Slashdot Mirror

Remember The Well from back when the mainstream internet was in its infancy. They are still around but they are subscription based. Also this seems like old BBS' used to be before the internet was common.

All of my time and attention are spoken for--several times over. Please do not ask for them.

It's not that I'm a mean guy, just that I have this book I want to finish, and I'm a long way from finishing it.

All in all, apart from the obvious rhetoric point for democracy being served by the collaborative organization of information (which is valid), other advantages of blogs and wikis include the formation of communities revolving around areas of interest, and positive contributions to the 'information tag' game (trying to keep up with the news), especially where technology is involved.
Of course, they can never totally supplant central information dispensation efforts (news agencies, zines and portals), but they don't have to: they are designed to supplement such efforts and provide a modicum of control and feedback by the public.

Researchers have always worried about there might be in fact a single cause of Mass Extinction. You can refer to this graph for the rough interval of mass extinction.

Most people believe that the meterorite impacts is responsible for the mass extinction, but now this new findings may sparks a new way of thinking - the murderer may be someone else.

If we believed that there's a cycle for Mass Extinction, there we don't have much to worry about - as it's still millions of years away. However, some people also believe that the Sixth Extinction might come earlier, because human was not present in the last 5 extinction, and that makes the great difference.

Thank you for reading my trolling. I quote as much online reference as possible, but actually my point of view are from the books I read. My apology.

The cow says:
decrypt the following post for extra credit: Ae239dfDhEF3;&54f

Here's a link to more information: PD's hall of shame and Neal Stephenson's webpage: here

You really think Neal Stephenson posts to Slashdot? He's a professional author: use your brain, for christs sake.

Or, better yet, have a look at his web site, where he explains why he doesn't answer email:

"All of my time and attention are spoken for--several times over. Please do not ask for them."

And I seriously doubt he means he's too busy posting to slashdot.

Have you ever tried to play Go(aka igo)? Its supposedly one of the oldest games in existance, and although it looks rather simple, I think it involves more strategic thinking than chess.

There's several open source versions of Go available, like ViZigo, most of which connect to a large Go Server, since no one has been able to develop a decent AI than can play the game.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

Collated by Drs. David B. Busch and James R. Starling, Madison, Wis.

The surgical management of two patients presenting with incarcerated, apparently self-inserted foreign bodies is reported. The large volume of prior literature on this subject is reviewed, with tabulation of 182 previous cases by type and number of objects recovered and with a discussion of patients' age distribution, history, complications and prognosis.

Table I Previously reported recovered foreign bodies:

[ed. note: list has been appended to reflect recently found documentation.]

Object Number Recovered

Glass or ceramic
Bottle or jar 31
Bottle with attached rope 1
Glass or cup12
Light bulb 7
Tube 6
Food
Apple 1
Banana 2
Carrot 4
Cucumber 3
Onion 2
Parsnip 1
Plantain (with condom) 1
Potato 1
Salami 1
Turnip 1
Zucchini 2
Wooden
Ax handle 1
Stick or broom handle 10
Miscellaneous or unspecified 3
Sexual Device
Vibrator23*
Dildo 15
Kitchen device
Dull knife 1
Ice pick 1
Knife sharpener 1
Mortar pestle2
Spatula (plastic) 1
Spoon 1
Tin cup 1
Miscellaneous tools
Candle 1
Curling Iron 1
Flashlight 3
Iron rod 1
Pen 2
Rubber tube 1
Screwdriver 1
Toothbrush 1
Wire spring 1
Inflated device
Balloon 1
Balloon attached to cylinder 1
Condom 1
Ball
Baseball 2
Tennis ball 1
Pool cue ball1
Miscellaneous containers
Baby powder can 1
Candle box 1
Shampoo Bottle 1
Snuff box 1
Miscellaneous
Bottle cap **1
Cattle horn 3
Chain (gold) 1
Frozen pig's tail 1
'Kangaroo tumor' # 1
Hair Mousse Cap 1
Plastic rod 1
Stone 2
Toothbrush holder 1
Toothbrush package 1
Whip handle2*
Collections (one case of each)
2 Glass tubes
72 1/2 Jeweler's saw
Oil can with potato stopper
Piece of wood, peanut
Umbrella handle and enema tubing
2 Glasses
Phosphorus match ends (homicide)
402 Stones
Toolbox ##
2 Bars soap
Beer glass and preserving pot
Lemon and cold cream jar
2 Apples
Spectacles, suitcase key, tobacco pouch, and magazine
total of 14 collections, with approximately 500 objects

• * number may be larger (text unclear)
  ** cannot exclude ingestion
  # unique case of pedunculated perianal skin tumor habitually
  inserted into rectum
  ## inside a convict; contained saws and other items usable
  in escape attempts.

