"See you next year!"

I'm going to deliver a roundhouse kick to someone's throat if I have to hear that again. What is it with people saying that? Do they think it's actually funny? That they're somehow witty using such a ridiculous statement? I'm sure it got a hearty laugh the first time you heard it, but never after that. Do people say it thinking the other person has never heard it before? If you are one of those people, here's a tip: Shut up. Just say Happy New Year and be done with it.



Happy New Year everybody!

Getting The Perfect Nap

"When billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett broke the record for around-the-world solo jet flight last March, he slept just 60 minutes in 67 hours of flight time -- 60 minutes broken into two- and three-minute naps. "I slept when I needed it and awoke refreshed," he says. Fossett, who holds world records in ballooning, sailing, and flying, adds that none of his feats could have been done without these micro-variety "power naps."

I've never been much of a napper because it seemed like more often than not, I would feel more sluggish than I did previously. From the information in the article and the following chart, I can see why - my naps were about half an hour, which they shouldn't be. I'm going to try shorter intervals when I feel I need some extra z's.

Almost forgot...

Wanted to wish my few readers a Merry Christmas and hoping for a great New Year for everyone!

*for those of you that get "offended" by me saying Merry Christmas, get over it. political correctness is a joke*

Santa IM worm hits AOL, MSN, and Yahoo

"A Santa Claus worm is attempting to trick America Online, Microsoft MSN and Yahoo instant-messaging users into clicking on a file that delivers unwanted software to a victim's computer.

The IM.GiftCom.All worm attempts to dupe IM users into thinking an acquaintance has sent them a link to a harmless Santa Claus file, according to a security advisory issued Tuesday by IMlogic."

I'm hoping most are smarter than this, but usually that's not the case. Please be very careful of what you receive and send in emails and Instant Messages. While we're on the subject of Security, double check to make sure that your anti-virus is up to date. How do you check? Right click on the application's icon in your taskbar and find where it says update. If, for some reason, you don't have anti-virus software or the one that came with your pc expired because you didn't want to pay the annual fee, you can download and install AVG Free Edition.

Game being developed for "sex ed"?

"The CanWest News Service has a piece up on Heather Kelley, an Ubisoft game designer who has created Lapis, a prototype of a Nintendo DS game that offers a "stealthy primer" on female sexuality.

At first glance, the game sort of looks like Nintendogs, but with a fluffy blue bunny. But as it turns out:

The prototype teaches how to reach orgasm by simulating the affect of pleasurable sensation on the cartoon. Players tickle, touch, tap, and stroke Lapis using the touch screen of the Nintendo DS, a hand-held video game device. They can also talk, sing and blow on the bunny's fur using the device's built-in microphone."

I doubt that this will make it through Nintendo, but is this the kind of crap we can expect our kids to get their hands on? Ridiculous.

Ebay CEO/President says 40,000 Xbox 360's sold

"As reported by Dow Jones last night based upon a presentation at the CSFB Annual Technology Conference, the 40,000 unit figure has left pundits flabbergasted. If launch supply estimates from American Technology Research are accurate, that would mean that 10% of all Xbox 360 consoles sold in the US were either sold or resold through eBay."



Might be a good idea to reserve several Sony PS3's once you're able to. Some of the Xbox 360's went for >$1000. Incredible.

Windows Live Safety Center

Windows Live Safety Center is up, in beta form, and looks to be a nice set of tools for the unsaavy computer user. Click on the link above to check it out. Here is the first review I've seen of Microsoft's new site.

Russian gymnasts going nuts

These kids are insane. A great look at some "off the wall" antics of these Russian gymnasts. One of the best google videos I've come across this year.

Bugmenot.com

Don't you just hate it when someone sends you a link to an article, but the link directs you to a site that requires a username and password? Ugh, the bane of the internet. But fear not, my thinly veiled friends. Simply copy the URL for the website in question, then go to BugMeNot.com, paste the URL into the box and BAM - it'll dish you a username and password. I've not run across a website yet that this hasn't come through for me. Don't ask me if it works on porn sites because I HAVE NO IDEA.

Firefox 1.5

Word on the "street" is that the latest version of Firefox will be released some time today. If you don't know what Firefox is, then I'll tell you. As I've mentioned in a previous post, Firefox is a faster and, most importantly, a more secure browser. If you're NOT using Firefox, then I am going to assume you are using Internet Explorer or Opera. If you use Opera, you're ok in my book. If you're an IE user, kick yourself in the face, recover, and go download the greatest browser to hit the internet. (Those that are on Macs are ok with Safari, and those that are Linux nerds haven't bothered reading this article)

*UPDATE* It's out today folks. Click on the links above.

Mac OSX Tiger free tutorials

Some really nice tutorials for the noob and also for people that are interested in getting a Mac. Covers the Dashboard and Widgets, using Spotlight, and some other goodies.

