VA Tech mass shooting: Who or what is Ismail Ax? UPDATED

Xeni Jardin:
B. Frank says,

The Virginia Tech shooter [Cho Seung-Hui] had the words "“Ismail Ax"” written in red ink on his arm, according to this blog from the Chicago Tribune.

What does that mean? A google search shows nothing. Maybe the readers of Boing Boing could shed some light on this?

My research so far only tells me:

-Ismail is an Islamic prophet.

-AX may also stand for the Alpha Chi Omega women’s fraternity, which I found does have a chapter at Virginia Tech.

Any other ideas? I know in the grand scheme of things, it's irrelevant, but for me, trying to shed some light on the psychology of the person responsible for tragedy is a way of dealing.

Previously on BB:

VA Tech: guns on campus, TV producers on Facebook

VA Tech: questions, copycat odds, and 'net nabs wrong man

VA Tech massacre: 33+ dead, largest shooting in US history

Reader comment: Regarding a photo which may or may not have anything to do with this story, and this person -- Gabe says,

I found this photo dated August 1, 2006 on Flickr. Caption: "He's a South Korean. Ismail is not his real name. He use it because his name is very hard to pronounce, especially for Indonesian people. His real name is Cho Seung Hoo ....... or is it Jo Sung Ho?"

(Mirror here).

Chomjangi says,

Elda Rossell, the user who posted the photo on Flicker has a blog entry at this link regarding Ismail. Can anyone translate?

Brian says,

He may have been trying to write the name "Ishmael." Wikipedia notes: "The name has come to symbolize orphans, exiles, and social outcasts."

BB reader William McEwan points to this possible link, in Islamic theological history:

Ibrahim Confronts his People and Rejects their Idols

He left his father after he lost hope to convert him to the right path, and directed his efforts towards the people of the town, but they rejected his call and threatened him. By Allah, he said, I shall plot a plan to destroy their idols. He knew that a big celebration was coming soon, where everybody would leave town for a big feast on the riverbank. After making sure that nobody was left in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. "Well, why don’t you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking; then with his axe he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.

Michael Spencer adds,

The conspiracist side of me notes that the semi-legendary Hashshashin (from which we get the word assassin) were Ismailis, a subsect of the Shi'a. Fans of William S. Burroughs and Robert Anton Wilson will be familiar with the assassins of Hasan Sabah. Here's a link to a page about the Ismailis and the Assasins (scroll down). It's probably just a coincidence, but I thought I'd throw it into the mix. Thanks for your excellent reporting.

Steve says,

This guy seems to have found a fairly convinving explanation. Especially if it turns out that Seung-Hui was Muslim.

"For those of you still searching for meaning in this phrase, written in ink on Cho Seung-Hui's arm and also how he signed his infamous note, it starts with the story of Ibrahim's Ax (Ibrahim = Abraham):

After making sure that nobody was left in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. "Well, why don't you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking; then with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.
--The Koran

Ismail was Ibrahim's son. It was Ismail that Ibrahim wanted to sacrifice for Yahweh (with an ax)."

Mithras Invicti says,

I looked at the pics on Elda Rossell's flikr, figured out she's Indonesian, then ran the blog post through an Indonesian-English machine translator and got this (crappy but helpful) output:

Just sy was finished chatted with one of the guests WH. he South Koreans. His name of Ismail. Yep… you gak wrong read … his name of Ismail.

Sy surprised also by the name of him, trus sy tny he, is it true that that his name.
Evidently that his Indonesian name, the name in fact was Jo Sung Ho.

He and several of his colleagues from KorSel, was studying Indonesian for 2 months in WH. after that he will go to Palembang to teach the computer in the TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF MACHINERY for 2 years.

Ow, susye true chatted was the same Ismail/Sung Ho … because he was not yet fluent in Indonesian. Bhs England then only a little (sami mawon sm sy).

But according to sy, he has been moderate could compared to his friends (sy sometimes still liked to laugh in view of the fact that his friend had difficulty really asked Indonesian).
Trus sy every was the same Ismail, he must often chat with Indonesians yg was in WH.

By the way the matter of the name, they were asked to choose the Indonesian name personally. Sy asked why Sung Ho chose the Ismail name, he every because he wanted to be friends with the person Islam. Trus he mentioned the veil, then mentioned the name of Ms Siam (one of the employees WH) that wore the veil.

