Demoscene

The demoscene is a computer art subculture that concentrates in producing demos, which are audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer. The main aim of a demo is to show off artistic, musical, 3D modeling and programming skills. The key difference between a classical animation and a demo is that the display of a demo is worked out in real time, making computing power considerations the major challenge. Demos are generally composed of 3D animations mixed with full screen effects and 2D effects. 

The boot block demos of the 1980s, demos that were created to suit within the small first block of the floppy disk that was to be loaded into RAM, were usually created so that software crackers could boast of their achievement before the loading of the game. What began as a type of electronic graffiti or cracked software became an art from unto itself. The demoscene both generated and inspired many methods used by video games and 3D rendering applications today – for example, light bloom, among others.

Democracy

Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally either directly or through elected representatives in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination. The term originates from the Greek δημοκρατία "rule of the people", which was coined from δῆμος "people" and κράτος "power" in the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably Athens; the term is an antonym to ἀριστοκρατία "rule of an elite."

While theoretically these definitions are in opposition, in practice the distinction has been blurred historically. The political system of Classical Athens, for example, granted democratic citizenship to an elite class of free men and excluded slaves and women from political participation. In virtually all democratic governments throughout ancient and modern history, democratic citizenship consisted of an elite class until full enfranchisement was won for all adult citizens in most modern democracies through the suffrage movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. The English word dates to the 16th century, from the older Middle French and Middle Latin equivalents.

Swan

Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae. There are six to seven species of swan in the genus Cygnus; in addition there is another species known as the Coscoroba Swan, although this species is no longer considered related to the true swans. Swans usually mate for life, though 'divorce' does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

Saturday, July 17, 2004

Saturday, July 17, 2004
Jesus and Jihad
"If a Muslim were to write an Islamic version of "Glorious Appearing" and publish it in Saudi Arabia, jubilantly describing a massacre of millions of non-Muslims by God, we would have a fit. We have quite properly linked the fundamentalist religious tracts of Islam with the intolerance they nurture, and it's time to remove the motes from our own eyes.

People have the right to believe in a racist God, or a God who throws millions of nonevangelicals into hell. I don't think we should ban books that say that. But we should be embarrassed when our best-selling books gleefully celebrate religious intolerance and violence against infidels."

posted by tim @ Saturday, July 17, 2004

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World Press Freedom Rankings
"The ranking distinguishes behaviour at home and abroad in the cases of the United States and Israel. They are ranked in 31st and 44th positions respectively as regards respect for freedom of expression on their own territory, but they fall to the 135th and 146th positions as regards behaviour beyond their borders."

posted by tim @ Saturday, July 17, 2004

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Saddam Replacement Said to Personally Execute Prisoners
"Iyad Allawi, the new Prime Minister of Iraq, pulled a pistol and executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station, just days before Washington handed control of the country to his interim government, according to two people who allege they witnessed the killings."

posted by tim @ Saturday, July 17, 2004

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Congo: Farmers Grab Gorilla Parkland
"Farmers have overrun vast areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo's oldest national park, the latest threat to more than half the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas, conservationists and park workers say."

posted by tim @ Saturday, July 17, 2004

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Joseph Wilson vs. the Right-Wing Conspiracy
". . .Wilson is firing back."

posted by tim @ Saturday, July 17, 2004