Tuesday, September 30, 2003

I just recently got turned on to Macoun apples: They are incredibly crisp but have this playful sweet / sour (a la Granny Smith) interaction going on. I have one packed for lunch today and I can't wait to crack into it. They are wonderful with raw almond butter, too.

Saturday, September 27, 2003

Friday, September 26, 2003

Get some used classical LPs Deutche Gramophon releases; unbelievable sound. Actually, I mean believable.
Sterling Ball, a jovial, plain-talking businessman, is CEO of Ernie Ball, the world's leading maker of premium guitar strings endorsed by generations of artists ranging from the likes of Eric Clapton to the dudes from Metallica. But since jettisoning all of Microsoft products three years ago, Ernie Ball has also gained notoriety as a company that dumped most of its proprietary software -- and still lived to tell the tale. In 2000, the Business Software Alliance conducted a raid and subsequent audit at the San Luis Obispo, California-based company that turned up a few dozen unlicensed copies of programs. Ball settled for $65,000, plus $35,000 in legal fees. But by then, the BSA, a trade group that helps enforce copyrights and licensing provisions for major business software makers, had put the company on the evening news and featured it in regional ads warning other businesses to monitor their software licences. Humiliated by the experience, Ball told his IT department he wanted Microsoft products out of his business within six months. "I said, 'I don't care if we have to buy 10,000 abacuses,'" recalled Ball, who recently addressed the LinuxWorld trade show. "We won't do business with someone who treats us poorly." Ball's IT crew settled on a potpourri of open-source software -- Red Hat's version of Linux, the OpenOffice office suite, Mozilla's Web browser -- plus a few proprietary applications that couldn't be duplicated by open source. Ball, whose father, Ernie, founded the company, says the transition was a breeze, and since then he's been happy to extol the virtues of open-source software to anyone who asks. He spoke with CNET News.com about his experience. Q: Can you start by giving us a brief rundown of how you became an open-source advocate? A: I became an open-source guy because we're a privately owned company, a family business that's been around for 30 years, making products and being a good member of society. We've never been sued, never had any problems paying our bills. And one day I got a call that there were armed marshals at my door talking about software licence compliance...I thought I was OK; I buy computers with licensed software. But my lawyer told me it could be pretty bad. The BSA had a program back then called "Nail Your Boss," where they encouraged disgruntled employees to report on their company...and that's what happened to us. Anyways, they basically shut us down...We were out of compliance I figure by about 8 percent (out of 72 desktops). How did that happen? We pass our old computers down. The guys in engineering need a new PC, so they get one and we pass theirs on to somebody doing clerical work. Well, if you don't wipe the hard drive on that PC, that's a violation. Even if they can tell a piece of software isn't being used, it's still a violation if it's on that hard drive. What I really thought is that you ought to treat people the way you want to be treated. I couldn't treat a customer the way Microsoft dealt with me...I went from being a pro-Microsoft guy to instantly being an anti-Microsoft guy. [...] ZDnet
[...]Finally, the court cited the so-called sleeping embryo theory in Islamic scholarship that says an infant can be in gestation for up to five years, in effect saying that Lawal could have conceived her child when she was still married. Lawal has identified her alleged sexual partner, Yahaya Mohammed, and said he promised to marry her. Mohammed, who also faced stoning, denied any responsibility and was acquitted for lack of evidence. To prove his guilt under Islamic law would have required testimonies of four people who witnessed the couple having sex.[...] http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/6864197.htm [...]We think that death by stoning is degrading human treatment.[...] http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/fri/sep26w21.htm

Thursday, September 25, 2003

Its not working!!!: Bill Gates gets no ker-ching ker-ching from chat David Rowan The Times, 25/9/03 Bill Gates has always been a charitable kind of guy ? giving away �100 million here to wipe out malaria, �70 million there to combat Aids. So naturally, as a responsible father of three, Bill?s late-night instant messages to his wife, Melinda, have lately been fired with concern for the safety of innocent children. With paedophiles lurking behind every mouse-click, an altruist as public-spirited as Gates saw no alternative but to disconnect Microsoft?s internet chatrooms. No matter that 1.2 million British consumers might now defect to less principled rivals: its MSN network simply had to act ?to help safeguard the children?. Well, LOL!!, as they say in Bill?s chatrooms ? you might as well Laugh Out Loud at the man?s sheer audacity. Microsoft, never known for putting public interest before profits, had some far more pragmatic reasons for announcing its chatroom closures. The fact that it garnered millions of pounds worth of largely uncritical newspaper coverage in the process is merely an added bonus for this most single-mindedly revenue-driven of corporations... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3284-829690,00.html

