The Null Device
2003/3/11
Contiki, a modern multitasking OS/GUI/web browser which runs on an unmodified Commodore 64 (and doesn't need any helper software on another machine either). And they've ported it to a number of other 8-bit platforms, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Apple ][ and the VIC-20. (Wait a minute, VIC-20???) (via Slashdot)
Rant of the day: The USA has been taken over by non-human life forms.
An individual human being has dozens of often-conflicting drives: fear, charity, hunger, hatred, boredom, fatigue, disgust, inspiration, and so forth. Corporations generally only display one drive: a desire to make as much money as they possibly can. A human being who acted like that would be considered an utter psychopath--but when a board of directors acts in such a way, they're rewarded with bonuses.
When a corporation goes public, though, it often displays behavior similar to that of an animal whose nervous system has been taken over by a parasite. Its motivation changes from long-term sustainability to maximizing shareholder value on the short-term, ignoring such irrelevant side-conditions as ecological or social damage, plunging worker morale, or political instability.
And more. (Btw, are corporations legally considered persons in Australia/Europe/the UK/elsewhere, or is it just a US thing?)