What's next, Google Landlord?

Google may be adding another attractive member to its conga line of new initiatives: a commercial real estate service. The search company has approached CoStar Group, the nations largest provider of commercial real estate data, apparently in hopes of integrating its service into Google Earth, the company's interactive satellite mapping service. "Google approached us some number of months ago wanting to work on some initiatives with us, and we have licensed some content to Google already," Andrew Florance, chief executive officer of CoStar Group told the Mercury News. "We're building the capability of viewing our commercial real estate inventory inside of a Google Earth or inside of several different projects.

Siliconvalley.com

NASA: Global temperatures in 2005 may be hottest ever

This year is expected to be the hottest one on record, continuing a 25-year trend of rising temperatures worldwide, NASA climatologists found. The new climate data is just the most recent sign of global warming; other strong signals, scientists say, include the record shrinkage of the Arctic sea ice cover. The Washington Post

Researchers work to improve artificial intelligence

A team of researchers at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is helping to restore credibility to the field of artificial intelligence. The team's robot recently won the Pentagon-sponsored Grand Challenge road race through a Nevada desert. Vehicles now have the ability to complete tasks such as driving, which indicates they soon may be used for practical purposes. The New York Times

New Madonna song Criticsed By Rabbis

A song on Madonna's upcoming album dedicated to a Kabbalist rabbi is drawing criticism from other rabbis, the Israeli Maariv daily reported Sunday.

The album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," is to be released on Nov. 15 and features a track entitled "Isaac" about Yitzhak Luria, a 16th century Jewish mystic and Kabbalah scholar.

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Rabbis who oversee Luria's tomb and a seminary in the northern town of Safed are unimpressed with Madonna's musical tribute and see the inclusion of the song about Luria on the album as an attempt by the pop star to profit from his name.

Rabbi Rafael Cohen, head of a seminary named after Luria, suggested Madonna's actions could lead to divine retribution.

"Jewish law forbids the use of the name of the holy rabbi for profit. Her act is just simply unacceptable and I can only sympathize for her because of the punishment that she is going to receive from the heavens," Cohen told the newspaper.

Another rabbi called for Madonna to be thrown out of the community.

"Such a woman brings great sin on kabbalah," Rabbi Israel Deri told Maariv. "I hope that we will have the strength to prevent her from bringing sin upon the holiness of the rabbi (Yitzhak Luria)."

Madonna spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Sunday.

The singer and actress was raised a Roman Catholic but has become a follower of Kabbalah in recent years and adopted the Hebrew name Esther. She made a much publicized visit to Israel in 2004, when she visited many sites important to Kabbalah, but didn't travel to Luria's grave.

Associated Press

Zambia Open Business 2.0

ZAMBIA Open Business 2.0: Developing business from the web

The Zambia Open Business 2.0 will be launching soon. I have just completed an extensive research project into 'open' business-models that don't rely on overbroad copyright/patent/trademark rights or are based on free/open source software and open content under Creative Commons licenses.

The platform will be hosted by ning.com , which is built around openness, free services and free access. Developer licence is pending, but you can register in advance inorder to familiarise yourself with the service.

The publishing software which this site will use has been developed by the Public Knowledge Project which is freely distributing such systems to develop greater public and scholarly access to research. The Public Knowledge Project has offered free, open source software for the management and publishing of journals and conferences. 'Open Journal Systems' and 'Open Conference Systems' are being used in various places around the world to reduce publishing costs, improve management, enhance indexing, and increase access to knowledge on a global scale.

Zambia Open Business 2.0 is a platform for sharing innovative Open Business ideas - entrepreneurial ideas which means that the research on this website is freely available to all users on a global basis. This is an ambitious project dealing with social cultural development, technology I hope you will support the ideas and ideals behind the project by registering your ideas and comments.

Addiction at Work

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 8, 2005--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c25325) has announced the addition of Addiction at Work to their offering.


Drugs and the workplace just don't mix. Yes, most users of illicit drugs are employed adults and there's a high correlation between levels of stress, income and alcohol abuse amongst professional and managerial employees. But the risks associated with drug use and abuse in the workplace have been well defined.

Addiction at Work enables you to understand the background and extent of the problem: the cost of drug abuse to your organization; the role your own organizational culture may have in encouraging drug misuse; the risks associated with dangerous or stressful jobs. There are also chapters to help you understand the symptoms of drug abuse and the potential risks associated with perfectly legal prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

The right kind of drug policy can be a significant weapon to fight this problem. So Addiction at Work explores your responsibility as an employer and how to design, communicate and implement a policy that is appropriate for your organization.