Why $5 Gas Is Good For America

"At the climax of his book Twilight in the Desert, Houston investment banker and energy guru Matthew Simmons describes a visit to the world's most powerful oil company, Saudi Aramco, in Dhahran. Simmons listens in horror as a senior manager reveals the kingdom's darkest secret. The old ways no longer suffice. To keep their aging wells productive, the Saudis now rely upon one information age prop after another: advanced analysis of rock cores, 3-D seismic imagery, software for diagnosing underground oil flows - all integrated using something called fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic? The Aramco man tries to explain the science of complex systems and partial information, but Simmons hears only tidings of a bleak future. Obviously, the end of energy as we know it is nigh."

A great read and could possibly be an eye-opener for some of you behemoth SUV drivers.

20 years of Microsoft Windows

Ah, 20 years of the operating system we love to hate. Love - because it does alot of things well (and it plays a big part in how I make my living), and Hate - because of the proprietary nature of the software and the security issues that crop up now and again.

I'll leave you with your balloons and party hats with these photos of the one, the only, Bill Gates (he's so dreamy!!!11)

CD's containing Sony's rootkit - Complete List

Please check this list against your CD collection.

2005's "10 Worst Toys" List

"W.A.T.C.H.'s annual "10 Worst Toys" list nominates representative toys with the potential to cause childhood injuries, or even death. W.A.T.C.H.'s annual "Toy Conference" has generated extensive national press and media coverage. Because of these efforts, and the positive response from both the media and the public, there have been many toy and product design changes. Founder Edward M. Swartz and W.A.T.C.H. have fearlessly exposed potentially dangerous toys to the general public. As a result, children’s lives have been saved."

First of all, if you bought something like this for your kid, you shouldn't have kids to begin with. Secondly, The manufacturer recommends knee pads, elbow pads, gloves, and a helmet. Just look at that kid in the picture. Safety first, kids!

Yes folks, it's true. There's nothing wrong with buying your 5 year old a crossbow that shoots "soft tip arrows" up to thirty feet. "Hey mom, it even has 3 power settings!!"

*recommended for families that still hunt for their food*

Ok, let me stop laughing first. This manufacturer even encourages children to engage in "clobberin' time!" They look like the ass ends of a Tiki god if you ask me.

$100 Laptop!? (continued)

Last month I covered MIT's brave endeavour. Now, it seems like the ball is really rolling.

"Although no contracts with governments have been signed, Mr. Negroponte (founder of MIT's Media Labs) says current plans call for producing five to ten million units beginning in late 2006 or early 2007, with tens of millions more a year later. Five companies -- Google Inc., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Red Hat Inc., News Corp. and Brightstar Corp. -- have each provided $2 million to fund a nonprofit organization called One Laptop Per Child that was set up to oversee the project. Mr. Negroponte says five companies are bidding to make the laptop, although he declined to name them."

MIT even turned down Steve Job's offer of giving each laptop OSX, saying "We declined because it's not Open Source". Well done.

Consumer : 1, Sony BMG : 0

"Sony is to suspend production of CDs using its controversial content protection technology, currently being exploited by a Trojan virus.

The technology employed by Sony to protect its music from illegitimate use was picked up by security software as a rootkit which hid files from Windows and made them impossible to detect. But simply using letters '$sys$' in a filename means that any such file will be hidden, even malicious files. And this is exactly what has happened with the latest virus."

Well, this is a nice change of events. Hopefully Sony BMG will let go of First4Internet and try a different approach.

Sony BMG Summary

Here is what has transpired so far in this debacle:

The DRM software Sony has been shipping on many CDs since April is cloaked with rootkit technology:

* Sony denies that the rootkit poses a security or reliability threat despite the obvious risks of both
* Sony claims that users don’t care about rootkits because they don’t know what a rootkit is
* The installation provides no way to safely uninstall the software
* Without obtaining consent from the user Sony’s player informs Sony every time it plays a “protected” CD

Sony has told the press that they’ve made a decloaking patch and uninstaller available to customers, however this still leaves the following problems:

* There is no way for customers to find the patch from Sony BMG’s main web page
* The patch decloaks in an unsafe manner that can crash Windows, despite my warning to the First 4 Internet developers
* Access to the uninstaller is gated by two forms and an ActiveX control
* The uninstaller is locked to a single computer, preventing deployment in a corporation

Consumers and antivirus companies are responding:

* F-Secure independently identified the rootkit and provides information on its site
* Computer Associates has labeled the Sony software “spyware”
* A lawfirm has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of California consumers against Sony
* ALCEI-EFI, an Italian digital-rights advocacy group, has formally asked the Italian government to investigate Sony for possible Italian law violations.


