The Rigged-Up Net

Bennifer wedding postponed

The Bennifer countdown came to a screeching halt Wednesday.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-09-10-wedding-postponed_x.htm

Austin ranks No. 7 for software jobs

As a percentage of the region’s population, software-related employment in Austin ranked seventh among U.S. metropolitan areas in 2001, according to a new study.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2003/09/08/daily37.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Call them bum wines, street wines, fortified wines, wino wines, or twist-cap wines. Whatever you call these beverages for the economical drunkard, this page explores the top five, in alphabetical order. So curl up on a heating duct and enjoy…

http://www.tcsn.net/rags/bum/

(Thanks Chris)

Austin City Limits Music Festival

Bring together country, blues, rock and gospel musicians. Add tens of thousands of eager fans. Spice it all up with Texas barbecue and wild sausage tacos.

http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-475B95D6-6385-4DB6-8CB2-5C7186209882.asp?0na=x2202120f

The latest of the luxuries roll in

European automakers, showing their newest cars at the Frankfurt Auto Show this week, hope to boost business in the USA with coupes and even more sport-utility vehicles.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-09-09-autoshow_x.htm

RIAA lawsuits bring consternation, chaos

Dave Platt runs the athletic media relations department at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where star football player Matthew McChesney is a defensive tackle. But reporters weren’t calling Platt on Tuesday to discuss McChesney’s gridiron skills.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-09-10-riaa-suit-reax_x.htm

Downpour after drought raises road deaths

Rainy weather influences road deaths in a far more complicated way than previously thought. Rain does not increase the number of deaths in crashes, provided it rained the previous day. But a heavy shower after a dry spell causes a lethal surge in accidents.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994148

Blogger bucks premium-services trend

Google-owned Web log-creation site Blogger is eliminating its paid version and folding premium functions into its free service, bucking a trend toward making people pay for Web site extras.

http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5074041.html?tag=fd_top

New Memory That Doesn’t Forget

With both Motorola and IBM firmly lined up behind a single contender, the five-year search for a “universal RAM” technology offering a combination of non-volatility and high-speed random access appears to be all but over.

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,59559,00.html

Dell: Company’s model would work in Calif.

Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Round Rock-based computer maker Dell Inc., says California’s business climate wouldn’t discourage his company’s headquarters from moving to the Golden State.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2003/09/08/daily15.html

‘Living condom’ could block HIV

Genetically-modified vaginal bacteria may be able to serve as a “living condom”, secreting proteins that protect women against HIV, suggests a new report.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994141

What’s in a name?

“Do not pirate your partners’ names,” warns Franz Fischler, the EU’s farm commissioner. “EU producers are losing billions a year because non-European producers are free-riding on the reputation of European-quality products.”

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/trade/2003-09-09-names_x.htm

New, colorful $20 bills to hit street in October

The first U.S. currency to be colorized — the $20 note sporting splashes of peach, blue and yellow — will start appearing next month in cash registers, ATM machines and your wallet.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2003-09-09-new-twenty_x.htm

What is the DARPA Grand Challenge?

The DARPA Grand Challenge is a race of autonomous ground vehicles between Los Angeles and Las Vegas that will be held on March 13, 2004. The team that fields a vehicle that finishes the designated route most quickly within a 10 hour time limit will be granted a cash award of $1 million.

http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/

(thanks Chris)

Apple: Reselling iTunes songs ‘impractical’

A company executive downplays recent questions over the company’s download resale policy, saying technical–if not legal–barriers could prevent such transfers from taking place.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/cnet/stories/5072842.htm

A product which enables all the Cassette Deck’s function on PC. Operated all of functions of cassette deck in PC.

http://www.plusdeck.com/english/

Probably a too little, too late… but had this come out 5 years ago or so, it would’ve been cool! (thanks Dirk)

Autoimmune disease vaccine shows promise

A vaccine for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes is performing well in trials, scientists told the British Association’s Festival of Science on Monday.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994137

Microsoft begins to flesh out ambitious management platform

Microsoft last week shipped one of the first tools in the company’s wide-ranging portfolio designed to create a comprehensive platform for managing computing resources.

http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0908msoft.html?page=1

Past DSL woes in Calif. forcing SBC to pay up

A state Superior Court judge in San Diego has tentatively approved a settlement of $52 million in a class action lawsuit against telecommunications giant SBC Communications Inc. for poor high-speed Internet service.

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/09/08/daily2.html

Meat eating is an old human habit

Humans evolved beyond their vegetarian roots and became meat-eaters at the dawn of the genus Homo, around 2.5 million years ago, according to a study of our ancestors’ teeth.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994122

FCC Ponders Removing Morse Code Reqs for Amateur Radio Licenses

Nalez writes “This story on the ARRL website outlines six petitions currently in front of the FCC to drop the Morse code requirement for the amateur radio license exams. Currently the ability to do Morse code at 5 words per minute is required to operate on the high frequency bands (below 30Mhz), which are the bands that propagate best around the world.” While this may or may not attract more people to ham radio, it will make it easier for the novice to use packet radio devices.

