A Metafilter poster kicked off a thread about what blog to take to a desert island if you could only have one. Thanks to all those who thought of FmH. A number of other weblogs unfamiliar to me were up there on respondents’ lips. I’m going now to check out, for example, Dr Menlo, bluishorange.com, Calebos, and An Entirely Other Day.

Study Probes Dyslexia Troubles. An fMRI study visualizes deficits in the left inferior parietal lobe, establishing biological underpinning to this learning disability that is said to affect an estimated 15% of the population (although, in my opinion, is vastly overdiagnosed).

Is Windows XP for you? ‘…(F)or Microsoft chief software architect Bill Gates to call Windows XP a “major Windows
release,” which he did again this week, is disingenuous, in my opinion. It might be major, in
terms of how many marketing dollars Microsoft plans to spend on the product, but
feature-wise, this is a minor upgrade to Windows Me and Windows 2000 Professional.

Perhaps Gates feels he is justified in calling Windows XP “major” because Microsoft is taking
a major gamble with XP to help rejuvenate the PC market.’ ZDNet And WinXP to include pirate music terminator. As the wag writing the news item notes: “Think of it. An operating system designed to lose data!” The Register

Love Clogs the Digital Pipes

Three-Wheeling Driving Days at a Dead End. “Britain’s last three-wheeled car rolled off the assembly line, bringing to
a close 65 years of motoring tradition that has been the butt of endless jokes.

The Reliant Robin, a uniquely British concoction of fiberglass and lateral instability that
brought motoring pleasure to thousands, finally succumbed to a new generation of
inexpensive four-wheel microcars.”

Study Ties Obesity to Soda Pure fruit juice intake was also
tracked, but that did not account for the effect, the study
said. New York Times

Ecstasy & Agony: A 34-year-old with progressive Parkinson’s Disease discovers that MDMA (Ecstasy) has an astonishing effect on his body, relieving his Parkinson’s symptoms. This observation challenges the medical community and pharmacological Calvinists everywhere and is now being studied in hopes of generating new treatment options for Parkinson’s Disease. BBC And Tamara Straus thinks the drug’s cultural significance may be far greater; wondering if Ecstasy isn’t the drug of the millenium, “a postmodern cure in
a pill, that… eases spiritual emptiness and rancorous
individualism; … a chemical salve for
everything from alienation and depression to the
lack of spirituality and community.” AlterNet

In this age of the illegitimate son, The Consortium wants to remind you of what has been called by some the dirtiest political trick ever, the October 1980 coup by which the campaign of Reagan and the elder Bush allegedly sabotaged President Carter’s Iran hostage release negotiations and arguably stole that fall’s Presidential election from him.

Howstuffworks.com’s “How Hoverboards Will Work”. The Airboard is the first commercially-marketed hoverboard scooter. And you can click here for complete instructions on making your own simple hoverboard. “Children should ask for their parents’ permission before attempting to build a hovercraft on their own.”

Conason says the Media’s Clinton Obsession Is Giving Bush a
Free Pass. “That era of bipartisan good feeling promised by George W.
Bush didn’t last long, did it? Three weeks after their leader
took up residence in the White House, Mr. Bush’s friends,
appointees and media claque are in hot,
barking pursuit of the prior occupants.

With the President’s mild demurral,
Republican politicians and Washington
talking heads have displayed little interest in any topic besides
their obsession with bringing down the Clintons. Phony charges
about illicit gifts and office vandalism proliferated, along with
valid complaints about inappropriate pardons and excessive
rental costs. In the reporting of these latest “scandals,” few
distinctions were made between facts and fantasies, or between
the serious and the trivial.” The New York Observer

On the other hand, Jacob Weisberg thinks Bill Clinton, Chump, is getting what he deserves for not learning from his mistakes. “What does come a bit closer to making sense of the Rich
pardon is one of Bill Clinton’s less legendary character flaws:
gullibility. Clinton is, to be sure, a brilliant man and a shrewd
politician with a keen sense of where the interests of others lie.
But throughout his career, he has often shown himself to be a
poor judge of character. A naturally trusting fellow with a
deep craving for approval, Bill Clinton is, to be blunt, a bit of
a sucker. More precisely, he’s an easy mark for a certain type
of hustler. Once convinced that someone is his friend, Clinton
drops his guard and ignores crucial signals of intended
exploitation. After it becomes clear that such a friend has
taken advantage of his trust, Clinton feels bitterly betrayed.
But he’s hardly savvier the next time someone with dubious
motives shows up at his doorstep. ” Slate