__  __ _2003-07-04   _________  __
 |  \/  (_)_ __ (_) \ | |_   _| |/ /    o Join! Go to www.ntk.net and
 | |\/| | | '_ \| |  \| | | | | ' /     o oh, work it out for yourself
 | |  | | | | | | | |\  | | | | . \     o Website (+ archive) lives at:
 |_|  |_|_|_| |_|_|_| \_| |_| |_|\_\    o      http://www.ntk.net/


                                >> HARD NEWS <<
                              dancing with prunes

         We're still on holiday, and as is traditional with our
         holidays, our server has decided to commit suicide (see
         alt.suicide.holiday for why this happens). This has left us
         with a subs list, but no mailing list server to send out any
         mail. Therefore we have had to type each of these emails
         individually and send them by hand.  Yes, $USER_NAME of
         $DOMAIN, we really did. On our holiday, too.

         With the long summer holidays dragging out before you, no
         15000 list of your own to manually contact, and our
         subscribe/unsubscribe "feature" temporarily disabled, what
         other ways are their to waste your time? We have a few
         suggestions.

         If you're still worried about the EUCD (and do try to save
         your energy, because we'll still be banging on about it when
         we get back), Chris Lightfoot has suggested you write to
         Patricia Hewitt, noting your displeasure.
         http://ukcdr.org/issues/eucd/
                                                - some talking points
         http://www.patricia-hewitt-mp.co.uk/
                                                    - where she lives
         http://radish.hosted.doosh.net/steiny/mt/archives/000003.html
                                - annoyingly hard questions to answer
         http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/31472.html
                                 - annoyingly good advice from kieran

         If you're a graduate in one of those scribble-scribble
         subjects, like economics or sociology, why not consider
         adopting as your thesis some study of the societal effects
         and costs of current and proposed copyright regimes? That
         way, we can use it, Iraqi dossier-like, to help argue the
         liberal copyright regime with They Who Rule. (We're serious
         - this would be really handy). Or alternatively, you could
         port the Government Information Awareness project to the UK.
         We note that there's already a parliament.csv file in there.
         http://opengov.media.mit.edu/source/
                                            - the imdb for government

         Will we be doing any of these things? Of course not. We are
         on holiday. We will be getting drunk. If you're at the Open
         Source Conference in Portland, Oregon, United States of La
         La La America, you can get drunk too: either alone in your
         hotel room, as usual, or with me somewhere even less
         salubrious. Mail tipples@spesh.com and we'll sort something out.
         http://conferences.oreillynet.com/os2003/
                  - lurching from one o'reilly conference to the next


                                >> ANTI-NEWS <<
                             berating the obvious

         secret life of Barrysworld icon: http://www.barrysworld.com vs
         http://www.easysexshop.co.uk/ ... for our blind visitors with
         philosophy degrees: http://www.ntk.net/2003/07/04/dohdogs.gif
         ... "Wayne's World" sarcastic catchphrase alive and well:
         http://www.ntk.net/2003/07/04/dohnot.gif ... truth in
         advertising?: http://www.ntk.net/2003/07/04/dohdef.gif ...
         http://www.faceparty.com/?display_alert=Anne+Widdecombe+says
         ... Caprice smashes myth that blondes, models are "mimbos":
        http://www.speakers-uk.com/profile.phtml?id=145&act_id=5&sid=68
         ... http://www.ecmayo.ie/cgi-bin/faq/faq.cgi?faqname=ict ,
         http://www.ecmayo.ie/cgi-bin/faq/faq.cgi?faqname=general ...
         "the PC is appropriate as a single home entertainment unit",
         reveals - poll of "around a thousand (985) home PC users":
         http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/030626/250/e3as5.html ...


                               >> EVENT QUEUE <<
                         goto's considered non-harmful

         The holiday mood continues at this weekend's AMIGA ALPE ADRIA
         (starts tonight, Fri 2003-07-04, Udine, Italy, free), a
         mountainside sanctuary euphemistically celebrating the
         "friendship and diversity" of what's left of the Amiga scene,
         and whose site - if you don't read it too carefully - gives
         the impression that the occasion will incorporate "cultural
         events" by noted Workbench enthusiasts such as James Galway,
         Moby, Vasily Kandinsky and Jethro Tull. Back in the UK, the
         endearingly misplaced retro-optimism lives on at THE BRITISH
         FESTIVAL OF SPACE (from next Thu, 2003-07-10, University of
         Surrey, Guilford, event prices vary), promising a debate on
         Britain's future in Space, a Space Ball (featuring "after
         dinner speech with Astronaut"), and no doubt plenty of
         opportunities to try on a Space Suit and eat some Space Food.
         But after that, what could be more down to Earth than the
         gritty practicalities of YET ANOTHER PERL CONFERENCE:: EUROPE
         (from Wed 2003-07-23, the "majestic" Conservatoire National
         des Arts et Metiers, Paris, France, EUR99 for all 3 days) - a
         country where even the phrase "Perl monger" sounds indefinably
         sexier, dans la international programming language d'amour.
         http://aaa2003.org/
                          - see also under "Products/ Legacy Support"
         http://www.britishfestivalofspace.co.uk/
                        - sounds like the start of a Quatermass story
         http://yapc.mongueurs.net/
                       - Mais non Madame, je suis un perl... mongueur


                                >> MEMEPOOL <<
                ceci n'est pas une http://www.gagpipe.com/

         muggle cgi humour http://www.martian.fm/harrypotter.htm
         ... STEPHENSON novel appears to be scene-setting intro
         to AD&D module: http://www.baroquecycle.com/preview.htm ...
         talking of which, BOFH opens game shop http://www.actsofgord.com/
         ... possible pitfalls of internet research: getting found
         out via google: http://www.artimaze.34sp.com/research/pitfalls.htm
         ... overly-complicated jokes for anime lovers:
         http://www.destroy-all-monsters.com/patlabor1.shtml
         vs https://sourceforge.jp/projects/hos/ ... solely justifying
         http://perversiontracker.com/ : http://www.wunderbear.com/cuppa/
         ... robots.txt humour: http://www.crummy.com/robots.txt ...
         presenting: cthulhu-in-a-bun: http://www.octodog.net/ ...


                                >> GEEK MEDIA <<
                                  get out less

         FILM>> there seems to be some sort of limited-release going on
         for no-doubt-DVD-bound subtitled sci-fi anime cause celebre
         COWBOY BEBOP ( http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ : contains moderate
         violence)... otherwise both Bill Murray and Tom Green are
         replaced by the dubious comic stylings of Demi Moore, Bruce
         Willis and John Cleese in CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE
   ( http://www.capalert.com/capreports/charliesangelsfullthrottle.htm
         genital talk; murder by competition violence; calf birth
         procedure with arms up the cow and slinging afterbirth on
         people; playing with bird poop; woman in men's room; every
         time the name Zaas was spoken to take advantage of its
         plurality phonetic equivalence, I counted it as a use of a
         foul word; excessive cleavage, repeatedly)...


                               >> SMALL PRINT <<

       Need to Know is a useful and interesting UK digest of things that
         happened last week or might happen next week. You can read it
       on Friday afternoon or print it out then take it home if you have
     nothing better to do. It is compiled by NTK from stuff they get sent.
                       Registered at the Post Office as
                      "well, three out of five ain't bad"
                              http://www.ntk.com/

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