New Online Scam...
Offline, on your PHONE!

I find it interesting that during my tenure at the Beaumont Enterprise, I would feed story ideas with documenting evidence to the editorial department on numerous occasions. Occasionally, a story would be centered around emerging technologies and/or technological fraud.

One of the many examples I can bring to mind is that of the English Bulldog scam. I, like most of my Enterprise constituents, had our email addresses listed prominently on the BeaumontEnterprise.com website. Being a popular online destination, enjoying high Google search engine dominance, Enterprise employees are inundated with high-quality junk mail everyday.

You may ask yourself why a company of such magnitude (it is a Hearst corporation company) would fail at filtering crap emails, and I would say that they did seem to manage to catch the majority of porn. I simply received offers to enlarge my manhood, apply for lucrative sales jobs, can receive a windfall from a Nigerian diplomat, and interesting classified ads. Among these was an ad requesting to place a classified ad for an adorable English Bulldog puppy.

The email supplied only a name (presumably fake), email address (which the 'respond to' address and the 'classified contact' email address were never the same), and puppy descriptions. Look it up.

http://www.champbulldogs.com/scam.htm
http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/consumer/scam_alert_canine_con.html
http://www.scambusters.org/puppyscams.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_lifestyle_animal/2006/10/bulldog_scam_pr.html

My point is simply this.

Recently, I have moved into the online world as has my roommate. I am quite aware that several sites may make my phone number (such as a website address registering site like GoDaddy.com) available because it is public information.

I have been receiving strange phone calls from "telemarketing" firms with recorded messages, blocked phone numbers, and/or nonreturnable phone numbers (faked). I am under the understanding that it is possible to display a fake phone number to caller ID systems so the caller is led to believe the call originates from a particular region in the U.S. (This may be possible in other countries but I live in a bubble.... not literally, though). With a system setup like this, the caller could be ANYWHERE there is a high-speed connection (and the U.S. DOES NOT have the fastest internet connection) and can call both home AND cell! Freaky, huh?

The benefit of doing something like this would quite obviously to lead unsuspecting people to give out their personal information to a supposed "trusted" source. Instead of an obvious con, I believe, it must be quite easier to get financial information from someone for a product or service than it would be using the 'now old' Nigerian diplomat money transfer scam.

http://www.peoples-law.org/consumer/scams/nigeria.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3078489/
http://www.fraudaid.com/ScamSpeak/Nigerian/I'veReceivedaNigerianLetter-WhatDo-I-Do.htm
http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nigerian/asset_transfers.htm

Criminals are patient people. The really smart ones realize they may need days, weeks, months, or even years to successfully pull off a grand scam. Working telemarketers may not even know they are being used as pawns to obtain sensitive information like address, phone numbers, and credit card numbers. To what ends they can use this information, I'm unsure of. All I know is that in the wrong hands, this information can be quite lucrative.

The thing that worries me the most is that in the world of an almost global economy, it will continually seem easier to pretend to be someone from somewhere else residing somewhere new that no one knows. I hope that makes sense.

In closing, be vigilant in all you do. The mail can be exploited. Our phone lines are not perfect and are only as good as the flow of data they receive. In this millennium, con artist don't even need to go through your garbage. They can just give you a call and be as friendly as possible. "Thank you very much for your order, and you should be receiving it soon." And then you wonder why the number they called you from says 'This number does not exist. Try your call again,' when you try and redial it.

Oops.

Cop On The Web

Cheesy? Yeah, I know. Despite being tied to the bathroom all day with a digestional issue, I still had to write about this.

I know we as Americans really like to voice our opinions. It is, after all, one of the best freedoms we have. No matter what you think of America as a whole, the president, or anything else you care to gripe about, our freedom of speech is a powerful tool.

In communist China, this freedom continues to elude them. It is totally amazing that a contingent of people such as theirs with their intelligence fails to realize the power they have as a people. Our country did that hundreds of years ago. Man should be ruled only by himself and God. Man has the right to make laws, but these should never be an absolute. Even Christianity itself is distorted because of the views of men that have infiltrated it. But, I digress.

Beijing police recently announced plans to remind citizens that they are actively patrolling the web to catch anyone engaged in civil disobedience (my words, not theirs. They actually state the alerts "remind them that authorities closely monitor Web activity."). The way they plan to do this is by having cute little police men and women avatars randomly (every 30 minutes, according to the report) scroll across user's screens in a car, on bike, or on foot and remind them they are being watched & monitored!

