Explaining the Time Traveler Spam

This Wired News article, Turn Back the Spam of Time, seems to get to the botom of the time traveler's spam that we've discussed of late. Turns out that it's due to one mentally ill guy in Massachusetts who has sent out something like 100 million of these messages.

Switch to Dean

Switch ads for Howard Dean, from the not-affiliated-with-the-campaign Dean Media Team: Switch to Dean. The ads are OK, but I'm actually more interested in the phenomenon of the Media Team itself. Somehow, I don't think that Joe Lieberman has a similar bunch of grassroots people working on his behalf.

Netflix Fanatic

New software for Tom: Netflix Fanatic. System requirements: Mac OS X version 10.2 or later, Safari 1.0, and a Netflix account.

Robert Anton Wilson For Governor

Robert Anton Wilson is running for Governor of the Republic of California as the unofficial write-in candidate for the Guns and Dope Party. Well, now that Don Novello turns out not to be running, this is tempting.

And yes, I do own everything RAW's written, and I can't imagine what you mean when you say that that explains a lot.

Shakespeare in the Park

Shakespeare in the Park begins its San Francisco run of Loves Labour's Lost this weekend. Free, even.

Macintosh Browser Smackdown

The Ars Technica Macintosh Browser Smackdown. My one regret is that they didn't also test MSN/Mac, as the MacEdition Guide to CSS3 Selector Support claimed that MSN for OS X was the most compliant browser shipping for any platform.

What was the first personal computer

What was the first personal computer? I was way off, and I disagree with a few of their judgements, but it's interesting to see how long people have been trying to produce/sell home computers. I'd never heard of the 1966 Honeywell Kitchen Computer before (only $7000!). And no, that's not the one they consider to have been first, so go read it.

A Working WiFi Finder?

David Weinberger was told by an "anonymous source" that:

A friend in Belmont (MA) was among a group of neighbors whose laptops were stolen from their homes. It seems the thieves used RF detection equipment to scan the neighborhood, finding homes with wireless hubs. They targeted those homes & stole the laptops.

Without any more information, I'm calling bullshit. Given the horrendous reviews of the Kensington WiFi Finder (see 1, 2, 3), these thieves, assuming they exist, could have made a lot more money selling their device to the public.

Later note: supposedly, SmartID's WiFi Detector works.

Really bizarre spam, I think

I got a piece of really strange and funny spam today. It's Not Safe For Work, so click on the Comments link for this post to check it out.

TV works, peace is restored

Since Tom hasn't mentioned it, I probably should say that the TV was fixed on Saturday, and I am therefore (finally) out of the doghouse. Yes, he was able to go 22 days without a big screen television, but he certainly wasn't happy about it.

Red Wine: Good

Given that we live in the California Wine Country, the news that a Life-Extending Chemical Is Found in Certain Red Wines is certainly good news for our local area. Rebecca is looking for recommendations for "a common (available in supermarkets), inexpensive, palatable red table wine." We say, if you have a Trader Joe's local to you, check out Two Buck Chuck. It's certainly inexpensive, and we've found it to be quite drinkable for the price.

So, drink your medicine like a good boy.