August 2004

I’m at Starbucks. What, again? How can this be? Well friends, that’s where the drugs er, I mean . . the . . ah coffee is. So, that’s where I go. Besides, I am currently stealing my friend Tony’s T-Mobile Internet Hotspot account so what the heck. He’s not using it right now so it won’t hurt him. Besides, it’s unlimited so let’s push that limit, dammit! Can you say limewire? I know I can.

Anyway, apparently, the internet is supposed to come crashing down around us on Thursday as a bunch of “terrorists” launch what they like to call “electronic jihad” That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it. How do we know that it will happen on Thursday? Well, a Russian internet security expert said so. So there.

Isn’t Russia one of the main countries where crackers strike at computers across the internet? Notice please, I used the word “cracker” not “hacker”. And no, I didn’t mean “cracker” as in “red neck” or whatever. I mean “cracker” as in cracker. As in someone who cracks into networks and computers where they don’t belong. Hacker used to have a good connotation but over the years has developed a bum rap. Probably due to that below average movie “Hackers” or maybe even as far back as Matthew Broderick in “War Games”. Although, I really loved “War Games”.

Now a Hacker has to identify himself as a “white hat” or “black hat” or even “grey hat” lest he be lumped into the bad hacker category immedietly. Anyway, i know some hackers and all they ever do is probe and prod to find ways into places so they can inform the people about those vulnerabilities. Not to break into or compromise systems or data.

There is even a poor hacker who did just what I am talking about but is now probably going to jail because of it. Although, what he did wasn’t completely benign. He did add his name to the list of contributors at the New York Times.

Probably not a great idea to use your real name. Oh well, he didn’t actually destroy any data or compromise the system so its a bit of a grey area. I think he deserves a stern talking to but not jail. It’s not like he started “internet jihad” or anything.

So, we will see if the internet is still here come Friday or if we are all offline. What will we do then? Read a book? Go outside? Or, God forbid, talk to other people?

No, I’ll probably just watch TV or something until this “jihad” thing blows over.

Later.

It’s still Tuesday. At least for another hour and a half. We just came from a great dinner at Border Grill. It was fun. It was also fun when one of the ladies that owns the place, Susan, came to the table to see if everything was going ok. That was a nice touch and made the wife feel special and look cool to her High School buddies.

Plus, they sent over two giant plates of every dessert. They were all fantastic but I especially liked the Pastel Rufina, which is layers of puff pastry, sweetened cream cheese, chocolate chunks, and fresh berries. Man, that was good.

Anyway, here’s a few tech tidbits of news and stuff to get you through the night:

The fantastic people at the MPAA are suing two microchip makers, alleging they sold their products to makers of equipment that can be used to illegally copy DVDs.

Also, students at Northern Illinois University are testing a legal file downloading service. It is made by Ruckus Network, and was developed by a group of MIT students. NIU pays 5$ a month per student, and the students can get music, movies, TV shows, local content and community features.

John Dvorak over at ABC News is starting to question if it’s time to kill Microsoft Word. With Viable options like Open Office.org available for Windows and Mac OSX, as well as AbiWord and others, do we really need this bloatware anymore? I still use it but only because I already have it and I get it for free. If I didn’t, I would take a hard look at Open Office for sure.

Apple has issued a recall for Powerbook batteries. If you have a 15″ Powerbook, be sure to check and see if yours is affected and get it replaced.

Lastly, if you are searching for great Mac deals, Wired has a story about dealmac, a site devoted to finding the best deal on everything Mac. To be fair, their is also a great site devoted to the Windows PC and other tech bargains. Check it out here.

Oh, one more thing. The Iraqi soccer team still has a chance to win a medal at the Olympics. They play Italy on Friday night to see who gets the bronze medal. Count the seconds before the Bush Campaign uses this in a commercial, especially if they do end up winning a medal. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Gotta have the political fix.

That’s all I can do right now. John Stewart has John Kerry on The Daily Show tonight. I don’t want to miss a minute of that. Although, ever vigilant TiVo will certainly record it.

Later.

It’s still Tuesday. At least for another hour and a half. We just came from a great dinner at Border Grill. It was fun. It was also fun when one of the ladies that owns the place, Susan, came to the table to see if everything was going ok. That was a nice touch and made the wife feel special and look cool to her High School buddies.

Plus, they sent over two giant plates of every dessert. They were all fantastic but I especially liked the Pastel Rufina, which is layers of puff pastry, sweetened cream cheese, chocolate chunks, and fresh berries. Man, that was good.

Anyway, here’s a few tech tidbits of news and stuff to get you through the night:

The fantastic people at the MPAA are suing two microchip makers, alleging they sold their products to makers of equipment that can be used to illegally copy DVDs.

Also, students at Northern Illinois University are testing a legal file downloading service. It is made by Ruckus Network, and was developed by a group of MIT students. NIU pays 5$ a month per student, and the students can get music, movies, TV shows, local content and community features.

