A very fine essay on the inherent instability of Islam, brought to my attention via these new Hookie awards the NY Times is giving out. Worthwhile reading all (some of them I caught the first time around, but not this one). I’m eager to see what else they turn up.

I know this is an old story, but I’d never heard the whole thing before: How a graphing-calculator application became part of the Mac. It’s also a great illustration of how truly Apple folk love their platform, as well as Exhibit A of what it truly means to be a hacker, in both the computer and the social-engineering senses. Read it already. Your day will brighten and your faith in humanity will be restored.

An extraordinary sermon (yes, Tony, I said sermon; yes, Rob, I implied Christian, though actually it’s Unitarian) that lays out what seems to me a particularly astute analysis of where we are and what happens next — if we do act, or if we do not. Read it. Spend time with it. Forward it vastly.

Oh NO — I thought this was all settled. Elmer’s Flying Espresso is a wonderful espresso bar and it really isn’t impeding a thing. (If she’s impeding traffic, what about those godawful non-information info kiosks? Those seem much worse to me.) I certainly signed the petition while I was out there last. I hope things are resolved. And you may be sure that I’ll be blowing off the two interlopers mentioned.

MacGyver to DVD — FINALLY! 25 January, which means that Christmas will only have to be pushed back a month. Convenient! (And we can get that pushed back with a foot of string and two paperclips.)

Best. Arrested Development. Ever. I can’t believe I just saw that on network television.

Damn, supermodels are skanky. I’m shocked…

Yes, it’s about that time again — everyone’s on the move. Dave Barry’s taking a well-deserved break for who-knows-how-long. At Newsday, Ed Lowe’s bailing. And Dan Gillmor, one of the most fascinating guys on the tech beat, has a better idea. Where does it end? Where does it end? (And do any of them have, like, really excellent apartments they’d be willing to sublet while they go off to find themselves?)

Some Down East mommy is demanding that Catcher in the Rye be banned as reading material for her child’s entire freshman class. That’s not so surprising — alas, Salinger is often targeted for this sort of thing — but this particular inbreed is claiming she’s never even heard of the book. Shouldn’t this idiot here have been required to pay attention during her own high-school classes before she got the idea she should fuck up someone else’s?

Attention New York Times factchecking department! Though today’s hangover-cure article was most enjoyable, I must note that you left out a crucial element: Tabasco. The tomato-juice cure only works with a whole lot of tabasco mixed in. Endorphin release probably has something to do with it, but you’re going to have to trust me on this. And if maybe you’ve got a lemon handy, a dose of juice wouldn’t hurt.