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03 May 2010 23:54

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Music, Tech: WolframAlpha’s musical cousin the weirdest thing ever

  • Look, we realize that we’re bloggers first, musicians second. But good God, we didn’t know we could create music as godawful as this. The mathematical approach at music creates tunes that sound straight out of 1986 but otherwise has no equivalent. The most interesting part? It predates WolframAlpha by about four years. Waste ten minutes on this, kids. source

03 May 2010 19:23

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Politics: Does the TSA need to take some style tips from New York City?

  • So far we have seen a New York-style rather than a Washington-style response to the threat. And while New York is the least ‘American’ of U.S. cities, its emotional and social response is just what America’s should be.
  • “The Atlantic” writer James Fallows • Discussing how New York’s response to the Times Square car bombing attempt is so unlike that of the Transportation Security Administration’s response to any problem. Essentially, Fallows argues that it doesn’t put people in constant fear that something’s going to happen, but emphasizes resiliency. (Note how quickly Times Square re-opened after the incident.) Regarding the TSA’s methods, Fallows explains: “It’s not just that they’re pointless, uninformative, and insulting to our collective intelligence; it’s that their larger effect is to make people feel frightened rather than brave.” source

03 May 2010 19:06

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U.S.: U.Va.’s lacrosse teams hit hard by murder within their ranks

Men’s lacrosse player George Huguely has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Yeardley Love, a female player he had a relationship with. source

03 May 2010 19:02

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Biz: United/Continental merger: Why it sucks to be American Airlines

  • winners United and Continental could become an airline that reaches nearly every major city in the world – necessary to stand out from low-cost domestic carriers.
  • loser American Airlines, their main
    global competitor, has notable
    holes in their direct coverage, especially to fast-growing Asian countries like China. source

03 May 2010 17:56

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Biz: How big is the combined United/Continental Airlines, anyway?

  • $29 billion in revenue per year
    for the combined airline
  • 370 number of destinations the combined airline will cover; it’ll have 10 hubs
  • 90,000 number of employees the airline will have after the merger source

03 May 2010 17:45

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U.S.: How bad is the flooding in Tennessee? Some quick numbers

  • 51′ the level Nashville’s Cumberland River is expected to crest at
  • 40′ the flood stage for the river; many homes have been submerged
  • 12k sandbags have been used to hold back the flooding source

03 May 2010 17:37

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U.S.: A show of support to our water-drenched friends in Nashville

The heavy rains in the Southeast – as much as 20 inches – have already killed 19 people, most of them in Nashville and surrounding areas. source
 

03 May 2010 17:16

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Politics: Charlie Crist talked it out with Lieberman – it’s gonna be OK

  • 2006 After Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman got trashed in the
    2006 Democratic primary by
    Ned Lamont, he ran as an independent – and won, handily.
  • 2010 Facing a similar situation in
    a Florida Senate race, Gov. Charlie Crist took some advice from Lieberman, which led to his indie-leaning decision. source

03 May 2010 17:06

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Tech: Could Apple face antitrust issues over the Flash thing?

  • MAYBE the feds are on the case source

03 May 2010 16:03

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U.S.: High Court justices upset that they can’t walk in through the front

  • I write in the hope that the public will one day in the future be able to enter the Court’s Great Hall after passing under the famous words ‘Equal Justice Under Law.’
  • Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer • On the new security measures for the main entrance to the Supreme Court – a giant stairwell designed by Cass Gilbert back in the 1930s. Now, instead of being able to enter that bastion of law and justice as it was designed, people now have to enter through the side and go through security. Both Breyer and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg complained about the changes, with Breyer saying about Gilbert’s design, “Time has proven the success of Gilbert’s vision: To many members of the public, this Court’s main entrance and front steps are not only a means to, but also a metaphor for, access to the Court itself.” We wonder what the more right-leaning justices think about this change. source