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19 December, 2002

Custom Butt Tattoos

It only takes a second, and it doesn't hurt a bit.

Enter some text, and the friendly program at the Tattoodles site will deliver your personalized tattoo in a jif -- in the form of a photo, not an actual person.

(via The Presurfer)

Posted on 19 December, 2002

A New Flowchart for Total Information Awareness

A week ago, I made reference to the tacky flowchart displayed at the Total Information Awareness (TIA) web site. Guess what? Now it's been replaced with a new flowchart (see it here).

The new one certainly looks a lot better -- but I can't say that it makes any more sense than the original one. Interestingly, the words "privacy and security" no longer appear on the new graphic.

In addition, the main page no longer displays that creepy graphic (which is depicted here). The image displays an eye at top of a pyramid watching the world. That image used to be the TIA logo. Now the site is logo-less.

Posted on 19 December, 2002

Statistics Jokes

Yes, some statisticians actually have a sense of humor. Proof is here. Ok, I didn't say that had a good sense of humor. Here are few quickies:

• Why did the statistician become a statistician? He found accountancy too exciting.
• Did you hear about the two binomial random variables who talked very quietly because they were discrete?
• Statisticians are like the drunk leaning against the lamp pole - they are there for support, not illumination.
• What does a statistician call it when the heads of 10 rats are cut off and one survives? Nonsignificant.
• What do statistics professors get when they drink too much? Kurtosis of the Liver.
• Why did the statistician do such a horrid job of laying tile on his bathroom floor? He incorrectly partitioned some of the squares.

Posted on 19 December, 2002

Eric Myer's Stereotypes

I posted a link to Eric Myer's Stereotypes sites in the past, but it's been update and is definitely worth a visit.

It's an interactive face generator. Very well done!

Posted on 19 December, 2002

Odd Canned Food

This site hasn't been updated in quite a while, but it's still worth a visit. From Profiles of Canned Foods:

Once upon a time, I set a can of Spam on my computer at work. Shortly thereafter, it was joined by potted meat. And the rest is my collection...

In the example above, i think the second word is misspelled.

(via Pop Culture Junk Mail)

Posted on 19 December, 2002

Bill of Rights Simplified

New at The Onion: Bill of Rights Pared Down to a Manageable Six.

"Ten was just too much of a handful," Bush added. "Six civil liberties are more than enough."

This piece would be a lot funnier if it weren't so close to the truth.

Posted on 19 December, 2002

More About RSS

Yesterday I posted some information about using NewzCrawler to read the RSS feeds for blogs. A new RSS article by Mark Pilgrim is available at at XML.com. This is his first in a series of monthly columns. Mark's blog is called dive into mark.

Posted on 19 December, 2002

A National "Do Not Call" List for the U.S.

Now this is good news for everyone who hates telemarketers -- and that's probably about 98% of the population.

The free service, which could be available by spring, is part of revised federal telemarketing rules made public Wednesday. The rules also require telemarketers to transmit identifying information that can be viewed by services such as Caller ID, and limit the number of "abandoned"' calls that hang up or leave people listening to dead air on the line.

Violators can be fined up to $11,000 per incident. Even better, the system will be paid for by fees collected from telemarketers. But, of course, not everyone likes this idea.

H. Robert Wientzen, president of the Direct Marketing Association, which represents telemarketers, said the new rules unlawfully restrict free speech. He said the group is considering challenging the FTC in court. He also said the registry endangers the jobs of some of the industry's 4 million workers.

To those 4 million workers, I say, "tough shit". Find a job that doesn't involve harassing people.

Posted on 19 December, 2002