12:58 PM CST     0 comments

Yea, verily: Iteration: January 30, 2001

Patrick says everything in this entry that I haven't had the time to expound upon lately. One thing he fails to note, however, is that most folks reservations about this program go far beyond the simple fact it is a Bush-sponsored program. It wouldn't matter who suggested such nonsense, it remains a first step toward a completely unconstitutional government.

10:01 AM CST     0 comments

Whoa: Cameras scanned Super Bowl fans for criminals

Sweet baby Jebus. Orwell might have been more accurate than we thought.

[link courtesy of The Obscure Store]

9:39 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: Handheld Porn a Big Hit

I wonder how long it will take them to release a special "Hairy Palm Pilot" model?

9:11 AM CST     0 comments

Hee: Mike Wendland: Drive boosts storage

I love that headline:

New plug-in device has 80 MB -- that's nearly unlimited

You'll note that says MB not GB. Heh.

9:04 AM CST     0 comments

Segone: RIP Dreamcast: March 2001

Hmm... $99 bucks for a Dreamcast. Awfully tempting, particularly since the games are dropping in price as well.

8:53 AM CST     0 comments

Schweet: Macintosh Color Classic G4

In my opinion, the most awe-inspiring hacks are often hardware hacks. This one is no exception. Basically this guy took the case from an old Mac Color Classic and put a G4 cube inside it. He even figured out a way to mount a POS monitor to complete the illusion.

[link courtesy of Ars Technica]

1:22 PM CST     0 comments

w00t: Otaku-Vengeance

Pokemon fan or not, you simply *must* see this. I'm completely in awe of this guy's talent for animation synchronization. Watch your volume level if you are at work though...

9:40 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: Fewer dot-com dollars for this year's Super Bowl

Did anyone else think that E*Trade commercial was just a little crass? I mean, the only reason they're still around is because they bought out Telebank before the market tanked.

The monkey was cool though. Monkey = Funny.

9:37 AM CST     0 comments

Ugh: IRS snafu raises fears of identity theft

That's really comforting. We're supposed to trust our taxes to people who can't successfully complete a mail merge.

9:44 AM CST     0 comments

Ooh, burn: Castro says he hopes Bush "not as stupid as he seems''

You and me both, Fidel.

9:42 AM CST     0 comments

Amen: Web Sites' Multimedia Mania Leaves Me Cold

This just in... Flash considered harmful. If you, or anyone you know, has been affected by this epidemic please notify the approriate authorties immediately. That is all.

9:24 AM CST     0 comments

Bah: MS Goes After Java Geeks

Ok, let's put aside the fact that, historically speaking, code translators have never quite worked as advertised. Let's assume that Microsoft has invented a babelfish for Java code. The problem remains that, unless developers can write and debug their code in Java and then transfer it to C#, programmers are going to have to learn a new language based upon the source produced by a code translator. Not good.

It's almost like one of those Tom Bodett skits from Animaniacs...

Good Idea: Providing an upgrade path for Java programmers.
Bad Idea: Teaching them butchered machine-generated syntax.

9:09 AM CST     0 comments

Woo: Flat-panel monitor prices getting trimmer

About feckin' time.

9:03 AM CST     0 comments

Heh: MP3 connector for just $20

There's one born every minute...

8:53 AM CST     0 comments

Bullshiff: Xbox to be Dreamcast compatible?

The Reg debunks this rumor quite nicely, but they neglect one solid piece of evidence. Namely, the GD-ROM format that the Dreamcast uses for its games. Standard CD and DVD readers (like the one in the Xbox) can't read past the "blackout" portion of a GD-ROM.

To incorporate Dreamcast compatibility into the Xbox Microsoft would have to adopt a GD-ROM drive which is also capable of reading CD's and DVD's. I'm not certain, but I don't think there is such an animal.

12:28 PM CST     0 comments

Moof! Technote 31 - The Dogcow

A dogcow is what I want to be.

Pictured in dialogs,
Running through the weeds,
In and out of advertisements,
Loving my naughty deeds.

Feeling in black and white.