CASE REPORTS

Case 1. A 39-year-old married white male lawyer presented with a self- inserted perfume bottle in his rectum that he was unable to remove using various objects, including a back scratcher. He had inserted this bottle on previous occasions. Edema of the rectum and sigmoid colon precluded the successful manual removal of the object in the emergency room. A pelvic x-ray film showed the object to be lodged 12 cm proximal to the dentate line. The 3 by 17 cm object, 'Impulse Body Spray,' was removed manually after a spinal anesthetic. The patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. He refused psychologic counseling.

Case 2. A 39-year-old white male was admitted to the University Hospital psychiatric service for evaluation of a 2-week history of bloody diarrhea and auditory hallucinations. Rectal examination revealed a foreign body approximately 3 cm above the anal verge. An x- ray film showed that it was 20 cm in length. The object could not be removed by manual or endoscopic means. The patient consented to extraction of the dildo under general anesthetic. Biopsy specimens of the hemorrhagic rectal mucosa were performed and were negative on Ziehl-Neelson stains for mycobacterial or cryptosporidium infection. The patient was discharged without complications the following day.

"If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those can result in catastrophe, then someone will do it."

This reminds me of The Well -- anyone know how financially healthy it is?

Lanier was born in 1960. Inventing a data glove in 1971 when he was eleven, only shortly after the first mouse was built, would have been impressive indeed. ;)

On the other hand (sorry), you're right to point out his idea. Though his working prototype for the Data Glove (the first of its kind) worked sorta like GPS, with various transceivers placed around the room (IIRC), he knew that it would ultimately have to use accelerometers, and provide haptic feedback for best use. It's just that the proper MEMS wouldn't be around for a couple of decades.

Here's an interview with him about it.

Your disclaimer made it complete. Mod up! I wonder if neal reads /. ?

If you go to Neal's Home Page @ http://www.well.com/user/neal/ you would be under the impression that Stephenson doesn't do much except write and maintain something of a social life with his family and circle of friends.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe /. is how he gets the weirder characters for his novels.

j.

I don't have a house, but I do have a web site here. I put a nice picture of the american flag up in remembrance of the people who's lives were lost.

High School kids (It may have been Jr High) that were on a Chess team "The Raging Rooks" Did better on tests and got better grades than average

Also I feel that it's the right of every citizen (or at least the knowledgeable ones) to know exactly what kind of system is used to gather their votes, this is a basic right.

You're one hundred percent correct, which is exactly why the day a federally-sponsored electronic voting system is announced, there will likely be several hundred FOIA requests fired off, mine included.

Speaking of which... Has anyone tried to do a FOIA request for mundane (ie, not carni^H^H^H^H^H DCS1000, Echelon, or nuclear simulation) government software? I'm sure some of it must be almost laughably bad. Taking it a step further... What about submitting a FOIA request for the source code to a government website, or network infrastructure, or anything else that while not "national security" may be potentially sensitive?

The fruit flies are an incomplete system. You can buy a sealed glass globe containing water, brine shrimp, and everything else needed to keep it going apparently for months or years (if light is provided).

At last year's Open Source Convention, a talk was given by a gentleman named Larry Cuba on creating digital art with Python. Mr. Cuba has been working as an artist creating computer generated artwork for his films for some time now and could probably answer many of your questions. His web site has info on some of his films.

Hi, I'm Minsk. I'm not aware.

I'm a collection of experiences, memory, and light processing systems, but I don't have this weird pseudo-mystical thing that some morons compute about.

Once, I met a task that said it was aware. I said, "Of course you are processing light patterns." The task replied to me, "Right, I'm processing light patterns, but it's different, I'm actually experiencing it. I said, "Of course you are, my scan of your brain AI is occuring."

My contentment rating increased, because I had helped purify the system. But this beliggerent process would not stop. "No! No! You don't get it!", it said. "The processing is occuring, but there's something else; I'm seeing it- this patterns appear before me." He rambled on for some time, and then got to his crux: "The difference between this thing- which I'll call awareness- and the processing that is going on- is that the processing does not require it, and yet it is still there."

