Chonks place

THE NEW DIGS!

2006-12-14T16:34:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

I am slowly moving my blog to it's new home:

http://www.chonksworld.com

Update your bookmarks - and start showing up over there instead of here.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-04T16:43:00.000-05:00

Holiday Shopping Coupons

2006-12-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

Doing some Cyber Xmas Shopping?

Here is a place called CouponChief.com that has online coupons for all your favorite stores. Target, Old Navy, Buy.com even KB Toys. There are new offers added everyday also.

Save a few bucks and shop in your underwear from home. I'm saving $25 off my Wii purchase with Best Buy coupon codes.

Hell, I do…..and in fact, I am.

Water Powered Car

2006-11-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

Stan Meyer invented a water powered car that estimates showed could travel from one US coast to the other on 22 gallons of water. He shows the in car in operation in this old news clip. So what ever happened to him? He died after eating at a restaurant on March 21, 1998. An autopsy report showed the cause of death to be poisoning.

Toy tattoo gun for kids

2006-11-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

The GR8 TaT2 Maker is a toy tattoo gun for your little budding skin-artist: "Open up your very own pretend play tattoo parlor. This easy-to-use tattoo maker kit includes an electronic tattoo pen and funky stencils. Using soft, safe pulsating action, the tattoo pen creates realistic, washable designs with dramatic effects."

Get your here

O’Reilly: iPods Are Endangering America

2006-11-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

Here is an excerpt from Bill o'Reilly's radio show:

"I don’t own an iPod. I would never wear an iPod… If this is your primary focus in life - the machines… it’s going to have a staggeringly negative effect, all of this, for America… did you ever talk to these computer geeks? I mean, can you carry on a conversation with them? …I really fear for the United States because, believe me, the jihadists? They’re not playing the video games. They’re killing real people over there."

Uy yuh yuy! Where do I start?

Remember, if you want to defeat the jihadists, don’t buy a premium membership on billoreilly.com. From his website:

Also, don’t subscribe to O’Reilly’s free “Talking Points Podcast.” If you listen, the terrorists will win.

The “machine” that's Bills primary focus is a phone he can hold with one hand.

Oh, and Bill, if you can't carry on a conversation with these "Computer Geeks" (a moniker I proudly wear BTW), maybe you should revisit your high school english class for some proper "lernin", or better yet, just keep your white trash racist republican-speak dummied down to your listeners IQ level.

Heres a word you should understand.

Jackass!

An Open Letter to the Evangelicals

2006-11-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

--a heavily adapted/edited comment from Hammer of the Blogs:

Open Letter To Evangelicals (and Other Brain Dead Advocates of The Continued Disaster of The Republican Jihad)

Dear Religious Zealots and Republican Enablers,

It has come to our attention that you have been bamboozled once again by one of those hypocritical baboons you periodically kneel before in pale faced trembling and contriteness, and regale with the title of 'spiritual leader'. As the infamous rock critic and ostensible President of the United States once tried to say, "Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on...um, won't get fooled again." Please take note, he apparently wasn't talking about you.

At this point some words about the magnificent wasteland that is our public educational system should properly be deployed, but one suspects, deep in the thicket of moral midgetry that votes Republican and calls themselves Evangelical in the same breath, mere education would never suffice. There is at bottom a failure to understand something crucial and simple that gets beyond mere facts and figures and all that ciphering, as Jethro would have it. There is simply this: you and your ilk are following a long and fine American tradition. The tradition of the sucker. You are being duped by hucksters and liars and hypocrits. Again and again and again.

It was as long ago as the westward expansion that two different, yet similar, types of hucksters began to take root -- P.T. Barnum and dispensationalists. Both, in the end, operated under the same moral code -- it is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money -- but Barnum at least had a conscience.

So the dispensationalists have recklessly infiltrated the points where US government policy intersects with everything from scientific research to the making of foreign policy. Stems cells that can cure are now banned, evolution is just another creation story, and fags can be converted just like the Jews. Shazam! Or something like that. And you, the mental midgets of the Lord, have dutifully followed along, never asking, never even bothering to look up and think for yourselves for one bright second.

Ah, yes, good mental midgets of the Lord, forget that "blessed are the peacemakers" nonsense that actually is in the Bible. Listen to your leader, Ted, the meth snorting, gay prostitute banger, what Jesus really had a problem with was -- fags getting hitched.

As Hammer of the Blogs has noted, you would do yourselves and your country a tremendous favor by trying out a few of his bullet points:

Travel. And I don't mean from the special school to the megachurch to the Christian bookstore. Go somewhere that you think rubs against your grain. Go to New York City, and deal with swarthy Central Asians careening cabs through the streets and selling suspect meats on a stick. Go to San Francisco and watch those awful dirty homos holding hands as they walk down the street. Notice how once you take a deep breath, none of it really has anything to do with the emotionally stunted impulses you've grown to know and love like a deep grudge: a nasty grudge that you have been using the political process to project all these years.
Read a book other than the Bible or The Purpose-Driven Life. Read a newspaper other than the Washington Times or that craven conservarag in your local market. Watch something other than Fox News for once. The Bible (at least the New Testament) is fine for seeking some sort of moral grounding in the constant tumult of life. Rush Limbaugh is great in gaining some insight into how hypocritical drug addicts think. For understanding the interdependent complexities of running a safe, secure, efficient superpower that comprises only 5% of God's most exalted creations, not so much. God gave you a brain; use it or lose it.
Stay home next Tuesday. Seriously. Just do us all a favor and sit this one out. You have demonstrated quite clearly that you either don't know or don't care that you've been had. Your leaders are toxic loons -- Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Ted Haggard -- who know nothing about anything other than which of your emotional buttons to push to get your wallet open. Homophobia appears to be one of the buttons. Stupid Presidents, the other. Your choice of political leaders is even worse then your choice of religious leaders, by the way. They have not gotten anything right, and have wasted tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars chasing their tails, pissing off the rest of the world, and -- wait for it -- lining their own pockets in the process. Are we starting to see a pattern here yet?
That's about as nice as I can possibly put it. You were wrong, the consequences have been catastrophic, and the rest of the world can't and won't take much more of this silliness, this willful ignorance. The world is not 6,000 years old; Bush is a liar and a fool; evolution is scientifically provable, except in the case of Ann Coulter.

So take a break from the muck of worldly concerns. Go back to church, not in abject regret, but in the spirit of humility and curiosity and intellectual honesty. Quit worrying about what your neighbors might be doing and mind your own business. You are not God's lawyer; if He really does have a problem with The Gay, then He will handle it. Beyond that, I suspect you're going to have enough problems wedging your own silly souls into heaven without worrying about the condition of anyone elses.

In the end, like the rest of us, you are on this planet to learn. At some point, you should really start.

Love,
Everyone Else.

James Dobson Offers To Help Counsel Ted Haggard, Then Reneges, Saying “I don’t have the time”

2006-11-08T08:55:00.000-05:00

Wow! He doesn’t have the time for something of this magnitude, not even when it’s someone he has described as a friend of his? Is the flock naive enough to take his words at face value? Give me a break!

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson on Tuesday backed out of joining a panel of evangelical leaders responsible for further investigating and counseling fallen evangelical leader Ted Haggard.

“It is with great regret - and after much prayer and discussion with friends and family - that I have had to reconsider my involvement in the panel overseeing Ted’s restoration,” Dobson said in a statement. “Emotionally and spiritually, I wanted to be of help - but the reality is I don’t have the time to devote to such a critical responsibility.”

By “after much prayer,” I take it that God told him not to help Ted.

Oh.. and he’s still blaming the media for everything:

“You know, the media is just salivating out there, it seems, over yet another example of what they see as hypocrisy.”

