June 26, 2007
June 23, 2007
The Poles Killed Jews During The Holocaust?
This story (about 00:05:30 in length) describes a Polish movement to change the name of Auschwitz to something that clearly blames Germans and/or Nazis for the atrocities that were committed there. I've racked my brain on this one and simply cannot recall a time, ever, where I was confused about who killed the Jews at Auschwitz. I can't imagine that there a too many people out there who believe that the Poles are somehow responsible.
Frankly, most people would be surprised to learn that Auschwitz is actually on Polish soil. I believe the general consensus is that Auschwitz is "somewhere in Germany."
Even more interesting is that there are two positions among the Poles pressing this case as to what, exactly, Auschwitz should be called. One camp believes that the word "German" should not be included, because modern Germans are not responsible for the acts of their predecessors and that focus should be placed squarely on the Nazis. The other camp believes that "German" should be included, because by simply referring to "Nazis" we eliminate the context of what Nazis actually were - a German government, elected by German people.
I know it's lame-ass to draw these kinds of parallels, but I can't resist: I wonder if someday there will be a debate in Cuba as to whether the Guantanamo Bay terror camp museum/memorial should include the words "American," "Bush", or "United States" in order to remind the world that the Cubans did not incarcerate alleged terrorists there.
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Old Media v. New Media
Yes, old media will not go down without a lot of eye-scratching, hair-pulling, and fit-pitching. Have a listen and ask yourself this question: Do the high-paying broadcasters retain the right to squash "real-time" new media, even though an event can be considered "news" once it has occurred? They paid for the right to broadcast that event, but did they also pay for the right to keep events that have occurred in the past from being news-worthy in the present, simply because they can't keep up with the pace, or it doesn't meet the broadcaster's ideal targeted demographic viewing schedule?
Shifts in technology always require societies to restructure their ways of thinking about, and viewing the world. Technology is now expanding so quickly, I wonder if society can keep pace without going bloody insane.
June 21, 2007
Microsoft Wants You To Touch Them
Well, if you haven't already seen Surface, you probably outta check it out (click the post title, above). Now MS is working on the next logical stage of multi-touch interface technology; putting it into consumer-level computing products:
I hope Apple is working on this stuff too...
Behold My Flexible Bionic Legs
Spotted this Bowflex ad while reading an Electronista article about the iPhone this morning:
Behold my bionic legs! They are so flexible, that I can pull them up behind my back simply by attaching cords to them.June 16, 2007
I Don't Approve of Gays in The Military, Unless They're Willing To Die In Combat
Guess who wins the Ass-Hat of the Day Award? This guy:
Bob Barr, pictured here 3 sheets to he windTo be fair, back in his congressional days, Bob was probably just following the party line, and the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was initiated before his time as a legislator. Furthermore, Bob considers himself to be a "true conservative" and is now very active with the Libertarian party (kudos). Lastly, he has changed his position on gays in the military, which is respectable.
However, Bob has changed his mind at a time when he can longer affect legislation and actually do something about it. More importantly, his justifications for changing his mind are loathsome. Listen to the NPR phone interview for full effect, but in a nutshell, Bob believes that having gays in the military is better than letting "...convicts and high school drop-outs" serve.
Bob Barr has a website and - lo and behold! - a Blogger site. Please take a moment to visit these sites and let Bob know exactly what you think about him.
The only good news in this story is that Bob no longer serves in Congress. Oh, that and the fact that "Bob Barr Blog at Blogspot Dot Com" is a fun tongue twister to say.
Bob, I appreciate that you have become a more forward-thinking advocate of gays in the military. But, your reasoning reveals your underlying ideology, and for that you lose all respect I could have hoped to muster for you.
June 9, 2007
Boo-Frickety-Hoo
I rarely take the time to pay attention to celebrity news, much less comment on them. But, this was just too amusing to pass up.
The article reads like comedy to me. I particularly enjoy this nugget:
Seconds later, the judge announced his decision: "The defendant is remanded to county jail to serve the remainder of her 45-day sentence. This order is forthwith."
Hilton screamed.
Eight deputies immediately ordered all spectators out of the courtroom. Hilton's mother, Kathy, threw her arms around her husband, Rick, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Common folk pay dearly for drinking and driving - and they should! It's refreshing to see spoiled little billionaire princesses reap their just rewards.
Enjoy your summer, Paris.
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