Gongol.com Archives: December 2005
Brian Gongol



Science and Technology (2005.12.23)
Get Ready to Celebrate the Leap Second
Naval Observatory to insert an extra second into the world's coordinated timekeeping system on December 31st in order to re-synchronize the planet with the cesium-atom clocks they use to keep time

Humor and Good News (2005.12.23)
Woman Swallows Cell Phone
24-year-old got into a fight with her boyfriend and swallowed his cell phone in protest. But she didn't chew first, so it got caught in her throat and she had to go to the hospital.

Computers and the Internet (2005.12.23)
Intel to Replace Pentium Brand with "Duo" and "Solo"

Broadcasting (2005.12.23)
NBC Taking Over MSNBC
Microsoft selling off most of its half of the project

Socialism Doesn't Work (2005.12.23)
New York City Council Member: "Broadband is a Fundamental Civil Right and Human Right"
No, doofus: Freedom of speech, assembly, and worship are fundamental human rights. Broadband is a convenience. Now the city has a special commission in place to advise the mayor how to use taxpayers' money to subsidize universal broadband access. Socialistic thinking at its worst: Confuse wants with rights, then confiscate taxpayers' money to give them something they otherwise already pay for or choose not to.

Computers and the Internet (2005.12.23)
Program for Recolorizing Black-and-White Photos

Aviation News (2005.12.23)
Using Small Radio-Controlled Blimps for Search and Rescue
Blimps are excellent tools for search and rescue, because with neutral buoyancy, they can hang in a single place for a long time without disturbing anything around them. The people who love airships (as blimps and their sisters dirigibles are more properly called) really seem to be enamored with them and go into great detail in their research. Lots of radio-controlled blimps are available online.