The Null Device

2003/1/6

What would Jesus do? Marijuana, or so new research claims. The research by a professor of classical mythology, published in the scholarly journal High Times, claims that the oils used in the "miracle healings" attributed to Jesus contained a cannabis extract.

drugs jesus marijuana 0

Psychologists* claim to have found the formula for happiness. Happiness is, apparently, equal to P+(5E)+(3H), where P stands for "Personal Characteristics", E for "Existence" and H for "higher-order needs". I was almost expecting a 42 in there somewhere.

(In contrast, London-based Canadian/American indie band The Lollies state that happiness is "a myth dreamed up by advertising men to sell you mortgages, sports cars and deodorants". Whom do you believe?)

* or at least a "life coach", whatever that is; I suspect it means some sort of Tony Robbins-like guru type.

happiness psychology the lollies 0

Why does MS Internet Explorer seem so much faster? Because it embraces and extends TCP/IP, using custom packets and a cut-down protocol to communicate with IIS servers. Mind you, this makes it slower with some non-IIS hosts. Though that won't be a problem when non-Windows systems are phased out from the Internet. (via Slashdot)

lock-in microsoft tcp/ip 0

Everybody's trash to somebody, baby: A psychologist has claimed that your mobile phone ringtone says a lot more about you than you may like. For example, young schoolgirls choose Top 10 pop songs to fit in; if young, competitive men, however, choose pop songs, they do so to make themselves look "safe" and camouflage their manipulative, sexually predatory natures. Meanwhile, themes from action movies are frequently chosen by young professionals who want to be seen as dynamic problem-solvers; however, those who have the time to set up their phones like that typically have dull lives that fail to live up to this image:

"They don't have huge excitement in their lives but like to think that they do. I doubt you'd find a firefighter or ambulance driver with a ring tone like that."

(via Techdirt)

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Bad news for those hoping to protect the environment and global human rights by making a tidy sum on the stock market: New research has shown that most "ethical" or "socially responsible" investment funds aren't. To make more of a buck (and compete in the marketplace), most of the funds surveyed invested in fossil fuels, companies with histories of human-rights violation and, in one case, tobacco companies. They rationalise their decisions as investing in the "best of sector", i.e., the least evil company in a particular sector.

(Btw, which company is the "best of sector" in the high-tech armaments industry? Boeing. Lockheed or Raytheon?)

capitalism ethical investments scams 1