Probably 34 lbs heavier than when I last blogged... I figured I would throw some interesting sites I saw today:
Stuff you (prolly) did not know last year: Heh... now I know why the lion looked so real
People get free Vista laptops...: My only question is, why those people? Does ANYONE really base their opinion of a product based on some person's blog? Microsoft should have given me the Vista laptop, I need a new one anyways... And really people, why are you complaining about free stuff? If you hate Vista, wouldn't the ultimate slam be to just format the drive and throw linux on there? Anyone? Anyone?
Yay on to drink more tea....
Friday, December 29, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
A little something something before I head off...
Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Like Eating Glass - Bloc Party
So before I set off on my holiday - I did find some interesting news going on in the world, here is a quick synapses... as I should get some sleep as I have an early flight :
Privacy Impact Assessment Report from DHS regarding their Automated Targeting System
A 30-page lowdown about DHS's way of targeting terrorism... works with cargo and people, the one aspect not implemented yet is the ATS system for international cargo. This of course, means that CBP (Customs & Border Patrol) collects PII (Personal Identifiable Information) about passengers, both domestic and international. This leads nicely into the articles from the the Washington Post and the EU Observer discussing the letter from sent by the EU to the United States, asking what exactly is being done with this information, and how long is it retained (the EU has stricter control over their information than we do).
TrueCrypt: Just seemed like a neat program, didnt really get a chance to look at it
Happy Holidays!
Current Music: Like Eating Glass - Bloc Party
So before I set off on my holiday - I did find some interesting news going on in the world, here is a quick synapses... as I should get some sleep as I have an early flight :
Privacy Impact Assessment Report from DHS regarding their Automated Targeting System
A 30-page lowdown about DHS's way of targeting terrorism... works with cargo and people, the one aspect not implemented yet is the ATS system for international cargo. This of course, means that CBP (Customs & Border Patrol) collects PII (Personal Identifiable Information) about passengers, both domestic and international. This leads nicely into the articles from the the Washington Post and the EU Observer discussing the letter from sent by the EU to the United States, asking what exactly is being done with this information, and how long is it retained (the EU has stricter control over their information than we do).
TrueCrypt: Just seemed like a neat program, didnt really get a chance to look at it
Happy Holidays!
Monday, December 18, 2006
'Logic bomb' backfires on hacker
So, call me sadistic, but I found this article found on ComputerWorld.com to be quite priceless. It's nice to see a 'hackers'(I think its moreso the disenfranchised sysadmin) plan completely backfire in their face. I think it would be interesting to know how much (if any) damage these logic bombs wrought upon the system. Apparently not as much as this man thought it would. Being a previous sysadmin of the very system he intended to devastate, you would think he would know the limits and capabilities of the system. Unfortunately the article does not state when thes logic bombs went off, simply that the man quit in 2002 due to "dissatisfaction about his salary and bonuses". IF he set the bombs to go off shortly after his departure (which is a silly move anyways... it makes him look mighty suspicious), why didn't he know that the bombs would cause little damage? What type of sysadmin is this?? PaineWebber is (obviously) better off.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Monkey Island
Current Mood: Happy (its Friday!)
Current Music: Monkey Island Theme
Yes all.. I *know* its amazing, My mother found our copy of the LusasArts classic, The Secret of Monkey Island. What IS it about these nostalgic games that people go crazy over? I must say I fall victim to its charms myself. Just ask Tom - when we were at the Game On! convention at the London Science Museum, I almost had an accident when I saw some kid playing Monkey Island (albeit horribly) ... I was seething.. "USE gopher repellent ON rats!! DUH!!"
This kind of reminds me of the whole FFVII post, although there are thousands of games out there with 100x better graphics, people are suckers for the classics. Xbox360? Cool. Original Atari? NO WAY THAT'S SO SWEET!
I rest my case.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Final Fantasy
Current Mood: good - the semester is over, how could I not be??