Sy also asked whether the Indonesian name his friends. Ismail mentioned Indra, the Torment … yep…ka you also were not wrong read … was yg his name the Torment, bayangin then!
.

Sy, Mbak Rus and yg other agreed if the name must be replaced.
Possibly sy tomorrow could speak first with Ismail ttg this because we janjian to chat again tomorrow night.

Palembang is an Indonesian city. Googling KorSel Indonesia results in a team playing in badminton tournaments there. My interpretation is that this took place in Indonesia. Nothing about the shooter indicates he visited (much less studied or worked) there. So, I guess it's not the guy.

Daniel J. Geduld says,

Not sure if this is a connection or not, but it very possibly
could be. A searchon 'Ishmael's Ax' (I realize the spelling is
slightly different, but if the killer wrote that, I'm guessing
spelling was not in his right mind) comes up with a link in the book
Ishmael by E.D.E.N. Southworth [ aka Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth ].

Here is how the novel is described:

"E.D.E.N. Southworth considers Ishmael to be her very best work, being
founded on the life of one of the noblest of our countrymen who really
lived, suffered, toiled, and triumphed in this land. Its inspirations
of wisdom and goodness were drawn from the examples of heroic warriors
and statesmen of the Revolution. Ishmael—born in the depths of
poverty, misery, and humiliation and raised to the summit of fame—was
good as well as great. His life is proof that there is no depth of
human misery from which we may not, by virtue, energy, and
perseverance, rise to earthly honors, and by God's grace, attain
eternal glory."

Here is the relevant section:

----------

"Well, Hannah, my dear, I'm thankful as you feel any interest in me at
all; and I'll tell you everything. Let me see, what was it you was
wanting to know, now? all about myself; where I was living; how I was
getting along; and what fotch me back here; all soon told, Hannah, my
dear.

First about myself: You see, Hannah, that day as you slammed the
door in my face I felt so distressed in my mind as I didn't care what on
earth became of me; first I thought I'd just 'list for a soldier; then I
thought I'd ship for a sailor; last I thought I'd go and seek my fortun'
in Californy; but then the idea of the girls having no protector but
myself hindered of me; hows'evar, anyways I made up my mind, as come
what would I'd leave the neighborhood first opportunity; and so, soon
after, as I heard of a situation as overseer at Judge Merlin's
plantation up in the forest of Prince George's County, I sets off and
walks up there, and offers myself for the place; and was so fort'nate as
to be taken; so I comes back and moves my family, bag and baggage, up
there.

Now as to the place where I live, it is called Tanglewood, and a
tangle it is, as gets more and more tangled every year of its life. As
to how I'm getting on, Hannah, I can't complain; for if I have to do
very hard work, I get very good wages.

As to what brought me back to the
neighborhood, Hannah, it was to do some business for the judge, and to
buy some stock for the farm. But there, my dear! that boy has slipped
out, and is cutting the wood; I'll go and do it for him," said Reuben,
as the sound of Ishmael's ax fell upon his ears.

Hannah arose and followed Gray to the door, and there before it stood
Ishmael, chopping away at random, upon the pile of wood, his cheeks
flushed with fever and his eyes wild with excitement.

"Hannah, he is ill; he is very ill; he doesn't well know what he is
about," said Reuben, taking the ax from the boy's hand.

"Ishmael, Ishmael, my lad, come in; you are not well enough to work,"
said Hannah anxiously.

Ishmael yielded up the ax and suffered Reuben to draw him into the
house.

"It is only that I am so hot and dizzy and weak, Mr. Middleton; but I am
sure I shall be able to do it presently," said Ishmael apologetically,
as he put his hand to his head and looked around himself in perplexity.

"I'll tell you what, the boy is out of his head, Hannah, and it's my
belief as he's a going to have a bad illness," said Reuben, as he guided
Ishmael to the bed and laid him on it.

"Oh, Reuben! what shall we do?" exclaimed Hannah.

"I don't know, child! wait a bit and see."

Link downloadable text of "Ishmael by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth" at Project Gutenberg.

(Via Boing Boing.)

VA Tech: guns on campus, TV producers on Facebook

Xeni Jardin:
Large-scale incidents of gun violence like yesterday's mass shooting at Virginia Tech University are inevitably followed by gun law debate.

