03/09/28 Links, novel progress #21
03/09/20 Links, novel progress #20
03/09/14 Links, novel progress #19
03/09/28 Links, novel progress #21
03/09/20 Links, novel progress #20
03/09/14 Links, novel progress #19
Reasonable progress on the thesis. Reasonable progress on the novel. (Working on the novel gets easier as I write more. The problem is, while working on the thesis I can't muster the attention and energy. I will finish the thesis and then this, too, will pass.) On a lighter note: saw 'Spirited Away' last week and enjoyed it a lot.
European legislation on software patents - the continuing story: Please find attached a document containing the comments by the U.S. on the draft European Parliament amendment regarding the proposed European Union Directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions.
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Netkwesties: article (Dutch)
Europarl: latest news about the legislation
Celtic myth and lore. Somewhat on the commercial side, but interesting.
Celtic Twilight
Bad science in movies. The main page is a bit on the preachy side, but the movie reviews are hilarious.
Insultingly stupid movie physics
(via Apothecary's drawer)
Munich goes open source.
Slashdot: more linux activity in German government
What happens when you have one of the most influential music scribes cover on one of the most influential producer/musician/philosophers? Take a great writer and a great subject and you will easily have a great article. Well, maybe... But in this case, yes.
Lester Bangs - Brian Eno: a sandbox in Alphaville
Two new episodes this week, 1,369 new words, 43,080 words total.
Introduction
Introduction and start of part 2
After the war (64)
After the war (65)
I've lost my job per the 1st of February of this year (and was lucky enough to find another job so I've never actually been unemployed) and five people I know have lost theirs as well (many more if I count the people who've been fired along with me by my former employer). Reorganisation and job uncertainty loom large at my current workplace as well. Sometimes I feel that in this country we're heading towards a culture of fear, with everyone keeping their heads down, afraid of losing their jobs, their pensions and what not.
Today there was a demonstration against the Balkenende cabinet. The organisers expected 10,000 people, the actual turnout was between 20,000 and 25,000. Hopefully this will result in viable alternatives to the current cabinet's proposals. We could use those. And we could use some hope as well.
More Dutch politics and current events:
Dutch politics in 2003
It used to be that, when you entered a non-existent URL in your browser's address bar, you'd get a quick and clear error message that the site didn't exist. Nowadays, you're waiting forever for the Verisign addressfinder page to load, and it's causing other complications as well. This, apparently, is progress.
News.com: Verisign redirects error pages
Denounce: Other industries quick to copy Verisign's latest tactic
A couple of special-interest blogs: election law and apellate litigation.
Election law
How appealing
Grumble aspires to be a zesty melange of insightful humor, entertaining anecdotes, travelogues from life's own journey, and eclectic fiction. Grumble actually comes off as mostly "smirky". What can you do. What can I say? I'm a sucker for independent content creation.
Grumble
I surfed, liked and linked. They should ditch the pop-ups, though.
Morphizm
For all your Viking answer needs. Don't miss the article about women and magic in the Sagas.
The Viking answer lady
One new episode this week, 524 new words, 41,711 words total.
Introduction
Introduction and start of part 2
After the war (63)
Oops, I must have dozed off for a bit... A lot of discussion in the blogosphere about 9/11, much of it between the "our lives have changed forever" and the "get over it, worse things have happened" camps. I'm seeing parallels with WW II and the German occupation, and the impact that they had on the Dutch national consciousness. Did we learn anything? I'm not sure. Maybe these events are essentially meaningless, only acquiring meaning when we assign it to them.
What I was doing on September 11th, 2001? I was in a business meeting when someone came in and announced that the Palestinian air force had attacked New York and that World War III was going to start (I'm not joking). For a while none of us knew what to say. Then we continued our discussion and after that went home to watch the news. I suppose chartered accountants and IT auditors are not very imaginative people.
Social security and public governance are interests of mine, so here you go.
Center on budget and policy priorities
Tax policy center
Misconceptions about September 11th.
Slate: what you think you know about Sept. 11 - but don't
Weblogger Simon Waldman finds a 1938 issue of Home and Gardens with an article about Hitler's home, and posts scans of the article on his website. The people from Home and Gardens are not amused and ask him to take it down.
Words of Waldman: at home with Hitler
Words of Waldman: at home with Hitler - the end is nigh
Dutch history esoterica.
Merchants from the Southern Netherlands and the rise of the Amsterdam staplemarket, 1578-1630
Dutch national accounts, 1800-1913
Jennifer Weiner on writing. Good stuff.
Jennifer Weiner: so you want to be a novelist?
(via Signal vs. Noise)
Two new episodes in the past two weeks, 1,132 new words, 41,187 words total. The thesis is still eating up a lot of my time and energy.
Introduction
Introduction and start of part 2
After the war (61)
After the war (62)
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