:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Friday, January 16, 2004 ::

Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine
"Garry Kasparov is arguably the greatest chess player who has ever lived. In 1997 he played a chess match against IBM's computer Deep Blue. Kasparov lost the match. This film shows the match and the events surrounding it from Kasparov's perspective. It delves into the psychological aspects of the game, paranoia surrounding it and suspicions that have arisen around IBM's true tactics. It consists of interviews with Kasparov, his manager, chess experts, and members of the IBM Deep Blue team, as well as original footage of the match itself."
Interview with director Vikram Jayanti
Chess Base review
The film is released on Jan 23 in the UK, although I can't find any screenings advertised anywhere. Momentum Pictures haven’t even put it on their own site. Too arty I guess.

:: Dan 16.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Experienced eBay traders are using new software to get an edge over rivals.
eBay Hacks Website
eSnipe
Buy the book

The cameraphone is this winter's must-have gadget

Phishing warning:
"An unfixed bug in MS IE that makes it unsafe to click on any link in an email"
Paste this java script into your address bar to find out if you really are at the site IE claims:
javascript:alert("Actual URL address: " + location.protocol + "//" + location.hostname + "/");
(NB: Use extreme caution when putting javascript directly into address bar. Can have devastating repercussions)

Bill blocker:
"Try to open an image that includes a banknote in Adobe Photoshop CS and it may not let you. The program includes secret anti-counterfeiting code that blocks images of new $20 bills and banknotes in euros."

Recycle a goat

Chinese New Year Recipes (Guaranteed Monkey free)

Balloon Molecules
"Modelling balloons are known first of all as a toy or in form of balloon sculptures. But there are other possibilities….. On this web site we would like to show you how to use modelling balloons to build chemical molecules."

:: Dan 16.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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New old Who found

John Cage's 4'33", among other pieces, to be performed live tonight and will be broadcast on BBC 4 (8.30pm-10.30pm) and Radio 3 (10pm-11.30pm).
"Radio 3 is to broadcast the entire composition live, even having to switch off its emergency system which cuts in when there is apparent silence"

Kraftwerk 2004 world tour announced. (Annoying flash site, sorry. Go to 'Info' for dates) Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester and London dates in UK.

Christopher Guest is back with a new faux documentary, this time on the folk music scene. A Mighty Wind opens in the UK next Friday. Official site.

Hope of the States guitarist found hanged at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio.

:: Dan 16.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Flaming Reliant, and other bizarre cars.

:: Dan 15.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Today's Front Pages. The "Newseum" publish on online version the front pages of hundreds of newspapers from dozens of countries everyday (as well as a posting a physical exhibit of sixty-eight papers front pages in Washington every morning). Unfortunately, for copyright reasons, there is no archive of back issues at the moment but this may change in the future. (Via G3RM. Again.)

:: Dan 15.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Online trials are now underway to see if it is possible to prove Stanley Milgram’s famous theory of the Six Degrees of Separation. That’s all well and good, but wouldn’t it be much more interesting to mine IMDB and see if there really are only Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? Get programming...

:: Dan 15.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Warp records release entire back catalog online, available from bleep an iTunes like store (pay for download).

Top marks to Warp, who refuse to include any DRM-style limiting to the downloads.

:: popcorn 15.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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The American Government is currently obsessed with security, and has taken airport checks to an extreme that to my knowledge is previously unknown. Their own citizens think it's ridiculous (see yesterdays Dilbert cartoon below) and it doesn't even work! A man was stopped at Heathrow Airport yesterday after getting off of a flight from Washington allegedly carrying bullets in his pocket.

:: Dan 15.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Earlier today G3RM blogged this about how Bayesian filters are working to cut down spam with success rates of up to 99.9%. However, I think the holy grail of spam filtering, 100% spam removal and 0% incorrectly filtered mails, could be achieved with my revolutionary new system. I call it "Spell Checking". All you have to do is spell check the subject line, it’s what you do when you read it yourself and spot the spam a mile off anyway. Today’s examples from my inbox:
watch waarnn: agge veerriffy ADV
wattcchhh Video ooff chiick gonne wild
Which one of these do you think is a legitimate mail?
Do you ever get a spam without any incorrect spelling?
Of course, the spammers may eventually get wise to this, but ask yourself this question; would you even mind getting spam if it was all spelt properly?

:: Dan 14.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Bush to visit Mars (I wish!)

H2G2 Movie Shock News: Script is "really good".

:: Dan 14.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Psychological illusionist Derren Brown, of C4's Mind Control and Russian Roulette fame, is touring the UK this spring. If you'd like to see him do what he does live the official Derren Brown site has full tour details and booking information. Apparently he is doing the same show he toured with last year so don't go again if you don't want to see the same stuff. I'll be reviewing it if you don't want to fork out, look out for the review at the end of April.

:: Dan 13.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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More new reviews:

Savath & Savalas - Apropa't (Warp)

Sickboy - Swingin' in the Rain 12" (Death$ucker)

:: Dan 13.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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New Meat Beat Manifesto album due for release on 27.01.04. 'In Dub' will feature dub mixes of track from 'RUOK?' and will be available on CD and 5.1 Surround Sound DVD with visuals by Ben Stokes (a.k.a. DHS). Release date is 27.01.04 on Lakeshore/:run recordings in North America and the CD is released on Quatermass Records to the rest of the world. Don't know as yet if there will be a separate ROW DVD release or what region coding will be used on the US edition.

:: Dan 13.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Sunjammer DJ set from Blodklut lyd. 1hrs40min (140 MB MP3) of Ragga, breaks, hardcore and shit, featuring Hocico, Rotator, Coil, Knifehandchop, Hellfish & Producer, Deportee, Kovert, Shitmat, DJ Scud, Belladonnakillz, Snares man, Aphex twin, Ward 21, Sunjammer, General Levy, Parasite, Fremmed rase, DJ Hidden and Technical itch.

:: Dan 12.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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Set of 5 Russian Matrioshkas made in a village 100 miles east of Moscow. Featuring Tony Blair, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill and Harold Wilson.

:: Dan 12.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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New reviews added to reviews page:

Luke Slater – 'Traktion Action' (Novamute)

Nitzer Ebb – 'Murderous/Control I’m Here' (Novamute)

Stereolab - 'Margarine Eclipse' (Duophonic)

:: Dan 12.1.04 [Arc]    ::
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