My parents live about 20 minutes away from this small town on the Oregon coast called Bandon. I was just there over the holidays and found out from my brother that they can get a fiber connection to the door for internet services! With a population of less than 3000, that's pretty amazing. Here is a video ad from Hitatchi about the town.
30.12.06
16.12.06
Will Smith Can Act...Even Back In The "Fresh" Years
I don't usually get too sappy, but wayyy back in the 90's when I used to watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I remember seeing this episode and for the first time realized that Will Smith could actually act. I mean, he played a great comedic role, but this part was something you had never seen him do before. Powerful stuff.
Watch it!
Watch it!
Gizmondo's Spectacular Crack-up
Directors of the game device company went on living large long after their handheld flopped. Then a high-speed Ferrari crash blew their world to bits.
"THE BUMP IN THE ROAD that ended Bo Stefan Eriksson's fantastic ride is practically invisible. From 10 feet away, all you can see is the ragged edge of a tar-seamed crack in an otherwise smooth sheet of pavement. Only the location is impressive - a sweet stretch of straightaway on California's Pacific Coast Highway near El Pescador state beach, just past the eucalyptus-shaded mansions of the Malibu hills. On that patch of broken asphalt, there's barely enough lip to stub a toe. Of course, when you hit it at close to 200 miles per hour, as police say Eriksson did in the predawn light last February 21, while behind the wheel of a 660-horsepower Ferrari Enzo, consequences magnify."
I just recently read this story in my October issue of Wired magazine and it's an insanely real story of tech, mafia, millions of dollars, and a few men that had everyone fooled.
Read More..
Pictures of the accident (LA Times)
"THE BUMP IN THE ROAD that ended Bo Stefan Eriksson's fantastic ride is practically invisible. From 10 feet away, all you can see is the ragged edge of a tar-seamed crack in an otherwise smooth sheet of pavement. Only the location is impressive - a sweet stretch of straightaway on California's Pacific Coast Highway near El Pescador state beach, just past the eucalyptus-shaded mansions of the Malibu hills. On that patch of broken asphalt, there's barely enough lip to stub a toe. Of course, when you hit it at close to 200 miles per hour, as police say Eriksson did in the predawn light last February 21, while behind the wheel of a 660-horsepower Ferrari Enzo, consequences magnify."
I just recently read this story in my October issue of Wired magazine and it's an insanely real story of tech, mafia, millions of dollars, and a few men that had everyone fooled.
Read More..
Pictures of the accident (LA Times)
9.12.06
Verizon Needs To Learn Math
This is just shows how amazingly stupid people can really be. This guy George must be going nuts:
"Here's the background:
I have a Verizon unlimited data plan in the U.S. and recently crossed the border to Canada. Prior to crossing the border I called customer service to find out what rates I'd be paying for voice and data. The data rate I was quoted was ".002 cents per kilobyte."
I was surprised at the rate so I confirmed it with the representative I spoke to, and she confirmed it "point zero zero two cents per kilobyte." I asked her to note that in my account.
I received my bill and was charged $.002/KB - which is dollars - "point zero zero 2 dollars per kilobyte". As it is translated to cents would be .2 cents or 2 tenths of a cent - which is a 100 times greater rate than I was quoted.
My bill for my data usage in Canada was therefore much greater than I had expected - using the quote I was provided before my usage.
I have tried to resolve this issue with customer service reps on the phone, but noone seems to see the difference between ".002 cents" and ".002 dollars".
Here is the audio of my most recent call with them on the matter. I started recording when they put on the supoervisor - I was a bit ticked at that point.
Who knew what confusion "$1 = 100 cents" could cause?
I'm still currently on the hook for the $71 and change. Hopefully someone at Verizon will figure this out and make ammends.
"
Read More
Or, if you want to hear the short clip of George trying to teach math to the phone monkeys, take a listen.
"Here's the background:
I have a Verizon unlimited data plan in the U.S. and recently crossed the border to Canada. Prior to crossing the border I called customer service to find out what rates I'd be paying for voice and data. The data rate I was quoted was ".002 cents per kilobyte."
I was surprised at the rate so I confirmed it with the representative I spoke to, and she confirmed it "point zero zero two cents per kilobyte." I asked her to note that in my account.
I received my bill and was charged $.002/KB - which is dollars - "point zero zero 2 dollars per kilobyte". As it is translated to cents would be .2 cents or 2 tenths of a cent - which is a 100 times greater rate than I was quoted.
My bill for my data usage in Canada was therefore much greater than I had expected - using the quote I was provided before my usage.
I have tried to resolve this issue with customer service reps on the phone, but noone seems to see the difference between ".002 cents" and ".002 dollars".
Here is the audio of my most recent call with them on the matter. I started recording when they put on the supoervisor - I was a bit ticked at that point.
Who knew what confusion "$1 = 100 cents" could cause?