Scary stuff, huh? Looks like Big Brother has REALLY happened in China. Let's make sure it never happens here. I'll DEFINATELY be in jail. I just can't keep my big mouth shut!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Put Down That Soda & LOSE WEIGHT!

Apparently, scientists have now discovered what millions of thin people already know.... It seems that sodas can make you fat! Who knew?

Well, I did. I've been telling people that for years. There is a reason I drink water, lemon sweetened tea, or 100% juice. I don't want to be fat.

I don't care what your momma done tole you. I don't care what advertisers want you to think. Fat IS NOT SEXY!

Don't you find it kind of strange when they show those weight loss commercials and the customer goes from an overweight, out-of-shape, can't climb two flights of stairs without sweating profusely tub-of-lard to a svelte, toned, hard-bodied beauty? I don't. In shape is SEXY!

Overeating is not a disease. Its a lack of self-control. Eating too many sugary things is not good for your body or your teeth. Change your diet today, and perhaps you won't have to have a limb amputated and be confined to a motorized wheelchair when you get older because you caused yourself to have diabetes.

Remember, proteins like steak, chicken & pork turn into muscle. Soft squishy things like cupcakes and sugary drinks turns you into the blob (see below). Do the right thing. Put down the Twinky.

Let Me Talk To A PERSON!!!

Are you tired of the ENDLESS phone tree systems that seem only designed to waste your time keeping you from talking to a real live person?

I know I am!

There's good news on the horizon!

Someone with more time to waste than you, has put together a list (that MAY or MAY NOT be correct) of the numbers you will have to press just to be able to speak to a live person.

You know how sometimes those phone trees like to tell you, "Please listen carefully, as our menu options have changed." ? It's probably because of websites like this.

I hope the numbers work for you. I don't know how long its been since this list was updated. The website itself, GetHuman.com also lets readers rate individual companies, although I'm not sure how well this feature works or what in particular you are rating. You may never use it, but now at least you know!

The Blob!!!

Science Fiction becomes Science Fact

Okay, so I'm still keeping with the Simpson's thing. Cut me a little slack.

This little tidbit comes to us from the hallowed halls of <<TRUMPETS - da da dah DAHH!>> THE ANNALS OF SCIENCE!

Apparently, those CRAZY scientist are still up to their old tricks. Seems like they're trying to prove that they can create their own "synthetic" life by manipulating genetics sequences to form new organisms that can be used in a unique and different way.

I think I've seen this one...
B movie... remade several times... funny in black & white....

Scary to think we could be on the cusp of.... <<TRUMPETS - da da dah DAHH!>> The BLOB 2.0!

I may just have an overactive imagination, but am I alone when I think this isn't necessarily a good idea. Isn't it kind of cocky to think that if God ain't got it right, that WE CAN?!? WTF!?!?

C'mon people! Just because we CAN, doesn't mean we SHOULD! I CAN shoot someone. SHOULD I?

No!!

When that mutant virus created in Wyoming escapes its glass enclosure and starts growing astronomically after it eats a few people, don't come crying to me! I already voiced my opinion on the subject. Doubt it'll do any good, though.

Just like you can't stop people from being a jerk, you can't take away other's rights to screw everything up for the rest of us.

Thanks guys! (that's in advance)

Click here to read the article about Artificial Life engineering.

Skater Slam '08!

If you haven't seen this yet, let me prepare you... This is almost a little disturbing. Let me assure you that he does get up and appears to be quite all right.

That said, NEVER try this at home (of course if you can build something this monstrously cool, then ignore my advise).



(Apparently this was removed from YouTube... Sorry... Go find it yourself.)

Simponsize ME!

I'm sure that you've already seen the commercials. Burger King and The Simpsons Movie are relentless in their advertising and "guerilla marketing". Just like Snakes on a Plane did, the Simpsons are riding a tidal wave of online movie marketing popularity as millions turn to www.simpsonizeme.com to transform themselves into a Simpsons character.

You may ask yourself why a cartoon character would want to be a Simpsons cartoon. That's easy... Everyone does. Even now, I can feel you itching to begin. Plus, its really cool when the aliens zap you and turn you into a Simpon's character!

Let me just tell you... be patient, and read the instructions. It'll make it easier. It may help to have a nerdy friend help you.

BTW, that's me as Simpson character Kavien the photographer. He pulls mad tail, yo.

Good Luck!