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Ah yes!
Uh oh: http://labs.google.com/location?q=%22escort+agency%22&geo_near=new+york+new+york&Search=Google+Search
http://www.nbc4.tv/technology/2502786/detail.html September 22, 2003 LOS ANGELES -- In what prosecutors say was the first jury conviction ever under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a Florida man was convicted in Los Angeles of selling hardware used to pirate DirecTV broadcasts. Thomas Michael Whitehead, 38, of Boca Raton, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, two counts of selling unlawful decryption devices and three counts of violating the DMCA, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Spertus said. Whitehead faces up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $2.75 million when he is sentenced Jan. 26 by U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder. Spertus said Whitehead -- also known as Jungle Mike -- paid a co-conspirator $250 a month to continually update software to circumvent the latest DirecTV security measures. Whitehead then used the software to create and sell modified DirecTV access cards, the prosecutor said. The conduct violated the DMCA, which bars trafficking in technology primarily designed to get around security measures to access a copyrighted work. Whitehead was indicted earlier this year as part of Operation Decrypt, an undercover FBI investigation that targeted computer programmers and hardware manufacturers who distribute devices used to steal signals from DirecTV and DISH Network. Several other defendants in the case previously pleaded guilty to various charges, including violations of the DMCA, Spertus said.

Sorrow as UFO expert dies, 49

Sep 24, 2003, 09:28:00 A leading UFO researcher and writer who gave a number of talks in the Black Country has died. Graham Birdsall, editor of UFO Magazine, died on September 19, two days after undergoing a seven hour operation following a brain haemorrhage. Tributes have been paid to 49-year-old Mr Birdsall, who lived with his family in Leeds, by members of the Stourbridge-based UFO Research Midlands group - Uform. Mr Birdsall was a guest of Uform on many occasions. A spokesman for the group said: "It is a sad loss to the UFO community and he will be missed by all. "He was a special friend to Uform and has helped us and guided us through the past nine years. "Members of Uform who will always remember him for his bluff humour and vociferous support of the UFO community." Mr Birdsall was the founder of Quest International, an organisation which organises UFO conferences and publishes research and footage. He leaves a wife Christine, daughters, Helen and Louise, granddaughter Katy, brother Mark and son-in-law Russel. Representatives from Uform will attend Mr Birdsall's funeral on September 30 at St Mary's Parish Church, Whitkirk, Leeds. Uform meets at The Bell Hotel in Market Street. Visit www.uform.org http://www.expressandstar.com/artman/publish/article_42680.shtml
MICROSOFT CLOSE THE NET Sep 24 2003 Microsoft axes chatrooms to beat paedophile danger By Ruki Sayid ONE of Britain's biggest internet services, MSN UK, is closing its chatrooms to protect children from perverts prowling the net. Last night's announcement affects 11.6million chatroom users. They will be unable to log on from October 14. MSN, part of Bill Gates' Microsoft empire, will ban all free chatrooms, affecting 350million users worldwide. It is aimed at paedophiles who stalk chatrooms to groom kids for sex. Children's groups and campaigners have hailed it as a huge breakthrough. NSPCC internet safety expert Chris Atkinson said: "This will help close a major supply line for sex abusers." And Daily Mirror columnist and TV host Carol Vorderman, who campaigns about stranger danger on the internet, said: "This is fantastic news. "Chatrooms are not a necessary part of our society and teenagers do not need them to have a good time. "I hope other internet providers will now follow suit." But Freeserve, Britain's biggest internet provider, is continuing its own service and said the move would force users on to unprotected chat sites. A spokeswoman said: "Chat is one of the most popular tools on the internet and it's not going to go away. We invest in moderation of chat rooms for younger users, maybe MSN doesn't want to make this investment." MSN's director Gillian Kent told the Mirror she was appalled at the language used on teen chatrooms. She said: "I have a 10-year-old nephew and a four-year-old daughter and I was concerned how best to protect them in the future from such sites. "It has reached the point where the problem has become too serious to ignore and we have to take action." The Mirror Carol Vorderman Biography Carol was born 24th December 1960. Her primary school was St Mary's School, Rhyl, Wales. She attended Blessed Edward Jones High School, Rhyl, Wales before graduating from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge with a Bachelor degree in Engineering. Carol, with an IQ of 154, then went on to obtain a Masters degree in Engineering, and has since established herself as TV's most popular science and technology presenter. Her television career began in 1982 with the launch of Countdown where Carol appeared as the numbers girl, calculating complicated mathematical problems. Since the launch of her television career in 1982 with Countdown, Carol Vorderman has gone on to present many other television shows including Mysteries with Carol Vorderman, Tomorrow's World, What Will They Think of Next and Dream house. [...] Have you, in your entire life, ever heard of anything as stupid as this? And this... creature is supposed to be an MA in engineering....astonishing.
I just had a heart attack!

