Cyrus Farivar

We all knew this, but Johns Hopkins and Stanford had to go and prove it. TV makes you dumber, and computers make you smarter. The press release goes on to describe how third graders in Northern California do better on standardized tests if they have a computer in addition to a television at home. (Duh, better hand-eye coordination!) Overall, children who had a television set in the bedroom but did not have a computer at home scored the lowest, while…

The NYT also proves that while technology journalism can make for good writing fodder, it makes for bad photography. How many pictures of guys in collared shirts sitting in front of computers do we need? Also, I’m totally starting “The Long Tail” drinking game. 1 drink – If someone mentions “The Long Tail” 2 drinks – If someone mentions “The Long Tail” incorrectly 3 drinks – If Chris Anderson mentions “The Long Tail” 4 drinks – If Chris Anderson mentions…

So our good friends over at Popgadget have figured out a foolproof way to get women to take their shirts off, in the name of “technology research.” When I saw NuBras at a boutique store at the beach and loudly expressed skepticism at their gravity-defying properties, the nice shop owner responded by demonstrating one for me right there behind the counter. Is that really all it takes? NUBRA, FLOATING, STRAPLESS BRA

Silicon Valley’s favorite VC, Steve Jurvetson, just might want to be a little more careful next July 4th. Instead of taking photos, you might want to warn your guests to stand a little further away from the fireworks next time. 😉 Oh, and Steve: Please rememberÉ.All fireworks, except professional public firework displays are illegal and are banned in Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, and Redwood City as well as many other cities in San Mateo County. Anyone who possesses…

Wired News: by Cyrus Farivar 02:00 AM Jul. 05, 2005 PT SAN FRANCISCO — Sean Savage wants to hook you up by tearing you away from the internet. The one-time promoter of flash mobs is once again waging battle against digital alienation with a new tool aimed at getting Wi-Fi cafe “zombies” to look up and smell the coffee. The problem: Computers are fabulous at connecting people over a long distance, but they can become a wall between people who…

Wow, IDG managed to get three sexual references in two paragraphs — in an article about Rising Sun, Ellison’s new, erm, “pleasure craft”. At some point during construction, Ellison’s yacht became 18 meters longer; exactly why is not known. Some observers speculated that the length of the vessel was increased during construction to ensure it would be bigger than the 126-meter Octopus, another yacht being built by LŸrssen for Allen. Others said the lower number may have been used to…

CBC: [Ray Tanguay, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada,] said Nissan and Honda have encountered difficulties getting new plants up to full production in recent years in Mississippi and Alabama due to an untrained – and often illiterate – workforce. In Alabama, trainers had to use “pictorials” to teach some illiterate workers how to use high-tech plant equipment. CBC: WASHINGTON – U.S. President George W. Bush has officially nominated David Wilkins, a longtime family friend and top Republican fundraiser, to…

NYT: Two Brooklyn teenagers were arrested early yesterday on charges that they robbed and killed a 15-year-old boy in the Farragut neighborhood when they stole his friend’s iPod, the police said. The victim, Christopher Rose, was walking with three other boys late Saturday afternoon when a large group of teenagers approached them and demanded that they turn over the iPod that one of the boys was carrying, according to the police and witnesses. When the boys refused, one of the…

Metafilter reports on a new Internet community of “Greenlighters”, people who wear green polo shirts with the collars turned up as a signal of sexual interest. Not surprisingly this “community” has a website, which for now is down, but I can verify earlier today that it did have some postings on it. The site, which was registered yesterday, is in the name of [redacted], a University of Michigan student. I can’t help (as some other MeFiers were as well), be…

NYT Magazine: Well, you could say, ”That’s sovereignty for you.” The international community cannot force the Congolese people to choose the good guy, any more than they can bomb the bad guys into submission; those days are over. But the only Congolese official I met who talked about sovereignty was an unrepentant servitor to the Mobutu government. The Congolese I talked to want to be saved from themselves, or at least from their desperate predicament. Even those who accuse Monuc…