A Blow To Feminism

Finally, some scientists got tired of hearing that stupid quote that women are smarter because they use 20,000 words a day and men only use 7,000. After seeing this "fact" perpetuated in a magazine recently, researchers at the University of Arizona set out to find out if this was really true.

Using modern techniques (making this experiment more likely to have a realistic outcome as opposed to either: a.) Following subjects around and counting their words b.) Having subjects carry bulky tape recorders that they can know when they are being recorded c.) Getting an estimate from the subject) and digital recorders that sampled words being spoken at random times throughout the day, these researchers made an amazing discovery....

Women speak about 500 more words a day than men. Of course, we men know that of these extra words, barely 1/4 of them were actually heard.

You see, a man speaks because he has something to say. A woman speaks because

Microsoft Surface: Truth In Advertising

I try not to blog about videos. There are so many out there and so many good (& bad) ones that I would waste FAR too much valuable time with that subject. Whew!

This video happens to reference one of my earlier posts and I almost wet myself watching it.

If you are a regular here (Hi Mom!), you already know about Microsoft Surface. If you don't, scroll down to that story first. Read the story. Visit the website. Come back up here and watch this video. Wow.

Oh yeah. This video DOES CONTAIN ADULT LANGUAGE (meant potty words). Don't blame me. I'm just the messenger.


Microsoft Surface Technology Parody - Watch more free videos

Go Green With The Michelin Man

Before you get all happy and just click on the link or photo, let me warn you here. If you have a wireless or dial-up connection, this is going to take longer to view than you may be used to.

I'm not usually a big fan of commercials just for commercial's sake and this appears to be one of those things. It's really freakin' cool, though and shows just what technology can accomplish today and in the future.


The site is completely flash and you gotta have it installed to take advantage of the technology.

Click here to see the Michelin Man and his new "green" plan.

Jericho RETURNS!

Screw Paris! This is much more important.

From my earlier post, I was quite upset at the cancellation of one of my favorite shows, Jericho. Now, it seems I was not alone in this travesty.

According to THIS ARTICLE on yahoo news today, Jericho has been revived and given another extension on life. YAAAAAY!

It seems that bloggers and fans everywhere have created such a stir that the network executives have decided to order seven more mid-season episodes.

While I feel that they are still undervaluing their product, its definitely a start. Of course, they lost a lot of their audience last year because they allowed their core audience to drift when the show went on a three-month hiatus.

Low ratings were sited as the reason for the cancellation and the stir of controversy afterward was responsible for the renewed interest in this under rated gem.

I remember Fox executives reviving another cancelled show called Family Guy after DVD sales went through the roof. They simply assumed people weren't watching.

I rarely have time to catch shows at their regularly scheduled times. I typically watch them before bed on my lap top via the internet: My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, Jericho, & Heroes.

BTW, Heroes producers have promised to introduce four new characters over the summer and allow viewers to select who they like best. Knowing what I know about marketing, I'm sure they will find a way to introduce all four new characters into the storyline at some point. Either way, I'll be happy. BRING IT ON!

Send & Receive Large Files

Have a digital video, photo, program, song, etc you want to send someone, but it's too big to send through your 10MB limit G-mail or Yahoo account?

I know I do.

Maybe I'm behind on the times, but I just learned about a really easy way to send it.

You don't even have to sign up, just go to www.YouSendIt.com and your file will be uploaded to their website!

YouSendIt.com will send an email to whoever you want the file to go to and they simply go to the website and download it.

Of course, you can always pay for longer and larger storage, but if you need that, you probably already knew about this.

As always, do not send personal information or financial information over unsecured networks or connections.

Introducing Microsoft Surface

Ever seen that movie with Tom Cruise that is set in the future and he's a pre-crime law enforcement officer with a drug addiction brought on after the death of his son? You know, Minority Report?

Since that movie came out, I've been fascinated by the idea of pieces of glass that can transfer memory/video/photos, etc. Now it seems that Microsoft was also quite fascinated by this as well.

Welcome to the future! It's Microsoft Surface.

This smooth looking piece of art resembles the table style video games of the eighties. The only difference is that this is a computer screen that seems like it has a future generation of bluetooth inside. It is also touch screen and can manage multiple points at the same time.

Poor Apple...

Microsoft's webpage for surface is really cool and has a few videos and other things that look like some kind of sci-fi offering. If you like technology, you've GOT to check this out!