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

The Mariopaing 12" was an "off brief" set of tracks, where some of the restrictions of the LP were relaxed, hence, drum machines, extra production and non-Famicom sounds. The next Electric Family project was (is) going to be "The Electric Family: Ray Man" where the TEF go to the Ray Man shop, pick three instruments and make tracks under the tighest of restrictions.
There are two sides to this release: a blue label and a mustard label. The blue side: Aqua Regia Spy vs Spy (Cawley, Dyer, Major) The mustard side: Mrs. Mimi Majick Anthony Manning Any help?

When the British fought off ID cards

By Ryan Dilley BBC News Online Compulsory ID cards are nothing new in the UK. They were issued to all British civilians during World War II. That is until one ordinary man said no. Clarence Willcock, a dry cleaner from suburban north London, must rank as one of the unlikeliest Davids ever to take on a Goliath. Mr Willcock was stopped on December 7 1950 while driving his car along Ballard's Lane by uniformed police constable Harold Muckle, who demanded to see the motorist's identity card. Mr Willcock refused. Pc Muckle told him to produce the compulsory card at the local station with 48 hours. "I will not produce it at any police station," Mr Willcock replied. With this act of defiance, Mr Willcock brought crashing down a giant bureaucracy which had, since the outbreak of World War II in 1939, forced an identity card on every civilian in the UK - man, woman and child. [...] BBC
BLOGDIAL: "Where the wild things are"

Monday, September 22, 2003

http://audio.muddle.de/ In short, Ambiophonics is a great way to listen to Stereo recordings of live events or even many studio productions. The ultimate goal is to achieve a "you are there" experience, that really lets you take part in the event. To do so, the distance between the speakers has to be minimized (creating a so-called Stereo Dipole) and some sort of barrier is set up between them to eliminate channel crosstalk � this can either be done electronically, employing a process known as active crosstalk-cancellation, or by using a real physical barrier. The latter should be fairly easy to accomplish � just use a large piece of cardboard, a wooden panel or even a door to separate the speakers. I did my first Ambiophonic experiments with great success using two small PC speakers on a table and a thin pillow in between, touching my nose. That's about all it takes to experience new acoustic dimensions. Though this setup may seem awkward and look funny to the observer, the impressive results that can be achieved through this simple modification do more than make up for this. Trust me � you'll never want to go back to the standard +/-30� Stereo triangle again. With the right kind of source material you will be able to experience a sound stage that can extend to the full frontal 180 degrees and even beyond. When I first listened to music the Ambiophonic way, I simply couldn't believe that what I heard was coming out of only two speakers, standing side by side.

Sunday, September 21, 2003

http://gorky.batcave.net/
IDX1274.jeeran.com "The Conet Project Remix Session" (Limited Edition of 20 Hand #'ed Copies) Recorded Live In The Studio By IDX1274 April 25th, 26th & 27th, 2003 Source Material - Conet Project - Spy Stations (13 Miles Out - Un - #'ed) (Copyright 2003) Each CD Comes Housed In A Deluxe Hardcover Case Made and Decorated Entirely With Vintage Spy novels. No two are the same, Each Is Original. This series of recordings deals with such topics as: Espionage, Government Plots, CIA, FBI, Secret Services, Military Intelligence, Special Ops, Covert Actions, Coups, Overthrows & Governmental Takeovers, Spies, Para-Military Operations, War, Cover-Ups, Assassinations, Eavesdropping, Wire-Tapping, Satellite Communications, Codes And Encryption, Top Secret Identities And Political Wrong Doings. This CD was recorded live in the studio to a small group of invited guests. The sole source of the recordings is "The Conet Project", a set of recordings of covert & top secret multi-national spy "numbers" stations transmitted via short-wave radio. No countries will admit they operate any such stations, nor will they admit that they have intelligence or military running any such stations, now or ever. Yet these stations definitely do exists broadcasting various triple encoded series of repetitive and looping patterns consisting of such sources as letter/number patterns spoken in deliberately fake & various foreign languages - backwards middle eastern music - static - machine shop noise - morse type code - Bleeps - Blips - Clock Chimes - and even nonsensical grumblings. The patterns range from simple and obvious to obscure and almost impossible to see. It is believed that even the actual keys to the codes themselves are triple encoded as well, making deciphering impossible at best.

