Mike's Minutiae

A watchdog group says it will file a complaint with federal election officials, accusing two conservative organizations of illegally helping Ralph Nader's presidential campaign, possibly with support from President Bush's re-election campaign.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington planned to file its complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission. It says the Oregon Family Council and Citizens for a Sound Economy violated election laws last week by telephoning people and urging them to help Nader get on Oregon's ballot in November.

Requests for nasty smells come in quite a lot, requiring some unpleasant research.

"I've had otter poo on my desk," said [company director Frank] Knight, who created the odor for a zoo's nature trail, alongside the smell of jaguar urine and rotting flesh.

Musical notes are strung together in the same patterns as words in a piece of literature, according to an Argentinian physicist.

His analysis also reveals a key difference between tonal compositions, which are written in a particular key, and atonal ones, which are not. This sheds light on why many people find it so hard to make sense of atonal works.

This idea is very simple. If you project background image onto the masked object, you can observe the masked object just as if it were virtually transparent.

A team of astronomers have found a colossal black hole so ancient, they're not sure how it had enough time to grow to its current size, about 10 billion times the mass of the Sun.

The in operator is used to specify what units you want used to express the answer. Put the word in followed by the name of a unit at the end of your expression. This works well for unit conversions such as: 5 kilometers in miles.

The RIAA's brief makes it clear that there is no intent to prevent consumers from enjoying "HD radio" as they would traditional analog radio: manually pressing a button to start and stop recording a song. Instead, the group argues for rules that would prohibit "cherry-picking" or the unfettered redistribution of the music.

Halfway through his third song at a Norwegian music festival, an object came flying out of the crowd and hit David Bowie in the eye.

[...]

Bowie wasn't seriously injured at Friday's Norwegian Wood Festival in Oslo. He backed off the runway, hunched over, and was assisted by his set crew.

Within moments, he was facing the crowd of 7,500. Swearing at the unknown culprit, Bowie said he only had one good eye. The other eye had been damaged in a childhood fight.

"Lucky you hit the bad one," Bowie said, demanding to know who threw the lollipop. No one standing in the cold and drizzle came forward.

Lists. Don't you just hate them. And yet, don't you just love them. Hate them because they're all wrong, they're biased, they're fixed, they miss too much out, they're in the wrong order, they're utterly arbitrary, they try to cage musical beasts that should be allowed to run free in our imaginations without the indignity of being branded with numbers. And whatever comes top is usually going to knock you speechless.

1. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
2. Revolver, The Beatles
3. London Calling, The Clash
4. Astral Weeks, Van Morrison
5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
6. The Beatles (The White Album), The Beatles
7. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
8. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
9. Blue Lines, Massive Attack
10. Metal Box, P.I.L.

The Lollapalooza music festival tour has been canceled because of poor ticket sales, according to its Web site.

The tour, featuring Morrissey, Sonic Youth and The Flaming Lips, had been set to begin July 14 in Auburn, Wash., and continue through August, including stops in Toronto, New York, Atlanta and Dallas.

Seth Hurwitz, an independent promoter in Washington who booked Lollapalooza into the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., said that there was waning interest in aging alternative rock acts like the ones on the Lollapalooza tour.

"How well is Morrissey going to do in the Midwest?" he said. "I wouldn't venture to guess. The problem is that there is just not a really large interest in alternative music. What was called alternative in the 90's was exploding with something new, with Pearl Jam and Nirvana. It was exciting stuff."

Mr. Hurwitz said many of his concerts, including those by younger acts like Evanescence and Three Doors Down, were selling well.

"They tried to pull together Morrissey and Sonic Youth," he said, on an alternative bill. "But there are not enough people who care about it."

Ray Bradbury is demanding an apology from filmmaker Michael Moore for lifting the title from his classic science-fiction novel “Fahrenheit 451” without permission and wants the new documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” to be renamed.

“He didn’t ask my permission,” Bradbury, 83, said Friday. “That’s not his novel, that’s not his title, so he shouldn’t have done it.”

[...]

Bradbury said he would rather avoid litigation and is “hoping to settle this as two gentlemen, if he’ll shake hands with me and give me back my book and title.”

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.

A forthcoming bill in the U.S. Senate would, if passed, dramatically reshape copyright law by prohibiting file-trading networks and some consumer electronics devices on the grounds that they could be used for unlawful purposes.

The proposal, called the Induce Act, says "whoever intentionally induces any violation" of copyright law would be legally liable for those violations, a prohibition that would effectively ban file-swapping networks like Kazaa and Morpheus. In the draft bill seen by CNET News.com, inducement is defined as "aids, abets, induces, counsels, or procures" and can be punished with civil fines and, in some circumstances, lengthy prison terms.

