Michael Hart

“ Thus there were now more places to practice, and thus more time, as not all the skaters went to the same place any more, and the trends of incredible growth in ice-skating continued.
However, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and this time it was for all the right reasons, though it didn't work out in quite the way anyone expected. . . .
For some, the economy, you could say, was booming. . .for the other part of the population, you could say they were losing control, and not many people like losing control, once they have it, whether, or not, they really should have it now. ”

“ NetZero's banners can "follow" users from site to site as they peruse the Web. The company says it's spent a year developing software that tracks users' habits, enabling advertisers to pinpoint their messages more efficiently. "We can target within a 12-mile radius of where (a subscriber) lives," says NetZero's CEO. Idealab Capital Partners, which is backing the venture, thinks subscribers will like the free access despite the ads. "People are spending $21.95 a month for AOL — that's a lot of money," says Idealab's managing director. "We offer a value proposition that's hard to beat." ”

“ With this kind of unrestricted opportunity the skaters blossomed in all directions, inventing new leaps, jumps, spins and positions, in ways they only the truly artistically expressive can do.
When the time came for that year's Winter Festivals and Carnivals— virtually every prize was won by one of the "Winter Wonderlanders," as they had come to be known that year. . .those for whom a skating life was a joy. . .not work. . .those who wanted to skate more than they wanted the prizes or recognition. ”

“ When we spend this 21 million dollars, we are competing with all the other dollars in the marketplace, and prices have to go up as a result, because there are now more dollars but no more anything else. . .so dollars get cheap, and all dollars everywhere give up a percentage of their value to pay for an increase in the number of dollars WE have. So, if all these dollars lose 5% of their value, then we can buy a 20 million dollar share of the future with our 21 million dollars while everyone else loses 5% of the money they let sit in pockets, under the mattress, or wherever. ”

“ MICROSOFT'S IE5 REELING AGAIN AFTER TWO NEW BUGS DISCOVERED Experts this week found two new security bugs that affect Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5 (IE5) browser. Security expert Georgi Guninski discovered one spoofing glitch that would give hackers access to data on IE5 even through a firewall. The bug would allow an HTML JavaScript to activate once a user visits a Web site, and then download files back to the user's computer. Since the files are downloaded from the computer back to itself rather than to another machine, firewalls do not prevent the attack. ”

“ The Wonderlanders had placed their torches and candles is just such a way that each of them melted most of the ice used by each of them in their performances, so that by the time they had waited out each final applause, and then taken their candle with them into the edge of the darkness, their own patch of ice was very much melted away. ”

“ If copyrighted information doubles every 14 years, and the copyright usually expires in 14 years, then information is flowing into public domain access at the same rate it is flowing into copyright. . .so a quick look tells us that during the time it took to create a world's new supply of information, the old supply of information came out of copyright and into the Public Domain. ”

“ So, when you spend $3,000 on computer gear today, you are in fact only spending half as much as was spent back in '79 for the Konan drive. . .you are really only spending $1,500 from 1979. . .due to changes in the value of the dollar as per an assortment of Consumer Price Index figures [none of which is in agreement with any of the others, so you are encouraged a bit to look up additional information on the subject. These figures [below] are presented only to provide a continuum to make comparisons. ”

“ Some of the skaters eventually went back to practicing in locations of their own choosing. . .places that were either not suited to the vendors purposes or for other reasons not generally used.
They would skate in the moonlight at night, or bring candles to set on the ice, and would skate around them like faeries in the forest.
All in all, it was some of the most beautiful skating of all time— and anyone today would undoubtedly consider themselves blessed if a chance to see anything like it came along. ”

“ A survey conducted on the Web site of Computer magazine to determine attitudes about the shortage of information technology professionals found that 54% of the 84 respondents believe that such a shortage indeed exists and that liberal immigration policies are generally a good idea; 36% deny that there's a shortage, and are convinced that corporate America is simply claiming one so that it can import less expensive workers instead of investing in the U.S. workforce. ”