Over the edge of cliffs,
Out with the tide in the sea.
Living life to the fullest,
Sweet survival in 2 D.

10:13 AM CST     0 comments

Funny: In Passing...

While it seems to be quite similar to a now-dead-but-once-cool glassdog project, In Passing is quite humorous at times. My only beef is that some of the entries are a bit too specific to be funny to the general public.

9:40 AM CST     0 comments

Dubya: Google Link Is Bush League

Perhaps Google should have been consulted prior to the election. It might have saved us all four years of grief.

9:32 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: Amazon auction sellers face new fees, rules

My guess is that Amazon wants to avoid the sort of problems that Yahoo is having with the French government. By effectively eliminating bids from outside the US, Amazon is basically ensuring that only US laws will be exercised against them in a dispute.

9:05 AM CST     0 comments

Heh: Microsoft's New Operating System

This is so simple, it's genius.

[thanks to The Reg for the link]

12:42 PM CST     0 comments

w00t: JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK

News Askew has posted a few pics of a fan-produced one-sheet for Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. (scroll down to the Jan 18 entry)

It's an intricate piece of work and quite well done, but I'm kinda ticked about one detail. Why the hell does that paper cup have water in it? That's *almost* inexcusable.

9:06 AM CST     0 comments

Taps: Netscape.com to become portal for Time Warner content

"Alas, poor Netscape, I knew him, jwz..."

9:00 AM CST     0 comments

Yep: Sega set to license Dreamcast to set-top box builder

After yesterday's disappointing news, Sega fans had little to cheer about. This article, however, offers a possible ray of sunshine. It seems Sega's new corporate direction may mean a slight retooling for Dreamcast rather than the proverbial bit bucket.

8:53 AM CST     0 comments

Hark: Ars Awards 2000

The annual Ars Awards. See if your favorite hardware made the cut.

8:39 AM CST     0 comments

Woo: Sun, Microsoft settle Java suit

That should read "Sun Wins Java Suit", but it doesn't cause CNet tends to lean toward money the way a plant leans toward light. Regardless, it's good to see that Microsoft can be pinned down legally when necessary. It was beginning to look as though no amount of legal wrangling could prove them liable for anything.

8:27 AM CST     0 comments

Grok this: What's Wrong With Content Protection

John Gilmore of the EFF drops science on SMDI, CRPM, and all those other acronyms which boil down to a restriction of our rights. If you don't have the time to read it now, bookmark it for when you do. Better yet, print it out for future reading. It's that important.

[thanks to Sage for the link]

10:01 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: PlayStation 3 details emerge

Sony takes a page from the Microsoft playbook. If the current product isn't working, just promise them a new one in a few years.

9:49 AM CST     0 comments

Follow up: Monolith Mystifies Seattle

Finally some details about the art group responsible for the Seattle monolith. I would have picked a better name than "Some People" though. Perhaps this group could use a PR manager?

9:42 AM CST     0 comments

Heh: Flasher the Clown exiled from parade

One is lead to wonder if the stuffed dog was a dachshund...

[link courtesy of Obscure Store]

9:35 AM CST     0 comments

Facinating: I'm a cyborg and I love it

And I quote:

"Let me put it bluntly: Being kept alive by a machine -- especially one that doesn't hinder mobility -- beats being dead."

Amen.

8:59 AM CST     0 comments

Ick: Post-Worm Panda Attacked

Ok. I can see the value of "information sharing" between anti-virus makers, both for the companies themselves and for consumers. What I don't really agree with is the delay that could be caused by AV makers sharing amongst themselves and excluding the public until a fix is in place.

Given the speed at which internet viruses propagate, containment measures are of the utmost importance. Anything that delays public knowledge of new bugs would surely cause them to spread further than they otherwise would have.

8:44 AM CST     0 comments

Phew: MS opens up on Whistler copy protection

Microsoft says we shouldn't worry about the Whistler/Office10 "product activation" plan. Isn't that just a huge load off your mind?

9:22 AM CST     0 comments

Heh: Notable Quote

Funny... I've heard the same said more times about Oasis.

