Ayn Rand Institute: the US should not help tsunami victims
Ayn Rand Institute: the US should not help tsunami victims. All of the giving should come from private organizations and individuals.
Advertise here with Carbon Ads
This site is made possible by member support. 💞
Big thanks to Arcustech for hosting the site and offering amazing tech support.
When you buy through links on kottke.org, I may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks for supporting the site!
kottke.org. home of fine hypertext products since 1998.
Beloved by 86.47% of the web.
Entries for December 2004
The NY Times has an amazing package
The NY Times has an amazing package of infographics and photos of the Indian Ocean tsunami. The photos are heartbreaking and gut-wrenching.
The Economist is using Salon’s “day pass”
The Economist is using Salon’s “day pass” idea to offer their premium content to non-subscribers. Huzzah!
Mouseradio doesn’t have any buttons or knobs
Mouseradio doesn’t have any buttons or knobs. Tip the speaker end up to turn it on and slide it around to control the volume and tuning.
List of banished words for 2005
List of banished words for 2005. “Red/blue states”, “blog”, and “you’re fired” make the list.
An interview with a Pixar employee
An interview with a Pixar employee. “I think that movies are mirrors, and what people find in them usually says more about the viewer than the movie.”
Two NY Times movie critics discuss directors,
Two NY Times movie critics discuss directors, technology, actors, and other filmmaking issues.
On the eve of the 100th anniversary
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of his annus mirabilis, an overview of Einstein’s early career. “Einstein believed that quantum mechanics was describing some sort of statistical average of an underlying phenomenon that was deterministic.”
Are humans designed to cope with the
Are humans designed to cope with the always-on, just-in-time, emailus interruptus 21st century?. “Are we allowing life to be the sum of tasks, the short term always the priority? Are we so connected that we’re actually disconnected?”
This holiday season, New York is both crowded and deserted
This holiday season, New York is both crowded and deserted. Theme restaurants are packed while places normally frequented by natives are deserted.
A store in midtown is telling it
A store in midtown is telling it like it is with a “business sucks sale”.
William Drenttel remembers Susan Sontag
William Drenttel remembers Susan Sontag. “I was never among her closest of friends. But I was her graphic designer.”
Improve your world with Steven’s bedroom cleaning technique
Improve your world with Steven’s bedroom cleaning technique.
A company called Accentus is using music
A company called Accentus is using music to communicate market data to financial traders. If you hear a “short ascending clarinet melody”, it means that the Canadian dollar gained 0.1 percent against US dollar.
Copyright double billing
Having seen many of his presentations and read many of his articles, it’s been enjoyable watching Larry Lessig refine his copyright arguments over the past few years. Many still wrongly assume that he’s anti-copyright, but his views are much more nuanced than that, certainly more subtle than those of the media industry or the US government. Here’s a short passage from his latest article on copyright term extensions:
We rightfully grant the monopoly called copyright to inspire new creative work. But once that work has been created, there is no public justification for extending its term. The public has already paid. Term extension is just double billing. Any wealth it creates for copyright holders is swamped by the wealth the public loses in lower costs and wider access.
A limited term of protection in exchange for freely available creative work…sounds reasonable to me.
Creative Commons announces the Science Commons project
Creative Commons announces the Science Commons project. “The mission of Science Commons is to encourage scientific innovation by making it easier for scientists, universities, and industries to use literature, data, and other scientific intellectual property and to share their knowledge with others.”
How to help tsunami victims: donate to the Red Cross
How to help tsunami victims: donate to the Red Cross. Amazon has raised $1.5 million so far.
Jerry Orbach, who played Detective Lenny Briscoe
Jerry Orbach, who played Detective Lenny Briscoe on Law and Order, died Tuesday aged 69. Aw crap. We’ll miss you, Jerry.
Wired article about BitTorrent and its creator, Bram Cohen
Wired article about BitTorrent and its creator, Bram Cohen.
Ken Jennings will compete for $2 million in Super Tournament
Ken Jennings will compete for $2 million in Super Tournament. His opponents will be “two survivors of a competition between nearly 150 past five-time winners”.
These folks are raising money to build
These folks are raising money to build themselves a habitable Hobbit hole.
Stewart Brand reviews Jared Diamond’s new book for Wired
Stewart Brand reviews Jared Diamond’s new book for Wired.
How to fix Mom’s computer
How to fix Mom’s computer. Gina does battle with a spyware-infected Win98 box and lives to tell us how she fixed it.
Profile of Sean Thackrey, wine craftsman extraordinaire
Profile of Sean Thackrey, wine craftsman extraordinaire.
The last Americans: environmental collapse and the
The last Americans: environmental collapse and the end of civilization by Jared Diamond. Why did the once-mighty Maya civilization collapse?
Buy “How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and
Buy “How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and The World” book at Wal-Mart.
Animation of the spread of the Indonesian tsunami
Animation of the spread of the Indonesian tsunami.
Survey results: American views on science issues
Survey results: American views on science issues. Surprisingly, “well over one-third of college graduates are also strict creationists”.
Popular Songs Renamed Along the Lines of
Popular Songs Renamed Along the Lines of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board Ad Campaign “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner.”. “London, It’s What’s Calling”.
Nutty video of some guy’s fingers doing
Nutty video of some guy’s fingers doing tricks with a 2 1/2 inch skateboard.
More violent societies have more left-handers, hinting
More violent societies have more left-handers, hinting that lefties thrive in environments where fighting is important. “While there is no suggestion that left-handed people are more violent than the right-handed, it looks as though they are more successfully violent.”
Discover chooses the top 100 stories in science for 2004
Discover chooses the top 100 stories in science for 2004.
What is a tsunami?
What is a tsunami?. “Near the source of submarine earthquakes, the seafloor is ‘permanently’ uplifted and down-dropped, pushing the entire water column up and down. The potential energy that results from pushing water above mean sea level is then transferred to horizontal propagation of the tsunami wave”.
A Washington Post writer’s amazing account of
A Washington Post writer’s amazing account of swimming in the ocean when the tsunami hit. “I felt afraid, powerless to prevent myself from being washed out to sea.”
Wikipedia is covering the Indonesian earthquake/tsunami
Wikipedia is covering the Indonesian earthquake/tsunami. Their breaking news coverage is impressive.
Socials & More