Friday, September 19, 2003

The Lancet Volume 362, Number 9388 20 September 2003 Editorial Have the police hijacked our DNA? When Kevin Morris, chairman of the UK Police Superintendents Association, said last week that every person in the UK should have their DNA profile entered onto the National DNA database, he may have unwittingly begun the public debate that governments and police have so far avoided. If so, this debate has happened far too late. The UK is advancing towards a national database--already 2 million records are held (out of a population of around 60 million people). The US national database, CORDIS, currently holds just over 1 400 000 samples (from a population of 250 million people)... Some uses of forensic DNA technology are uncontroversial. DNA profiling has a sadly increasing role in identifying victims of mass disasters and communal graves. But the use of DNA evidence in criminal cases, in particular the use of so-called cold hits to identify perpetrators, is worrisome. This technique involves attempting to match a DNA profile obtained from a crime scene against a DNA database. Police forces across the world claim that this technique has allowed them to solve many cases, some years old. In New York City police are going one step further. To prevent sex-offenders from using the statute of limitations to escape prosecution, where no match can be made to a person, the DNA itself will be charged with the offence. But this approach ignores the fundamental reason for a statute of limitations--in very old cases it is hard for defendants to defend themselves properly. It is strange that on this scientific issue, unlike many others, the general public seems willing to believe all it is told by governments and police... http://www.thelancet.com/journal/journal.isa
http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/censorship/
I could watch that video all day, Josh. The clip when the foxgloves are opening is just delightful. I am longing for more...

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Renegade, PC Board, CCI net, Bluewave.....what a gas that was!
can you find my board? HINT
You must not listen to it. Listening to it, giving your time to it, and then talking about it with others gives it power. Ignore it. tell people that you ignore it.
http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=346729&group=webcast
We are told All of this business, the Kelly "affair", Hoon, Bliar, the cabinet resignations, all of these are distractions. They are spontaneously crafted distractions to stop everyone reaching the conclusion that there is no power. The newspapers are willing and spontaneous accessories to this activity. The people who decry the manipulation of the media from inside it in op ed pieces are willing accomplices, for "how can the media be under manipulation if a dissenting voice can be transmitted by the very same controlled medium?" The core of the problem remains the same, as does the solution. The next step needs to be taken. The Stop the War coalition are a perfect example of what everyone should NOT be doing, i.e. business as usual. These are the only facts.
28th october M/Y gig as Sussex Arts Club in Brighton. In association with Radio One, so says Phil Minns

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Mary, as a start you should get a hold of Think Unix by John Lasser. I always recomend this book...great lessons, easy to read.... Blogger lofi....rocks!
Unix. Duh. I knew there was something I should be learning this fall ...

Monday, September 15, 2003

Hi Josh, The TCP/IP Control Panel: System Preferences/Network I think you could put the Hosts file in System/Library
Alex Tea (or anyone else that uses OSX and edits their Hosts file), I am trying to install the Host file from remember.mine.nu on my girlfriend's Mac and they recommend the following two methods: Macintosh method #1 Place the Mac Hosts file in the Preference folder. re-name it "Hosts" (exact case matters) shutdown, restart. Macintosh method #2 Copy the Mac Hosts file to your computer re-name it "Hosts". In the TCP/IP Control Panel, choose 'Select Hosts file' Select this file. Close and restart. I can find neither the preference folder (there is one in the OS9 folder, but not under OSX?) nor the TCP/IP Control Panel. Can anyone help?
Please spread this around: http://www.uwintin.org/
"There are only two roads, victory for the working class, freedom, or victory for the fascists which means tyranny. Both combatants know what's in store for the loser. We are ready to end fascism once and for all, even in spite of the Republican government." Of course, today there are no roads at all, only an all pervasive network stretched across a uniform and infinite plane, where loyalties, affiliations and the power that these spontaneously create belong only to The Mass - indefinable, finite, infinite in its capacity to absorb and disperse meaning, impenetrable, the source of the end of power.
http://www.skype.com/
http://www.dmine.com/phworld/sounds/misc/janebarbe.ram

