City Limits

Netscape Navigator, the world's first commercial Web browser and the launch pad of the Internet boom, will be pulled off life support Feb. 1 after a 13-year run. In recent years, Netscape has been little more than a repackaged version of the more popular Firefox, which commands about 10 percent of the Web browser market, with almost all of the rest going to Internet Explorer:

Its current caretakers, Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, decided to kill further development and technical support to focus on growing the company as an advertising business. Netscape's usage dwindled with Microsoft Corp.'s entry into the browser business, and Netscape all but faded away following the birth of its open-source cousin, Firefox.

"While internal groups within AOL have invested a great deal of time and energy in attempting to revive Netscape Navigator, these efforts have not been successful in gaining market share from Microsoft's Internet Explorer," Netscape Director Tom Drapeau wrote in a blog entry Friday.

People will still be able to download and use the Netscape browser indefinitely, but AOL will stop releasing security and other updates on Feb. 1. Drapeau recommended that the small pool of Netscape users download Firefox instead.

A separate Netscape Web portal, which has had several incarnations in recent years, will continue to operate.

The World Wide Web was but a few years old when in April 1993 a team at the University of Illinois' National Center for Supercomputing Applications released Mosaic, the first Web browser to integrate images and sound with words. Before Mosaic, access to the Internet and the Web was largely limited to text, with any graphics displayed in separate windows.

Marc Andreessen and many of his university colleagues soon left to form a company tasked with commercializing the browser. The first version of Netscape came out in late 1994.

Netscape fed the gold-rush atmosphere with a landmark initial public offering of stock in August 1995. Netscape's stock carried a then-steep IPO price of $28 per share, a price that doubled on opening day to give the startup a $2 billion market value even though it had only $20 million in sales.

But Netscape's success also drew the attention of Microsoft, which quickly won market share by giving away its Internet Explorer browser for free with its flagship Windows operating system. The bundling prompted a Justice Department antitrust lawsuit and later a settlement with Microsoft.

Netscape eventually dropped fees for the software, but it was too late. Undone by IE, Netscape sold itself to AOL in a $10 billion deal completed in early 1999.

Netscape spawned an open-source project called Mozilla, in which developers from around the world freely contribute to writing and testing the software. Mozilla released its standalone browser, Firefox, and Netscape was never able to regain its former footing.

Although I still use AOL for my e-mail (and little else these days), Firefox is my preferred browser. It's simply faster and more reliable than IE in my opinion.

Nov 26 1865

Lewis Carroll sends the manuscript for the psychedelic novel "Alice in Wonderland" to his 12 year old special friend Alice Liddell. (Incidentally Carroll, born Charles Dodgson, had a thing for very young girls, frequently photographing them nude.)

Nov 26 1973

The Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo, stabbed to death in prison by a fellow inmate in Massachusetts. DeSalvo had killed 13 women.

Nov 26 1975

Manson family member Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme found guilty of attempting to assassinate President Ford. It is unclear why anyone would want to assassinate such an uninteresting president.

Nov 26 1976

Sex Pistols single Anarchy in the UK released. The song later appeared on Never Mind the Bollocks. Sadly, it has yet to be equalled.

Woman Finds Boyfriend Dead In Cat Door
Ironically, he was after some pussy

Public schoolboy told Valentine 'I am the Grim Reaper', then battered her to death
Girl allegedly replied, "You call that a scythe?"

Former pilots and officials call for new U.S. UFO probe
Demand aliens buy American, as the old UFO probes make their asses too sore

Monkeys rampage in Indian capital
Bush suspects monkeys trained by Al Queda, asks Congress to nuke Iran

Quebec boy dies after schoolyard shoving match
Attacker hits like a girl... oh, wait!

Great Grandmother Strip-Searched At N.Y. Casino
When she removed her bra it sounded like two wet sandbags hitting the floor

Internet gambling is a target of Patrick bill
"Hold it right there, Asshole! You put that money in OUR pockets - er, casinos!"