Non-Flying Air Car

I want an Air Car. Really bad. This cute little sucker only costs two bucks to fill up (think pumping up your tire) and can run over 150 miles! Imagine the possibilities!

This lightweight production car, I'm assuming, runs on principles similar to older steam engines but uses modern compression technologies.

It looks as though it won't be rated for the roads in the U.S. We drive too many monster vehicles to make this little guy safe for our roads. I see no reason why you couldn't use the same technology for four wheelers, motorcycles, or boats, though.

Imagine a world where wind is used to turn the turbines that help in compressing the air that we put in our cars. A greener world awaits and is right around the corner.

If you want to read more about this fascinating machinery, click here.

The Fall of Jericho

I made a mistake. I didn't let CBS know how much I came to like Jericho.

I think I may have liked it so much because I was able to watch all the episodes online. I would curl up with my laptop in my uber-soft and luxurious Land & Sky waterbed and fall asleep watching those poor Jericho people in their struggle. I viewed it as a reminder of what we as a civilization are capable of.

Now CBS has killed it. Axed it, if you will. This bothers me.

Just days before, I had been looking forward to finding out how the war plays out. I want to know how the government restructured itself. I want to see some hope!

So damn you CBS! You have left a dangling participle that no one can correct. You have started a book that no one can finish. You have infuriated me.

Oh well. At least Heroes will be back. YAY!

More Reasons To Love Firefox

Can I just say how much I love Firefox? This web browser has been my main browser for almost two years now and I love it. Okay, so not every website is optimized for Firefox and some plug-ins don't work like you would expect but I gotta tell you...

I have not had a virus problem on my computer since I started using Firefox. I don't get pop-ups or malicious content or anything like that! Once I upgraded to Firefox 2.0, I've learned it will even warn you if it suspects a phishing site (see photo above). Awesome!

Do yourself a favor and download Mozilla Firefox now for free. You can thank me later.

I am juiced!
I'm not steroid raging juiced, but I have been accepted as a Beta tester for Joost.com. If you haven't heard about it (which is why I'm telling you here), Joost has set up the first (as far as I know) internet cable provider. You can watch programming from all over the world on your schedule. Screw Tivo and DVR's, I'm totally JOOSTED!

With Joost, I will have instant access to tons of TV programming all full-screen and hi-quality. With my PC connector, which enables me to connect to my digital projector, I have all of that content in Hi-Def glory! I'm not sure if its broadcast in stereo, dolby, or hi-def sound yet.

Did I mention its FREE? I LOVE the future!

You can get Joosted too by clicking here or going to www.joost.com

I just bought my own radio station!

Okay, so maybe I'm not really cool or rich enough to buy my own radio station, but for only $2.99 a month (paid for full year), I get 12 months of digital quality radio piped straight into my laptop and to my ears. You can get it for free if you don't mind a commercial every five songs. The payed subscription kills the ads.

Big deal, you may say. That is only if you haven't experienced Yahoo's music player. You start off by rating music genres and artists based on music YOU like. From this, Yahoo will stream music to your computer using your selections as a guideline. The more stuff you rate, the better your radio station is. If you happen to stop liking something, or a song gets too played out, you can decrease its rating or simply never play it again!

The only thing that keeps the free player from being well worthwhile is the limit imposed by Yahoo on how often a month you can use it. I feel that for $2.99 a month for me to listen to ONLY music I like, it is well worth the money.

There are several limitations to the free service, though.

Here's an example of gratitude for you.

So, Saturday night, I turned in early. My friend Chris had come by the house and was watching TV as I was crashed on the couch.

All of a sudden, I'm awakened by a loud banging and wailing at the door. I jolt awake, stand up, take 2 steps (6 feet) toward the door and see this guy running toward my door with this wild look on his face. Needless to say, I wedge my big boot in the door and locked the deadbolt.

I hear this woman pleading, "Please call 911! Please call 911!" And I look around for my phone. I find it and dial 911. Then I return to the door and open it.


"911, what's your emergency?" asks the 911 operator.

--background--"Oh, my babys! How they gonna do this to my babies!"
As my house is suddenly flooded with a short young guy, a young woman, a seven-year old boy, a three year old, and the guy cradling a screaming 5 (FIVE) month old baby.--

"These people just crashed outside my house and they look pretty banged up."

Operator: Can you get them to quiet down in the background, I can't hear what your saying. Are you at *&$% U Rd? Officers have been dispatched.

--background--"I'm gonna get that ******. Why he do that? Man, we were trying to get away. You gotta help us, man. "
"My baby! My babies bleedin'!"

