news/michaelthompson.org

Screen Actors Guild to go on Strike?

SAG will possibly strike in November. The writers' strike affected the entire entertainment industry, and this would certainly rattle the industry just as much, if not more.
McCain, Palin, GOP Nitwits

The G.O.P. has masked the terrible consequences of much that it has stood for over the decades. Now the mask has slipped.

A Brief History of Controllers: A & B

There’s always been a minor niggle at the back of my mind when I played the Nintendo DS. “They’ve got it backwards,” I thought. A speedy investigation showed that my memory was a little foggy, and that the answer was significantly more interesting than that.

This week in Apple: New notebooks, new writers, and more Woz

This week's top Apple news revolved, unsurprisingly, around Apple's recently-announced Special Event. Also on top this week were leaked MacBook photos, iPhone security, comments from Woz about the iPod, and a new addition to our team.

Amazing photo of Milky Way like you've never seen it before

It looks like a lunar landscape but this remarkable photograph actually shows our Milky Way and the planet Jupiter in all their glory - viewed from a cave in America's Utah desert. The spiral galaxy, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, was captured using a 35mm camera and 50mm lens on a tripod with a 30-second exposure.

"He Lied" About Bill Ayers?

McCain cranks out some false and misleading attacks on Obama's connection to a 1960s radical.
Then the Orangutans Came Calling….

Willie Smits is on a mission to save the endangered orangutan. It's a straight vine from its survival to ours.
Parah Salin (Pic)
Australian man (and Digg user) 'Rickrolls' MTV

At last count, Astley had an astonishing 99.98% of the 20 million votes cast on MTV's online poll — but the washed-up warbler's nomination is no bizarre error: MTV has simply been "Rickrolled".

Super Cells to Power Cyborgs

Cyborgs are moving out of science-fiction and into the real world. With an increasing number of first world citizens suddenly turning up missing limbs, due to some mysterious and definitely non-oil-related reason, and advances in man-machine interface technology it's time to think about how we're going to power artificial additions to the body.

IRL Pokemon

Cubone mothafucka
Microsoft Sues DHL After Train Dumps 21,600 Xboxes

Microsoft is suing U.S.-based cargo-delivery service DHL Express for allegedly losing 21,600 Xbox game consoles because of a train derailment in Texas, according to court documents.

Fallout 3: All versions Gold

Bethesda announced today that Fallout 3, has gone gold for all formats and will be arriving on store shelves and online October 28 in North America, October 30 in Europe and Australia, and just in time for trick or treat on October 31 in the UK.

Kinds of T-Shirts
The Terrorist Barack Hussein Obama

The McCain campaign has crossed the line between tough negative campaigning and inciting vigilantism, and each day the mob howls louder.

Apple dumping Intel chipsets for NVIDIA's in new MacBooks

Apple will announce as part of its special media event Tuesday a new family of MacBooks that will abandoned Intel's integrated graphics chipsets for those part of NVIDIA's new mobile platform, AppleInsider can confirm.

U.S. takes North Korea off terror list

The United States on Saturday removed North Korea from its list of states that sponsor terrorism, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. McCormack said the United States and North Korea had reached agreement "on an number of important verification measures" of North Korea's nuclear program.

Army Orders Pain Ray Trucks; Report: 'Potential for Death'

The Army is buying five of the truck-mounted systems for $25 million. But the energy weapon may face new hurdles, before it's shipped off to the battlefield; a new report details how the supposedly non-lethal blaster could be turned into a flesh-frying killer.

150 Migrants Thrown In Shark-Infested Waters

Dozens of bodies washed ashore in Yemen on Friday after smugglers threw nearly 150 migrants from Somalia overboard in shark-infested waters, the latest such tragedy in one of the most lawless stretches of ocean in the world.

Which Video Editing Program Should You(Tube) Use?

Few tips on the best package for creating your digital camcorder movie masterpiece, comparing Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple iMovie, Pinnacle Studio, and Corel VideoStudio. Each software package packs a set of features that will satisfy the video editor in each of us. Even better, they come in at a range of prices, which lets you decide what's the best.

What the Troopergate Report Really Says - TIME

"Even though she won't likely face any legal repercussions, the amateurism and cronyism of her brief administration hardly leaves Palin sitting pretty. Troopergate's final verdict may be even more damaging than a rebuke: her administration was, at least this regard, just as self-motivated as the Washington fat cats and lobbyists she hopes to unseat

The Stories Behind Three Classic Halloween Movies

I loooooove Halloween. Halloween is like Christmas at the Conradt household. If I could keep my house decorated macabrely (I just made that word up) year-round, I absolutely would. To help get you in the mood, though, we’ll explore the guts of classic horror movies you might find yourself watching on October 31.