Today, some around the 'net are pointing to relatively relaxed gun laws in Virginia as a contributing factor to the killings. Virginia allows effectively unlimited purchase of assault weapons for anyone over 18 who passes a background check; it's ok to sell rifles and shotguns to children over 12, and a legal loophole makes it okay to buy second-hand guns at gun shows with no waiting period or background check.

But some pro-Second-Amendment folks argue the opposite. University administration and local law enforcement failed to protect VA Tech students from this and previous campus shootings, their logic goes, so there should in fact be more guns on campus -- in the hands of law-abiding students and profs alike, for self-protection.

BB reader Aaron Krowne says,

Virginia had just outlawed Concealed Carry on campus (At Virginia Tech's behest).

I am a VT alum.

The link is a blog writeup of mine pointing out that Virginia Tech had just "outlawed" concealed carry and reiterated its "gun-free campus" policy. In fact, in response to a scare last fall, the school had disciplined a student who was licensed and carrying a concealed weapon, and since then, agitated to defeat a Virginia law that would permit campus concealed carry.

I've quoted VT spokesman Larry Hincker, including an essay of his last year in a local paper. The stance now looks pretty foolish given the tragic result this zero-tolerance "no guns" policy has produced. Will people ever learn that becoming passive and relying fully on the authorities for protection doesn't work?

Those sentiments are echoed in items that appeared in local online press and blogs after an August, 2006 shooting at the university. Snip from "Unarmed and vulnerable," a Roanoke.com op-ed by Virginia Tech grad student Bradford B. Wiles:

On Aug. 21 at about 9:20 a.m., my graduate-level class was evacuated from the Squires Student Center. We were interrupted in class and not informed of anything other than the following words: "You need to get out of the building."

Upon exiting the classroom, we were met at the doors leading outside by two armor-clad policemen with fully automatic weapons, plus their side arms. Once outside, there were several more officers with either fully automatic rifles and pump shotguns, and policemen running down the street, pistols drawn.

It was at this time that I realized that I had no viable means of protecting myself.

Here's another related item at Roanoke.com

Gun bill gets shot down by panel: HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee.

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

After Monday's tragedy, it seems unlikely that more permissive policies around guns on campus for self-defense would win much support. And many argue this is not the answer -- metal detectors, tighter on-campus security, or better alert systems are among the alternate remedies proposed.

No matter which side of the gun debate you're on, one thing is obvious: anyone who is capable of and intent on killing 32 innocent fellow human beings will do so regardless of law. Homicidal maniacs can always be counted on to violate the boundaries set forth by others who want to promote a civil, peaceful society.
(thanks, Sean Bonner)

BoingBoing reader Katy Pearce says, "There's now a Facebook group from Dateline NBC where they're looking for friends of the accused."

Snip from that Facebook group description:

WE UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT THIS IS, AND WANT TO HELP SHARE YOUR STORY.... DATELINE NBC URGENTLY LOOKING FOR ANYONE WHO KNEW SEUNG HUI CHO. WE HAVE PRODUCERS AND CAMERA CREWS NEARBY READY TO TALK TO ANYONE WHO CAN SUPPLY INFORMATION ABOUT HIM AND HIS MOVEMENTS LEADING UP TO THE TRAGEDY. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO PRODUCE A THOUGHTFUL AND INFORMATIVE REPORT THAT MIGHT SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE TRAGEDY AND POSSIBLY HELP PREVENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.

And *we* understand how difficult it is to remember to switch off Caps Lock while trolling Facebook for primetime TV sources.

Following up on earlier BB posts about the possibility of "copycat effect" events (and Loren Coleman's analysis), BB reader Bryan says,

St. Edward's University, a small, Catholic, liberal arts college in Austin, TX has closed classes until 5pm today as a result of a bomb threat. Students and faculty were evacuated but as of 11:21am CST no official information has been provided outside of that posted on the website.

Not surprisingly, there seems to be a strong police showing given the size of the school (about 5,000 students). If there *are* copycat events, hopefully this is evidence that law enforcement and school administrations will be more prepared for them given the heightened alert.

Didn't take long for the grief domain profiteers to descend on urls like "vatechbloodbath.com."
Wired News blog Threat Level has more: link 1, link 2.

Previously on BB:

VA Tech: questions, copycat odds, and 'net nabs wrong man

VA Tech massacre: 33+ dead, largest shooting in US history

Reader comment: Ted Brown says,

Sadly apropos, I finished watching this documentary--which condemns gun control--only minutes before reading about the VA Tech massacre. Penn & Teller's "Gun Control is Bullshit". It even touches upon theoretical events eerily similar to what happened yesterday. I was on the fence before about gun laws, but this is a one-two punch that's hard to ignore.

