Eyewitness Noise: 2 July 2001

By Paul Ford

AI, Canada, Kendall, Israel, and Zithromax

Racter, Come Home
Those intererested in the recent Spielbergian events might want to check out the Web site of Ai Research, for an international research firm seeking to create “real artificial intelligence.” Full disclosure: portions of the site were written or adapted by myself, and I work for Ai as a “content consultant.”

Hockey, Beer, and Beavers
Sunday was Canada Day. Americans like to make fun of Canada, a country small in population, cold in climate, a country rich in bauxite and comedians, disposed towards hockey, beer, and beavers. More rarely, US folk might jealously note that Canada's government provides a comprehensive social safety net, universal health care, and fair, open elections (scroll down), while still managing to encourage entrepreneurial activity. And unlike Americans, many Canadians are proud of their country. Happy Canada Day!

The Greps of Wrath
Kendall Clark clarifies the Global Privileges of Whiteness on MonkeyFist. Clark is a pissed-off leftist of the first (i.e. Menckenian) order, knows his social philosophies cold, and understands Web technology at gut-level (see: Politics of Schemas, Part 1, Part 2 and Three Myths of XML). Intellectually a Sherman tank in a world of Le Cars, Clark packs more pure information into an essay than most anyone else on the Web, usually giving it away for free.

Arrests! Police! The Holy Land!
A fellow with whom the author works (see Stopping by Sharon's, then ascending to Zion, 3rd picture down) was arrested at a West Bank protest in El Khader, Israel with 6 others, including a priest. All were released. Prior to this, on June 21, Jose Bove, famed French McDonald's-basher, was also arrested, with 7 others, in El Khader. Please remember to actively question coverage of Israel in U.S. media, because most of it is biased, neoliberal trash; if you're interested in the Middle East and looking for something more to the center than Indymedia Israel, try the English version of Ha'aretz.

Science Fiction Gods
Don Delillo once analogized the names of medicines to "science fiction gods." Despite a solid week of supplicating myself to Zithromax, vice-emperor of the Pfizer Galaxy, my throat is still sore, and I am moving over to lots of garlic and vitamin C. Perhaps, as my friend suggested, it's the West Nile Virus, and soon I will be released from the stresses of life via an encephalitic blowout, skull shattering from within as I ride the Ftrain.

Boom!