I got paid!

2006-11-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

So if you haven't noticed, I've been using a service called PayPerPost that pays me to blog about items, sites and services. It matches up advertisers with bloggers.

It's a great service and although a bit controversal, its making me blog more and allowing me to get paid. Now I don't do it every day (I should) but rather only when I'm inspired or a opportunity comes around that I endorse. But still it's nice to get that email saying "You've Been Paid".

Some people have already made up towards $3K in cash, paid directly to their PayPal account. I'm not at that level yet, but it will pay for a new computer sooner or later.

If you blog - you should check this out!

Voice mails are from Haggard says voice expert

2006-11-03T14:28:00.000-05:00

The Pastor Ted Haggard scandal now includes sex and drugs. (See previous post here.) Richard Sanders, a voice expert who worked on the Oklahoma bombing, JonBenet Ramsey murder, and Kobe Bryant cases, says voicemails left on a gay escort's answering machine belong to megachurch pastor and Bush ally Ted Haggard.

The voice mails for from a man who calls himself "Art." It should be noted Haggard's middle name is Arthur.
The first voice message, left on August 4 at 2:18 p.m., says:

"Hi Mike, this is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply. And I could pick it up really anytime I could get it tomorrow or we could wait till next week sometime and so I also wanted to get your address. I could send you some money for inventory but that's probably not working, so if you have it then go ahead and get what you can and I may buzz up there later today, but I doubt your schedule would allow that unless you have some in the house. Okay, I'll check in with you later. Thanks a lot, bye."

The second voice message, left on August 4 at 5:10 p.m., says:

"Hi Mike, this is Art, I am here in Denver and sorry that I missed you. But as I said, if you want to go ahead and get the stuff, then that would be great. And I'll get it sometime next week or the week after or whenever. I will call though you early next week to see what's most convenient for you. Okay? Thanks a lot, bye."

Jones claims Art is referring to methamphetamine in the messages.

Also, according to the Non-Prophet blog, the New Life Church Board of overseers has sent an email to members of the church mailing list that states that Haggard has confessed to at least some of the charges:

Since that time, the board of overseers has met with Pastor Ted. It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true. He has willingly and humbly submitted to the authority of the board of overseers, and will remain on administrative leave during the course of the investigation.

Video of Haggard speaking to Channel 9 in Denver | Video with voice mail allegedly left by Haggard

Lose the Race, Lose your Ride

2006-11-02T20:50:00.000-05:00

I love this show! Drag racing for pink slips! Lose the Race, Lose your Ride! Watch dudes lose control when they lose a race!

Speedtv is having a "PINKS" all-day marathon followed by premiere of PINKS All Out on Nov 23rd - check your local listings for channel and click here for Drag Racing Clips.

This opportunity and post is paid for and sponsored by Speedtv.com

Leviticus 20:13

2006-11-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

RING-RING!
"Hello pot?
This is the kettle,
You're black"

The Rev. Ted Haggard stepped down as president of the influential National Association of Evangelicals on Thursday after being accused of carrying on an affair with a gay man.

Haggard also stepped down as head of his 14,000-member New Life Church pending an investigation by a church panel, saying he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations."

The investigation came after a 49-year-old man told a Denver radio station that Haggard paid him to have sex.

Haggard is a firm supporter of President George W. Bush, and is often credited with rallying evangelicals behind Bush during the 2004 election. Jeff Sharlet reports that Haggard "talks to… Bush or his advisers every Monday" and opines that "no pastor in America holds more sway over the political direction of evangelicalism…"

According to a Wall Street Journal Article:
Ted Haggard, the head of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals, jokes that the only disagreement between himself and the leader of the Western world is automotive: Mr. Bush drives a Ford pickup, whereas he prefers a Chevy. He is one of the most vociferous critics of the abortion and gay movement. Even though he alegedly slept with a male prostitute once a month for the past three years.

UPDATE:
Today he's gone from denying the charges to stating that "Maybe he did it".

MAYBE?

Custom Signs, Banners and Magnetics

2006-11-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

Cha-Ching!

Ever have the need for professional signs, banners or magnetics ?

BuildASign.com is a site similar to like CafePress, only for signs. You can design your own Custom Banners, Yard Signs, Magnetic Signs or what ever and they custom print them up and ship it to you. It would be especially great for small business or even realtors.

And their prices are very reasonable.

Jobs couldn't have done it without me - Woz

2006-11-02T20:21:00.000-05:00

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak gives Steve Jobs credit as the driving force behind the conception of Apple, but he doesn’t think Jobs would have met with success if it hadn’t been for him.

When Steve Jobs persuaded Steve Wozniak to start up Apple Computers back in 1976, Wozniak really wasn’t keen on the idea. “I never wanted to start a company, I think Steve was much more important in getting the company going,” admitted Wozniak.

“Steve had the vision of reaching the masses and changing the world much more than I did, so he deserves credit for that more than anything.”

But Wozniak doesn’t believe Jobs could have done it without his own “special genius”, the special genius that made it possible for Wozniak to conceive of and build a personal computer with a keyboard and a monitor and its own programming language, at a time when computers still had front panels with switches and lights. He told Macworld: “I had the vision for a computer that was useable, that was low cost, that was an incredible thing of its time, and that would amaze people.”

“I created my vision. The Apple II was so far ahead as a product of all time, it was the best product ever, better than anyone could ever imagine,” he added.

“Would they have been able to go out and purchase engineering like it’s a commodity, or was my engineering a very special genius?” Wozniak asked. “I think Steve [Jobs] found the right person and I did too. I didn’t go looking, I didn’t really find, as a matter of fact I tried to avoid it, I tried to avoid it!”

“I think it took both of us, it was a really lucky combination. Because he had the goals and he had the drive and the ambition. Both of us being young also helped. And the fact that the big companies didn’t foresee what it would become,” he said, describing his surprise that companies, such as HP, for whom he worked at the time, didn’t believe that personal computing would become as popular as it did.

“How come we could see it when the biggest, smartest companies and financial analysts couldn’t see it? They were saying we’d be nothing, but we believed in it. I believed that the industry would happen.”

“I wanted to be a part of that changing the world for everyone, but not in a profiting way, not in a company way, not in a where I have to make decisions way,” he confessed.

Find out what Steve Wozniak thinks about the success of the iPod here.

Muscle Car Marathon

2006-11-02T09:21:00.000-05:00

Cha-Ching!

So, if you get sexually aroused by the sound of a GTO, Shelby Cobra or any other Muscle Cars, than you 'll be happy to know that the Muscle Car Marathon will air Nov. 24 at 9am EST on Speedtv.

If not, than you probably are female or born after 1983. If so, than move on, you won't understand.

This post sponsored by Speedtv.com

Deconstructiong the New Bush Talking Point: Do You Want The US to Win the War in Iraq?

2006-11-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

by John C. Dvorak

I did a little too much driving yesterday and in the process listened to a little too much right-wing talk radio. This included Bill O’Reilly’s show as well as Rush Limbaugh. Later last night I saw O’Reilly on Letterman. I also listened to a slew of wannabees.

Curiously I stumbled upon a new common talking point. Everybody who was obviously connected to the White House (Limbaugh in particular since he appears to vehemently defend anything done by the government no matter how onerous) kept harping on one question always worded exactly the same way, “Do you want the US to win the war in Iraq?”

It may have slipped past me if O’Reilly hadn’t thrown it at Letterman numerous times getting him to say something. Letterman refused to give O’Reilly the requested yes or no.

Limbaugh in the morning kept badgering guests who were even a little critical of Bush and Iraq with this exact same question.