Finally, there are chapters on the tools and techniques open to your organization for tackling the problem head on; ways of addressing problem behaviors; the advantages and disadvantages of drug screening and the ethics associated with this practice; employee assistance programs and specialist care and, finally, the employment law issues around drugs.

Addiction at Work has been written by some of the world-authorities on drug use in the workplace. It is an essential reference for organizations seeking a way through the human, ethical and legal issues (and the risk they present to any employer) of a social problem that is increasingly impacting employees whatever their work or the nature of their workplace.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c25325

So You Want to Be Rock Star

Being a rock star is a dream most of us share -- here
is your chance. Join fellow stars-to-be at an afternoon of
joyful sounds Karaoke-style. Bring lots of soul and a few
friends to cheer you on as you belt out your favorite
tunes. "Revolutions" is a ground-breaking, free exhibit
that features the artists behind the images synonymous
with identifying the pop culture of the 60's and into the
new Millennium. Featuring never-before-seen art and
original creations, from photographs to posters, original
artwork used for albums and CDs, magazine art and
drawings, the exhibit showcases artists who created
visually beautiful and thought-provoking work cherished by
the world's musical icons. The exhibit is free and open to
the public through October 9th.

INFO: 1-800-204-3131 or go to www.ForestLawn.com

In-Depth Biography on Supreme Court Justice Nominee Harriet Miers

LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell is making available a detailed biographical profile for Harriet E. Miers, President Bush's nominee to serve as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The profile is courtesy of martindale.com, the most frequently consulted resource for information about lawyers and law firms in the U.S.
Harriet Ellan Miers
-------------------
The White House
Executive Office of the President, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 2nd
Floor
Washington, District of Columbia 20502

Admitted: 1970, Texas. (Not admitted in District of Columbia)

Law School: Southern Methodist University, J.D., 1970

College: Southern Methodist University, B.S., Mathematics, 1967

Member: State Bar of Texas (President, 1992-1993; Chair, Legal
Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee); Dallas (President,
1985) and American (Chair, Commission on Evaluation of the Model Rules
of Professional Conduct; Chair, Commission on Multi-Jurisdictional
Practice; Chair, Journal Board of Editors; House of Delegates) Bar
Associations; Dallas Bar Foundation; Texas Bar Foundation (Life
Member).

Biography: Fellow, American Bar Foundation. Cite List of Selected
Legal Reference Materials: The Complete Marquis Who's Who Biographies;
Martindale-Hubbell Listings. Recipient: Sandra Day O'Connor Award,
Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, 2005; Distinguished
Alumni Award, Southern Methodist University, 2002; 100 Most
Influential Lawyers in America, National Law Journal, 2000; 50 Most
Influential Women Lawyers in America, National Law Journal, 1998;
Woman of the Year, Today's Dallas Woman, 1997; 100 Most Influential
Lawyers in America, National Law Journal, 1997; Louise B. Raggio
Award, Dallas Women Lawyers Association, 1996; Anti-Defamation
League's Jurisprudence Award, 1996; Merrill Hartman Award, Legal
Services of North Texas, 1996; Sarah T. Hughes Award, Women in Law
Section of the State Bar of Texas, 1993; National Human Relations
Award of the American Jewish Committee, 1992; Outstanding Young Lawyer
of Dallas, Association of Young Lawyers, 1978; State Bar of Texas
Women in Law Award; Justinian Award for Community Service, Dallas
Lawyers Auxiliary; Women of Excellence Award, Woman's Enterprise
Magazine; SMU School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award. Comments
editor, Southwestern Law Journal, 1969-1970. Member, LexisNexis
Martindale-Hubbell Advisory Board, 1996-2000. Assistant to the
President of the United States and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy,
The White House, Washington, D.C., 2003-2005. Assistant to the
President of the United States and Staff Secretary, The White House,
Washington, D.C., 2001-2003. Managing Partner, Locke Liddell & Sapp
L.L.P., Dallas, Texas, 1999-2001. President, Locke Purnell Rain &
Harrell (formerly Locke Purnell Boren, Laney & Neely P.C.), Dallas,
Texas, 1996-1999. Partner, Locke Purnell Rain & Harrell (formerly
Locke Purnell Boren, Laney & Neely P.C.), Dallas, Texas, 1978-1999.
Associate, Locke Purnell Rain & Harrell (formerly Locke Purnell Boren,
Laney & Neely P.C.), Dallas, Texas, 1972-1978. Law Clerk to the
Honorable Joe E. Estes, U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of Texas, 1970-1972. Chairwoman, Texas Lottery Commission, 1995-2000.
Member-at-large, Dallas City Council, 1989-1991. Interests: running,
tennis, opera. Family: single, no children. Religion: Evangelical
Christian.

