Here’s today’s fortune via my Linux box:
bq.. The notes blatted skyward as they rose over the Canada geese, feathered rumps mooning the day, webbed appendages frantically pedaling unseen bicycles in their search for sustenance, driven by cruel Nature’s maxim, ‘Ya wanna eat, ya gotta work,’ and at last I knew Pittsburgh.
— Winning sentence, 1987 Bulwer-Lytton bad fiction contest.
So much for the benefits of socialized medicine…
Survivors more common in America
In “Die in Britain, survive in U.S.,” the cover article of the February 2005 issue of The Spectator, a British magazine, James Bartholomew details the downside of Britain’s universal health care system.
Among women with breast cancer, for example, there’s a 46 percent chance of dying from it in Britain, versus a 25 percent chance in the United States. “Britain has one of worst survival rates in the advanced world,” writes Bartholomew, “and America has the best.”
If you’re a man diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have a 57 percent chance of it killing you in Britain. In the United States, the chance of dying drops to 19 percent. Again, reports Bartholomew, “Britain is at the bottom of the class and America is at the top.”
Wired News has published that Scientists have successfully modified the AIDS-causing HIV in such a way that it can attack metasticized melanoma (cancer cells). The impact of genetic research on cancer research is in and of itself amazing. To mix this with the strategy of using one strong enemy against another is brilliance! Research will continue, obviously, but they are already reporting success on living creatures.
I’ve modified the *excellent* SpoofStick extension for Firefox to now find and label any homographs detected in the current URL. This should hopefully be a help until the Mozilla folks fix IDN support.
Install Updated SpoofStick extension
Test the extension by visting the Shmoo IDN exploit page and click on the fake Paypal links.
I plan on forwarding my code changes to the SpoofStick developers – they’re free to use my code as they see fit.
Update: I’ve been Boing Boing‘d! (hi, everyone)
Update: note that the extension’s appearance has not changed from the original version. Please direct any requests for look and feel changes to the original developers.
Update: Yes, I know it’s very “English-centric”.
Big update: The official version of SpoofStick now supports IDN checks. I recommend that everyone uninstall my hack and install the official version.
Google has done it again – the beta version of Google Maps has gone live.
Things to try:
Damn, they have some excellent web developers!
From Money:
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Is the single-letter ticker symbol dying a slow death? If so, the reason might be that a solo symbol is less a blessing than a curse.
In recent weeks, three high-profile companies whose stocks trade under a single letter have announced that they will be acquired, and thus lose their old symbols.
Gillette (G) is merging with Procter & Gamble; Sears (S) will be acquired by rival Kmart (and move its stock from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq); and AT&T (T) is to be swallowed up by its former offspring, SBC Communications.
When the transactions are completed, it could leave as many as 11 of the potential 26 one-letter symbols unoccupied, if no other companies assume their places.
The full list:
A new version of the venerable UNIX find utility has been released – now with support for XPath.
One example:
$ ./find -xpath '/bin/*[@size > /bin/bash/@size]'
/bin/ipv6calc
/bin/rpm
Wow – how cool is this? Paratsone Studios offers a line of Hiëronymus Bosch action figures!
I’ve installed a copy of the TWiki wiki software to hold information on everything I research. It replaces the “Study” section of this web site.
Check it out if you’re interested – http://www.jarnot.com/twiki
From twinkies.com via Boing Boing:
Hostess Twinkies Sushi
Japanese animation, Hello Kitty, samurais, ninjas, and Sushi are really popular right now! Here’s a wild recipe that’s super easy to make and super fun to eat as a light and fruity snack! This recipe transforms the much loved Twinkie into a hip and tropical flavored treat.
Items Needed:
DIRECTIONS:
Slice Hostess Twinkies into pieces about an inch tall. Slice fruit roll ups in strips to be long enough and wide enough to wrap around the Hostess Twinkie pieces. Wrap the fruit roll ups around the Hostess Twinkie pieces. Place dried fruits and candies into the cream filling. Place Twinkie rolls on a plate or in a bento box. Garnish with strips of dried mango to resemble pickled ginger if you wish! Serve with chopsticks if you wish.
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