Chris

I am writing this from Burbank while in nearby Glendale (a scant few miles), a deranged asshole caused a Metrolink commuter train to derail, killing several people and injuring hundreds more. How, you ask? He placed his car on the track, in an apparent attempt to commit suicide. Then, didn’t have the balls to go through with it and jumped out of the car, leaving it on the tracks.

The asshole, identified as Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25, of Compton, CA, apparently got out of the car in time to watch the train hit it, derail and then hit another Metrolink train and then crash into a parked Union Pacific train. So now, instead of ending his own pathetic excuse for a life quietly at home in the bathtub with a toaster, he will most likely be charged with murder and probably end up with life in prison.

Sorry if I seem harsh or uncaring but this kind of shit really gets to me sometimes. I’ll try to walk it off.

Have a nice day.

Apple Computer, one of my favorite companies but by no means, infallible, quietly lowered the price of memory upgrades for the new Mac Mini. It didn’t make much sense to me that you get a Mac Mini for $499.00 and it only comes with 256MB of RAM (not enough to really run OSX well) and then it cost you another $475.00 to get a 1GB RAM upgrade from them.

They also made the computer very hard to open (although I have seen one open) so it makes it near impossible for consumers to get RAM elsewhere for less money and put it in themselves. It’s not a violation of the warranty to open the case to put the RAM in. They don’t go that far. However, if you crack the case or something while opening it, you warranty is voided and tough luck for you. That doesn’t seem like a good way to treat customers.

I question the wisdom of touting the new, less-expensive Mac Mini and then forcing people to shell out almost the cost of the computer again for enough RAM to make it work like it should. For a modern OS like OSX, 256MB just isn’t enough to get the job done. It’s enough to boot the computer and run a program or two but for people who want to get any real work done, and not see the spinning beach ball all the time, more RAM is a must. If 256MB is enough, why have a RAM expansion slot at all?

Now, at least, its more affordable. Having dropped $100.00. Although, at $375.00, I would not get it for any reason from Apple. In fact, I never do and encourage others not to as well. Not when I can get the same thing from a place like Crucial Technology for only $226.00. It’s the same spec and most likely comes from the same manufacturer as the Apple brand anyway so why pay more?

Obviously, Apple felt like they were charging too much for the RAM upgrade and has acted accordingly. I applaud this step. I only wish I didn’t still have a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like it when one of my favorite companies looks like they are trying to take advantage of their customers. I know that Apple is a business and it needs to make money. It is also a business that thrives on word of mouth and a high level of devotion from its core group of users (myself included).

People who use the Macintosh are not stupid. So please Apple, don’t treat them like they are.

The Bush Administration, the Christian Coalition, and the record and movie industry filed briefs yesterday with the US Supreme Court advocating that peer-to-peer file sharing networks like Grokster, and Morpheus should be liable for copyright infringement happening on their networks.

Defenders of the right to swap have until the end of February to respond. The court is considering whether to overturn the 20 year old precedent in Sony vs Universal Pictures that made the VCR possible despite its potential for use in copyright infringement. At stake, not only the future of file sharing networks, but many consumer electronics devices like CD and DVD recorders, Tivo, and more. This will be a very important decision which will define what it means to own a movie or a cd or anything of that nature.

And, in similar news, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently announced its Endangered Gizmos List, which includes devices that are heading towards extinction due to digital rights management and the like. Some of the devices include TiVo, digital to analog converters and things like the iPod. Take a look. And, here’s an interesting perspective on why the Tivo hasn’t really gotten much better than when it first came out. And, also another point along the same lines.

Cheers.

The Mac turns 21 today. So, take your good friend out and get him drunk. He deserves it.

Not too much new to report. Things are good. Working quite a bit. Good start to 2005. Having a good time, wish you were here. That kind of thing. I haven’t felt the need to rant about politics or bad drivers or all of the other things I usually rant about. The problem is, I feel pretty good right now and am not really angry about much of anything.

Some people may think not being angry is a good thing. And for most, it is. For me, I sometimes need my anger to get things going. To motivate my lazy ass, in other words. So, when its not there, I sometimes loose focus and become less productive. One example of that is my gap in posting here. Believe me, there are many other examples (just ask the wife).

On a positive tip, I’m sure that someone in government will do something stupid any minute now or I will be cut off by a jackass in a Mercedes on the 405 freeway crossing three lanes to get off at Sunset Blvd. any time now. (plan ahead, moron) So, I will be right back to my old, angry, self. Until then, enjoy the silence.

Happy Sunday all.

I can’t believe I failed to mention this . The US has given up on the search for WMD’s in Iraq. Really? I appreciate going through the motions as much as the next person but come on, did anyone really think Iraq had WMD’s in the first place? Not me.

And, George W. Bush took the oath of office to start his second term as President of the United States today. Even as I type this, I’m still having difficulty believing it. How did he get elected to a second term again? What are you people, on dope?

Money quote from the speech: “The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.” I guess that means we can just go around invading whomever we wish in the name of peace? Well, that philosophy sure worked perfectly in Iraq so four more years of that please. Where can I sign up?

I’m surprised it took this long. The computer hasn’t even shipped yet and already, there’s a video showing how to take it apart. And, for those of you who just want to see what’s inside, pictures of the Mac Mini already open.

Lastly, an interesting article comparing the Mac Mini to a cheap Dell PC. An interesting read with some good points (of course, I have always been a Mac user so I’m probably biased).

Cheers.

A crack has finally been seen in a country with one of the most repressive regimes in the world, North Korea. The first known visual evidence of dissent from a video shot in a North Korean factory.

The 35-minute video clip, said to have been taken in November, was posted on the website of an opposition group based in South Korea. It shows a poster of Kim scrawled over with the words: “Down with Kim Jong-il. Let’s all rise to drive out the dictatorial regime.”

Good for them.

Thousands marched today all over the country to celebrate the life and dreams of Martin Luther King Jr. You can also read his Letter from Birmingham Jail. If you have never read it before, take a few minutes and do so. President Bush had this to say: “His faith and courage continue to inspire America and the world.”

I wonder what Mr. King would have to say about President Bush? I wonder what he would think of the War in Iraq and our “alleged” plans to move on Iran, what with all the “alleged” survaillence and all. His views would most likely be very interesting, to say the least.

Enjoy your day off (if you got one).