Busy Blog Day

Ok so I'm bored at work with nothing better to do! check this out though, pretty interesting concept... of insurance protection against RIAA fines from a Swedish file sharing service. Interesting, but it could be quite profitable for them as the article suggests, and could be a concept that could take off and spread quickly.

Serves Them Right!

Well if you read my previous post (2 down I believe), you already know my opinion on WGA (windows genuine advantage, essentially anti-piracy software)... so you can probably guess whose side I'm on regarding this lawsuit. I'm glad to see someones going after them over the WGA mess, especially considering the info from the previous post, suggesting they could make it mandatory come September.

Philosophy of Mario Kart...

somehow I came across lionconnection.com, from a mis-directed PSU housing link, but in anycase stumbled upon this rather entertaining article on the Philosophy of Mario Kart64... here's just a sample:

"Throughout the races (i.e. life) a number of items can be obtained. However, one does not just receive these boxes. On must strive to run through the patches of boxes and hopefully, obtain an item (weapon) devastating enough to either hold your opponents at bay, or slow them down so that you may catch up with them. This shows that the games developers do not wish to create a welfare state. If you want a box, you must obtain it through your own planning and cognition. However, the items within the boxes also have a certain socialist qualities. But where Marx failed, Mario Kart thrives."

I don't even know how to begin commenting on this article which then goes into philosophical analysis on each of the characters (poor Yoshi...)

AAAHH! Windows Kill Switch, WGA news...

from zdnet, I don't like the sounds of this article at all, come September rumors are MS will force us to get the newest WGA versions (bundled in via the auto-updater apparently) or else kill windows in 30 days. I am strongly against this idea, I have had so many problems with the updater corrupting my wireless and ethernet connections, and quite frankly think this is a terrible move by MS, nor do I understand how they can get away with forcing people who obtained Windows legally to update! This will be interesting, and I'm sure controversial if it is in fact true.

More Email Goodies- these people need more than tech support!

================================

Tech support: What kind of computer do you have?
Female customer: A white one...


===============

Customer: Hi, this is Celine. I can't get my diskette out.
Tech support: Have you tried pushing the button?
Customer: Yes, sure, it's really stuck.
Tech support: That doesn't sound good; I'll make a note. Customer: No ..
wait a minute... I hadn't inserted it yet...
it's still on my desk... sorry....


===============


Tech support: Click on the 'my computer' icon on to the left of the
screen.
Customer: Your left or my left?


===============


Tech support: Good day. How may I help you?
Male customer: Hello... I can't print.
Tech support: ! Would you click on "start" for me and...
Customer: Listen pal; don't start getting technical on me! I'm not Bill
Gates, dammit!


===============


Customer: Hi, good afternoon, this is Martha, I can't print. Every time I
try, it says 'Can't find printer'. I've even lifted the printer and placed
it in front of the monitor, but the computer still says he can't find it...


===============


Customer: I have problems printing in red...
Tech support: Do you have a color printer?
Customer: Aaaah....................thank you.

===============

Tech support: What's on your monitor now, ma'am?
Customer: A teddy bear my boyfriend bought for me at the 7-11.

===============

Customer: My keyboard is not working anymore.
Tech support: Are you sure it's plugged into the computer?
Customer: No. I can't get behind the computer.
Tech support: Pick up your keyboard and walk 10 paces back.
Customer:! OK
Tech support: Did the keyboard come with you?
Customer: Yes
Tech support: That means the keyboard is not plug ged in. Is there another
keyboard?
Customer: Yes, there's another one here. Ah...that one does work...

===============

Tech support: Your password is the small letter a as in apple, a capital
letter V as in Victor, the number 7.
Customer: Is that 7 in capital letters?

== =============

Customer: I can't get on the Internet.
Tech support: Are you sure you used the right password?
Customer: Yes, I'm sure. I saw my colleague do it.
Tech support: Can you tell me what the password was?
Customer: Five stars.
===============

Tech support: What anti-virus program do you use?
Customer: Netscape.
Tech support: That's not an anti-virus program.
Customer: Oh, sorry...Internet Explorer.

===============
Customer: I have a huge problem. A friend has placed a screen saver on my
computer, but every time I move the mouse, it disappears.

===============

Tech support: How may I help you?
Customer: I'm writing my first e-mail.
Tech support: OK, an d what seems to be the problem? Customer: Well, I
have the letter 'a' in the address, but how do I get the circle around it?

===============

A woman customer called the Canon help desk with a problem with her printer.
Tech support: Are you running it under windows?
Customer: "No, my desk is next to the door, but that is a good point. The
man sitting in the cubicle next to me is under a window, and his printer is
working fine."
===============
And last but not least...

Tech support: "Okay Bob, let's press the control and escape keys at the same
time. That brings up a task list in the middle of the screen. Now type the
letter "P" to bring up the Program Manager."
Customer: I don't have a P.
Tech support: On your keyboard, Bob.
Cust! omer: What do you mean?
Tech support: "P".....on your keyboard, Bob.
Customer: I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT!


