. Day Fire progress 

InciWeb is back up. Here's an excerpt from the latest Day Fire report, issued late yesterday evening:

As of 6:00 p.m. today, the fire has burned 160,570 acres and is 63 percent contained with 19 miles of line remaining to be built (34 miles of line was secured today). At total of 4,788 personnel are assigned to the fire. Ground forces are being supported by 9 airtankers, 28 helicopters, 58 engines, 44 dozers and 40 water tenders. Suppression cost to date is $57,524,249.

Here's an accounting for condors, from two days ago.

Commons sense 

Michael Roberts:

Preserving a commons is always hard. Those who take up the mantle of working for the common good generally encounter more detractors than supporters. Many times, social consensus about the value of a cause arrives long after the contributions of a dedicated few have been made. That there is an Internet commons at all, instead of a strictly commercial marketplace, is a tribute to the values of the original designers and developers. Having created a powerful instrument for advancing democracy and improving the quality of life˜core values in higher education˜we all share a responsibility for keeping the vision alive.

CDNs, They Are Hot. By Allan LeinwandThe mid-1990s content delivery networking technology deployed by Akamai, Digital Island (now part of Savvis) and Speedera (acquired by Akamai) to distribute content close to the consumer edge of the Internet should be yesterdayâ•˙s news given the bandwidth boosts, and the ever increasing speeds, both on the edge and the [...]

More Photowalking with Thomas Hawk. Cool, all four parts of the Photowalking tour with Thomas Hawk are up on the ScobleShow. We’re also looking for other photographers to walk around with. Must be located within driving distance of San Francisco — for now.In the second segment, it is fun watching Thomas get wet and then get on the ground to [...]

Why The New .Mac Webmail Is Important. Earlier this week Apple announced that a new version of webmail for Mac users is “coming soon.” There was a bit of chatter about this around the blogosphere, with most people concluding that this fresh coat of paint on the inferior .mac product is a bit of a yawn. Even Om Malik, who’s been complaining [...]

Something looks... different. (Ben Darnell/Official Google Reader Blog).

Something looks... different.  —  As of today, Google Reader has a new look — and even more important, a lot of new features that we think you'll like.  We've listened to your feedback, done usability research, and examined all the ways that people consume content on the web, from feed readers to email clients.

Source:   Official Google Reader Blog
Author:   Ben Darnell
Link:   http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2006/09/something…

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Now anyone can Talk - Last year, we launched Google Talk ... (Official Google Blog).

Now anyone can Talk  —  Last year, we launched Google Talk, a free and easy service for making voice calls and sending instant messages.  It used to be that only Gmail users could use Google Talk but now anyone can sign up for Google Talk.  If you haven't tried the service yet, here are 5 good reasons to give it a try:

Source:   Official Google Blog
Link:   http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/now-anyone-can…

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Google Reader courts the Gmail crowd (Niall Kennedy/Niall Kennedy's Weblog).

Google Reader courts the Gmail crowd  —  Google Reader has launched a major update to its web front-end about a year after its initial launch, redesigning its online feed aggregator to create a feed reading experience that should feel natural to users of Gmail.

Source:   Niall Kennedy's Weblog
Author:   Niall Kennedy
Link:   http://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/archives/2006/09…

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Facebook Creates Sponsored Stories Ad Unit (Mike Shields/mediaweek.com).

Facebook Creates Sponsored Stories Ad Unit  —  Facebook plans to unveil a new ad unit in the coming weeks that the company says uniquely harness the site's social networking dynamic.  —  The new placement, dubbed Sponsored Stories, appears within Facebook's News Feed platform.

Source:   mediaweek.com
Author:   Mike Shields
Link:   http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/interactive…

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New header graphic, taken in the living room at my old house in Woodside, CA.

. Commons sense 

Michael Roberts:

Preserving a commons is always hard. Those who take up the mantle of working for the common good generally encounter more detractors than supporters. Many times, social consensus about the value of a cause arrives long after the contributions of a dedicated few have been made. That there is an Internet commons at all, instead of a strictly commercial marketplace, is a tribute to the values of the original designers and developers. Having created a powerful instrument for advancing democracy and improving the quality of life˜core values in higher education˜we all share a responsibility for keeping the vision alive.

Gawker's Jessica Coen Jumps to Vanity Fair. Jessica Coen, the talented blogger behind Gawker, is leaving Gawker Media for Vanity Fair. She joins as deputy online editor after two years blogging and over 6,000 posts.... By noemail@noemail.org (Steve Rubel).

links for 2006-09-29. How to Run a Meeting Like Google Tips from Marissa Mayer, who does not like to waste time. (tags: Productivity meetings google lifehacks) See free stuff in the iTunes 7 store Fantastic tip that works on PCs and Macs. (tags:... By noemail@noemail.org (Steve Rubel).

Otaku hunters. David Pescovitz: Tokyo teenagers have been busted for mugging junior high students in the Akihabara district. Apparently, these toughs call their bullying "otaku hunting" because they target young Akiba-kei, a slang term for people who dig the electronics, manga, and anime products sold in Akihabara. According to the Mainichi Daily News, there have been 25 reports of otaku hunting this year. From the Mainichi Daily News:

"Otaku are weak and they've got money, so we went after them," one of the arrested youths told the police.

Police said one of the cases involved three boys waylaying a 14-year-old boy who was headed to Akihabara to buy an anime doll and demanding he pay them money or he would be bashed. The boy handed over 3,000 yen (US$25.47), the police said.