I'm going to step away from this story (via the blog anyway) for now. I will post anything that's big when it breaks. Please visit Mark's Sysinternal's Blog for more up to date information.

First trojan found that piggybacks Sony's rootkit

"Virus writers have begun taking advantage of Sony-BMG's use of rootkit technology in DRM software bundled with its music CDs.

Sony-BMG's rootkit DRM technology masks files whose filenames start with "$sys$". A newly-discovered variant of of the Breplibot Trojan takes advantage of this to drop the file "$sys$drv.exe" in the Windows system directory.

"This means, that for systems infected by the Sony DRM rootkit technology, the dropped file is entirely invisible to the user. It will not be found in any process and file listing. Only rootkit scanners, such as the free utility RootkitRevealer, can unmask the culprit," warns Ivan Macalintal, a senior threat analyst at security firm Trend Micro"

Thanks again, Sony.

UPDATE: Sony BMG - list of CD's with rootkit

"As we've mentioned before, Sony-BMG has been using copy-protection technology called XCP in its recent CDs. You insert your CD into your Windows PC, click "agree" in the pop up window, and the CD automatically installs software that uses rootkit techniques to cloak itself from you. Sony-BMG has released a "patch" that supposedly "uncloaks" the XCP software, but it creates new problems."

But how do you know whether you've been infected? It turns out Sony-BMG has deployed XCP on a number of titles, in variety of musical genres, on several of its wholly-owned labels.

EFF has confirmed the presence of XCP on the following titles (each has a data session, easily read on a Macintosh, that includes a file called "VERSION.DAT" that announces what version of XCP it is using). If you have one of these CDs, and you have a Windows PC (Macs are totally immune, as usual), you may have caught the XCP bug.

Click here for the list and more information.

UPDATE: Sony BMG

Stemming from yesterday's Da Kine! article, today on NPR, Sony BMG's Thomas Hesse says:

"Most users I think don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care?"

Oh brother. In other words folks, when it comes to Sony BMG installing hidden apps on your pc; what you don't know won't hurt you. Listen to the short NPR broadcast here.

Shame On You, Sony BMG

"Sony's music arm has been accused of using the tactics of virus writers to stop its CDs being illegally copied.

One copy protection system analysed by coder Mark Russinovich uses cloaked files to hide deep inside Windows.

The difficult uninstallation process left Mr Russinovich saying that Sony's anti-piracy efforts had gone "too far".

In response to criticism, Sony BMG said it would provide tools to users and security firms that would reveal the hidden files."

This is unbelievable. Riding on the anti-piracy wave of idiocy, Sony BMG has gone off the deep end on this one. Sony's always been the pusher of their sometimes ridiculous proprietary software/hardware (beta, memory stick, etc) and this cloaked software is no exception to their terrible track record in this regard.

Here is an update on Mr. Russinovich's findings after going to Sony BMG's website for the "patch" to uninstall the rootkit:

"My posting Monday on Sony’s use of a rootkit as part of their Digital Rights Management (DRM) generated an outcry that’s reached the mainstream media. As of this morning the story is being covered in newspapers and media sites around the world including USA Today and the BBC. This is the case of the blogosphere having an impact, at least for the moment. But, there’s more to the story, like how Sony’s patch can lead to a crashed system and data loss and how Sony is still making users jump through hoops to get an uninstaller. At the core of this story, however, is the issue of what disclosure should be required of software End User License Agreements (EULAs) and how the requirements can be made Federal law."

This is a disturbing and eye-opening read on an extremely poorly implemented anti-piracy scheme. Please read the rest of Mr. Russinovich's article here.

I seriously discourage anyone buying any Sony BMG cd's until Sony straightens up.

Why do you have so much junk?

"You have way too much crap.

I'm just guessing. Guessing that right now, in your life, in your closets and in your garage and in your car trunk and in your brain and even in your desk drawer you have way, way too much stuff, far more than any one person or single family needs and, oh my God, have you even seen your closet lately?"

Almost all of us are like this. I try and toss most stuff out if I don't use it in about a year or clothes if I don't wear them within the past 6 months (I live in Arizona, so we HAVE no change of season here ;P). Anyway, it's a good article and it just might give you that motivation to finally get rid of that Levi's jacket from high school or the used 8 track player that your dad gave you for your 16th birthday.

Buh-bye Adam Corolla

Tonight was the last night of Adam Corolla (the guy on the right) guest hosting the famous Loveline radio show which answers questions in regards to love, life and relationships. The perfect marriage of two radio personalities. For some archived shows, visit The Loveline Archive; guaranteed to learn something and at the same time, laugh your ass off.

