This is not a new joke but I recently received it by e-mail. I thought I'd share it with you ;-)

I'm not sure of the original source but a Google Search: Administratium: a New Element may dig it up!

Administratium: a New Element

Investigators at a major research institution recently discovered the heaviest element known to science and have tentatively named it Administratium.

Administratium has no protons or electrons, thus having an atomic number of 0. It has, however, 1 neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons and 111 assistant vice neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of a meson-like particle called morons. It is also surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since it has no electrons, Administratium is inert. However, it can be detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes into contact with.

According to the discoverers, a minute amount of Administratium caused one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would have normally occurred in less than a second.

Administratium has a half-life of approximately three years. It does not decay but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons, vice neutrons and assistant vice neutrons exchange places.

In fact, Administratium's mass will actually increase over time, since with each reorganization some of the morons inevitably become neutrons forming new isotopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Administratium is spontaneously formed whenever moron concentration reaches a certain level. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as the Critical Morass.

I happened to be in Borders bookshop in Glasgow earlier today. I've been on the lookout for the Mac OS X: The Missing Manual for a while and they had one copy just in. I snapped it up on the spot since it's got really good reviews. I'm impressed - every page yields new insights.

via hbwt - Apple's new eMac sports 17-inch screen - Tech News - CNET.com

Aiming to boost its fortunes in the education market, Apple Computer on Monday plans to unveil the eMac, an all-in-one computer similar to the original iMac, but built around a 17-inch flat-screen monitor...

Also, the new Apple PowerBook looks fabulous!

Lots of good stuff in Jesse Shanks' Studio Log: Articles: if you're interested in {Java,Apple}Script for Mac OS X.

Seth has a great explanation of Optimal String Concatenation in UserTalk

UserTalk scripts often need to build large strings from smaller ones, such as when assembling a web page or RSS feed in Conversant, Manila, or even in the old static site engine. In order to optimize this process as much as possible, there are two things the scripter needs to remember: "Avoid copying large strings whenever possible," and "trigger the secret in-place append." [more]...

via hbwt - BBC News | TV AND RADIO | Simpsons creator predicts show's end

The creator of The Simpsons has dropped the first hint that the hit cartoon series may soon be coming to an end.

self-deception

Ninety-four percent of university professors think they are better at their jobs than their colleagues.

Twenty-five percent of college students believe they are in the top 1% in terms of their ability to get along with others.

Seventy percent of college students think they are above average in leadership ability. Only two percent think they are below average.
--Thomas Gilovich How We Know What Isn't So

...

Pauline rented a video yesterday. It starred Richard Gere. That might have had something to do with the choice ;-) The title of the film is "Dr T and the Women". Remember that title and make sure you never make the same mistake of renting it. It was abysmal. Quite the worst film I've seen in a long, long time.

opmlRender

opmlRender is a UserTalk macro command that renders, or translates, an OPML outline into HTML.

Washtech.com | The Next Generation: Biotechnology May Make Superhero Fantasy a Reality

...You can also find disagreement about whether the biological revolution or the computer revolution first will lead us to becoming trans-humans.

This weekend in Silicon Valley, Kurzweil is scheduled to debate Gregory Stock, author of "Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future," and director of the UCLA Program on Medicine, Technology and Society. Stock foresees "widespread reworking of human biology via genetic engineering -- neither governments nor religious groups will be able to stop this" in the next few decades, says Christine Petersen, president of the Foresight Institute running the program. "Greg sees computer technology as increasingly intelligent, but by and large not integrated with the human body.

"Kurzweil agrees with Stock that the biogenetic changes he foresees will take place, but believes that we will also see profound integration of our biological systems with nonbiological intelligence," enabling routine integration of machines and the brain by 2030. By 2040, the nonbiological portion will be far more powerful than the biological portion: We will have become cyborgs, Kurzweil argues.

My GLUM ratings has slipped ;-)

I've dropped to hit #6 in the google search for "Duncan". Ah well, never mind. But what can you do in the face of meta tag 'stuffing' as blatant as the following?:

<META Name="keywords" Content="..., Duncan, pickups,
guitars, Electric, Bass, Acoustics, Antiquity, Stratocasters, Fenders,
..., Duncan, pickups, guitars,
Electric, Bass, Acoustics, Antiquity, Stratocasters, Fenders,
..., Duncan, pickups, guitars,
Electric, Bass, Acoustics, Antiquity, Stratocasters, Fenders,
..., Duncan, pickups, guitars,
Electric, Bass, Acoustics, Antiquity, Stratocasters, Fenders,
..., Duncan, pickups, guitars,
Electric, Bass, Acoustics, Antiquity, Stratocasters, Fenders,
..., Duncan, pickups, guitars,
Electric, Bass, Acoustics, Antiquity, Stratocasters, Fenders">

Guess what I replaced with the ...s!

I refuse to resort to such tactics B-}