9:16 AM CST     0 comments

OSX: Apple revs Mac OS Server update

As much as I would like to see Apple have a hit with OSX server, I'm doubtful that it's possible in the current market. The way I see it there are basically three major types of customers in the web server space. There's the Microsoft contingent which require a Windows-based solution to integrate with their in-house systems, the hardcore 24x7 *nix shops, and small businesses with no on-staff technical support.

The Microsofties run on mid to high-end Intel hardware and aren't really interested in anything from Apple anyway. Hardcore shops mostly run rack-mounted arrays of IBM, HP, or Sun servers, but some suffice with a teeming hoard of cheap Intel boxes. Lastly, the shops which lack an IT department almost always go for an integrated solution like a Cobalt server or out-source their hosting to an ISP.

So the question remains... where does OSX server fit into this market? Nowhere that I can see.

9:02 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: A Meta Tag Nintendo Didn't Like

You know what? Nintendo may just have stupider lawyers than Microsoft. That's quite a feat.

8:54 AM CST     0 comments

Whatever: Microsoft launches $200 million ad campaign

Does M$ really think that the reason enterprises aren't jumping on their bandwagon is because they don't know the Microsoft name? Get real. My grandmother has never laid finger to a keyboard that I know of and yet she likely knows who Microsoft is.

Some might argue that Microsoft intends to educate businesses about their more obscure software and services. Then again, any enterprise in a position to deploy Microsoft's more complex and esoterric offerings has surely done their research long ago and is fully aware of Redmond's technology. So why spend $200 mil?

Perhaps this Economist article holds the answer.

8:52 AM CST     0 comments

Amazing: Blackouts create boom for backup power supplies

Who would have guessed? Next thing you know rainstorms will be driving up umbrella sales too.

<David Spade>It's called supply and demand, Sparky, look into it.</David Spade>

8:48 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: Developers cry foul over new VB.Net

Perhaps I should pick up a few spare VB6 licenses... they may become quite valuable in the coming months. Personally I never saw any need to move from VB5, so I doubt seriously I'll make the jump to VB.Net anyway. You can learn more on Karl Peterson's VB.Not site, but I'd turn down your speakers to save your ears from the hideous embedded MIDI.

8:35 AM CST     0 comments

Heh: Copy protection on Whistler easily cracked

The Reg has the skinny on bypassing Whister's onerous and consumer-hostile "copy protection" scheme. Clip and save. You never know when you'll be doing an emergency rebuild and not be able to reach MS tech support.

8:25 AM CST     0 comments

Woo: Toon Tracker

While this page is a bit hard on the eyes, the content is quite comprehensive. The site focuses primarily on fringe-market cartoons and has pics, audio, and sometimes video from the shows.

1:27 PM CST     0 comments

Please: Metallica v. Victoria's Secret

Ok, I'm done. Metallica, you guys can just go away now. Take Jason's lead and retire to a remote island where you can all spend the remainder of your days suing each other to hell and back.

Really. Shoo.

[link courtesy of penelope]

12:45 PM CST     0 comments

Don't you love it when you're plowing through an order of fries from Burger King and there, buried deep in the middle, is a single lone onion ring. It's like finding a particularly cool prize in a box of Cracker Jacks, or getting two cherries in your cherry Coke. That sort of thing can really make my day.

Hmm... perhaps I need a hobby.

8:38 AM CST     0 comments

Blah: Whistler screenshots from Savage News

Once again Microsoft proves that they are far more evolutionary than revolutionary. My guess is that most of Whistlers benefits (and pitfalls for that matter) are ensconced deep in its underpinnings. It's tough to capture that sort of thing with a screenshot.

That said, it's still worth a look for the OS-curious.

[link provided by The Reg]

8:32 AM CST     0 comments

Yeah, baby: Infamous Spammer Spammed

Live by the spam, die by the spam.

8:22 AM CST     0 comments

Great: AltaVista to become only Net search engine

So, as is becoming the norm, a company who can't compete on the merits of their product forces their competition to either pay up or get out. Completely preposterous.