John K's animation for Weird Al's video. Mark Frauenfelder: Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi and his partner Katie Rice created a funny video for Weird Al Yankovic's latest CD/DVD dual disk set, Straight Outta Lynwood. You can watch an excerpt of the video on John K's blog. Beware of the scene where a cat bites off the girl's face Link

O'Reilly's Craft magazine ready for pre-order on Amazon. Mark Frauenfelder: I just got an advance copy of O'Reilly's new magazine, Craft, which is a sister publication to Make (the technology project magazine I edit), and I'm really excited by it. I'm especially proud of it because my lovely wife, Carla Sinclair, is the editor-in-chief, and she and the Craft staff have put together a stunning debut issue loaded with really fun projects. If you like Make (or even if you don't) you will like Craft.

Check out the table of contents here.

Craft is the first project-based magazine dedicated to the renaissance that is occurring within the world of crafts. Celebrating the DIY spirit, Craft's goal is to unite, inspire, inform and entertain a growing community of highly imaginative people who are transforming traditional art and crafts with unconventional, unexpected and even renegade techniques, materials and tools; resourceful spirits who undertake amazing crafting projects in their homes and communities.

Volume 01 features 23 projects with a twist, including sewing a light-up tank top, turning old shoes into great new knitted boots, felting an iPod cozy, embroidering your skateboard, making a jet-age garden, and more.

Forbes Hearts YouTube. YouTube is on the cover of Forbes magazine. Meanwhile, one story wasn't enough for the pub. They devoted nothing short of nine stories on YouTube and online video plus a couple of photo essays to boot. There's even a story... By noemail@noemail.org (Steve Rubel).

Play the Web 2.0 Drinking Game. Can you get drunk on Web 2.0? SciFi.com thinks so. They have started a Web 2.0 drinking game in response to all the hype. Highlights... digg: Take a drink if you see a story on the Digg front page about... By noemail@noemail.org (Steve Rubel).

New-look Google Reader Is Stunning! (Richard MacManus/Read/WriteWeb).

New-look Google Reader Is Stunning!  —  Google Reader, Google's web-based RSS Aggregator, has had a re-design and I am impressed.  It now has a look n' feel very much like Gmail, which I believe is a pointer to this product being prepped for mainstream promotion - and/or merged with Gmail.

Source:   Read/WriteWeb
Author:   Richard MacManus
Link:   http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives…

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Google Reader steps it up with new version (Marshall Kirkpatrick/TechCrunch).

Google Reader steps it up with new version  —  The Google Reader team unveiled a revamped version of their online feed reader today and no one can say it's not a real RSS reader anymore.  They even took Robert Scoble's advice and made a demonstration video!

Source:   TechCrunch
Author:   Marshall Kirkpatrick
Link:   http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/09/28/google-reader…

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Leo Challenges Podcasting Assumptions. Lots of people assume that you need to do short podcasts. After all, people’s time is valuable, right? And we’re all overloaded with too much info anyway.But Leo asked his audience and 20,000 people responded, Phil Windley reported from a keynote Leo did today. They told him “do longer, more technical podcasts.”Leo’s show? It’s TWiT. [...]

We’re playing the Web 2.0 drinking game tonight. Hey, we’re going drinking tonight. At the Podcasting Expo here in Ontario, CA. But now I see we have a Web 2.0 drinking game to play with, thanks to a Steve Rubel link.How about we customize this game for the Podcasting expo?Everytime someone says something about Adam Curry, take a drink.Everytime someone mentions Revision 3, [...]

It’s about being part of the conversation. I love Jacob Bowser. He gets it. He said “it felt like you were right there, part of the conversation.”Exactly.Aside: second installment of Photowalking with Thomas Hawk is up. I should have titled this “it gets darker.” The other installments should be up soon.Being part of the conversation is the key to this new world. [...]

norms as regulators. I’m on a flight from Japan to New York for the Anderson event tonight. It is an ANA flight with wifi and ethernet jacks in at least the business/first class seats. There doesn’t seem to be any technical blocking (though I can’t get FTP to work very well). But interestingly, on the instruction sheet, it says:ANA kindly requests that passengers refrain from using internet based voice applications and refrain from viewing objectionable material over the internet as it may disturb other passengers.It is interesting (and refreshing) to see places where the authorities believe norms are a sufficient regulator. It is also interesting (and not surprising) to parse the “request.” Only the second restriction is explained — viewing porn, e.g., would disturb others. Fair enough. But the first restriction is not explained — until you flip the page to read about the telephone service the airplane offers (at about $10/minute). (Note, the norm technique may also be what Google is doing on its fantastic new service giving free PDFs of works in the public domain. They too request the work not be used commercially.)

