Brian Gongol
McCain and Hagel
Personal friends, but definite rivals for the GOP nomination for President
How much is a billion?
Among other things, less than Mark Cuban's net worth
Dear Cuba: Please become our 51st state. Love, America.
Security hole in old versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader
Best solution: Get Adobe Acrobat Reader 8. Related: Google nearly had a big problem with a flaw in JavaScript, which they say has been patched.
McCormick Foundation thinking about a new stake in Tribune
Ponderings on school advancement based solely on age
"Why does Shane leave Primary School when he cannot read three words of English? Primary schools are full of people who can teach kids to read, secondary schools are not."
Criminals using Saddam Hussein execution video to spread viruses
Another good reason for people to be sure to use some browser other than IE and run their Windows machines on limited-access accounts
A look at the OS for the $100 laptop
Piano and drums, recorded one beat at a time
(Video) Clever and original, both of which are words rarely used to describe, say, "Friends"
Iowa Democrats say minimum-wage increase to be "the first bill to pass"
And in a classic case of good intentions with bad effects, teenagers will be put out of work.
How to write basic HTML
A very, very basic introduction to the most widely-used HTML codes. After seeing the number of outrageous MySpace pages out there, it's clear that there are lots of wannabe web designers out there who really need a lesson in the basics.
China's exercise in "Leninist corporatism"
"Most private Chinese companies have three sets of accounts - one for the banks, one for the tax authorities, and one for management. Most do not last long; the average duration is three years."
Colorado lottery sales up 25% over ten years ago
Since that appears to have been measured in nominal dollars, the real increase is probably half that after inflation. But states' reliance upon lottery dollars is disturbing: By creating government dependence upon gambling, lotteries aren't the innocent fun that they're portrayed as being. Even the lotteries admit that poor people spend more of their incomes on lotteries than rich people, and other studies say that "participation is a declining function of income and education".
Israeli foreign ministry says no plans to bomb Iran
Meanwhile, Iran is propagandizing heavily against the US and the UK, while simultaneously plugging away at its defense of its nuclear program. The Middle East isn't the only place with unstable peace processes underway -- there are some questions about whether the Northern Ireland peace process will survive the first half of the year
The LDS Church and religious globalization
2006 was a record year for wildfires
Cloudbreak