At this point, I run to get a towel as this man lays his baby RIGHT ON MY COUCH. I swiftly return and slip the towel under the (thank you Jesus) not bleeding baby. The woman collapses on my Laz Z Boy and starts gasping, cursing, and crying all at the same time.

Now, they were pretty banged up for taking the lumps they did.

According to our neighborhood forensic investigation team who have seen quite a few wipeouts at this curve, the man had to have been going at least 60-100 miles an hour (one neighbor is a little older. This car couldn't DO 0-100 in less than 30 seconds, which is more time than it takes to hit this curve.

When he encountered the curve, he hit his brakes to slow down which caused him to fish-tail. He overcorrected and nailed the mailbox post which was constructed out of two steel girders embed in a 2' x 2' x 2' concrete block.

After colliding with this (pictured above) bohemouth (apparently, someone some time ago got tired of replacing mailboxes and posts from drivers taking the corner too fast), it appears from tire marks at the scene that he was airborne for about 15-20 feet, the front of the car came down first, then the car was on two tires, then all four.

Unfortunately, with two now flat front tires, he was unable to steer and nailed a telephone pole. (You can see the car against the pole in the top photo. You can see the aftermath in the second one.) The impact from this and his possibly lowered front end stance from losing some tires caused the car to swing 90 degrees counter-clockwise and land. I didn't hear a thing.

The tale that began to unravel is one difficult to grasp and even more frightening to imagine. Of course, there are sides to every tale and I'll not point fingers. I do not have the full details that the police would, only what I heard and what I heard was basically this:

"We were in the McDonald's parking lot and this guy came up and started yelling at us. He pulled out a gun and we took off. He followed us. I turned down this road 'cause its a back way to get to my house. Thats not even my car! I was trying to get away and he kept coming. "
--I didn't get all the details of the crash. I'm sure it happened way too fast, but we can see what the aftermath was and draw conclusions from that.

Ending this part of the story is that I let them use my phone to call anyone they could to come take them to the hospital (I didn't volunteer because they all appeared healthy and not too stressed after what they just experienced). You'd think it would be easier to get in touch with someone at 3:30 in the morning (Three-thirty o'clock! AM! (a.m.)).

--What the heck were they doing out at 3:00 in the morning with their whole family hanging out in a McDonald's parking lot? Even their 5 month old!

Finally they leave, I watch a little TV, then slumber land greets me once more.

Today, when I get home from running the computer system at church, my friend tells me the people from last night came by.

According to him, they accused me of taking their police paperwork and telling the cops that they had been drinking (neither of which happened). They DID leave their EMS paperwork here and I put it on the countertop in case they came back. They may have been what they meant. They still shouldn't have accused considering how I opened my home to them as complete strangers.

If I see him again, I'm going to tell him he owes me $300 for repairs to mine & my neighbor's mailboxes.

I cannot believe this idiot had the NERVE to come over to my house and accuse me of STEALING HIS PAPERWORK! It's people like this that continue to perpetuate stereotypes. This stupid bastard has at least one child (he didn't claim the other two as his own) and a direct inability to accept things as being his fault. He lost his paperwork and couldn't even say he may have LEFT IT. He had to accuse ME of stealing! Then, he walked around the outside of my house looking for it! If I had stolen his paperwork, do you think that I with my carefully manicured lawn would have simply tossed it out a window? C'mon.

On a side note, I also hope that maybe someone from the City of Beaumont will see this and decide that something needs to finally be done about this curve. Maybe a sign with blinking yellow lights and reflective tape with those little reflective things that look like tiny skateboard ramps. Or maybe something more.

Truth be told, I think this is actually a really cool t-shirt that I am selling on my other website, but I can't tell you which one. Sorry. You'll have to either email me or leave a comment to be able to buy one. Trust me, it's totally worth it.

The Day I Turned Off My Cell Phone

This was approximately three weeks ago. I did it because of receiving a nearly $440 bill because I thought all theses months that I was on a nights & weekends plan, only to finally discover that the NW on my bill DID NOT in fact mean Nights & Weekends. It really stands for Nationwide (which is ONE word!).

I came to the realization that me being able to communicate at the drop of a hat with anyone in the civilized world was not something I was willing to pay almost $100 a month for. I have a lap top, an mp3 player, a radio in my car. I really don't even like half the people I talk to on my cell-phone and half the time, I'm perturbed when they call because of its inappropriateness.

