Links to interesting articles I found surfing the web.
Today marks the 50th anniverary of IBM’s introduction of the first hard disk.
Of course things have moved on since then. Not only are they physically smaller, cheaper and more reliable, but, according to Steven Levy, their capacity has increased considerably:
The total amount of information stored [was] not quite enough to hold two MP3 copies of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog.”
Would Apple’s iPod adverts have been quite so successful if it had only been “nearly two songs in your pocket”?
Bruce Schneider again talks some sense about the recent unsuccessful terror attacks.
Our politicians help the terrorists every time they use fear as a campaign tactic.
If the security services did most of their work in the back-ground, without people knowing about it, then the public wouldn’t be in a state of terror. And — from the point of view of the police — working behind the scenes never did James Bond’s reputation any harm…
What right-wingers see when they read The New York Times.
If you’re in the UK, you can just buy a copy of the Daily Mail.
I found this interesting article that “demolishe[s] the myth that faith strengthens society.”
While we’re frequently told that religion provides a moral basis for a civillised society, the study found “that secular societies have lower rates of violence and teenage pregnancy than societies where many people profess belief in God.”
How can that be?
“Consciously or subconsciously, those who are “born again” or “chosen” have diminished respect for others who do not share their sect or their faith. Convinced that only the Bible offers “truth”, they lose their intellectual curiosity and their ability to reason. Their priority becomes not the world they live in but themselves.”
Of course it’s only anecdotal, but some of the “logical” reasoning I’ve heard supports that!
Most people that know me are aware that I tend to favour the Macintosh over Microsoft Windows. One of the problems with maintaining such a position is that people are always saying how much more expensive Apple products are. While I realise that a single example is not likely to change that, maybe people should look at this Windows XP Media Center PC before throwing stones. A snip at ?5,980,000.00.
If anyone wants to buy me a Mac Pro and a 30″ monitor with their change I won’t argue.
Okay, so I’ve not watched it for a few years now, but it’s still sad to learn that the BBC have just recorded the last ever “Top of the Pops.”