Gongol.com > Archive > July 2004
Gongol.com: July 2004


We All Need a Little Humor (7.22.2004)
After Stomach Flu, Monkey Decides to Walk Upright
Black macaque decides that all-fours thing just isn't for her (from Fark.com)

Election 2004 (7.22.2004)
The Bush/Kerry "This Land Is Your Land" Parody
It's being sent around the e-mail circles, but the main site at JibJab.com has crashed several times. It's a Flash animation, so turn the speakers up and hear Woody Guthrie's original get re-stated for 2004.

Threats to Western Civilization (7.22.2004)
Hypothetical Nightmare Scenario for Saudi Arabia
What would happen if terrorists disrupted electricity and water supplies near major oil fields? What if they had used their financial connections to put a big investment in oil futures just before the attacks? This is game theory in action, and we need lots of it right now to start figuring out what we should do to respond.

Socialism Rears Its Ugly Head (7.22.2004)
European Union Can't Figure Out How to Run Itself
Seven different pseudo-parties are trying to run the show in the European Parliament, ranging from the Nordic Green Left to the Euroskeptics (who generally don't want the EU Parliament to exist at all). It's no way to run a government.

Socialism Rears Its Ugly Head (7.22.2004)
Czech Newspapers Worried Commies Are Coming Back
Parliamentary majority can't be achieved without adding a party to the coalition government, and the Communists are one of the options

News (7.22.2004)
UK Cutting Military Numbers But Increasing MoD Budget
Less conventional weaponry, more special forces

Science and Technology (7.22.2004)
Stephen Hawking: Whoops, I Got Black Holes Wrong
Greatest living physicist says black holes don't destroy everything they suck in, but rather hang on to it for a really, really long time until they turn themselves inside-out and release it all back. He's going to lose an encyclopedia because of this. Hawking enjoys wagers, and I think public bets are a fantastic example of miniature markets -- a way for people to indicate just how strongly they believe in what they advocate.

Threats to Western Civilization (7.22.2004)
Japan Tightening Security at Nuclear Facilities
Threat of terrorism is the cause. Japan has been reluctant to put tighter controls on employees, figuring that their long-term (often life-long) employment conditions make them less susceptible to collusion between workers at nuke plants and terrorists. No longer.

Science and Technology (7.22.2004)
Calorie Burn Rates
I'm plenty surprised that swimming doesn't burn more calories per hour than it appears to. Running remains the highest-burn-rate activities of the major options.


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