Rantings of a Non-Conformist

RIAA Now Seeks to Conquer Satellite Radio

2005-11-10T13:23:00.000-05:00

"With the appearance of the HD Radio Content Protection Act of 2005 (PDF) (HDRCPA), the RIAA has spelled out its plans for world domination controlling its music after it leaves the airwaves."

"The RIAA and MPAA envision a future where their control extends into every computer and consumer electronics device you own, and where you will have to pay every step of the way."

OH WTF???!!! They RIAA has managed to litigate everyone else to death. Why not shoot for satellite radio? Next they'll outlaw CD's and make people buy one-time use discs that'll melt after you finish playing the song. They've gone out of control for far too long. What can anyone do to stop em?

Sony's Rootkit - The Root of All (DRM) Evil?

2005-11-03T15:11:00.000-05:00

Not quite ALL, but you just a prime example of where it's headed. The wrong way. Is it just me or is technology getting less fun by the day?

Just came out of my bunker

2005-11-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

Political wars just take everything out of you. It never sleeps, eats, watches tv, takes breaks, or rests. It's a killing machine and you can never be certain which sides people are on.

Holy Crap!!! Has it been almost a month??? Man I feel like taking the next two months off...

About Links

2005-10-11T18:58:00.000-04:00

I think people have been missing the links for each post I make. It's the title of the post (the one with the arrow next to it). This template just does it that way. Maybe I should put a disclaimer. :)

Now you can go back and enjoy the full experience of my posts!!! =D

Schoolgirl Backdrops Mugger

2005-10-03T20:30:00.000-04:00

Is this real? Who cares? It's cool to watch! Wicked funny if it was though!

Bats might be origin of SARS

2005-10-03T12:01:00.000-04:00

"Bats, which apparently show little symptoms of disease from infection with these viruses, make "more sense" as reservoirs for SARS than civets did..."

Hopefully, the brilliant communist government in China won't eradicate thousands of bats to "solve" their SARS problem. It'd be nice if we could study them and finally have a cure for this thing.

eDonkey (As We Know It) Is No More

2005-09-30T16:27:00.000-04:00

"... we have instead prepared to convert eDonkey’s user base to an online content retailer operating in a 'closed' P2P environment"
-Sam Yagan, President of Metamachine

"... letters sent Sept. 15 by the RIAA to seven prominent P2P networks, demanding that they either implement technology acceptable to the RIAA or shut down. eDonkey, which is owned by MetaMachine, received one of the letters, as did WinMX, LimeWire, BearShare, and others."

WTF??? Since when did the RIAA run this country??? Greedy bastards have consistently brought this country down. I don't see how this would be any different and might even be one of the worst.

When in doubt, blame everything on the scapegoat of the year

2005-09-30T13:20:00.000-04:00

A CIA-Did-It Defense for Scooter in the Plame Leak Case?

"It goes something like this: Wilson wrote his Times article. All hell broke loose. The White House asked, "Who authorized this trip?" Someone called the CIA for information. The CIA reported back that Wilson was contacted by the counter-proliferation office, where his wife Valerie was working. But--and here's the crucial "but"--the CIA did not tell the White House that Valerie was undercover. Thus, if any White House officials--say, Rove or Libby--repeated this information to reporters, then they may have been engaged in leaking classified and sensitive information to discredit a critic but they were not committing a crime. And who was at fault? George Tenet, the CIA director at the time."

Damn. This administration has the uncanny DISABILITY to never be able to point their fingers at themselves. Talk about spin. Of course they had months to come up with this flimsy piece of shit that no one believes, but can't disprove. Just lovely. We should start calling Bushy-boy the Teflon W. WTF?

Tyra's Boobs ARE Real

2005-09-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

Model has sonogram to show she doesn't have breast implants"

I knew it. We all WANTED them to be real and that's about the best piece of evidence you can get. Can you imagine any other "celeb" with the balls to do this? Not that I care...

Attackers Choose Fortune Over Fame

2005-09-21T11:18:00.000-04:00

"Attackers are developing portfolios of techniques for making money with cybercrime."

"Widespread attacks by hackers seeking notoriety are becoming less popular, as cybercriminals instead focus on targeted attacks for profit, Symantec Corp. reported Monday in its biannual Internet Security Threat Report."

Just like gangs, drug cartels, and the mob, hackers are now in the business of extorting, blackmailing, and black-marketing. Whatever happened to the days of hacking for fun? Yeesh.

Hallelujah! - Opera is now FREE!!!

2005-09-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

Feel Free: Opera Eliminates Ad Banner and Licensing Fee

"Opera Software today (09/20/05) permanently removed the ad banner and licensing fee from its award-winning Web browser. The ad-free, full-featured Opera browser is now available for download - completely free of charge – at http://www.opera.com."

