Global Spin

We’ve known from the beginning that the PATRIOT act was bad news. Luckily, we’re not alone. Apparently cities around the country are calling on law enforcement to resist the PATRIOT act by refusing to cooperate with activities it authorizes that would otherwise be unlawful.

Posted by Chris in Politics on July 5th, 2003 | Comments Off

If you’ve wondered how it is that Homestar Runner gets produced (and paid for), Wired News has just the interview for you. I’m glad that the Brothers Chaps are able to fund the whole thing themselves; it looks like they have the right attitude toward it. Thanks to Deana for the heads-up.

Posted by Chris in Fun on July 3rd, 2003 | 9 Comments »

By now you may have heard of the discovery of a new planetary system that looks a whole lot like our own. It’s 90 light years away, but as a wise man once said, “that’s peanuts to space.” Seriously, 90 light years is the kind of distance we’ll be able to travel in a few [...]

Posted by Chris in Space on July 3rd, 2003 | Comments Off

I’ve been reading a lot about carbon nanotubes lately. (Specifically, I’m reading The Space Elevator, which is fascinating despite the sketchy writing style.) There seems to be no end to great uses for them, including bulletproof T-shirt fabric. And to think, we didn’t even know they existed until a decade ago. Go nanotubes! UPDATE: Deb [...]

Posted by Chris in Science on July 3rd, 2003 | 2 Comments »

Deana writes: Check out “Cost of War“ Oooh, dang. This is dramatic. I agree. Counters really do make the point sometimes, so a war cost counter can really hit home. Be sure to see how many additional schoolteachers we could have hired instead. It’s quite a thing to see.

Posted by Chris in Politics on July 1st, 2003 | Comments Off