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The Reader
After-hours edition of
Subterranean Homepage News
(Why "The Reader"?)

Dec. 1, 2002

Bad

Catch Michael Jackson's Kids is a flash game online at MadBlast.com. ("Use your mouse to catch as many babies as you can in the basket. Michael will try to distract you by dropping his latest, horrible records.")

It had to happen. This is a great demo of how a meme (contagious idea) works.

Somebody does something that just inflates, passes quickly through the strands of the web, gets picked up and amplified by individual nodes until it takes on a life of its own.

That game is more difficult than most quick knockoffs. Sometimes you have the code ready and are just waiting for the images to arrive.

Sunday thinkpiece

From Wired: The New Convergence,

Why the renewed scientific interest in spiritual thinking? One reason is the cyclical nature of intellectual fashions. In philosophy, metaphysics is making a comeback after decades ruled by positivism and analytical theory of language. These restrained, empirically based ideas have run their course; now the pendulum is swinging toward the grand vision of metaphysics — someday, surely, to swing away again. Similarly in science, the pure materialistic view that reigned through the 20th century, holding that everything has a natural explanation, couldn't keep other viewpoints at bay forever. The age-old notion that there is more to existence than meets the eye suddenly looks like fresh thinking again.

Nov. 30, 2002
ho, ho, ho...

Where art meets instrument

Art goes to Mars. This may be the very first art that our species sends into space, unless you count the little naked folks on the Voyager plaque, or broadcast television. In a somewhat bold move, they've chosen shock artist putter-of-sharks-in-formaldehyde Damien Hirst. Is it me, or would the chosen painting be much dorkier if this were NASA rather than the European Space Agency? Like a duck or something. posted by condour75 at 12:30 AM PST - 3 comments - Straight from metafilter

Girl power

Selling a used item as a copyright infringement? Used knitting patterns are often resold by the original buyer when they've used them. "Alice Starmore(R)" is a company that makes patterns and yarns for knitters. Ebay is a big clearinghouse for knitters, and "Alice Starmore(R)" has repeatedly insisted that ANY auction of their yarns or patterns be pulled as the auctions violate their trademark and/or copyrights. So the knitters are getting a defense fund together to claim anti-trust and restraint of trade. Didn't we sort this all out over selling used books and cd's already? You really shouldn't mess with people who have a hobby that makes them adept with big metal needles. (BTW Alice Starmore is from the Hebrides, hence the whole "KnittingBeyond..." business.) posted by Salmonberry at 7:40 PM PST - 9 comments - Straight from metafilter

All Out Peace declared

Swami Beyondananda, spiritual leader to millions of FUNdamentalists (accent on "fun") has launched a worldwide "blisskrieg" in a declaration of "all out peace!"

"Do you know what the leading cause of war and terrorism is? I will tell you. It is seriousness. Seriousness is the most serious problem we face on the planet today. I'm serious. Think about it. Every terrorist act --not to mention terror itself -- begins with seriousness. Everywhere we look, we are faced with laugh-threatening seriousness." The Swami called on his supporters to "report any serious behavior to the Department of Omland Security."