on the economies of culture. One of the most important conclusions that can be drawn from the work of Benkler, von Hippel, Weber (my review of both is here), and many others is that the Internet has reminded us that we live not just in one economy, but at least two. One economy is the traditional “commercial economy,” an economy regulated by the quid pro quo: I’ll do this (work, write, sing, etc.) in exchange for money. Another economy is (the names are many) the (a) amateur economy, (b) sharing economy, (c) social production economy, (d) noncommercial economy, or (e) p2p economy. This second economy (however you name it, I’m just going to call it the “second economy”) is the economy of Wikipedia, most FLOSS development, the work of amateur astronomers, etc. It has a different, more complicated logic too it than the commercial economy. If you tried to translate all interactions in this second economy into the frame of the commercial economy, you’d kill it. Having now seen the extraordinary value of this second economy, I think most would agree we need to think lots about how best to encourage it — what techniques are needed to call it into life, how is it sustained, what makes it flourish. I don’t think anyone knows exactly how to do it well. Those living in real second economy communities (such as Wikipedia) have a good intuition about it. But a second and also extremely difficult problem is how, or whether, the economies can be linked. Is there a way to cross over from the commercial to second economy? Is there a way to manage a hybrid economy — one that tries to manage this link. The challenge of the hybrid economy is what Mozilla, RedHat, Second Life, MySpace are struggling with all the time. How can you continue to inspire the creative work of the second economy, while also expanding the value of the commercial economy? This is, in my view, a different challenge from the challenge of how you call this second economy into being, but obviously, they are related. But this challenge too is one I don’t think anyone yet understands fully. As I watch Creative Commons develop, I’ve been encouraged by the experiments that try to find a way to preserve this second economy, while enabling links to the first. I wrote before about Yehuda Berlinger who had set IP law to verse. In that post, I nudged him to adopt a CC license. He did, but he did so in a very interesting way. As his site now reads:This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. Attribution should include a live link to this blog post, whenever possible; text link otherwise. License for commercial usage also available from the owner.This idea is one we’re experimenting with at CC — a NC license that explicitly includes a link to another site to enable commercial licensing. It is one way to preserve the separation of these separate spheres. I’d be eager to hear about other ways you might think better.But the important point to recognize is that this effort to preserve the separation is fundamentally different from the effort of many in the “free software” or “free content” movement who want all “free” licenses to permit any sort of use, commercial or not. Imho, they are simply ignoring an important reality about the difference between these two economies. Indeed, they’re making the opposite mistake that many in the commercial world make: Just as many commercial rights holders believe every single use of creative work ought to be regulated by copyright (see, e.g., the push to force what are plainly “fair uses” of copyrighted work on YouTube to pay the copyright owners), so too these advocates of “free content” would push everyone to treat everything as if it is free of copyright regulation (effectively, if not technically). Second economy sorts believe differently — that some uses should be free, and others should be with permission. It is because I have enormous respect for those who make the latter mistake (and believe their motives are more likely pure) that I urge them to consider the radical simplification of social life they insist we push on the world. I like the dynamics of the second economy. Benkler has given it a theory. I think we should be working to support it, not pretending that it is not there. The obvious reply (and the real puzzle for me) is FLOSS. I said at the start it effectively operated in the second economy. But the “free content” movement that I’m skeptical of is simply trying to push the norms of FLOSS into the content space. How could it then be any different? In my view, the difference comes from the difference in nature of the stuff. Some cultural production can be collaborative in exactly the way FLOSS is — Wikipedia. But you need an argument to get from some to all. No doubt, I too need an argument that some is different from some. I don’t have that yet. But it is here that I think the really important discussion needs to happen. Oh, and by the way, Yehuda has added Trademark Law to his verses.

Podshow raises another $15 million. Oy.

JC: "What on earth Podshow is going to do with almost $25M in funding is anyone's guess, but it's not going to end well I can tell you that."

In other earth-shaking economic news, I bought a couple of chairs today. And a table.

Interview with Ann Greenberg on the future of media.

Now that Facebook is open, I have joined, and also started a group for Scripting News readers. Let's have fun!

Here's a perfect description of the MacBook shutdown problem. It appears a lot of Mac users are dealing with this, yet there has been no public acknowledgment from Apple. The symptoms are now very well-known. It doesn't cure itself, it only gets worse. I've reverted to using my Sony Vaio, which is really hard on my eyes. The MacBook shuts down so frequently, it's become useless.

Google Reader steps it up with new version. The Google Reader team unveiled a revamped version of their online feed reader today and no one can say it’s not a real RSS reader anymore. They even took Robert Scoble’s advice and made a demonstration video!Changes include a whole new look and feel, folder navigation, unread item counts and the ability to mark [...]

Facebook to put viral ads in your news feeds?. MediaWeek is reporting that Facebook will soon add “sponsored stories” or banner ads to the news feed on users’ front pages. The addition of those feeds in the first place caused a big uproar around privacy concerns. The mere addition of advertisements doesn’t seem like a big deal to me - everyone knows [...]

An aggregate review of aggregate review services. Product review search engine Retrevo was selected to launch at DEMO yesterday and it’s pretty cool. We’ve written about competitor ViewScore here before and also launched this month is yet another similar service that just launched called Wize. All of these sites will help you find reviews of electronics and other products and [...]

RadioTail releases free podcast stats tracking. Podcasting stats and ads company RadioTail is announcing prior to this weekend’s Portable Media Expo in Ontario, California that they are now offering their podcast stat tracking service Ripple for free to any podcaster. The company hopes that podcasters using the free service will sign up to let RadioTail sell or serve ads [...]

Google Reader updates (and a video too!). Wow, just read this over on TechCrunch that Google Reader has been updated and they put up a video too. Nice! But I’ll still go over and do a more in depth video. I’m also downloading it and will see if it gets me to switch off of my favorite NewsGator.

Seattle MindCamp is must attend event. I’m gonna be in Seattle on October 5 and 6 and the new MindCamp party looks like a real interesting one. NASDAQ is sponsoring it and will give a talk on how to get your company ready for IPO. Is this bubble going to pull in retail investors again? Looks like it may.

