Category Archives: Oddities

Links of the day

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Online censorship hurts us all. “Protecting” artists makes things worse, argues Cory Doctrow. (Guardian/Boing Boing)

Monster steals email addresses and spams it@cork membership. (Tom Raftery)

Walking for a good cause without ever leaving home. Virtual walks allow raise money for charity. (Reuters)

Ebay admits overpaying for the internet phone company Skype. It paid $2.6bn in 2005 and is taking a $1.43bn charge relating to the deal. That’s gotta hurt! (International Herald Tribune)

Woman gives birth to her own grandchildren. Egads… (AP)

News on the al-Dura front: Israeli finding that it was staged. Mohammed al-Dura was reportedly shot by the Israeli army while his fathered tried to shield him. It seems this did not happen. (James Fallows)

Musharraf: Spy chief to lead army. Looks like Pervy might actually step down this time. (CNN)

And simply because I’m feeling nostalgic, here’s the theme to The Secret of Monkey Island played on electric guitar:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM8_uyvL4sk[/youtube]

I smell a look back at some classic games coming here soon. 🙂

Links of the day

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Seven tips for resolving conflicts quickly and peacefully. We all go up against at least one nutjob in our lives, here’s a remarkably common sense guide to dealing with them. (Pick The Brain)

US regrets if women and children killed in Baghdad raid. But they were going after some fellas using a mortar so it’s all right. Collateral damage and all that. (AFP)

Clever uses for dental floss: beyond teeth. I love finding new uses for ordinary things. (Gadling)

Backpacker turns Burma activist via Facebook. I’m a member of his group, to which people are flocking. (Reuters)

Yet more on CNN, Burma and Myanmar. The name you use reflects the stance you’re taking. (James Fallows)

Renovating the biblical psalms. They’re beautiful poems as well as having religious significance. (Slate)

Man, 24, weds 82-year-old bride. “I’ve always like mature ladies.” (BBC)

Links of the day

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Somalia, Burma, Iraq top corruption blacklist. I’m not surprised. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand are the least corrupt nations while Ireland comes in at 17th. (AFP/Transparency International)

New snake and orchids discovered in Vietnam. Let us never think we have seen all we can see on this planet. (Reuters/Environmental News Network)

Did they not look at the blueprints? A US naval barracks in California — built in the 60s — is shaped like a swastika. Huzzah for Google Earth! (CNN)

Russian woman’s 12th baby weighs in at 7.75kg. That’s about 17lbs if you’re thinking imperial. (Reuters)

Delegating: The case for personal outsourcing. Hmm. (Lifehacker)

The shooting won’t stop. “I say give the Gardaí whatever weapons they want. Bazookas, flame throwers, whatever. Just don’t send them out with sticks.” (Twenty Major)

Links of the day

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The Great Wall of China will be gone in 20 years. If the report is accurate it will be a dark, dark time for those who treasure the past. (Anthropology.net)

Breast cancer may be linked to use of deodorants. Worrying if true. (Breakingnews.ie)

Where do all the prayer notes go? Shmuel Rabinowitz leads the team that cleans up hundreds of thousands a year and buries them in Jerusalem. (Reuters)

Breakthrough drug for schizophrenia. It works as well as current medication but with fewer side effects. (AFP)

The music man. Columbia hope Rick Rubin can save the music industry. Rock. (International Herald Tribune)

Hidden trade barriers cost APEC $148bn: World Bank. That’s about 7.5% of the bloc’s trade in 2004. (AFP)

Malaysian taxi drivers issued dress code. Fines await those caught without socks or white shirts. (AP/Taunton Gazette)