Let's see where this goes

Door to Iranian dialogue creaks open

By Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON - While his handlers worked assiduously on Tuesday to ensure that US President George W Bush did not run into his Iranian nemesis, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, in the corridors of the United Nations, a legendary fixer for the Bush family announced that the White House had cleared him to meet with a "high representative" of Tehran's government.

Former secretary of state James Baker, who co-chairs a bipartisan, congressionally appointed task force called the Iraq Study Group (ISG), said that the timing of the meeting with that representative, whom he declined to name, had yet to be
arranged, but that permission for such a meeting to take place had been granted.

(AsiaTimes Online)

Thoth

The new machine is named Thoth.

Having a good experience with the Mac Pro so far -- I will post in more detail about it later.

Oops

Well the new workstation is here but I don't have the right video cable...

Coffee is good for you

Cuppa java: scientists take new look at coffee's bad rap

Not only are some health fears misguided but coffee can actually reduce the chances of developing illnesses such as Parkinson's or diabetes, the International Association on Coffee Science heard here.

Up to six mugs of the beloved beverage a day will not lead to heart or digestive damage in a healthy person. But misunderstandings stem from the fact that for nearly two centuries medical studies on coffee have been confined to caffeine, a stimulant.

"For a long time research has been too simplistic, by largely being centred on just caffeine, while coffee is an extremely complex drink," said Astrid Nehlig, a leading French specialist on the relationship between coffee and health.

I hope so

Can hearing voices in your head be a good thing?

Psychologists have launched a study to find out why some people who hear voices in their head consider it a positive experience while others find it distressing.

Nifty new things from Apple

Click here to buy a new one of the new iPods! If you purchase from Amazon through this link, the Western Syndicate receives a referral bonus that helps fund the operation of our network. And I thought I'd never be in sales. Hah.

And these are really cool iPods. As a fan of the iPod shuffle, I'm just ... well, speechless over the new Shuffle. But really, if they make it any smaller than that I won't be able to see it...

The product I'm really looking forward to is the wireless Apple set-top box (I was just wishing last night that I could have a device that worked that way, before I knew that Apple was going to announce it.) Unfortunately you can't buy one at that Amazon link (yet) -- the product won't be available till next year, apparently.

Lots of information up at the Apple web site.

Reborn

We have always been told there is no recovery from persistent vegetative state - doctors can only make a sufferer's last days as painless as possible. But is that really the truth? (The Guardian)

I thought it was a telephone wire

I knew a guy like this in high school.

Vietnam's Electric Man electrocuted

HANOI (Reuters) - A Vietnamese man who once appeared on national television to demonstrate his ability to resist electric shocks has been electrocuted while repairing a generator, an official said on Tuesday.

(Yahoo!)

Not a contest

I will not do a contest about this.

HOWEVER. My new desktop computer is arriving tomorrow afternoon. It is replacing a trusty dual 1Ghz PowerMac G4 with mirrored drive doors (and the loudest fan ever to ship from Apple, I think.)

The old machine is named Quaoar, and a particularly nifty name it has been indeed. I am kicking around a couple of new machine name ideas but haven't decided yet. What should I call the new one?

More information about Quaoar here.

Rogue Amoeba shirts

Rogue Amoeba T-shirts are now available here. In case you're interested in that sort of thing.