Current Music: The sabres game... GO SABRES
So I was at EB Games returning Me and My Katamari for the PSP (heck no I will not upgrade my firmware, I won't play your game Sony) and I decided I should try and see if they had Final Fantasy VIII, seeing as how my copy went missing (see the exciting conclusion later!). I asked the overly zealous EB Game employee and he replied with, " We do not have PS 1 games... if we had FF8, I would have it." Ok.....
So, I had my suspicions(hopes) that my sister had my copy, seeing as how I had her copy of X-2. I call her up and she confirms (phew!) my suspicions. We get to talking about buying old Final Fantasies. She informs me that FF VII is expensive to find... I am like really? Ebay tells no lies.
Apparently Final Fantasy VII is the most popular game of the FF series. This makes sense, look at the spin offs: The movie (Advent Children, which I highly recommend), and two spin off games, one with Vincent (Dirge of Cerberus) and the other with Reno and Rude (Crisis Core). True they never did as well as the original (kind of like Star Trek: the Next Generation), but it definitely says something. With all the new high tech graphic games out there, FF VII pushed the envelope with its cut-away scenes and killer graphical capability. True its no FF X, but it had to start somewhere...
So I look behind me and see my own copy of FF VII and smile, at least I bought it when it was only $20. .. and FF VIII is only $20.
Current Music: The sabres game... GO SABRES
So I was at EB Games returning Me and My Katamari for the PSP (heck no I will not upgrade my firmware, I won't play your game Sony) and I decided I should try and see if they had Final Fantasy VIII, seeing as how my copy went missing (see the exciting conclusion later!). I asked the overly zealous EB Game employee and he replied with, " We do not have PS 1 games... if we had FF8, I would have it." Ok.....
So, I had my suspicions(hopes) that my sister had my copy, seeing as how I had her copy of X-2. I call her up and she confirms (phew!) my suspicions. We get to talking about buying old Final Fantasies. She informs me that FF VII is expensive to find... I am like really? Ebay tells no lies.
Apparently Final Fantasy VII is the most popular game of the FF series. This makes sense, look at the spin offs: The movie (Advent Children, which I highly recommend), and two spin off games, one with Vincent (Dirge of Cerberus) and the other with Reno and Rude (Crisis Core). True they never did as well as the original (kind of like Star Trek: the Next Generation), but it definitely says something. With all the new high tech graphic games out there, FF VII pushed the envelope with its cut-away scenes and killer graphical capability. True its no FF X, but it had to start somewhere...
So I look behind me and see my own copy of FF VII and smile, at least I bought it when it was only $20. .. and FF VIII is only $20.
This is why I want the Blackberry Pearl
So this confirms my belief that the Blackberry Pearl is the sexiest phone out there right now. It is unlike its garage door opener-like parents, the Pearl actually looks like a phone but has all the capabilities of a Blackberry. Its sleek, sexy, and utterably geeky. Reminds me of someone I know.... Of course like any super hot device, the price tag is what is stopping me from purchasing one. Thank goodness for Ebay!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Beer Pong: A not so Sanitary Way to get Intoxicated
Everyone knows beer pong (or Beruit) and how its played. According to this report... playing the game can not only get your sick due to alcohol, but also sick due to bacteria. I always knew this, but its fun to see in the paper. Now... think of playing it with quarters.. who KNOWS where those have been... ICK!
Thus: All political parties are corrupt
In an article written by the National Review Online, there are reports that the US was wiretapping Princess Diana the night of her death. So if everyone remembers, Diana was killed in a car crash about 10-years ago, the report that was devleoped as a result of the investigation will be released on Thursday. So, disregarding the scintillating facts about Di and her companion, whether the driver was drunk, and if the paparazzi are to blame, let's discuss the wiretapping.
10-years ago was almost like a different time and place. Terrorism was something that happened overseas, the economy was booming, and the Democrats held the executive branch (remember Bill Clinton? the guy between the Bush's?) More importantly (in case of this story), the NSA surveillance act was non-existant.
But hark! If this story is corroborated with the report soon to be released, why was the US wiretapping Princess Diana? Di was a foreign national, if she was talking to another foreign national... well there would be some problems with us not asking British Intelligence for permission, but thats not the story here...