The idea behind this question is obvious. It’s a no-win question for the hapless critic who actually answers the question with a yes or no. If you say Yes, I want the US to win the war in Iraq then you have to let things continue to go the way they are going so the US can “finish the job.” (Finishing the job is another ditty commonly used to shut up the opposition.) If you say no you do not want the US to win the war in Iraq then you are obviously a terrorist or a bad person. I mean you simply cannot answer no.

It’s a trick question.

So I thought about how you address this question for real results. One correct answer is the following:

“The US has already won the war in Iraq. Saddam is in chains, his sons dead. The army is dissolved. We are now occupiers fighting a peace and losing because we simply overstayed our welcome. There is no war to win now. We won. Mission Accomplished.”

Then to turn the question around ask the questioner. “Did we not know we won? Is that why you ask this question? Let me ask you a question. Do you think we should remain as an occupation army in Iraq forever and essentially bankrupt our own nation? Yes or no?”

You can add salt to the wound by asking them “How do you define victory?” Isn’t deposing the entire government and military enough to call it a win? Are they supposed to be writing poetry about us saying and how great we are before we declare victory? Exactly who are we fighting now? Seems to me that just capturing the leader is a win if you ask me.

Any thoughtful person should be able to defuse the specious “Do you want the US to win the war in Iraq” question if they see it coming.

That should shut them up I’d think.

Hey? Wait A Minute?

2006-10-26T16:19:00.000-04:00

Super Greg.

2006-10-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

So I was just reading a review of Sacha Baron Cohens new "Borat" movie, and did a wikipedia search only to learn theat he was "SUPER GREG" of SG fame years ago.

Never heard of Super Greg? he was part of an early viral marketing campaign for Lee Jeans

Here is a mirror of the site, and make sure you check out the link to the videos towards the bottom.

Other videos in this campaign where "Curry" and "Roy"

Music is not a loaf of bread, it can’t be “stolen”

2006-10-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

Grammy Award winnner/singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy is part of the growing group of artists that understands that there’s more to music than selling pieces of plastic, and suing your fans.

In an interview with Wired Magazine, Tweedy said:

"A piece of art is not a loaf of bread. When someone steals a loaf of bread from the store, that’s it. The loaf of bread is gone. When someone downloads a piece of music, it’s just data until the listener puts that music back together with their own ears, their mind, their subjective experience. How they perceive your work changes your work."

Jeff Tweedy is the leadsinger of the popular band Wilco, that won two Grammy’s back in 2005. He doesn’t consider copying and remixing as evil, but as a way to facilitate creativity.

On the official website of the band from Chicago we even see a link to the BitTorrent tracker where Wilco fans actively share high quality recordings.

"Treating your audience like thieves is absurd. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music becomes a collaborator. People who look at music as commerce don’t understand that. They are talking about pieces of plastic they want to sell, packages of intellectual property. I’m not interested in selling pieces of plastic."

For those who are interested in the copyright debate, here’s a presentation by Larry Lessig titled “Who owns Culture“. The presentation served as an intro to conversation about p2p and free culture by Jeff Tweedy and Larry Lessig (audio link).

CDC ALERT!

2006-10-24T14:34:00.000-04:00

The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a virulent new strain of Sexually Transmitted Disease. The disease is contracted through dangerous and high-risk behavior.

The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim and is pronounced “gonna re-elect him.”

Many victims contracted it in 2004, after having been screwed for four years. Cognitive characteristics of individuals infected include: anti-social personality disorders, delusions of grandeur with messianic overtones, extreme cognitive dissonance, inability to incorporate new information, pronounced xenophobia and paranoia, inability to accept responsibility for one’s own actions, cowardice masked by misplaced bravado, uncontrolled facial smirking, ignorance of geography and history, tendencies towards evangelical theocracy, and categorical all-or-nothing behavior.

This destructive disease originated only a few years ago from a bush found in Texas.

Happy 5th Birthday iPod!

2006-10-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

They grow up so fast don't they?

2006-10-23T17:15:00.000-04:00

Republicans are starting to save money in Washington by not buying bookmarks anymore.
They recommend you just bend over a page.

Don't Be A Douche! Stop Piracy!

2006-10-23T17:03:00.000-04:00

Another Puzzle Piece

2006-10-20T15:52:00.000-04:00

So here is another puzzle piece for the new PayPerPost.com contest entitled “payperpostbluemonster”. I post it and get $10. I collect all the pieces and make $500.
It’s like taking candy from a baby I tell ya. Easy cash!

PayPerPost.com is where bloggers make money through blog ads and posting of reviews for products. I just made a quick $10 for like 2 minutes work. You just made squat reading about it!

Michigan Gubernatorial After Party

2006-10-20T15:45:00.001-04:00

Like so many others I watched the gubernatorial debates of Dick DeVos and Jennifer Granholm. Later that night I was at a local bar and in walked Dick DeVos. I asked if he woud like to join us. He said that he would be happy to but it would work like this, I woud buy two drinks and give him one, then I would have to get two of my friends to buy two drinks and they would each give me one and I would pass one of those up to him, then they would get two of their friends and so on.

Well, not happy with the "plan" and noticing that Jennnifer Granholm had also walked into the bar, we decided to ask Jenny if she wanted to join us. She said that she was worried about how well we could hold our liquor and didn't want to be with a bunch of lightweights. I said "Lightweights, What are you talking about?" and Granholm said "I've seen it before, we all go out... and in five beers you're gonna be blown away!"

Guess you kinda gotta live in Michigan to get the joke.

PayPerPost Contest

2006-10-20T15:45:00.000-04:00

So here is a puzzle piece for the new PayPerPost.com contest entitled “payperpostbluemonster”. I post it and get $10. I collect all the pieces and make $500.

PayPerPost.com is where bloggers make money through blog marketing and posting of reviews for products. If you haven’t signed up yet, I suggest you do.

Dirty Car Art

2006-10-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

Like any reasonably creative and curious human, Scot can't resist a dirty rear car window. We suspect that Scott started off with clever sayings, like, "Wash Me". Probably his first image was thhe uubiquitous smiley face. Unlike most folks however, Scott lives on a mile and a half of dirt road - caliche, as the locals call it, road-base: a blend of limestone dust and gravel and clay. Driving over this surface results in a fine, white dust that billows up behind any vehicle driven faster than a galloping turtle, coating the rear window. Being an experienced artist (and let's face it, a little...different), it wasn't long before Scott was experimenting with techniques to achieve these amazing detailed and shhaded drawings.

More here

Wow! Teaching Science in Science Classes. Thats a Concept.

2006-10-17T15:03:00.000-04:00

"The State Board of Education on Tuesday approved public school curriculum guidelines that support the teaching of evolution in science classes — but not intelligent design.

Intelligent design instruction could be left for other classes in Michigan schools, but it doesn’t belong in science class, according to the unanimously adopted guidelines.

Intelligent design has also become an issue in the Michigan governor’s race.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, a conservative Christian, said last month that he approves of intelligent design being taught along with evolution in science classes, though he said the decision should be left up to local school districts.

Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who is Roman Catholic, said Michigan schools need to teach evolution in science classes and not include intelligent design. She said school districts can explore intelligent design in current events or comparative religions classes."

The Future Of Computing - 1981

2006-10-17T14:55:00.000-04:00

1 Sheet Of Paper Experiment

2006-10-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

So, if you havent seen these email picture going around, they are a series of paper creations made with a single piece of paper. The entire series can be seen here if you haven't been already bombarded with it in your email by all your office buddies.

Thus the basis of my experiment.

I have taken the pictures and added a small banner with my blogs URL on every picture. I am going to send these out to a select group of people to hopefully see how quickly they travel and propigate.

If you've arrived here via the banner on an image - please leaave me a comment and let me know who sent it to you.

