Casiello Family Weblog

(via lessig blog)

disguised as a review of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

For those to whom this name is unfamiliar, it’s a 25-year old British sci-fi series, with all the hokey special effects and production values of Dr. Who, but with great stories and interesting characters.

Cult TV desciibes it thus: “Terry Nation’s great gift to the sci-fi genre, the story of a motley group of outlaw revolutionaries led by a patriot-hero who fight the fascistic Federation (motto: ‘Strength from Unity’) in the second century of the third calendar.”

…and it’s coming back as a feature film, with Paul Darrow reprising his role as Avon.

(via BoingBoing)

A University of Reading robot is apparently too scary to be seen by foks under 18, unless they get prior consent from a parent or guardian.

Unfortuate, in a robot designed to study how peole interact with robots.

A few hints, guys:

1. Don’t make it look like a big disembodied skull,
2. Don’t give it glowing eyesockets,
3. Don’t give it a big ol’ nasty frown,
4. Don’t let it follow people around,
5. Don’t give it a name that sounds like ‘morgue’,

and then you might have a little better luck not scaring the kiddies.

Just a thought.

Oh, and keep it from saying things like “Yum! Human flesh!”

(via MetaFilter)

A juggler.

Europe vs. Italy

Not that I believe Europeans drive like that…

(via BoingBoing)

Apparently, crows can make and use tools.

(via devnull)

Microsoft admits critical flaw in nearly all Windows software

The announcement came one day after the Department of Homeland Security announced that it awarded a five-year, $90-million contract for Microsoft to supply all its most important desktop and server software for about 140,000 computers inside the new federal agency.

“We have met the enemy and they is us.” — Pogo

APINC provides a disposable email service at jetable.org. Give them your real email address (they promise not to sell it), and pick a time period (24/48 hours or 4/6/8 days) and they’ll create an email address that expires after that amount of time.

So, somebody you’re not sure about needs your email address? Give ’em one of these. If they sell it to spammers, no problem, the name will expire soon.

Be careful…in most email programs, if you reply to an email someone sends to the temporary address, your real address will go out in the from or sender field.

Depending on your ISP, there are a few do-it-yourself temporary address tricks you can use. If your address is somebody@example.com, then the addresses somebody-anything@example.com or somebody(anything)@example.com might work. Test each, and see if any of them work for you.

Then, if MrSpammer wants your email address, give them somebody-MrSpammer@example.com. If you start getting spam, you know MrSpammer really is a spammer, or sold your address to a spammer. So set your email program to filter that address straight to trash.

(via Wired)

MIT Media Lab’s Government Information Awareness.

Their mission statement says it bes:

“To empower citizens by providing a single, comprehensive, easy-to-use repository of information on individuals, organizations, and corporations related to the government of the United States of America.

To allow citizens to submit intelligence about government-related issues, while maintaining their anonymity. To allow members of the government a chance to participate in the process. “

(via JD)

Check the copyright notice at the bottom.

(via Fark)

The NCAA has ruled that division 1 athletes can’t participate in Hoopfest – a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Spokane, WA, because they give away T-shirts to the winning teams.

Gaah.

(via devnull)

I’ve been trying to get Verizon to hook up my DSL for, oh, a while. now. Hopefully, I won’t be waiting as long as this poor guy.

At least I know from the get-go that it’s going to be my kids, not me, using it once it’s here.

(via devnull)

The Air Force is testing a new high-energy laser weapon (in a simulator), but they had to add sound-effects, since the real weapon doesn’t make noise, and “pilots don’t know when the weapon has fired if it doesn’t make a noise” according to one of the developers, who added “We got the noise for this one from Tactical Air Systems. I think they got it from ‘Star Trek’ or something, but I’m not sure. You’d think a bunch of nerds like us would know that.”

Uh, oh, I think I smell an MPAA lawsuit!

(via Dave Barry, I think, but don’t quote me)

CurveBall

(via New Scientist)

The broken bone is scanned, a 3-D computer model is built, and patches can be ‘printed’ by depositing layers of a new polymer, strong enough to bear weight. These patches are abosorbed by the body as new bone grows in to heal.

(via New Scientist)

The Aramaic inscription, translated to “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” on a stone box used for burial of bones was added in modern times.

Further suspicion was raised because of the inscription on the back: “Dad always liked you best.”

The BBC reports that eating three bowls of Miso soup a day could reduce breast cancer risk 40%.

(via Nature.com)

There are lots of palindrobe gene sequences on the Y chromosome. Coincidence, or a defense mechanism?

The Y chromosome’s mutation rate is thousands of times that of other chromosomes. Maybe that’s why so many of the X-Men are, well, men.

Dave Barry points to this site, specifically the Insaniquarium game.

(via devnull)

I wonder if Dubya would fall off of this?