February 20, 2006
'Obesity epidemic' a myth?
Big Guy at Chewin' the Fat says that University of Chicago professor Eric Oliver's research blaming doctors and the weight loss industry for the "obesity epidemic" is fine and all but wonders how will it lead to better health?
As important as Oliver’s research is, the real need is the shift in the media's bias on weight loss. As mainstream media begins to debunk the hype and focus on fitness rather than poundage, we can begin to have productive discussions that lead to better health.Will we begin to we see articles describing the dangers of yo-yo dieting? Articles supporting efforts of the FDA’s to reveal the realities behind those weight loss claims? We believe the media (television, print, Internet) bares a great responsibility for shaping our ideas of self, and as such, should provide us with the real truth about health and weight loss.
Only time will tell who benefits and who doesn't from all of this...but it's not a bad start...
TAGS: Obesity,
Posted by Jasleen at 04:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 17, 2006
Transparency needed for California Voting System
According to California Election Law the issue of maintaining a legitimate California voting system is being debated. By using private companies to create electronic voting machines, the government needs to ensure the companies are unable to tamper with the data.
Most, if not all, of the private companies that have so far developed election machine software have refused to turn over their programming code for inspection, citing proprietary concerns. Without the code, the systems are unverifiable and opaque, according to a panel of computer technology experts who also testified before the Senate Elections, Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments Committee chaired by state Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach.
(Snip)
Slocum agreed with testimony from the panel that officials and the public should be able to audit voting machines, and he said that without a paper trail, elections offices could be forced to pay computer scientists to maintain and run elections systems."
After the controversial 2000 elections, the voting system in America and California needs to be "fool-proof," and secure.
Electronic Voting, California Elections,
Posted by Sophie at 04:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Spam Scam
Don't you just hate spam mail? Especially the stuff that offer's you exorbitant and frankly criminal amounts of money? The Third Path discusses the different "bank transfer" scams that you may encounter.
I'm special. I get spam from Senegal offering to give me a large chunk of the proceeds if I help transfer Twenty Two Million United States Dollars ($22,000.00 USD) from Dakar, Senegal, to a bank here in the U.S. so that the bank manager and I can pilfer it.
The most fascinating thing about it is that the spammer engages in some creative math, worthy of the Bush administration. First of all, that part about "Twenty Two Million United States Dollars ($22,000.00 USD)" is not my typo. Apparently the bank manager doesn't think that an extra three zeros here or there makes much difference to anyone — that's probably how he thinks he can get away with embezzling in the first place.
There's no free lunch in life...well, maybe if you win the lotto...
Spam Scam, Illegal Spam, Bank Transfer Scam,
Posted by Sophie at 03:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Can't we all just get along?
Cataclysmic tensions from the Middle East have only heightened since several politically charged cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad have been published. A simple yet politically and religiously "incorrect" cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad from a Danish newspaper has now created much conflict and antagonism from the Muslim community. This anger is now not only being directed towards the Danish government and their people, but the cartoonist himself is in danger of assassination.
“A Pakistani cleric announced Friday a $1 million bounty for killing a cartoonist who drew Prophet Muhammad, as thousands joined street protests and Denmark temporarily closed its embassy and advised its citizens to leave the country.”
California Conservative picked up on this ongoing situation.
Well, that’s just dandy. $1 million. That ain’t chump change. Makes you wonder where he got it?
Denmark, meanwhile, said it had temporarily closed its embassy in Pakistan and urged Danes to leave the country. Last week, Denmark temporarily shut its embassies in Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Indonesia. APBeing "PC" is very important today, but threatening to kill a cartoonist seems unproductive and is only creating more unnecessary hostiities towards the religion and the Islamic culture.
TAGS: Prophet Mohammad Cartoons, Islamic Response to Caricatures,
Posted by Sophie at 03:16 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
February 14, 2006
Bah Humbug, Valentine's Style
If you were looking to get all mushy over Valentine's Day, then food blogger Becks and Posh is NOT the place to go today. B&P; promise that not a penny of the $14 billion Americans spend on the holiday will come from their wallets.
For a really interesting perspective on this holiday, check out Brett's Comment.
In the restaurant industry, many people refer to V-Day as "amateur night." Personally, I'm kind of a romantic at heart and relished cooking for a dining room full of googly-eyed "two tops." No matter how crowded the restaurants I worked at became, V-Day was always the quietest night of the year, filled with whispers and hushed tones. Except, of course, for the inevitable couple that would have a massive fight that would end with one person sitting alone, drenched in champagne, and the slam of the front door as the other person stormed out. Love is a mysterious thing.