According to the story the US was bugging Diana's phone in relation to US billionaire Theodore Forstmann....I repeat a US citizen . Where have we heard this deabte before. Calls between a US citizen and foreign national who have a link between terorrism.... wait - Princess Diana? WHAT?
So, in order to obtain a wiretap under FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), the agency has to prove that whoemever they are tapping were "agents of a foreign power"which means that the "target... may ... be involved in unlawful clandestine intelligence activities, or in knowingly aiding and abetting such activities." (Judge Ellis -Secrecy News, August 2006) Although it is possible that Princess Di and Mr. Frostmann could be engaging in such activities.... its HIGHLY improbable. So, along those lines its highly improbable that the FISA court would allow such a case to be approved.... so did the Clinton administration, who has said they they ALWAYS followed FISA rules and regulations, NEVER attempted to bypasss them, ILLEGALY wiretap Princess Diana for some unforseen reason?
So (if this is true) now the Democrats can't yell at Republicans for domestic spying, theoretically they were doing the same thing. The real question is... what the heck were they looking for by wiretapping Princess Diana? At least the Bush administration says they are wiretapping for strictly terrorist related activities... Why didnt the US ask British Intelligence (we do have a special relationship with them) for their blessing?
Should be an interesting report. I love watching politicians eat their words.
10-years ago was almost like a different time and place. Terrorism was something that happened overseas, the economy was booming, and the Democrats held the executive branch (remember Bill Clinton? the guy between the Bush's?) More importantly (in case of this story), the NSA surveillance act was non-existant.
But hark! If this story is corroborated with the report soon to be released, why was the US wiretapping Princess Diana? Di was a foreign national, if she was talking to another foreign national... well there would be some problems with us not asking British Intelligence for permission, but thats not the story here...
According to the story the US was bugging Diana's phone in relation to US billionaire Theodore Forstmann....I repeat a US citizen . Where have we heard this deabte before. Calls between a US citizen and foreign national who have a link between terorrism.... wait - Princess Diana? WHAT?
So, in order to obtain a wiretap under FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), the agency has to prove that whoemever they are tapping were "agents of a foreign power"which means that the "target... may ... be involved in unlawful clandestine intelligence activities, or in knowingly aiding and abetting such activities." (Judge Ellis -Secrecy News, August 2006) Although it is possible that Princess Di and Mr. Frostmann could be engaging in such activities.... its HIGHLY improbable. So, along those lines its highly improbable that the FISA court would allow such a case to be approved.... so did the Clinton administration, who has said they they ALWAYS followed FISA rules and regulations, NEVER attempted to bypasss them, ILLEGALY wiretap Princess Diana for some unforseen reason?
So (if this is true) now the Democrats can't yell at Republicans for domestic spying, theoretically they were doing the same thing. The real question is... what the heck were they looking for by wiretapping Princess Diana? At least the Bush administration says they are wiretapping for strictly terrorist related activities... Why didnt the US ask British Intelligence (we do have a special relationship with them) for their blessing?
Should be an interesting report. I love watching politicians eat their words.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Holiday Buyers' Guide 2006, Part 6: Gifts For Geeks and Gamers | Tom's Hardware
Holiday Buyers' Guide 2006, Part 6: Gifts For Geeks and Gamers | Tom's Hardware: "Fossil CallerID Bluetooth Watch"
Oh man, talk about the gift for the guy/gal who has everything... I started to salivate when I saw this. The uses for this thing are gi-normous! You are on a date, your phone is ringing... you want to see who it is.. but its SO RUDE to answer your phone! Well this watch would take the guesswork out of taking that chance. At the gym (if your phone is within distance) you can stay on the treadmill instead of going to check your phone to see if you got that text. Or -my personal favorite- you are watching the hockey game and your phone is ringing/vibrating... shuffling into your purse can make you miss the all important goal... however a simple look at your watch and you can decide "They are not as important as the Stanley Cup... will call them later"
Of course, the bluetooth stack is known to have many flaws. It's already been proven that people can hack into an individuals phone via their bluetooth headset. Can we do the same now via their watch? Probably. This makes me want to get into bluetooth even more... hopefully this (coupled with the fact that the semester is almost over) will light the proverbial match under my bum.
