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hat kind of people call in to conspiracy-theory radio shows?
I haven't met many of them, but they're out there -- sweating,
trembling, and ferociously dialing. Their enthusiasm has rejuvenated
the world of talk radio, proving once and for all that Orson Welles'
theatrical paranoia is nothing compared to the real thing.
I'm just grateful the radio programs keep these folks safely indoors;
who knows what kind of terror they might unleash otherwise.
And while we're on the subject of strange people, what kind of
man would sue his own wife for smoking? Richard J. Thomas, for
one. Or as he likes to be called, Dick. You may be wondering,
as I was, who is this Dick who would drag his spouse to Federal
court? You'll understand when you read this article about the
crusty, colorful man who successfully used the legal system to
kick his wife's habit.
Final question: What sort of person wants to have heart-to-heart
conversations with his computer? If you guessed a linguist from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, you are
correctamundo. Find out how Justine Cassell is harnessing the power
of human expressions to make computers that can not only think,
but emote. (Pretty cool, but I won't be truly impressed until
they invent a computer that gets paranoid, dials radio shows,
and sweats.)
See you next week,

Want to know what all these checkboxes are for?
Click here to find out, or just ignore them.
The Waiting Game 
Margaret Renkl on the agony of waiting for Christmas morning. [10]
Margaret Renkl
Shopping Simple 
Walter Jowers hunts Brenda's Christmas present. [11]
Walter Jowers
Odds & Ends 
Timed-release news capsules from the flipside. [12]
Devin D. O'Leary
Mr. Smarty Pants 
Our resident know-it-all unearths the latest trivia. [13]
R.U. Steinberg
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Volume I, Issue 28
December 15 - December 22, 1997
Want to know what all these checkboxes are for?
Click here to find out, or just ignore them.
Tune in on Terror 
America's radio network of conspiracy theorists and unrestricted talk radio. [2]
Liz Murray Garrigan
You, Robot 
In MIT's Media Lab, linguist Justine Cassell is trying to do what techies can't -- make computers more human. [3]
Tom Scocca
Burning Passion 
Smoking out the audacious things one man did for love. [4]
Keith O'Brien
Brain Storming 
Memphian Dr. Darel Butler discusses his work with controversial Nobel Prize-winner Stanley Prusiner. [5]
Debbie Gilbert
Hot and Bothered 
Lessons from last week's global-warming summit in Kyoto. [6]
Debbie Gilbert
Rethinking Republicanism 
Now that the New Paradigm's a washout, what's the GOP thinking on the national front? [7]
Daniel Casse
The Rich Get Richer 
A Boston think tank keeps track of how the extremely wealthy got that way. Hint: pick rich parents. [8]
Peter Werby
Petrified With Fear! 
If you steal petrified wood from northern Arizona, be prepared to pay the otherworldly consequences! [9]
Leo Banks
Now What? 
Can't get enough news? You're in luck -- more news is created every day. Our Now What? page offers a plethora of recommended links to help keep you living in the present. [14]
Talk Back 
Our online BBS is an open forum where you can say anything you
like about current events, controversies, or anything else that
might be stuck in your craw.
Build your own custom paper. To find out more
about this feature, click here.
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