Skydiver survives 2km fall
He aced the written exam and just barely passed the skills test

Police: Man Raped Wheelchair-Bound Woman
Just like riding a bike

Metreon victim was killed after standing on escalator, not walking
First floor - socks, underwear, ammo

The Asylum Street Spankers nail it once again:

The Rude Pundit strikes again!

Helicopter

Make sure your registered to vote, and know were your polling place is located.
Public Main Page

Registration for November's election closes Tuesday, Oct. 9. Here is a link to the registration form.
Voter Registration Application

H/T to Be Part of the Solution A new addition to the Fort Wayne blogging community.

H/T to Be Part of the Solution A new addition to the Fort Wayne blogging community.

Bond's Moneypenny, Lois Maxwell, Dies - ENTERTAINMENT - Comcast.net

The Canadian-born actress starred alongside Sean Connery in the first James Bond movie, "Dr. No," in 1962 as the secretary to M, the head of the secret service.

She died Saturday night at Fremantle Hospital near her home in Perth, Australia, the BBC cited a hospital official as saying.

Lois Maxwell's Moneypenny character is one of the people that made the James Bond movies the classics they have became. She will be missed.

She Don't Use Jelly


Banditos


Seether


How Bizarre

Okla. attorney leaps from hospital ledge
One lawyer... oh well, at least it's a start

Sixty-beer binge leads to four-week hangover
And the worst case of the shits in recorded history

Handcuffed Mexican kids steal U.S. border agent car
So THAT'S why they put those tiny steering wheels on their cars

Store Clerk Claims Robbers Hypnotized Him
And he's quit smoking, too

Air rage smoker jailed for attack
You are now free to roam the cell block

Boy, 16, taking shortcut to school, killed by train
Obviously not a Physics major

Drugs and guns found inside L.A. Daycare
Must've been a rap school

'Fart Spray' Attack at Local Restaurant
Ironically, the food also tasted like shit

Sep 23 1939

Sigmund Freud commits suicide with the help of his personal physician, Max Schur. The good doctor obligingly administered 21mg of morphine -- a lethal dose.

Y'suppose Schur was related to Kevorkian?

Sep 23 1950

Congress passes the McCarran Act, also known as The Internal Security Act of 1950, overriding Harry Truman's veto. The act provides for severe restrictions on civil liberties, suspension of free speech, and placing of undesirable Americans in concentration camps. The act has never been repealed.

In fact, it's even been enhanced - the McPatriot Act

Sep 23 1952

Responding to accusations that he diverted $18,000 in contributions into his pocket, Senator Richard M. Nixon rescues his candidacy for Vice President by insisting that he had never accepted any money. Although Nixon does admit he accepted a cocker spaniel named Checkers for his daughter Tricia. The televised monologue rescues his political career.

... and 20 years later...

Sep 23 1969

An article in the Northern Illinois University student newspaper The Northern Star propagates the rumor that "Paul is dead." But if you play "I'm so Tired" from the White Album, you hear the question "Is Paul McCartney Dead?" And "Revolution #9" implores, "Turn me on dead man." Well, sort of.

Quick! Someone call Robert!

19th Century stereoscopic image of
Syphilitic infection

The two images were merged into a single animated GIF
with some dubious results.

Vacuum and toilet cleaner sex aid burglar avoids jail
I don't even WANT to know how this combination works...

Kidnapper Demands Meth In Exchange For 5-Year-Old
Sounds like a fair trade...

Antioch burglars break into police training session
File this one under "What Were YOU Thinking?"

Man admits urinating on ill woman
When ya gotta go...

Seven die in rural septic tank rescue
"Oh, my GOD - the first six people aren't coming back up! I gotta do something!

Woman says suspect in killing beat her
"Spiderman, Spiderman/ Does whatever the f*ck he wants"

Sep 20 1970

A jury in Miami, Florida finds vocalist Jim Morrison guilty of profanity and indecent exposure for whipping out his cock at a Doors concert in Coconut Grove the previous year.