Desktop and Laptop in 1, by Samsung

"The M70 is a hybrid PC by Samsung. It's a laptop with a detachable 19" screen, so you can use your laptop as a desktop too. What's the use you might think... well, in case you need a bigger screen than a 19", you can connect it to a bigger one or a plasma TV, and your laptop screen can be connected to another PC. And if you're on the go, you just use this PC as any other regular laptop.

When it comes to specs, we get the following:

19" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) HDTV compatible screen, Pentium M770 (2.13GHz) CPU, 1Gb of DDR 533MHz RAM, 100Gb HDD, Wireless LAN, ..."

Nerdy cool, but who in the hell is going to put one of those behemoths on their lap? I don't know about you, but having a laptop means being light and using it like a laptop should be used - mobile. Give me a 15" WSXGA and Wireless G and I'm good.

Windows Live

Windows Live are several applications in beta form that are strictly online and basically just a portal to the internet. Taken directly from Start.com it seems, which isn't surprising. There are already other sites using this sort of technology, one of them I am using right now called Netvibes. Normally I don't use a homepage or any kind of start page, but this one is really nice. It supports RSS/Atom feeds and is VERY simple to setup just the way you want it.

But I regress - Windows Live is a step in the right direction for Microsoft since alot of applications will be going live and online like I've previously blogged about. Of course they didn't come up with the idea, but they have the money to really do something with it. Between them and Google/Sun Microsystems, this is going to be fun to see how this develops, which will bring good and healthy competition. The race is on.

Feel lucky you are part of the new Millenium

"Released in 1981 by the Osborne Computer Corporation, the Osborne 1 is considered to be the first true portable computer - it closes-up for protection, and has a carrying handle. It even has an optional battery pack, so it doesn't have to plugged into the 110VAC outlet for power.

While quite revolutionary, the Osborne does have its limitations. For example, the screen is only 5" (diagonal) in size, and can't display more than 52 characters per line of text. To compensate, you can actually scroll the screen display back and forth with the cursor keys to show lines of text up to 128 characters wide.

The Osborne was designed with transportation in mind - it had to be rugged and able to survive being moved about. That's one reason that the screen is so small - a larger and heavier screen would be more susceptable to damage.

The two pockets beneath the floppy drives work great for floppy disk storage, although the Osborne modem also fits perfectly in the the left pocket and plugs into the front-mounted "modem" port.

Designed as a true portable computer system - it can be considered airline carry-on luggage, and it will fit under the passenger seat of any commercial airliner."

Some knucklehead called this "the first laptop", when clearly, it's not. You're not going to be putting something like this on your lap. Ever. It's the first portable computer, plain and simple. Considering the Osborne 1 back in 1981 cost $2000 (US), you should NEVER complain about the prices of computers or any other technology for that matter. I found that quite a few people that own one of these are proud to say that they still work. :o

Water changes "color" according to temperature

"Remove the top of a spigot, create a small-scale canyon, add backlighting and you've got ambient water fittings. That's what Germany's Hansa is doing with Hansacanyon, by adding LEDs that change color as a function of water temperature so you can see when it's hot or cold. Also included; precise temperature control, for sinks, baths and showers."

This is one of those kick-yourself-in-the-shin ideas. Why the heck didn't someone think of this sooner? Absolutely brilliant.

hansa.de

Catholic Principal bans blogging

"When students post their faces, personal diaries and gossip on Web sites like Myspace.com and Xanga.com, it is not simply harmless teen fun, according to one Sussex County Catholic school principal.

It's an open invitation to predators and an activity that Pope John XIII Regional High School in Sparta will no longer tolerate, the Rev. Kieran McHugh told a packed assembly of 900 high school students two weeks ago.

Effective immediately, and over student complaints, the teens were told to dismantle their Myspace.com accounts or similar sites with personal profiles and blogs. Defy the order and face suspension, students were told."

Wait a second; explain to me how the school would know if you were blogging or not from your own home? It's one thing to block access from a school's network (they can do what they want, really) but another thing entirely to be governing what sites you visit in the comfort of your own chair?

What's next? "I'm sorry to inform the student body that from now on you will be forced to sleep fully clothed."??!

*smacks forehead*

The Mazda Sassou

"Designed for "net-savvy youngsters", the new concept hatchback, Mazda Sassou, ditches the traditional cylinder lock key system in favor of USB flash drives. In addition to starting the engine, the flash drives can be used to transfer driving directions for long trips along with the latest songs for the day to the Sassou's internal hard drive."

Not only is the platform nice looking but the design ideas are well implemented, too. Do yourself a favor and check out the video.

Nano owners sue Apple

"Lawsuit alleges music player’s screen scratches easily, rendering it unreadable.
October 20, 2005

Consumers angry about what they say is the iPod nano screen’s tendency to scratch easily have filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple Computer, saying they want their money back plus a share of the company’s profits on the music player’s sales."

