concern With E-Mail Fraud

According to a survey, people are wary about responding to e-mail communications from banks due to the phishing threat. Some people are questioning if it is worthwhile to use online services from their banks.
See the comment from beSpacific for more information.

"E-mail worth its weight when pigs fly" By Dave Perry

Aurora Daily Sun & Sentinel Online: "Deja vu hit like a ton of pig feed last night while I was scrolling through the mountain of titillating spam that clogs my e-mail box...E-mail filters don’t work anymore. I am awash in gratuitously salty advertisements for guaranteed bigger genitals, bigger breasts, bigger loans and bigger salaries. Because my e-mail address is posted on the Internet and within easy grasp of computers that troll the web looking for such things, I sift through upwards of 1,000 pieces of e-mail a day..."

China Shuts More Than 8,600 Internet Cafes

China Shuts More Than 8,600 Internet Cafes: "BEIJING (AP) - China has shut down more than 8,600 Internet cafes since February...China strictly controls information in the nation's media and holds Internet service providers responsible for online content."

NYC Passes Domestic Partner Benefits Bill

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | NYC Passes Domestic Partner Benefits Bill: "NEW YORK (AP) - The City Council approved legislation to require companies that contract with the city to offer domestic partner benefits to employees. "

U.S. job worries over? Tell it to the unemployed

Latest News and Financial Information | Reuters.com: "WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - To hear U.S. President George W. Bush tell it, the long jobs drought is over. Economists, too, have shifted their focus from unemployment to inflation, convinced America's jobless recovery is ending...What's more, many economists believe it may soon become even harder to find work as thousands of young workers return to the hunt after years on the sidelines waiting for the market to improve."

'Van Helsing': NBC's First $200 Million Bust?

'Van Helsing' doesn't capture the vampires or the audience
According to FoxNews.com: "The good news for 'Van Helsing' star Hugh Jackman is that he'll win the Tony Award for 'The Boy From Oz.' The bad news is that first, he will have to endure watching this crazy vampire flick join 'The Alamo' in 2004's Hall of Shame.

Watching 'Van Helsing' last night was like absorbing 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' without the irony. Sommers, who had a big hit remaking 'The Mummy,' has turned the battle between monster hunter Dr. Gabriel Van Helsing and Count Dracula into a camp farce without any fun. You'd almost rather see George Hamilton in 'Love at First Bite' than to have to sit through this grim, extremely loud two-hour calamity."

Stephen Sommers spent about $200 million on this film, but instead of the vampire hunter capturing the audience's interest, this film has already been predicted a flop with its loud, nonstopping soundtrack and little character development. Sommers should ask Mel Gibson for advice on how to make a good movie and rake in the $$

Lo que dice el tarot

La Nueva España: Lo que dice el tarot


" Más bien esto último, porque lo único que sabemos con certeza a esta hora es que la final de la Copa de Europa ha de jugarla un equipo, con la casaca blanca y azul, de una de las dos ciudades ribereñas con el Atlántico que están situadas respectivamente al norte y al sur de Vigo. Lo que vaya a ocurrir es imposible adivinarlo, ni siquiera con la ayuda del tarot de Marsella, que es el que yo uso habitualmente para las prácticas de cartomancia. En situaciones como ésta se echa en falta a don Álvaro Cunqueiro, que lo manejaba divinamente, hasta el punto de que llegó a tener una sección semanal en la prensa para pronosticar los resultados de los equipos gallegos."

~Isidoro Nicieza

E-BaZi launches online fortune telling service

E-BaZi launches online fortune telling service
"Authentic Destiny" is an online fortune telling program at www.adestiny.com based on Chinese fortune telling

CSS -- Styling Text

CSS From the Ground Up - 3

CSS From the Ground Up - 1

CSS From the Ground Up - 1

BBC - Films - Richard Roxburgh

BBC - Films - Richard Roxburgh: "An acclaimed performer on stage and screen in his native country, 42-year-old Roxburgh is now based in the UK. In his latest film, Van Helsing, he portrays Count Dracula."

Le Progrès de Lyon - Sorties / loisirs - Cinéma - LES NOUVEAUTES

Le Progrès de Lyon - Sorties / loisirs - Cinéma - LES NOUVEAUTES: "Illustre assistant du baron Frankenstein dans bon nombre d'adaptations, ce personnage récurrent tient la vedette dans le film dit d'épouvante que signe Stephen Sommers."

3-D TV Is Closer Than You Think

Think flat screen is the latest? 3-D is coming & you won't need the goofy 3-D glassses.

Van Helsing

Van Helsing
Slow motion download

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Stars attend Van Helsing premiere

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Stars attend Van Helsing premiere: "British actress Kate Beckinsale joined the film's lead actor Hugh Jackman at the charity gala screening on Monday. "

How do I protect myself from viruses online?

BBC - Webwise - Ask Bruce - How do I protect myself from viruses online?

"You can download anti-virus software like Kaspersky Anti-Virus Pro and Panda Global Virus Insurance for free, but you should also look out for the free CDs on internet and computer magazines, because they often have free or shareware anti-virus software on them.