Booya! Now there's absolutely no reason to switch over to the best browser there is. Yes, I have and use Firefox, but it's still too buggy for me. Eventually, they'll get there. In the meantime, I'll stick with Opera.

What comes to mind when you see a gas sign

2005-09-15T16:38:00.000-04:00

I know this is old news, but I enjoyed the message...

Infectious Disease Research in and Around New Orleans

2005-09-14T16:18:00.000-04:00

"The Memory Hole blog is asking reporters to look into the condition of New Orleans and Covington Level-3 biolabs, which handled anthrax, mousepox, HIV, plague and other horrible and contagious diseases and biological weapons. One lab kept 5,000 DISEASED MONKEYS in outdoor cages. Where are they now?"

- The Raw Feed

Oh WTF??? This is so FUBAR!!! That's it! No more Mardi Gras for me!

Poor Indian Village Gets Wi-Fi

2005-09-14T16:12:00.000-04:00

"The Indian village of Sarohan is so poor, then don't have electricity and the nearest telephone is nearly four miles away. But now they have solar-powered WI-FI, which they use for VoIP phone calls. The hotspot is part of IIT Kanpur’s Digital Gangetic Plain Project, which has wirelessly enabled 10 villages in the area. (IIT is India's MIT). The villagers use the telephone mainly to call relatives in the city and ask for money."

- The Raw Feed

Uhhhhh... Solar-powered Wi-Fi aside, they put a hotspot in the middle of a powerless village??? How dumb is that??? Their VOIP phones and laptops won't charge themselves! Who am I kidding? Where are they gonna get laptops? I'm sure IIT Kanpur's providing the phones.

Maybe it's just me, but wouldn't it make more sense to spend the money on giving them actual electricity?

Boyfriend Murdered Over Online Games

2005-09-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

"An online gamer in China's northeast was killed by his girlfriend for spending too much time playing online games, Beijing Morning Post reports. According to the report, the couple moved to Beijing to earn money for their wedding, but the boyfriend began playing online games after he was unable to find a job. The girlfriend killed her boyfriend during a fight on August 6."

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I can't stop chuckling to myself. Though a bit on the extreme side, many of us have found ourselves in very similar circumstances.

Smiling Banned From British Passports

2005-09-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

"Smiling has been BANNED from British passport photos because new face-recognition technology works better in the absence of facial expression."

- The Raw Feed

So what are the photographers supposed to say instead of "Smile!" now? I wonder what cops say when they take mug shots? This is as dumb as it gets.

Honda Develops World’s First Production Motorcycle Airbag System

2005-09-14T15:48:00.000-04:00

Way to go Honda!!! Only they could do it first! Gotta love the way their engineers churn out one technical marvel after another. Maybe now your parents/wife/husband/gf/bf/partner will "let" you get a bike. ;)

802.11n rivals agree to merge

2005-09-14T15:46:00.000-04:00

And here I've been thinking to myself that we'll be on 54G for the rest of our lives... Harks back to the X2/K56Flex days, no?

ESRB Demands Publisher Audit For Hidden Game Content

2005-09-14T15:32:00.000-04:00

Sigh... Like I said in an earlier post:

"Leave our games alone!"

Games were never meant for tight-assed, humorless dweebs that feel compelled to make the world squeaky-clean. It's the same fuss made during the early days of Rock-n-Roll, simulated sex on tv, and tampon commercials. It's all over-reaction BS. Leave it be.

Intel chips cost $40 to make

2005-09-14T15:29:00.000-04:00

Intel chips and music cd's. The biggest electronics-related ripoffs of the last 20 years. I'm sure there are lots more, but I just have an issue with those two.

Google Earth threatens democracy

2005-09-14T15:10:00.000-04:00

"The recent news that South Korea is to take the US to task over Google Earth images which expose its military installations to close Commie scrutiny has provoked a mini stampede of other peace-loving nations eager to protect their assets from prying eyes."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

They're static two-year-old satellite images!!! It won't tell them anything they don't already know or can't buy on the black market. It's not like they've captured a UFO (0.0) on one of their images!

Thoughts On & Poking At Google Blog Search

2005-09-14T15:05:00.000-04:00

For my fellow bloggers:

An informative look at Google's Blog Search. Can't say I know anyone that uses it though...

Damn Work!

2005-09-14T15:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't had time for anything even remotely entertaining these past two weeks. I miss working on my OWN projects. Everyone's got a piece of me and there's never enough to go around. I know, I know... Join the club... I just felt like bitching about it. ;)

Let's see what's new in the world!

Yahoo grassed up journalist to Chinese cops

2005-09-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

Oh WTF???!!! Yahoo's in the PI business now???

"According to Reporters without Borders, Shi Tao, who worked for Contemporary Business News, was convicted in a case concerning 'top secret level state secrets' because Yahoo Holdings supplied information that helped police track him down."