John Dvorak over at ABC News is starting to question if it’s time to kill Microsoft Word. With Viable options like Open Office.org available for Windows and Mac OSX, as well as AbiWord and others, do we really need this bloatware anymore? I still use it but only because I already have it and I get it for free. If I didn’t, I would take a hard look at Open Office for sure.

Apple has issued a recall for Powerbook batteries. If you have a 15″ Powerbook, be sure to check and see if yours is affected and get it replaced.

Lastly, if you are searching for great Mac deals, Wired has a story about dealmac, a site devoted to finding the best deal on everything Mac. To be fair, their is also a great site devoted to the Windows PC and other tech bargains. Check it out here.

Oh, one more thing. The Iraqi soccer team still has a chance to win a medal at the Olympics. They play Italy on Friday night to see who gets the bronze medal. Count the seconds before the Bush Campaign uses this in a commercial, especially if they do end up winning a medal. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Gotta have the political fix.

That’s all I can do right now. John Stewart has John Kerry on The Daily Show tonight. I don’t want to miss a minute of that. Although, ever vigilant TiVo will certainly record it.

Later.

I’m sitting at a Starbucks. I know, big surprise. I’m on the Third Street Promenade in beautiful Santa Monica. I’m here with the wife, although she is dozing in a nearby chair. We are hanging out waiting to go to dinner with two of her friends from High School who live in LA now.

But wait, I just heard we need to get going. I thought I had more time. But, you never have enough time, I guess. I’ll finish up with some news later tonight.

Later.

I’m sitting at a Starbucks. I know, big surprise. I’m on the Third Street Promenade in beautiful Santa Monica. I’m here with the wife, although she is dozing in a nearby chair. We are hanging out waiting to go to dinner with two of her friends from High School who live in LA now.

But wait, I just heard we need to get going. I thought I had more time. But, you never have enough time, I guess. I’ll finish up with some news later tonight.

Later.

Just in case you were worried. Don’t be. I’m not dead or horribly disfigured or anything of that nature. I’m fine. I’ve just been working and also dealing with some “life” stuff. You know what I mean. Like:

What are we going to do? How are we going to make ends meet or will we even have ends soon? Will I stay in my newest career or will something happen and I will need or want to switch? Will they call and give me good news or bad news or some other kind of news? What’s up with Donald Trump’s hair? Is Tom Cruise really gay? Will Mary-Kate stay out of rehab or will she go back to the pipe? You know, life stuff.

It’s fantastic that the wife found a job that she actually likes and looks forward to doing every day. It’s a welcome change for her and for me, to be sure. The only downside is the cash. The ducats. The moola. The dead presidents. In other words, the pay. Unfortunately, we had gotten used to a certain level of dough coming in and now that has been cut. And I mean cut.

Her new fantastic job pays way less than her old miserable job. Isn’t that just like life though? Something you hate pays way better than something you love. Should it not be the other way around? Bummer indeed.

I’m no better. I am doing something I really love too but it pays less than what I was doing before. Actually, on a strictly hourly basis, the new career pays more. However, what I gain in hourly I loose in volume. In other words, I just don’t have enough work and consequently, less dinero. Basically, I will have to give up the independent, freelance life and sell out to the man (or woman) who will grant me full-time, gainful employment or I will end up living in a box near a freeway overpass. At least I will still have lots of tech gadgets and a big tv! I’ll be the envy of the other homeless guys!

What’s a pretty intelligent, hard-working, fun guy like me to do? Why bitch about it right here of course. Glad you asked! I like this space because I get to say whatever I want and it actually helps to get all this out. I’m pretty sure only a handful of people are reading this and none of them actually know me personally so I can pretty much say whatever I like without fear of embarrassment or recrimination. That’s a good feeling. And Tom, if you are reading this, go fuck yourself. Man, that feels good. Wow!

If any family or friends are out their reading this feel free to comment or call us and offer your words of advice. More important though, please make your checks out to . . . well, you know if you know. I’m only joking. Really. . . Just send cash. Or gold. Gold is good.

It’s odd. When you are young (under thirty) you feel like you can do anything and nothing really gets you down (at least that’s how it was for me). Now, I have come to the realization of late that I can’t actually do anything I want. I guess it finally happened. Sometime in the last year or two I grew up. Double bummer (no, that’s really bad. Let’s go at least triple bummer for that one).

What does all this mean you may be wondering? Is their a point sometime soon? Here it is. Be sure to do everything you can to get what you want while you still feel like you have all the time in the world because someday, you won’t. But, when that day comes, you can bitch too. Just like me. So you got that going for you at least, which is nice.

Later.

Just in case you were worried. Don’t be. I’m not dead or horribly disfigured or anything of that nature. I’m fine. I’ve just been working and also dealing with some “life” stuff. You know what I mean. Like:

What are we going to do? How are we going to make ends meet or will we even have ends soon? Will I stay in my newest career or will something happen and I will need or want to switch? Will they call and give me good news or bad news or some other kind of news? What’s up with Donald Trump’s hair? Is Tom Cruise really gay? Will Mary-Kate stay out of rehab or will she go back to the pipe? You know, life stuff.

