Commentary

So how old exactly are the Chinese gymnasts? Much controversy is surrounding this very question, and not just among Americans. The Olympics Committee has stated that an athlete’s passport is enough proof of age for them, and has so far declined to dig deeper.
However, many Americans are questioning the ages of some Chinese gymnasts. [...]

After days of horrific violence, there appears to be a tenuous cease-fire in Georgia. President Bush has repeatedly demanded that Russia should respect the “territorial integrity” of Georgia, and has called for the cease-fire to be honored in the former Soviet republic. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said no prospect for “the use of military [...]

A Federal Emergency Management Agency official Thursday defended the agency’s handling of millions of dollars worth of supplies meant for survivors of the 2005 hurricanes, but pledged to check with states before any future giveaways. FEMA had given away more than $18 million in household goods… amassed to help resettle people who lost homes in [...]

Sen. Ted Stevens pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal corruption charges that allege he falsified Senate documents to cover up roughly $250,000 gifts from a powerful Alaska oil contractor. Stevens is the Senate’s longest-serving Republican, and was indicted this week on seven counts of lying on Senate disclosure forms about a major renovation to [...]

If you’re reading this article, chances are you enjoy using technology (or at least a computer, obviously). But there are some people out there who don’t like where the world is heading. While scanning the headlines in my RSS reader today, two jumped out at me. The first headline is: Experts believe violence could accompany [...]

If you’re not familiar with youtube.com, you’re missing a real treat. Thousands of videos are uploaded by people and shared for your viewing pleasure. Some aren’t so great, and some are plain stupid, but there are some real gems. I’ve gotten to see some music videos that I haven’t seen in years.
But now the [...]

Looking through Google News this morning a couple of articles about Google jumped out at me. When you’re the top dog, everyone wants to take a bite - and it seems there are some hungry people out there. The first one was about a Belgian company filing a lawsuit over search terms offered by Google [...]

As we all know, www equals World Wide Web. So it’s not surprising that conflicts come up where the laws of one nation conflict with the laws of another for Internet users. This article at Ars Technica illustrates just such a legal case.

As many of you are probably aware, the winter Olympics are going on right now in Torino Italy. Amidst the marketing and hype there are actual sporting events taking place. I try to watch when I get a chance as I enjoy bobsledding, ski jumping, and downhill skiing. At times it seemed like it was [...]

As an American I have the right to free speech guaranteed by the first amendment of the Constitution. Most countries around the world have similar guarantees for their citizens. But as this world increasingly becomes more interconnected via the internet what we do well within our rights in our own countries is not always sitting [...]

What’s wrong with youth today? No matter where you stand on the issue of Iraq - and I’m not saying where I stand on it, as it’s not germane to the issue at hand - you have to admit that there are a lot of people who are strongly opposed to our involvement with [...]

As I’ve stated here before, I love music. I could live without TV, but without music? Never! But the music industry itself is in a sad state of affairs right now. The RIAA just a few days ago issued another 754 subpoenas against file sharers. Sony has found itself in hot water with the public [...]

When was the last time you went to the library? I go every once in a while but if I need to do some research I tend to go online. But if I want to sit down and check out one of the classics the library is my best bet. In most cases it’s free [...]

One of the first things I usually do in the morning is to sit down and read the newspaper. The dog likes to curl up in my lap as I catch up on the comics and the news. It’s a nice way to start off the day but for the most part though I tend [...]

Traditional radio has been taking a hit over the last few years with the advent of streaming over the Internet and the growing popularity of satellite radio. The sound quality isn’t always the greatest, but it’s free and most people I know continue to listen to the radio while in their cars or at work. [...]

I watched George Bush get up before the nation and tell the most obvious political lie I have ever witnessed in my 56 years on this planet. It was not personal prejudice - It was not a lucky guess - it was not an accident, nor even difficult to see. The trite verbal sidestepping, the [...]

There are plenty of men who were instrumental in the early success of the US space program, paving the way to the moon and beyond but never receiving the recognition they deserved. Bill Dana, John McKay and Joseph Walker were civilian test pilots in the X-15 program back in the 1960s. These three men, along [...]

Anyone who has read my posts here knows that I like to keep up on RFID technology and it’s implications on society. This article at Cnet with Accenture’s Chief Scientist Grover Ferguson is an interesting read. He brings up some interesting points about the public attitude toward privacy and security.

Most people I know own a mobile/cell phone. The latest terrorist attack in London was a horrific scene that unfortunately will probably be repeated many times over my lifetime. The two things may seem unrelated but a simple thing to do with your phone born out of this tragedy may help rescuers and your loved [...]

OK, while I would hardly say that Ms. McFadden is an impartial observer, she does have some points about the latest FX Networks craze - 30 Days. Like Ms. McFadden, I too feel that much of the show is exaggerated. The episode that comes to mind is the one about trying to scrape by on [...]