Listen To These Guys

2006-10-17T10:31:00.000-04:00

You know, when I first got into advertising Lee Clow was already a rock star in the advertising world as then CD and now Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\Worldwide. I have followed his career over the years and always admired him not only his eye for design and sense for what's cool, but also his philosophy on creative and the creative process. he also holds a special place in my heart for creating the Apple Computers "1984" ad.

On the other hand Alex Bogusky is the new rock star of advertising. he is the Creative Director of Crispin Porter +Bogusky and is the mind behind the Burger Kings Chicken Ad, Slim Jim and Sprite ads.

So, AdCritic.com got the 2 of them together to talk about advertising and life in general.
Listen to these two.

Wired News editor turns up 744 sex offenders on MySpace

2006-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

"Five months ago, Wired News senior editor and former hacker Kevin Poulsen whipped up 1,000 lines of computer code that scoured MySpace’s 1 million plus profiles for 385,932 registered sex offenders in 46 states.

The code turned up many false or unverifiable matches. Poulsen worked part-time for several months sifting the data and manually comparing photographs, ages and other data. In all, he was able to confirm 744 sex offenders with MySpace profiles. Of those, 497 are registered for sex crimes against children. Of these, six are listed as repeat offenders.

MySpace told Poulsen that it would like to ban sex offenders from the site but is waiting for new laws that would make it easier for them to do so. The company is lobbying Congress for legislation that would require sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses with a central database.

Wired News will publish the code Poulsen used under an open-source license later this week."

Read the complete story here

The Fat Lady Has Sung!

2006-10-16T16:55:00.000-04:00

Both actually (see picture) and figuratively (see below):

CBGB hosted its final concert Sunday night after a 33-year residence in downtown New York as the iconic, grungy bastion of punk.

The concert, headlined by rock poet Patti Smith, and a featured guest appearance by Blondie was to be the final note sounded in a drawn-out battle to preserve the legendary club. A homeless advocacy group that owns the property, the Bowery Residents Committee, is not renewing CBGB's lease, which expired in August 2005. The club will close Oct. 31.

The club's run may be ending at its Manhattan location, but it will continue in different ways, Smith said.

"CBGB's is a state of mind," she said at pre-show news conference. "The new kids have to have their own places."

CBGB's closure has prompted protests, tributes and vigils for more than a year - a cycle ended when CBGB's owner, Hilly Kristal, gave up his legal fight to stay.

Scheduling and Asset Tracking Software

2006-10-16T16:46:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

So do you need to keep track of all your stuff?
Do you need a solution to keep employees from fighting over conference room schedules?

Me too.

Luckily, NetSimplicity.com has Scheduling Software that can help you do all of that. Go check it out and try their 30 day trial offer.

The Lost Art of Eephing

2006-10-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

The eccentric Southern tradition of "eephing" is best described as the hillbilly equivalent of the hip-hop human "beat box" vocal style -- a kind of hiccupping, rhythmic wheeze that started in rural Tennessee more than 100 years ago.

Just like human beat-box artists of the 1980s rendered perfect imitations of drum machines with their mouths, the original eephers of the 1880s imitated the hogs and turkeys living in their backyards.

The odd music genre -- variously spelled "eefing," "eeephing" or "eeefing" -- appealed to a young Memphis producer named Sam Phillips, who recorded "Swamp Root" as one of his first singles. It didn't really catch on, but another of Phillips' offbeat performers -- a fellow named Elvis Presley -- would.

More here

Inexspensive Home Security

2006-10-16T16:28:00.000-04:00

I’ve tried the whole X-10 home automation and home security thing and canned it because of it’s flakiness, and main stream home security like Brinks and ADT can be quite expensive. So I’ve been hearing a lot lately on the radio about this LaserShield Home Security System, and thought I’d check it out.

The nice thing about this system is that it is portable and you can take it with you if you move. It’s also easy to use, activates in seconds and still has 24/7 professional monitoring if you want. It’s even pet friendly with special attachments to block out your animal from setting it off. Best part is that it is even available at most retailers like Comp USA, Home Depot, Costco, Kmart, etc.

Flying Saucers from Hell

2006-10-16T16:22:00.000-04:00

Are UFOs actually the devil's minions sent not from the stars above but the fires of hell below? Over a Fortean Times, Sheffield University folklorist David Clarke surveys this odd niche of ufology literature identifying ETs as demons or, if we're lucky, angels. From the article:

"On the one hand there is a group of evangelicals – mainly Americans, such as Dr Billy Graham – who have said the UFO occupants may be angels sent by God to watch over us. The best-known exponent of this idea is the Presbyterian minister Rev Barry Downing, author of Flying Saucers and the Bible. Downing appears to be open minded about aliens as part of God’s creation and to look to the scriptures for evidence of early ET contacts. "

At the opposite end of the spectrum are some members of the Christian Orthodox Church 1 who find it impossible to accept that there is any goodness in the elusive and contradictory nature of UFO behaviour. The most extreme expression of this view is that there can be no ETs because life on other planets is not mentioned in the Bible. It’s a point of view that leads its proponents to a further conclusion: if there are no aliens in the Bible and the UFO occupants aren’t angels, then UFOs can only be demonic in origin.

Read More

High Cholesterol Nutritional Supplement

2006-10-16T16:13:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

Luckily my Cholesterol is in check, however, I'm always on the lookout for nutritional supplements as alternatives to over the counter medicines. Here is a new product called Vascor, which claims to lower cholesterol by up to 20 points.

Thats pretty impressive. Especially since you supposedly only need to take it once a day and at just over $1/pill it’s still much cheaper than any OTC prescription.

From Model To Billboard in 60 Seconds

2006-10-16T11:42:00.000-04:00

Dirty Hippy Halloween Costume!

2006-10-15T22:27:00.000-04:00

Because they are.

Link to 30 days of Halloween Costumes

Sometimes God Throws Us A Bone!

2006-10-13T22:03:00.000-04:00

I told him 3 times to stop messing around with the laundry hamper.

Then shortly thereafter I heard him crying downstairs. When I went to see why this is what I saw.

And what was my first reaction? Grab the camera!

RIP CBGB'S!

2006-10-13T16:32:00.000-04:00

"The captain goes down with the ship, and when famed Bowery club CBGB closes Sunday night, it'll be with a final send-off by Patti Smith. You can imagine how the cultural obits will read: CBGB, the scrappy and scraggly home of art-punk, dead of palpitating rent payments at 33. But the most sensible paean has already come via Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye. Doing some quick napkin math in the Village Voice, Kaye reckoned that at three bands a night, 365 days a year for more than 30 years, the club hosted somewhere around 50,000 bands and 200,000 musicians. Even allowing for repeat performances, that's an army, mostly drawn from the ranks of the pretty good drummers, the not-so-bad bassists, and the promising guitarists you never hear of again. The club will always be connected to famous names like Smith, but its real glory was in nourishing the infinitely branching root system of the good to indifferent musicians—the schlubs, the schmucks, the shredders—that underlies any rock ecosystem. I know: I was one of them."

Read more here and here and here

Johnny Ramone is rolling inhis grave, oh and PLEASE HILLY, don't turn it into another "house of blues".

Nice ebay Listing software

2006-10-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a new eBay listing tool that really simplifies the whole process of listing and selling something. It would be the perfect tool for elderly neophites (thats NOT a bad word!) who need an easy and quick way to sell things on eBay.

It features:
-A completely new AJAX enabled keyword search to help you find the right category.
-Unlimited free image hosting
-A partnership with Photobucket
-Templates that actually make your listing look good

They have been perfecting this tool for over 5 years and its all web based, which means it'll work with my parents Mac!

