Isabel and friend wish you a Happy Easter.

Julie indulges Isabel in her new favorite game.

I'm changing web hosting services, so if the website or my email goes wonky in the next few days, you'll know why.

Rob reads from Running OS X Panther to a fascinated Isabel.

A precocious Isabel goes for a swing in the park.

Poor Isabel never got to say, "this is the year!"

Way back in October 2004, I told you about Learn, a Perl script that writes its own blog. "Learn does an unconvincing job of simulating human writing, just like real bloggers," I quipped. I admit I have a tendency to quip.

Now there is R. Robot, a Perl script that writes a conservative blog. It actually does a better job of simulating human writing than most conservative bloggers, with the added advantage of never having been a gay prostitute or having made inappropriate suggestions to its staff regarding Middle Eastern snack foods.

I know, based on some conversations I have had over the last few days, that a lot of Americans are confused about what happened in Iraq to former hostage Giuliana Sgrena and, maybe more to the point, to Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari. I can guarantee you, though, that nobody in Iraq is surprised.

Even when I was there in 2003, the American soldiers were already dangerously jumpy. On our way in to Baghdad, we passed a huge military convoy. Some of the soldiers manning the .50 caliber machine guns on the escort Humvees would take beads on random passing vehicles, I suppose to intimidate us.

At one point, we hired a new driver and had him bring one of us to the Palace. At the entry checkpoint, an American Marine made a gesture with his fist similar to what kids on American highways will make to passing truck drivers to get them to honk their horns. Not understanding what this meant, the driver made to continue until the soldier drew his weapon and began swearing. Apparently this gesture means "stop" to American servicemen; it certainly doesn't mean that to anyone else. (I have related this story to people with military experience who have been equally puzzled.)

A friend of Julie's was in a car that was totalled by a Humvee because it was in the way.

An article in today's Christian Science Monitor confirms that this is still the way of things in Iraq. It is not hard to understand why the soldiers are jumpy, or why they might act this way. But with this kind of thing happening, one can imagine how many accidents happen. If Italy is up in arms, you can imagine how the Iraqis feel.

Is your security enhanced?

Sorry for the hiatus. It's just been really hectic around here; pranksters have been calling me night and day ever since Paris Hilton's cellphone got hacked.

Isabel cuddles with her glow-worm and lets her bib do her talking.