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"Very useful resource for determining which kind of chart to use to visualize data." [via Rafé]
01/31/2009
links for 2009-01-31
01/28/2009
Two Sad NASA Anniversaries
On January 28 in 1986, the STS-51-L Challenger was lost during launch carrying Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-B (TDRS-B); SPARTAN-203. On January 27 (yesterday) in 1967, Apollo 1 caught fire during pre–flight testing. Astronauts Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee were killed.
Those anniversaries always make me melancholy.
01/27/2009
links for 2009-01-27
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"I'm sorry, but if we don't have an inquest into what happened during the Bush years – and nearly everyone has taken Mr. Obama's remarks to mean that we won't – this means that those who hold power are indeed above the law because they don't face any consequences if they abuse their power. Let's be clear what we're talking about here. It's not just torture and illegal wiretapping, whose perpetrators claim, however implausibly, that they were patriots acting to defend the nation's security. The fact is that the Bush administration's abuses extended from environmental policy to voting rights. And most of the abuses involved using the power of government to reward political friends and punish political enemies (…)
[I]f we whitewash the abuses of the past eight years, we'll guarantee that they will happen again."
01/26/2009
links for 2009-01-26
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YA list of webdev stuff…
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"She starts off: "Too many of us suffer from a condition that is going to leave our grandchildren bereft. I call it personal digital disorder. Think of those thousands of digital photographs that lie hidden on our computers. Few store them, so those who come after us will not be able to look at them. It's tragic."" [via Doug]
01/25/2009
Gung Hay Fat Choy! (Chinese New Year)
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Because of cyclical lunar dating,however, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. On the Chinese calendar, 2009 is Lunar Year 4707-4708.
On the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on Monday, January 26, 2009 — The Year of the Ox. If you were born in 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985 or 1997 – you were born under the sign of the ox. Like the ox, you are one of the most patient signs in Chinese zodiac, but when opposed your fierce temper comes to the fore — and woe to anyone who crosses you! A born leader, you inspire confidence from all around you. You are conservative, methodical, and good with your hands.
For the ox in 2009, any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome, so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally. Guard against being chauvinistic and always demanding your own way. The Ox would be successful as a skilled surgeon, general, or hairdresser.
Famous people born in the Year of the Ox include Napoleon Bonaparte, Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Richard Nixon, Rosa Parks, Sylvia Porter, Vincent Van Gogh, actor George Clooney, boxer Oscar De La Hoya, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, and soccer star Wayne Rooney.
Happy New Year!
links for 2009-01-25
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Explore the affect of nuclear explosions and asteroid impacts using Google maps. Strangely mesmerizing.
01/24/2009
links for 2009-01-24
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"Are you a fan of "Firefly" or "Serenity"? Of course you are! That's why you're here. I bet you're also a fan of doing whatever you can to support your preferred charities. Well, so are we! Proceeds from every sale at Whedon Wares: The Browncoat Store will support our championed charities. Every quarter, we choose a charitable organization and send them a donation with the proceeds of the sales from our store.
Keep an eye on our product line-up, too, because we're always on the lookout for awesome goodies for our favorite flandom.
Austin Browncoats is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity."
01/23/2009
links for 2009-01-23
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"The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Marcia Hofmann has a report card on transparent government measures undertaken by the Obama administration on its first day in office. The news is pretty damned good: they've reversed Ashcroft's restrictions on Freedom of Information Act requests as well as changes to the Presidential Records Act, and have adopted general principles on transparency and open government." [quote from Cory Doctorow @ Boing Boing] [via Doug]
01/22/2009
links for 2009-01-22
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"Paste Magazine gives you the chance to make your own "Obamacon" posters." [via Kevin]
01/21/2009
links for 2009-01-21
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"The government of the United States is in no sense founded on the Christian Religion." ~ George Washington / "I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature." ~ Thomas Jefferson / "The Bible is not my book, nor Christianity my religion." ~ Abraham Lincoln / "A just government has no need for the clergy or the church." ~ James Madison / "I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end… where every man has the same right to attend or not attend the church of his choice." ~ John F. Kennedy / "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and nonbelievers." ~ Barack Obama [via Doug]