Google extends AdSense to online games

(Reuters) - Google Inc on Wednesday launched technology to insert advertisements into online video games and boost revenue from the booming gaming sector. The software, called AdSense for Games, is in beta testing and allows video, image or text...

Ubuntu 8.10 Has a Brand New Wallpaper

Here's another sneak peak at an alternative to the Intrepid Ibex wallpaper:
Humans will not evolve further, says geneticist

Human evolution is grinding to a halt, according to a leading genetics expert. The gloomy message from Professor Steve Jones is: this is as good as it gets.
Sarah Palin BOOED loudly at Philadelphia Flyers Opening Game

Behind the dramatic music is a wave of boos, by hockey fans, showing their displeasure of Sarah Palin.

Palin uses her elected office to promote religious causes

An Associated Press review of the Republican vice presidential candidate's record as mayor and governor reveals her use of elected office to promote religious causes, sometimes at taxpayer expense and in ways that blur the line between church and state...

No. 1 Oklahoma Losses to Texas 45-35

Mack Brown can finally say he's done something in the Texas-Oklahoma game that Bob Stoops hasn't -- pulled off anupset. And it's a big one.

Apple: The Cheaper Alternative?

I can't believe what I'm reading. All across the Web, reporters are saying that at Apple's press event next week, the company will unveil an $800 Mac to appeal to those looking to spend less on an Apple computer.Anyone who has followed Apple since its inception knows that the very idea that Apple could actually compete on the same level as its c

Don't Play With Explosives (PIC)

Hand trauma by Surfactant. Young male was holding a homemade explosive device. The fuse of the device was lit, and the patient was unable to throw it away before it detonated.

LittleBigPlanet used to create 1,600-part calculator (video)

LittleBigPlanet may still be in beta, but if you're willing to sort through some boring bits, you can find a ton of great levels. Take, for instance, this monster that showed up on YouTube: the user has created a working electronic calculator using the game's level editor. If you don't think that's impressive, be sure to watch the entire video.

World's Loneliest Bug Discovered in South Africa

A bug which lives entirely on its own and survives without oxygen in complete darkness underground has been discovered in South Africa. Desulforudis audaxviator, or bold traveller as it is known in English, relies on water, hydrogen and sulphate for its energy.

WoW Whore Has 36 Accounts, Raids by Himself

In what is perhaps the most shining example of obsession and geekiness I have ever seen, a fella by the name of Bradster has 36 World of WarCraft accounts that he plays on 11 computers simultaneously.
Even Those Who Practice Anti-Obama Racism Know It's Wrong.

A man brought a stuffed monkey doll wearing an Obama sticker to a Palin campaign event in Johnstown, Ohio. Realizing he was caught on camera, he passed it off to a child he didn't know.

Man Could Walk on Walls Using New Gecko Glue

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A new type of dry glue designed to mimic gecko feet is 10 times stickier than the gravity-defying lizards, and three times stickier than other gecko-inspired glues, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

Financial crisis diverting attention from major scandal

Investigators from both the department’s Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility found that political pressure did indeed drive the dismissal action against at least three of the nine federal prosecutors abruptly fired.

Canadian Democrats are Pro BitTorrent and Against Throttling

Three days before the Canadian elections, the party leader of the New Democrats has spoken out in favor of BitTorrent sites, calling them “fundamental to democracy.” At the same time, isoHunt, the largest Canadian BitTorrent site advises its users not to vote for the Conservatives, considering their stance on copyright issues.

Sarah Palin Blurs Line Between Church And State As Governor

Palin speaks to young missionaries, vowing from the pulpit to do her part to implement God's will from the governor's office. What she didn't tell worshippers gathered at the Wasilla Assembly of God church was that her appearance that day came courtesy of Alaskan taxpayers, who picked up the $639.50 tab for her airplane tickets and per diem fees.

10 Things We'd Like to See in Diablo III

BlizzCon is right around the corner, and the smart money is on Diablo III being the biggest news-maker of the show. Let's kick things off with our humble list of 10 things we'd love to see in Diablo III...

Getting global with Digg's Kevin Rose, part 2

In the first part of our interview with Digg founder Kevin Rose at the Future of Web Apps conference, CNET News asked the Web start-up poster boy about everything from the company's Series C funding round to whether he's concerned about when those election stories stop rolling in.

Advertise on this site