Sep 20 1973

A Beechcraft D-18 charter plane crashes into a tree near Natchitoches, Louisiana, killing singer/songwriter Jim Croce, his lead guitarist, and the entire flight crew.

Looking for a job? I am! So if you know anyone who could use a hard-working, industrious individual... sorry, got carried away.

Anyway, if you are scanning the want ads, you might be wondering what they're really looking for, so maybe this will help you in your search.

Join our fast-paced company
We have no time to train you

Must be deadline-oriented
You'll be six months behind on your first day

Duties will vary
Anyone in the office can boss you around

Problem solving skills a must
You're walking into perpetual chaos

Must have an eye for detail
We have no quality control

Some overtime required
Some time every night and weekend

Word processing skills essential
There's a crippling case of carpal tunnel syndrome in your future

Salary range $24k - $32k / Yr
The salary is $24,000

Civil service
This job was filled from the inside six months ago

Must have top notch communications skills
Welcome to the world of telemarketing

Outstanding benefits package
We have health insurance and a 401k with no matching funds

Progressive company
Employees get to wear jeans every other Friday

We are seeking dedicated people
You'll be working a minimum of 80 hours a week until we force you into early retirement

Tons of variety
We've taken every heinous task no one else will touch and rolled them into this position

Good luck, and happy hunting!

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Hall of Fame running back and one-time murder defendant O.J. Simpson will be held without bail after his arrest in connection with an alleged sports-memorabilia heist, Las Vegas police said Sunday.

Simpson, 60, will have his first scheduled court appearance Thursday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said after the former football star's arrest on robbery, assault, burglary and conspiracy charges.

No explanation accompanied the decision, which was announced in a police statement Sunday night.

Simpson was booked Sunday evening on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count each of armed burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Capt. James Dillon told reporters.

All the charges carry possible prison terms, with a range of two to 30 years on the robbery counts and one to six on the rest.

Simpson was seen shortly before his arrest leaving a Las Vegas resturant, whistling "If I Only Had A Brain" (no, I did NOT make that up).

I get the feeling Dionne Warwick's "That's What Friends are For" should be playing in the background.

I'm pretty sure I'd need to change my shorts after this:

Watch the background carefully. . .



Thanks, Vic! ;)

Baby yanked from couple for kisses on belly button

The ordeal is finally over, but for the past year, a North Carolina family has been torn apart after state officials claimed family photos of a father kissing his baby's belly button were some kind of child abuse.

It began when Teresa Hamaty took impromptu party snapshots of her husband, Charbel, playfully embracing their naked, newborn son, Kristoff.


After dropping the film off at an Eckerd store in North Raleigh, authorities were notified.

"You see the back of the baby, and like if someone is kissing the baby's belly button," Teresa told WRAL-TV.

But police saw the worst and arrested Teresa for taking sexually explicit photos, charged her husband with felony sexual assault, and put Kristoff and his half-sister in protective custody.

"I think this was one of those times that they got the wrong people," Teresa said. "They were too quick to judge when they took one look at my husband."

SEPT 9, 1971

1,300 inmates riot inside the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York state, commandeering the prison and taking 40 guards hostage. The national guard stages an assault five days later, killing 42 people in the process (10 of them being captives).

Say it with me, guys...

ATTICAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well here I am, and forgive me that I know next to nothing about blogging. Just direct me to the door games! lol!

If you are reading this post, it's because I have invited you to join in on a new Blogger version of City Limits BBS. I thought it would be fun for us to interact a bit more once again, and I'm pretty pleased with this venue. My intention is for this to be a private blog; that can go one of two routes: authors/contributors only, or allowing others to access by asking permission. Those of you who have experienced to blogosphere (Dave) likely understand my reasoning on this, but it's all open for discussion between us. Basically, I want to have a forum where we can all kick back, take off our shoes and be comfortable w/o worrying about any rogue snipers causing problems.

Let me know your thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. . .and let's have some fun!