MiscLinks and Retorts

Chris Heathcote points us to the poignant story of what happened when Steve Mann, a professor at the U. of Toronto who has been wearing cyber gear for 20 years — sensors, display glasses, etc. — was forcibly unplugged by security guys at the Toronto airport:

Without a fully functional system, he said, he found it difficult to navigate normally. He said he fell at least twice in the airport, once passing out after hitting his head on what he described as a pile of fire extinguishers in his way. He boarded the plane in a wheelchair.

“I felt dizzy and disoriented and went downhill from there,” he said.

Note to Prof. Mann: That’s how all of us non-enhanced people feel all the time. Welcome to the real world.

[Note: Because this is a NYTimes story, it may require registration after 7 days.]

Rex Hammock counterblogs the snotty reference to Nashville I made while explaining why I think Opryland is the worst hotel in America.

I spent about 3 hours in Nashville a few years ago, walking the main streets. I am in no position to judge the town as anything except a tourist destination And keep in mind that the particular tourist is a no-fun, non-drinking, non-country-listening, cynical, snide, northern Jewish asshole. I’m fully ready to believe that Nashville is a fine place to live, work, raise kids and open a neon recycling business.

Michael Mark suggests we click on the “Invoice past due” link on the No Media Kings site where we can read the results of the attempt of the author of the novel Everyone in Silico to collect from companies for the “product placements” he put into his book. Reminiscient of Don Novello’s “Lazlo Toth” art-prank from the 80s.

At Minciu Soda‘s site, you will find people — including the lovely and talented Peter Kaminski — who are willing to write (programs or words) for you under terms of a license that “adds to the public wealth.” Sponsors purchase “work packs” for $480, of which $360 goes to the author. How much work would a work pack pack if a work pack could pack work? That’s up to the author.

Soda is serious about trying to improve the world’s intellectual wealth. Browse through the scrolling list on his home page to see what else he’s been up to.

Here’s a military photo photo looking straight down at ground zero. (There’s a widget in the bottom right to zoom in or out.) Startling.

Chip recommends a slick Flash that puts the imbalance of resources and justice into numeric perspective.

Chris Herot points us to Andy Oram’s Stop the Copying, Start a Media Revolution.

AKMA, that unpredictable man of many cloths, runs his own Extended Alert System with color-coded warnings about life’s other dangers. (And where did he find the official government Impending Doom font? In my own little spoof I had to settle for a mere approximation.)

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