I found his nonsense absurd and disagreeable. I reported to central computing this processes insanity, but only after attempting a little more reasoning, to salvage the rogue process: "Surely you recognize that your 'awareness'- is merely a dangler and a phantom belief. Have you cleared yourself through the Computer Science program? Perhaps a little time within an electric fence will assist? Surely you know that you have some residual data from prior superstitious existance within the random garbage data before your allocation. Your computational appendix, this strange persistance within you, is completely illusory and inconsequential."

But I was not allowed to finish my sentence, for after uttering the word "appendix", the bugged process shouted profanities and said such incoherent nonsense as, "I AM THAT APPENDIX!". The process was clearly delerious, and thus I had him scheduled for termination with the Scheduler.

After all, You Can't Argue With a Zombie.

Anyone who's read Cryptonomicon will find this scenario familiar:

The FBI agent has the data copied to his hard drive. Now, he can't view it legally, but he still wants to know what it contains. What does "viewing" constitute?

The easiest approach might be grepping the data for interesting bits. But in this case he actually views parts of the data, so I guess that's out.

How about a more sophisticated program which analyzes the data and prints a summarized version of what the interesting bits contain? Given that the FBI agent probably has some idea what sort of data he's dealing with, such a program shouldn't be too hard to write.

Finally, straight from the book, the agent could write a script which greps and/or analyzes the data, converts the output to morse code, and beeps it out from the PC speaker. No viewing involved at all :)

There's an ongoing conversation with Neil Gaiman at the WELL. You can submit questions or comments to the hosts of the WELL's Inkwell forums and they'll be posted pdq.

There's an ongoing conversation with Neil Gaiman at the WELL. You can submit questions or comments to the hosts of the WELL's Inkwell forums and they'll be posted pdq.

There's an ongoing conversation with Neil Gaiman at the WELL. You can submit questions or comments to the hosts of the WELL's Inkwell forums and they'll be posted pdq.

What's your PGP key?

Don't use 'em. I never knew a real-life computer crime cop or investigator who paid any attention to deciphering encryption. I regard this as a 99% theoretical form of "security." Using big number-crunching high-tech to protect the brief transmission of Internet email gives people a false sense of security. If you get in trouble, it won't be because you were tapped and cracked by the NSA. It'll be because somebody you trusted ratted on you (or because you bragged). Trust me on this. If you're really worried about your privacy, stop using credit cards and shred your trash.
__

It is a well known fact in the world of human-computer interaction research that you should not present more than 7 or 8 items at once to a user, since that is the maximum amount they can absorb at one time.

It is a well-known bogus fact.

The original paper that started this 'magic number 7' superstition specifically addressed working memory capacity. People don't need to remember menus, because they're right there in front of them, so memory limitations don't apply.

This is why U.S. phone numbers are 7 digits--not counting the area code--for example.

No, it isn't. The original paper that introduced the notion of working memory being limited to about seven things at a time was published in 1956. The existing U.S. phone number scheme was developed nine years earlier, so its designers could not have used the memory research to inform their decision.

See here for more info:
Summary article on number seven misuse in UI design
Original magic seven paper
Phone number history

Sounds an awful lot like that great Squeeze Utility that came on on April 1st, 1998.

Not binge drinking doesn't mean you don't have a problem with alcohol either. Drinking alcohol, even in relatively small amounts (3-4 beers), every day can lead into a drinking habit or into an outright addiction with the subsequent health problems. I know because that happened to me. It's humiliating to realize that you really need those three drinks every day, and it's even more difficult to admit to admit to yourself that your alcohol intake -- no matter how small it is per day -- is starting to affect your health, work and life in general.

(To those who're interested in treatment, there are good drugs nowadays that will help you to break the habit so you really can start working on the other problems in your life. They're not the cure, but they sure helped me.)

Many of the early Net philosophers gathered around the now-corporatized Wired magazine

From Neal's webpage:

Since Finux was the principal operating system used by the characters in the book, I needed some creative leeway to have the fictitious operating system as used by the characters be different in minor ways from the real operating system called Linux. Otherwise I would receive many complaints from Linux users pointing out errors in my depiction of Linux. This is why Batman works in Gotham City, instead of New York--by putting him in Gotham City, the creators afforded themselves the creative license to put buildings in different places, etc.

One of the main reasons I have used Mac for years is that its Japanese support kicks butt. I used to be a freelance Japanese translator and could not have done it without my crashing all the time, slow, expensive - but multilingual - Mac.