Who really wants to get a call from their mother calling about your insurance while they are occupied by the toilet? Bluetooth headset picks up and momma hears leakage. No thanks. I'm done.

My last entry was about keeping a large corporation to their word. As a follow-up, I would like to report that Time Warner agreed to meet me half-way (I'm sure they discovered they were wrong) and not charge me for the digital cable box for six months. Good thing I don't have a contract. I can drop the service anytime. Excellent.

Since turning off my cell phone, I have blissfully realized what I can and cannot live without. Yes, I still need a cell phone in case of emergencies, but ALL cell phones can still dial 911 as long as there is a signal. I still keep it. It stores my numbers for me, it keeps the date, time, and my date book. It no longer rings. The silence is thrilling.

Attention Time Warner Cable Customers:

I just wanted to let readers know about the supposed "great" deal that Time Warner is currently offering. They have advertised their digital cable, VOIP (Voice Over Internet Phone), and cable modem package as being $119.00. This is not true!

After filling out an arduous online form (which I don't recommend), over a week passed and I received neither a follow-up email to schedule service nor a phone call. Frustrated, I called Time Warner and sat through another arduous form (this time filled out by a salesperson).

Because I know how some technology companies operate (with hidden fees and what not), I asked the salesperson what, if any, added fees, taxes, and services would be applied with this sale. I was told originally that the costs would be $148 (approximate) and I wondered aloud why. The salesperson went and checked, then told me his first price was wrong and the cost with tax and all would be $126.00 (approximate). I agreed this was a reasonable price and we finalized my hook-up appointment.

A few days later, I rescheduled my appointment to a week later so that my cable, internet, and phone could be installed all at the same time (I work 9-5 and couldn't take two days off). They were originally going to install just the internet and cable with the phone being installed a week later.

Today, I received a call informing me that my installation was scheduled for tomorrow and this made me very happy. The lady on the line made no reference to the $128 I was assuming I needed to pay to get the services connected (you pre-pay for your service). I asked her about it and said I hadn't paid, yet. She went and checked a few records and said that I was correct and had not paid. She asked me how I would like to pay the $148 (approximate).

Of course, this surprised me as I had been told the cost would be $126 (approx). When I asked the girl why it was suddenly $148, she didn't know and put me on hold to find out. The next thing I know, I can tell I was transferred because I hear ring tones again and a different lady picking up the phone asking how she can help me. I tell her, I don't know because I was talking with someone else who was "helping me" and all of a sudden I'm talking with her. I then explain what happened and she puts me on hold.

At this point, I am extremely perturbed at the treatment I am receiving, particularly because I am not yet a customer and I already feel like I am getting ripped off. I was quoted and agreed to a price given to me by one of their salespeople and in less than a week, I am upcharged $20 which they say is because of taxes and a $7.50 monthly rental charge for the equipment.

This makes no sense to me. Why would you charge me an extra $7.50 monthly for equipment that I HAVE to have to be able to use your service. I cannot get digital cable without this equipment, yet they did not include the cost in the original pricing. On what planet does this make sense? I feel I am being cheated out of $240 (the year's compounded extra charges).

I was told they will review the tapes of my conversations with the representatives and will see what was said. When I asked for a copy of the conversations for myself, they refused saying, "They are company property." I said, "Until the subpeona comes in."

Should companies be bound to the statements made by their salespeople? Does this sound like classic bait and switch tactics to you?

France Opens UFO files!

Well, great! UFOlogist worldwide rejoiced as France releases and puts online, their documents pertaining to UFO sightings. This includes the ridiculous as well as the hard to explain. Must be some pretty cool crap there.

Do you think there is life outside of our measly planet? Leave a comment.

Check out the website here: www.cnes-geipan.fr

Internet radio is threatened before it can even take off!

I just read that the future of free streaming radio online is about to be sunk before it ever starts.

According to the website: www.saveourinternetradio.com

On March 1, 2007 the US Copyright Office stunned the Internet radio industry by releasing a ruling on performance royalty fees that are based exclusively on the number of people tuned into an Internet radio station, rather than on a portion of the station’s revenue. They discarded all evidence presented by webcasters about the potentially crippling effect on the industry of such a rate structure, and rubber-stamped the rates requested by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

Under this royalty structure, an Internet radio station with an average listenership of 1000 people would owe $134,000 in royalties during 2007 - plus $98,000 in back payments for 2006. In 2008 they would owe $171,000, and $220,000 in 2009.

