I don’t know why, but I think it’s cool when someone writes their own bit of software to make their weblog database-driven. Dan’s weblog, BrainLog, is driven by PHP and MySQL; pre-Blogger, Meg’s MegNut was run out of a SQL Server database. (Of course, both Manila and Blogger maintain their data in databases, as well, but people can and do use those without ever seeing how they work or tinkering. It’s that tinkering that I think is so neat.)

Ever since I read High Fidelity, I’ve had a goal — to learn to throw around British slang and cursing like a pro. That’s why I was so happy to get my unexpected first lesson today from Katy: “Bugger arse shit stinkbadger buggery buggery bollocks.” And then, within minutes, Prolific sent me to a British slang dictionary — I’ve found my textbook!

From Firda comes Rock-Paper-Scissors-Spock-Lizard, the single-hand game for the new millennium.

There’s a bug with how Internet Explorer checks SSL certificates in certain cases; Microsoft has already issued a patch for the problem for IE 5.01, and will have the patch for IE 4 soon.

*frown* I’m supposed to go see the Mets play tonight, but it’s raining! Best laid plans… I hope it doesn’t rain for the concert in the Park tomorrow night.

I don’t get how the Xenote iTag works. How is a radio-station “Xenote-enabled”? What does the iTag record when you push the button? Update: Brennan has the answer. (Get permanent bookmarks, Brennan!)

Napster has struck a deal with Offspring that will prevent the company from being in the uncomfortable position of defending its copyright while allowing others’ copyrights to be trampled.

John Rocker has been banished to the minors. The Braves are claiming that it’s because his arm is in terrible shape, but it’s clear that this is part of his punishment. Interestingly, if Rocker remains in the Minor League for over 20 days, he won’t play the requisite number of days in the Majors to qualify for salary arbitration next year; without arbitration, Rocker will probably lose around $2.5 million of his salary money next year.

And in other sports news, the world apparently isn’t quite done with Bobby Knight. First, the Louisville Courier-Journal pubished a report this week detailing exactly how complicit Indiana has been in Knight’s behavior, and how little they’ve done about it in the last 27 years. The report is damning — for example, IU president Myles Brand met with a disciplinary committee about Knight nearly a week before the CNN/SI report showing Knight choking Neil Reed, about many of the allegations of which Brand later said the school had never been notified. And then, if that’s not enough, Ron Felling (the assistant coach that was fired after being attacked by Knight) is suing Knight and Indiana for $1 million, saying not only that he was attacked but that Indiana has never disciplined Knight, creating an atmosphere that allowed Knight to remain violent and confrontational.