More on Sony and "Shock and Awe"

Shock, Awe and Retreat (www.frictionlessinsight.com)

After a barrage of criticism, Sony has dropped its prospective
trademark registration for the phrase "Shock and Awe" which it had
intended to use as a video game title. That phrase was used by the American military to characterize a particular segment of its war plan in Iraq. According to a Sony Computer Entertainment of America spokesman, "It was an exercise of regrettable bad judgment in that it disregarded the context in which the term has been used. SCEA will withdraw this application. Steps will be taken to heighten awareness throughout the Sony Group so as not to repeat such issues."

More on Shock and Awe

Quoted:

In this activity you’ll be asked a series of 17 questions about God and religion. In each case, apart from Question 1, you need to answer True or False. The aim of the activity is not to judge whether these answers are correct or not. Our battleground is that of rational consistency. This means to get across without taking any hits, you’ll need to answer in a way which is rationally consistent. What this means is you need to avoid choosing answers which contradict each other. If you answer in a way which is rationally consistent but which has strange or unpalatable implications, you’ll be forced to bite a bullet.

Battleground God

] Bashar Assad, the young president of Syria, has got to be
] more than a little nervous right now. George W. Bush's
] press spokesman has called his country "a rogue nation."
] Unnamed senior officials are labeling him a member of the
] "junior varsity axis of evil." Even before U.S. tanks
] zoomed into Baghdad, Donald Rumsfeld was warning him to
] stop helping high-level Iraqi refugees or face the
] consequences. Now that the three-week lightning war is
] over, Colin Powell is saying that, "in light of this new
] environment," Assad should review his "actions and %u2026
] behavior" across the board.
]
] And unlike Saddam Hussein, who may well have deluded
] himself with all those video screenings of Black Hawk
] Down, Assad must know that the Syrian military is no
] match for even a lightweight U.S. assault, should Bush
] decide to launch one.

And so begins the publicity campaign by the fourth estate at the behest of One Wonders against Syria

Assad's Situation - Syria's military machine may be hollow--but it isn't harmless

] TIM ROBBINS: Thank you. And thanks for the invitation. I
] had originally been asked here to talk about the war and
] our current political situation, but I have instead
] chosen to hijack this opportunity and talk about baseball
] and show business. (Laughter.) Just kidding. Sort of.
]
] I can't tell you how moved I have been at the
] overwhelming support I have received from newspapers
] throughout the country in these past few days. I hold no
] illusions that all of these journalists agree with me on
] my views against the war. While the journalists' outrage
] at the cancellation of our appearance in Cooperstown is
] not about my views, it is about my right to express these
] views. I am extremely grateful that there are those of
] you out there still with a fierce belief in
] constitutionally guaranteed rights. We need you, the
] press, now more than ever. This is a crucial moment for
] all of us.

Great speech.

'A Chill Wind is Blowing in This Nation...' Tim Robbins Speech to the National Press Club

A place to participate in the internet-based treasure hunt code-breaking puzzle.

The DaVinci Code

] Ever looked at the Mona Lisa and wondered why he's got
] such a goofy grin?
]
] Yes, we do mean he.
] ...
] Most of all The Da Vinci Code is about the history of
] encryption -- the many methods developed over time to
] keep private information from prying eyes.

A new book out by Dan Brown.

Da Vinci: Father of Cryptography?

Learn English the fast and fun way with Flash.

All your links are belong to us! Set us up the flash.

Home English Home

From Read_Me.txt in dir:
] These files mirror, brought to you courtesy of V1ru5,
] TheVoidAKABoB, and SystemFailure, seem to go well
] with the presentation that Acidus was to give at
] Interz0ne.

What purpose is given to exposing the information like this, aside from a poke in the nose at the blackboard people who put out a product that others are using happily? (Disclosure: i interviewed at the DC offices of blackboard a long time ago. THey really do have some cool technology.)

Andy

Lots of information on the Blackboard CampusWide system.

CampusWide Information Mirror (Socialfreedom)

Citizen of Planet Earth wrote:
] This is another site that can be a springboard to your education
] on being a Citizen of the Planet Earth

This is an interesting site to read: it would appear they (the Coalition for a Democratic World Government) intend to do good by limiting weapons of mass destruction (yay), protect the environment (yay), eliminate war and other military action (yay), uphold basic human rights (yay), and remove poverty and hunger worldwide (yay).

Unfortunately democracies do not produce those sorts of changes; rather, they produce a Bread & Circuses society that says "give me more stuph, and take it from THAT person who doesn't really need it".

But still, interesting to read and discuss.

Coalition for Democratic World Government

] Time for VORD ASSOCIATION. Say first thing that pops into brain.

An excellently funny cartoon strip, especially for the geekgrrls among us.

-andy
not a grrl

Woot!