Digital radio, which transforms traditional over-the-air broadcasts into the same kind of bits and bytes used in Internet transmissions, promises to boost the audio quality of FM signals to that of a CD. But it also holds out the promise of transforming radio listening in the same way that TiVo hard drive-based recorders have changed TV--by providing powerful recording and playback options.

The new medium has attracted the attention of the Federal Communications Commission, which recently began a proceeding that could end up laying out content protection rules and other regulations for it.

On Wednesday, the Recording Industry Association of America asked the FCC for new antipiracy protections that would prevent listeners from archiving songs without paying for them--and from trading recorded songs online. The RIAA and musicians' trade groups are worried that consumers might one day forgo buying albums or songs from iTunes-like services in favor of recording CD-quality songs off digital radio services.

DRM systems are broken in minutes, sometimes days. Rarely, months. It's not because the people who think them up are stupid. It's not because the people who break them are smart. It's not because there's a flaw in the algorithms. At the end of the day, all DRM systems share a common vulnerability: they provide their attackers with ciphertext, the cipher and the key. At this point, the secret isn't a secret anymore.

It's clear that it's just a few years off that we'll be able to make measurements in brain scanners which will allow us to predict the actions of people in the real world. We already in my laboratory can make measurements that tell us, for example, how risk-averse an individual is. How much they're willing to take chances and how much they're not. Now that's scary, because it's of course information your insurance company would love to have.

Classic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a high-resolution view into the body, usually to illuminate structural defects, tumors or injuries. But in recent years, refinements in MRI scanning have allowed researchers to monitor identifiable changes in the brain in response to stimuli or during directed thoughts. With this technique, called functional MRI (fMRI), "we are able to make measurements of brain function in a way we could not do before," says [Stanford neuroethicist Judy] Illes....

Illes, who has surveyed neuroscientists’ use of fMRI, wrote in the March 2003 Nature Neuroscience: "Our analysis shows a steady expansion of studies with evident social and policy implications, including studies of human cooperation and competition, brain differences in violent people and genetic influences on brain structure and function." Complex behaviors and emotions—such as fear, lying, decision making, self-monitoring, moral dilemmas, and assessments of rewards and punishment—are all in play. So far, she suggests, society has given little thought to how these technologies and their volatile payloads will be used.

The "Allah Made Me Funny" comedy show is an attempt by a group of American Muslim comics to counter the negative stereotypes and attitudes about Muslims and Arabs by poking fun at themselves, their communities and the prejudices they face.

Being fluent in two languages may help to keep the brain sharper for longer, a study suggests.

Congress took the first step Tuesday to make it easier for businesses to send unsolicited faxes, holding a hearing on a proposed bill that would let companies send faxes to their customers without getting explicit permission.

The bill, known as the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2004, would pre-empt a Federal Communications Commission rule that requires businesses to get a signed permission letter before sending a fax to customers. The FCC rule, which the agency delayed for 16 months, goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2005.

Security experts have discovered what is believed to be the world's first computer "worm" aimed at mobile phones.

The worm does not appear to pose an immediate threat to cellphone users, but it suggests that mobile phones are much more vulnerable to virus-writers and hackers than previously thought.

Makers of the revived Zeppelin airship delivered their first helium-filled craft to a commercial user Saturday, a Japanese company that plans to use the 12-seat craft for sightseeing trips and advertising.

The granddaughter of the original airship's inventor, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, was on hand as Japan's Nippon Airship Corporation took delivery of the 247-foot ship, destined for sightseeing and advertising flights in Japan and a starring role at the 2005 world's fair in the city of Aichi.

Joyce set his entire novel on June 16, 1904 -- the day of his first date with the woman who later became his wife.

While the date has been celebrated by Joyce aficionados for decades, this year's celebrations are easily the biggest yet.

"Bloomsday 100" was launched on February 2 -- Joyce's birthday -- and brings together around 80 different events, from art exhibitions to concerts to stand-up comedy.

Some 800 academics are in town for a week-long symposium on every imaginable aspect of the writer's work.

Later on Wednesday, scores of cyclists in Edwardian costume will ride ramshackle bikes along the route walked by Joyce's fictional characters, and tourists, some in old-fashioned straw hats and striped blazers, will walk Joyce's city.

On his wise shoulders through the checkerwork of leaves the sun flung spangles, dancing coins.

