Ever since I started using NewsIsFree.com, I manage to run through my morning news much faster. Now, I’m trying to use some of these RSS newsreaders to see if they can speed it up even further. (Note: Though I read news faster, I’ve ended up spending more time on it, not less!)
Google-watch is against Google, because they’re unfair, and don’t respect privacy (via Salon). I still don’t mind, as long as I get good search results. But this “unfair” part I kind-of agree with. Wish Google would search recently updated sites better. And they’ve also got a point about the ordering. Sometimes, I would like to see the “less important” (low pagerank) sites on top.
Garth is working on audio-blogging tools. Given the amount of poetry I see among bloggers, this might unleash a host of blog-singers.
America’s population ageing seems to be less than was expected, thanks to more kids per couple. kuro5hin has a good discussion.
Zen stories. Read some of these first in Douglas Hofstader’s Godel, Escher, Bach. Searched for a collection for a long time. This looks like quite a comprehensive one. If you want a flavour of these, Zen Master Gutei’s story is one of those bizarre ones.
India’s first eunuch mayor has been dismissed because he/she was occupying a seat reserved for women.
Asimov’s Foundation was translated into Arabic. Title: Al-Qaeda. The Guardian explores the link between Asimov and bin Laden.
Progress on the polynomial-time computability of prime numbers.
Deepti: a Hindi chatterbot (sic). Apparantly, it’s downloadable, but I couldn’t find it.
The Invisible Library. Has books that exist only inside other books. Neat stuff. Talks of various books by Holmes & Watson (Doyle) as well as Oolon Colluphid (Douglas Adams), though I was disappointed that too little of Lewis Caroll is mentioned.
Contract research by Eli Lilly. They put up problems in chemistry. You solve them. You get paid.
P K Rappai has been banned from restaurants because he eats too much.
The flip side of copyright: Hindi songs featured in albums.
Now the UK wants a DMCA-like law.
Pictures of pedestrians at Marble Arch. Now, that’s an inspiring site (to me, at least!)
Bizarre. Funeral homes offer to convert cremated ashes into a diamond.
Good summary of what Microsoft is up to at the Economist.
It’s possible to type with your eyes. Hope this is commercialised soon. The details are available for free.
Publicly available web services from xmethods.
Musharraf is now officially a dictator. In all but name.