“ In fact, computers today are TWICE as good a bargain as they appear in comparisons with those early computers, and it was already looking as if they were bargains beyond all belief.
In earlier articles I mentioned the fact that today's cheapy 486 DX2/66 computers were 100 times as fast as the originals from IBM, and were likely to also have 100 time as much hard drive storage. ”

“ Eve had an insatiable heart; she was always hungry for the unborn Adams with their unborn loves and poems hiding in the shadows of the Park. Through her, the rib aimed high, so high that the final goal could not be guessed by the mind, only perceived by the senses. Eve had been born a lonely woman and stayed like that since the Adam in her bed got so bored of loving himself. Life at home was like dying of hope suffocation, keeping the claustrophobic indoors and telling him that you are out and doing fine. ”

“ Web Incognito differentiates itself from other privacy products in that it covers all Internet activities - not just Web browsing or e-mail - and has said it will share the identity of users with law enforcement authorities who have appropriate warrants. "Our service is for protecting the privacy of consumers, not for hiding criminals or criminal activities," says Privada CEO Barbara Bellissimo. "We felt it would be irresponsible not to give law enforcement agencies the information if they have valid warrants." ”

“ WHILE IT APPEARS THAT COMPUTERS ARE AN INCREDIBLE DEAL THEY ARE REALLY TWICE AS GOOD A DEAL AS IT SEEMS TO BE COMPUTERS INCREASED IN VALUE TWICE AS MUCH AS IT APPEARS SINCE THE FIRST CONSUMER HARD DRIVES BECAME AVAILABLE IN APPROXIMATELY 1979 WHERE DOES OUR MONEY GO? Many of you are aware that the $3,000 you spent on computers last year could be replaced by $2,000 spent today. However, only recently have I actually purchased computer gear that I bought with dollars that were only half as valuable as those with which one of my drives was purchased in 1979. ”

“ Thus came yet another period of huge growth in skating as new moves were catapulted onto the scene every year, sometimes every month as progress begets progress, and the Wonderlanders skated for the love of skating. . .and were willing to share with everyone.
But those who wanted control continued to want control yet the more . . .as more and more prizes, money and fame were made available.
Vendors couldn't make money on practice sessions they couldn't find . . .and parents pretended they didn't want their kids going off in the woods to skate all night alone. ”

“ TRACKING ANONYMOUS SPAM If you hate getting all those "Make Money Fast At Home!!!" messages from people who use hard-to-trace or false return addresses, you might want to use the services of www.spamcop.net, a Web site that allows you to take action against unsolicited junk e-mail messages sent out in bulk quantities. Spam Cop is able to dissect the header information on such messages, identify where they've come from, and send a message of complaint to the network administer of the Internet service provider the spammer is using. ”

“ THE PROJECT GUTENBERG PRICE INDEX FROM 1875 TO 2010 How to use the chart, first set of examples:
The price in current 1993 dollars for any year is found in the first column. Thus you can see that a one dollar item from 1993 will cost about $1.95 in 2010.
The value of the dollars used in any particular year would be found in the second column [value compared to 1993] . A dollar in 2010 will be worth about $.51 1993 dollars while a dollar from 1978-9 would be worth about $2.00 now. ”

“ Most of the women who inhabited the Garden of Eden were getting pregnant in fall, because they were taught the earth was gestating with fruits and their womb was like the earth. This way the population increased rapidly and the hunger grew with the same speed. The earthy hunger, that is, a disease much more dangerous and mind-attacking than the learned doctors could even dare to predict. Yet the Garden was ignorantly sleeping every night and the women's wombs, like the earth, grew heavy with fruits, gestating full-season. ”

“ LINUX USERS WANT THEIR MONEY BACK FROM MICROSOFT Aficionados of the Linux operating system, which is available for free, say they will demand their money back for Windows software installed against their wishes on PCs they buy. Their demand is based on a Windows licensing agreement that says that if the purchaser does not agree to the terms and conditions of use of the Windows software, he or she should promptly contact manufacturer for instructions on return of the unused product for a refund. ”

“ Actually these figures are a conservative estimate [as most government figures seem to be [example, no double digit inflation for any year since 1947, which was an extremely good year, by the way.]
So, while other prices were rising to make up for weakenings in the dollar. . .you are probably aware that your expenses, in general, have just about exactly doubled since 1979, when we bought that first hard drive for $3,000. ”

