The Media Lab’s European outpost does work in “human connectedness,” which starts with the premise “Humans have a biological need for contact with other humans,” and intends “partly to develop technologies and experiences that allow us to build, maintain, and enhance the kinds of relationships we are used to having in new ways.” My initial reaction to some of their work was that it seems an awful lot like stalking to have a flower by your computer that opens up when your girlfriend is on-line. But maybe it’s only stalking if the person it opens for isn’t your girlfriend. But still, a deep interest in what she’s doing at every moment seems like it could easily cross a line.

The other device highlighted in the article, created by BTexact, reminds me of a sales “tickle file,” to ensure that a salescreature doesn’t let contacts get stale.

Ultimately, I guess I’m just leery of technological responses to a biological need.

Microsoft has developed some probably interesting techniques for 3d reconstruction from 2d images. The BBC article has an interesting emphasis: “A virtual world that allows people to walk alongside the apostles or Christ himself has been created by researchers.” Granted the Christ reference appears to have come from one of the MS researchers, but why not “a virtual world that allows people to walk through Guernica or The Garden of Earthly Delights“? Construction of further interesting tours is left as an exercise for the reader.

On a more technical note, I wonder how well they do with forced perspective-style tricks in paintings (if I get any time to find pertinent links, I’ll link to them): stuff that looks right, but when examined closely indicates that the figure’s legs are drastically different sizes or similar chicanery.

Since the first time I heard about those decks of Iraqi villain cards, I’ve wanted one. Apparently I’m not alone, but if anybody can get one to me (preferably genuine), I’ll be eternally in your debt.

I heard a rumor in my misspent youth that the major tobacco companies had registered trademarks such as “Acapulco Gold” and “Maui Wowie” in anticipation of the legalization of pot. For some reason, I recently remembered that rumor, and figured the gummint is sufficiently technologically advanced that I could find out, and indeed they are. The reefer vendors would have to fight with Classic Marketing over Acapulco Gold (registered as a tequila brand), and some enterprising dude who doesn’t appear to be a major tobacco company has filed for Maui Wowie as a brand of smoking paraphernalia.

I’m giving another shot at putting a usable mailto: link in my author information. According to this paper, using html character entities should prevent the address from being harvested. The fact that it’s in a mailto: may make the strategy not work as well, but that’s what disposable addresses are for.

As has been strongly suspected for a while, SARS is a new cold mutation. So now all we have to do is develop a vaccine against colds.

I just noticed that greymatter seems to want the timezone configured manually; or maybe I should have just made it PT. Sorry about the last week and a half’s times being mis-labelled. We’re thinking of going to Movable Type, anyway; it seems like having the blog software ask the server what the time and zone are shouldn’t be too much to hope for.

(later) I guess I’ll just go to PT, since it applies the label to everything on the mainpage (and presumably to every article that gets rebuilt). Argh.

(and later still) The GM FAQ says “The board is not designed to handle the changeovers between standard and daylight time so during summer months the time may be an hour different from the real local time.” As much contempt as I have for Daylight Saving Time, I have more for software that doesn’t implement it correctly.

The headline “Fantasy games ‘not for geeks’” entirely misses the point the article actually makes: geeks are getting older and many of them have jobs that pay well. And, yes, many of them still play silly games.

In an entirely foreseen development, Israel is using our actions in Iraq as ammunition in the struggle to keep the Palestinians homeless (for 50 points, how long has Israel been in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions?). Also, while we’re surveying the potential for WWIII, Turkey is sending in troops to ensure that the Kurds get the hell out of Kirkuk, lest the Kurds start thinking they might get a place to live.

On the other hand, it looks like the Serbian authorities did a good job of keeping the Prime Minister’s assassination from being the beginning of something bigger.

It looks like I won’t get a chance to fly the Concorde. From what I’ve heard, it’s pretty sweet, but I can’t make myself believe it’s worth full-fare. Here’s a little more recent info.