Friday Links

No stuff about politics, oh, except that picture above and the last piece below, but some things about the electoral process.

http://www.therememberingsite.org/ Sharing our collective memories. Friend Sarah's little passion project.

LET"S GO TO THE VIDEO

An Okie I knew sent a link to a video of PURE DC doing a little guerilla belly dancing at NCOR. "Like one of our drummers said, we anarched the anarchists!!! I'm in there , way in the back of the line in the processional and pretty visible in the circle."

http://www.funnyplace.org/ Source of the "funniest videos."

NEWS

National Grid Surcharge: Don't want my utility company to suffer because January was so warm. (9 degrees F above normal in Albany.)

The great "Grampa" Al Lewis age controversy here and here (Feb 8).

TECHNOLOGY

How Invisibility Cloaks Work

If you're tired of dealing with IVR (interactive voice recognition) systems rather than humans when what you need is actual customer service, check this out.

Top 10 Net Hoaxes / Urban Legends of 2005

On voting:
BradBlog.com: truly the best up-to-the-minute coverage on electronic voting
BlackBoxVoting.com: another excellent site that provides insight into electronic voting
BlackBoxVoting.org: a non-profit organization also focused on electronic voting irregularities
Article about Ranked voting: Less money, more turnout

Periodically, Mark Evanier posts something called "There's No Such Website!" He lists five preposterous-sounding websites, four of which are actually legit. Usually, I find the bogus one on the third pick, but this week, for the first time, I got the fake one on the first pick! Check back through his site for other examples of this game.

Friend Daniel writes: "Let me know if this works, OK? And be sure to hold that cell phone real close to your head...."

Is your internet connection slower than a snail? These guys actually tested to find out.

Cyberpal Chris "Lefty" Brown used to have his blog here on Blogger, but it somehow got taken over by other forces (and not very interesting ones at that). So now he's here on Blogger until he can be at his own site here. All of which got me wondering if I should get MY own URL. Ponder. Ponder.
Oh, and the term "cyberpal": don't know what else to call the man. I've never met him, never heard his voice. I read what he writes (and apparently, vice versa), we e-mail back and forth, and I've participated in his music exchanges. I care for his well-being (and that of his wife Kelly, who's recovering from surgery to - it is hoped - relieves her chronic pain). So what DO you call someone who fits that description?

Lefty may relate to this one: Effects of Domain Hijacking Can Linger

RELIGION

Lefty may also appreciate this:

Jesus Radicals aspires to be a resource for those who believe that the Christian Gospel is primarily a message of love and peace, and that militarism, capitalism and the state are idols that stand in stark contrast to the rejection of power by Jesus in favor of a personalist way. If you are questioning the church’s involvement in these idols and wonder if there is a better way to follow Jesus:

You are not alone.

American evangelical Christians tackle global warming

CENSUS

I've discovered this website: http://www.epodunk.com/ - it's a good collection of data about a place. I'll particularly use the link to religious adherents by county, greatest concentration of ancestries, and some of their surveys indicating the places that are most liberal, best home town (stability in population), most Starbucks-addicted place, most friendly town when you're gay and 50, and much more.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1551127
Changing Census Rules in Prison Towns: currently, prisoners are counted in the prison towns. What would changing that formula mean?

Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population (#81) and others

2004 State Government Finances - Alaska traditionally leads the country in per capita revenue and expenditure. Whether that trend continues can be found in this latest report for the 50 state governments. Detailed data is revealed on revenue by type and source, such as taxes, charges and federal aid; expenditures by function (e.g., police, fire and education); and cash and security holdings.

http://www.fcw.com/article92079-01-24-06-Web
The U.S. Government Printing Office last month introduced a new database called the Registry of U.S. Government Publication Digitization Projects at its GPO Access Web site. The database "will serve as a locator tool for identifying federal document
collections that are being digitized."

POLITICS

Another item sent to me by a former comic book artist:

The 23rd Qualm

Bush is my shepherd; I dwell in want.
He maketh logs to be cut in national forests.
He leadeth trucks into the still wilderness.
He restoreth my fears.
He leadeth me in the paths of international disgrace for his ego's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of pollution and war,
I will find no exit, for thou art in office.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy media control, they discomfort me.
Thou preparest an agenda of deception in the presence of thy religion.
Thou anointest my head with foreign oil.
My health insurance runneth out.
Surely megalomania and false patriotism shall follow me all the days of thy term,
And my jobless child shall dwell in my basement forever.