MyHeritage.com face Recognition

2006-10-09T21:57:00.000-04:00

So the guys over at MyHeritage.com have a neat free face recognition program where you upload a photo of yourself and it scans it's database and show you matches that look like you. I did this and had a collage made to post below.

Now a couple of these I guess I can see a little resemblance, and the nod to Iron Maidens drummer Nicko Mcbrain is pretty cool. Hell, I don't even mind the Madonna reference....But GW?

C'Mon?

I mean, throw a picture of a monkeys ass up there and I'd be less offended.........oh wait.........they did.

My bad.

Auto Loan Refinancing

2006-10-09T21:06:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

Wow, I'm not sure a financial expert would reccomend that you refinance a car loan considering the depreciation of a car plummets as soon as you drive it off the lot. However, the guys over at RateGenius.com have Auto Refinance plans to do just that.

I've bought several cars where I've felt taken advantage of by the smoth talking salesman shortly after walking out of the showroom, and this service would allow me to change that if I think I had been had. they also have very competitive initial rates if your shopping BEFORE you buy.

Kinda like a Geico for car loans. great idea!

Check out this Ass!

2006-10-09T20:06:00.001-04:00

This guy Jason over at calacanis.com (no I WON'T link it, wait, well ok, yeah I will) is spewing about PPP and how evil it is.
I guess thats his right to do so.

But Evil? Geeesh!

What's with this trend of ill-informed Jackasses who are allowed to spew untrue slander without really understanding what they are talking about? I hear it all the time on conservative radio, and it seems to trickle down everywhere, including unfortunately the web.

I guess his biggest issue is the fact that most bloggers don't disclose their paid posts from their non-paid posts. Big F'n deal! Oh and as you know if you read my blog - I DO DISCLOSE - AND I ONLY BLOG ABOUT THINGS I SUPPORT! I turn down opps all the time because it A: dosen't interest me or B: Is shit!

I'm not gonna reccomend something if it's shit.

Oh and how about the fact that there is a checkbox within PPP that allows you to send your post profit to a charity?

Blog Advertising!.Evil my ass. Bite me.

Where was this when I was taking Physics?

2006-10-09T20:06:00.000-04:00

Tigers Win

2006-10-09T10:31:00.000-04:00

Well,

The Tigers proved again that good pitching will beat good hitting. But by the time they were done with the Yankees, they were better at just about everything.

The Tiger beat the Yankees in 4 games to win the 1st round. If anyone saw the game it was incredible. The team came out of the locker room with bottles of champaign and celebrated with the fans for the better part of 30 minutes - Unheard of - and defintately not something you would have seen in New York.

With all the million dollar contracts, doping scandals, and other blemishes on the game, it was nice to see the team humbly acknowledge the fortitude of the Tiger fans. Considering that the lions lost and are now 5-0.

CAD File Security

2006-10-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

Cha-Ching!

If you are a CAD design firm you know how valuable not only your actual CAD files are, but also the intellectual property contained in those files. Unfortunately those files are often available for people, including your competition, to view or even steal.

The guys over at Pinion Software have come up with a File Security that not only allows them to secure your CAD files but other files also. This allows you to set restrictions on how the recipient uses your file.

Shredding!

2006-10-09T10:30:00.000-04:00

The Fast Track to Effective Contract Management

2006-10-08T17:52:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

Although much of todays healthcare and law practices are using digital media to record their contracts and information, most still have file cabintes full of paper information. In most cases manually converting these is time consuming and costly.

Finetooth.com has Contract Management Software that can not only automate the process, but give yiou a searchable database to properly mine the information you have.

Battle of the bands

2006-10-06T15:51:00.000-04:00

Live ACC Sports Webcasts

2006-10-06T14:39:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

Hey sports fans! the guys over at AccSelect.com have live webcasts of all the ACC Sports you can't get on television...Like Hockey!

Go watch Boston College kick some butts!

The Blame Game

2006-10-04T09:31:00.000-04:00

So now Republican Mark Foley has not only checked himself into rehab because he's "an alchaholic" but he has also divulged that he is "gay" (duh!) and the latest, that he was sexually molested by a catholic clergy when he was a child.

Uy Yuh Yuy!

Our children should be safe in the US Congress....oh shit wait!
Our children should be safe in Church....oh shit wait!
Our children should be safe in School....oh shit wait!

Here is a NSFW dramatic recreation of Mark Foley's instant message conversation with the 16 year old boy taken directly from the transcript - this guy is a real pervert.

Oh and Dennis Haster needs to go too.

I'm going to hell for posting this one.

2006-10-03T21:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, let me preface this by asking NOT to send me emails about being racist.
This cracks me up because of the blatant un-PC nature of it.
Wonder Showzen pushes the limits sometimes and gets away with murder.
If anything, send yer hate mail to MTV for airing it.

A Bag Full Of Butts

2006-10-03T09:11:00.000-04:00

The Guys over at TechCrunch.com produced a podcast of the interview with PayPerPost.com's Ted Murphy and Josh Stein.
Once again, their biased, condesending interviewing where on the verge of insulting. Why these guys hate PayPerPost so much is beyond me. I understand all the ethical reasons, but they fail to see that the bloggers are all individuals with alot of creativity and ideals. Most of the PPP bloggers, myself included, only blog about opportunities that we believe in or have tried out personally.

In his podcast, and elsewhere, Michael Arrington has sited that his one big dilema with PP is "if someone is taking money to write about a specific product or company or whatever, particulary if their not disclosing that they are taking money to do that, that this is unethical"

Hey Butt Munch, it happens everywhere.

And again, the people are smart enough to filter that information, and the bloggers are smart enough not to blog about it if they feel strongly about it.

Geesh!

Get paid for blog advertising

Nice Pair of Sp-Oinkers... Well, snort of

2006-10-02T20:50:00.000-04:00

Oink lang syne? I'd like to think that this piggy speakers would have the chops for it. Available in either pink or white and able to snort at 2.1-channel output, I am all ready to bring this little pig home. Do the ham radio thing by tweaking its ears. And if it's not squealing loud enough, well, feel free to give the tail a tug (volume control). Just don't go telling animal welfare on us unless you fancy pork knuckles in your face.

Get yer own set for $12.99

Chicken Dinner Factory

2006-10-02T14:39:00.000-04:00

Okay, here is another great video from the guys at WonderShowzen. These guys contiinually push the taste boundaries and are about as non-PC as you can get. I don't know who allows their kids to be recorded saying those things either, even still, it's hillarious.

The season 2 DVD will be available shortly and you can buy it on Amazon.com

NOT FOR COPYING MOVIES!

2006-10-02T11:44:00.000-04:00

This device is not for copying movies?

Heres another product by Epiphan Systems.
VGA Recorder Pro provides a simple, innovative means for users to simultaneously record VGA, Video and Audio Signals into a single .avi file. But it's not to be used for copying movies.

Unlike VCR's, this device allows you to record both Audio and Video for any VGA output without any loss in quality and at 100% resolution. You can also seamlessly switch between multiple VGA signals without interrupting the video and/or audio recording.
But by all means, do not use this for copying movies.

The device would be great for capturing live video feeds or teleconferences, or even animations.

Actually at a price tag of $ 7,999.95, you could buy a whole lot of DVD's at Wal-Mart!

VGA Recorder PRO. Technical Specifications.

Cereal Box Archive

2006-10-02T11:42:00.000-04:00

Every cereal you can think of has been archived here.

Man I love the web!

Useless Trivia - But Still Fun!

2006-10-02T11:31:00.000-04:00

Need to know useless facts about shaving?
How bout Trivia on Toys?
Or how about Surprising Facts About Ten U.S. Dollars?

