So I am getting geared up for putting pictures on the site en masse and I am starting to think that I am gonna need to make some serious hacks on Drupal to get what I want. Haven’t seen anything that looks like what I want yet. *sigh* Much as I like deconstructing php stuff, I am not looking forward to this one. But I shall give it a whirl and see where it goes 
A rare voice from moderate Christian denominations. Read the whole article (second link). It gives me hope that there are in fact still centrists in the country who are smart and fed up with what has been going on.
Taking that "Peace Be With You" Stuff Seriously - Why does the National Council of Churches hate America? The NCC — a coalition of 36 Christian denominations — makes a firm statement against the war in Iraq: "This year our nation is at war as we observe the 4th of July, a day that honors those founders who spoke out for independence from tyranny. Today in Iraq a cruel dictator has been deposed, yet the suffering of the Iraqi people continues. Mandated elections have been held, yet the future of Iraq remains as uncertain as ever. Day by day the cost of this war for the United States, for Iraq, for peace grows clearer. No weapons of mass destruction have been found; no link to the attacks on September 11, 2001 has been shown. It has become clear that the rationale for invasion was at best a tragic mistake, at worst a clever deception." Mainstream Christians are starting to take back Christianity from the theocrats.
(Via Metafilter)
Been awhile since I’ve had a good case of gadget lust (almost two months I think). Well here is the next contender. this PDA/Camera/MP3 Player/Hard Drive equipped little gem comes to you from BestaPro and while it may never catch on it warms my geeky heart to see it.
BestaPro DMP-1: your convergence panacea? -
While not packing the same sweaty browed pr0n wallop as the groovalicious iStation i2, the BestaPro DMP-1 leaves not doubt that South Korean PMP manufacturers are tossin’ the competition’s salad. The DMP-1 flaunts a 20GB hard drive, 64MB SDRAM, a 320 x 240 LCD adjustable touch screen and features the usual music (MP3, WMA, ADPCM, WAV) and video (MPEG-1 and DivX and Xvid MPEG-4) playback formats, FM tuner, TV-out, and USB 1.1 hosting for direct transfer of photos from your digital camera, for example. All in a shiny black box about 10-15% bigger than the i2 in dimensions and weight. However, unlike the i2, the DMP-1 also boasts an integrated 1.3 megapixel cam for stills and video, an SD expansion slot, and includes “PDA functionality” with the Encyclopedia Britannica and electronic dictionary built-in.[Via DAPreview]
(Via Engadget)
Picasa is a free photo manager from the folks at Google. I had resisted it for a long time because every photo manager I’ve used has been clumsy and less useful than just handling the files myself through Windows Explorer. But last night I needed to resize a bunch of photos so I broke down and installed it.
Much to my suprise, Picasa does the trick. It searched My Documents and found all the image files which it then presented in a nice interface grouped by folder. You can tag the images singly or in groups for better searching later. Best of all I was able to take the monstrous scanned images and send the whole folder to a new location resized for the web. Quite slick. I’ll probably be using it a lot more in the coming days as I try to get more of my photos online.
Ah the glory that is municipal wireless. I hope this works. I’ve read of a few other cities trying this and being shot down in court by the Telcos and ISPs who claim unfair business practices.
The day is soon coming when Internet access will need to be defined as a public utility much like power and sewer.
West Hollywood to Build Public Wireless Mesh Network - The city of West Hollywood, Calif., awarded PCC Network Solutions a contract to design and build a pilot outdoor public wireless mesh network that will enable the city to offer outdoor wireless Internet access to residents, businesses and visitors.
(Via Unmediated)
Slowly but surely the ideas of intelligent, moderate people will prevail. If things continue there will be a time in the next generation or two where the U.S. will be viewed as the backward stepchild of the industrialized world. But at least we’ll still be able to carry guns and Humvees to work.
The dominos fall… - Spain legalizes gay marriage. Warm-climate-loving gay people rejoice! You now have warm beaches to share with your spouse. Yesterday it was Canada; which country will be tomorrow? [link to La Vanguardia article]
(Via Metafilter)
One step closer to my gargoyle dreams. Small size and weight? Check. Display text and graphics? Check. Works with a variety of electronics? Check. Available in the US? Nope. Darn!
Is that a movie screen on your head? | News.blog | CNET News.com
- Scalar’s Teleglass, which lets users privately watch movies or TV, read text or view pictures via a tiny screen attached to their glasses, just started selling on the Japanese company’s Web site and is expected to hit stores soon.
(Via Unmediated)
Monday we heard about the Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain. By Tuesday forces were mobilizing on both sides with cities jumping to claim land. Now comes the sweetest revenge. Freestar Media has decided that the residence of Justice David Souter has the potential to be a huge revenue generator for the city of Weare, New Hampshire if it were only demolished and replaced with a hotel.
From the fax sent to the city:
As I understand it your town has five people serving on the Board of Selectmen. Therefore, since it will require only three people to vote in favor of the use of eminent domain I am quite confident that this hotel development is a viable project. I am currently seeking investors and hotel plans from an architect. Please let me know the proper steps to follow to proceed in accordance with the law in your town.
This is fantastic! I don’t know what the economy of Weare is like, but I am guessing that a multi-million dollar hotel project is a big deal for it. Rumors on the Internet abound about funding already raised for the project. And with only three people to convince, I would say that at the very least, this will be talked about over dinner at the Souter house.
Bill Simmons does some of the best sports writing anywhere and if you don’t read him, why aren’t you? Always an annual highlight is his NBA draft diary. Since he’s been doing it for 8 years, today he offers us his top 60 moments as we wait breathlessly for tomorrows edition of the diary.
The Sports Guy: Memorable draft moments - NBA draft memorable moments
No. 33
2002: With Kenny and Chuck making fun of the influx of foreign players, Stern (standing at the podium) gives them an exaggerated, "I can’t believe you guys" stare, then finally lays the smack down: "You know, when Kenny and Charles first came into the league, they didn’t speak English, either." And that’s why he’s the most powerful man in the country.No. 26
2000: With their 29th pick, the Lakers execute a little-known league rule by using a WNBA territorial pick to take Mark Madsen.by Bill SimmonsVisit ESPN.com for the complete story.
(Via Bill Simmons)
I never bother to watch the draft. The diary says it all. Actually, if I could watch with Simmons I would probably make it an annual event.
"Mr. President, let me show you my ring" And then aparently everyone forgets who has the darn thing. So did Kraft actually give his Super Bowl ring to Putin, did Putin simply forget to give it back, or is it all something much more sinister?
Russia’s Putin Pockets Super Bowl Ring (AP) - AP - Russian President Vladimir Putin walked off with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s diamond-encrusted 2005 Super Bowl ring, but was it a generous gift or a very expensive international misunderstanding?
(Via Yahoo! Oddly Enough)