"Yahoo is only allowed to operate in China if it helps Beijing censor information and keep a firm limit on freedom of speech."

Translation: Yahoo! = Beijing's Bitch

Court: no hacking Blizzard games

2005-09-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

"... open-source application (BnetD) that emulates Blizzard's Battle.Net, allowing owners of Blizzard titles to connect to unofficial servers."

"Blizzard responded to BnetD's appearance by filing suit against the programmers, accusing them of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act along with breaking the EULA the games shipped with."

Blizzard has won that lawsuit.

So now gamers that can't stand Blizzard's restrictive Battle.net now have no choice but to abandon their games. God I hate how all these companies have turned the DMCA into a weapon against the people.

My Hiatus Is Over...

2005-09-07T11:28:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. It's now time to get things back in gear.

Another Airliner Crashes

2005-08-23T21:49:00.000-04:00

Why are planes dropping like flies???

Is it because most of the planes we fly today were probably built in the 1960's? It seems 747's have been around forever and the airline industry has been real stale these last few decades. Watching "the Aviator" (great movie btw) made me realize just how much Howard Hughes brought to the table in forcing the growth of the industry. Who actually thinks the Dreamliner's gonna make it? I think people are seeing it as another product of a drug-induced haze. ;)

Life is Cruel

2005-08-15T14:14:00.000-04:00

"Life's unfair. Deal with it."

I do. I accept the sad truth of those words. I'm always dealing with it. I just don't understand why life has to be so cruel.

Yesterday, my dog died.

It happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly. I am still in shock. I am devastated. I have been angry. It wasn't his time. He was far too young - just one month shy of his sixth birthday.

He was the kindest, sweetest, most loving creature on this planet and he deserved far better than this. There are too many "what if's" and hindsight for me to speak fairly of how he ended leaving me. I going to do everything right for him. I owe him far more than I could possibly do now. He was everything that was missing in my life and made me more of a person than the day I met him. He was my single constant source of joy and I don't know how to live without him. I miss him. I really do.

FCC extends wiretap rules to the Internet

2005-08-11T14:27:00.000-04:00

"In an attempt to update the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, which requires phone companies to enable wiretaps for law enforcement usage, the FCC has decided (PDF) that ISPs and VoIP providers must do the same."

The impact of 9/11 is still going strong... The day people finally realize what we've been doing to ourselves since that tragic event will be too late. 1984...

GTA Patch Blocks 'Hot Coffee' Mod

2005-08-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

"Rockstar Games has released a patch that BLOCKS a downloadable modification to the game "Grand Theft Auto" from enabling a built-in, but hidden, sex scene. The patch works even if the game is re-installed. Gamers are predicting the patch will be the least-downloaded in the history of game software."

- Mike Elgan (The Raw Feed)

It's just a good PR move by Rockstar. They get some breathing room, and we all get to ignore it. =D

the i <3th darth comic adventure

2005-08-04T11:36:00.000-04:00

I'm lovin' this! Haven't chuckled this good since Foxtrot started...

Russia’s Biggest Spammer Brutally Murdered in Apartment

2005-08-03T20:28:00.000-04:00

For some reason I just can't stop laughing! Can YOU?!

Lord of War

2005-08-02T14:45:00.000-04:00

God I love this trailer!

Eight bullets demands a heavy burden of proof

2005-07-26T14:41:00.000-04:00

Turns out the dude was innocent. That woulda been OK considering the circumstances, except:

"a report from the scene suggests de Menezes was shot first after entering a Tube carriage and then shot several times more while being pinned on the floor. According to one police source, the victim was shot so many times he was beyond recognition."

Shoot-to-Kill does NOT equate to "Free to Murder". Shooting anybody that's already pinned is MURDER, plain and simple. This dude got screwed and all these cops get is desk duty. There's justice for ya...

Windows Vista???

2005-07-22T18:08:00.000-04:00

Gates' Microsoft Picks Brand Name For New OS

Umm... What's Billy-boy been smoking these days? I definitely DON'T want any of that!

[Windows director, Neil] "Charney said the company's product team scribbled down several words that reflected the experience of using the new product..."

Dictionary.com
vis·ta (n.)
1. A distant view or prospect, especially one seen through an opening, as between rows of buildings or trees.

"We each have our own unique view or vista of this digital world. Windows Vista is going to bring more clarity to that."
- Greg Sullivan, Microsoft

Is it just me or does this mean that the OS-formerly-known-as-Longhorn is a product of a drug-induced haze? =D

The Truth About Piracy That Industry Groups Don't Want People to Know

2005-07-20T18:18:00.000-04:00

Piracy is Good? How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV

"While you might assume the SciFi Channel saw a significant drop-off in viewership as a result of this piracy, it appears to have had the reverse effect: the series is so good that the few tens of thousands of people who watched downloaded versions told their friends to tune in on January 14th, and see for themselves. From its premiere, Battlestar Galactica has been the most popular program ever to air on the SciFi Channel, and its audiences have only grown throughout the first series. Piracy made it possible for 'word-of-mouth' to spread about Battlestar Galactica."

