I didn't need another reason to take a nap

Snooze your way to high test scores

If you are trying to commit something to memory, take a nap. Even a short daytime snooze could help you learn. (more)

(NewScientist.com)

You big dummy

I have to admire this. But think of the money that was spent on lawyers.... ack!

Siebel's No Dummy

Why pay tax if you don't have to? Thomas Siebel used a corporate beast with the colorful name "horizontal double dummy" to avoid a big tax hit when he sold his Siebel Systems to Oracle (nasdaq: ORCL - news - people ) this year. Worth $1.5 billion and No. 242 on our rich list, Siebel sidestepped a capital gains tax bill of at least $58 million by employing the perfectly legal device. His Siebel stock was valued at $488 million at the time of the $5.8 billion merger.

Follow the link to see how they did it.

(Forbes.com)

Woo Hoo

That song on the Vonage commercials? It's "Woo Hoo", by the 5678's. As a public service, here are the complete lyrics.

Intelligence agent

Bin Laden an Intelligence Agent: Naif
Raid Qusti, Arab News

RIYADH, 21 September 2006 — Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday called Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden a silly intelligence agent. He also refuted Western allegations that Saudi Arabia was supporting Bin Laden and his terrorist organization.

(Arab News)

Nobody gets it?

I have been frustrated that, in all the news stories about the Pope's recent lecture addressing the relationship between faith and reason, in which he cited a very pointed quotation about Islam, the reporters covering the story have not gotten the point. The Muslims complaining about the quotation have not gotten the point. The people preaching a Crusade against Islam because of the reaction of some Muslims have not gotten the point. None of them have read the lecture and taken it to heart first. Maybe it is just too difficult for them to read and comprehend.

The Anchoress gets the point. Read her posting.

Left justified

Times Draws Ragged Line Between Fact and Opinion

The New York Times has a rule about presenting opinions in its news columns: Henceforth, they must all conform to the left.

The Times has instituted a sweeping but subtle redesign, to emphasize the difference between objective and subjective journalism. Straight news will remain, well, straight: laid out in justified columns, with even margins on the left and right. Stories that have been colored by analysis, commentary or authorial whimsy will all receive the layout previously reserved for columns: a straight left margin and a ragged right one.

(New York Observer)

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.