Oh and the price? Well not too shabby. It goes on Fossils website for about $250 (free shipping yippee!) I particularly do not like the all black, being more of a silver chick myself. I would suggest trying it on at the store first and confusing the crap out of the Fossil employee by diving into security risks posed by said device.
Oh man, talk about the gift for the guy/gal who has everything... I started to salivate when I saw this. The uses for this thing are gi-normous! You are on a date, your phone is ringing... you want to see who it is.. but its SO RUDE to answer your phone! Well this watch would take the guesswork out of taking that chance. At the gym (if your phone is within distance) you can stay on the treadmill instead of going to check your phone to see if you got that text. Or -my personal favorite- you are watching the hockey game and your phone is ringing/vibrating... shuffling into your purse can make you miss the all important goal... however a simple look at your watch and you can decide "They are not as important as the Stanley Cup... will call them later"
Of course, the bluetooth stack is known to have many flaws. It's already been proven that people can hack into an individuals phone via their bluetooth headset. Can we do the same now via their watch? Probably. This makes me want to get into bluetooth even more... hopefully this (coupled with the fact that the semester is almost over) will light the proverbial match under my bum.
Oh and the price? Well not too shabby. It goes on Fossils website for about $250 (free shipping yippee!) I particularly do not like the all black, being more of a silver chick myself. I would suggest trying it on at the store first and confusing the crap out of the Fossil employee by diving into security risks posed by said device.
Holiday Buyers' Guide 2006, Part 6: Gifts For Geeks and Gamers | Tom's Hardware
Holiday Buyers' Guide 2006, Part 6: Gifts For Geeks and Gamers | Tom's Hardware
Remember those Mac Mini things? Yeah those were pretty hot... check this baby out too. Core duo mini pcs.... be the envy of all your friends, drag your PC with you everywhere you go. Of course -NOT- included in the price is the processor (~$200 I believe), the hard drive (depends on how much GB you want), and the RAM (~$50-100). So add about $400 to the sticker price of the abrebones kit. Whoa... almost $800, you can get a decent desktop, and SOMETIMES a laptop for $800.
True this would be nice for LAN parties and total geekdom, but like the article states, you can't have a regular graphics card in there... so you are stuck with the graphocs of the 945M chipset. That might not seem so bad, until of course your friend with the Nvidia Geforce 8800 GTX Graphics card walks in....
What a jerk.. this was supposed to be YOUR moment.
Remember those Mac Mini things? Yeah those were pretty hot... check this baby out too. Core duo mini pcs.... be the envy of all your friends, drag your PC with you everywhere you go. Of course -NOT- included in the price is the processor (~$200 I believe), the hard drive (depends on how much GB you want), and the RAM (~$50-100). So add about $400 to the sticker price of the abrebones kit. Whoa... almost $800, you can get a decent desktop, and SOMETIMES a laptop for $800.
True this would be nice for LAN parties and total geekdom, but like the article states, you can't have a regular graphics card in there... so you are stuck with the graphocs of the 945M chipset. That might not seem so bad, until of course your friend with the Nvidia Geforce 8800 GTX Graphics card walks in....
What a jerk.. this was supposed to be YOUR moment.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
[H] Enthusiast - Gaming with the Killer NIC
[H] Enthusiast - Gaming with the Killer NIC
Wow.... so your frag session can go even smooth... stupid lag... if ony World of Warcraft had these... this way people could camp better :P
Its still very expensive ($250) when you consider you can get NICs for about $10 sometimes... but I guess there are some hardcore gamers that really feel that this is -REQUIRED- in order to be leet.
Wow.... so your frag session can go even smooth... stupid lag... if ony World of Warcraft had these... this way people could camp better :P
Its still very expensive ($250) when you consider you can get NICs for about $10 sometimes... but I guess there are some hardcore gamers that really feel that this is -REQUIRED- in order to be leet.
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