Author: Ezra S F


  • Security Watch: The myth of online anonymity – CNET reviews: In his talk, Kazwetz mentioned several studies on gender use of keywords which, when weighted–with specific numerical values for male and different numerical values for female–can determine the gender of the author. Sounds too simple to be true, but research (including Gender, Genre, and Writing…

  • If you have an audio copy of “Taps” play it now…. SGI – Services & Support: End of General Availability for MIPS® IRIX® Products: SGI launched the MIPS IRIX family of products in 1988. Since then, this technology has powered servers, workstations, and visualization systems used extensively in Manufacturing, Media, Science, Government/Defense, and Energy. After…

  • Ernest Cline‘s We’re all just monkeys Dance monkey! Dance! At his site he has some great audio on various topics that I’ve listened to over and over. I guess this is the latest?

  • This article about the novel Imperium (a fictional biography) suggests there are parallels between Rome’s transition from a Republic to an Empire and where we stand in America. If true, then we are right now on the cusp of a great turning point. Imperium is historical fiction. So how much of it is not real?…

  • Why does Bush go “nucular”? By Kate Taylor – Slate Magazine: To say “the word is spelled (x), and therefore should be pronounced (y)” doesn’t make any sense. Spelling is not a legitimate basis for determining pronunciation, for the following reasons: 1) English spelling is highly irregular. For example, “move”, “dove”, and “cove” are spelled…

  • This is someting my friends have been into for years. International Talk Like A Pirate Day: International Talk Like a Pirate Day isn’t one o’ those governmentally sanctioned holidays that shifts around to create a convenient three-day weekend. No, the date is ALWAYS Sept. 19 (Cap’n Slappy’s ex-wife’s birthday.) Though apparently the inventors were on…

  • International Talk Like A Pirate Day: International Talk Like a Pirate Day isn’t one o’ those governmentally sanctioned holidays that shifts around to create a convenient three-day weekend. No, the date is ALWAYS Sept. 19 (Cap’n Slappy’s ex-wife’s birthday.)

  • C’mon mates! Leave the little stingies alone. BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Irwin fans ‘in revenge attacks’: Dead stingrays with their tails cut off have been found in Australia, sparking concern that fans of naturalist Steve Irwin may be avenging his death. Mr Irwin, a TV personality known as the “Crocodile Hunter”, was killed while…

  • The world has changed as a result of these attacks 5 years ago today. Pre-9/11 we viewed the world’s problems as only something we had to deal with should we travel to a dangerous country. Post-9/11 we are constantly nervous that once again our home might be that dangerous country. A whole country going through…