If you’ve ever wondered the answers to these or other questions related to words, grammar, and language, check out AskOxford.com’s Ask the Experts. It’s quite an interesting website!
It’s finally done! Version 4 of the Disciples with Microphones website has been released. This update to the website of the world’s first Catholic podcast network includes:
There are a still some things to iron out, such as rendering issues under Internet Explorer 6. But for the most part it’s operational.
Please check it out!
Disciples with Microphones, News, Podcasting, Religion No Comments
This has to be the funniest Google April Fool’s Day joke yet:
Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access [...] via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines.
[...]
With professional installation service, you can also have your Google Checkout purchases delivered directly through the sewage network into your bathroom.
[...]
We’re actively developing a higher-performance version of TiSP specifically tailored to small and medium-sized businesses, including 24-hour, on-site technical support in the event of backup problems, brownouts and data wipes.
Hilarious!
They even, uh, use the location of this WiFi access to provide uncanny monitoring:
Your FREE TiSP service includes a Google Toolbar-based analysis of your dietary habits and genetic predispositions, along with recommendations for healthier living.
[...]
To offset the cost of providing the TiSP service, we use information gathered by discreet DNA sequencing of your personal bodily output to display online ads that are contextually relevant to your culinary preferences, current health status and likelihood of developing particular medical conditions going forward.
Read more at Google TiSP (haven’t figured out what it stands for yet…).
Update: it appears that TiSP stands for “Toilet Internet Service Provider.” Makes sense.
Microsoft may have finally seen the light, and is killing the Live name in many products, and also jettisoning the honchos who oversee the brand.
Windows Live WiFi, for example, has been renamed MSN WiFi, and Windows Live Shopping, which was once called MSN Shopping, is back to being called MSN Shopping again. Then there’s the MSN Soapbox product, which used to be called Windows Live Video until it was renamed in September.
I agree, Windows and Office Live really are a mess. What Microsoft needs is some organization.
This sounds too good to be true. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is indeed legitimate.
Microsoft is running a promotion whereby upon purchase of an OEM version of Windows Vista Ultimate you get the following hardware items for free:
NewEgg.com also has a promotion page for this deal.
The value of the items wasn’t advertised, but I found the model numbers for 3 of the 4 products and did some searching. Here’s what I found:
The total price for these four items adds up to $317.96. And what how much is Vista Ultimate OEM from NewEgg? Yep, only $199.99.
Assuming you were able to resell these hardware items at the above prices, you would get Vista Ultimate for free and get $117.97 extra. Or you could keep one or two of the items and sell the rest to recoup the cost of Vista. Or you could just keep all of them. 
All the same, totally cool.
According an FAQ on the SuperSite for Windows:
Office 14 is the next version of Office 2007 (or what Microsoft calls the 2007 Microsoft Office System). [...] 14 is the version number. Office 2007 was called Office 12 internally at Microsoft. The company skipped 13 for superstitious reasons.
Superstitious silliness if you ask me. I did wonder though how they were going to handle this, but I didn’t think they’d actually skip the version number!
Google announced yesterday that its free email service is now open for registration. From a post on the Official Google Blog:
Gmail sign-ups are now open worldwide! No more waiting for someone to invite you—just create an account directly at www.gmail.com
According to a PCWorld article:
With Vista just out the door, Microsoft Corp. is now drawing up plans to deliver its follow-up client operating system by the end of 2009, according to the executive in charge of building the product’s core components.
It looks like they also have a name for it besides “Vienna”:
Last year, Microsoft said that the code name for this Vista follow-up is Vienna, but Fathi said he could not disclose the current name. “We’ve been told not to use it publicly,” he said.
Yep, I’ve decided that Kubrick just won’t cut it. The reason is that it isn’t “brandable.” So many sites have Kubrick that you can’t really tell them apart if you just look at the layout.
The reason I stuck with Kubrick in the first place was that I couldn’t find another theme I really liked. So I think what I’m going to do is design a new theme from scratch.
Of course, this will take a while, so keep an eye out for it in a couple of months.
Kubrick, This Blog, Thoughts, Web Development, WordPress 4 Comments
I’m currently holding a peanut container from a lesser-known brand. Here is the partially preposterous peanut packaging propaganda paragraph:
Scientific Evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat & cholesterol & not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Sounds like the typical thing you find on typical food packaging. But let’s pick this apart.
Scientific Evidence
Who’s “Scientific Evidence”?
In other words, who claims this? A scientist? A group of scientists? Someone pretending to be a scientist? How many studies were there? When were they made? 3000 B.C.?
suggests but does not prove
Oh, so this whole statement might not be true. They’re just suggesting it as a possibility. So don’t take this whole thing seriously.
Well, we’ll just say there’s a 50% chance that this whole thing is correct.
that eating 1.5 ounces per day
Whoops, ate 1.6 ounces on Saturday… (note they don’t say “at least” 1.5 ounces)
of most nuts
So are peanuts included in that group? Are they using some non-peanut-related study to suggest that peanuts are healthy for you?
as part of a diet
Wow, so I have to watch my eating to get the supposed benefits of these nuts.
low in saturated fat & cholesterol
Then why do these peanuts have 2.5 grams of saturated fat per serving?
& not resulting in increased caloric intake
Fair enough. But still, this means I have to cut down on some other food, which many people are not likely to do.
may
Oh, so Scientific Evidence suggests that it may…
So let’s say that there’s a 25% chance now that this will help my heart health.
reduce the risk
So they’re only suggesting that this just might reduce (reduce, not prevent) your risk (not the chance that you’ll get it, only the risk that you might).
Decrease my risk by how much? 1%?
of coronary heart disease
Oh, just one type of heart disease. Hm.
So now that we’ve picked this apart, this isn’t looking so great. In the worst case scenario, there’s only a 25% chance (according to my rudimentary probability estimates) that, under these specific set of conditions, my risk for this certain type of heart disease might just be decreased by 1%.
This is just peanuts.
(Yes, pun intended.)
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