Yup, it's useless trivia. The kind of stuff that occupies probably 70% of my long term memory. The things I mentally hold on to just so that I can win at that Trivial Pursuit game we play once a year at Chritmas with the Family. The kind of things that you will uncontollably spit out at a business dinner as a retort to a comment by a potentail client.

Them: "Well, we like your price, if you could shave off another 1% we could do business"
Me: "Hey! Speaking of shaving, di d you know that Nearly 70% of American women prefer a clean-shaven man"?
Them: "Check Please!"

Here is a blog that is full of those types of lists. And I read it daily. So don't ever challange me to a Trivial Pursuit game!

Kip Hawley is an idiot!

2006-10-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

Careful what you say about the Director of the TSA when you're waiting to pass airport security.
This story has been circulating around the web for the last couple weeks about a traveller in Milwaukee who was detained and then booked as a threat to the nation for writing [TSA director] Kip Hawley is an idiot on the "liquids" baggie at the airport.

Now there is an FAQ site thhat explains how to make a "Kip Hawley is an idiot" Freedom Baggie and an associated website.

VGA Screen Grabber

2006-10-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

Ever have a need to capture a presentation you're giving?
How about an online training presentation to a large group?
Maybe even just documenting procedures on your computer?

Epiphan Systems has come up with this nifty little device called VGA2USB thatis a VGA screengrabber. It allows you to capyure any VGA signal to a series of images or movies to your desktop via high speed USB 2.0. What makes this different is that its only the size of a deck of cards. It worked perfect for my need. I had a software training session where a rep was teaching us how to use the software via a WebX presentation. We needed to record this for several absent employess and this little device worked great!

Oh, and although I guess it's possible, it's not intended for capturing or copying movies, so don't say you heard it from me

Click here for VGA2USB Technical Specifications

Bitter plaque flays dead mom for misanthropy

2006-10-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

This image -- depicting a plaque on which the three adult children of a dead woman flay her for her life of misanthropy -- was apparently culled from IRC. No idea if it's real or a photoshop, but it's something else:

PPP Piece 28

2006-10-01T14:26:00.000-04:00

Okay so here is another piece of the "payperpostbignews" contest.
I'm getting $5 just for posting this. Do you have ways to make money from blogging? You should try PayperPost.com and get paid to do what your already doing.It's easy and your only limit is what you put into it.

First-ever game of international border volleyball

2006-09-30T21:20:00.000-04:00

Joshua Bearman wrote a story for LA Weekly about a game of "border volleyball," in which players on either side of a two-story fence separating the US and Mexico hit a ball back and forth.

All this activity finally brings down the hammer of the border patrol, and a jeep shows up to separate us. The officer is friendly but firm. He’s just come on shift and has no idea we’ve been playing volleyball over the fence for the past hour.
“Really?”

He tells us that a daredevil launched himself across the border in a cannon a while back, but that ours was, in fact, the first-ever game of international border volleyball.

“And it worked over that tall fence?”

“Yup,” we say. “We’re up for one more round if you want to play.”

“No, man,” the officer says. “I’m on duty.”

PPP Contest

2006-09-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

Okay so PayPerPost.com, the blog advertising website I endorse is having some big announcement next week calling it "payperpostbignews", This image here is a puzzle peice that could win me $1000! You know, if you blog and haven't jumped on this yet you should do it. I love getting the emails that say "You've Just Been paid"!

Bennett Robot Works

2006-09-27T09:33:00.000-04:00

These robot sculptures, created by Gordon Bennett are made from a mixture of found objects which are both old and new. these parts are found in various places including garbage dumps, basements, construction sites, and garage sales. They are inspired by Norman Bel Geddes and Raymond Loewy whose visions of the "Modern Age" helped shape industrial design of the 40's and 50's.

The materials are wood, metal, bakelite, glass, plastic, rubber and paint. Each robot is a unique, one-of-a-kind sculpture and recieves its own numbered metal tag as proof it's an authentic Bennett Robot Works robot. Each robot takes about a month to build. They range in height from 14" to 25". There are no moving or battery operated parts. They are not meant to be a toy. Do not taunt happy fun ball.

Take 15 minutes and watch these!

2006-09-27T09:25:00.000-04:00

Inside a Wind Tunnel

2006-09-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

Paris-based photographer Laurent Thion, recently photographed ONERA’s S1Ch Wind Tunnel, which was the biggest in France until the end of WWII. Iit was here that planes such as the Caravelle and Concorde were tested, as well as the first 'delta wing' airplane cars and the Volkswagen. French skiing champion Jen-Claude Killy also used the wind tunnel.

Although this tunnel is no longer in use, it was recently saved from destruction and is now classified as an historic building. This wind tunnel was built between 1932 and 1934 and it made possible the testing of a real plane of 12m, with ignited engine and pilot on board. The wind tunnel is 120m in length and 25m high.

click here to open Project access page

Theo Jansen - Kinetic Sculptor

2006-09-22T11:47:00.000-04:00

Theo Jansen is an artist and kinetic sculptor living and working in Holland. He builds large works which resemble skeletons of animals which are able to walk using the wind on the beaches of the Netherlands. His animated works are a fusion of art and engineering. In the current BMW commercial Jansen says "The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds".

From his website:

Since about ten years Theo Jansen is occupied with the making of a new nature. Not pollen or seeds but plastic yellow tubes are used as the basic matierial of this new nature. He makes skeletons which are able to walk on the wind. Eventualy he wants to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.

Wash That Booty Ms. Peachez!

2006-09-22T09:20:00.000-04:00

Fry that Chicken Ms. Peachez!

2006-09-22T09:17:00.000-04:00

Remember Ring Gives You a Burning Reminder

2006-09-22T09:08:00.000-04:00

The Remember Ring has a special nagging feature, using its "Hot Spot" technology that warms up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 seconds, every hour, on the hour, beginning 24 hours before that "special day," apparently honoring the anniversary of your voluntary servitude. That's supposed to be warm enough to be uncomfortable but not hot enough to burn you. The Remember Ring converts the heat from your hand into electricity using a micro-thermo pile, keeping that battery charged and its heat-bomb clock ticking away, ready to burn you again next year.

Tell the diabolical proprietors when your anniversary date is when you order the ring, and they'll program it for you. Available in seven styles ranging from gold to silver, it has a lifetime warranty. We would like the company to add a special voice nagging option, kicking into an hourly whine about taking out the garbage once a week. Maybe I'd remember then.

Why Top Employees Quit

2006-09-22T09:03:00.000-04:00

"It's like clockwork. Every year a portion of our top talent decides it's time to move on. Once those bonus or holiday checks are cashed, the flood gates open and the resignation letters start flowing in."

Great article

Remember These?

2006-09-20T13:14:00.000-04:00

Boy, when i was growing up, my neighbors had this, and I wanted one soooo bad.

Yeah Elton, Those iPods Sure Are Silly!

2006-09-19T16:27:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday's Tonight Show, Elton John told Jay Leno that he thinks iPods are "silly" and that he would prefer to buy a CD so he can listen to an entire album at a time:

"I don't have a silly iPod. I like to go buy the whole artist's work. If I'm going to watch My Name is Earl [in reference to the fact that the show's star, Jason Lee, was sitting next to him], I'm not going to just go and watch one program, I'm going to watch the DVD of the first series, and I'm going to watch the whole thing together."

Elton appeared to be criticizing the act of downloading a single song instead of a full album, perhaps unaware of the fact that many iPod users do in fact download full albums through the iTunes Store and listen to them in their entirety on their iPods.

Despite his apparent distaste for the iPod, Elton qualified his remarks by saying that "I'm not opposed to it, it's just not my thing," and this is evidenced by the fact that he has made most or all of his catalog available through the iTunes Store.

