Thank you Poland again
Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 06:42 - The News
Yes! Again thanks to Poland the software patents were removed from the agenda of today's meeting of Ministers of Fishery.

But the race is not won yet:
"it is still not unlikely that the directive could reappear on an unrelated Council meeting as an 'uncontroversial' A-item, i.e. scheduled for adoption without vote."


Thai elephants toilet trained
Sunday, January 23, 2005, 23:15 - Humor, The News


Diew, a five year-old Thai elephant, demonstrates how to use and flush a toilet at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai province, in northern Thailand. Having taught Thailand's elephants to paint, dance and play musical instruments, their Thai handlers are now toilet-training the beasts, media reported.

Source: AFP

Wife recovers from coma after husband's suicide
Sunday, January 23, 2005, 00:28 - The News
An Italian man committed suicide out of grief over his comatose wife. Several hours later the woman came out of the coma she had been in for four months after having had a stroke.

The man, 71, had visited his 67-year-old wife at least once a day. They had spent their whole lives together and had no children. He was very pessimistic about the chance of her recovery and finally took his own life in their garage. Some twelve hours later, the woman awoke and asked about her husband.

What a tragedy.


Software patents again
Saturday, January 22, 2005, 07:03 - The News
After the failed attempt in December, the European Commission tries again to sneak in the software patents directive. Thanks to Poland the decision was postponed last time. Now the EC added it again at the last moment to the agenda for the meeting on Monday of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries.

It is added again as a so-called 'A-item' that is normally not discussed or voted on, but accepted by acclamation. But there SHOULD be a discussion, as there are a lot of people that at least have doubts or are plainly against the patents.
Dutch minister Brinkhorst is in favor of the proposition, but the Parliament asked him to withold any further support. So far he has refused to comply.

Appearently there is a very big lobby active to get the patents directive approved. The big companies like to try to register a patent for everything they can think of. And then sit on the patents and/or sue anyone who might be violating it.
But small companies and individuals who come up with great pieces of software don't have the money to register patents or to buy licenses.

Obviously the big companies have a lot of cash to spend on persuading governments to accept the directive. I hope Poland or anyone else will put their foot down again to prevent this bad thing from getting accepted.

Something fishy going on at the fishery meeting?


This is a weird country...
Friday, January 21, 2005, 09:05 - Reflections
The other day two guys on a scooter stole a purse from a woman who was sitting in her car. She immediately drove in reverse to chase them, but unfortunately she hit the scooter and the thief was killed when he slammed into a tree. The 43 year old woman was arrested and is now indicted for man slaughter!
I am totally against taking justice in your own hands, but this was just a result of frustration and anger of being robbed so blatantly. If the asshole hadn't robbed her, she now would be sitting on her own couch at home!

To make things worse: today there was a silent march in memory of the thief. The guy just had been to court the morning of the theft for being accused of armed robbery on a store half a year ago. What an idiot!

I hope the real victim (the woman) is released very soon without blame!

I live in a weird country!


New Pope Mobile...
Thursday, January 20, 2005, 06:57 - Humor


For the more serious people: What kind of car is the Pope Mobile?

Rule of twelve bonks
Wednesday, January 19, 2005, 07:43 - Books
This rule states that one needs to sleep with twelve people before one can choose his or her partner to spend the rest of their life with. Scientists have shown this with computer simulations based on an old mathematical problem: Sultan's Dowry Problem.
Premarital sex therefore is statistically very wise!

This is one of the mathematical formulas Australian mathematician dr. Clio Cresswell has collected in her book Mathematics and Sex. It may sound weird, she says, to use mathematics to find a lover. But it would be very helpful to know what's available on the market when deciding on how much to compromise...

But then again: "mathematicians do it in theory".



Are you at twelve bonks yet? Keep in mind that men tend to estimate the number of women they slept with higher (by a factor of two to four) than the other way around, while statistically the average numbers should be the same.



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