EFF has an incredibly thorough list of internet-accessible information that’s been curtailed as a result of anti-terrorism measures: information removed by governments, by ISPs, by website owners; you name it, this list has it. Not the information itself, but brief summaries of the type of information and links to articles discussing its removal.
Chilling effects of anti-terrorism
Posted by Ben on September 20, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/chilling-effects-of-anti-terrorism/
Hurrican Ecology
Hurricanes can wreak horrific structural damage and lead to loss of life, but you knew that already. What you might not be thinking about are the numerous benefits of hurricanes. No, they don’t revive your immune system or add years to your life (or your house). But they can clean out waterways, help re-build barrier […]
Posted by Ben on September 16, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/hurrican-ecology/
Tunguska, your secrets are mine
Remember the 1908 explosion above Tunguska, the one that inexplicably flattened like 800 square miles of trees? Well, okay, you don’t remember it—but you’ve heard of it, right? It’s fairly mysterious, though the general consensus seems to be that it was caused by some form of meteorite or other exploding in the air. Of course […]
Posted by Ben on September 14, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/tunguska-your-secrets-are-mine/
Innocent underground picnics
Police in Paris have discovered a fully equipped cinema-cum-restaurant in a large and previously uncharted cavern underneath the capital’s chic 16th arrondissement. … After entering the network through a drain next to the Trocadero… officers came across a tarpaulin marked: Building site, No access. Behind that, a tunnel held a desk and a closed-circuit TV […]
Posted by Ben on September 12, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/innocent-underground-picnics/
Bye Aliens, Hello World (Aliens, Stains, Books, Chicken Livers, & Atrocious Bad Luck)
Bye E.T.! Any chances of aliens finding Earth may soon disappear. Which isn’t to say that there ever was a chance, really, but if there was, it’s soon to be gone, mostly thanks to the decrease in signal leakage from the technology around us. Television broadcast antennas—which put out a fairly significant amount of radio-waves—are […]
Posted by Ben on September 8, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/bye-aliens/
I’m so proud
Hogzilla, as it turns out, isn’t the only giant feral pig in town. (Well, country.) (Lancaster New Era: “Our very own Hogzilla,” by Ad Crable [August 11, 2004])
Posted by Ben on September 6, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/im-so-proud/
Jerry weighs in on Eco-policy blunders!
Apologies for the unnecessary exclamation point. But I had to draw your attention in somehow, and now that you’re here, let me say what I have to say and get it over with. The editor of the American Chemical Society (of all organizations) rants on idiotic environmental non-policies. On his list—allegedly “inspired by TV’s David […]
Posted by Ben on August 31, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/jerry-weighs-in-on-eco-policy-blunders/
Mad cow, mad cow, what ya gonna do
New Scientist looks at trials of a drug thought to hold potential in treating vCJD. The trial will look at an anti-malarial drug (of all things) that seems to have some promise in the whole mad cow arena. The Guardian provides a handy-dandy Q&A format article on BSE/vCJD—giving, among other things, a straightforward, helpful explanation […]
Posted by Ben on August 31, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/bse-rundown/
Hogzilla… or Hogadilla?
You may or may not have heard of the legendary Hogzilla. You may or may not have known it was called Hogzilla, depending on what parts you’re from. “Around these parts,” the article states, “they are calling it Hogzilla.” Hog-zilla. Anyway, it’s a great headline-maker, as far as quirky news stories go. And it’s also […]
Posted by Ben on August 27, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/hogzilla-or-hogadilla/
You are not a sweaty, tired person
An otherwise marginally interesting NYT article hits a bright spot with this odd philosophical entreaty: You are not a sweaty, tired person hoping against hope for a quiet spot in the crowd. You are a grain of sand, a drop in the sea of humanity. You don’t need some fancy rational strategy. Be the blanket. […]
Posted by Ben on August 27, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/or-are-you/