A few searches I’m proud to be a part of, but semi-bewildered about nonetheless:
Snippet of conversation last night between my friend and me, walking downtown across 34th Street on the East Side of Manhattan, lamenting the fact that most stores were closed and people weren’t out and about:
Friend: “If we were here on the West Side, people would be out and things would be open.”
Me: “Yeah, but here on the West Side is all porn.”
Friend: “Well, at least porn is open!”
Oh, this Phish fan resume (from MetaFilter, of course) is sheer genius.
The Supreme Court declared drug roadblocks unconstitutional today, based on Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches. And for those worried about Bush’s potential effect on this country via nominations to the Court, be afraid — Sandra Day O’Connor, one of the “conservatives” often said to be a possible retiree over the next four years, wrote for the majority in this case. (For those not averse to PDF files, the decision is already published.)
After reading how many people are turning to the web for medical information, I think that there’s a real, strong opportunity for the big medical organizations (American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, etc.) to build a good, evidence-based, consumer-level website of medical reference. I spend so much time debunking web-based folklore (not to mention truly dangerous ideas); I’d love to be able to point my patients to something that I know I could trust.
Finally, a quote about the Microsoft trial that I can agree with:
“[Jackson’s] extensive public comments about the merits of this case epitomize his disregard for proper procedure. [His] public comments would lead a reasonable observer to question his impartiality and — together with other procedural irregularities — the fairness of the entire proceeding.”
Of course, Jackson may not have that much longer on this case; many analysts see him being removed from the case if and when the District Court sends it back for reconsideration (and that’s if his breakup order isn’t overturned.)
And in other Microsoft news, University of Utah professor Lee Hollaar wants to file an amicus brief in support of the government, claiming unique insight into MS operating systems due to his prior study of the source code. The problem with this, however, is well-stated in Microsoft’s reply brief: “Mr. Hollaar has apparently forgotten that he became acquainted with the source code of Microsoft’s operating systems in the Caldera and Bristol cases pursuant to protective orders that strictly prohibit him from using that knowledge for any purpose other than preparing his testimony in those cases.” And people accuse Microsoft of dirty pool?