1. a host who interrupts a caller's opinion on a subject to interject their own opinion (sometimes disguised as fact, but opinion nonetheless)
2. at the beginning of each hour the host announces a new topic, their opinion on the topic, and they never change their mind (usually by management fiat) no matter what counterarguments are presented
3. all issues discussed are "hot button" issues, and there are never periods of open topics
4. shouting against and/or derision of opposing views are encouraged

Cenk: People say, 'Oh, you're being alarmist.' If you're not alarmed, you don't understand anything! They're destroying the Constitution!

[co-host] Ben: Yeah, but most people will see this and say, 'Hey, he's a terrorist. I don't care, I don't want September 11th to happen again.'

Cenk: Okay, great, you know what? Then you don't believe in this system of government. You believe in living in a police state, where you say, 'Hey, I don't care! He's a killer. He's a killer, and no rules should apply to him.'

Ben: Well, they're saying 'What if every year, we may lock up a hundred guys and hold them without seeing a lawyer just to be safe?' You know, 'Most of these guys probably did it.'

Cenk: Alright, you know, that's terrific. Let's vote on it. Let's vote on living in that system. Or you know what? Amend the Constitution. I dare you! Have the balls to amend the Constitution where you say, 'Well, these Constitutional rules apply to everyone, except the President gets to say arbitrarily a hundred U.S. citizens can have the Constitution completely stripped away from them, and they can be held forever with no charges whatsoever.' Let's have a vote on it. You try to pass that Constitutional amendment. I'll lobby against it. But they haven't done that. Instead, they've just decreed it. As if they're kings.

As one reader asks, "Will I be able to get a non-DRM device on account of my medical condition? It'll be interesting to find out what the Disability Discrimination Act makes of that one."

State road builders plan to remove all or part of seven acid-rock waste piles or fill areas in the Skytop Mountain area and treat, monitor or defer decisions for about five other sites, including fill under an already-paved section of Interstate 99.

Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., has asked state Attorney General Charlie Crist to investigate whether the head of the state elections division lied under oath when he denied knowing of the computer problem before reading about it in the media. A spokeswoman for Crist said he was reviewing the request.

The elections chief, Ed Kast, abruptly resigned Monday, saying he wanted a change of pace.

The new buzz is surrounding WiMax, a Wi-Fi-like networking technology that could boast a range of up to 30 miles from its source. Suddenly, every radio station in the world that broadcasts on the Internet will be reachable from nearly anywhere in the world where there's WiMax coverage. A wireless Internet connection will be an expected feature, not a curiosity found only on a few high-end models. Radio will be a global medium once again.

If people are listening to more recorded programs than to live ones, how do you get them to willingly listen to advertisements that keep the programs on the air?

Simple: Cater to them by geography and by using other information about them, like their buying habits. A radio connected to the wireless Internet becomes a two-way medium.

Soon, you'll be able to buy concert tickets, or if you hear an ad that piques your interest, you'll be able to press a button to request more information be sent to your e-mail about a particular product or service. Once advertisers know a little bit about what you like, they'll make a point not to bother you with things you don't like.

The booming popularity of camera phones which can snap and instantly send photos - and, with some models, short video clips - have piqued fears about workplace security.

The prospect of sensitive information being snapped and sent to other phones, copied to websites or e-mailed to others has prompted the likes of Intel, the phone maker Samsung, the UK's Foreign Office and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in the United States to go as far as banning camera phones from their buildings.

At previews for popular films, reviewers are being asked to leave such gadgets behind, to prevent unauthorised stills being leaked before the release date.

Me: Hey, thanks for agreeing to an interview!

Copyright Industry: (rubbing elbow) Uh, sure. Do you have an icepack?

Me: Yeah, in a minute. Anyway, can you explain to my readers why you won't offer à la carte pricing on your products?

Copyright Industry: Sure, it's really very simple. A lot of what we produce is uninteresting at best and godawful at worst, so we have to bundle about 80% garbage with the 20% consumers actually want. Otherwise, we wouldn't make our quarterly numbers to placate the shareholders who own the conglomerate that owns a holding entity which owns our parent company.

Me: I see.

Copyright Industry: (getting defensive) Hey, I didn't know this was going to be one of those "ambush" interviews!

Me: Uhh...

Copyright Industry: (relaxing a little) Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't been sleeping well lately.

Me: No problem. Could you explain why it wouldn't be better for your customers, and therefore ultimately better for you, if you didn't just sell 100% desirable material and 0% garbage.

Copyright Industry: (sighing) We've tried--oh, lord, how we've tried--to reduce the garbage quotient. We've done lengthy quality control studies, hired outside consultants--we even talked to a tarot card reader after a recommendation by one of our recording artists. But, see, the funny thing is, you just can't reliably commodify the product stream on the creative side.