Born: Dallas, Texas, 1945

CNET News.com's Blog 100

Oh great, now we get another list where the same old folks get to get around and give each other a proverbial pat on the back. Who is on CNET's flavor of the top 100 blogs? It is the same folks that are on every other top ten to a thousand list out there.

Breaking America's grip on the net

You would expect an announcement that would forever change the face of the internet to be a grand affair - a big stage, spotlights, media scrums and a charismatic frontman working the crowd.
But unless you knew where he was sitting, all you got was David Hendon's slightly apprehensive voice through a beige plastic earbox. The words were calm, measured and unexciting, but their implications will be felt for generations to come.
Hendon is the Department for Trade and Industry's director of business relations and was in Geneva representing the UK government and European Union at the third and final preparatory meeting for next month's World Summit on the Information Society. He had just announced a political coup over the running of the internet. Full story....

Google Reader

Google has announced a web-based RSS feed reader called Google Reader. Google Reader is a browser-based application that works with virtually all popular browsers on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms. It's interesting how it easily integrates with gmail, blogger and search.

Starship Encounters

Bath time on the original starship Enterprise.

Reginald Brown Responds to George Will

Reginald Brown, a lawyer at Wilmer Cutler who served in the White House Counsel's Office under Bush, has penned a response to George Will's column on Harriett Miers. I think I'm on Will's side on this one. Reg's take is worth considering if you believe that 'these (nominees) aren’t cronies or toadies who will only tell the President what he wants to hear.'

The White House Spy

"I think what they like most is our integrity and loyalty,' Aragoncillo said".

Leandro Aragoncillo, a U.S. Marine remarked how valued Philippine employees were at the White House. He has admitted to spying while working on the staff of Vice President Cheney's office.

scrutiny of Harriet Miers

Bush seems to have an inclination to align himself with people with low talent. Talent is a skill acquired, as intellectual skills are, by years of practice sustained by intense interest in a given field.

This proves that Bush does not feel comfortable with highly talented people and by surrounding himself with undesirable cronies of low talent he can sleep easy. How else can this nomination be justified?

A Sampling of the Writings of Harriet Miers

What kind of Supreme Court justice would Harriet Miers be? For anyone trying to assess her qualifications, analyze her philosophy and predict her behavior, Miers would seem to present a fairly blank slate. She has no judicial resume and hasn't left a long trail of noteworthy memos, briefs, oral argument transcripts or law journal articles. The Times.com takes a look at the paper trail of President Bush's Supreme Court nominee.

News Comes in Code

"Just one man's opinion, but now is a good time to say it: The New York Times is not any longer--in my mind--the greatest newspaper in the land. Nor is it the base line for the public narrative that it once was. Some time in the least year or so I moved the Washington Post into that position..."

PressThink describes how Judy Miller’s New York Times fall from grace.

Workers may have damaged Discovery's foam

The manager of NASA's space shuttle program said workers may have accidentally damaged the section of foam that broke from Discovery's fuel tank during its launch. Wayne Hale also said repairs on the shuttle have been delayed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The shuttle will not resume flights until the foam insulation problem is solved, he said.Full Story...

Chemists win Nobel for carbon "dance"

Frenchman Yves Chauvin and Americans Robert Grubbs and Richard Schrock won the 2005 Nobel Chemistry prize for the synthesis of molecules to produce cheaper, cleaner chemicals and drugs to combat major diseases.

Poor in the rich world

Reuters article: "As the world prepares to mark the United Nations' day for the eradication of poverty this month, much of the focus will be on the world's poorest countries. But last month's hurricanes in the United States are a reminder that some of the world's most vulnerable poor live in its richest countries.
Throughout the last half century the world's wealthy countries have grown much richer. But societies have also changed in ways that social scientists say made people at the bottom of the ladder more susceptible to poverty. This Reuters article highlights families pushed to the edge in rich world poverty.

In Pursuit of happiness

Sunday Times article: So what do you have to do to find happiness?....

Nokia camera phone contest

Nokia wants to prove that camera phones are for more than just snapshots. The handset heavyweight announced a photography competition in which the entrants have to use a camera phone to capture images. The person who can take the best photo using a megapixel camera will take home the top prize.

