the blog quebecois

CNN:

A computer simulation of the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center, posted on the Web site YouTube by Purdue University researchers, shows how hijacked planes crashed through the twin towers, stripping fireproofing materials from the steel columns and eventually leading to their collapse.

The 3-D animation, part of a Purdue study that took 2½ half years to complete, could help engineers design safer buildings, researchers said.

"When the developers of the World Trade Center first designed the complex, they did take into account of an accidental plane crash," said Christoph Hoffman, one of the study's lead researchers. "The only thing they didn't anticipate is the fire. If the crash impacts the water line, then a fire can burn for a long time."

I don't think this is the entire animation, but it shows the initial moments of the jets hitting, primarily from a viewpoint inside the towers. It's about five minutes long. There aren't any sound effects, but there is some narration.

Speaking of criminals, O.J. Simpson's (ghostwritten) fantasy memoir, If I Did It was leaked a few days ago (by O.J.? I wouldn't doubt it.) to the celebrity gossip site, TMZ.com, apparently in violation of a court order granting rights to the manuscript to the father of the murdered Ron Goldman.

That page disappeared following the filing of new papers charging contempt of court. But this being the Internet age and all, mirrors are popping up like mushrooms. You can download (Warning: PDF) a copy here. (Scroll down to the bottom-third of the page, where the download is indicated by a flashing red arrow.)

Or you might just want to read this excerpt at TMZ (the page has now reappeared). Warning: Language.