05 Oct 2004
Coroner: Removing man's organs was homicide

Maybe I'll rethink being an organ donor when my drivers license renews next year! Apparently, the standards for deciding when to "harvest" are fairly vague, and surviving next of kin can decide to donate your parts anyway.

A western Colorado coroner said Monday that two hospitals allowed vital organs to be removed from a man before they had proven he was brain dead, and he declared the death a homicide.

(link) [CNN]

00:00 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

Just in Time

for the first hard freeze of the year, we have an insulated henhouse with a backup heating system. They should stay cozy now through the coldest nights - we used scrap wool as the insulation, so there's no fiberglass for them to munch, either.

And I'm exhausted.

00:00 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

Kodak wins Java patent suit

This has to go in the file, even though it's almost certain to be shot down on appeal. It's really is an outrage, and a textbook example of how the system's broken.

The case has outraged some opponents of software patents, who claim it is a textbook example of why software should not be patentable.

(link) [CNET News.com]

00:00 /Copywrongs | 1 comment | permanent link

Say Goodbye to Tyranny of Hits

This is decidely a "good news - bad news" kind of story. It's technologically driven, of course, and it's way too late to put that genie back in his bottle, even if we wanted.

The good news is that we won't be continually force fed the same material that Hollywood (and a small set of prolific authors) pushes out. We will have a choice, and minor artists of all stripes will flourish.

The bad news is that we won't be continually force fed the same material that Hollywood (and a small set of prolific authors) pushes out. We will have a choice, and minor artists of all stripes will flourish.

On some level it is continuity and consistancy in the arts that defines a culture. And on some level "exploitation of niche markets" is to economics what "Balkinization" is in politics. Once the collective power of the niche kills off the mainstream, watch out!

Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bit stream. By Chris Anderson from Wired magazine.

(link) [Wired News]

00:00 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link