The Null Device
2000/10/19
I just picked up the EP Freckles, by local band Minimum Chips. So far, it's pretty good; I'll have to look out for them live. (Graham, you should probably check them out as well, as they sound a bit Stereolabesque.)
Gentrification comes to Goa. The Indian coastal resort, for long a mecca for ravers and hippies before them, is attempting to discourage backpackers and dreadlocked scum, and hopefully replace them with an influx of wealthy jetsetters. To do this, they have announced the closure of the flea market, and a ban on loud music after 10pm. Perhaps they should look at building a family-oriented theme park with a (carefully sanitised) hippie/rave theme and marketing that through the mass media?
An interesting essay by David Brin on the US election, social mobility and the prospect of devolution towards feudalism.
Looking at all the evidence, The Reg concludes that SDMI has been broken, and is all but routed.
Linux stuff: An overview of the Tux2 filesystem, which looks quite impressive. It's good to see open-source projects coming up with state-of-the-art technologies and beating the patentmongers to them.
Street theatre or criminal assault? A group of anti-mobile-phone vigilantes have apparently been attacking mobile phone users in the street, grabbing their phones and smashing them to pieces. Or possibly staging such incidents.