Why?

Bill Gates is arguably the richest single human being on the planet. And yet his workflow and workspace are the least imaginative I've seen.



His big productivity boost? Three screens.

I mean, are you kidding me? The man's got an entire software industry at his fingertips, and the most he can come up with is three screens?

If I had that kind of money, I'd have a Very Comfortable Chair, a wall-bank of linked monitors at a Very Comfortable Resolution, and something other than ugly venetian blinds to look at.

If you're wondering why M$ is all about the money and never about the consumer, here's your answer.

Liminal

Arctic fossils mark move to land (BBC)

In 1999, palaeontologists Professor Neil Shubin, from the University of Chicago, and Professor Edward Daeschler, from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, set out to explore the Canadian Arctic in an attempt to find the "missing link" that would explain the transition from water to land. After several years of searching with very little success, they hit the jackpot in 2004.

The team found three near-complete, well-preserved fossils of the new species, Tiktaalik roseae, in an area of the Arctic called the Nunavut Territory. The largest measures almost 3m (9 ft) in length.

(Also here at the Guardian.)

No word on FSMs, however.

Without DeLay

Tom DeLay has decided to leave the House. (NYT. Some registration may be required.)

For my money, this is two years and one fucked up redistricting plan too late. The scumbag's still going to have his fingers in the pie, and with Texas redistricted to shore up his cronies, he'll still wield a lot of influence. There are very, very few people worth loathing in politics, but DeLay is one of them.

Good riddance. I hope they censure him on the way out.

Understatement

An Indonesian newspaper prints a cartoon depicting Australian PM John Howard and his Foreign Minister as fornicating dingoes. An Australian newspaper prints a cartoon depicting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and a grossly stereotypical Papuan as fornicating dogs.

According to the BBC, 'Indonesia said the drawing... was "not helpful".'