9:15 AM CST     0 comments

PalmArt: TealPaint Art Gallery

Ever wonder what to do with your Palm in between scheduling meetings and those marathon DopeWars sessions? Now you know.

8:48 AM CST     0 comments

Ugh: Patient Files Opened to Marketers, Fundraisers

I can't believe something like this could be law. When these new regulations take effect anything you tell your doctor can legally be sold to telemarketers. I don't know about you, but I think this is going to cause people to distrust the medical industry even more. In fact, people suffering from particularly embarassing conditions may not seek medical attention for fear that their disease will become public knowledge.

I applaud lawmakers for expanding patient access to their medical records. That said, it seems like they could have done so without leaving the barn door open for everyone else.

8:38 AM CST     0 comments

Good Lord: Hole found in Windows Media Player "skins"

Leave it to Microsoft to create a security hole in something as innocuous as an application skin.

8:30 AM CST     0 comments

Yep: MS using the old Blue Screen to sell Win2k

I saw a similar ad in InteractiveWeek a few days ago. It seems odd, but I suppose other industries engage in similar tactics. Automobile makers, for instance, are quick to deride their old models in favor of the current ones.

8:23 AM CST     0 comments

There was a commercial on the radio as I was driving to work this morning which confused me. Apparently there is a new cellular service in town and they claim to offer a "phone so small people will think you are talking to yourself"!

Is that desirable? I mean, exactly when did insanity become the hip, new thing?

11:22 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: All-male college's homecoming queen is in drag

Speaking of "don't ask, don't tell"...

[link courtesy of the wonderfully perverse Obscure Store]

11:03 AM CST     0 comments

Ugh: Why You Can't Sell What You Buy

"Among the ideas it is looking at is a way for content to be destroyed on hard drives when a secondary sale has been made."

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

10:49 AM CST     0 comments

Ahem: College fuming over $500,000 anti-piracy sting

I guess when it comes to the BSA, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is probably a good idea.

10:42 AM CST     0 comments

Lovely: Video games make good kids evil

I loath studies like this one. In my opinion there's no way you can prove that the input is necessarily tied to the output. In other words, just because they forced these poor kids to cut their entertainment in half and their aggressive behaviors decreased 25%, doesn't really mean the two are related. Just because there is a control group doesn't mean the results are automatically substantiated.

The other thing that seems appalling to me, is that these kids weren't really given any alternate forms of entertainment to replace the hours regained from the "evil" media sources. Their "training" classes were apparently designed only to curb one behavior without offering any alternatives. It seems to me that they were setting the stage for short-term, if somewhat more measureable, results.

2:06 PM CST     0 comments

Does anyone out there know the purpose of sesame seed buns? I mean, at what point did the restaurant industry decide that eating a hamburger required a nearly infinite number of small, relatively tasteless seeds loosely attached to the bun? It might also be educational to know whether the portable vacuum industry was involved in the decision.

9:03 AM CST     0 comments

Ick: ICANN legal pay-off avoids scrutiny

Although ICANN has become a favorite whipping-boy of internet news organizations everywhere, it does seem odd that the more information we get about the ill-fated governing body the more corrupt it seems. The only positive things being said about ICANN are being said by ICANN themselves.

That said, this article seems to make a big deal out of the fact ICANN has paid an overdue legal bill. Hardly earth-shattering news.

8:39 AM CST     0 comments

Heh: Cache at the End of His Rainbow

Still think backups aren't important? This guy might disagree with you. What really gets me is that after having one hard drive fail, he still didn't backup his server.

Perhaps a refresher course on the finer points of Murphy's Law is in order?

8:29 AM CST     0 comments

Hmm: Sony plans to double PlayStation 2 production

That sounds like a good idea until you consider this.

8:27 AM CST     0 comments

Amen: Delphi dumps W2k, downgrades to NT4

This is exactly what I've been trying to tell my IS compatriots when they brag about being one of the first kids on the block to roll their servers to W2k. I see little value in "upgrading" to a system which isn't certified with mission-critical software. Add that to the lower performance on equal hardware and I see little reason to shell out the bucks.