This is what piracy is all about. Not some BS that it's stealing. We get that from greedy industry groups bent on making sure we can't "test drive" before we buy. If their stuff ain't crap, people won't have any compunctions about dishing out some hard-earned cash for it. Enough said.

WTH??? I Have to Buy a New Monitor Just to Use Longhorn???

2005-07-20T18:06:00.000-04:00

"In short, this means that if Longhorn detects that your monitor is not "secure" enough, then your premium video content won't play on it until you buy one that is. Who gets to decide? The content providers of course."

The empire continues to tighten its grip. Just lovely.

Scotty Dead

2005-07-20T16:07:00.000-04:00

James Doohan died today at age 85 due to pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease. The man was a lovable character that was the embodiment of "giving it to you straight".

Doohan Quotes:

"I started out in the series at basic minimum -- plus 10 percent for my agent. That was added a little bit in the second year. When we finally got to our third year, Paramount told us we'd get second-year pay! That's how much they loved us."

"I like Captain Kirk, but I sure don't like Bill. He's so insecure that all he can think about is himself."

Long live Scotty!

OMFG Why Are They Giving Away Our Secrets???

2005-07-20T13:36:00.000-04:00

"Instead of being a slave to technology, you can master it, you can make it look like you are working when and where you are not," said Marc Saltzman, 35, the author of "White Collar Slacker's Handbook" published in June.

WTF??? All those years of honing the fine art of appearing to accomplish more work than is humanly possible now down the toilet. We in the IT world are overworked as it is. We need our breathing room. Don't these people have any productive whistle-blowing to do? Seriously...

A Revolution in the War Against Spam?

2005-07-20T12:43:00.000-04:00

"A company called Blue Security ... floods a spammer's website with requests to unsubscribe members - we're talking thousands of requests per day - the company's CEO says that fighting back by "inducing loss" against spammers is the only way to eventually stop them."

Source: Hemos

If there ever was a good reason to DDOS someone, this would be it.

Quote of the day...

2005-07-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

"Why does Microsoft want security risks? Maybe this is the answer:

When people have problems with their computer, they often buy a new computer [nytimes.com]. Then Microsoft sells another copy of Windows, which, of course, still has huge security risks."

Source: Futurepower(R) (558542)

Indeed. Why DO people always think they need a new computer whenever something starts to go wrong? Are people equating computers with, say, cars or vcrs? It truly defies logic...

Fans of Tony Jaa/Ong-Bak/Muay Thai Rejoice!

2005-07-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

Tony Jaa's next movie promises more of the jaw-dropping action and stunt scenes that left us speechless in Ong-Bak. The trailers tease us with some really wicked eye-candy. Suffice it to say, they've taken all the action from the first movie to a whole new level.

Senators fight hidden sex in 'Grand Theft Auto'

2005-07-15T12:38:00.000-04:00

Ya know... This is going to have some SERIOUS implications on the modding community. So far, it's been an open road for creativity. All this, however, has the makings of the kind of censorship that just might bring modding to a rather distasteful halt. It's just a game... Leave us alone...

Transformers Movie Takes a Big Step Forward

2005-07-14T13:56:00.000-04:00

It's official - Michael Bay is directing the new Transformers movie! With Spielberg as executive producer, there are going to be some very lofty expectations.

Microsoft and Marvel Sign Agreement

2005-07-14T12:37:00.000-04:00

Exclusivity changes everything for the console world...

If done right, this should trump WoW big time. In fact this might even be what City of Heroes/Villans SHOULD have been.

My OP! (YAY!!!)

2005-07-13T15:02:00.000-04:00

Thanks for coming! I'm new to the posting side of blogging, so please be kind. =D

On that note, let's begin...

Proof that hacking isn't all about stealing and destruction...

"British hacker Gary McKinnon is still facing extradition proceedings relating to charges that he hacked into Pentagon machines. McKinnon told the Guardian newspaper he was looking for evidence of extraterrestrial life but could not remember much of what he had seen because he was smoking a lot of cannabis at the time."

Source: The Register

One of our nation's great minds at work...

Fran Townsend, the president's homeland security adviser, said that the war in Iraq attracts terrorists "where we have a fighting military and a coalition that can take them on and not have the sort of civilian casualties that you saw in London."

Source: E.J. Dionne Jr., New York Newsday

It seems somebody hasn't been getting his Counter-Strike fix lately... WTF? This "camper" mentality has never worked before, what makes anyone think it'll work now?