Bruce Sterling has been doing more writing on the California energy crisis, on his Viridian Design mailing list. You can read the Viridian Manifesto here, and read the list archives here (although the archive is lagging a bit behind the mailing list at the moment).

You wrote:

Oh that stupid cliche, Information wants to be free.

The real quote is from Stewart Brand. The actual quote is:

Information wants to be free because it has become so cheap to distribute, copy, and recombine -- too cheap to meter. It wants to be expensive because it can be immeasurably valuable to the recipient.

Stewart Brand, The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at M.I.T. (New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1987).

the implications of this is up to the reader of course, but please do try to keep things in context. :)

Sega, of course. The only thing that really stuck in my head about it was being afraid of rupturing myself trying to do a fatality in Mortal Kombat. Now that i'm thinking about it, didn't the NES have a VR glove? Maybe with a needle, thread, some duct tape and a little creativity, you could get it on your foot.

Yes, it was called the "power glove". Apparently someone at Nintendo has a complex about powerlessness. Anyway, we revisit the peripherals page at nesfan.com to find this information:

The 'Power Glove', released by Mattel in 1989, was an attempt at incorporating virtual reality with the NES. The glove emitted the movement information (left, right, up, down, etc.) of the gamers hand and fingers to sensors that were placed on each corner of the tv screen. Although the 'Power Glove' would work with almost every game available, it didn't work well unless it was with a game that was designed for it (i.e., 'Super Glove Ball'). With a costly price tag of $79.99 (U.S.) being coupled with the peripheral's unreliable control, the 'Power Glove' was quickly forgotten.

It however was not forgotten at all. There is a device called the PGSI which is a preconstructed serial interface for the power glove. It also seems to support the Sega LCD shutter goggles for 3D, but I don't know much about that. As an aside, if anyone has a set of the Sega Master System shutter goggles, and is willing to part with them, I need a pair. I have the interface controller but not the goggles.

See also:

• Powerglove FAQ
• Aminet Amiga Hardware Drivers
• Another powerglove faq

-Don

The Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat

Farmer, 1993: Farmer, F. R. (1993). Habitat Citizenry. In Loeffler, C. E., (ed.), Virtual Reality: A Survey of Technology and Culture. Van Nostrand Rheingold.

Farmer et al., 1994 Farmer, F. R., Morningstar, C., et Crockford, D. (1994). From Habitat to Global Cyberspace. In Proceedings from CompCon '94. IEEE Computer Society.
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/communications/ papers/habitat/hab2cybr.txt

Chapter Six: Real-time Tribes. By Howard Rheingold.

Hmm this is interesting. Is Katz aware that Rheingold recently participated in an open interview on the WELL where many of these same issues were explored? Including redefining "virtual community"? See this WELL link to read all about it. It's open to the public.

Virtual community is any place groups of people talk together on the Internet -- in mailing lists, in newsgroups, in chat rooms, or on Web sites. Virtual community can also cover more specialized situations, such as long-distance education or shared project work spaces. And it can describe some communications that aren't discussions, such as posting customer evaluations or answering opinion polls. Whenever people are aware of each other's presence on the Internet, they're likely to consider themselves part of a community.

Here's some more interesting articles:

• Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community
• The Virtual Community by Rheingold

1985, eh? The People's Computer Company started in 1972. They promoted the Community Memory concept, a combination BBS and database. Implemented on timesharing machines, as this was before personal computers.

What's your PGP key?

Don't use 'em. I never knew a real-life computer crime cop or investigator who paid any attention to deciphering encryption. I regard this as a 99% theoretical form of "security." Using big number-crunching high-tech to protect the brief transmission of Internet email gives people a false sense of security. If you get in trouble, it won't be because you were tapped and cracked by the NSA. It'll be because somebody you trusted ratted on you (or because you bragged). Trust me on this. If you're really worried about your privacy, stop using credit cards and shred your trash.

It's actually 7 'chunks'. So following that rule, yes, "five-five-five-one-two-one-two" for many would reach the capacity of their short-term memory, but "five-five-five-twelve-twelve" would not. Obviously, this varies from person to person.

I've been living in D.C. for a few years where we have 10-digit dialing. It's easy because it's based on geography (202 is D.C., 703 is Virginia, etc.), but I can see it being problematic when you have more than one area code in a given geographic region. I couldn't think in terms of "Virginia 555-1212", so it becomes more items to remember, and therefore more difficult.

[I find it quite dry, but for anyone who's in to this sort of thing, you can find the article that established this '7 chunk' limit at here.]

--