9:09 AM CST     0 comments

Uhm, no: U.S. Agency Seeks Approval to Recycle Radioactive Metals

How can this sound like a good idea to anyone? I can see it now, you buy a watch and find out two years later that your fingernails now glow in the dark. Bad Idea.

10:39 AM CST     0 comments

Duh: Millions Pay Not to Log On

Anyone who has ever tried to cancel an AOL account could have told you this years ago. That is precisely why AOL requires credit card payments... you can't refuse to pay your bill.

10:33 AM CST     0 comments

Priceless: Salon.com crystal ball

Some of these are really clever. I particularly liked the "No more singing in the rain" paragraph.

10:31 AM CST     0 comments

CRPM News: 4C retreats in Copy Protection storm

Although this isn't a complete victory, it's certainly better than nothing. Personally I see no reason for CRPM to exist, but if I can turn it on and off at will, then it becomes little more than an inconvenience.

It still remains to be seen whether manufacturers will produce CRPM drives or whether it will be economically feasible to do so. I mean, if XYZ company starts making CRPM drives and ABC company doesn't then everyone will just buy ABC drives and put XYZ out of business. It will take 100% commitment from *all* drive manufacturers.

I'll leave estimating the likelyhood of that happening as an exercise for the reader.

10:11 AM CST     0 comments

Yawn: Xbox pics leak out

The Reg has posted some pics of Microsoft's Xbox. Overall it's pretty plain looking. I mean, nobody expected them to actually ship the x-shaped, chromoid monster they had at E3, but I expected a bit more than this. Perhaps they should have consulted Frog Design?

10:00 AM CST     0 comments

Good news: New and Amended Telemarketing Laws

It's about time a little control was returned to the consumer. Telemarketers (and spammers as well) waste a tremendous amount of time and resources which would be better spent on nearly any other endeavor.

My home state is unfortunately not on the bandwagon yet, but maybe your state is. If so, you'll want to get yourself on the "do-not-call list" as quickly as possible. I sincerely hope other states follow suit.

In my opinion the only way to curb unsolicited marketing contacts is to make it uncomfortable for the marketers. The harder it becomes and the more stringent the guidelines the more reputable the field becomes. The e-z, sleazy marketers will drop out like stones through a wet paper bag.

[thanks to Ars Technica for the link]

10:02 AM CST     0 comments

Heh: Sacrificial Sheep Shoves Man to His Death

Isn't it poetic? Doncha think?

9:52 AM CST     0 comments

web.history 101: Creator fights to keep Web simple

A few words from Tim Berners-Lee. I was particularly amused by this quote:

"I wouldn't have put the double slashes in... I didn't realize how much people would be writing these URLs out and reading them out and how much time it takes for people to say 'slash slash'."

That kinda brings it home... I mean, this is the guy that decided on 'slash slash'. Pretty cool thing to have on a resume.

9:45 AM CST     0 comments

Ick: Everything you ever wanted to know about CPRM, but ZDNet wouldn't tell you

In case you haven't been following the computer press lately, CPRM is a digital locking system that is being proposed for inclusion in the ATA hard drive standard. If this happens computer users will be required to have "keys" to unlock the data on their own hard drives. As proposed, these "keys" would be stored on a central server (i.e. outside your control) and if you can't get to the server you can't get to your data.

The biggest problem I see with the plan, forgetting for the moment my distain for digital locking in general, is that they are going to need a really, really big server farm to accomplish this. Who is going to pay for that equipment, or better yet for the data lines to connect it with sufficient redundancy? I just don't see any way that this could work in the real world.

9:31 AM CST     0 comments

Gartner: Microsoft Is Pushing Windows 95 Aside — Is NTW4 Next?

This article discusses Microsoft's OS roadmap and how long businesses can expect to receive support for their OS investments. What's more important, however, is that it does so without Microsoft's customary EULA nonsense and "preferred path" verbiage. In other words, plain english.

[thanks to The Reg for the link]

2:28 PM CST     0 comments

I'm finally back at work and in the process of digging out after my vacation. It may be a few more days before I'm back into the swing of things.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!