Corn-fed heat

Compared with other heating sources, such as wood, corn burns clear and relatively cleanly, industry officials said. Its exhaust, vented outside the home, often smells like roasted corn.

Burning corn, rather than oil or coal, is a more sustainable energy source because it's renewable, said Brad Garmon, land programs director for the Michigan Environmental Council.

By burning corn, consumers are taking advantage of a local source of energy, which helps reduce the pollution associated with energy transportation and production.

now, thanks to a new breed of services that usually have some sort of Web site at their heart, you can get phone numbers that last for only as long as

Now you can get phone numbers that last for only as long as you want them to.

How to steal an election by hacking the vote

I believe this is a must-read for everyone before election day - How to steal an election by hacking the vote.

Why Johnny can't code

BASIC used to be on every computer a child touched -- but today there's no easy way for kids to get hooked on programming.

This is not just a matter of cheating a generation, telling them to simply be consumers of software, instead of the innovators that their uncles were. No, this goes way beyond that. In medical school, professors insist that students have some knowledge of chemistry and DNA before they are allowed to cut open folks. In architecture, you are at least exposed to some physics.

But in the high-tech, razzle-dazzle world of software? According to the masters of IT, line coding is not a deep-fabric topic worth studying. Not a layer that lies beneath, holding up the world of object-oriented programming. Rather, it is obsolete!

NASA can't find original tape of moon landing

The U.S. government has misplaced the original recording of the first moon landing, including astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," a NASA spokesman said on Monday.

DIY Software from PC Magazine: Your Virtual Assistant

DIY PBX: Asterisk: The business-oriented VoIP server with a Web interface to put you in control of your phone system's features and capabilities.

Sticking with AT&T? You're a fool

"AT&T isn't protecting its ability to work with the government -- it's granting itself the right to do whatever it wants with any of your information or data passing through its service."

AT&T to customers: We own your data

"AT&T said yesterday that it was revising its privacy policy, explaining to customers that it owns their phone records.
The changes take effect tomorrow."

Nothing like giving customers time to make an informed choice.

3-Year-Old's Unusual Birthday Party Theme

When Henry Schally got to pick the theme for his third birthday party, he didn't pick Nemo or the Wiggles or Dora the Explorer. He didn't even pick his favorite sports team.

What did he pick? Henry picked 'The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'.

Why do I get the feeling this is a geek in training?

Coming soon

Night Owl Radio

Watch this space! The Night Owl Radio podcast will begin soon, more details to follow...

Y2K was a success. Deal with it.

"Billions of dollars and thousands of years of IT manpower were focused on the problem. After this effort, Jan. 1, 2000 arrived, and no major disasters occurred. Therefore, the dollars and manpower were wasted.

THE REASON THAT THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS IS BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS WERE PROACTIVELY FIXED!!! HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE NOT TO REALIZE THAT?"

=)

2006 New Years Resolution

In the year 2006 I resolve to:
Procrastinate more.

Get your resolution here