i L i n d . n e t

Yesterday I found myself in that pleasant rush that goes with the initial “can you connect the dots” phase of chasing what could pan out to be a very good story. In this case, the dots include searching out information from several parts of the world and having to stretch my routine information grids to find new sources. Hopefully you’ll read the results within a few days.

There have been some interesting comments left here by readers over the past several days. For those that haven’t checked them out, I’ll note them here.

One reader traced the background of that 1989 wine that we drank on Sunday night: “The Beringer 1989 Private Reserve Cabernet was a Costco special circa 1992 for about $35 and pretty damn tasty if I recall.”

Two readers leapt to the general defense of the “updated” UH logo, one saying it is “cleaner looking and will look good on clothing”, the other calling it “more distinctive – better contrast – and will definitely be more effective and visible for embroidery and printing.”

And three readers left comments regarding the last e-mail missive from Ed Case, but I’ll let you check those out yourselves.

A column in the San Francisco Chronicle by Jeanne Cooper rambles through “The downside of paradise”, including traffic, helicopter crashes, and resident opposition to the Superferry, and announces a new monthly feature, Living the Dream: “Each month in Hawaii Calls, I’ll share the story of someone who moved to Hawaii, so we can all vicariously live the dream.”

A judge in Connecticut granted a new trial to a teacher who had been convicted of allowing pornographic images to be displayed on her classroom computer. According to a story in the Hartford Courant, the judge ruled that a police computer expert had provided erroneous testimony. Further analysis aided by volunteer computer specialists showed how malware and spyware, which have spread in epidemic proportions, could have caused the images to appear. The story has already generated more than 80 comments which are worth reading in their own right. And here’s a blog with an interesting collection of background on the case.

6:05 a.m. and the lights blinked out momentarily, long enough to disrupt my Internet connection and reset all the clocks in the house. Three minutes later–Engine 21 leaves the Kaaawa fire station, probably heading for an accident scene. I’d better get this posted now in case the power goes out for good.