The competition lays down the challenge to aspiring photographers around the world to 'shoot new' - capturing something from a different angle or something never previously photographed - using a megapixel camera phone. To inspire people to enter, the stellar line-up of professional photographers have themselves been shooting new using the Nokia N90 advanced imaging device. More than 60 brand new images from these photographers can be viewed at www.seenew.com, Nokia Nseries' online community for mobile photography enthusiasts.

Murata Boy: The Bicycling Robot

Japanese company Murata Manufacturing created a bicycling robot to show off some of their various sensors. The robot tentatively named Murata Boy (although some articles are calling it Murata Seisaku-kun) is equipped with four types of sensors: two gyro sensors used to detect angular velocity and inclination; an ultrasonic sensor to detect obstacles; and a shock sensor to detect rough surfaces. The robot is connected to a PC via wireless LAN connection for forward, stop, and backward type commands and he can follow pre-programmed paths. It's about 2 foot tall and can reach speeds of 30 inches per second and can even balance while at a complete stop. The pictures show the robot driving down a thin balance beam without falling. Murata Boy is being demonstrated at the CEATEC Japan 2005 show that runs from Oct. 4-8 in Makuhari.

NASA's Griffin clarifies remarks about shuttle, station

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin in an agency-wide e-mail clarified remarks he made about the space shuttle program, calling the shuttle "one of the most amazing machines humans have ever built." Last week, USA TODAY reported Griffin said the space shuttle and the International Space Station were mistakes during a meeting with the newspaper's editorial board. In his e-mail, Griffin said NASA will complete the station using the space shuttle. Full story..

What Is Web 2.0

The term 'Web 2.0' has clearly taken hold, with more than 9.5 million citations in Google. But there's still a huge amount of disagreement about just what Web 2.0 means, with some people decrying it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, and others accepting it as the new conventional wisdom.
This article attempts to clarify just what is meant by Web 2.0.

Bush Directly Involved In Leak Scandal

George Stephanopoulos, during a round table discussion on ABC’s This Week, said:

Definitely a political problem but I wonder, George Will, do you think it’s a manageable one for the White House especially if we don’t know whether Fitzgerald is going to write a report or have indictments but if he is able to show as a source close to this told me this week, that President Bush and Vice President Cheney were actually involved in some of these discussions.

This would explain why Bush spent more than an hour answering questions from special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.

Web 2.0: Google Office Is Next.

Google and Sun have made an announcement today about the much-rumoured Google Office suite. Google and Sun would jointly promote Java Desktop and Open Office, Sun's operating system and office productivity software systems. Such a web-based office suite will be by default geared towards collaborative document production, Web 2.0 applications.

Yahoo! Introduces Columnist Biographies

A super-group of financial writers takes the stage with advice and insight on all
things money. Get into them — just click to read their Biographies.

NASA should concentrate on robotic missions

NASA should cancel plans to send humans to the moon and then to Mars, according to a Washington Post editorial. The project is likely to run over budget, and NASA's needs are better served by continuing and expanding robotic exploration, the editorial says.

Google and Sun to Collaborate

Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt will sit down with Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy on Tuesday morning to outline a collaborative effort between the two companies. It's not clear what the partnership will entail, but Sun has already begun to hype the event.

The news conference will take place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California and webcast live at 10:30am PST. The announcement will mark the second high-profile joint venture for Google in as many weeks - the search giant recently forged a partnership with NASA to collaborate on technology and space research.

Google debuts UPN comedy by Chris Rock

In the latest convergence of prime time and online, Google Inc. began offering exclusive video streaming of the new UPN television comedy 'Everybody Hates Chris' -- a first for the network and the popular Internet portal.

Beyonce quashes marriage rumor

Pop diva Beyonce denied rumors she is secretly married to rapper and music impresario Jay-Z, and said she assumed an alter-ego called 'Sasha' for her sexy stage persona in an upcoming Vanity Fair cover story.

We Are The Champions' voted world's fave song

Anyone who believes that increasing cultural globalisation will inevitably lead to a dumbing down of consumers' critical faculties has been proved right on the button by a Sony Ericsson poll of 700,000 "music lovers" in 66 countries which has voted Queen's We Are The Champions the world's favourite song.

Britney's Toxic crooned into second spot, beating child-friendly Jacko into third place with Billie Jean. Next up comes the timelessly abominable Hotel California followed by Shakira, Nirvana, The Beatles, U2, John Lennon and Dire Straits.

