I have my alarm clock set to NPR. When it went off this morning, they were talking about the government's economic stimulus plan, which involves giving $600 to individuals below a certain income level. I wanted to know more, but my will was weak, so instead I hit the snooze button and went back to sleep ( Read more... )

Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday at the age of 84.

This passage from Timequake came to mind when I heard the news:
I spoke at a Humanist Association memorial service for Dr. Asimov a few years back. I said, "Isaac is up in Heaven now." That was the funniest thing I could have said to an audience of Humanists. I rolled them in the aisle. The room was ( Read more... )

The Onion: U.S. Mint Gears Up to Issue Commemorative County Pennies

Excerpt:Starting in 2006, the U.S. Mint will release five new pennies per year for the next 629 years. While the process will be a long one, residents of the nation's 3,143 counties and county equivalents have already begun debating how their regions should be depicted ( Read more... )

Scientists decode the Oxyrynchus Papyri

Excerpt:Now, in a breakthrough described as the classical equivalent of finding the holy grail, Oxford University scientists have employed infra-red technology to open up the hoard, known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, and with it the prospect that hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems will ( Read more... )

I am incredibly amused by the press coverage of the president's iPod. On the other hand, the fact that I'm seeing coverage of it from the New York Times, CNN, NPR, the Spin editor and, of course, my Daily Show is very, very sad.

Choice excerpt:Not every track is "on-message." The playlist - regarded by many as a mirror to the soul - includes ( Read more... )

Terri Schiavo dies

All that news talk about bloggers makes me feel all powerful and mighty with my mundane, semi-angsty little LiveJournal account.