Alright. What the hell is wrong with people? Why is this country so sue happy, hm? Just like that whack-job woman who sued McDonald's for 2.7 million dollars because she was adding cream and sugar to her coffee in the drive thru while holding the cup between her legs.

WHAT?!?!

And what about that stupid woman that tried to sue Wendy's because she claimed she found a severed finger in her chili? Get a job instead of trying to weasel money out of big businesses.

About the Nano article - where do these people get off wanting a "share of the company's profits on the music player's sales"? So, can I sue my truck manufacturer because I scratched it? Oh, and since I scratched it because I'm an idiot, please give me a fully loaded Tahoe.

Dolts.

CBS to distribute shows via iTunes

"CBS will distribute its free podcasts, from "60 Minutes" to the long-running soap "Guiding Light," on Apple's iTunes Music Store, CBS Digital President Larry Kramer said Monday. The extensive suite of CBS podcasts includes news, entertainment, and sports programming on television, radio, and CBS Digital media sites including CBS.com, CBSNews.com, UPN.com and CBS SportsLine.com. The content can now be accessed from the iTunes Podcast Directory, as well as CBS Digital media sites, and will be highlighted in customized iTunes pages promoting the full offering of CBS podcasts for each respective CBS Digital Media property."

You don't have iTunes you say?! Blasphemy. Get it here.

The World's smallest Linux computer

GEEK time!! Yes folks, it's the smallest Linux computer on this planet called Earth. Thoughtfully named the Picotux 100, it's just barely larger than the size of an RJ-45 jack. Like most motorist's brains, it is indeed miniscule.



Here are this bad boy's specs:

Technical Specs

Processor: 32-bit ARM 7 Netsilicon NS7520
Processor Clock: 55 MHz
Flash Memory: 2 MB
RAM: 8 MB SDRAM
Ethernet: 10/100 Mbit, HD and FD, auto sensing
Serial (TTL): Up to 230.400 bps
General Input/Output Pins(TTL): 5, can be used as Handshake
LED for Ethernet: 2; green (programmable) and yellow (Carrier)

Supply Voltage: 3,3 Volt +- 5%
Supply Current: 250 mA

Operating System: uClinux 2.4.27 Big Endian (native)
Shell: Busybox 1.0 and others
File Systems: CRAMFS, JFFS2, NFS
Applications: Webserver, Telnet
Size of the Linux Systems in Flash: 720 KB and more
Protected Bootloader for Update over Network: 64 KB Code

Development System: GNU Tool chain
Compiler GCC 3.4.4 for C/C++ and Fortran
Binutils 2.15
Library: uClibc 0.9.26

Dimensions:
Height: 19 mm
Width: 19 mm
Deep: 36 mm
Package: Shielded by metal
Weight: ca.18 g
Ambient Temperature: -40°C to 85°C

Sure, you won't be playing games on it, but it's very impressive nonetheless. Ok, I'm off my geek box now. You may go back to your regularly scheduled programming.

The new iPod

Yes, I am a couple of days late. I almost didn't want to post about them simply because there is a sea of other places to get that information. But, the geek in me simply cannot at least post a tidbit on the newest iPod in Apple's lineup.

For the same price ($299 US) as last year's 20GB offering, you get:

• a smaller form factor
  
• more storage; now at 30GB
  
• and top that off with video playback
  

Amazing price for such features. If i had bought last year's iPod, I wouldn't be a happy camper right about now. Here are a couple of pics to drool over. Oh, and did I mention you can get it in black now?





You can check out a short video review of it here. It will give you some reference as to how small this new iPod really is.

Jared from Subway

How long is Subway going to hang on to this guy? I mean, it's great that he lost a gazillion pounds and can finally fit through a door frame, but he sure is milking Subway for what it's worth. I can't stand the guy. I'm not too sure if I can put a finger on it, but I'd say that when he gets that smirk on his face when he's trying to hide his teeth - ugh, I just want to throw fried chicken at him.



"The last time I had sex? With another person?"





"I'm telling you...it's baby spinach - look again"

Come on Subway, dump the dead weight (Ed:do you see what I did there?). Even Snuggle fabric softener's pink Teddy Bear mascot gives Jared a run for the money.

Microsoft and Yahoo to link Instant Message networks

By Nate Mook, BetaNews
October 11, 2005, 8:07 PM

"Microsoft and Yahoo are set to announce on Wednesday a blockbuster interoperability deal that will reshape the landscape of the fragmented instant messaging market. The companies will connect their IM networks so users on each can communicate with one another using text and voice chat free of charge."

A million years late but better than never, right? Wrong. Those of you that don't know about the convenience of Trillian or Gaim need to take a look at both of those great instant messenger alternatives.

