Public Agenda Online     Saturday, May 27, 2000
Although the name made me uneasy, it does appear that this site offers fair non-partisan overviews of major policy issues. It's an American site, but a good example of how the web can help inform citizens.

Cartoonists tribute to Peanuts     Saturday, May 27, 2000
It takes print cartoonists a while to organize an event, but over 100 cartoonists worked Charles Schultz and Peanuts into their strips today. I'm going to go sniffle in a quiet corner now.

Songs and Gardens     Friday, May 26, 2000
Reading the Metallica interview on Slashdot, I found myself trying to think of a creation that you couldn't charge people for enjoying. Andrew Cady came up with a good example: a garden in your front lawn. He also notes that copyright has moved from being a reward to the artist to actual ownership of the art itself.

Python     Friday, May 26, 2000
I'm always saying that I should teach myself more programming. Thread on Slashdot today about languages for kids, which frankly is about my skill level. Python was well regarded. Another promising suggestion was Squeak. The Python introduction says you can be productive in a day.
        Not sure I have that kind of time.

The Moral of the Story     Friday, May 26, 2000
"So yesterday I'm walking over to 7-Eleven to get my late-afternoon sugar rush when a truck passing me on the street hits a bump -- and a small girl comes flying out the back." Found on Backup Brain.

The Harper's Index Index     Thursday, May 25, 2000
"Average number of lines in the Harper's Index : 40." Modern Humorist has so many articles worth linking. Spend time there. Especially you, Mark. Put away that Diablo Beta Test and join the rest of us, would you?

Canberra: home of the 10-minute taxi ride     Wednesday, May 24, 2000
After years of trying, my mother has secured a year-long employment exchange to Australia. She's going to be based in Canberra, a garden city which was planned and built in 1911. In addition to the travel essay above, here's an overview of the city and a giant map.

History of the World according to Slashdot     Wednesday, May 24, 2000
Of my friends, only Graham has a chance of getting these jokes. And that's not to your credit, man.

Garth Brooks' Touch 'Em All     Friday, May 19, 2000
Is "Touch 'em All" really a good name for a children's charity?

Final Hour     Wednesday, May 17, 2000
My new Age of Kings scenario has been released at long last. When I posted this note, I already had three great reviews. I'm proud of this one, and exhausted.

The Paperclip Threat     Wednesday, May 17, 2000
Oh for crying out loud. The Microsoft Office Assistant is a security threat? Does this company have ANY security minded people working for it?

E3 Screenshots     Monday, May 15, 2000
More screenshots of upcoming games than you could ever ever want. Includes Halo, Black and White, Empire Earth, Sims Livin' Large, Dungeon Siege and about fifty others.

NATO invasion     Monday, May 15, 2000
Quick overview of why Russia expected NATO to invade. A Slashdot post.

Love Bug author proposed virus in his thesis     Thursday, May 11, 2000
His proposal was that a good solution to the high price of Internet access would be a program that stole other people's passwords. I don't think this student had all the pieces of the puzzle together. (His advisor's keen-eyed comment: "This is illegal!")

Microsoft versus Slashdot     Thursday, May 11, 2000
Is it sweeps week?

The Craft of Adventure     Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Essays about designing text adventure games, including a player's rights ("not to be killed without warning"), written in 1995. Includes an interesting detour into the history of Kentucky caves.

The Rainforest Site     Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Companion site to the Hunger Site, this one has sponsors who help buy up reserves of tropical rainforest.

National Magazine awards     Tuesday, May 9, 2000
Holy cow. I'm one of 6 finalists for a National Magazine award for fiction. Two weird things: one, I found this out by trying to find information about the award. No one phoned me. Two, I went to school with two of the six other finalists.

Pictures from the Banff Trip     Sunday, May 7, 2000
Remember how the road reports warned of sheep?

The trip to Banff was marvellous and the drive itself was the best part. I'll leave the story-telling to the photos above (and the link below). I mentioned elsewhere in Mooselessness that we were staying at the Rimrock Resort, a well-reviewed mountain hotel. I don't recommend it. I won't get into the whole deal, but the resort made me feel like an adversary, not a guest. Happily, the simpler motels along the way were surprisingly comfy and fun.
        Be warned that the photo page is 2 megs in size, so if you're on dial-up, you'll want to have it load in the background while you do something else.

Older Mooselessness entries     Sunday, May 7, 2000
The last entry was about the 5K web site winners. There was also some MP3 talk and mention of my trip to Banff. You can also visit an index to the archive.