HP news all over the place. I promised no more HP news, but sorry, this story (seen here on Google News) just continues to get attention from all corners of the business world. I never imagined that it would get so bad when I first started reading about it and reacting to it. But, my initial instincts (that the smell from this [...]

Bay Area geeks: Lickety Ship will get you stuff fast. I’m trying LicketyShip out (just turned on publicly this morning). Unfortunately the first thing I wanted (some more Avery business card holders for binders) aren’t available from LicketyShip. But my friends who’ve tried the service say that it works great and gets stuff to your office in a few hours. I wrote about them a [...]

Is Diggnation really a success?. Frank Shaw, who is Vice President of Waggener Edstrom (Microsoft’s main PR firm), asks an interesting question: “If “Diggnation” were on a national cable or broadcast feed, would 250k viewers be seen as success or the road to to cancellation? You decide….“Here’s a question I have. If you have a new technology product or service to [...]

Audio and VideoCasting heats up with $15 million to Podshow. Congrats to PodTech competitors Podshow, who just got $15 million in a second round of VC financing, John Furrier learned. Can’t wait to see Adam Curry and team at the Podcast and Portable Media Expo (I’ll be traveling down there this afternoon, drop me a line if you wanna get together. My cell phone is [...]

Dreamhost getting sucky PR out on blogs. Whenever I look into a new product or idea or service I do a Google search on “company name” and “sucks.” Or “product name” and “sucks.” Replace “sucks” with “problem” or “bad customer service” and try again.Here’s an example of a company that’s losing tons of potential customers: Dreamhost. It also is an example of [...]

Kieren McCarthy: Still a Jackass.

More from the reigning Jackass of the Week.

Local Search Continues to Gain Momentum, According to comScore (PR Newswire).

Local Search Continues to Gain Momentum, According to comScore  —  Google and Yahoo! Sites Lead in Local Search Market Share in the U.S.  —  RESTON, Va., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ — comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today released the results of an analysis revealing …

Source:   PR Newswire
Link:   http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060928/cgth027.html

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Battery recall - Select your preferred language from the list below: (www-307.ibm.com).

Battery recall  —  Select your preferred language from the list below:  —  Dear Lenovo Customer,  —  Lenovo and IBM Corporation, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other regulatory agencies, have announced the voluntary recall of certain lithium-ion batteries manufactured by Sony Corporation.

Source:   www-307.ibm.com
Link:   http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document…

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$1 Billion for Facebook? LOL! (Daniel Gross/Slate).

$1 Billion for Facebook?  LOL!  —  IS THE SOCIAL-NETWORKING BOOM A REPLAY OF THE '90S DOTCOM BUBBLE?  —  The "social-networking" gold rush continues.  Last year, MySpace was acquired by News Corp. for $580 million in cash.  Now the other big social-networking sites are the subject of rumors, deals, and transactions.

Source:   Slate
Author:   Daniel Gross
Link:   http://slate.com/id/2150498

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What Gartner Is Telling Your Boss (Esther Schindler/devsource.com).

What Gartner Is Telling Your Boss  —  In some ways, the themes expressed at Gartner's Application Development Summit, held this week in Phoenix, are nothing new.  The analysts who are speaking to the audience of CIOs and managers are sincerely trying to help these people create …

Source:   devsource.com
Author:   Esther Schindler
Link:   http://www.devsource.com/article2/0,1895,2020837,00…

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PodShow raises $15M more for....podcasting. Yikes! (Matt Marshall/VentureBeat).

PodShow raises $15M more for....podcasting.  Yikes!  —  Podshow, a company that promotes podcasts and finds sponsors for them, has raised $15 million more in a second round of venture capital from its big-name investors, following up on $8.85 million in a first round last summer.  —  Dan Primack has the scoop.

Source:   VentureBeat
Author:   Matt Marshall
Link:   http://venturebeat.com/2006/09/28/podshow-raises-15m…

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Could MySpace Be Worth $15 Billion? Easy (Henry Blodget/Internet Outsider).

Could MySpace Be Worth $15 Billion?  Easy  —  The most surprising thing about RBC analyst Jordan Rohan's comment that MySpace could be worth $10-$20 billion in a few years is that he deemed this assessment "audacious"—and the press seemed to agree.  Why is this audacious?

Source:   Internet Outsider
Author:   Henry Blodget
Link:   http://www.internetoutsider.com/2006/09…

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Video: apparently-baked biz school prof who was soon fired (Xeni Jardin/Boing Boing).

Video: apparently-baked biz school prof who was soon fired  —  Now this is what I call higher education.  BoingBoing reader Shawn says, … Looks like the lecturer's name is Howard J.  (John) Hall, and he remains listed on the faculty of the University of Florida, Warrington College of Business.

Source:   Boing Boing
Author:   Xeni Jardin
Link:   http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/27…

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H.P. Counsel Resigns as Hearings Open (New York Times).

H.P. Counsel Resigns as Hearings Open  —  Hewlett-Packard's general counsel, Ann O. Baskins, has resigned from the company, and her lawyer said she will not answer questions at the Congressional hearing scheduled for today.  —  As Hewlett-Packard's chief in-house lawyer …

Source:   New York Times
Link:   http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/business…

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As I was saying. Here I am at Syndicate.

