Category — General

Tobacco Settlement Money Gone In A Puff Of Smoke. Plastic::Politics::Health: Not only isn't the tobacco settlement money going to the anti-smoking programs the CDC recommends, but it's being sold off for lump sums as low as a third of their actual worth. [Plastic: Most Recent]

I think most people realized this was gone before it even was distributed. It made a few people richer, and didn't do much at all of anything else.

Tobacco Settlement Money Gone In A Puff Of Smoke. Plastic::Politics::Health: Not only isn't the tobacco settlement money going to the anti-smoking programs the CDC recommends, but it's being sold off for lump sums as low as a third of their actual worth. [Plastic: Most Recent]

i think most people saw this occur the day the settlement happened. it made some people richer, but not many and certainly did little to curb teenage smoking that i can see.

Scrapple, the canonical Pennsylvanian food. Ignore the pg-13 recipes, and go for the real scar… [Memepool]

you should never question the goodness of scrapple with maple syrup. it is one of lifes strenge and wonderful surprises

Here's an RFC for a new entry-point in the MetaWeblog API that uploads a new media object to the user's weblog. [Scripting News]

on the wisdom in norway. In a second, important defeat for the RIAA, and DMCA-defender types, Johansen was acquitted by a Norwegian court. And as the EFF is nicely publicizing, the principles on which this court in Norway decided the case might be familiar to those who remember our own constitutional tradition. As the chief judge said in reading the verdict, “no one could be convicted of breaking into their own property” and “consumers have rights to legally obtained DVD films 'even if the films are played in a different way than the makers had foreseen.” The freedom to tinker in Norway is real. So too should it be so here. [Lessig Blog]

well one sensible western country is better than none

Call for Papers: Graduate Student Conference
The Local and the Global: Contexts in Science and Technology
April 2003
American Association for the Advancement of Science Headquarters
Washington, DC

Abstracts due by January 30, 2003

Our application for travel funding is currently under review. We
expect to be able to provide some support for student speakers once
it has been approved.

The conference is an opportunity for graduate students to present
their research in areas concerning science, technology and
globalization, particularly as they relate to the concerns raised in
the post-9/11 world. It will take place in conjunction with a
workshop on science and technology policy careers planned by the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, and immediately
follow their annual S&T colloquium.

Abstracts (up to 250 words) for a 10-15 minute presentation should be
submitted by January 30, 2003 to stglobal@vt.edu. Submitted abstracts
will receive a response by March 1, 2003. Final papers will be
included on the conference website. Travel funding may become
available for a limited number of presenters. Students in need of
travel funds should indicate so when submitting their abstract. There
may be a small ($25 or less) conference fee.

The organizers welcome submissions from graduate students whose
research focuses on challenges in the global science and technology
arena. We are particularly interested in research that concerns
science, technology and globalization in relation to (but not limited
to):

* Science and Technology issues in the post-9/11 world
* Technology transfer, international investment, and intellectual
property rights
* Terrorism, public safety, public health and critical infrastructure
* Challenges to institutions, civil liberties and civil rights
* Science and technology in support of nation-building and development
* Science and technology from non-Western perspectives
* Multinational corporations and international regulation

The conference will be held in late April of 2003 at the American
Association for the Advancement of Science Headquarters in
Washington, DC, and is sponsored by:

* George Mason University, School of Public Policy
* George Washington University, The Center for International Science
and Technology Policy
* Virginia Tech, Science and Technology Studies Program

Further information on previous conferences, area lodging, schedule
etc. is available on the conference website at
http://www.gwu.edu/~cistp/stglobal.html, and will be updated
regularly.

If you have any questions, please contact either of the following organizers:

* David Bruggeman, dbrugg@vt.edu, or
* Christine Pommerening, cpommere@gmu.edu, or
* Edith Webster, ewebster@gwu.edu, or Meighan O'Reardon, oreardon@gwu.edu

1/11/01: Payloads for RSS. “When I started talking with Adam Curry late last year, he wanted me to think about high quality video on the Internet, and I totally didn't want to hear about it. Like a lot of people, I had tried it, and found it unsatisfying and frankly, exhausting.” [Scripting News]

work….

In Bush tax plan, perception is key. The public's view of his package will affect business confidence and the economy. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

i tend to agree with this analysis. but in the end, the appearance of a tax cut isn't a tax cut, and while this is a tax cut, it's appearance is worse than that.

A V-10 Motorcycle. The Dodge Tomahawk V-10 Motorcycle. It's a concept vehicle – a 500hp Viper V-10 engine strapped to two (fat) wheels. Certainly an eye-catcher. Press release here. [MetaFilter]

well i finally typed in my Preliminary examination questions for my ph.d. in science and technology stuides.