Here’s a site that’s trying to “use up” the Republican’s virtual space by reloading “several Republican websites” automatically every 60 seconds. See, if we all leave the protest page up in our browser, we’ll show them Republican bastards … well, I’m really not sure what we’ll show them.

I’m confused enough about this that I am only reluctantly posting the protest page’s url: http://users.drew.edu/clotito/protest_rnc.htm. Maybe you can explain to me if this page is:

1. A sincere but misguided attempt to make a point no one understands through a protest that no one will notice
2. A devious attempt to drive up the hit count on several Republican websites
3. Retarded terrorism

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I seem to be on the other end of the phone in conversation with Halley over at IT Conversations Memory Lane. It all seems like an out-of-body experience now.

Anyway, Halley and I talked mainly about techno-politics, as well as technology and politics, as I recall.

By the way, allow me to answer one of the burning questions we left hanging in the interview: A balustrade is a railing along the front of a gallery.

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Josh Marshall, whose blogging over the past couple of days has been extra special good, has been saying for a while that we’re going to be getting some interesting news about the Niger matter. Today he says it again, saying that news will be coming out in “weeks.” I wonder what it is that he knows…

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GrannyD has posted some photos of the NYC protests…

By the way, the Boston Phoenix has an
excellent article by Adam Reilly on her Senate campaign and whether it’s good or bad for the Democrats.

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I don’t think I’m going to have the fortitude to watch the Republican Convention. I know that makes me a small person, but I just can’t take it.

But reading the bloggery about it is a different matter. For example, Jay Rosen is nailing down ideas like a cabinet maker. And here’s Ken Mehlman – a guy who “gets” the Net as far as I can tell – spinning the Kerry campaign as Rip van Winkely. And Oxblog on the Log Cabin Republicans’ party (and on a talk with Koch). And here’s a photo of Ari “Shameless” Fleischer holding a Blogs for Bush bumpersticker.

But watch the gloat-fest on TV? I just can’t.

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Doris “GrannyD” Haddock is certainly one of the more unusual Senate candidates. And isn’t it about time we had some unusual candidates?

I’ve blogged some of her remarkable political rhetoric over at Loose Democracy…

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Why is Zell Miller, who prominently links to his idiotic “Beethoven for Babies” bill that says more about his willingness to sell out to Sony than about his grasp of science, a Democrat? His site touts his exempting two Georgia counties from EPA regulations because it would have “a negative impact on the sitting [sic, I think] of new industry and the procurement of federal transportation funding…” He wants to push Bush’s right-wing extremist judicial appointments through. He has a barbaric attitude about our treatment of Abu Ghraib prisoners that blames having men and women serve together in “these kinds” of military missions — this piece is sickening.

So, any guesses about the conversation Miller had with President Bush:

Miller: Well, Mr. President, I’m ready to make the move. Make it official. Switch sides of the aisle.

W: That’s great Zelly-Belly. Let’s do it up big. You ever strap on a six-shooter? Just for the fun of it, I mean? Maybe we could…

Karl Rove appears from behind curtains.

Rove: Not so fast, Senator Miller. You’re of more use to us as a Democrat.

W: But don’t we need him to vote our way in the Senate?

Rove: Done. Now imagine him as a Democrat giving a keynote at our Convention.

W: Are we letting Democrats in?

Rove: No, Mr. President. We’re letting Senator Miller in. And he’s going to show the sort of bi-partisan support you have.

W: Like the Log Cabin boys? A lot of them are bi, too.

Rove: Yes, like the Log Cabin boys. And then after the election, Senator Miller can become, oh, I don’t know, Ambassador Miller? How’s that sound, Zell? Maybe something with the word “Secretary” in it.

Miller: Sounds as nice as sweet potato pie.

Rove: Ehhhhexcellent.

Miller: Hmm. Do I smell sulfur?

Rove: Yeah, um, it’s my, um, anti-perspirant. You’ll get used to it.

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I know y’all have read The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith — in fact, I see at Amazon that it’s the Today Show Book Club #8, so presumably Katie Couric has read it by the light of a colonoscope — but I just read it. Very enjoyable, if a bit self-conscious. I now know 100% more about Botswana than I did before I read it, which is totally shameful but there you have it. (Anyone have any links to Botswana blogs? I couldn’t find any…)

And, while continuing to be hopelessly out of date, a couple of nights ago, our family watched Groundhog Day. I saw it when it came out, I saw it again a few years later, and possibly one time more. Fun for the entire family, even those of us who generally don’t like movies that don’t have sword fights. Learning to do one day right: A good lesson about lessons.

Later: Ethan Zuckerman found a couple of semi-bloggy Botswanan things in English: A volunteer with a church in Botswana, and Mmegi “…not a blog, but an interesting daily paper.”

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I came back from vacation, turned on my computer, and found that my expensive, way-over-powered APC uninterruptible power supply (APC BACK-UPS XS 1500) has been fried: The overload light blinks and the thing shrieks until you force it to shut up. It is less than a year old.

This is one in a multi-year series of electrical failures that have escaped the diagnosis of professional electricians and the power company. The UPS is rated for something like 1200 units and the equipment running off it totals under 400. An electrician installed a new panel in the basement and ran twin 20 amp lines up to my study. The power company has installed diagnostic equipment (which, by the way, blew up, although they claim that was a coincidence) and ran a new line from the pole to my house. No neighbors report similar fryings.

How many “p”s in poltergeist?

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At BiologyBrowser.org you’ll find the following branch of their tree:

Home > Subject > Systematics > Taxonomy > Classification

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