It’s fantastic that the wife found a job that she actually likes and looks forward to doing every day. It’s a welcome change for her and for me, to be sure. The only downside is the cash. The ducats. The moola. The dead presidents. In other words, the pay. Unfortunately, we had gotten used to a certain level of dough coming in and now that has been cut. And I mean cut.

Her new fantastic job pays way less than her old miserable job. Isn’t that just like life though? Something you hate pays way better than something you love. Should it not be the other way around? Bummer indeed.

I’m no better. I am doing something I really love too but it pays less than what I was doing before. Actually, on a strictly hourly basis, the new career pays more. However, what I gain in hourly I loose in volume. In other words, I just don’t have enough work and consequently, less dinero. Basically, I will have to give up the independent, freelance life and sell out to the man (or woman) who will grant me full-time, gainful employment or I will end up living in a box near a freeway overpass. At least I will still have lots of tech gadgets and a big tv! I’ll be the envy of the other homeless guys!

What’s a pretty intelligent, hard-working, fun guy like me to do? Why bitch about it right here of course. Glad you asked! I like this space because I get to say whatever I want and it actually helps to get all this out. I’m pretty sure only a handful of people are reading this and none of them actually know me personally so I can pretty much say whatever I like without fear of embarrassment or recrimination. That’s a good feeling. And Tom, if you are reading this, go fuck yourself. Man, that feels good. Wow!

If any family or friends are out their reading this feel free to comment or call us and offer your words of advice. More important though, please make your checks out to . . . well, you know if you know. I’m only joking. Really. . . Just send cash. Or gold. Gold is good.

It’s odd. When you are young (under thirty) you feel like you can do anything and nothing really gets you down (at least that’s how it was for me). Now, I have come to the realization of late that I can’t actually do anything I want. I guess it finally happened. Sometime in the last year or two I grew up. Double bummer (no, that’s really bad. Let’s go at least triple bummer for that one).

What does all this mean you may be wondering? Is their a point sometime soon? Here it is. Be sure to do everything you can to get what you want while you still feel like you have all the time in the world because someday, you won’t. But, when that day comes, you can bitch too. Just like me. So you got that going for you at least, which is nice.

Later.

I just read this article about Scramjet Technology. Very cool so check it out. Actually, the whole website is pretty interesting, if you are a tech geek like me. Or, if you just like cool things that go fast.

Short entry today as I am late for an appointment.

Later.

Happy birthday Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) which turns 30 this year. NPR even has story about it. Also, Gamespy is doing a bunch of stuff in honor of the birthday as well.

I used to love the game. It was fun and helped you use your imagination. Once, we played for three straight days. Even got our pictures in the paper (it was a pretty small town back then). To top it off, I sent a letter to E. Gary Gygax, one of the inventors of the game, and told him about our “marathon” game of D&D.

He was impressed and wrote a nice letter back. He also sent me a bunch of free adventure packs and levels so we could keep on playing. Also during that time, we almost went across the country to go to the Gencon convention so I could play D&D with hundreds of other geeks just like me. Unfortunately, I ended up getting sick so we didn’t go. But my parents would have done it. They were pretty cool and helped me do quite a few things if I showed an interest. It was nice and I appreciate it to this day.

In other news, Jane Pauley is bipolar. And John Kerry is pissed off. I don’t blame him. They guy saved someone’s life and now they are calling him a liar. Isn’t politics wonderful?

More and more each day I really dislike our President and his goons. If by some miracle the country has a giant brain fart and votes to keep him in office, I am seriously considering moving. It’s a shame, I really like it here. I just don’t know if I can be part of George Bush’s vision for America and watch him run this country into the ground. Let’s hope the decision is made for me and he loses, big time.

Sorry, I really was going to try and stay away from politics but this stuff makes me angry sometimes. I’ll be fine though, don’t worry. Deep breath. Deep breath. Deep breath. . .

Later.

This is really great. 16-year old Carly Patterson wins Olympic Gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics for only the second time in history. The first time was in 1984 during the boycotted Olympics. Not to take anything away from Mary Lou but this was the first time where all the gymnasts showed up, including the Russian diva Svetlana Khorkina, so its especially great for Carly and the US.

I didn’t think I would care but over the last few days watching the competition, I realized that these girls (and guys) have worked the asses off trying to get to Athens and its the least I can do to watch them. So, there it is. Plus, despite all of NBC’s forced drama, the competition still is very dramatic in itself with some pretty close swimming races and gymnastics events decided by tenths of points.

On a much more somber note, do we really need this. I have read a few reviews already and they all agree that it was a very bad idea and turned out to be a giant piece of crap. Even though I worked in the business, and still do, I can not understand how complete hacks keep getting work. Didn’t the people at Morgan Creek see “Driven”? I just don’t get it.

I will get into this more but now I must go and do some work (gotta pay the bills and all).

Later.