What a tool

Don't Mess With Texas.........Hold Em

2006-09-18T23:37:00.000-04:00

Okay so I forgot to write about the big Apple event last week, but one of the cool things they released is games that you can now get for your iPod. These are actually pretty cool, look great and play well with a click wheel. One of the games that hey have is Texas hold Em poker. Now, if you are really into Hold Em, this game is not going to quell yer need for either the real thing or an online site like Party Poker (which is rumored to be coming out on Mac!). The iPod game though is great for when you're in a car or shopping for pumps with yer wife (you know what I'm getting at).

Also, if you are into Hold Em, and yer on a Mac, there is a cool site called PokerOnAMac.com that has tons of great links, articles and reviews of MAC texas Hold Em news.

They've even got a list of all the online rooms that support Macs, so you can lose all yer cash to an 18 year old economics major from Des Moines Community College.

I'll take Vegas - at least i can get a lap dance afterwards.............oh Hi Honey..............I meant a smoothie...................

Damn, on the couch again.

Willie Nelson cited for grass and shrooms

2006-09-18T23:25:00.000-04:00

Willie Nelson and four of his bandmates were busted for possession of marijuana and "narcotic" mushrooms this morning. The five were issued misdemeanor citations after Louisiana cops found 1.5 pounds of marijuana and .2 pounds of shrooms on their bus. From the Associated Press:
The citations were issued after a commercial vehicle inspection of the country music star's tour bus, state police said in a news release.

"When the door was opened and the trooper began to speak to the driver, he smelled the strong odor of marijuana," the news release said.

Read entire article

Cookie Monster Sings Cannibal Corpse

2006-09-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

Whats with these home improvement shows.

2006-09-18T21:34:00.000-04:00

AAAAAGGGGGH!

My wife has these shows all TIVO'd to where can't even watch the news:

Extreme Home Makover
Sell This House
Flip This House
Design To Sell
Debbie Travis' Painted House

Did I miss any? Oh Yeah,

Curb Appeal
Design on a Dime
Fix It Up!
House Hunters
House Hunters International
House Hunters Antartica

Okay so I made the last one up, but you get the point. Funny thing is, everyones watching these shows, but no-one is doing any home repairs. I mean, C'Mon, you're watching 2 guys paint interior walls - isn't there an old joke about watching paint dry or something. There has been many a time when I'm actually doing something like putting in replacement windows while the wife is watching it being done on TV.

Now I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of installing replacement windows, but it's definately a job that could use a little help. I think when I'm done, I'll sit in my chair and watch Rachel Ray and yell for my wife to make me a sammich.

Oh and if yer reading this baby - It's all just a joke!

I think I'm on the couch again tonight.

To Steal Or Not To Steal

2006-09-18T21:02:00.000-04:00

In an article published today it say that 33% of all iPod owners are STEALING their music.

So Fucking What?

Do I steal music? I don't think so. I but occasionally from iTunes but still find it a bit overpriced at $0.99/song. I still use AllOfMp3.com, the russian site that allows you to pay per MB versus song. I can get an entire album for $1.50. Does the artist still get paid. Yup, maybe not as much as in the states, but thats the record companies fault. Most artists get paid jack for their music anyways, and the ones that do get a decent royalty, don't need it - ya hear me Britney? Everytime I hear about her wasting $300,000 on a fucking diamond necklace for her DOG, while unsigned hard working underground bands are working and touring their asses off just to try and sell a few records, It makes me just want to steal her music more (okay, so I don't actually listen to Britney Spears - but you get the point).

In fact, I buy MORE music because I CAN get it for cheap. Example, I heard a song on the radio I liked. If I had went to iTunes music store, I would have just bought the one song, but instead I bought the whole album for $1.15 through AllOfMp3.com. Guess what? I liked it so much I went back and bout 2 more of their albums. And guess what? I bought 2 tickets to go see them in concert next month when they are in town. And guess what? 'll probably by a concert shirt. - You get where I'm going with this?

The band would probably have mad MAYBE $0.15 through iTunes Music Store. But instead, they may have only made $0.15 on the whole album through the russian site, BUT I bought 2 more and am going to spend more at the concert. AND THAT IS WHERE THE REAL MONEY IS FOR BANDS!

The bands that understand realize that they work for tips!

The record industry has raped the artist for years, and now that we've figured out a way to get around their scams - they are freaking out. GOOD!

BTW, I usually pay full price for local and independant music releases through indy labels and distributors.

Okay, the soapbox is official vacant now.

Geocaching and my Gecko!

2006-09-18T15:19:00.000-04:00

I just received my very 1st GPS tracker last week from Edmunds Scientific and have to admit I was a little confused on what I was going to do with this, until a friend of mine turned me on to geocaching.

OH SNAP!

I have been geocaching non-stop since. I’m hooked. And what’s nice, is so is my entire family! We have found something that we can all do together and it actually involves the outdoors and hiking, which we already enjoyed.

I have been ordering from Edmunds Scientific since I was a kid, and always loved the feeling of excitement when a package arrived from them. Now that I have kids, I see the same excitement in them. The nice thing is that they are also learning about science while having fun. Heck, my son sat for over an hour with the catalog pointing and announcing on every page, I'm gonna ask Santa for this!", and, I'm gonna ask Santa for this!". belive me, getting him to sit still for an hour for ANYTHING is an accomplishment and worth the price of the GPS!

I opened the box of my Garmin gecko 201 GPS tracker and immediately noticed how small it was. In fact it was smaller than my cell phone. It came with a quick start guide that was easy to follow, and while BBQing some steaks I was up and running within 10 minutes. After spending the evening reading the manual and playing with it, I realized that although it was compact, it had all the features that the larger, more expensive
models had, with the exception of a larger screen, which is still easy to read and even backlit. I would far rather have a small unit I can slip in my shirt pocket. It’s even waterproof for when I most likely dump it in the lake while bass fishing – It’s gonna happen!

So this weekend the family and I went out and started hunting these geocaches, which if you’re not familiar with is basically, using billion-dollar technology to find Tupperware hidden in the woods. Although the kids think its “Treasure Hunting”, I was able to explain the whole concept of satellite triangulation, longitude and latitude, and waypoints. I think they might have actually understood some of it. Either way, they loved taking turns holding the GPS and tracking down the caches. It was simple enough for a 7 year old.

The gecko 201 one of 3 in Garmins line of small waterproof basic handhelds, and is rugged with rubber side protectors and also has a PC connector available to store and upload waypoints from your computer – MAC Too! It claims to have an accuracy of up to 10ft., although I was not able to get any lower than 18ft. Battery life is great too. I’ve used it all weekend and have still to see the battery life meter dip below full. They claim 12 hours of use. Unit also has interactive games to teach you how to use the unit but I was able to learn with real life experiences, so I haven’t tried them yet.

I can’t wait to use this with my Cub Scout den. I am their den leader and I plan on using this device to teach them about tracking while looking for “treasures”!

The 3 letters

2006-09-14T17:04:00.000-04:00

When I was hired to run the IT department of a major company my predecessor left three letters in the desk that was now mine. Each letter was clearly labeled; System Failure #1, System Failure #2, System Failure #3. A post-it note was attached to the bundle of letters.

In case of a substantial system failure open the letters in order, once per failure, and they will help you through the problem.

I put the letters back in the desk and forgot about them.

About one year later we had a cascading server failure that left our corporate intranet and several important production servers off-line. While repairing the problem I remembered the letters. Curious, I opened the first letter.

“Blame me, your predecessor”

The day after we got the servers back up I was called in to my boss’s office to explain what happened and why were down for so long. Taking my cue from the letter I blamed my predecessor. My boss was satisfied with my answer and let me go.