There is no way for a station with 1000 listeners to make that kind of money. That’s over $11 per listener per month in 2007. No Internet radio station currently operating comes even close to that kind of income. Also keep in mind that 1000 listeners is not a large number. Popular stations like Radio Paradise, SOMA, Digitally Imported, radioio, etc have many times that many listeners.

In other words, if they are allowed to stand these rates are a death sentence for independent Internet radio stations. The only stations that would survive would be those who can afford to operate at that kind of loss, such as AOL (who would owe over $20,000,000 in 2006, far in excess of their income from radio).

The reason this concerns me is because my internet radio is the only thing that keeps me sane at work. It helps me block out the mind-numbing banter my colleagues engage in daily. Blah blah blah. Crap crap crap. I'm listening to the best rock station ever right now. WJRR in Orlando - Real Rock 101.1

If you think this is a tragedy and that it should be stopped, use the internet in another creative way and register your opinion using this online petition.

While we're at it, if you would like to use the power of the internet for your next community fight, try using www.PetitionOnline.com. It's time for the people to start taking back control!

NBC Puts Primetime Shows Online... FOR FREE!

Okay. Great. Now I'm hooked. It's not enough that I have to deal with remodeling the house. It's looking great, btw. Now I have to deal with hi-speed internet and companies like NBC putting their shows online. I can stream their shows on my laptop (w/ 17" Tru-color screen) and only have to endure one 30-sec commercial every cut. I'm lovin' this! I may not ever get cable!

HAVE YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS PRINTED & DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR!

If you are anything like myself and highly absorbed and jacked in to the new digital era, you not only have little time for things like running to the photo store to develop your photos, but precious little time (or patience) to wait or even pick them up later. Fear not, worthy readers, for I have found an easy solution to your problem!

Now you can upload your photos online (same as you would have to at a store) to a very user friendly website called Shutterfly.com. Using this website, you can have your photos available to you anytime you have an internet connection. Their easy-to-use web tools let you do mild editing & cropping online and has really competitive pricing (similar to Wal-mart). The thing I like best is that a really large image (20"x30") is only $22! 8"x10"'s are $4. 4"x6"'s are only $0.19!

I think one of the coolest things about it is that you can do projects and even share them with others! That way, Grandma in Cleveland can see recent photos of her grandbabies and even buy the photos she wants and have them shipped directly to her! Post your holiday and graduation photos for distant relatives. It's a pretty versatile website and you really need to just go there and find out for yourself!

Today, I was going to talk about something else, but I saw this and it really pissed me off.

The St. Petersburg, Florida police department has resorted to Gestapo tactics in tackling one the most hard pressed issues facing the city: the homeless. These worthless degenerates and dreggs of society have finally had their come uppance at the hands of the law. The St. Petersburg PD regulated on a gathering of homeless people who have been squatting on a piece of property, living in tents, and generally trying to get by.

The police raided the place during daylight hours (presumably to make sure the residents weren't as drunk or high as they would be later) and DESTROYED the tents of the residents there with knives and blades! Now, I may not have lived in this country very long (only my whole life of 32 years), but I did think there was something called due process. I also didn't know it was legal to destroy without trial the possessions of an American.

I could really give a flip less if you care about the homeless or not. If this doesn't rattle your chain at least a little, then just kill yourself now cause I don't want someone as heartless as you voting anymore:



To the St. Petersburg Police & Mayor Dick Baker (Rick Baker): I hope you guys get your ass handed to you on a silver platter over the travesty of abuse of power. I really wanted to write you guys personally and tell you exactly what I thought about this, but for some convenient reason, the email contact list at the city of St. Petersburg website is disabled!

Having only learned about the holocaust in school, I can imagine that this is how Nazi Germany started out as well. What's next St. Pete? Why not cut the tires on their bicycles too so they can't go anywhere? Why not destroy their clothes too? Why just stop at their "homes"? C'mon St. Petersburg, just start executing the homeless. No one will care!

I hope there is a homeless advocate lawyer with dollar signs flickering behind their eyes. It is my wish that these homeless finally get the chance to buy homes because of the lawsuit executed on your city. I hope the city goes bankrupt because of it. I hope the mayor and all the mindless police that blindly followed orders have their pink slips handed to them and become homeless themselves. Fascist Nazis.

UPDATE: According to the St. Petersburg press, the reason for this commando style war on homeless in tents is because of fire safety. They claim that they were worried about the fire potential and this was an action by the fire marshall.

