Old News

I've been delaying writing because I have been dreading going back and reading the 200+ articles in Google Reader. So today I finally went through the StarTribune, NYTimes, and Slashdot articles from the past week that I thought might be interesting. The range from the absurd to the more serious. Serious items are starred.

From Slashdot

• The internet meme timeline
• Featuring the moon song which is making me laugh hysterically
• Problems with online translation at a Chinese Cafe
• Earth is apparently still flat, according to some
• The Russian Army was invading Savannah, GA
• Some rich iPhone users bought an app for $1000
  
• Scientists are building an invisibility cloak and another article about it is here
• *Webcams can be used to bring medical experts to rural areas
• *Why does free software have poor usability?
  

From the NYTimes

• *Why the $2500 car could be too cheap to succeed
• *Six rules doctors should know

Also from the NYTimes are two more articles. These deserve a little more space and time. First, many of you will know that Randy Pausch passed away on July 25. He was the leader of the research team behind Alice and a remarkable person. If you missed his "Last Lecture" recorded at CMU last fall, give your self 1.5 hours to watch it. I also highly recommend his book, The Last Lecture. He had pancreatic cancer but fought long and hard against it. I came across an article in the NYTimes linked to by one of the memorial columns. It's a list of advice from NYTimes readers of what they wanted their children to know if they were terminally ill. I adored this list.

"The top five things kids need to know are:

Don’t be rude to the wait staff.
If you need help, ask for help.
It’s okay to go up the slide, even though the rules say you may only go down.
Learn the words “Thank You.” How to say it. How to receive it.
Always go outside when the sun is out. "

I was going to end on a goofier note, but I don't think I can follow that list, so I'll save the goofy for tomorrow.