Protest DRM in NYC this Saturday!. Cory Doctorow: Fred sez, "On Saturday, at 3pm Free Culture @ NYU in collaboration with DefectiveByDesign.org will be protesting DRM and the iTunes Music Store at the Apple Store in Midtown Manhattan, which is at 59th St. and 5th Ave. Weâ•˙ll be meeting at 2:30 at the fountain across the store, near the North West corner of 58th Street and 5th Avenue. Weâ•˙ll then hit the Apple store for an hour and a half, distributing flyers and explaining the evils of DRM to shoppers and others passing by. It should be quite an event â•„ weâ•˙ve got a dozen or so very bright Hazmat suits that weâ•˙ll be bringing and a brand new sandwich board." Link (Thanks, Fred!)

Ambulance driver training hurt by copyright. Cory Doctorow: Adrian sez, "This is a frequently updated blog by a ambulance driver in London, England, Who discovered during a training session that he wasn't recieving the most up-to date information because copyright restrictions prevented his the ambulance service from making additions or changes to the document in question. It's anecdotal support for a oft discussed topic on this blog."

However there is a problem - the Guidelines book we should be getting is version 3.0, but the book we are actually getting is version 2.2. The reason for this? Copyright. It seems that the London Ambulance Service wants to change a few bits to make it more relevant to London. But because the organization that wrote it maintains the copyright - it can't be changed for us.

Photo: rescued Taiwanese kitten naps on a Mac keyboard. Xeni Jardin:

Link. Shot by Jeremy K. in Taiwan, who rescued this kitten from the street, where government animal control patrols would have apparently offed it (Taiwan is an island, after all, and there's a feral cat problem). Here are more photos. He explains:

I'm jeremy.

My life is surrounded by cats. Up to now, I keep 14 cats with me, But I'm NOT proud of it.

I'd rather prefer each cat has it's own family, so there're gonna be 14 families become cats lovers.

Why am I doing this ? Becouse there're too many cats in the street, and NO ONE gives a sh*t about them.

Taiwan government's policy of homeless dogs and stray cats is "KILL THEM ALL". I can't change that, BUT.... At least, something we can do. and it's up to you.

~"Take them home."

CIA's recruiting website includes weird personality quiz. Xeni Jardin:

From Defensetech:

These are tough times for the Central Intelligence Agency. It's not just the blown calls on Iraq. Or the bruising turf battles with the White House. There's the series of internal purges. And, of course, the constant threat of another terrorist attack. No wonder the Agency is having trouble hiring good people.

But still, can things have grown so dire at Langley that the CIA has to resort to gimmicks like this wink-wink-trying-to-be-ironic-and-cool-but-instead-looking-even-more-dorky recruiting website.

The "CIA personality quiz" is supposed to show how the Agency needs all types to function. So the exam offers up a series of questions, about your favorite leisure activities, the "kind of transportation you prefer," and what super power you'd like to have. And then the site tells you what kind of valuable asset to the CIA you'd be.

Reader comment: Frank F says,

They're also running commericials in the same style as the art displayed in the screenshot you posted: Link. Saw that one run a few days ago in the East Bay on a Comcast cable channel. Kinda stands out, what with the CIA not usually running commercials and all.

To do in LA tonight: Xeni at SOCALWUG, on Tibetan WiFi. Xeni Jardin:

The Southern California Wireless Users Group (SOCALWUG) meets every month here in Los Angeles, and I'll be joining them this evening to share video, photos, and audio from a recent trip to Northern India and Tibet -- where I learned about some amazing guerilla wireless projects. We're also going to try to do a live Skype call with Yahel Ben-David, founder of the Tibetan Technology Center in Dharamshala, India. They're hosting a big community wireless summit there in October. Tonight's nerd hang should be fun, please come join us if you're in town. Link to details.

WHEN: 7:00pm to 9:00pm (Pacific), Thursday 09/28/06

WHERE: Auditorium at VAN NUYS / SHERMAN OAKS SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER (A.K.A. BERNARDI CENTER), on 5040 Van Nuys Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423.

Image: (Xeni Jardin, 2006) -- antenna for the Dharamshala mesh network on top of a Hindu temple overlooking the Kangra valley.

Omakase Links: sexy taco, space gun, deli flesh.. Xeni Jardin: * Tacotrucks.net: a map of East Oakland with locations, menus, and truck-art photos from the hood's finest mobile taco delivery portals. Here is the fellow behind it. (thanks, Benjamin Frost)

* Hundreds of photos of deli meats: Link (thanks, Scott).

* Beginning October 6, the Lucky JuJu Pinball Museum in Alameda, California will host "X-Ray Photography of Toys and Other Interesting Things," an exhibit of work by by NY-based science photographer Ted Kinsman. Link.

* Index of every US president who's ever appeared on the animated TV series The Simpsons: Link (Thanks, Emily Gordon).

* Photos from the Rocketbelt Convention at Niagara Falls: Bill "Beam Jockey" Higgins says, "I attended the Rocketbelt Convention in Niagara Falls, New York, home of Bell Aerospace where the Rocket Belt was invented. Retired RB pilots and engineers were mingling with people building the new generation of belts and other personal rocket devices. There was a demo flight on the street outside the Niagara Aerospace Museum." Link.

* Hand-stitched "Just Married" iPod cases: Link (thanks, Emily Sessions).

* Cute, colorful, crocheted bombs with burning fuse, crafted by a girl in Berlin: Link (thanks, Noortje).