Indeed it is...
May the Love Bug be with you today.
TAGS: Valentines,
Posted by Brian at 12:56 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
The 13th Floor
As a Texan and a Texas music fan, Roky Erickson stands as one of the greatest rock stars you've never heard of.
TCG at the Sonic Corpse Guide has information about a trust fund set up for the frontman for the 13th Floor Elevators. Roky is a brilliant fellow but he's suffered from severe mental illness for many years. One of his albums was purportedly recorded while standing around a burning metal barrell at a homeless encampment where Roky was staying.
My own fascination with Mr. Erickson's tales came into being about 1988 or so. I used to listen to a radio show that Ben Hamper used to DJ on Saturday nights for 2 hours on WFBE before I would go out all-night skateboarding with the E.S.A.R./Mallard Posse. It was there that I learned about Bloody Hammers, Atom Brains and Nights of the Vampire
TCG also offers some mp3's of the great man's work...
TAGS: Roky Erickson, 13th Floor Elevators,
Posted by Brian at 09:48 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
February 10, 2006
Lethal Pressure
On Thursday President Bush claimed that that with multinational cooperation the US was able to prevent al-Qaeda operatives from hijacking commercial airplanes and hitting the US Bank Tower in LA.
California Conservative included part of Bush's address.
"As the West Coast plot shows, in the war on terror we face a relentless and determined enemy that operates in many nations — so protecting our citizens requires unprecedented cooperation from many nations as well. It took the combined efforts of several countries to break up this plot."
From the Associate Press, Deb Riechmann also included Bushes commentary,
"The terrorists are living under constant pressure and this adds to our security,” Bush said. “When terrorists spend their days working to avoid death or capture, it’s harder for them to plan and execute new attacks on our country. By striking the terrorists where they live, we’re protecting the American homeland."
More of his speech,
President Bush said the U.S.-led global war on terror has “weakened and fractured” al-Qaeda and allied groups,
With a divided country many people are skeptical about the numerous ambiguous claims of each "planned attack."
President Bush Address,
Bush and Terrorism, LA Terrorism Threat,
Posted by Sophie at 04:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The $9.99 Cyber Buddy...
Keeping with the technology theme today, there is some "cyber stuff" coming your way! For business or personal use Dodoskido.com found a cool "SitePal" which is an animated character that says whatever you want it to.
I had thought that after all of these years hacking away at the text-to-speech issue we'd have something really cool and natural but I guess Adobe really hasn't invested in this area.Today, I have found a really cool text to speech app that runs on the web. It's billed as a web buddy or something ("sell stuff with your very own virtual assistant!"). I think I even saw Sprint using this way back when but I always thought it was canned speech, but it could have been this thing.
The virtual buddy costs around $9.99 per month. It can be adjusted to any language and is a fun way to spice up your website. I might just get one...
Cyber Buddy,
Animated Cyber Pal,
Posted by Sophie at 02:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
iPod Infringement?
Hip Hop Logic brings an important legal question into the world of selling used goods. So before you advertise your old iPod online, check this out.
If you're one of those early adopters who got an early version of the iPod, you may be planning on upgrading by now.
(snip)
But the RIAA, those guys who are chasing the distant relatives of filesharers in court, say that reselling an iPod with your music collection still on-board is quite illegal.
With all the ambiguity surrounding legal/illegal downloading it's a wonder how they will have the time to regulate the selling of used iPods.
Posted by Sophie at 01:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Joys of Motherhood?!
Chantel from BlogHer comments on the joys and worries of being a parent. Other mothers discuss this issue also.
I often worry as my children get older. I wonder how my short-tempered fiery streak would handle their open defiance, swearing and experimental drug use. My children are 13 & 15 and I still thank the spirits for bringing me such great children. Sure they are trouble but most of the time they are pure joy.
Well, having been a teenager not that long ago I definitely have to say I had my "teenage moments". My hair wasn't perfect enough, my clothes were never good enough and my parents often got on my nerves. It's so nice to be a young adult now, free from temperamental outbursts. I'm sure my parents feel the same way.
Mothers and fathers have an amazing capacity to put up with all of the stages their children go through!
Moms and Teenagers, Teens and Parents,
Posted by Sophie at 01:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Leave your nose out of it.