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/09/06/1348258.shtml?tid=103&tid=137&tid=193&tid=99

This is AWESOME!

Census Bureau: More than one-fourth of Houstonians are foreign-born

Houston ranks ninth among large U.S. cities for the percentage of foreign-born residents, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report.

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/09/01/daily41.html

Wireless number change could mean $20B industry loss

The wireless phone industry could lose more than $20 billion over four years as a result of a new Federal Communications Commission ruling that will allow mobile telephone users to keep their phone numbers when switching carriers, Austin-based iGillottResearch Inc. reports

http://houston.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2003/09/01/daily40.html

Comedy Central shops ‘South Park’ for syndication

Stan, Kyle and the rest of the potty-mouthed, pint-sized gang on cable network Comedy Central’s animated hit South Park may soon be staying up past their bedtimes on broadcast television.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2003-09-04-southpark_x.htm

Adrian Lamo charged with computer crimes

FBI agents armed with a federal arrest warrant out of New York were searching for Adrian Lamo Thursday, SecurityFocus has confirmed.

http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6888

Another article:

http://news.com.com/2100-1023_3-5072268.html?tag=fd_top

7 deadly travel sins

The eightysomething couple from Iowa, celebrating their 62nd wedding anniversary with a Las Vegas getaway, hankered to do something they’d never done before.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/vacations/destinations/2003/2003-09-05-vices.htm

GSM phone encryption “can be cracked”

The encryption system that protects the almost 900 million users of GSM cell phones from instant eavesdropping or fraud is no longer impregnable, cryptologists claim.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994130

Why do feet stink?

Everybody is familiar with this phenomenon. Most of us have a friend or relative who can clear out a room when they kick off their shoes. And even the sweetest smelling person can do a decent job stinking up a pair of shoes by running a few miles in them. So what’s going on here? Why do your feet have a stronger odor than the rest of you does?

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question514.htm/

Disguising High School Dropout Rates

Crystal Gonzalez, 17, gave up on high school in Houston’s East End neighborhood earlier this year. She never made it past ninth grade.

http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-5B58D043-7263-4F4D-BC51-4733F57AF608.asp?0na=x2201110a

Fastest amphibious car

A high-speed land and water vehicle which transforms from sleek sports car to jet-propelled boat at the touch of a button made waves at its unveiling here yesterday. The Aquada is designed to reach speeds of 100 miles per hour on land and over 30mph on water, according to Gibbs Technology, which developed the new technology.

http://www.timesofoman.com/newsdetails.asp?newsid=40500

Hormone jab beats hunger in the obese

Giving obese people top-ups of a naturally occurring gut hormone could help fight obesity, suggests a new study.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994129

Report blasts American infrastructure

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s infrastructure is full of cracks, leaks and holes and is getting worse, according to an analysis by civil engineers that gives the nation’s transportation, water and energy systems an overall grade of D-plus.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-09-04-aging-infrastructure_x.htm

Where do salad dressings get their names?

Although manufacturers introduce new flavors all the time, many consumers stick to their longtime favorites in salad dressings — ranch, French, Italian, Caesar, blue cheese and Thousand Island — and many of the dressings available in stores and restaurants are variations of these.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question515.htm/

Cancer deaths decline

Death rates from cancer are declining, and the number of new cases is leveling off — solid progress that appears to be a result of longstanding national efforts at prevention, screening and early treatment, federal experts report Wednesday

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-09-02-cancer-deaths-_x.htm

Chilli receptors detect heart attack pain

The same receptors that sense the burning taste of chilli peppers also sense chest pain during a heart attack, scientists have discovered.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994127

Top 10: Most Expensive Divorce Settlements

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 43% of first marriages will end in divorce or separation within 15 years in the United States. In 2000, there were 957,200 divorces, and reconciliation occured only for about 10% of them. In 1994, Massachusetts had the lowest divorce rate in the country with 2.4 divorces for every 1,000 people, while Nevada had the highest rates with 9.0.

http://www.askmen.com/toys/top_10_60/74_top_10_list.html

Ok – This is pretty cool… I dunno where they keep coming up with this stuff… but very cool.

http://www.donpixel.com/video/?v=030822061503

Is this for real? Is this chick really white?

Sarai – “Ladies”

Brain study links negative emotions and lowered immunity

Brain activity linking negative emotions to a lower immune response against disease has been revealed for the first time, claim researchers

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994116

A shot of the rain in San Antonio from the Tower of Americas on the afternoon of 8/31/03. It was very windy up there as well. 🙂