Hitachi has this great flash movie mimicking the style of Schoolhouse Rock shorts to promote their new perpendicular drive technology. May take a while to load, but it’s worth it.

A ringtone based on Axel F topped the British music charts this week. In other news, the seas have turned to blood.

Penny Arcade is one of the few online comic strips that I read regularly. They take a swing at Will Wright in this one. He’s the creator of all games Sim including the most recent one, Spore.

Wired has an article on roadcasting, an emerging technology that allows vehicles to stream MP3s to any similarly equipped vehicles within a 30 mile radius. It uses 802.11p technology, a Wi-Fi variant designed for vehicles. Seems a little gimmicky. However, one practical application would require a mic. Record your own audio message to broadcast to other cars around you. Some examples:

• “Going a steady 35 in the left lane ain’t gonna cut it, grandma. Move over.”
• “I’m soooooo druuunk.”
• “Roadhead alert.”

This is what’s so great about public access cable.

According to one insurer’s written test, Massachusetts’ drivers are the second worst in the nation, and Oregon came in having the best. Mass was inched out by Rhode Island. Well done, RI… enjoy your 15 minutes of fame before obscurity reclaims you.

The only reason Oregon placed highest is because the guy who scored the tests thought it was cute that when asked “When is it OK to pass another vehicle on a 5-lane highway?” every driver in Oregon answered, “Never”.

Above is the sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park called Cloud Gate (aka The Bean). It was donated by SBC Communications, but its upkeep is funded by taxpayers, and it’s on public land. In a moment of idiocy, the city claimed that the artist retained the copyright on the sculpture, and that people weren’t allowed to photograph it. Later the city decided to charge for the “privilege” of photographing it. After much well-justified public outcry, the city made it free today.
The Chicago Tribune has an article about it.

So there’s this protest over the Scouts’ policy to not include openly gay and atheist members. The policy has been in place since the organization was founded in 1910. For a private organization, that would be their prerogative, but they receive federal, state, and local funding and have preferential access to various resources, etc. The controversy has been going on for a long time. Anyway, the chosen venue for the Scouts’ annual meeting that’s being picketed… the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.
Dahh-hah.