September 2004 Archives



September 2, 2004

CensorZilla

When the developers at Mosaic Communications set out to create Mozilla, their lawyers requested that they clean the source code-literally. Developers text containing vulgar words or expressions. Here is the unedited version of the original code. Thanks goes out to my bro Max for the link.

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 2, 2004 11:01 PM | | Comments (0)

Top 11 Ways to Reduce IT Spending

11. Outsource your web hosting to GoDaddy.com 10. Start a “Network Admin” college extension course and let the student pay you to run the network 9. Set all the desktops to auto-logon and voila! No more wasted time resetting passwords 8. Change disaster-recovery plan from remote hot site to “focused prayer” 7. Adopt coin-operated meters for desks, chairs and monitors—throw in the computer for free as an inducement 6. Save paper—tell everyone the company’s standard font size is now 6 points 5. Declare your network “secure enough,” and stop all patch-management practices 4. Lower your service level from five nines to five eights 3. Employ new desktop—sharing plan: one pair of monitors, keyboards, and mice per PC 2. Redefine the “P” in PC to mean “personally maintained” 1. “You may have noticed that your titles have all changed to Intern…” Thanks to Max for this funny list!

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 2, 2004 11:05 PM | | Comments (0)

South Park Republicans

Picture a typical Republican. Perhaps you see images of George Bush, John Ashcroft, Ronald Reagan, or maybe even Alex P. Keaton. Basically, many people think Republicans are a bunch of stodgy white guys with money. Times are changing... Source: Tech Central Station Thanks to Natalie for the link, it was indeed a very interesting column.

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 2, 2004 11:16 PM | | Comments (0)

The Passion of the Christ DVD Review

Why is it that two of the highest grossing films of all time are based on stories that everyone already knows? "Titanic" brought audiences in by the droves, yet no one could possibly go in thinking the boat would end up floating on the water. The same goes for Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." This is a brutal, unrelenting film and at times hard to watch, yet audiences embraced it, quickly sending it to the list of the highest grossing movies of all time. Every single moment is shown in full detail, whether it is the pieces of flesh being whipped from Jesus' body or the crown of thorns burrowing into his head. Blood flows in practically every scene once past the half hour mark and never lets up until the screen finally goes black. Whether or not showing this agonizing torture is more effective than letting the actor (James Caviezel, whom in this case is spectacular) bring it out through his performance is debatable, but you will not walk away from this film unaffected. Moments will remain in your mind forever and brining yourself to watch it again will not be easy. This films brutality will not be surpassed anytime soon. This is not a film to sit your family down with on Easter morning. Past the blood and gore, Mel Gibson does a fine job behind the camera, but this is far from a perfect film. The extreme overuse of slow motion is aggravating. Certain scenes do, of course, benefit from the technique, but when every scene uses it in some form, stretching the movies running time in the process, it's distracting. Certain sequences, especially the films forest locale in the opening, are obviously shot on a sound stage with fog machines being overworked. You also have to look at just how much punishment Jesus endures. By the time he is lifted on the cross, there is no white flesh left on his body. The makeup departments obviously had a field day with this one, but how much blood can be used and still make it seem realistic? The way his beatings are portrayed, he never would have lived past the whipping. Also, if by some chance you have never read the Bible and are not familiar with this sequence of events, you would likely be lost through most of the film. Regardless of a few lapses in logic, the exceptional performances and use of the proper languages adds an air of authenticity to the proceedings. American audiences generally shy away from subtitles, making this a brave move. The entire experience just 'feels' real. If you were brought up with this story, this is almost exactly how you it was told to you, just with a monumental amount of gore. This is an epic, yet slightly flawed film, which should be viewed by anyone with even the slightest interest. (**** out of *****) Available in both widescreen (2.40:1) and pan and scan formats, "The Passion" is uneven in the video department. Opening scenes are littered with a distracting amount of grain mostly due to the overuse of fog. Darker scenes lighted by fire also suffer from the same problem. A few brief sequences also have noticeable compression artifacts, but these will only be noticeable if you're looking for them. The films key moments, especially scenes of Jesus carrying the cross, are crystal clear, showcasing the fine detail lost in the early moments. The diluted color scheme used in the film is generally a DVD nightmare, but this transfer does a decent job of holding it together. (***) Thankfully, Fox has NOT including any English dubbing, something that would have diluted the film. Two sound formats, 5.1 and DTS, have been included. Both tracks are on equal ground for most of the film. This is a movie almost entirely dialogue driven for the entire running time. A few of the scenes involving large crowds use the rears, but not extensively. Brief moments also feature excellent directional sound from the front. The only moments where the DTS track proves its worth are the final scenes involving the temple destruction. Otherwise, you'll do just fine with the standard 5.1 track if DTS is not an option. (****) An obvious special edition of this film will be on the way, but no announcements have been made. Likewise, this disc is completely barren, failing to include the standard theatrical trailer. Inside the case, you'll find some shameless marketing for T-shirts, books, and soundtracks. (No stars) Making the decision to view this movie should be one made with proper knowledge. Be fully aware that this is a film that is unforgiving in showing one man being beaten, punched, kicked, and whipped for well over an hour. This is far from other films that show the same sequence of events, and no matter how uplifting some people may find the ending to be, you cannot leave this film anything but depressed.

Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 2, 2004 11:37 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (5)

September 3, 2004

Virtual PC 7 released to manufacturing

Microsoft Corp.'s Macintosh Business Unit (MacBU) has announced the release of Virtual PC for Mac Version 7 to manufacturing. As has been previously noted, the company plans for Virtual PC 7 to reach store shelves in October. Additionally, the company has released Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Professional Edition to manufacturing -- it bundles Virtual PC 7 as well. Source: MacCentral Yay! I cannot wait to emulate Windows XP on my G5 and see just how slow it performs!

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 3, 2004 11:14 PM | | Comments (0)

You Control: iTunes puts control in OS X menu bar

You Software Inc. announced on Tuesday the availability of You Control: iTunes, a free download that places iTunes controls in the Mac OS X menu bar. Without leaving the current application, you can pause, play, rewind or skip songs, as well as control iTunes' volume and even browse your entire music library by album, artist or genre. Each time a new song plays, You Control: iTunes also pops up a window that displays the artist and song name and the album artwork, if it's in the library. Source: MacCentral. Rob tells me that Butler does this, but not as nice that is for sure. I highly recommend this little iTunes gizmo. And not just because it is free, but because it is very well done. Of course now I need to go add album art to my music library :)

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 3, 2004 11:22 PM | | Comments (2)

iMac: The Missing Memory

By Dan Frakes ...Adding 256MB of RAM to an iMac G5 -- resulting in a total of 512MB -- would cost you or me $40-$50 at today's retail prices, which means Apple would most likely pay $30-$40 (or less?) for the same upgrade. That's a small investment that would result in significant gains for the consumer. Even if Apple couldn't afford to reduce their per-unit profit by $30 and had to raise the price of the iMac $30, I think such a move would be worth it. How many iMac buyers would balk at an extra $30? And any competent reviewer would praise Apple for not taking the low-RAM route. A few price-obsessed "analysts" might object, but I think most would see the value in such a move... Source: Editors' Notes Weblog I don't get the 256 MB of RAM in the new iMac G5 either. Especially the top of the line iMac G5, it too comes with 256 MB of RAM as the stock config. Not only that, but Apple asks $75 to double the RAM to 512 MB! Crucial sells 256 MB for $46.99 and as low as $26.97 found on Pricewatch.com. I think Apple could have done better on the RAM front on this new amazing iMac G5. People who are not Mac geeks do not know OS X really needs 512 MB or more RAM to really shine. The same thing is true about Windows XP, by the way. I must say the best feature of this new iMac G5 is the user installable parts that this iMac G5 puts at the end users fingertips. If you have ever ripped the cover off of a Rev. A iMac to replace anything in it knows how nice these user installable parts in the iMac G5 are. Even installing RAM in the Rev. A iMac was hell.

