I bought a Susato low D Irish whistle at Dusty Strings. I already had a high D whistle, but the sound is so piercing that I rarely played it. The big low D is more difficult to finger, but the sound is much nicer (think Riverdance music). It's a two piece whistle, so it can be tuned. I have found that there are whistle jokes (not that different from banjo jokes). For more info than you ever wanted about whistles, check out Chiff and Fipple.

Daypop is a current events search engine. It covers regular news sources and weblogs. I've found it to be very up to date - it picks my stuff up in a day or so.

It appears that a person signed up for cryonics is lost and presumed dead in the World Trade Center, according to Joe Hovey, Alcor accounting manager. I wonder what they will do with his or her remains assuming they are found.

Design for a Faith-Based Missile, by Richard Dawkins (an Oxford professor who is an expert on evolution).

What's Your Pirate Name?
I'm Mad Jack Flint: Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Now if we could only get him a pilot's license...

Craig Cecil has come up with a portal page to Tools to Check Your Site. I find it quite useful. All kinds of checkers are gathered together: link validation, HTML syntax checks, accessibilty, etc.

A Federal task force is considering arming pilots. Firearms in the cockpit is a bad idea - a missed shot could hit an innocent passenger, a bullet could sever a vital control line, and so on. I like their idea of arming pilots with "stun guns" which I take to mean a Taser, a non-lethal weapon that fires an electrified dart-like projectile. And of course, the cabin door should be locked.

For that matter, a sword might work, too. It's effective in close quarters and a sword definitely beats a box cutter. Not too long of a sword, though - maybe a cutlass. Yeah, that's the ticket: cut down air piracy with cutlasses!

My old Norelco electric shaver was wearing out. I decided to buy a Panasonic Foil Shaver, as I had heard that they are better. Wrong! I couldn't believe how poorly it worked. It left a 2mm stubble all over my face. I felt like I needed a Gabby Hayes costume. In the end, I wound up getting a Norelco again. It works pretty well.

The Capital Stool
Dr. Stool offers scatalogical stock market advice. If your portfolio is in the toilet, he's the man for you.

Seattle Times: Some suspect Iraqi link to bin Laden
It's interesting that the only government to not condemn the attacks on NYC and DC was Iraq.

That church service at the National Cathedral with Bush singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was something new. This war is going to be different from Korea - Viet Nam - Persian Gulf . It's more like World War II - not much irony going around these days.

Cockpit door security is weak
In light of yesterday's tragic events, I hope the airline industry will strengthen their policy. The cockpit door should stay locked from the inside during flight. The door should be a sturdy one. Flight attendents can communicate with the pilot via intercom. The focus on checking passengers for weapons is mistaken, I think. Even the most stringent checks won't help much. A sharpened pencil can be used as a dagger; a length of cord can be used as a garotte. Even without weapons, the flight crew can be overcome by a determined band of madmen. Airliner cockpits must be secured.

What a sad day. Our hearts go out to the victims of this tragedy and their families.

Seattle Times endorses Pat Davis for Reelection
Eighteen months ago, it seemed a liability that Davis co-wrote the letter inviting the World Trade Organi-zation to Seattle, but it has not been a major campaign issue, nor should it be.
Incredible, just incredible. The WTO conference previous to the Seattle round was in Geneva, and there was rioting there, cars overturned and burned. Then Pat Davis made a big effort to bring it here. The Seattle WTO disaster was entirely avoidable and we have Pat Davis to blame. Elected officials should be held accountable for their misdeeds. Eat the State and others are entirely right about the pig-headed developers who control Seattle; this endorsement is a blatant example.

Another theory is that newspapers endorse the candidate they believe will win, without regard to whether they are good or bad. That way they can pretend great influence - the candidates they endorse win. When I lived in Los Angles, the LA Times was pretty flagrant about this. Perhaps this is so here in Seattle as well. It certainly doesn't reflect well on the Seattle Times. (I suppose you can't trust a publisher who shoots dogs.)

Vote for Jake Jacobovitch (anti third runway) or Al Yuen (pro third runway). Better yet, send them some money and do it soon - the election is Sept. 18th.

How to beat a radar ticket. Looks like it's worth a try anyway.

The FCC's new Universal Licensing System let me check my amateur radio license for the expiration date. KI7KJ still has a few years left on it. They've cut the Morse code requirement for all classes down to 5wpm in recent years, so the time I wasted learning 13wpm won't be inflicted on newcomers anymore. I was just reading a copy of the ham radio magazine QST. It's the same as it was forty years ago, except they've gone to a larger format. It's a dying hobby, as all those old white guys become silent keys.

Funk Logic makes joke pro audio gear. Put the Palindrometer in your rack and watch the busybodies do a double take. Or crank up the Funkerator when the lead guitarist glares at you.

How the HP - Compaq merger was arranged. Now it can be revealed: "I send you this file in order to have your advice."

Is this strange or what? The Municipal League rates Pat Davis as Very Good. Port commisioner Pat Davis, you may recall, was the main initiator of the effort to bring the WTO meeting to Seattle. The previous meeting in Switzerland had serious distrubances but this was ignored. How bad do you have to screw up for the League to notice? Maybe burn the city to the ground? Opposing Davis in the Sept. 18 election are Jake Jacobovitch and Al Yuen. These guys have got to be better.

Anita's Book of Days is back and she's got a new improved URL, too.

Plato has been doing real well walking with his "wheelchair" from Doggon' Wheels. It's more of a walker than a wheelchair, as he doesn't sit in it. He's using it in the four-wheel mode. If he gets a little stronger we may try it with just the rear wheels. He can move it by himself, although he doesn't steer very well and gets stuck, so he needs someone to walk with him at all times. He was able to stand on his own yesterday, which is encouraging. The veterinarians have never been able to determine why he can no longer walk, although many likely causes have been eliminated. He doesn't have hip dysplasia, arthritis (just a little), spinal problems (just a little), tumors, cancer, organ failure, thyroid problems (he does take pills), and so on. He can move his rear legs, but he can only rarely stand on them.