October 22, 2001 (idea)

Quote of the Day:

It is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one's dignity, to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent.
- W. Somerset Maugham

News and Views:

• School book publishers are rushing to revise their textbooks after the events of the last few weeks, despite the approach of already announced publishing dates.
  
  I'm not entirely certain how sound an idea this is, the reports seem to indicate that they are more jumping on the bandwagon than actually adding useful material to the books. What are they slashing to make room? Do they have time to do a proper job?
  
  
• Booksellers across the country are reporting some interesting side effects of the terrorist attacks. Book sales overall are down, but sales of the Bible and topics related to Islam, terrorism, and warfare are up.
  
  
• 'Give Peace A Website'
  
  Wired News is carrying an article on an organization called 'Muslims against Terrorism', and the website they have created. (muslimsagainstterrorism.com) The most interesting part of the story is the speed with which the movement came together, less than three weeks, fueled mainly by the speed with which widely seperated individuals could communicate through the Internet.
  
  The power and potential of the web continue to amaze me. In the hours after the attack, the web provided a source of news and information to many. It continues to change the face of reporting. It's interesting to contrast this with the general failure of online retailing, contrary to popular belief, many dot bombs failed not just because of poor business plans, but because it's turned out to be harder than believed to get people to buy online.