Paul Jacobson Life, law and other stuff

Symbian, Windows Mobile … $%$^#$!Posted by Paul on October 8th, 2005

Ok fine, so I am having a strange moment here.  So what?!  Here is the issue … I have a Nokia 6630 which has been acting up because the guys at the Nokia repair centre didn’t load the upgrades properly and I find myself wondering whether it is time to move away from Nokia to some other platform like Windows Mobile or Palm (not that there is going to be much of a distinction there soon) and then I realise that none of the other platforms really have much more to offer.

I have decided to switch to an Apple iBook as soon as I have the cash to buy one and I’d like to have a smartphone that synch’s properly and completely with OSX down the line.  Are there any feature packed devices that aren’t underpowered and which really show us how connected the world really is?  Or am I just expecting too much at this time?

The monkPosted by Paul on October 6th, 2005

I received this one by email.  I think it is pretty funny:

A man knocked  on the front door  of the monastery.  A monk answered, listened to the man’s story and graciously invited him to  spend the night. The monks fed him and led him to a tiny chamber in which to sleep. 

The man slept serenely until he was awakened by a strange  and beautiful sound. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.  The next morning, as the monks were repairing his car, he asked about the sound that had woke him. 

"We’re sorry," the monks said. "We can’t  tell you about the sound.  You’re not a monk." 

Disappointed, the man went on his way and pondered the  source of the alluring sound for several years. 

One day he again stopped at the monastery, and explained  to the monks that he had so enjoyed his previous stay that he wondered  if he might be permitted to spend another night under their peaceful  roof. Late that night, he again heard the strange, beautiful sound. It was  the most beautiful and calming sound he had ever heard. The  following morning he begged the monks to explain the sound but he monks gave  him the same answer as before. 

"We’re sorry. We can’t tell you about the sound.  You’re not a monk." 

By now the man’s curiosity had turned to obsession. He  decided to give up everything to become a monk, for that was the only way  he could learn about the sound. He informed the monks of his decision and  began the long and arduous task of becoming one of them. 

Seventeen long years later, the man was finally  established as a true member of the order. When the celebration ended, he humbly  went to the leader of the order and asked to be told the source of the  sound.  Silently, the old monk led the new monk to a huge wooden door.  He opened the door with a golden key. The door swung open to reveal a second door, this one of silver, then a third of  gold and so on until they had passed through twelve doors, each more  magnificent than the last. The new monk’s face was awash with tears of joy  as he finally beheld the wondrous source of the beautiful and mysterious  sound he had heard so many years before…   

Read the rest of this entry »

More “Superman Returns” imageryPosted by Paul on October 4th, 2005

I just came across two funky things this morning when I am supposed to be at gym.  The first is that the "Superman Returns" website is up.  There isn’t much content beyond the logo but it is up!

Next up is a new teaser poster … drool!

Joss Whedon to do Wonder Woman?Posted by Paul on October 4th, 2005

Now here is some interesting news.  It seems that Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy and the new movie, "Serenity", is going to be putting together a Wonder Woman movie in 2007.  It is still a little too early to know many details (like who will play Wonder Woman) but here is an excerpt from an interview apparently published by Time:

TIME: You’re working on Wonder Woman now, right?

JW: I am.

TIME: How’s that going?

JW: In my head, it’s the finest
film ever not typed yet. It’s incredible fun, partially because I was
never actually a huge fan. I never really felt there was . . . there’s
been some great work, but never one definitive run on the book for her,
and I’m not a fan of the show. I feel like I’m taking an icon I already
know and creating it for the first time.

NG: She’s such a character without a definitive story. Or even without a definitive version.

JW: That’s how I feel. I hope to change that because I really feel her. Let’s face it: She’s an Amazon, and she will not be denied.

TIME: I’m really hoping her bustier will slip down a little bit further than it did in the show.

JW: You’re just after a porno, aren’t you?

TIME: Yes.

JW: It’s all about priorities. Yes, it’s very empowering for her to be naked all the time.

(via eclecticism and Pop Astronaut)

Google MoonPosted by Paul on October 4th, 2005

Well you’ve heard of Google Earth (a service I think is particularly cool and would be even cooler if there were hi-res images of locations outside the USA and certain other hotspots) but have you heard of Google Moon?  This is a real site with real imagery of the Moon.  Here is what Google Moon as to say about itself:

Welcome to Google Moon

In honor of the first manned Moon landing, which took place on July 20, 1969, we’ve added some NASA imagery to the Google Maps interface to help you pay your own visit to our celestial neighbor. Happy lunar surfing. More about Google Moon.

The best part about this one is that you can actually zoom in on the various landing sites and landmarks.  Be sure to take it to maximum zoom to see the most incredible detail of the moon’s surface and perhaps even gain some insights into the moon’s true composition!

Shana Tovah!Posted by Paul on October 4th, 2005

Today is the first day of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and the precursor to the main fast of the year next week on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.  I’d like to wish all Jewish visitors to this site a Shana Tovah and well over the Fast!

I came across a moving presentation
on Aish.com which draws on the recent events in New Orleans to highlight the meaning of this time of year to Jews worldwide.  I am not a patron of Aish.com but the presentation is meaningful nonetheless.

Download startingover.swf

Minister of Health and another v New Clicks South Africa (Pty) Ltd and othersPosted by Paul on October 3rd, 2005

Well the Constitutional Court handed down its judgment in this controversial matter late last week.  The complete judgment runs to roughly 445 pages in PDF format although there is an abridged version of the judgment available as well. 

The abridged version of the judgment has been uploaded here for your convenience.

Whichever version you read, this judgment makes for interesting reading and if the contents page is anything to go by, the judgment covers quite a bit of ground in our law.