Wired tells us what happened to Pravda, the USSR’s propaganda tool. Greek investors kept it afloat for a while, now there are several incarnations, one of which has launched an English version on the web. Apparently even Russian scholars can’t tell if its a political vehicle or not. But, as always, it’s best to be your own judge.

I spotted Blue Man Group in an ad for Intel’s Pentium III. They were blue and they were splatting paint around, so I figured it must be them. When I visited Intel’s web site to round out this entry, I discovered that the group is being prominently featured there as well. When are they coming to San Francisco?

One disadvantage of the Palm V series’ metal case: it gets COLD! Sometimes I take it out of my purse and its like a slab of ice. I can only imagine what would happen if I left it in the sun. But the screen clarity is awesome.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is celebrating the 100th birthday of Symphony Hall this weekend. The Centennial Season includes free concerts for the community, and there is an Open House on Sunday from 8am – 10pm with a wide range of musical performances. Once a friend and I waited in line outside Symphony Hall for “day of concert” cheap tickets. Most everyone in line was a college student, some studying hefty orchestra scores. We got front row seats, which was a little too close, but still a memorable experience.

Sorry, no happy postings today. My best friend’s nephew was killed by a commuter train (Merc story here) Wednesday night. Word is traveling around and I just got the emails from the east coast about it, and here I am sitting a couple miles away from the accident scene. He lived in the same neighborhood as I did; I would run into him and his mom at the grocery store. There’s no elegant way of putting it. This just sucks.

With the help of some hefty map software and an English dictionary, I’ve managed to already fill about two-thirds of my Palm Vx’s 8MB. But that means I still have more memory free than I had total in my previous PalmPilot. What do I mostly do with my Palm? Use HandyShop to keep track of things I want to read, buy and see.

Someone has invented a wristband Finger Phone. You stick your finger in your ear to hear the caller and the microphone is on the wristband. It’s just a prototype right now, but there are working models. It definitely beats Get Smart’s shoe phone. But I think most people would rather have an earpiece. It’s kind of awkward walking around with your finger in your ear.

LucasArts has consistently released funny, fun, entertaining, high quality games. There’s newer stuff like Grim Fandango and classics like Sam and Max. I bought one of their classics packages, LucasArts archives a while ago. I also own a lot of their Star Wars games. In fact, I think they are probably the games publisher I have spent the most money on. Now they have a new Monkey Island game: Escape From Monkey Island. There’s a demo you can download (and apparently pirates are bad, mean, AND pond scum).

Remember, it’s not enough to just decide you want to be an organ or tissue donor if the worst occurs. You must tell your family too so they can make the proper decisions. Their consent is required. Consider sharing your life. And while I’m on this soapbox, don’t forget to give blood if you are eligible. You may find yourself or a loved one on the receiving end one day.

I’m addicted to ginger chews from the Ginger People. They bite back. (The ginger chews, not the ginger people.) It’s like how Altoids hit you with that punch of peppermint, but with ginger instead. And, uh, chewy.