Jon says,

Here's what happens when there is someone with a gun nearby: Link.

Gretchen says,

This article describes the University of Maine's weapons policy. Students are allowedto have them on campus, but they must be registered and stored with Public Safety.

(Via Boing Boing.)

VA Tech: questions, copycat odds, and ‘net nabs wrong man

Xeni Jardin:

Much discussion around the web about whether the manner in which VA Tech administrators warned their students of the first shooting -- by email -- may have contributed to further death. Two hours passed between the first shooting, in which two people were killed, and the second, in which more than 30 died. Snip from NYT story:

The university did not send a campuswide alert until the second attack had begun, even though the gunman in the first had not been apprehended. [University president Charles W.] Steger defended the decision not to shut down or evacuate the campus after the first shootings, saying officials had believed the first attack was a self-contained event, which the campus police believed was a “domestic” dispute.

There was much student traffic to and from the Norris Hall area when the school administrators issued that email alert, and few students in transit saw that warning message in time (say, on their handhelds). Many around the 'net are asking if more direct forms of warning -- loudspeakers, a school PA system, telephone -- in addition to the emails could have saved more lives. Why didn't university security just shut the whole campus down after the first shooting?

Snip from another NYT story:

One student finished the day’s assignment and tried to leave, but returned to tell the others that the hall was full of smoke and that there were police officers everywhere. The class decided to go into a room with a lock. Dr. Hendricks, an engineering and mechanics professor on the same floor, barricaded himself in his office, pushing a bookcase in front of the door. Some students on campus took refuge in the library, searching the Web to find out what was happening. No one knew.

“I was crying,” Ms. Otey said. “I was worried that the guy with the gun was going to come upstairs too.”

The violence began early in the morning in the west wing of Ambler Johnston, the largest dormitory at Virginia Tech, where two people were killed, officials said. But when the first class started two hours later, at 9:05 a.m., many on campus remained unaware of any danger.

“I woke up and I didn’t know anything was wrong,” said Sarah Ulmer, a freshman who lives in the east wing of the dorm. “I went to my first class and my teacher was talking about how some people weren’t coming because there was a gun threat at West A. J. and they were blocking it off. It was like, ‘Oh.’ ”

The school did not notify students by e-mail of the first shootings until 9:26 a.m., said Matt Dixon, who lives in the dorm. Mr. Dixon did not receive the e-mail message until he returned from his 9:05 class. When he left for that class, he said, a resident adviser told him not to use the central stairs, so he left another way. On dry erase boards, advisers had written, “Stay in your rooms,” Mr. Dixon said

Copycat Effect" author Loren Coleman weighs in with an entry on his blog about speculation that the VA Tech shooting is likely to be followed by "copycat" events:

Xeni Jardin wonders how I would feel about what I am hearing on the American cable news networks. To listen to CNN and MSNBC is to watch the news people stumble through this story.

These cable news people certainly should be aware that there is a copycat effect going on here. They have been reporting on this for ten years now, and can't see the legacy between wall-to-wall coverage and what happens when you elevate Columbine the way the media has.

Specfically today, there is something over-the-top being heard in some of the reports that this shooting today is the "deadliest" in American history. Also, incorrect information is being shared. These newspeople are misreporting on the profiles and the changes in it. Cable news earlier this afternoon misrepresented that this is an American-only problem. During the early evening, I just watched a report on CNN saying that the few historical non-American school shootings have been done by adult non-students.

Link to full text of post.

Blogs and online discussions yesterday misidentified 23-year-old Wayne Chiang (above), a VA Tech student with a penchant for guns, South Park, and bummed-out blog entries, as the shooter responsible for the VA Tech massacre.

Mr. Chiang's "wanusmaximus" livejournal ("Light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul.") and Facebook profile include many photos of heavy weapons, and vanity shots of him posing with quantities of those weapons.

His journal contains much morose LJ prose about obsessive love, movie downloads, and oh, the futility of life.

"i put the cx4 [semiautomatic carbine] on the market cause i got bored with it," he writes in one entry, accompanied by this photo. "personally, i don't find it effective as a efficient manslaughtering tool, which definitely does not fit my needs."

