Remember, betting on the next pope is an excommunicable offence: [link]

NOT DEAD YET, MAYBE

Here's the latest TV scoop. I'm not in the same room as the TV, so heaven only knows what's happened now.

First, Italian Media reported the pope passed away.

Then, they said that wasn't true.

Then, there was a rumor that there was brain death, as per an EEG. However, if there is "only" brain death, that would indicate that he was on a respirator, because if your brain dies, the rest of you follows suit.

So, yeah. It's Schroedinger's Pope right now.

BTW, hayden, I don't know if I've congraulated you yet, so I'll do it now. How's the baby?

Thanks! He's ok generally, but still very fussy at night. I'm working on another 4 hours of sleep again today after a 2 am crying jag. Anyone know a good exorcist?

Now, I assume that they change their name when they become Pope, much like nuns and monks do? Cause Pope Bernie just doesn't seem right.

Yup. The current Pope's real name is Karol Wojtyla.

I have used this book several times in setting up random sequences for experiments or analyses. There's usually one old guy in every science department who has a copy in his office.

Admittedly, it is a very strange book.

Okay, here's a very mathy-ignorant question:

Once they're published in book form, where anybody can look up the srting, which would now be in the same order every time you looked, aren't they no longer random?

Well, I think his real name is Pope John Paul, just as Elizabeth HP is my real name now, although I was born Elizabeth H.

In more fun cyberpunk-is-now news...

April 1, 2005 | BEIJING -- When Qiu Chengwei reported the theft of his "dragon saber," he was laughed out of the police station. So the 41-year-old online game player decided to take matters into his own hands. Swapping virtual weapons for a real knife, he tracked down the man who had robbed him of his prized fantasy possession and stabbed him to death.

Qiu is now facing a possible death sentence in a Shanghai court case that has highlighted concern about the social, psychological and economic impact of one of China's fastest-growing industries. A spate of suicides, deaths by exhaustion and legal disputes about virtual possessions have been blamed on Internet role-play games, which are estimated to have more than 40 million players in China.

Qiu's favorite game was "Legend of Mir III," a South Korean game that is a huge hit throughout Asia. It took him hours in front of a computer to win the dragon saber, one of the game's most valuable weapons.

He used a feature of the game to lend it to Zhu Caoyuan, who reportedly sold it on without his permission for 7,200 yuan (about $870). Although this is considerably more than the average monthly wage, the police told Qui that they could do nothing because the law does not recognize virtual property. He has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Zhu, a crime that can carry the death penalty.

Remember, betting on the next pope is an excommunicable offence:

Ha! I'm not Catholic. They can excommunicate me all they want.

OKay, now they're announcing it live.

[link]

Sean, you're sposed to flip to a random page.

The real question is whether the book is now available in digital format.