First Garret rightly points out the weird similarities to Clancy’s books to the news as of late. Then Bill is posting some Clancy news. Me? I’m re-reading Red Storm Rising. About mid-way thru what is one of my favorite books. (Answering Shelley’s request)

Writer (thanks Bill) of “Basic Instinct” looks to himself as a promoter of smoking in his NYTimes opinion piece. Rare to hear someone in Hollywood admit their role in influencing the public.

A timely metalfilter thread inspired by a timely Slashdot thread on a NYTimes article.

If the Internet economy was built on vapor, these new ventures are all too real. “I buy eggs, flour and cheese and turn it into things people like and will pay more for than I did,” said Assaf Tarnopolsky, 31, a Wharton School of Business graduate who is now the proud owner of two crepe stands in San Francisco, under the self-bestowed title of the West Coast Crepe King. Mr. Tarnopolsky lost his $125,000-a-year job last September when his employer went bankrupt, so he turned to an earlier love.

…They were in a fantasy world. Now we’re in a back-to-basics mode,” he said. “Hot dog stands are about handling real merchandise and interacting with real customers. It takes hard work and time to see results when you build a business the old-fashioned way.”

Any non-profits, in the Philly area, that are looking for a good programmer to volunteer some time? Let me know.

Dante and Katie’s SleepingAngels fund makes it to The Daily News’ hometown heros section.