Sony Ericsson marketing supremo, Dee Dutta, described the winner as "an anthem worldwide, both in music and sporting arenas, it conveys the passion music brings to everyone's life as well as proving a classic rock song is truly timeless."

Hmmm. Rather more interesting is the UK top 10, dominated almost exclusively by the aforementioned Mr Jackson. The only other artists who get a look in are Robbie Williams and Guns'N'Roses, which gives a clue about the demographic which voted in the Blighty section of the poll.

New ways to leave your lover

There is a proven way you can catch a cheating lover by keeping your partner's dirty mails or - even better - chat logs, at least in the state of Belgium.
Erotic talk with a virtual partner in chatrooms on the web can constitute proof of 'grossly insulting behaviour' and can be used as evidence in a divorce case, Belgium's top judges have ruled.
Belgian legal paper Juristenkrant cites a ruling by the Brussels Appeals Court, which recently accepted printouts of a erotic chat as evidence in an adultery trial. Although the printouts were inadequate to prove a partner had cheated on his or her spouse, judges found that they could constitute grounds for divorce, because the behavior was clearly 'unworthy'. Divorce in Belgium is acknowledged for one of three reasons: by mutual consent, through adultery or cruelty, or by separation of five years or more.
So much for privacy laws, legal experts grumbled this week, but men and women that cheat will find no mercy in court, judges in Belgium have said.

H5N1 Bird Flu

H5N1 Bird Flu kills nearly every person who contracts it, and it looks like it is learning how to jump from human-to-human. An article in the Guardian reports that the UN official in charge of bird flu response efforts warned that 'a global influenza pandemic is imminent and will kill up to 150 million people.' A World Health Organization said the 'best case scenario' would be 7.4 million deaths globally.

The Shining

This fake movie trailer for 'Shining,' consisting of footage from 'The Shining', which makes it look like a romantic dramady. Link
The NYT has a story about it.

DeLay Indicted Again

Tom DeLay has been indicted againby a Texas grand jury, now on the grounds of money laundering.

Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox outlines the Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005. These mistakes continue to be so common and have been covered in existing usability guidelines.

This year's list of top problems clearly proves the need to get back to Web design basics. There's much talk about new fancy "Web 2.0" features on the Internet industry's mailing lists and websites, as well as at conferences. But users don't care about technology and don't especially want new features. They just want quality improvements in the basics.

Comedian Ronnie Barker Dies.

BRITISH comedian Ronnie Barker, half of the famous duo The Two Ronnies and the indomitable Fletch in prison sitcom Porridge, has died aged 76.

A spokeswoman for The British Broadcasting Corporation said today that the portly star died peacefully yesterday in the presence of his wife. He had a history of heart trouble.

Tributes poured in for one of Britain's best-loved comics.

Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi

Google Inc. has offered to blanket San Francisco with free wireless Internet access at no cost to the city, placing a marquee name behind Mayor Gavin Newsom's effort to get all residents online whether they are at home, in a park or in a cafe. The offer by the popular Mountain View search engine was one of more than a dozen competing bids received by the city before its deadline Friday. Officials will review the submissions and decide which, if any, of the candidates gets the green light to build the so called Wi-Fi service, which would be free or inexpensive for users. Jump to full story

DeLay Adds to a Sea of Troubles

"The reason was simple: It is entirely possible both that your enemies are out to get you and that you did exactly what you are being accused of doing. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive."

The New York Times quotes a Republican strategist with close ties to DeLay.

Ronnie Earle: Travis County D.A.

Despite the efforts of the GOP spin machine to paint Travis County D.A. as a fanatic, the Financial Times has run a very positive profile of the prosecutor.

A $100 Laptop, really?

The MIT Media Lab has launched a new research initiative to develop a $100 laptop - a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world's children. To achieve this goal, a new, non-profit association, One Laptop per Child (OLPC), has been created. The initiative was first announced by Nicholas Negroponte, Lab chairman and co-founder, at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland in January 2005.

Here Negroponte answers questions on the initiative.

Rollyo

Rollyo allows you to create personal search engines that search only websites of your choice. Think personalised search engine.

Bill Bennett Racial Comments

"Media Matters exposes Bennett: '[Y]ou could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down"

Radio host and former Reagan administration Secretary of Education Bill Bennett responding to a caller's suggestion that the "lost revenue from the people who have been aborted in the last 30 years" would be enough to preserve Social Security's solvency.

Bennett, later, defended his comments.