I'm still currently on the hook for the $71 and change. Hopefully someone at Verizon will figure this out and make ammends.
"
Read More
Or, if you want to hear the short clip of George trying to teach math to the phone monkeys, take a listen.
8.12.06
Michigan, You Suck
In a recent bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives, it makes it a crime for a man to "change or attempt to change an existing housing or cohabitation arrangement" with a pregnant significant other, to "file or attempt to file for a divorce" from his pregnant wife or to "withdraw or attempt to withdraw financial support" from a woman whom he has been supporting -- if it is determined that the man is doing these things to try to pressure the woman to terminate her pregnancy.
Um, what??
OK, in its most basic sense you either get put under "house arrest" or get sent to jail because you decide that you do not want to live with a pregnant female. So, say the guy got a better paying job in another town. She doesn't want to move because she is content with where she lives (maybe her best friend or parents live in the same town). Tough shit guy - you get to plant your ass and not move ahead if she's still pregnant and doesn't want to go. Nice.
Turn the tables for a second: what if she wanted to move but you didn't? Guess what? That law sounds like you have to go no matter what or you could possibly be slapped with "changing or attempting to change an existing housing or cohabitation arrangement".
Oh boy. If anybody thinks this is a good idea, you can kiss my ass. We already know how biased things are in the courtroom when it comes to a divorce and this is just icing on the cake for some conniving bitches.
Read More
Um, what??
OK, in its most basic sense you either get put under "house arrest" or get sent to jail because you decide that you do not want to live with a pregnant female. So, say the guy got a better paying job in another town. She doesn't want to move because she is content with where she lives (maybe her best friend or parents live in the same town). Tough shit guy - you get to plant your ass and not move ahead if she's still pregnant and doesn't want to go. Nice.
Turn the tables for a second: what if she wanted to move but you didn't? Guess what? That law sounds like you have to go no matter what or you could possibly be slapped with "changing or attempting to change an existing housing or cohabitation arrangement".
Oh boy. If anybody thinks this is a good idea, you can kiss my ass. We already know how biased things are in the courtroom when it comes to a divorce and this is just icing on the cake for some conniving bitches.
Read More
The Future Of RFID (Radio Frequency Identity)
"Cool, Surprising and Scary: 51 Futuristic Uses for RFID.
Wal-Mart swears by it, CASPIAN thinks it’s the devil in disguise, the government hopes to profit from it, and the common man is confused by all the hype surrounding it – love it or hate it, there’s no turning back the clock on RFID folks, this is one technology that’s here to stay and go places. It’s being used in numerous applications, from tracking items along the supply chain to monitoring the whereabouts of kids and the elderly. It’s been kicking up a storm of privacy issues, and the FDA approval for VeriChip to implant human beings in the name of medical advances hasn’t done anything to settle the dust."
Read More
There ARE some instances were RFID in humans would work just fine. Parolees and ex-cons for example (especially anyone convicted of a crime against any child). For the rest of us, you'd have to be a complete idiot to want one of these whether it's in your credit card (Mastercard's OneSmart, Mobile's SpeedPass, etc), in your car, or even more profound, embedded in under your skin.
All of these are quite unsecure and have been hacked with the RFID unique identifier (MAC address) cloned to be used elsewhere. Should you need to worry about, literally, a personal firewall for your body? Ridiculous? I don't think so.
7.12.06
James Kim: 1971 - 2006
By Greg Sandoval
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: December 6, 2006, 6:04 PM PST
"James Kim was a respected expert on cutting-edge digital devices, an owner of a trendy clothing store, and a lover of the futuristic-sounding music known as electronica.
Yet, according to friends, most of Kim's life revolved around old-fashioned values: sacrifice, friendship and family. Those who knew him say they aren't surprised that Kim, in the last act of his life, demonstrated the ultimate expression of devotion to his wife and daughters.
The body of the 35-year-old Kim was discovered Wednesday in a rugged wilderness area in southern Oregon. He had set out across snow and ice with only tennis shoes to protect his feet. He had eaten little in the seven days since his car got stuck.
"Anyone that knows James will tell you that he would do anything to protect his family," said Jason Zemlicka, a friend of 10 years and former co-worker. "I know him and he must have believed he was going to get somewhere."
Friends and co-workers now mourn Kim, but say they will celebrate his success at helping to accomplish his most important goal during that desperate week in the woods: the rescue of his wife, Kati Kim, and the couple's two daughters, Penelope, 4, and Sabine, seven months."
Sad indeed. He was the only guy on CNet that I could stand. You could tell that he knew what he was talking about - that he did his research better than the other reviewers and and you could see the excitement in his eyes when he spoke. The sign of a true geek. I should know.
My thoughts go out to his family and especially his wife and two daughters.
RIP, man.
Read More..
Original Story
1.12.06
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