Both support your MSN, Yahoo, AOL, and even ICQ accounts - all in ONE application. Trillian has more features than Gaim, but "weighs in" more; not as much as the bloated offerings of MSN or Yahoo though (not sure how much of a monstrosity the AOL messenger is). Here are a couple of screenshots of both applications:

Trillian



Gaim




Try both of these if you haven't yet. Both are free, but Trillian has a Pro version that REALLY adds some nice extra features if you're so inclined.

Until next time: lol, roflmao, bbiab, ttyl, kthx.

$100 Laptop!?

"A research project at the MIT Media Lab has a plan for getting $100 laptops in the hands of millions of people around the world. One notable feature is a hand crank for providing power in places where electricity is undependable or unavailable."

Some of the cool features:

• Will run an undetermined (at the time of this article) Linux operating system
  
• Built-in WiFi
  
• Four usb ports
  
• 12" screen that can be switched from full color to black and white for easy reading in direct sunlight
  
• 500MHz processor with 1GB of RAM
  

Created for children in developing countries? I want one!

"While the initial goal of the project is to work with governments, Negroponte said MIT is considering licensing the design or giving it to a third-party company to build commercial versions of the PC. "Those might be available for $200, and $20 or $30 will come back to us to make the kids' laptops. We're still working on that," he said."

I'd certainly buy one for $200. You can read the entire article here.

Man-made diamonds challenging Debeer's monopoly

"BOSTON - In the back room of an unmarked brown building in a run-down strip mall, eight machines, each the size of a bass drum, are making diamonds.

That's right -— making diamonds. Real ones, all but indistinguishable from the stones formed by a billion or so years' worth of intense pressure, later to be sold at Tiffany's."



Very interesting read. I ran across an article two years ago in Wired magazine that spoke of another company called Gemesis that also is in the business of making home-grown diamonds. That article, which is a great read, is here.

Now, don't go all nutty saying "OMGAH! you like diamonds??!!?". Well, yeah, but not for aesthetic reasons. It's the hardest substance known to man therefore allowing it to withstand tremendous amounts of heat without damage to it - technically it can handle extremely high thermal conductivity.

What this means is that today's silicon based microprocessors could one day be replaced with a diamond "core" allowing for some truly insane speeds that today's microchips would literally liquify under the same conditions. For comparison, today's microchips can run as much as around 93.3C/200F. Diamond based chips could handle MUCH more than that while providing speeds that we can only dream of at this point.

Move over ladies; diamonds will soon become a geek's best friend.

Google and Sun Microsystems taking on Microsoft?

"MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Sun Microsystems and Google announced a multiyear partnership Tuesday to help spread and develop each other's software, a deal that includes OpenOffice.org, Java and OpenSolaris from Sun, and Google's Toolbar.

The software the companies are working on all directly compete with Microsoft--for example, Java provides an alternative programming foundation to Windows and Microsoft's .Net, and OpenOffice competes directly with Microsoft Office. The Google Toolbar, meanwhile, leads to Google's services and not those Microsoft is trying to promote through MSN."

Alrighty then. I'm all for this collaboration, but perhaps the vision of handling word-processing, email, and other applications solely online doesn't sit well with me. I'm not concerned with the privacy factor of it because, really, if you want to get down to it, NOTHING is private over the internet. Perhaps that's for a later discussion, but for now we'll stay....on....topic.

Right then - handling most of your applications online is a little shaky. If you think about it, you would be depending on their servers to NOT crash in the middle of a, for example, online version of Power Point. Some might argue that "hey, you're doing this anyway from your own PC - who says that it wouldn't crash in the middle of a presentation?". From a corporate standpoint, your local IT guy can just replace the PC in question in a matter of minutes. "Hah, but the Power Point presentation is on the local drive! I got you!!!!!!111", you say. If the only copy you had was on the local drive and not on a network drive, then you're a retard and shouldn't be presenting anything other than a boxen of donuts every morning.


On the other hand, I just like the fact that this can be good competition for Microsoft since Sun's Open Office is completely free and a great alternative to Microsoft Office at home or a small business.

Since Google's been gearing to roll out an ad supported but free Wifi in select cities, they are really taking on a whole new look other than the usual "yeah, just google it".

So there seems that this is mostly a good move, although the outcome of this announcement was a let down because of no mention of an operating system.

All hail Google! (or not)

The return of a Classic (no, not me, smart@ss)

" Some sobering news for anyone who has recently crested 40: Everything you grew up with is now officially retro. Clothes, music, hair styles — even video games.

Long before Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, there was Pong, a simple video game from Nolan Bushnell and the folks at the original Atari Inc. Two paddles, one ball and no Hot Coffee mod to unlock hidden sex scenes. THAT was gaming. "

I'm not quite forty yet, but man, does this thing bring back memories. My brother and I used to go nuts over Combat. It was the most fun and doubly frustrating game in existence. Here's a screenshot of what this game looked like:




(LOL. That's just nuts how old school that is.)

