There were just a lot of interesting articles today:
Future Of Brutalist-Designed Church Not Concrete : NPR – I actually find the “Brutalist” style attractive (in small doses). It sounds like most of the buildings in question — including the headlining Third Church in Washington — suffer not so much from the Brutalist style as from a style-over-function problem (e.g., the light bulbs problem, the poor suitability of the concrete construction for heating and cooling). As much as I feel for the folks “stuck” with “historic landmark” status, I agree with the suggestion that in another 50 years people will be aghast
U.S. Softball Streak Ends, Beach Volleyball Continues : NPR – If I say I’m pleased as punch that Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the women’s beach volleyball gold, it’s solely because I’m a patriot. Really. And it’s a difficult sport. Absolutely. Well done, ladies.
Bacteria Fingered As Killer In 1918 Flu Pandemic : NPR – Interesting. The flu virus weakened people, but it may have been opportunistic bacterial changes that actually did the killing. Which might provide new tools for defeating a future pandemic.
Computing On The Cloud: Who Owns Your Files? : NPR – It’s amusing that this came out after my recent post on Flickr. I think the article misses the point — the fine print EULA isn’t the issue so much as you don’t have control over your data. It’s sort of like banks if there were no FDIC … the one down the street may be very convenient to put your money into, but what if it folds, or gets robbed, or decides to believe it when someone says you stole that money. The bigger the institution, the lower some risks (and potentially higher the others). Of course, you can’t backup your money, but you can take steps to backup most online data. Which is a good idea, if you ask me (though do as I say, not as I do …).
Ok, so I heard Misty expain why the women wear bikinis when they play and while she was explaining “You don’t have an issue of sweat and sand collecting in places that you don’t want it to,” I thought sure.
And then I realized that the men play in board shorts and sleeveless shirts. Don’t they have the same issues with sand and sweat? Oh come on, and just admit the real reasons and be adult about it, ok? The justification itself could become an Olympic event!