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Ed: Thanks to Aaron for the story tip! Goof Lets Times’ Content Go Free By Cyrus Farivar Wired News 02:00 AM Sep. 22, 2005 PT On Monday, The New York Times introduced the first paid section of its online version. In less than 24 hours, someone found a way around the TimesSelect paid subscription service. Never Pay Retail was created on the same day that TimesSelect began. The blog links to other newspapers that syndicate the Times’ Op-Ed content and…

Macworld: Torn between the iBook and the PowerBook? Do you love the Mac mini but feel tempted by the greatness of the Power Mac? And what about the iMac? Macs might be easy to use, but figuring out which one to buy? That’s another challenge entirely. Which is where Adam C. Engst comes in. The TidBits publisher and Macworld contributing editor has written Take Control of Buying a Mac, a $5 electronic book from TidBits Electronic Publishing that aims to…

Lane pointed me to this article on the BBC site talking about the famed (well, famed to me, anyway) Trans-Gambian Highway, which I had the “pleasure” of crossing a few times during my séjour in Senegal. Apparently there’s been quite a bruhaha going down across the River Gambia. (Senegalese newspaper Le Soleil’s latest article [FR].) BBC: The Trans-Gambian Highway, which runs further inland, has effectively been closed to cross-border traffic for over a month by Senegalese transporters protesting against the…

This mustard I first discovered while chowing down with Rachel and Eric over at Magnolia. For the past few weeks now I’ve been putting it on my sandwiches at work. Man, that stuff is great. Even better? They’re offering a promo where you get two 4.5 oz jars for $3 shipped, as a sample! That’s a steal! In other news, I had to send in my iBook to Apple’s repair facility in Tennessee for white spots on my screen. Fortunately…

C’mon, no one is interested in my iPod — I’ve just dropped the price to $140. I’m also throwing in a Belkin TunePower Rechargeable Battery Pack, an $80 value. C’mon, you know you want it.

One of my best friends, David Boyk, has a fantastic new column in today’s Daily Cal about wacky food that he’s eaten. As I’ve told him in the past, his columns read exactly how he talks — and each time I read them, I can very easily picture him saying these words to me. Dude, I think you’ve found your calling. I’m also proud to report that I am the “friend” in this passage: And when I arrived late to…

So I’m reading Wired News this morning and I see that there’s a reference to the Michigan State University School of Packaging. Huh? And as with people, clothes (or the lack thereof) can make the computer. Customers respond to Apple’s packaging for the same reasons they respond to the user-friendly machines within, said Laura Bix, an assistant professor at Michigan State University’s School of Packaging. So not only is there a School of Packaging, but you can get your Master’s…

LA Times: Sea Lions Sink Boats in Newport Harbor By Roy Rivenburg Times Staff Writer 12:31 PM PDT, September 14, 2005 Think of them as amphibious sumo wrestlers. A pack of rowdy sea lions has invaded Newport Harbor, sinking boats, thrashing docks and, with their nonstop barking, turning residents into sleepless zombies. In a scene that has played out up and down the West Coast, the whiskered creatures are charming tourists but exasperating local officials, who are considering a bizarre…

VOIP Phones Give Villagers a Buzz By Cyrus Farivar Wired News 02:00 AM Sep. 12, 2005 PT SAN FRANCISCO — At first glance, Inveneo’s office eight floors above Market Street resembles any high-tech startup — computer parts scattered on desks, Wi-Fi antennas mounted on the wall. But adjacent to the front door hangs a large colorful map of Africa, and a few steps away a stationary bicycle is hooked up to a backpack-size power generator. From this base, a small…

I listened to Beethoven Symphonies No. 6 – 9 courtesy of the BBC this afternoon. No. 6 and of course 9 are the most interesting. Why is No. 8 so short? Now I’m back on the Exercise (ie, anything fun and poppy that I don’t need to pay attention to) playlist. Neutral Milk Hotel rocks.