Mr. Chiang is Asian-American, and early reports indicate the VA Tech shooter was, too -- which added to many internet accusers' certainty that he was the killer, even though investigators still have not disclosed the name of the actual VA Tech murderer.

Comment fields on Chiang's site soon filled with racist lines like "so u are the asisan that shot up the school. i hate u and your people."

But, news alert: lots of LJs look like Chiang's. Gloomy web poetry and a gun hobby don't prove a dude is a mass murderer. After dozens of "j'accuse!" blog posts linked to his journal like so many pointed fingers, Chiang finally posted an update late last night:

Coming out. I am not the shooter. Through this experience, I have received numerous death threats, slanderous accusations, and my phone is out of charge from the barrage of calls. Local police have been notified of the situation.

My original intention was to wait until I got AdSense on my site and donating all the proceeds to Charity. However, this situation has now spiraled out of control. I am now confirming that I am not the shooter. I will be available for interview by a news agency to clear my name, talk about the experience, and give my opinion on how the situation could have turned out better if other students were allowed to be armed.

I will speak with individuals who are interested in donating to charities resulting from today's events. Please e-mail all correspondence to null@vt.edu

(Special thanks to Jake Appelbaum).

Kevin Poulsen at Wired News has also been covering the misidentification story: Link.

Update, 633AM PT: authorities have now identified the shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, age 23.

Previously on BB:

VA Tech massacre: 33+ dead, largest shooting in US history

Reader comment: John Bartley says,

May I commend you to a similar episode in 1927, which killed 45, and
of which I learned when I lived in Toledo, next to Michigan? Wikipedia link, Link 1, Link 2, Link 3

Andrew Falconer says,

You wrote:

"There was much student traffic to and from the Norris Hall area when the school administrators issued that email alert, and few students in transit saw that warning message in time (say, on their handhelds). Many around the 'net are asking if more direct forms of warning -- loudspeakers, a school PA system, telephone -- in addition to the emails could have saved more lives. Why didn't university security just shut the whole campus down after the first shooting?"

Lots of questions to come on communications and protocols, but it's also important to get the facts right. This morning WGN Radio in Chicago replayed a portion of an interview with a Va. Tech representative who confirmed they DO have a PA system campus-wide, and announcements repeatedly told students to stay in their dorms and/or classrooms after the first shooting occurred. (This system had been implemented after a shooting took place sometime last year, I believe someone mentioned.)

The other thing people need to understand is the physical size of Va. Tech's campus. "Shutting the whole campus down" would be akin to implementing martial law in a small-to-medium sized town. Is that an appropriate response in any community that size for what authorities legitimately believed was initially a domestic disturbance call?

Robert Byrd says,

This site describes a school bombing in 1925 that killed many more than the VA Tech massacre.

(Via Boing Boing.)

“I don’t think my teacher got out” VT prof sacrfices life to save students

Mallalieu said his professor "held the door shut" while several students darted to the windows. Some climbed up on desks, ledges and a radiator cover to pull the screens down and kick at the metal-framed glass. Three windows easily gave way and swung open on hinges as the gunshots got louder.

read more | digg story

VA Tech massacre: 33+ dead, largest shooting in US history

Xeni Jardin:

[ Image: via CollegiateTimes.com, a photograph of students taking cover in a French class. ]

At least 33 people were killed today, including a gunman, and at least 27 were injured, at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA. It was the deadliest mass civilian shooting in US history (NYT reg-free link). Much of the attack took place inside the school's science and engineering building, Norris Hall. A statement from school administration is here: Link.

The DC Metblog has two related posts: one, two.

Many survivors, friends, and relatives are now trying to track down missing VA Tech students via Facebook (Canada.com story link).

The Wired blog 27b Stroke 6 has posted a cellphone video of the university campus, during the shooting -- you can hear gunshots going off in the background. [Update, 230PM PT: Jamal Albarghouti, the VA Tech student who shot the cellphone video, is on CNN and mentions that he shot the footage on a Nokia N70.]

27B Stroke 6 has also posted a personal account by the university's webmaster:

Bruce Harper, the Virginia Tech webmaster, flipped on his Pro-95 scanner during the unfolding shooting tragedy in Blacksburg this morning. A few hours later, he emailed this inside account of how multiple police agencies responded to the crisis to a DC-area scanner enthusiasts group. We're copying it verbatim below (email addresses have been redacted).

