Clay Shirkey strongly contests the statement, most recently made by Kofi Anann, that half the world has never used a telephone. A very good analysis.
Monthly Archive for December, 2005
Tue
Dec
27
2005
When Teenagers Abuse Prescription Drugs, the Fault May Be the Doctor’s – New York Times 0 cmts
The search for root causes of the epidemic of controlled substance abuse has to include doctors as active participants, says a pediatric physician in the _NY Times_. More doctors are prescribing more potent drugs without taking a moment to think about whether their patients actually need them, especially patients with histories of substance abuse.
Sun
Dec
25
2005
Medics condemn Gaza sonic booms 0 cmts
Physicians have filed a brief with the Israeli Supreme Court asking that the Israeli army be stopped from breaking the sound barrier over the Gaza Strip. They charge that the “sonic bombs” cause anxiety and other symptoms among children and in some cases even induce miscarrages. Here is a firsthand account of the psychological terror caused by the “bombings” and a follow-up entry (via Global Voices).
Fri
Dec
23
2005
New Yorker profile of Sarah Silverman 0 cmts
In October the _New Yorker_ profiled comedian Sarah Silverman (no relation, that I’m aware of). It is a fascinating read because it captures the strange tension between the character she plays and the person she is. Reading it might leave one with the impression that Silverman doesn’t even understand herself, however it combined with an interview she gave on _Fresh Air_ convinces me that there is a very clear divide between who she is as a person and who she is on stage. The most telling graph from the _New Yorker_ piece is where she talks about her character being an “unreliable narrator,” and her disinclination to dissect her act.
Thu
Dec
22
2005
:: rogerebert.com :: Commentary :: Ebert’s Best 10 Movies of 2005 (xhtml) 0 cmts
Roger Ebert’s list of the best films of 2005. I’ve only seen 3 of them, clearly I have a lot of catching up to do. Time to renew that NetFlix membership?
Wed
Dec
21
2005
Rove Implicated In Santa Identity Leak | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source 0 cmts
Rove Implicated In Santa Identity Leak: Clarke criticized the leak as “foolhardy,” saying it was “the kind of conduct you would expect from dangerous zealots who routinely confuse short-term political gain with the national interest.”
Macsimum News – Apple’s FireWire gets the nod from new High Definition Audio Video Network Alliance 0 cmts
A new alliance of electronic manufacturers plan to make setting up a high definition home theater system trivial. They want to use FireWire as a common connection standard, allowing all of the devices to talk to each other and coordinate through a single cable. This was the hope of FireWire when it was introduced years ago and specifically designed to not require a computer “master” in order to operate. I’m glad electronic makers have *finally* realized that interoperability is a *good* thing.
Tue
Dec
20
2005
mud_p.pdf (application/pdf Object) 0 cmts
In the opening scenes of _Shrek_ there is an effect that involves “mud poop.” Apparently generating said objects was much harder than you might imagine (PDF). (via Kelly)
Sun
Dec
18
2005
Are wearable computers finally on the horizon? 0 cmts
After ten years of waiting, are wearable computers finally ready to burst onto the scene? Gosh I hope so, I’ve been waiting so long…
Closing on Mars 0 cmts
I’ve finished season 1 of _Veronica Mars_ and I think it is some of the best television I have ever witnessed. Episode 21, “A Trip to the Dentist,” is one of the best if not *the best* things I have *ever* seen on television, period. Episode 22, “Leave It To Beaver,” is one of the most intense. I’m not very good at writing reviews, especially in trying to balance what makes a piece of art tick without blowing important plot points. And there is so very much important plot that you do *not* want blown. So I promise that I’m going to post a review of _Veronica Mars_: Season 1 very soon, and I promise that I am not going to reveal *anything*. I’m also going to caution you that if you are at all interested in watching _VM_, please let me give you all of season 1 (or better yet, buy it on DVD) but *don’t* read anything else about it, online or elsewhere. It is way too easy to be spoiled, in fact I know from reading them that many of the published reviews contain major spoilers, and you don’t want to be spoiled. Trust me.
It’s just. So. Good.
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