Good morning/afternoon to you all! As Mr. B. is jet setting over the United States I will be around to highlight some new and interesting blogs.
To all you wine connoisseurs out there, and other interested parties:
Vinography has scoped out a new way to detect faulty wines. In an article by CNET Silicon Valley is now producing a computer chip that can sense certain common faults wine.
Several new technologies are converging to make it possible to design computer chips that can instantly and reliably sense faults in wine. Soon restaurants and early adopting consumers alike will have (relatively) cheap sensors that can detect any manner of problems in a wine, from oxidation to volatile acidity, to hydrogen sulfide, to cork taint.
But what will happen to the art of wine tasting? Though technology can be helpful, will it replace even our most simple activities and natural sensory abilities?
What do you think?
TAGS: wine technology,
wine tasting,
Posted by Sophie at 12:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 09, 2006
My Mind & Body Are on Vacation
I'm taking the next two days (plus the weekend) off from work for a short work/pleasure trip to Seattle. I will have my laptop with me on the road and if I have time will try to do some blogging... but no promises. I will have to do some work updating KRON4.com with that same laptop so bloggin' ain't out of the question.
In the meantime enjoy the nice weather and keep enjoying the goodness our aggregator has to offer. You may also see some posts Friday from Sophie. If so, give her lots of comment and link love!
Your friend and blogger...
Brian
Posted by Brian at 12:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Gary Radnich Fire Drill
So I really try hard to not make TBAiT into a shill for KRON 4 programming. That's never been the point of our site.
Sometimes though, there's something you've got to see. Click the picture or here for a link to a video clip featuring Gary Radnich, Pam Moore, Tom Sinkovitz, Phil Matier and our intrepid band of Production workers bravely soldiering on when the fire alarms went off in the building during the middle of Gary's World.
If you haven't seen it, it's hilarious... and it's a big reason why, despite all of the challenges we face, KRON can still be a fun place to work.
TAGS: KRON 4, Gary Radnich, Fire Drill
Posted by Brian at 12:35 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
February 08, 2006
For the Sake of the World, Please Ignore this Post
Here's a real gem from one of TBAiT favorite new sites... That's Ironic. But please, have compassion for the endangered species of the world and don't read about it. Or if you do read about it, don't tell anyone. Or if you tell someone, make sure they don't have ties to major development interests in Indonesia. Deal? Deal!
“A lost world teeming with previously unknown or presumed extinct wildlife that has remained untouched by humans and is as close to the Garden of Eden as is possible exists in the jungle-covered mountains of Indonesia’s Papua province, scientists say.”(snip)
Ironically, in announcing this find, this ensures that the lost world will be over-found and exploited, and that the animals once presumed extinct now will be extinct within 100 years, tops.
BTW, not to influence your Iron-O-Meter vote, but I gave it a "4".
TAGS: Garden of Eden, Endangered Species, Papua,
Posted by Brian at 04:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Om Malik's Shocking Statement
Okay folks, I hope you're sitting down for this one.
Cover your children's eyes and ears.
This is a shocker, Om Malik style!
All my Mac friends are going to have an heart attack, because I an about to say something even I did not expect myself to say: I like Tablet PC! (Whew… that took some effort!) I just received a Lenovo X41 ThinkPad and have been playing around with it for about two days. I started taking notes on X41 instead of my Ruled Notebook. My good old Parker pen is crying because I have been ignoring it for over 48 hours. Thanks to Activewords, Feed Demon and BlogJet, I have been able to do all the familiar tasks with remarkable ease. I have clean handwriting, so Tablet PC actually worked better than expected for me. (Full review coming soon!) (snip)I do have to reluctantly admit, I will be less resistant to checking out Windows-only Apps. That it up until the day when Apple introduces its own Tablet. Then all bets are off!
Call a doctor... I think I'm having palpatations.
TAGS: Om Malik, Lenovo X41 ThinkPad ,
Posted by Brian at 03:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 07, 2006
There's No Place Like (Someone Else's) Home
We seem to be developing a theme today on TBAiT about illicit behavior. Well who better to turn to for information on doing the forbidden than Kurt and Todd at Other People Exist?
Our OPE heroes live sometimes stressful lives... and if you think that stress dissipates when they go on vacation, you obviously don't know our dynamic duo! Today they're at the OPE "Corporate Bungalow" a few hours outside the city.