If you'd rather fork out for a more deluxe anti-virus software package, then there are others such as Norton's AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan or Virex."

Hunt is on for Sasser worm writer

BBC NEWS | Technology | Hunt is on for Sasser worm writer: "The search has begun for the creators of the Sasser Windows worm that has wrought havoc this week. "

Read about the worm chase.

I'll Have 10,000 Chocolate Bars to Go, Please

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com: "LONDON (Reuters) - A woman with an apparently insatiable sweet tooth stunned staff at a British shop when she bought more than 10,000 chocolate bars and had them loaded into her chauffeur-driven limousine. "

Staff may have to finance own training as offshoring increases

Staff may have to finance own training as offshoring increases: "'The competition for IT skills is increasingly international as a result of more offshore outsourcing,' he said. 'As we seem to be coming out of a recession, you could have expected to see a gradual skills shortage developing in the UK, but that is not happening because many more skills are being found in places such as China and India. It is understandable for companies to look at this option and, unless more is done to help them finance their training, IT workers here will see less invested in their development.'"

Online test helps calculate return on investment from IT training

Online test helps calculate return on investment from IT training: "People can complete an online questionnaire which assesses their skills and produces a barchart highlighting areas of proficiency and areas where further training is recommended.

The training needs analysis is closely aligned with the European computer driving licence qualification and highlights skills gaps in the areas covered by the seven ECDL modules: basic concepts, using the computer and managing files, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, and information and communication."

One county's problems with phantom voters

Scripps Howard News Service: "CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. -- Most election officials are unaware that the computer printouts of registered voters in this affluent suburban county near Philadelphia are bloated with the names of thousands of voters who have died or moved away."

Hear of the phantom bidder? Here's a story of phantom voters.

Images Get Their Own Search Engine

Forbes.com: Images Get Their Own Search Engine
Can a search engine mimic human sight? Read about Pixlogic.

The mystery of mind control

BBC NEWS | Magazine | The mystery of mind control: "Deleting memories is simple with computers, but as the movie Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind shows, it's still - as far as humans are concerned - the stuff of science fiction. Or is it? "

Sasser worm 'spreading rapidly'

BBC NEWS | Technology | Sasser worm 'spreading rapidly': "Sasser, unlike a virus which travels through e-mails and attachments, spreads directly from the internet.
It attacks recent versions of Microsoft's Windows causing the computer to shut down.
The worm exploits a security flaw, but this can be prevented with a Microsoft patch. "

Beware of Sirens

NUDE RUSH CAPSIZES BOAT

"Partygoers in Austin, Texas, appear to have capsized a boat in their bid to catch a glimpse of nude sunbathers."

FARRELL TIPPED AS NEW 007

Who will be 007?: "Colin Farrell is being tipped to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.
The Irish hellraiser has replaced Van Helsing star Hugh Jackman at the top of the list of contenders to take over as 007."

CNN.com - Sasser worm spreading rapidly - May 3, 2004

CNN.com - Sasser worm spreading rapidly - May 3, 2004: "HELSINKI, Finland (Reuters) -- The fast-spreading 'Sasser' computer worm has infected hundreds of thousands of PCs globally and the number could rise sharply, a top computer security official said on Monday."

Noise levels in the capitals clubs are 'damaging'

Exposure [to high decibel noise] can be a problem: "Nightclubs are supposed to be noisy places, ut this research suggests that even those who go clubbing just once a week are putting their hearing at risk. John Low, the Chief Executive of the RNID said: 'Many clubs were over 100 decibels. That's about the same as a pneumatic drill in the street, but quite a number were over 110 decibels which is the sort of noise an aircraft makes when it is taking off and that really is very dangerous.'"
This is a finding from The Royal National Institute for the Deaf, Edinburgh.

Cosmetics the new obsession of Russian women

Lust for beauty and the good life

"Just a generation removed from the time when their mothers and grandmothers resorted to the peasant trick of reddening their cheeks with beets, Russian women today spend twice as much of their income on cosmetics as Western Europeans do - 12 percent of their entire paychecks on average, according to research firm Comcon-Pharma...ranking just behind France, Germany and Britain in total sales, Russia could soon become the European cosmetics capital."

Lashes sparkle cosmetics industry

False eyelashes become a hit again: "False eyelashes became a fashion faux pas in the late 1990s, too flamboyant for the era of the tasteful black dress. But then Jennifer Lopez showed up at the Academy Awards in 2001 wearing fox-fur lashes designed by Shu Uemura, the Japanese makeup baron, and the ornaments roared back. "

Cosmetics firm makes first Brazil listing in 2 yrs

Natura will be trading on Brazil's Novo Mercado: "Natura started out in a small shop in Sao Paulo in 1969. Like British natural beauty products retailer The Body Shop International Plc (BOS), Natura uses natural ingredients grown in an ethical and sustainable way to make cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants and health products."

U.S. job cuts rise 6.1 percent in April - report

Latest News and Financial Information | Reuters.com: "NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) - Layoffs in the United States rose 6.1 percent last month, after falling to their lowest level in nine months in March, a report said on Tuesday, signaling the April payrolls report due Friday may not be as strong as in March."