“ Quick reflection, even for those of you who haven't seen it for years will remind you that the opening sequences of the Willys are in fact some ice skaters out in a pond in the woods, and that they are obviously, and basically in a practice session for themselves. . .practicing in a series of long glides you only see in ice skating. ”

“ LIBRARY REMOVES SOFTWARE FILTERS Responding to a federal court's ruling that the Loudoun County (VA.) library's use of software filters to screen out sexually explicit material on the Internet was unconstitutional (Edupage 24 Nov 98) , the Library Board has removed filters from some of its computers and left them on others; adults will decide whether they want to use a computer with a filter or one without, and parents of minors will be asked to sign a statement specifying whether or not they want their child to have unfiltered Internet access. ”

“ By the time the sun really did come up the pond had totally melted.
And the illusion was complete. . .where there had been ice skating, now was a lake. . .the lake they now call Lake Dimbovitsa. . .after the last of the Wonderlanders who skated their that night.
***
So many people came and went in so many directions that night and a period of the first few hours of the following morning, that it was impossible to follow any tracks a week later, when people began the realization that the Wonderlanders were not coming back. ”

“ If you've got a temp worker putting in 20-plus hours a week, you better start considering him or her like you would a part-time worker" — and provide employee benefits. The ruling indicated that a temporary worker can be considered a "common-law employee" if the person's work was controlled not by the placement agency but by the company for which the work was being done. Microsoft plans to appeal. ”

“ Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Most of the countries named have state-owned Internet service providers that filter and censor Web sites for their citizens, and more repressive regimes, like Burma's, require computer owners to register with the government. A few, like North Korea and Iraq, have almost no Internet access at all. And in Saudi Arabia, the Internet is viewed as "a harmful force for Westernizing people's minds." ”

“ So people listened for hours, for days, for weeks and no distinct sound could be heard coming from the apple-trees. They tried harder, some of them got inspired and composed beautiful music, and at the changing of the year they all felt older, much more older than a year older and scared, much more scared than they had been of the things they had used to know before as being terrible. ”

“ David Sobel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center says, "People don't like the idea that their purchases are being turned into profiles, and they certainly don't like the idea that information is turned over to third parties, even it it's not personally identifiable." ”

“ Because this was most likely their final public performance, effort was not spared, and many jumps and leaps and spins were carried out in ways never seen before or since.
Finally, there were only a few Wonderlanders left, and these gave a few performances that actually told stories; one of which suggested that the skater was running off into the woods to live as suggested by the use of a Pan flute as a prop and since the skater's name was Peter, it is possible, given the nature of these performances, with the faerie-like use of the candles, that this was the origin of the story of Peter Pan. ”

“ EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WANTS ISPs TO SPY The European Parliament last Friday passed the Lawful Interception of Communications council resolution on new technologies — known as Enfopol — which requires Internet service providers and telephone companies to provide law-enforcement agencies with full-time, real-time access to Internet transmissions, even those traversing along multiple networks. In addition, wireless communications providers are required to provide geographical location information on cell phone users, along with decoding of messages, if encryption is provided as part of the service. ”

“ The paintings rarely actually showed the skates themselves, as he often portrayed her as a faery floating above the ice, in much the same ways as others imagined her, but this in more concrete form . . .a form that may well have been the root of the Giselle ballet.
If you actually extrapolate from such paintings, it becomes obvious, in the extreme, that the choreography, costumes, set and setting all are in reality those of the practice sessions of the Wonderlanders. ”

“ BRITISH TELECOM OFFERS FREE PCs British Telecom has become the first U.K. Internet service provider to offer customers a free personal computer as part of its BT Internet PC package. The package, which costs 25.99 British pounds a month, also includes installation, training, and free weekend ISP connections. At the end of three years, customers will own their Fujitsu PC. BT says its new service will cost less than 90p a day, and noted that the free weekend connections would eliminate the potential problem of children running up phone bills during peak Internet usage times. ”