Anyway, it was fun to blast your opponent across the map, but frustrating as hell when you see his "shell" coming, but your tank is so damn slow you can only sit there and watch getting smacked across the screen. But, that's the funniest bit, so you didn't care after it happened because you were too busy wiping the tears from your eyes.

Of course this console doesn't support HD resolutions, component, or even S-video. Just LOOK at that screenshot. Why would you WANT higher resolution blocks? Answer: you don't.

GG Atari.

OH NOOOOOESS!!!11

Quick update: My motherboard decided to go belly up this weekend, so I had to order a replacement and bought some other new components in the process. Some of the articles that I had saved to the hard drive for posting will have to be rescued before re-installing Windows.

Right now i'm posting from a pc that only has a motherboard, power supply, a stick of RAM, and a cd-rom drive that's currently holding a cd of a Debian based Linux operating system with the Enlightenment desktop environment. It's a great backup tool since you have the ability to surf, check email, chat, or even watch dvd's (on a separate dvd-rom drive of course), all without installing a single thing to your hard drive. A operating system strictly running from a cd; nuts I say. Here is a link to a screenshot so you have an idea of what I'm using right now.

In case you're interested in other Linux live cd's, here is a list consisting of a plethora of live linux distros. (heh, plethora).

I'll be back in a couple of days. Ciao.

Gas prices skyrocketing because of Rita??

It sure looks like it.

Pimping the Podcasts

Yes, this is old news for some, and is definitely for me, but just in case you've not heard of Podcasts, this blog is for you. If you're Podcast savvy, then move along; if you're not, or have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, read on.

Podcasts are a method of publishing audio programs via the internet. The client, you in this case, would subscribe to a feed, and as soon as the latest audio program was uploaded by the creator, your podcast aggregator would automatically download it. Being usually of an .mp3 format, you can transfer this to a digital audio player of your choosing or burn it to cd just like any other .mp3 track. This phenomenon really caught on towards the end of 2004 and has grown from a handful of feeds to thousands of them.

Podcasts have become so popular, that iTunes has built-in support right out of the "box". In my opinion, it's much easier to navigate and subsribe using iTunes than other aggregators. But, in case you want to keep your options open, you can check out other applications here.

Within that list is the iTunes software which I recommend for its sheer simplicity to subscribe, download, and listen to podcasts.



Here are a few of my favorites (mostly tech talk):

Diggnation
This Week In Tech
The Daily Source Code (with Adam Curry)

Again, there are plenty of topics to choose from. There are some directories to browse if you haven't downloaded iTunes yet; Podcast.net and iPodder.org are both good sources. You'll definitely find something that interests you among these choices.

So get to downloading and take a listen while enjoying what is proving to be the future of audio broadcasts.

Amazing Underwater Photography

The man’s name is David Doubilet. He’s photographed over 60 stories for none other than National Geographic magazine since 1971.  Please do yourself a favor and take a look at his website. The shot above, taken in the Camen Islands, is just one of many jaw-dropping visuals you’ll see there.

This blog will especially tickle the fancy of a certain friend in Nova Scotia who loves Mother Ocean as much as I do.

Aloha

Wave bye bye to WinMX

"It is the end of an era folks. The WinMX P2P network is no longer running. The Peer Cache servers as well as the company website are no more. As of late last night (approx. 4-6 hours ago) the servers went down and users were no longer able to connect to the network."


This was a good p2p application back in the day, but it looks like they're trying to avoid being sued by the almighty RIAA. All this means is WinMX users, which there were alot of, will flock to yet another app. RIP.

Quick Quote (#1)

"Clones are people two"

Dolby Headphone

Although it will never replace a real surround setup, Dolby labs has come up with a fantastic virtual 5.1 (but I use the ".1" loosely) for use with a normal set of headphones. This technology uses a highly sophisticated room modeling algorithm that mimics surround sound very convincingly.

Put on your headphones, and take a listen. Click on the orange headphones on the right of the page.



The flash demo: Very convincing for only two speakers. These types of demos REALLY sound amazing on a proper setup, but this particular demo surprised me with it's depth and spacial cues.

The trailer demo: Not much separation there. Depth was almost non existent also. A poor demo, in my opinion.

Super Speedway demo: Well, I own this particular dvd, so no matter what I'm going to be biased. This demo lets you know via text that's located above the movie whether it's in stereo or surround. Again, better than I thought it would be, but doesn't hold a candle to a proper setup. *note* if you enjoy auto racing at ALL and have a 5.1 system, this is a must-have dvd.

No special effects. No stuntmen. No stereotypes. No other feeling comes close.