We're not sure who owns the bungalow, we just know that they are hardly ever there, and they keep the key under the wooden frog. We've only seen the owners once, when they came up for the MLK weekend and surprised us while we were baking in the kitchen. We claimed we were from the gas company and excused ourselves to get some tools from the van. Then we ran all the way to the bus station.(snip)
I recommend getting away from it all whenever you can. Take a weekend off and drive to the countryside, keeping an eye out for a house without cars in the driveway. Then ask yourself: Is it far enough off the main road? What are my escape routes? What's my backstory and does it have believability? Am I fast in a sprint?
Since the answer to the last question is NO in my case, I plan to keep my bungalow to myself.
TAGS: Bungalows, Illicit Behavior, Satire
Posted by Brian at 01:16 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Searching for Mr. Madison
TBAiT friend Lincoln Madison at the Third Path, like most of us bloggers, peers over the "referring URL's" information to figure out how people are finding what we write.
Unfortunately for Lincoln, it appears some unsavory characters are finding his blog while searching for indecent pictures of children (not that he has any, he doesn't.)
It's bad enough that people are looking for explicit images of fourth graders, but what confounds me is that someone looking for such things would bother to click on a link to an article here about Supreme Court jurisprudence. Yes, this blog occasionally uses terms like l0yo [oops — did I misspell that??], but I hope it's clear that you're not going to find any photos of Asian schoolchildren getting unnaturally friendly with farm animals.
Most of the people searching for stuff who end up at Lincoln's fabulous blog are finding him through the term "Nate Corddry."
TAGS: Search Terms,
Posted by Brian at 01:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Keep The Drawbridge Closed
Sometimes I really step in it bigtime.
The long arm of the law is reaching out to me because of a post I cited back in October. Slacy took us on a tour of "Drawbridge", a ghost town that's part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
This morning I got a call from a law enforcement officer at the refuge informing me that the area is off-limits to the public and if you try to go there you will get a ticket (or worse.)
The area is designed to be a place for wildlife, not for living the wild life. Still, looking at the refuge's web site, there are things to do and see lawfully, so it appears to be worth a trip.
Just obey the rules and stay out of Drawbridge. It appears you can see the place... but from a distance by using the nature trails out of Alviso.
TAGS: Drawbridge, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge,
Posted by Brian at 12:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 06, 2006
Mavericks Surf Contest Tuesday Morning
If you have time Tuesday morning you should head out to Half Moon Bay and check out the 24 surfers battling for the number one position and a $50,000 cash prize in the Mavericks surf competition. Or if you are stuck in the office you can see it from the Mavericks live cam.
Jann at Metroblogging San Francisco comments on the exciting event
The call has gone out, around the world, to the 24 men selected for the 2006 MAVERICKS SURF CONTEST. The chosen must be here by 8am Tuesday morning for a chance at $50,000 in prize money and for the recognition as conqueror of the Mavericks.Big-wave surfing may be one of the most dangerous of sports and the Maverick's Surf Contest, at Half Moon Bay, may be the most feared of all surf contests in the world.
30,000 people are expected to be there!
TAGS: Mavericks, Surfing, Half Moon Bay,
Posted by Sophie at 05:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Mass Bottled Water Consumption
OneWorld US Abid Aslam reports on the effects of the bottled water industry and the global water issues of attaining safe drinking water and recycling the plastic bottles.
Consumers spend a collective $100 billion every year on bottled water in the belief--often mistaken, as it happens--that this is better for us than what flows from our taps, according to environmental think tank the Earth Policy Institute (EPI).
EPI researcher Emily Arnold said, ''There is no question that clean, affordable drinking water is essential to the health of our global community,'' Arnold said. ''But bottled water is not the answer in the developed world, nor does it solve problems for the 1.1 billion people who lack a secure water supply. Improving and expanding existing water treatment and sanitation systems is more likely to provide safe and sustainable sources of water over the long term.''
Who knew bottled water has adverse affects?! This article explores how our environment is affected by the mass production of plastic and how other people survive in countries where they are unable to access safe drinking water. I am grateful to live in the US!
TAGS: Bottled Water, Water Resources,
Posted by Sophie at 04:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Good Cop Bad Cop?!
SFist Rita comments on the San Francisco Police Department's alleged history of excessive brutality . This is in response to the SFChronicle’s week long coverage of these events
From 1996-2003, one SF cop accrued 26 use of force citizen complains. By contrast, in San Jose for the same time period, the cop with the most complaints had four.
What do you think?
TAGS: San Francsico Police, Police Brutality,
Posted by Sophie at 03:31 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)