This article from Business 2.0 has been passed around a bunch lately, but it’s really worth reading. The Columbian cartels have apparantly gotten tech-savvy, and have IT infrastructures that would make most Fortune 500 firms jealous. And of course: they’re in an intensely competitive business with high regulatory pressure and absurdly complex supply chains; their business domain is an IT consultant’s dream because they’ve also got a license to print money.

Stop for a moment and think about how much taxpayer money is being used to fight these guys, and how futile that is. Not because the Columbians are rich, but because the market wants their product despite decades of this “War on [Some] Drugs.”

Overheard in a mail forwarded to me yesterday:

This nation has come a long way from its origins, 226
years ago today, when our rights were being violated
by an unelected, mentally deficient, hereditary dictator
named George.

Fly your flags proudly!

In the wake of Bush’s selective condemnation of those responsible for the recent spate of corporate meltdowns, it’s come to light that he himself has some skeletons in that same closet.

The Supremes are at it again.

Hunter Thompson is my hero.

But my brother might.

So the girlfriend has moved to Houston, and we like this a lot. We’ve found her an apartment, and she just bought a car — coming as she did from DC where they have wild things like subways, she didn’t need one before. Wacky.

The vehicle of choice turned out to be a Hyundai Elantra, brand spankin’ new — it had like 12 miles on it when we rode away from the lot. In the past, I might have cast aspersions on Hyundai, but after driving the Elantra against the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla, I’d say Japan Inc. needs to seriously re-evaluate their low end. The Elantra is nicer, better equipped, more powerful, and has a better warranty than either of the other two cars, and does so for thousands less. Also, at least with the dealers we spoke to, the Hyundai folks are decidedly less weasely, and that’s always a plus.

Anyway, it was during this process that I overheard the most amazing conversation. Erin needed insurance before we could leave — Texas state law and her lienholder agreed on that — so she phoned the Allstate agent known to the salesman. As best I recall, this is how the side I heard went:

Erin: “Yes, I’d like to get a quote for some car insurance.” “A new Hyundai Elantra.” “No, I didn’t have a car before this, so I don’t have any insurance.” “Because I just moved here last week from Washington, DC.” “No, not Washington state; Washington, District of Columbia.” “No, it’s not a state, it’s the District of Columbia, but it’s like a state.” “It’s not another country. It’s part of the US. It’s the capital. Congress meets there.” “Just put DC in the state blank, okay?”

By this point, the car dealer and I were in stitches; Erin would have been, too, if she hadn’t been so horrified. Sigh.|*|

The Justice Department is arguing that US citizens it decides are “enemy combatants” have no right to an attorney or even a hearing, and that the courts have no authority to review these determinations. Police state, here we come!

Charlotte’s Goat, part two: The NYT has a nice long piece on transgenic goats that give spider silk in their milk, and what can be done with it. Fascinating stuff.

but that in no way detracts from the coolness of Powersof10.com.

Mikey the Shiv brings us Triumph the Insult Dog’s take on Attack of the Clones.

Reuters reports that the most popular paper in Bejing is running an Onion story as actual fact.|||||*|

This guy has it covered.

Hey, let’s make a gauss rifle at home!

My Tivo captured “El Vaquero de la Ciudad” for me last night. I’m not sure what algorithm is at work there, but it certain believes I’m game for watching 20-year-old Spanish-dubbed Travolta vehicles. I guess it would help if I’d do some thumb-voting, but it’s more fun to see what random stuff it’ll capture.

Joe Blow Glassworks. For all your ray-gun needs.

I just want to remind everyone that I don’t make these up, I just point them out. It’s sort of a cultural commentary role.

Samsung Means To Come.

This is without a doubt my favorite activist group.

There’s a lot to love about this diagram.

The labor implications of this are, of course, dire for those who make their living plucking chickens.

Villain Supply.

I’m a car nut. Sue me. But sometimes, those magazines have really fantastic reviews.