Me: Really?

Copyright Industry: Startling, isn't it? But it's true. I mean, you'd think they would have told us that back in M.B.A. school! As it turns out, all works of art and art-type products are predicated upon risk, and sometimes end up in failure. Our people have been working on a formula for years to calculate the precise risk quotient--you should see the spreadsheet!--but it's always eluded our Quantification Initiative.

Me: Wow.

Copyright Industry: Yeah, and on top of the risk factor, we've learned that people can't be forced to like something they don't. (sighs) We had really high-hopes for Project ThroatCram back in the '70s, but all it successfully produced was Charlie's Angels and K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

Me: (coughs)

Copyright Industry: After a four-year market research study, we uncovered some strong insights about consumer taste. Different people like different things. One size does not fit all with creative products--there's just no such "killer app" like an elastic waistband for music or TV shows or movies.

Me: (nodding sympathetically)

Copyright Industry: So, voila! We developed the Bundled Garbage Model that's served us so well for so long now.

Me: Hm.

Copyright Industry: And you know what, we're looking to export this fantastically successful model to other industries as well. (confidentially) That will probably help us on the P.R. front a little bit.

Me: What do you mean?

Copyright Industry: Well, we've been sharing details about this model to help the ailing U.S. auto industry. Why make sure that all of the car works perfectly, when you can do, say, the drive train and air conditioning well and cut costs on the rest? Customers have to buy the whole car, right?

Me: (alarmed) Uh, interesting...

Copyright Industry: Very interesting! A number of CEOs from different industries are looking very seriously in our research: airlines, food service, marbles.

Me: Marbles?

Copyright Industry: Hell, yeah! As long as you make good peawees and alleys, why spend as much time on the glimmers and gooseberry swirls? Kids have to buy the whole bag!

Me: I see. Well, I think we'd better wrap up. I must admit, it's been stomach-churning.

Copyright Industry: (grinning widely) After ringing registers, that's our favorite reaction!

Me: Thanks anyway.

Copyright Industry: And while we're on the subject, can I interest you in the latest Owen Wilson DVD?

Me: This interview is over!

[the tape recorder goes dead]

The scientists used their microscope to make a two-dimensional map of the grooves on a 78-revolutions-per-minute shellac disc of a circa 1950 recording of "Goodnight Irene." They also wrote software that calculates the velocity with which a stylus would move in the mapped grooves. A sound clip from the virtual disc sounded better than the same section played back from the original disc with a stylus did.

There's too many kings wanna hold you down
And a world at the window gone underground
There's a hole in the sky where the sun don't shine
And a clock on the wall and it counts my time

And heaven is the whole of our hearts
And heaven don't tear you apart
Yeah, heaven is the whole of our hearts
And heaven don't tear you apart

There's a song on the air with a love-you line
And a face in a glass and it looks like mine...

The induction ceremony also will reunite 32 of the previously inducted. Included in this group are members of the band The Smithereens, one of whom was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

The recording industry is testing technology that would prevent consumers from making copies of CD "burns," a piracy defense that could put some significant new restrictions on legally purchased music.

Tools under review by the major labels would limit the number of backups that could be made from ordinary compact discs and prevent copied, or "burned," versions from being used to create further copies, according to Macrovision and SunnComm International, rivals that are developing competing versions of the digital rights management (DRM) software.

Executives at SunnComm and [record label] BMG said...they had been satisfied with the technology as a deterrent to casual copiers, rather than trying to create an unhackable protection.

"At this point there are no plans for a Live Aid 2. It's always there in the background but right now, no. Right now we're after billions (of dollars) not millions. A Live Aid 2 would help, but it wouldn't fix the problem."

A spokeswoman from DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) the campaigning organisation founded by Bono and Geldof in 2002, said they were hoping to whip up enormous support for African issues throughout the year.

"There will be a lot of normal, everyday people wondering what has happened since Live Aid, particularly in Ethiopia," she said.

"It helped awaken and energise a generation who took matters into their own hands because what they were seeing was so awful. Now people understand charity work alone won’t help. It has also got to be about governments."

For decades confined to hospitals, where it preyed on patients and built up immunity to antibiotics, the bug - known officially as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA - has also grown in strength.

"Usually with infections you need a break in the skin to pass it," said Dr. Howard Grossman, who has a private practice in Chelsea.

"Not with this. It gets through unbroken skin with casual contact."

A student who was booted off his degree course for plagiarism is to sue the university. He says tutors at the University of Kent should have spotted what he was doing and stopped him sooner.