J-Walk Blog: May 30, 2003 Archives

30 May, 2003

Ant Web

Check out these incredible close-up photos of ants.

Posted on 30 May, 2003

The Blue Shirt Society

For those who wear blue shirts.

By joining the Blue Shirt Society, you are affirming your identity as a go-getter, a "mover and shaker", and a true maverick. People will immediately recognize you as the no-nonsense, jet-setting, rule-breaker that your blue shirt tells the world you are. Sure - you can wear any blue shirt. But our blue shirts, which come with the instantly recognized, yet subtle BSS logo, puts you a step ahead of the rest. Why a BSS shirt? As any MBA will tell you, the reasons are many.

Posted on 30 May, 2003

Open Source Web Designs

Need a new web site design? Check out Open Source Web Design.

Open Source Web Design is a community of designers and site owners freely sharing designs as well as design information.

(via MetaFilter)

Posted on 30 May, 2003

Dan Gillmor on the MS-AOL Team Up

Dan Gillmore talks about the recent Microsoft / AOL settlement. My favorite line:

A payment of $750 million, for a company with more than $45 billion in the bank, is a rounding error.

Posted on 30 May, 2003

Office 2003

InfoWorld's Oliver Rist writes Will Microsoft Office Never Let Us Rest?

It's taken months to work the kinks out, but now you've got your users humming along on Office XP backed up by Windows 2000 Server and Active Directory. So what happens? Redmond goes and starts trumpeting the release of Office 2003. Seems as though we just get the wrinkles worked out of one version of Office, and Microsoft insists we absolutely can't live without the next one.

It seems to me that the target market for the upcoming Office 2003 is certainly not Office XP users. Despite Microsoft's hype, the compelling new features simply aren't there. And this is especially true for Excel users.

Posted on 30 May, 2003

No Fireworks This Year?

The 4th of July might be a bit less exciting this year. According to this article:

Small towns across America could be without fireworks this Fourth of July if federal agencies can't settle on new homeland security restrictions on shipments by train.

"It's getting stupid. Do they really think a terrorist will use a firecracker to blow up a building?" said Don Lantis, of North Sioux City, S.D., whose family-owned pyrotechnics company puts on 300 to 400 shows around the country every Independence Day.

Because of uncertainty over how to comply with the government's anti-terror laws, railways have refused to handle fireworks since early this year, cutting off the main method of transport for shipments arriving at West Coast ports from China and other Asian countries.

Posted on 30 May, 2003

FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives

The current top ten list from the FBI.

Among them is Robert William Fisher. They provide some altered photos that show how he might look with various facial hair alterations.

Posted on 30 May, 2003

History of the Paper Clip

The paper clip was patented in 1867. Read more about this history of this item (lots of illustrations).

This is just one part of the Early Office Museum, which has many other exhibits.

(via The Presurfer)

Posted on 30 May, 2003

MSN Tech Support Speaks?

Seldom Asked Questions -- purportedly written by a technician who works for MSN. A small excerpt:

Q: So, in total, is MSN a good ISP?

A: NO. By almost any standard, MSN is a horrible ISP. Serious dial-up ISPs and DSL providers have much more efficient service, no bloated software, and tech support that has the power to actually fix problems on their end without you having to wait a ridiculous amount of time. They need your continued business and generally act like it; this is where the term 'valued customer' comes from. MSN does not see you as a valued customer. MSN sees you as a tiny portion of their market share.

Posted on 30 May, 2003