Step Into Liquid

If you haven't seen this documentary and have any interest in water sports and especially Mother Ocean, I highly recommend purchasing this dvd. I've never seen such stunning camera work for any water sport. There is also a bonus Hi-Def dvd included to view on your PC. Nothing short of amazing, this bit of film. Click on this topic title to view their website.

Click here for a preview. It's a short clip of a 40+ foot wave being surfed about 100 miles off the coast of San Diego at Cortes Bank. You've never seen anything like it.

The Complete Calvin And Hobbes

My favorite comic strip of all time, now sold with all 3 books in one collector's edition. To celebrate this occasion, Bill Watterson, creator, has re-released the classic comic for a limited time thru December 31st in newspapers across the country.

(Random Thought #1) The Sneeze

Have you ever noticed how ugly people look when they sneeze? Check it out sometime. If your friend/spouse/whatever looks like they're about to, take a good look and focus on their face. Better yet, whip out that phone cam and snap a pic. Man, that's got to be the ugliest look the human face can muster - it's that bad.

If your reflexes are truly as good as you boast to your friends and you actually manage to get that picture, send it to the email addy in my profile (be sure to put the word "Sneeze" in the subject line or it's automatically garbage) and I'll post it here. Don't worry, I'll make sure their faces are anonymous.

This is Eric, from emotioneric.com. This is the inhale part of the sneeze. I'd rather have the exhale bit, but if you get something like this, that's alright.



And hey, ladies and gents, don't bother trying to catch yourself sneezing in the mirror since the end result of trying to keep your eyes open is the equivalent of forcing oatmeal through your eye sockets. You have been warned.

(Official Rant #1) What is it with cupholders?

/rant

Ever notice that the cupholders in cars absolutely suck? They're either domestic and big enough to hold wine barrels or they're the import sized shot glass holders. What's the deal? My previous import cars were all inadequate to hold anything properly. For example, I used to drive a 90's Honda Civic. There were so many things wrong with the cup holder in this car:

* It was located right in front of the stick shift, making it impossible not to knock that already wobbly fountain drink onto the floor board while shifting into 3rd or 5th gear.

* You couldn't fit two bottles/cups/containers next to each other. So, whoever the lucky person was in the passenger seat got to hold theirs between their legs or hold theirs AND mine because not only wouldn't it fit in the cupholder, but I was driving a manual transmission and couldn't hold it myself. Bad luck :(

* You couldn't fit anything taller than a pepper shaker there because the radio was directly above it. Who the hell designed this? The Keebler elves?

Now I own a domestic. You'd think I'd be happier with larger cup holders, but unfortunately this is not the case. Sure, if I'm drinking out of a milk jug, I'm good to go, but let's face it - drinking from milk jugs is so 90's. Pfft.

Everything I like to drink just hates my cupholders and winds up leaning against my leg when I make a right hand turn. Ridiculous.

At this point you're saying to yourself "He must not have been in a *insert make of car here*." Of course I've not done a cup holder test on all makes of cars, and why should I? Can't there be a standard size for all?

Maybe I have been shopping for vehicles incorrectly all these years. The next time I purchase a car this will be a top consideration only second to gas mileage.

/rant

My Top 5 Playstation games

In lieu of Playstation's 10 year birthday here in the U.S., I've decided to pick out 5 games that:

* I still own.

* I still play.


So without further ado, because I know you're just underwhelmed with curiousity, here are my top 5 Playstation games in no particular order:

Metal Gear Solid



Ohhh man. Perhaps one of the greatest games on any platform, this game has it all - great graphics, impeccable gameplay, and an amazing story. I played through it twice because of the alternate endings. If you've never played any incarnation of Metal Gear, kick yourself in the back of the neck and call it a day.

Crash Bandicoot



Fantastically fun game. The graphics, the goofball sound effects and humorous moments are too numerous to mention. And who can deny a gaming company named Naughty Dog? Good stuff.


Tekken



My favorite fighting series. Yes, it's pretty easy for a noob to pick up the controller, mash buttons like he's a crackhead killing "bugs", then surprise you with some combos from hell, but if you know what you're doing, you can keep these kinds of opponents at bay. Great fun against your friends. But be forewarned: Lots of yelling and shouting of obscenities occur frequently.

Gran Turismo



The first and still the ONLY video game series that actually feels like driving without leaving the comfort of your home. This series is worth getting a Playstation in itself. The only other game that has come close to this was Sega's Ferriari F355 Challenge.

Battle Arena Toshinden



This game was my first true 3D fighting experience. The game wasn't perfect - had a bit of slowdown, controls were sometimes slow - but it had atmosphere, cool looking characters and weapons. What more could a guy ask for? Are you kidding me? Quite a bit I'm afraid, but it doesn't involve sitting around a tv.

And there you have it folks, my top 5 Playstation games of all time. If you see a game that you think should be in my top five, well, too bad. Write your own damn blog.