Tuesday, December 23, 2003

As the year comes to an end, many magazines, newspapers and websites compile their "Best of the Year" lists. Fimoculous has gathered an extensive list of links to the year's best books, movies, music and more. He includes everything from Mojo's Albums of 2003 to Space.com's Top 10 Space Mysteries of 2003.

Sunday, December 21, 2003

Here are three political items I found on the Internet this weekend. First, in this article from CommonWealth magazine, Robert David Sullivan analyzes presidential politics by dividing the United States into 10 regions. He explains that a candidate must carry at least 5, and preferably 6, of these regions to win the presidency.

Second, whatever you do, don't criticize Wesley Clark's patriotism.

Third, guess what happens when you type "unelectable" into Google, and hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button?

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Have you ever wondered how big a music nerd you are? Luckily, scientists have developed a tool to help you answer that question. To find out, take the Music Nerd Test. I scored 36.95652%, which makes me a Major Music Nerd.

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Clive Thompson explains why old video games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and even Joust are better than many current video games in this Slate article.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Everett Ehrlich examines the future of American presidential politics in this Washington Post article. He thinks that "in the next six or eight presidential elections, a third-party candidate will win the presidency," because new technology will allow candidates to win elections without the traditional parties. In the current campaign, he sees Howard Dean as "essentially a third-party candidate using modern technology to achieve a takeover of the Democratic Party. Other candidates -- John Kerry, John Edwards, Wesley Clark -- are competing to take control of the party's fundraising, organizational and media operations. But Dean is not interested in taking control of those depreciating assets. He is creating his own party, his own lists, his own money, his own organization. What he wants are the Democratic brand name and legacy, the party's last remaining assets of value, as part of his marketing strategy."

Monday, December 15, 2003

In this Slate article, William Saletan explains why the capture of Saddam Hussein does not necessarily mean that George W. Bush will win re-election.

Sunday, December 14, 2003

There are more than 36,000 films available on DVD. But many classics, including all the Marx Brothers movies, have not been released on DVD. This New York Times article explains why.

Thursday, December 11, 2003

What is George W. Bush's ideology? According to this New Republic article by Jonathan Chait, it is to reward and enrich rich people, business interests, and religious conservatives.

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

This introduction to weblogs was written for the Spanish tech conference Artfutura by Boing Boing contributor Xeni Jardin.

Monday, December 08, 2003

Al Franken discusses his book, Fox's lawsuit, and whether he will have his own radio show, or run for office in this Minneapolis Star Tribune interview.

Sunday, December 07, 2003

As I posted last Wednesday, a Google search for "miserable failure" leads to George W. Bush's official White House biography. This Newsday article explains how a technique called Google bombing makes this prank work.

Thursday, December 04, 2003

Jonathan Yardley looks back at the life and work of author John D. MacDonald in this Washington Post article.

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Here's some more Internet fun. Go to Google. Type in "Miserable Failure", and click the "I'm feeling lucky" button. Or, if you're in a hurry, just click here.

Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Howard Dean has begun attacking George W. Bush for having "no understanding of defense," and for having "made us weaker." In this Slate article, William Saletan explains why it makes sense that "A guy who has no foreign policy experience, opposed the war in Iraq, and went skiing after he escaped the Vietnam draft because of a bad back is calling a wartime president soft on defense."

Monday, December 01, 2003

Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog is a funny, foul-mouthed dog puppet created by Robert Smigel. Triumph is best known for his appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Click here to see video clips of Triumph on Late Night, including "Triumph Visits the 'Star Wars' Nerds." Click here to visit Triumph's official website. Finally, click here to listen to an interview with Triumph on NPR's Fresh Air.