Following widespread outrage over their latest version of copy protection for CDs (which surreptitiously installs ill-made software on the hard drive of any computer on which the CDs are played), Sony-BMG has announced that they will suspend production of the offending discs. Not surprising, given that even an official of the Department of Homeland Security obliquely criticised them for their their crappy code.
Salman Rushdie is among those displeased by global response (or lack thereof) to the Kashmir earthquake, and warns that worse is likely ahead for the devastated region if relief efforts are not improved before the onset of winter.
Here is the obituary of management theorist Peter Drucker, who died yesterday, just a few days short of his 96th birthday. Drucker was one of the most interesting characters of the 20th century. Despite having published more than 30 books which enjoyed fairly wide circulation, he was not that well known to the general public, but his influence in business, government, and academia was tremendous. Should civilization survive that long, his name will probably be more widely recognized a hundred years hence than it is now.
The Westchester Cat Show will feature an unusual event this year; A memorial service for a dog named Ginny. Ginny died in August, after 17 years as the ultimate canine cat fancier. Credited with saving hundreds of endangered cats, the schnauzer-Siberian husky mix was named Cat of the Year by the Westchester Feline club in 1998.
Fans of his movie "Fierce Creatures" will find it fitting that a species of lemur has been named for actor John Cleese. Though lemurs are noted for their antipathy to snakes (except as tasty snacks), the former Python is a fancier of colugos, and will undoubtedly be delighted.
Finally, via
lj_nifty; OMG TAGS! The most popular LJ interests presented as a variable-size tag cloud, like those at Flickr. It's interesting that the only actual human individual who makes the cut is Johnny Depp, and, judging from the size of his tag (no- don't go there!), he's about as popular as God. Several music groups appear in the cloud, but neither they nor Depp get a tag as large as Harry Potter. Real, flesh-and-blood celebrities outdone by a fictional character! What, is the world coming to? 