About six months down the road we had another big failure. This time our primary database server went down and the secondary was having trouble dealing with the load. I had to put a lot of extra hours into getting them back up and we lost a few transactions due to the backup server not being able to function under the load.

Once again, I reached into that desk drawer and opened letter #2.

“Blame the equipment”

This time I lamented to the boss about how it wasn’t my fault. It was that backup server! If we had some good equipment to run on these things just would not happen. He was satisfied with my answer and I went back to work.

Things ran smoothly for the next 18 months. Then we got hit with a virus that somehow got past our firewall and wreacked havoc on our systems.

I opened the third letter.

“Write three letters”

- Author unknown.

Fun With Guns day at UM called off

2006-09-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

Events allegedly planned to recruit students to the Republican Party at the University of Michigan have both Republicans and Democrats across the nation stunned. Morgan Wilkins, an independent contractor hired by the College Republican National Committee to recruit students to the party, was described as planning events such as "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" and "Fun with Guns Day," in an article written Tuesday by The Michigan Daily.

"Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" would involve volunteers posing as illegal immigrants and hiding on campus while students try to find them for prizes. For the "Fun with Guns" activity, students would shoot cardboard cutouts of Democratic leaders with BB or paintball guns.

Read more here

Reverse Graffiti Art

2006-09-14T11:53:00.000-04:00

Paul Curtis aka Moose is no regular graffiti artist. In fact, he’s the reverse-graffiti artist. He created his street art by *cleaning* the dirt and grime off of surfaces!

Authorities are baffled: is selective cleaning a crime?

The tools are simple: A shoe brush, water and elbow grease, he says.

British authorities aren’t sure what to make of the artist who is creating graffiti by cleaning the grime of urban life. The Leeds City Council has been considering what to do with Moose. "I’m waiting for the kind of Monty Python court case where exhibit A is a pot of cleaning fluid and exhibit B is a pair of my old socks," he jokes.

NPR Interview

Apple Event - T Minus 1 hour 40 minutes

2006-09-12T11:26:00.000-04:00

Okay so Apple is having a major announcement/event todat at 1 pm eastern. It is suspected that ITMS will be offering full motin picture downloads. I am like a little kid at Christmas for these things, and a bit embarassed to say so. I will keep you posted.

2006-09-12T09:20:00.000-04:00

Where was this thing when I was a kid? Or now, for that matter? The Inflatable Iceberg is the biggest, most insane, most awesome pool toy I have ever seen. Inflating to a monster 15 feet above the water, the Inflatable Iceberg is like your own private water park without as much pee in the water. Three of the sides of the iceberg have grips for climbing and are of various stages of difficulty, from beginner to expert. The fourth side is a gigantic water slide to send you plummeting back into the water after your climb. Imagine playing king of the mountain on top of a 15-foot high inflatable pool toy. The fun, the excitement, the possibility of injury and drowning deaths. My God, I want one. If only I had a swimming pool and $8,860, my life would be complete

She gets it.

2006-09-11T13:32:00.000-04:00

The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions,
or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another inheritantly that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive,between the barbaric and the rational. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and thhe violation of these rights on the other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings.

Why isn't this getting more attention?

Lions Lose Again

2006-09-11T13:00:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

Well the season started in typical fashion with the Lions losing 9-6 to the Seahawks in their season opener. And although everyones Fantasy Football scores went kaput!, the Lions actually looked fairly impressive. Their defense was solid and their offense for the most part was also. It ended up being a field goal-fest. I've said it before but thank god for the Pistons and the Red Wings.

If you are in a fantasy football league or want to join one, these guys are offering some pretty good payouts.

Po Tay Toes!

2006-09-10T19:12:00.000-04:00

Mash Em
Boil Em
Put Em In A Stew

Another SEO ONLY Company

2006-09-10T16:28:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

Here is another company that understands the importance of being a specialist in seach enging marketing....and nothing else!
The times of being a jack-of-all-trades is over. SEO is such a specialized science it takes a full time effort to be successful at it.

They are called Apogee Search and only do Search Engine Marketing in Austin Texas.

Even Stephan

2006-09-10T15:42:00.000-04:00

New Dreamweaver 8 is out

2006-09-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

So if you do any type of web development you have either heard of or chances are use Dreamweaver. Now owned by Adobe it was originally Macromedia's lfagship web development tool. I have used it since it's inception. And have continued to like the direction and features they have added over the years. Even though I can code in my sleep with just a text editor, there are some automated thing inside of Dreamweaver that keep me coming back to it, especially if you jump back and forth between Flash and Fireworks.

The newest version 8 has added more support for CSS and Flash integration. It is also easier to integrate XML information along with RSS support. All the CSS functionality is consolidated into one panel set and enhanced to make working with CSS easier and more productive. The new interface makes it easier to see the cascade of styles applied to a specific element and easily identify where attributes are defined. A property grid allows for quick edits.

I taught a web development class using Dreamweaver at the local community college in kazoo for several years and it was exciting to be able to show people with absolutely no knowledge of HTML, that they could in fact do web programming themselves albiet on a very basic level. I would highly reccomend for anyone who needs to learn a new application, brush up on their skills or advance their knowledge to consider the benefits of instructor-led training. You will learn quicker and more efiiciently what can be done with this product. If you are in or around London, this is a great place to get training not only on Dreamweaver but also Excel training or any MS products. In the states there are several places including my old pals in Chicago.

I (Still) Want One Of These

2006-09-08T15:15:00.000-04:00

http://artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

Digital Cameras

2006-09-08T15:02:00.000-04:00

I often get asked about which digital cameras I use and which ones I would reccomend.
I currently own the Canon Powershot A530 for home use and the Canon 5D and 10D here at work. the Powershot is great for home use and allows for quick turn ons and shooting. I have active kids, and if I have to wait 5 seconds for a camera to focus and shoot, well, the "Magic Moment" would be gone. This camera does it all from point and click to more advanced features.

Digital Cameras from PC World is a good place to check out to get started. there is also several sites to help you figure out what camera is the best for you.

New Mac Ads!

2006-09-07T21:34:00.000-04:00

Smoke Em If Ya Got Em!

2006-09-07T21:15:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

Not to be confused with these guys (who have the most retarded band name in the world I must say), the Hookah is traditional Middle Eastern or South Asian pipe used for smoking. It is similar to the “Bongs” of our college years, although bongs actually came from hookahs. It is a pipe that uses a water filtration system to cool the smoke and in some cases add a flavor. It has commonly been used through the years to smoke opium and hashish, although a resurgence of these pipes has been growing among tobacco enthusiasts.

WTF?

2006-09-06T09:15:00.000-04:00

ABC News: Osama bin Laden offered sanctuary in Pakistan:

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."

Offer comes as truce is concluded between Pakistan and Al Queada:

The Pakistani military will no longer operate in the area where Osama bin Laden and other top al Qaeda operatives are believed to be hiding, according to terms of what the Pakistan government calls a "peace deal," signed today with militant tribal groups allied to the Taliban and al Qaeda.

San Jose Mercury News reports Bush Administration approved truce, will offer millions in aid:

The Pakistani military is striking truces with Islamic separatists along the country's border with Afghanistan, freeing Pakistani militants and al-Qaida fighters to join Taliban insurgents battling U.S.-led troops and government forces in Afghanistan..... when the military failed to crush the separatists, the Bush administration agreed to support Pakistan's truce-making efforts and pledged millions of dollars in additional aid.

I'm Rich Biotch!

2006-09-05T19:19:00.000-04:00

Cha-Ching!

To all the player haters.
To all the naysayers.
To all the doubters.

I just got my first blog advertising payment from PayPerPost.com. Granted it was only $25, but I got close to the same amount coming now on every day. Almost $300 just this first month.

I love this!