Events

I haven't really formed an opinion on Sen. Obama's office giving an internship to the son of a guy who gave $10,000 to the 2004 campaign. I'm not really surprised, nor do I really think it's a big deal. I've got a sort-of meta-concern about it, because I think it presages the kinds of stories we'll have to read every week after Obama announces he's running for President. Perhaps I've just got a typical native Chicagoan's indifference to petty nepotism. I'm wondering if this hints at a deeper connection...

I get the History Channel's "Today in History" newsletter every morning. I have yet to figure out their editorial choices. For example, today's newsletter led off with "Dec. 23, 1888: Van Gogh cuts off ear." I thought that today's 20th anniversary of the Voyager aircraft completing its circumnavigation of the earth was more interesting. Thoughts?

New Scientist explains Saccharomyces cerevisiae, better known as brewer's yeast: While we take yeast's brewing abilities for granted, they are in fact rather surprising. Most organisms that generate energy from sugars to use oxygen to break the molecules down into water and carbon dioxide. The energy this releases is stored in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecule that cells use for fuel. In this process, known as aerobic respiration, each glucose molecule yields about 36 molecules of...

Even when he's not being bad, he still looks guilty: Probably no Daily Parker until Tuesday. Have a wonderful holiday, and don't eat the sofa. (I mean you, Mr. "Who Me?".)

The Winter Solstice happens today at 6:22 pm CST (00:22 UTC).

Parker, being an angel at Inner Drive Technology World Headquarters, with one of his favorite things in the world: a bully stick. If only he knew what they really were. I only found out just now as I researched this post. Ew.

I'm listening to the Bush (762 days, 1 hour) press conference on NPR. He's an embarrassment to the country. Update, 9:08 CT (15:08 UTC): Did he just tell us to shop more? Update, 9:19 CT (15:19 UTC): We will succeed in Iraq, apparently. We just haven't defined what that means yet. Update, 9:21 CT (15:21 UTC): "Victory in Iraq is achievable. It just ha'n't happened as quickly as I'd-a liked." Update, 9:28 CT (15:28 UTC): He's talking about switch grass again. And, of course, nucular power, which "does...

The New York Times (reg.req.) has finally picked up a year-old article by security expert Bruce Schneier, taking the TSA to task for concentrating more on theater than actual security: FOR theater on a grand scale, you can’t do better than the audience-participation dramas performed at airports, under the direction of the Transportation Security Administration. As passengers, we tender our boarding passes and IDs when asked. We stand in lines. We empty pockets. We take off shoes. We do whatever is asked...

I know, I've been a little delinquent with TDP posts. And today I'm actually phoning it in. First, Danielle's question, "Where is Parker?" As far as I know, Parker is at home asleep on our bed. The ParkerCam shows nothing but a chewie because that's the last image from when he was here yesterday. Despite the caption, he's not in the office today, so there isn't a new ParkerCam image. Check back tomorrow morning. Second, the couch destruction continues apace. Here is our dear looking innocent: And not so...

Usability guru Jakob Nielsen takes on the remarkable UIs that appear in film: Break into a company—possibly in a foreign country or on an alien planet—and step up to the computer. How long does it take you to figure out the UI and use the new applications for the first time? Less than a minute if you're a movie star. ... Countless scenes involve unauthorized access to some system. Invariably, several passwords are tried, resulting in a giant "Access Denied" dialog box. Finally, a few seconds before...