Oracle, the biggest name in commercial databases, is preparing a new version Oracle 10g Express Edition for free use by users who would otherwise go to Open Source solutions (such as MySQL or PostgreSQL). The new version, to ship by the end of the year according to an article from …

If you're looking for decorating or costume ideas for the upcoming Halloween, check out the Halloween Store in Reston (in the shopping center with Harris Teeter, Office Depot, Men's Warehouse etc.). The store is in the place of the old Zany Brainy and has an enormous amount of space and …

In preparation for an upcoming announcement in January, ClueTrust is pleased to announce the launch of it's new GIS, GPS, and Mapping web site, Cartographica.com. Check it out.

So, you may be wondering what's going on with Gaige's Pages these days. I'll be making an announcement some time soon to this list, but I have a new project under wraps right now which will likely result in something I haven't done in almost a decade: publishing a new …

Finally, somebody has done the legwork for Carol and I to show that the increased number of quick-to-market and "small n" medical studies are resulting in a lot of questionable information getting to the public. And, it doesn't even study how poorly these scientific studies are interpreted by the mass …

OK, this is a bit random, but still very cool (and a little late, it got caught in the vortex of my being out of town and then trapped in server reconfiguration hell last week). So, at any rate, the University of Wisconsin at Madison is reporting that their Titan …

OK, I believe that this was a mistake, but only because it was Chicago and I have a soft spot for that town and because they've waived the fees. However, don't give Washington any ideas, since their parking people aren't as nice. Check out the story from the Montery Herald …

Here's an interesting tidbit using the new Google Maps feature. Thanks to RS for coming up with it. Go to Google Maps for downtown DC and do a local search for stupidity.

It's interesting to read people's take on the world. As a fan of Orson Scott Card's fiction, I've watched his online commentary for a while. This week's Ornery American column on Islam, Newsweek, Democrats, "Smartland" and "Heartland", with a bit of Mormon history thrown in is interesting. I can't say …

As is customary, the internet is rife with April Fools day jokes on April 1. Anyone who doesn't have a strong stomach for a (mostly bad) joke, should probably stay off the net until April 2. Personally, I don't tend to post anything on the "Pages" on April 1 that …

Blockbuster, attempting to get themselves in a better position in the video rental market against strong players like NetFlix, announced earlier this year that they would be charging "No late fees." I rushed right out to their site to figure out what they were doing instead and determined that it …

Looking for something nice in the morning? Here's a site that has a cool sequence of pictures of a hummingbird from the time the egg is laid until it takes flight.

There's a cool article in New Scientist about 13 observed phenomena that do not currently jive with their believed explanations. It's a good read and touches on things as varied as the placebo effect to dark matter to the conflicting results of tests for life on Mars. It offers no …

While Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has been busy selling 25 million copies in 44 countries, the Vatican has been pretty quiet about it... until now. According to an article from the International Herald Tribune, officials at the Vatican, including one possible successor to the Pope, are now speaking …

An article from WebMD announces the extension of 2003 average life expectancy in the US to 78.6 years, up from 78.3 in 2002. Women still live longer than men (over 80 years now.... see our recent article about Eartha Kitt) and there are continuing ethnic and racial components …

This weekend, Carol & I had the pleasure of seeing Eartha Kitt perform at Blues Alley in Washington, DC. When she began the night, along with some racy cabaret-style songs, she also reminded us that she was now 78 years old. But, that was the last anyone thought about her age …

I'm not a big fan of show trials, like the Michael Jackson trial that just got underway in CA, but stories about the jury system are more interesting to me. Here's a narrative from groklaw by a member who was also a potential juror for the Jackson trial. Of particular …

Here's a great use of low tech: according to an article from the Boston Globe, MassHighway (the state highway department in Mass.) is using large curtains to keep people from seeing the results of accidents, thus keeping traffic moving.

OK, the source may be questionable, but at least one list looks reasonable. The top 10 party schools does include: #3 University of Wisconsin-Madison #5 Ohio University #6 Florida State University #9 University of Colorado-Boulder Of course, you have to question any party school list that omits SIU (Southern Illinois …

An interesting article in the New York Times discusses the role that the secret police in the Ukraine played in the events of the most recent election season. While there is some debate of the motives, indications are pretty clear that the secret police aided the protesters and the opposition …