FREE IMAGE HOSTING

You probably already know this, tech savvy individual that you are. Just in case you don't, I'll tell ya. If you're trying to make you myspace page or other online profile look cool, you'll need some off site hosting of some of your images. One of the easiest I've found to use is PhotoBucket.com. It's free to use and you probably won't overuse the bandwidth constraints they place on you unless your page is getting a TON of traffic a day. The only thing I don't like about it is they limit your photo size to 800x600 now. They didn't used to. Them was the good ole' days.

NEW MEDICAL DISCOVERIES!

Okay, so maybe not immediately, but this does give me hope. Apparently, one of those mad scientists has been experimenting with infecting cancerous growths with a custom tailored virus that will wipe it out! Can you imagine getting a vaccine for your cancer just like you used to for polio? Read more about it here. You'll be amazed!

Discount Websites:

Today's blog is about those wonderful discount websites you can buy crap from. Of course, most of you know about E-Bay.

Did you know about Overstock.com? They have discontinued and overproduced items for severely discounted rates.

You should also check out NewEgg.com for electronics. They have some of the best prices on electronic equipment and it changes constantly. You never know what you'll find.

If you know of any others that are really worth while, please feel free to comment and post them here. Happy shopping!

I don't get infuriated that often, but sometimes I see these stupid kids and their stupid parents and just want to slap the crap out of both of them. First off, this "news story" has made national headlines and makes it seem like this family is entitled to something. Let me explain a few things about what I am talking about. "Little" Jerry Monaco, Jr. of New Hampshire and his family apparently visited Disney's MGM Studios in Orlando, FL. While having their photo made with a Tigger costumed character, it appears on the video that the Tigger randomly turns and strikes the kid right in the face! WOW! What an atrocity! Something should be done right?

Before you continue in my tirade, please view the video so we are both on the same page.
Click here to see the video

Excellent. As you can clearly see on the video, Jerry Monaco's hand snakes behind Tigger. As this happens, Tigger appears to be pulled backwards and toward Jerry. This is caused by the little bastard pulling on Tigger's tail. As innocuous as this may seem to you, I happen to have a little bit of insider information into the costuming at Disney, considering I worked in entertainment there for over a year.

You see, the Tigger costume is one of the most uncomfortable to wear. The reason for this is the tail belt that you have to wear. This belt has a metal plate that uses your lower back to maintain the rigidity of the tail. This metal plate is approximately 6" wide by 4" tall. It does have a thin foam padding on it but is strapped to your waist.

The problem happens when little spoiled children like Jerry Monaco, Jr. pull on the tail, sharply forcing this steel plate into the base of your spine, forcing you off balance. In the video, you see this happen DISTINCTLY. The hit does not come from anger, as the person in the Tigger costume sees mainly out of the nose. Tigger didn't even know where the little bastard's face was. I find it a little strange that Tigger's tail swings into view at the same time little Jerry's right hand does.

The thing that gets my blood boiling is this kid's beligerent father demanding apologies and even questioning the manhood of the guy behind the mask because he didn't come out and apologize himself. HEY JERRY MONACO: 1. Costumed characters ARE NOT ALLOWED to interact with guests outside of their costume. It's in the handbook. 2. YOUR SON owes Tigger an apology. Ass.

I know you've always wondered but were always afraid to ask. Where do Lego's come from? Are they part of an alien subplot to overthrow our civilization? Are they a by product of mining uranium? How do they stay together? Is it some sub-atomic glue? Well, the good news is that Business Week, the same people who brought you the stock market and Ross Perot, now show you how Lego's are made.

CLICK HERE TO START DISCOVERING (don't tell anyone I stole this tag line)

Yikes! Swipes! Watch out for your ATM cards. It seems thiefs are getting smarter, which means you need to as well. The University of Texas shows you how thieves are conspiring to steal your ATM card information, PIN #, and all your cash. Arm yourself with the knowledge to know better. CLICK HERE FOR THE UT INFORMATION.

Don't listen to me. Listen to the pros who knows!

Happy New Year! Let's start this sucker out right!

Here is Saddam Hussein being hanged! Enjoy. (BTW, the video quality isn't the best. This was apparently shot on a cell phone)



WARNING: Graphic content is contained in the link including death and captial punishment. If you are offended by these thing, do NOT press play. I cannot & will not be held responsible for any situations arising from you viewing this.