* Gruesome landmine awareness campaign on ketchup packets in New Zealand: Link (thanks, FoodMonkeyMike).

* Art teacher loses job after fifth-grade students see nude sculpture during field trip to Texas museum: Link (thanks, Sagebrush Gardener).

* Haircuts by children: Link (thanks, Cory Silverberg).

* What do Jabba the Hutt and John the Baptist have in common? "Star Wars Shortened." Link to video. (Thanks, Jason Wishnow).

Previous installments of BoingBoing Omakase Links:
- Arabic smokes, Norway bimbo, Danish BB ringtone
- Post-holiday bluesnixer roundup

Reader comment: regarding the art teacher who was fired for exposing 5th grade students to nude sculpture at a Texas art museum, BB reader Gregory Fischer says,

thanks for the post. I followed the links to the Frisco, Texas independent school district website. if anyone cares to comment directly to the board, here is the contact info for the director of communications:

Shana McKay-Wortham
FISD Director of Communications
Email: mckays@friscoisd.org
Phone: (469) 633-6060
Fax: (469) 633-6050

also note that the school motto is "Never be anything less than everything you can be.╡ glad to see irony is alive and well.

I saw your post on BoingBoing regarding Sydney McGee, who was fired for taking her students to the Dallas Museum of Art. I've written this letter to the principal (and the FISD) and am sending it to all the major publications in the Dallas area as well. I grew up in Plano, next door to Frisco, and this story really upsets me.

Principal Nancy Lawson
Wilma Fisher Elementary School
2500 Old Orchard Dr.
Frisco, TX 75034

Dear Principal Lawson:

I?ve recently come upon the news that the Frisco County School Board has voted to not renew Sydney McGee?s teaching contract with the school, after twenty-eight years of exemplary teaching service to the community. This news has appalled me, and has caused me great disappointment in the Frisco community, the school district, Fisher Elementary, and you as the appointed leader of that school. It has also caused me great sadness for both Sydney McGee, whose work has apparently gone unnoticed and will now be tarnished with this dismissal, and her students, whose art education will now suffer from your and the school board?s ignorant censorship.

How dare the board fire a woman for taking her students on a field trip to a museum, which is, inherently itself, a place of education and forum for celebration of human culture and history. Do you realize how ludicrous this is? How dare these people tell themselves and the community they supposedly serve that they know better than museum curators, scientists, artists, and others whose vocations hold a much higher standard and understanding of the human being as Pupil and Student. What they have done is an insult to the educational community of this country, which already has enough problems as it is.

Our students are severely behind in their reading and mathematics skills when compared to the rest of the world?s children. Why would we in addition steal from them an equally important awareness of art and culture? It seems that if the board had its way we would soon be ?educating? our students in sound proof black boxes, children solitarily confined from one another and all people, unable to see their hands in front of their faces because they?re kept in the dark, for fear of them seeing something that may challenge their minds, or better yet, their parents?. In practicing this kind of ?education,? our children?s minds will indeed turn into these boxes. Empty. Silent. Void. Due to the actions of the parents, the board, and you, it seems that your minds have already become such places.

You and other fear-mongering people wrongfully in power are advocating and breeding a new generation of Americans that will in effect go against the very ideals this country was founded on: liberty, happiness, the ability to express one?s self freely, and the freedom to learn. Knowledge is power, but you are using your power to squelch the young?s ability to gain it. For knowledge?s sake, and for the sake of the future of this country, I implore you and others to put aside this naïve reactionary fundamentalist prism through which everything seems to be filtered, dissected and ultimately destroyed. It is only hurting the children you claim to be protecting. This is the same type of prism that radical Islamist terrorists use to facilitate their equally distorted doctrines.

Finally, shame on you, Nancy Lawson. Shame on you for allowing the dismissal of a teacher who is clearly an outstanding example of what a teacher should be. Shame on you for not coming to her defense, for her sake, and for the sake of the children at your elementary school. And if it is true that you initially suggested she take her students to the museum, than shame on you for being a façade of a person, and standing alongside those with the power in order to protect yourself. That would make you a textbook example of a coward.

You have completely failed in your job as principal, educator, and leader. Shame on you.

Sincerely,

Christopher Cantwell
Venice, CA
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Class of ?00

From: Shana McKay-Wortham [McKayS@friscoisd.org]
To: Christopher Cantwell
Date: Thu Sep 28, 2006 01:15:32 PM PDT
Subject: Re: In Regards to Sydney McGree

In case you want more information.

A school district is at an extreme disadvantage in the area of personnel matters due to issues of employee privacy and ethical considerations.

However, since an employee of the district has chosen to express her concerns publicly in a hearing and in the media since that time, it seems fair that a school district can at least point to facts that were stated in that public hearing. Much has been misrepresented.

This is not about a field trip to an art museum. The timing of circumstances has allowed the teacher to wave that banner and it has played well in the media. FISD is a strong supporter of the arts and the Dallas Museum of Arts â•„ our art program is rich and award-winning.

At issue here are performance concerns and the ability of a supervisor to address these concerns. As early as May 2005 the principal verbally brought to the attention of the teacher that there were some areas for improvement. She suggested at that time that a field trip experience might be a way to strengthen the art program and the Dallas Museum of Art was discussed as a viable option â•„ it was not mandated as has been reported.

During the spring of the next school year, 2005-2006, when the teacher began planning the field trip, the principal suggested that the field trip be delayed until the next school year because she was concerned that the planning process was not sufficient.

