I wasn't so much surprised as pleased to see an article in Wired describing independent game development as a healthy industry. With so many computer and console games costing millions of dollars to develop, produce, and market, and with the seemingly enormous power of a small number of retailers to …

According to a survey on Netcraft (an internet server analysis site), the number of JSP (Java Server Pages) sites has grown almost 100% over last year, despite Microsoft's heavy push for ASP (Active Server Pages) and .NET development. More interesting is that almost 26% of the sites are running Microsoft …

Not the hard-biting news, but this article from the Washington Post gives some good hints about how to appropriately choose and use sweet corn.

An article from the Scotsman is reporting that Virtual Clones, a technology company in Glasgow, Scotland, has developed a technology that can create meshes from high resolution photographs. If the stuff really works, it could cut substantial time and anguish out of modeling faces for games and, potentially, motion pictures …

I was reading an article from the The Scotsman this morning about the agreement between the US and the UK not to allow the death penalty for certain UK citizens who are detained at Guantanamo Bay and found myself feeling empty on this issue. I understand that 9/11 was …

Edinburgh is absolutely one of my favorite cities in the world, with it's old- world charm and friendly people, it has been a favorite of mine ever since the fateful first trip there in the days of Ascend Communications. If you are a fan, you probably already know that Edinburgh …

Winged Migration (or Le Peuple migrateur, as it was originally titled) is a wonderful film from France about the migration of birds. Lasting 98 minutes, it is one of the shorter films that we've seen this year, and certainly the most documentary of them. The photography is absolutely breathtaking (to …

According to an article in the Scotsman, the number of crashes and fatalities involving commercial aircraft is down significantly since last year. With 12 crashes accounting for 362 deaths (worldwide) instead of 18 crashes with 716 fatalities, the skies were certainly safer during the first six months of this year …

Not wanting to be left out of the online music game, buy.com will introduce today their BuyMusic.com service, intended to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Service, according to this report from the Associated Press (carried by Yahoo!). When I am able to actually access the system, I will …

The New York Times has an article about the latest trend in caviar in the United States, domestic caviar. Made from paddlefish instead of sturgeon, the caviar doesn't taste the same as the expensive Russian and Iranian caviar, but it is gaining popularity in the US. According to the article …

In order to protect the sanctity of the French language, the government of France has officially outlawed the use of the words "email" and "e-mail" in deference to the word "courriel." A story from the Associated Press, carried by the Washington Post tells the tale. Not surprisingly, outside of the …

According to an article from Macworld UK, analysts from Needham and Company believe Apple is poised to take 20% of the online music market. The article goes over the various numbers, including the analysts estimates of what Apple makes per song (they think it is between 5 and 10 cents …

In what is likely to be the stupidest public relations mistake in RFID history so far, British supermarket chain Tesco has apparently been testing RFID tags with Gillette by photographing customers when the pick up the chipped merchandise from the shelves and also as they leave the store. By comparing …

Raindog Records (a subsidiary of Oasis CD Manufacturing) has just announced a service for independent musicians who want to get on to Apple's iTunes Music Service. The package includes everything from getting the data into the right formats to clearing albums (except for cover tunes) straight through to the service …

Whatcha gonna do when a sequel like Bad Boys II comes out? Well, that's going to depend on how much you believe in the chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. If you liked the two in the first movie, Bad Boys, you will probably like them in this one …

Those interested in snorkeling and diving will find an article (subscription required) in this week's Science of concern. It sounds the alarm about a regional decline (which is paired with a worldwide decline) in coral population. The article is mostly an analysis of 65 studies covering 263 sites across the …

According to an article in this week's Science (subscription required), summarized in the New York Times, there is evidence for a genetic predisposition towards clinical depression triggered by high degrees of stress. The articles are interesting, but the main gist is that depression is commonly brought on by acute trauma …

An article (subscription required) in this week's Science discusses hydrogen fuel use for transportation and whether it makes sense for us to concentrate on hydrogen now as a replacement for fossil fuels due to global warming, air quality, and energy security concerns. In short, David W. Keith (CMU) and Alexander …

CNet is reporting about a new house bill, just passed by the House, with a component by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Chris Cox (R-CA), that is designed to fund finding ways to reduce or circumvent internet censorship worldwide. The funding is $16 million over the next two years, down from …

Citing second amendment concerns and personal safety issues in DC, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is calling again for the repeal of the stringent gun control laws in the District of Columbia. An article from the Washington Post describes his position (also available in his press release) Senator Hatch has introduced …