Excerpt:

At 1:30 PM -0400 4/16/07, XXXXXXXXX wrote:

>I have nothing to add. I'm watching the coverage on TV. At least one

>lister at Scan-DC has a vt.edu email address, Bruce Harper

>. He's a railfan who scans the ATCS information.

>

>Harper, are you OK?

Other than being devastated by all this, yes, thanks. It has been a zoo and
the Media Building (where I'm located) is across campus from where all this
took place. But between having a scanner on my desk (and being info central
for the building) and having to scramble to keep updates on the web site, it
has been intense. I expect I'll decompress later this evening.

I have a Pro-95 that has most of the local frequencies plugged into it and
it definitely has gotten a workout. This was a multiple-agency response and
there is little interoperability -- but the police still got the job done.
Virginia Tech Police Department was and is lead agency in the whole event,
with Blacksburg PD right there with them. The Montgomery County Sheriff's
Department is also involved and the Virginia State Police. Give all the
various dispatchers credit for a great job, as they were the linchpins that
kept all the communications straight between all the agencies. There was a
massive response from all the local rescue squads, let by the student-run
Virginia Tech Rescue Squad. A triage area was set up adjacent to Norris Hall
and ambulances shuttled in and out of the area to transport victims to
Montgomery Regional Hospital, the Carillion New River Valley Medical Center,
and to hospitals in the Roanoke Valley. Carillion's helicopters and the
State Police helicopters were unable to be used for transport due to the
high winds we are experiencing.

Full post here: Link. More updates from around the web at 27B Stroke 6, here.

And anti-electronic-gaming prohibitionist kookwad Jack Thompson wastes no time before thrusting himself in front of television cameras to blame the tragedy on you-know-what: Link.

Update, 240PM PT: I'm sure "Copycat Effect" author Loren Coleman would have something to say about the following exchange, which occurred just now on CNN's "Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer:

[Gregg MCCrary, Former FBI Special Agent, Fredericksburg, VA]: There is a contagion factor. There is an increased likelihood of more incidents like this happening in the coming weeks. The most important take-home message right now is to be sensitive to this issue...

[Wolf Blitzer] Are you talking about a copycat factor? (...)

[McCrary] Yes. Because there are people who are already on the edge, and events like this can put them over the edge.

Update, 253PM PT: Eyewitness reports are beginning to surface on blogs, myspaces and livejournals, and in local Blacksburg, VA newspapers. Snip from a roundup on Planet Blacksburg:

[ Ruiqi Zhang, a computer engineering major, who was in Norris 205 this morning ]

"I was sitting in class when we heard loud popping noises a couple rooms down... The teacher and a student went into the hallway and rushed back in and told everybody to get down. We put a table against the door and had a few students holding down the door. The gunman tried to shoulder his way in and when he saw that he couldn't, he put two shots through the door it was the scariest moment of my life..."

Link to more first-person accounts on Planet Blacksburg.

Some online journal accounts are gathered at this Washington Post blog entry: Link. (via DC metblogs)

Photos have been showing up throughout the day on Flickr. Here's a set by user and1headache which shows law enforcement attempting to secure the site: Link. See also the VA Tech Shooting pool. Look also for photos tagged VA Tech, Virginia Tech, or Norris Hall. Collegiate Times has this photo gallery of related images, and this map of the shooting site.

And an odd footnote: this week (specifically, Friday, April 20) marks the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

(Via Boing Boing.)

New Sony DVDs Not Working In Some Players

An anonymous reader writes "It seems that the most recent DVDs released by Sony — specifically Stranger Than Fiction, Casino Royale, and The Pursuit of Happyness — have some kind of 'feature' that makes them unplayable on many DVD players. This doesn't appear to be covered by the major media yet, but this link to a discussion over at Amazon gives a flavor of the problems people are experiencing. A blogger called Sony and was told the problem is with the new copy protection scheme, and they do not intend to fix it. Sony says it's up to the manufacturers to update their hardware."

(Via Slashdot.)

Oh god. Not this shit again.

Will Sony never learn???

Epic Church

Self Explanatory.

Virginia Tech football helmets monitor hits wirelessly

While the Virginia Tech Hokies tend to rely more on dazzling special teams teams play than sheer defensive prowess, the players take a lickin' regardless. In a presumed extension of Beamer Ball, the sparkly helmets donned by the football squad will sport internal accelerometers and wireless transmitters that beam (ahem) information about the seriou

read more | digg story