When the teacher received her evaluation conference, which was in mid May and after the field trip, some issues of concern, unrelated to the field trip, were discussed and the teacher stated that she didn't think it was fair to evaluate her on expectations that had not been clearly communicated to her in writing. The principal did then document the performance areas that needed to be addressed â•„ at the teacherâ•˙s request â•„ but the documentation was not brought on by the field trip; the field trip was not a catalyst for anything or the final straw to get her in "hot water." She was never told there would not be a next year for her or that she was not ╲Frisco material╡ as has been reported. No teachersâ•˙ job status would be jeopardized based on studentsâ•˙ incidental viewing of nude art.

After the memo was provided as requested, the teacher did file a grievance and also asked to be transferred if there was an opening in the district. The transfer was denied because the central administration felt that if you allow a teacher to transfer after a supervisor has given them guidelines for improvement then you have weakened a supervisor's ability to address performance issues by essentially giving the teacher an "escape hatch" to avoid meeting the expectations of the supervisor.

What is getting lost here is that this is not about a field trip, censorship, or a parent complaint. It is not about age, tenure or salary level as has also been suggested in the media. This is about a school administrator working to help an employee improve her job performance and to improve the educational experience of students. Even someone who has taught for a long time can still have opportunity for professional development. Teachers were never directed to ╲ostracize╡ her as has been reported and she was never directed to not discuss her ╲plight.╡

As an aside, the Star Award that is being mentioned in the context of the teacher being an award-winning teacher or Star Award Teacher of the Year 2004 is a recognition that took place periodically in the local paper because a local business wanted to sponsor the monthly ad to show support for teachers in the community â•„ someone from each campus was usually represented. There was no set way employees were chosen at each campus for this ad. Some campuses went by tenure for inclusion, others selected based on something that had occurred that month. Teachers were recognized, as were volunteers, custodians, receptionists, others. FISD does not conduct the Teacher of the Year program. At this time, the teacher has been placed on administrative leave with pay. The Administration and the Board felt that this was the best action for all concerned. A recommendation for the non-renewal of her contract will be forthcoming from the superintendent.

NASA Mars rover reaches "Victoria Crater". Xeni Jardin:

The Mars rover named Opportunity reached a long-anticipated destination today: the rim of "Victoria Crater," on the Meridiani Planum region of the red planet, on the rover's 951st Martian day, or sol (Sept. 26, 2006).

After the drive, the rover's navigation camera took the three exposures combined into this view of the crater's interior. This crater has been the mission's long-term destination for the past 21 Earth months.

Previously: Mars Opportunity rover closing in on 'Victoria Crater'

Reader comment: Erica Petroff says,

On September 10th, as the Opportunity rover closed in on Victoria Crater, it was posted that the Victoria Crater was about six times bigger than the Endurance Crater, but the link you had to the NASA website (Link) said that the Victoria Crater was six times wider than the Endurace Crater, making it much much more than six times larger. That really only makes this extra exciting, but I thought you guys might want to know? Anyhow, thanks for keeping me updated and everything!

Branson's SpaceShipTwo interiors to look fucking awesome. Xeni Jardin:

Wired Magazine's NextFest is taking place in NYC this week, and I could kick myself for not being there. If you're there, digging it in person as I type this from behind my lonely little MacBook, I hate you.

Among the many amazing things at NextFest today: Sir Richard Branson unveiled the concept interior for SpaceShipTwo, the Virgin Galactic spaceliners on which passengers will soon be able to space-vacay with cushy intergalactic recliner seats and lots of big windows looking out on the great beyond.

╲It wonâ•˙t be much different than this,╡ Branson told reporters here at Wired Magazineâ•˙s NextFest forum. ╲Itâ•˙s strange to think that in 12 months weâ•˙ll be unveiling the actual plane, and then test flights will commence right after that.╡

Virgin Galacticâ•˙s spaceliners will be specially-outfitted SpaceShipTwo vehicles built by Mojave, California-based Scaled Composites and veteran aerospace designer Burt Rutan. The new spacecraft, designed specifically for space tourism, will be three times the size of Rutanâ•˙s SpaceShipOne, which won the $10 million Ansari X Prize for privately-developed piloted spacecraft capable of reaching suborbital space twice in two weeks.

Playing volleyball across US-Mexico fence. Mark Frauenfelder: Joshua Bearman wrote a story for LA Weekly about a game of "border volleyball," in which players on either side of a two-story fence separating the US and Mexico hit a ball back and forth.

All this activity finally brings down the hammer of the border patrol, and a jeep shows up to separate us. The officer is friendly but firm. He’s just come on shift and has no idea we’ve been playing volleyball over the fence for the past hour.

“Really?”

He tells us that a daredevil launched himself across the border in a cannon a while back, but that ours was, in fact, the first-ever game of international border volleyball.

“And it worked over that tall fence?”

“Yup,” we say. “We’re up for one more round if you want to play.”

“No, man,” the officer says. “I’m on duty.”

High-pitched, anti-teen alarm is now ringtone, techno track. Xeni Jardin:

A high-frequency sonic alarm created to stop troublesome teens from loitering in retail areas has been repurposed as a dance track and a mobile phone ringtone:

Merthyr Tydfil-based Compound Security released the "Mosquito" ringtone as a way of letting teenagers hear their phones ringing without adults knowing. It was developed because adults lose the ability to hear high-pitched sound.

