links for 2009-05-19

"Alicia Harris said her son, Tre, got the book from a friend, who checked it out of the school library and was passing it around. Tre showed Harris the poem, which contained 11 instances of profanity, including five uses of the F-word." Because those middle schoolers have never heard or used that sort of language before.

Haha.

"Sri Lankan leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared the country "liberated" from Tamil Tiger rebels after a 26-year war."

"On an AirTran Airways Wi-Fi demonstration flight that went up and back down the Northeast seaboard from Baltimore-Washington International Airport last week, the Internet worked just fine. The problem was actually being able to use it efficiently. My laptop was wedged onto a tray table in the cramped space of a coach seat. I had to slide down in my seat just to read the screen."

"Someone at the Pelham Public Library tattled on a teen researching gun carry and concealment laws, which led to the 11th-grader being called into the high school assistant principal's office and being interviewed by police, police said." This is the sort of crap that happens when we don't respect people's privacy and decide that knowing is more important.

"But that’s not necessarily the case. No SPF, not even 100+, offers 100 percent protection. What’s more, both UVA and UVB radiation can lead to skin cancer, which is why dermatologists now advise using sunscreens with an SPF of at least 15 and UVA-fighting ingredients like an avobenzone that doesn’t degrade in light or Mexoryl SX. The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal. Far from offering double the blockage, SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. (SPF 30, that old-timer, holds its own, deflecting 96.7 percent)."

Really Microsoft charge more for Win7 than XP and Vista.

"Remember—if you don't like something, claim that it will enable, embolden, or entice terrorists. Works every time."

"However, we have just heard that some applications using PhoneGap have been targetted by the Apple review process" Once again Apple's review process is broken.

"In an effort to stimulate economic growth and boost the confidence of the American workforce, the federal government has allocated $40 billion to create one unbelievably mind-blowing new job, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced Monday."

I totally want to have layover's.

Oh impossible projects how we love you.

"A home-based helpdesk seems to be a new direction for the company."