___________________________________________

Random but Funny

unsure of source as I got this via email, but it is pretty funny:

Subject: These people vote...



Remember, They Vote

Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old
fridge, he
put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: "Free to good
home.
You want it, you take it". For three days the` fridge sat there without
even
one person looking twice at it. He eventually decided that people were
too
un-trusting of this deal. It looked to good to be true, so he changed
the
sign to read: "Fridge for sale $50". The next day someone stole it.
Caution!
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
These people Vote
=======
While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which
direction was North because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking
him
up every morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the North?" When my
brother explained that the sun rises in the East, (and has for
sometime),
she shook her head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff". . .
. .
. . .She ALSO votes!
==========
I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I
got a
call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I
told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."
He
responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call
quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific" . . . . . . . . .He ALSO votes!
==========
My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, w hen we
overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn
she
got on her weekend drive to the shore. She drove down in a convertible,
but
"didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving". . . . . .
. .
. She ALSO votes!
==========
My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car It's designed to cut
through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk . . .
. .
.
My sister ALSO votes!
==========
My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were
discounted 10% Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier
multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount . . . . . . . .
He ALSO votes!
==========
I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring
attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, "Wouldn't the chain
rip
out every time she turned her head?" I explained that a person's nose
and
ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is
turned. .
. . . . . . . . My friend ALSO votes!
=========
I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the
lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed
up.
She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained
professional
and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "has your plane arrived
yet?
".
. . . . . . . . . SHE ALSO votes!
=========
While working at a Pizza Parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza
to
go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it
cut
into 4 pieces or 6. He though about it for some time before responding.
"Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm hungry enough to eat 6 . .
. .
. . . . . Yep, he votes too.

AOL Serivce at it's finest

check out this desparate attempt by an AOL service rep to prevent a caller from cancelling his account. Yikes, I knew AOL was notorious for keeping hidden files on your system, but didn't realize their customer service reps were in on the conspiracy to keep you from leaving AOL!

Knock Knock...

Could that be a alligator knocking on the door?

WMD's?

found this rather comical fake didn't load message earlier via google:

Family Guy Fans...

stumbled across this on youtube via google work. As said on site, apparently a pilot episdoe on WB (which I thought was being dissolved into that CW or whatever it is anyway? ) , which is supposedly pretty funny, made by the writers of Family Guy (and Scrubs). Didn't get a chance to watch it yet, as I'm "working" let me know how it is and I'll check it out later.

Absolutely Most Bizzare USB drive ever...

As promised, a much more humorous post after the last one...

stumbled across this very bizzare USB drive via doing some google work. Somebody has way, way, way too much free time on their hands. And a very odd sense of creativity as well.

BUCKLE UP!

I awoke to discover the sirens I heard most of the night recently were the result of a 2 car accident on a road very close to my house that I travel very frequently. The wreck injuring 9 people, 1 critically, all under 20, from at least 3 different area schools, including Emmaus. Many of those injured were not wearing seatbelts. First of all I hope for the best for everyone involved.
I'm blogging about this for mainly two reasons, first of all to remind everyone reading this to buckle up and drive responsibly.
Secondly to go on a mini-rant, about how the local media is stereotyping yet again as they drum up the "horrors of teenage driving". It's a subject that I've been fighting with my parents for years (and may have been finally making progress before this was on the front page). I just think it's a shame that teenagers in general get a bad rep as drivers, because of the poor decisions made by a select few. There are responsible drivers my age out there, as I'm sure many of you reading this are, and as I'd like to believe I am. Unfortunately some drivers continue to make poor decisions with regards to stuff like drinking, speeding, and seatbelts.
Ok, and to brigher and better news once I come up with something...

Great Courtroom Quotes

not sure where these came from as I got em through email, but some of them are pretty funny: enjoy!

You Gotta Love the System
These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Are you sexually active?
A: No, I just lie there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July 18th.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke up that
morning?
A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he
doesn't know about it until the next morning?
A: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None.
Q: Were there any girls?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
A: Oral.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr.. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the
autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law
somewhere.

Late Breaking News From Microsoft

On MSNBC.com (how appropriate) , Gates transitioning away from MS, stepping down as chief software architect, and no longer to be involved in day to day operations.

Superman Returns

probably old news by now but the IMDB has a "new" trailer out, checked it out, looks pretty interesting, definitely looks to be worth seeing when it comes out at the end of the month.

Interesting Google/Search Engine Article

Anyone else working for Google, (I know there's at least one of you out there reading this)... check this out Interesting perspective on how web site designers, try to get their sites ranked at the top of the index.