Who will be like the brave, honest boy who exclaimed "The Emperor Has No Clothes" when Bush extolls economic progress? There hasn't been economic progress since he stepped into office.

Bushspeak: Bush and Orwell

Bushspeak: Bush and Orwell :: Alternative Press Review :: Your Guide Beyond the Mainstream
"In 1946 George Orwell published his essay 'Politics and the English Language.' Orwell's thesis in this essay is at once simple and deep – the decline and corruption of language disguises deceitful and foolish political thinking, and with self-reinforcing circularity poor mental hygiene further debases political discourse leading to a vicious cycle. Rereading Orwell's essay as the Bush administration's rhetoric continues to deceive the American public, alarm our friends and allies, and inflame world opinion against the United States, I couldn't help but wonder how Orwell can help us make sense of, what we might call, Bushspeak...Bush, with his seemingly limitless ability to mangle the English language, may avoid long words but he is adept at exploiting stock phrases and clichés to create the impression he wants. That impression is invariably at odds with his real intentions."

Scary thought: ‘Orwell only 20 years off’

duct tape across protesters’ mouths is quietly disturbing
"Is American society becoming like that of George Orwell’s “1984”? Are we really turning into a society in which “Big Brother” is constantly keeping vigil over us to make sure we don’t do anything too subversive?"

Library Filters By Arlene Sawicki posted May 4, 2004, 09:40

Library Filters By Arlene Sawicki posted May 4, 2004, 09:40

The Coalition on Abortion Breast Cancer

The Coalition on Abortion Breast Cancer

"It cannot be said that all women who have breast cancer have had abortions. Similarly, not all women who have had abortions will get breast cancer. Nevertheless, abortion is the most preventable risk factor for breast cancer."

Expect doubletalk from Bush

Bush campaign tour to tout economic progress

What economic progress?

=DJ Forex Focus: Oil Prices Raise Risks Of Dollar Correction

=DJ Forex Focus: Oil Prices Raise Risks Of Dollar Correction: "LONDON (Dow Jones)--The latest rise in crude oil prices is adding to the dollar's growing downside risks.

Not only do higher oil prices raise deflationary fears because of their damping effect on the economy and reduce the chances of an early rise in U.S. interest rates, but they will suppress portfolio appetite for both bonds and equities, making it that much harder for the U.S. to attract the investment flows it needs. "

Reason for leaving previous jobs shouldn't appear on resume

Scripps Howard News Service: "It really isn't necessary to include on a resume reasons for departing from previous jobs. Those explanations are better reserved for an interview, if asked. Still, many job seekers include such details, sometimes to their detriment. "

Forbes.com: Iraqi oil export proceeds hit $8.6 billion

Forbes.com: Iraqi oil export proceeds hit $8.6 billion: "UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Baghdad has exported nearly $8.6 billion in crude oil since last year's invasion of Iraq, the U.S.-led authority governing Iraq said Monday."

Kerry has a good ad

Yahoo! News - New Kerry Ad Touts 'Lifetime of Service'

So far Kerry hasn't rallied supporters with the skill of Dean, but this ad certainly is appealing.

Designtechnica News - AMD Beats Out Intel Without Dell's Help

Designtechnica News - AMD Beats Out Intel Without Dell's Help - Your source for digital cameras, laptop computers, computer hardware and new technology: "AMD sales of desktop PC's surpassed that of rival Intel's for the week ending April 24, this despite Dell, the no. 1 PC retailer exclusively using Intel processors. "

IRS warns of e-mail identity theft operation

HoustonChronicle.com - IRS warns of e-mail identity theft operation: "Taxpayers who receive suspect e-mails should call the Treasury Department toll-free fraud hot line at 800-366-4484, or the IRS at 800-829-1040."

A May Day milestone

Economist.com | EU enlargement: "After years of often tortuous preparations, the European Union is expanding from 15 countries to 25. The new entrants should catch up with its founder members eventually."
Joining the European Union are: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Cyprus.

Ja Da

Ja Da
Watch this absurd animation which pretends to be a commercial for kabobs. The likeness of Margaret Thatcher (an animated parody of her likeness) is seen throughout the animation: perhaps she liked kabobs?
Even if the story premise is not clearly understandable, this musical animation is quite clever. Turn your speakers on to heighten the absurdity of the animation.
Take a look at David Stevenson's flash paintings.
Day 2 from the Genesis collection is Rhianna's favorite: form from chaos, waves, energy, thunder & light--gee, it looks as if there is a crystal ball in the background. Nice flash paintings!

BlogShares - Fantasy Blog Share Market

I just noticed BlogShares - Fantasy Blog Share Market and I noticed that I've been placed in it :-)
The idea of creating a fantasy stock market around existing blogs is rather fascinating.
"BlogShares is a simulated, fantasy stock market for weblogs where players invest fictional money to buy stocks and bonds in an artificial economy where attention is the commodity and weblogs are the companies. Weblogs, or blogs for short, are valued by their incoming links from other known blogs." Okay, as long as they don't ask for real greenbacks, this seems to offer a novel way for you to find out about interesting blogs to read.