Friday, September 12, 2003

"The original St.John's church, a rendered stone building completed in 1841, is one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in Australia. The cemetery contains the graves of many pioneers, including the farmer who carved his own tombstone - the date was added later. It reads: GLORIA IN AXCELSIS SACRED TO THE MEMEREY of JAMES RUSE WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE SEPT 5TH IN THE YEAR OF HOURE LORD 1837 NATEF OF CORNWALL AND ARIVED IN THIS COLENEY BY THE FORST FLEET AGED 11 My mother read me tenderley With me she took much paines And when I arived in this coelney I sowd the forst grain AND NOW WITH MY HEVNLY FATHER I HOPE FOR EVER TO REMAIN

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

some unreal graffiti
Some strange video and Flash animations here. By chance I listened to this real audio clip of Keith Rowe and John Tilbury (of AMM fame) while watching the "Add Boiling Water" animation. What a great combination. Oh, be sure to use the real audio alternative player that Chris J recommended.

Tuesday, September 09, 2003

First kiss was in the back of a theatre with an older girl who had the most gorgeous, long, curly hair. I was 14. And I still just LOVE to kiss. How should we work these mixed tapes/CDs? I think you should make a CD for someone different than you are recieving one from.
meau meau, that song is hilarious. My inner child is ten years old today

My inner child is ten years old!

The adult world is pretty irrelevant to me. Whether
I'm off on my bicycle (or pony) exploring, lost
in a good book, or giggling with my best
friend, I live in a world apart, one full of
adventure and wonder and other stuff adults
don't understand.

How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla I would like to make a CD too!

Mr. Alun Kirby, you sure know how to make a girl feel special ... you put the biggest smile on my face! It was a tip top weekend, and that was the icing. Congratulations on your first finished room!

Monday, September 08, 2003

A captivating Linux television advertisement in the US (only?) that one of my coworkers told me about (likely because of my constant ranting that our company should switch to Linux).

Friday, September 05, 2003

um, i think i'll have the feces sandwich, hold the mayo. thanks.
I have a Rickenbacker bass that looks something like this: execpet the trim around the body is black instead of white and all of the chrome is black. I also have a Goya acoustic guitar that gets played way more often (just about everyday to the Ricky's once every month or so). I love to play with strange tunings of my own devising.
I watched the entirety of that Pump Up The Volume doc at work over the past two days. Thanks for posting that, Claus. I've always avoided house (for no good reason) and am now eagerly awaiting the evening (friday!!!) to go out and dance with a better knowledge of the history behind the rhythms. Marshall Jefferson is definately my favorite personality in that film... Barrie: There MUST be a young woman or man that catches your fancy. Just grab them and kiss away! It will probably make butterflies dance in your stomach, but the shudders sent down your spine when you finally kiss will surely outweigh... Mixed tapes: I also immediately thought that digital fiels would be the best. But how wonderful it would be to get a Tape or CD with handcrafted liner notes, &c.! It could be a hell of a lot of fun to make a CD for one (or all) of you.

Thursday, September 04, 2003

Optimising your Wife
Shall I begin to tell you how Envious I am that you have the beautiful luxury of the Independent Study Drawing class? The thrill of fresh virgin sketch books clutched tightly to your chest as you scamper up the steps to the studio, smudgy pencils poking out of every pocket, charchoal, little metal pencil sharpeners with glinting blades, the crowds of new faces, new hats, and ohmigod-where-did-she-get-those-shoes excitement that only comes with a new semester. You could always come on a field trip to Vancouver, there is a drawing exhibit on at the VAG.
Alex, here is another link on the Golden measures http://www.mathpages.com/home/kmath153.htm
mysterious
You have a mysterious kiss. Your partner never
knows what you're going to come up with next;
this creates great excitement and arousal never
knowing what to expect. And it's sure to end
in a kiss as great as your mystery.

What kind of kiss are you?
brought to you by Quizilla I have to admit, kissing is one of my favorite things ...