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| Notice: GeekPress is back up and running, thanks to Paul! It's still a not-so-serious tech news blog, but the format is significantly looser. Diana, having given up programming for philosophy, has her own philosophical blog NoodleFood. More of her work can be found at DianaHsieh.com. |
| Cybiko review |
| 4:50:48 am mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in handhelds / source Gadgeteer 42 hits / 0 comments / 0 e-mails |
| The Gadgeteer takes a look at the Cybiko handheld. The reviewer believes that although it's being marketed as a teenager's toy, the platform offers suprising potential for software developers who are willing to write more sophisticated applications taking advantage of its wireless capabilities. |
| The key may be for some enterprising hackers to write (or port) a popular game that can be played either solitaire or between two nearby units that becomes the next big fad. |
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| Satellite-based web access |
| 10:04:30 am mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in internet / source CNN 68 hits / 0 comments / 0 e-mails |
| The article reviews two satellite-based internet access services for customers who live outside of cable modem/DSL range. Their conclusion: these certainly beat dialup services, but there are some important limitations (like relatively slow upload times as well as sensitivity to bad weather) that a potential buyer should be aware of. |
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| Scissors-Paper-Rock online |
| 1:53:03 pm mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in games / source CNN 26 hits / 1 comment / 0 e-mails |
| If you're incredibly bored, CNN's Dumb and Dumber Products of 2000 recommends this online "Scissors-Paper-Rock" game. Enter the e-mail address of you and your opponent, plus your choice of S/P/R, and the website will query your opponent for his or her choice and let you know who won. |
| Unfortunately, after I picked Paper and Diana picked Scissors, I was notified that "diana@geekpress.com has soundly thrashed paul@geekpress.com! :-(" |
| read 1 comment |
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| Don't drink the uranium |
| 2:19:14 pm mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in medicine / source Bangkok Post 66 hits / 0 comments / 0 e-mails |
| A 10-year old boy in Thailand supposedly drank a radioactive beverage containing uranium and thorium 5 years ago. Since then, his physical and mental growth has been stunted and he's stayed the same size as he was when he was 5 years old. The boy's father, who kept over 100 lbs of the mineral around the house in anticipation of a business deal was vague as to how the boy could have gotten access to it. |
| If storing it in "a bird cage and ice boxes" isn't secure, then I don't know what is! |
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| Ice hotel opens in Quebec |
| 3:29:11 pm mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in business / source Reuters News 49 hits / 0 comments / 0 e-mails |
| Business travelers looking for a different kind of lodging experience can now try the Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada, which opened on 1/1/2001. The entire building and furnishings are made of ice, including the two art galleries, the movie theater, and the bar. Even the Absolut vodka is served in ice shooter glasses. |
| Fortunately, they provide deerskin and sleeping bags for sleeping on the ice beds. For more information, take a look at the hotel website and the FAQ. The Quebec hotel is modelled closely after the original in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. |
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| Boy turned into a yam by witchdoctor? |
| 4:30:55 pm mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in humor / source Ananova 106 hits / 0 comments / 0 e-mails |
| Three schoolchildren in Nigeria have accused a witchdoctor of turning one of their friends into a yam in front of their eyes. Police have taken the yam into custody. |
| Does this remind anyone else of this classic scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail?: VILLAGER #3: Well, she turned me into a newt. SIR BEDEMIR: A newt? VILLAGER #3: I got better. |
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| Psychics thrive in turbulent stock market |
| 5:36:14 pm mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in business / source U.S. News 24 hits / 1 comment / 0 e-mails |
| Because of the economic uncertainty caused by the dot-com closures and the stock market downturn, many technology investors and workers are now turning to psychics for guidance. For example, in the GotMarketing website, psychic "Imara" has a web page and a regular column. |
| I'm surprised that people who work in field where reason is paramount would fall for such obvious horsesh*t. |
| read 1 comment |
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| Computer bots beat humans in online bidding |
| 11:22:17 pm mst / 1 January 2001 found by paul / filed in software / source NY Times 88 hits / 0 comments / 0 e-mails |
| Researchers at IBM have been testing programmed shopping bots to see how they fare in online double auctions against skilled humans. Even though the bots were programmed with relatively simple buying/selling strategies, they've consistently outperformed the humans. Much of their edge comes from their ability to take advantage of silly human mistakes, as well as the fact that they won't make those same mistakes themselves. |
| It will be interesting to see what happens when significant numbers of bots start buying and selling on real-world auction sites like eBay. A clever entrepreneur might be able to make money by letting humans rent sophisticated bots (configured to suit the user's preferences) during the auction for a small percentage of the profit. |
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