But now the sound is being used in a dance track, Buzzin', with secret melodies only young ears can hear. The tune was developed after the success of the company's ringtone which was released in June. (...)

A condition called presbycusis, or ageing ear, means that by the time most people reach the age of 25, they cannot hear much above a frequency of 13 or 14 kilohertz.

Link (thanks, Nick)

Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge 2006. David Pescovitz: Science magazine and the National Science Foundation announced the winners of the 2006 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. Seen here is the second place winner in the Illustration category, "A Da Vinci Blackboard Lesson In Multi-Conceptual Anatomy" by Caryn Babaian of Bucks County Community College.
From the article about the winners:

Some things never grow old. Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, first drawn more than 500 years ago, is still teaching people about the intricacies of the human body. Biology teacher Caryn Babaian of Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania, uses the iconic sketch as a "multi-conceptual image" in her introductory anatomy class to illustrate three crucial anatomical concepts: rotation, transparency, and transverse section. Babaian requires her students to draw the image in their notebooks as they watch it take shape on the blackboard. Panel of judges member Thomas Lucas says even though the use of the image "gave inspiration to a few people, the effect on them might have been more powerful than something that went over the mass media."

Chinese professor strips in art class. David Pescovitz: Mo Xiaoxin, a professor at Jiangsu Teachers University of Technology in Changzhou, China, stripped naked during a class on "body art" to "challenge taboos," according to the Beijing News. Four visiting models, including an elderly couple, also stripped during the presentation. The professor invited the students to join in the nudity, but apparently most were just freaked out. From Reuters:

"There are no taboos in the field of research, but to do this directly in the course of teaching is obviously not appropriate," the paper quoted Tian Junting, a culture ministry official, as saying...

The naked lecture made many of the 30 or so students feel "uneasy," the paper said. "Some kept their eyes trained on the ceiling, some awkwardly bowed their heads and stared at the ground".

Tian, the culture ministry official, said the course was still in a "research phase" and it wasn't yet known whether it had produced "positive or negative effects."

Finger length tied to athleticism. David Pescovitz: A new study suggests that the length ratio between women's second and fourth fingers is a good indicator of their sports ability. Researcher Tim Spector of St. Thomas' Hospital in London and his colleagues analyzed hand X-rays from more than 600 female twins who also provided information on their sports abilities. They report their results in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. From The Independent:

The finding adds to evidence that the ratio between the two fingers - not the length itself but their length relative to each other - is associated with a number of different personality traits, which include sexuality, fertility, intelligence, aggressiveness and musical ability. The difference is believed to be linked to the level of the male hormone testosterone, to which the foetus is exposed in the womb. Scientists have suggested that the higher the level of testosterone, the more masculine the resulting foetus is likely to be, with its associated traits of strength, fertility and mathematical ability.

Seven-headed task-light. Cory Doctorow: Gerber -- whose multitools are the best in the world, for my money -- have shipped an sevent-headed LED flashlight whose bulbs are individually poseable to illuminate different parts of a tricky, underlighted project or room. It's called the "Inferno Flexlight" and can be hung, posed, or held.

The Flexi-Light can be used as a task light, table-top lantern, tent chandelier or flashlight. It gives users total control of how and where they use light in the field. Scroll through five lighting modes with a simple turn of the switch: focused white flashlight, diffuse white area light, night vision red area light, focused night vision red and flashing red emergency beacon.

Video-game-inspired knitwear. Cory Doctorow: Office Lendorff sells knit sweaters and scarves with video-game-inspired pixel-art. I love this scarf -- if only I was living somewhere cold enough to merit ever wearing one! Link (Thanks, Jennifer!)

Google Maps reveal world's largest earwig. Mark Frauenfelder: Somewhere in Germany there is a very big bug. Link (Thanks, Pa!)

Reader comment:

Stephen says: "That's a thrips devouring Germany, not an earwig. Thrips = Thysanoptera, most adults around 1 or 2 mm. (singular form ends in s) Earwigs = Dermaptera, most adults around 1 or 2 cm."

Digital TV liberation front/Chilling Effects talk at USC. Cory Doctorow: Next Tuesday night, October 3, I'm hosting a free talk by Wendy Seltzer, the lawyer who founded EFF's Digital TV liberation front -- teaching people how to build the TV sets that the Broadcast Flag would ban -- and the Chilling Effects project -- which documents and analyzes the nastygrams used to censor Internet speech.

Wendy's coming to my USC speaker-series on Oct 3, the International Day Against DRM to tell us about the ways that copyright law have become a tool for censorship, perverting the original intention of copyright, to enable creativity. If you're looking to understand how free speech become suppressed speech, you need to come to this talk.

Wendy presently teaches at Brooklyn Law, and is one of a small but growing number of lawyers who can write code as well as hacking law. She is a Harvard Berkman Fellow, and a smart lawyer, a fine writer, and a great speaker.

As you've heard from the previous speaker podcasts (Jason Schultz, EFF, Michael Ayers, Toshiba, Bruce Sterling, Bruce Schneier) these are great, interdisciplinary talks, attracting engineers, lawyers, film studies people, hackers, artists and musicians, people in industry, students, and hobbyists. I hope you'll make it next Tuesday!

Where: University of Southern California, Annenberg School, Room 240, Los Angeles

When: Tuesday, October 3, 7PM - the International Day Against DRM

Link

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