Wow

Find this article hard to believe if it wasn't off CNN... but apparently the Chinese Government plans to fire rockets into the clouds to ward off any rain interfering with the 08 Olympics. Shocked this can actually be done, and wonder about side-effects/unpleasant consequences. Actually attended a presentation on the subject of weather modification at school last year, and understood no one was close to being able to do what is described in the article... In any case here's the article... one other thing, if this plan would really work, wouldn't it make more sense to try to fend off hurricanes then save the olympics from a damp day now and then? excerpt:

Using an arsenal of rockets, artillery and aircraft, China will try to blast the clouds out of the sky... through a technique which falls under the umbrella of "cloud seeding."

DS Lite Review

As promised in previous post, here is my comments/review...

Well I went out and got my bright shiny new DS from gamestop this morning. And so far I'm quite impressed. Hard to make a direct comparison as I never got around to getting the original, but if screen brightness was a problem it certainly isn't anymore. Heck, I'm half convinced it's brighter than when I run my laptop on batteries (though that's another story)... So far, just got back and mostly testing it with Kart, which is pretty awesome. I like some of the tracks better there than on the Cube. More comments later on the battery life, as I'm just got it on for like 1/2 hr. Well off to try the new Mario and RidgeRacer (all i have for now, any strong game endorsements from anyone out there?) ...I'll post more as I get to it.

Funny Bill Gates Video

Gates vs. Napoleon that I came across via google.

This looks cool

looks like the DS will be able to be used as a touch screen controller for the WI. speaking of DS, will post a review of the new DS after getting it tomorrow or Monday.

Microsoft Vs. Google, The Latest

looks like they're now fighting over Google spreadsheets, pretty interesting and humorous comment from a MS spokesman:

"The innovations we're delivering in Excel in terms of new usability, new visual user interface advancements, support for collaboration and business intelligence with things like Excel Services are so far beyond [Google Spreadsheets] that it's like watching a time machine from 10 years ago."

Though I'm sure it's probably not true, the time machine analogy struck me as funny/desperate for some reason, couldn't they come up with a better argument? heh.

Microsoft Vs. Google, The Latest

looks like they're now fighting over Google spreadsheets, pretty interesting and humorous comment from a MS spokesman:

"The innovations we're delivering in Excel in terms of new usability, new visual user interface advancements, support for collaboration and business intelligence with things like Excel Services are so far beyond [Google Spreadsheets] that it's like watching a time machine from 10 years ago."

Though I'm sure it's probably not true, the time machine analogy struck me as funny/desperate for some reason, couldn't they come up with a better argument? heh.

ARRRRRRRRRRR!!

Looks like the pirate party is taking on the RIAA among others...

For far too long, Big Media copyright cartels like the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America have held back technological progress and individual freedom. They have done so through cutthroat litigation against ordinary Americans, interfering with peer-to-peer networks by flooding them with bogus files, and corrupting the political system with unscrupulous lobbying and political donations.

This is sure to be controversial and interesting.

FYI

Vista Beta 2 went public today, if you didn't already know by now... in any case, I for one sure am not trying it yet, based on what I've heard.

Google Vs. Chinese Govt...

Now this should be interesting... article here

Spammer Vs. Microsoft...

and guess who the loser in this deal is? Wow, lose a 430k house and a BMW to pay over a million dollar spam fine. heh, some people... not to mention, nothing better to do then send 25 million spam emails a day?! wow...

6-6-06

Just heard about this on the news...
So I thought it was always interesting having my B-day on the eve of D-Day. Now apparently it's also on the eve of the "Day of the Beast". Can't say I heard about this before, but apparently there's something about 6-6-6 worse than Friday the 13th to some people. So let me get this straight, people hype up a day for some strange reason based on numerology... act bizzare/cause problems based on the hype, then claim their superstition was true? hmm... logic!?? anyone??

Caption Contest!

from digg.com--- Steve Jobs and Bill Gates having a rare dinner together...
Gates: "What's that you ask? Will iTunes work in Vista?"

Defending Google...

this article is very interesting to me, being a current quality rater...

"Google consistently puts relevant search results low in page rankings, hiding them on page 3 or 4 of the results, while all the other search engines correctly put those same results on page 1. There are a lot of unhappy webmasters out there. "

I guess the positive spin I can put on this, if there is any truth to this complaint is job security... heh. If they are having issues with relevance of results, than I guess quality raters like me are safe for now trying to fix that (unless they think we're the cause :( ). Oh yeah, the irony is that I found this article via google. Hmmm... what should I have rated it?? any calls for spam/junk?

One more Comment on Vista

then I'll find another subject to blog... honest!! But this article really caught my attention, indicating that Vista may not be too friendly to laptop users (at least those who rely on batteries)

The Results Are in...

from this year's E3, as expected Wii took best of show, see other results here.

VISTA Reviews

Very interesting review here where the following comment is made:

"Installing Vista Beta 2 was one of the worst operating system experiences that I’ve ever encountered"

And they're gonna crush google? Off to a good start I see...