A very, very happy New Year. Wishing you a thoughtful and healthful year of good memories and dreams.

Okay, I feel as if I’m back. I know you’ve all been hankering for some good links (you have, haven’t you?) and some good news.
There’s the urbane and the profane today. Let’s start with the profane:
A number of artists (I don’t know what else to call these people of brilliance) have compiled a solid map of Springfield. Yes, the place in which the Simpson’s reside. Yes, the cartoon show on Fox. Yes, they compiled the map probably from watching hours and hours of the Simpsons. As my colleague said after seeing this, “God Bless America.”
Now the urbane:
My friend and colleague Jason Scott, recently finished a very large and well written document on the Internet’s influence by and on nonprofits. Funded by the Flatiron Foundation (part of the Flatiron Partners, the VC firm) and The Atlantic Philanthropies, it’s an excellent report on the state not only of the Web generally, but on how nonprofits have succeeded and could succeed through Web practices and technologies. One small plug: I designed the report. The title: After the Bubble: Investing in Internet-Based Social Enterprise in Challenging Times.

Some of you may have noted a diminishing of recent postings on the “Titanic.” The reasons are the following:
– Lamaz class on Tuesday nights (very, very interesting)
– Promising and challenging freelance projects
– Crib assembly
– Lots of work to do before the end of the year 2001
– Inability to install a new piece of software on the Mac
– Ability to install a new very fine Epson printer on the Mac
– Lots of reading going on
My apologies. Guess I won’t get nominated for Time’s Person of the Year.

Because Blogger was down for some reason, I couldn’t post this Happy Holidays link.
But to all who are checking their laptops in the coat closet for the next ten days, a very happy and peaceful holiday.

Osama
For some reason, and I’m sure there is a good one, there’s not a lot of info about Osama out there. What does his name mean? What is his real past? Is he really a man? The name itself is kind of nice if you ask me. To answer these questions and more, here are some hyperlinks:
The State Department’s release about “Usama” in 1998
The BBC’s somewhat recent description of the maniac
An interview with Peter Arnett four years ago (!)
What does Osama mean? According to Behind the Name, Osama is a variant of Usama, meaning lion.
One last thing, the self-suffering Mullah Omar’s tribute to himself was his mansion. CNN reports today:
“Anti-Taliban soldiers now pose for pictures with their weapons on Mullah Omar’s double bed. Outside, walking through the rubble of the quarters for guests and cattle, it’s apparent that every room had air conditioning — including the cowsheds.” Only 12 percent of Afghanis have access to clean water, the report continues.
I know that the White House plans on releasing what is purporting to be a horrendous admission of acts but these tide me over for a little until then. An unfortunate Italian company called Osama also has a Web site, found at no other than Osama.com.

I noticed today on A List Apart (a Web site for people who make Web sites, as they call themselves), there is a very nice piece of code which allows users of their site to toggle between a small sans serif font and a large serif font. Very nice little application, driven with a little cookie. You can also find this little application on another smart, sometimes too smart, site Zeldman.
Although I have a Mac G4, which I love and works beautifully, I really want a cheap desktop PC. Anyone who would like to help? I know. Don’t hold my breath. Any suggestions for a good PC are welcome.

Conspiracies
1. For a cogent article describing the recent conspiracy theory that the US is bombing Afghanistan to control its oil and build a pipeline, take a look at Seth Stevensons piece in Slate. It’s not without some logic, but mostly I sense an Oliver Stone flick in the works. Over-rationalization seems to be the crux of every poor conspiracy.
2. The date the Berlin Wall fell was 11/9. The date that the World Trade Centers fell was 9/11. Oh yeah, and the telephone number most municipalities use to for reporting emergencies is 911. Weird!
3. Take a look (but not a good look) at the TouristofDeath.com site. There you will find the hoax photo sent everywhere of the guy with glasses moments before the first plane hit the WTC. Reality — it’s an art site.

What is with the whole regeneration and resuscitation of the Rat Pack with the Soderbergh movie?
I remember back in 1985 when the Breakfast Club came out and the Brat Pack was considered a bounteous revelation for the starving media masses. I mean, sure we all had a crush on Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson, but we all knew way back then that they were no Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and Angie Dickinson. Nothing against George Clooney, as he’s a solid actor. But c’mon folks!
P.S. Can’t wait to see The Royal Tenenbaums.

Okay, I’m officially a fan. Segway’s HT is a truly amazing travel apparatus. Take a look: Segway has launched its site, complete with funny video with charming, kitschy music in the background. I want one. We all better start saving ($3000), if we don’t get full-scale war in the meantime.
Think of how easy it’s going to be transport those large paintings to galleries!

I just bought a printer, an Epson. Very excited to announce this. Because I have been doing Web work for the past 3 years, I have had little need for printing at home. Now I can do desktop publishing again, print photographs of my friends and family and cats, create portfolios at home, and even send letters to people. All for the cost of cutting down living trees.
Now it’s more important than ever, for some reason, to see images in a non-back lighted format.
More importantly, GINGER is a SCOOTER. It’s very cool, will cost $3000 to start and – stop me if I’m wrong – understands your mind as to whether you want to move forward or backward. The link shows a diagram that is surprisingly close to that published a year or so ago in tech magazines.