I’m really not sure what I can say about this, except that sometimes ad campaigns blend ideas in scary ways.

Electronic Quarterback on your Palm.

Electronic Quarterback on your Palm.

Help ’em figure out What’s Better.

“ Abor, Two Cold Stroh’s”

This satellite photo clearly shows the path of an F-5 tornado. Scary, but also cool.

It’s nowhere near done — I’m currently using version 0.2.7 — but Chimera is rapidly becoming my favorite browser on Mac OS X. It’s a true Unix back-end wed to a pure Cocoa front end, and it’s fast. Check it out.

I guess if ice dancing and synchronized swimming are sports, then wife carrying must be, too.

Skippy has a list.

Surely it’s not exactly a shock to discover that evil drugs may not be evil after all, right?

Pierced Nipples!

This chronology pretty much speaks for itself.

Somebody in the photojournalism camp is having a bit of fun.

I’ve just been informed that John Ashcroft will be singing on the Letterman show tonight, Wednesday, April 17.

That is all.

It seems “trying to learn” is now against the rules in Introductory Computer Science at that esteemed Atlanta institution. Way to go, guys.

These doctors have a pretty good sense of humor about their work. Don’t skip the intro, but once it’s over don’t miss the map. There’s sound.

Really really cool trees.

I remember Pong.

You fin’ to raise up and get your limo on? Yeah, you know who to call.

A few weeks ago, I heard a story on NPR about a new pre-date ritual beginning to surface in some circles: “ Googling” your date. Put their name and address into Google, and fire away, and all sorts of interesting bits might come up. Not quite a background check and not quite stalking, it seems harmless enough and even a little interesting.

Well, comes now Ex-SO.com, which appears to take the idea several steps further — it’s like Epinions for dating. Interesting, but also a little bit creepy.

Some of you may know Tim. He got married on Sunday. I took some pictures. Enjoy.

Well, as it turns out, this whole science thing is just a big goof on the part of the Almighty.

I’d like to take this opportunity to note that not all Christians are freaks. Thanks you.

This just in: the anti-Unix site authored by Microsoft and Unisys is itself hosted on FreeBSD and Apache.

My pal Chris Mohney is writing a travel diary for Slate this week. The subject, oddly enough, is Las Vegas. Enjoy. (Longtime readers will recognize Chris from his earlier entry here; rest assured the dolphin recanted, and the ADA was forced to drop the charges.)

Actually, I’d say it’s a bad week for everybody. Legends Milton Berle, Dudley Moore, and Billy Wilder all checked out, leaving behind a really amazing body of work. Moore (b. 1935), widely known for comedies like 10, Foul Play, and Arthur, was actually a concert pianist prior to all that. If you’ve never seen the original version of Bedazzled, which he wrote with Peter Cook, it’s well worth your time. He was a bit young to go, I’d say, but he’s been very ill for a long tiime.

Both Wilder and Berle were in their 90s, but even so I think we could have all enjoyed a few more bits from them. Berle (b. 1908), a.k.a. Mr. Television, is one of the reasons that new medium succeeded so well. He was one of the original TV stars, and literally spent his life onscreen — his first credit is from 1914.

Wilder (b. 1906) left an even more significant mark on the world of film. It was Wilder who gave us Double Indemnity (“hey, isn’t that the dad from My Three Sons?”), The Lost Weekend (a film on the horrors of drink even grander than Leaving Las Vegas), Sunset Blvd., Stalag 17, (the original) Sabrina, Some Like It Hot, and The Apartment — and many more. Wilder’s body of work includes several of the AFI’s top 100 American Films. He was nominated for 21 Oscars, and won 7 (including the Thalberg Award). Few can hope to match this kind of cinematic resume.|*|

Lyle Lovett has been trampled by a bull at his family ranch. Doctors say he’s in good condition. No word yet on his hat.

So I spent the weekend in New York, where I met some interesting people, few of whom may be known to you.