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 3, 2004 11:46 PM | | Comments (0)

September 4, 2004

6 More GMail Invites to give away

First come, first served. Post a comment. The first 6 will get accounts. Good luck! Just put your email in the email field. Don't put it in the comment body as MT only spam protects emails in the email field.

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 4, 2004 12:14 AM | | Comments (6)

September 5, 2004

ESPN NHL 2K5 XBox Review

This years round of Sega published ESPN games began with a whimper. Their baseball franchise is quickly falling behind EA's revamped and improved MVP Baseball. Then, with the release of the spectacular ESPN NFL 2K5, things began to take shape. With a slightly tweaked engine and stronger franchise mode, NHL 2K5 is easily one of the most fun and (nearly) flawless digital simulations of a real sport ever produced. With amazing fluidity, NHL 2K5 stuns players upon entering into gameplay. The on-ice action is by far some of the most incredible ever put into a hockey video game. The physics engine literally makes the person behind the controller feel like they are sliding across the ice. The feeling is almost impossible to describe. The puck skids around the ice with realistic results and banging one off the post is just as frustrating here as it is in the real game. Computer AI remains strong, though maybe a bit too aggressive. Attempting to set up an offense inside the zone (which is great thanks to the ability to stop on a dime with a flick of the analog stick) is all but impossible, save for those rare situations. Within a second of securing the puck, opposing players swarm in to try for a steal or body check. Only on the lower difficulty levels does the AI calm down, but it also doesn't produce very much offense leading to lopsided shot statistics. Scoring feels proper (again, thanks to the puck physics) and getting one past the best goalkeepers requires complete skill when the sliders have been properly calibrated. Fighting is greatly improved, though it still feels a little bit floaty and hit detection never seems to be consistent. Like all sports games of the past few years, the right analog stick plays a role on both sides of the puck. On defense, you can execute various hooks, slashes, and trips. Pressing in on the stick and attempt one of these maneuvers results in a viscous shot not only to their ego, but the body as well. Penalties are common with hits like these, so using them with consistency will result in numerous penalty-killing situations. On the offensive end, a wide array of dekes can be performed with a flick of the stick and making opponents bite is a great feeling. Still, moving your thumb off of the buttons (if only for a second) can cause problems. If you've played NFL 2K5 (or even 2K4) with any frequency, the presentation here is a bit disappointing, but this is still the best in the market. The ESPN license is used everywhere, including the excellent commentary from Bill Clement and Gary Thorne. It's hard to explain, but they really sound like they are in a broadcast booth calling the game. Fans in the stadium get a few moments of fame, though compared to the football franchise, their participation is slim and repetitive. Excellent as it was last year, the franchise mode has been upgraded, though not with a major overhaul. The minor leagues now play a large role (you'll hire a coach to deal with them), and you have full control over their lineups allowing you to give more playtime to a potential prospect. Completely new this year are wild mini-games that can eat up a lot of playtime when you have the proper number of players available. One of these also features an analog shot system that will likely become the standard in a few years time. All of this can of course be taken online thanks to the excellent XBox Live support. Minor graphical tweaks have been added, including superb texturing on the jerseys. Player's faces are startling and the fully polygonal crowd is a step-up from the lifeless blobs of most sports games. Slowly throughout the period, the ice will slowly show signs of wear, losing the reflective luster it once had. Animation routines are spectacular, rarely (if ever) looking disjointed. The close-ups of the stadium crowd during cinematics are excellent, sporting a wonderful amount of detail that was missing from the NFL franchise. The sound package has been revamped to include full crowd chants, even for specific players. The echo effect when playing the game with "ESPN Game Sound" on a proper sound system is spectacular, adding to the immersion level of being in the stadium. Customizing stadium music for a ridiculous amount of events is also possible, though the organ music included is pretty strong by itself. The crowd does occasionally drown out the commentators no matter how much you tweak the sliders in the options menu, but this minor problem is hardly an issue considering how strong the rest of this package is. A few minor issues do drop the package down a few notches. Puck physics, as incredible as they may be, do suffer from some glitches. You'll watch in stunned silence as the puck magically swirls in the air after an opponents shot and your helpless goalie smacks it into his net. Players also can have a hard time grabbing the puck from the ice. This leads to some confusion as you assume to have possession, but an opposing player trailing behind you will skate by untouched with the puck leading to a breakaway. Those minor issues are hardly enough to destroy the experience. With a meager $20 price tag, a NHL fan that will likely be denied a season this year has no reason not to pick this title up and simulate this season without collective bargaining. Even if it's not a major improvement over last year, the already solid engine was enough to make this one worthy for any hockey fans collection.

Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 5, 2004 9:08 PM | | Comments (0)

Empire of the Ants/Tentacles Double Feature DVD Review

H.G. Wells was an excellent storyteller who also made many bold predictions about the future. This is a man who predicted space travel pretty accurately. What he never could have predicted was how bad his story "Empire of the Ants" would turn out once it made it to film. Now bundled on DVD with the Italian film "Tentacles," these two schlock fests are well known for breaking new ground when it comes to boring their audiences. Radioactive waste is spilled onto a small island, soon to be developed as a resort. A few ants manage to get themselves covered in the goo, rapidly growing into human-terrorizing beasts. When a group of tourists take the trip to visit the area, the ants begin their picnic, munching down on everyone who comes too close. When it's discovered that the ants actually control a local town, it's up to the small group of survivors, including Marylin Fryser (Joan Collins), to stop the insects horrific plan before they take over the world. Bert I. Gordon gives us this "classic," using the same effects he pioneered in another schlocker, "Beginning of the End." Most of the ants are real, hilariously magnified and superimposed onto the screen. The backgrounds between the humans and insect hardly ever match. Close-ups use full-size mock ups which were done so much better 20-years before in the undeniable classic "Them!" The plot rolls along at a snails pace, including an 18-minute scene in which some of the survivors simply row a boat across a river, occasionally spotting a swarm of the mutated nasties. It never really has a point, nor does any other segment in the movie. This is easily one of the most well remembered bad-movies of the 70's. (* out of *****) An underwater tunnel experiment annoys a rather large ocean beast that immediately begins snacking on local residents. Reporter Ned Turner (John Huston) immediately picks up on the story, quickly pointing the finger at the president of Trojan Construction (Henry Fonda). The beast continues to feed ravenously until Will Gleason (Bo Hopkins) devises a plan that can finally put an end to the monster that took out and entire group of sailboat racers. "Tentacles" has been so horribly criticized over the years, it's amazing anyone would dare put it on DVD. Released in Italy as "Tentacoli" and starring a wealth of actors, there is hardly any reason why this movie fares so poorly. Maybe it's because the giant octopus is only on screen for about 15-minutes total in a nearly two-hour film. Maybe it's because Henry Fonda gives one of the most abominable performances of all time. Then again, maybe it's simply because this movie is far too long, the effects are never convincing (particularly the finale), and no one ever really cares about the characters while they continue to converse in scene after scene with no effect on the movies plot line. Yeah, that has to be it. (* out of *****) Both of these films are presented in their original aspect ratios. "Empire of the Ants" gets a surprisingly nice 1.85:1 transfer, the same used for a previous DVD release from MGM. The scratches and specks that appear on screen can be annoying from time to time, but this is a nice restoration considering the age and quality of the movie. Light grain is noticeable throughout, but it never is a major problem. Flesh tones are accurate, but not amazing. The overall transfer is soft and occasionally seems a little too blurry, but this is a more than acceptable transfer for a film that really doesn't deserve it. (****) Speaking of films that don't deserve nice transfers, there's no need to go anywhere else than "Tentacles." This is a transfer just shy of absolute perfection. The only real issues are the skin tones, which are flat and always seem to be one shade off, but this seems to be the norm for this era of film. This is otherwise an unbelievable transfer featuring sharp detail, fine color, and absolutely no grain or compression problems. Every speck and spot has been cleaned up from the print. I'm not sure where they found this 2.35:1 print, but this is just stunning. (*****) "Empire" doesn't fare as well in the sound department. Anytime anything is going on in the background the actors dialogue is lost. Even when no background noise is present, the sound is scratchy and sounds like it's coming from a tinny radio speaker. This is mono 2.0 soundtrack that needs some immediate attention. (*) A remixed soundtrack has been produced for "Tentacles," and just like the video, this is a pretty nice effort. Dolby Surround powers this occasionally immersive soundtrack and the only real problems are the expected scratchy voices. The film's annoying soundtrack gets pumped through the speakers and the front speakers get a nice left to right workout. Bass is of course non-existent, but work was obviously done in this department. (****) Extras include the trailers for both films. There is some footage in both trailers that is not in the films so they are worth a watch. Otherwise, this is a barren 2-sided disc. (*) This disc, along with the majority of MGM's "Midnite Movie" line, are exclusive to Best Buy stores. It's hard to pay $10 for one awful movie, so it's a nice gesture to give us two. Then again, if you purchased "Empire of the Ants" separately when it was available, then you're probably not happy right now. Still, even though most of these movies are absolute bombs, the Tentacles transfer is a must for videophiles.

Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 5, 2004 9:20 PM | | Comments (0)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles DVD Review

Nearly everyone has been through some form of terror around the holidays. Whether it is not being able to catch a flight on time, realizing you've bought the wrong thing on Christmas Eve, or just dealing with the in-laws, it's a natural extension of what the season has become. Hardly any other holiday movie is easier to relate to than "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," directed by John Hughes. This brilliant comedy is a movie that should be viewed every holiday season, and maybe a few more times during the year as well. Neal Page (Steve Martin) is stuck in a board meeting, soon to be late for a flight that will get him home in time for Thanksgiving. When things don't go as planned at the airport, he meets Del Griffith (John Candy), a lovable yet infinitely annoying shower curtain ring salesman. Together, they become the flawless odd couple and their adventure becomes one that deserves a high-ranking spot in film history. Once you've experienced this film, you simply have to come back to it. The two lead actors pull viewers into every situation, no matter how absurd it may be, playing nearly every scene to perfection. Countless cameos, including Kevin Bacon and Martin Ferraro, add to the proceedings. Director John Hughes flawlessly evokes every bit of comedy from every scene, having experience with other films in the genre like "Uncle Buck" and "Ferris Bueller." The films only mishap is the ending. Though necessary to give some depth to Del Griffith, after crying through every scene due to laughter, the depressing finale has viewers leaving the film on a sour note. Regardless, this is a film that should be viewed everytime Thanksgiving rolls around in your home without question. (**** out of *****) Paramount presents the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. No pan and scan version is available. This is an uneven transfer, one that suffers from a ridiculous amount of grain one minute and flawlessly cleans itself up in the next. The black levels have been set a bit too high resulting in some hard-to-see sequences. Compression problems are evident, especially in the bright reds. The soft tone of the transfer eliminates any fine detail, but the print itself is almost free from any scratches or flaws. (***) Remixed into Dolby 5.1 for this release, the sound field is surprisingly active when it needs to be (the opening scenes in New York are quite immersive). The soundtrack also does a wonderful job of filling up the sound field, using every speaker. Otherwise, a few moments in the dialogue are a little scratchy, but this is a nice sound presentation for an older film. (****) Sadly, viewers get nothing in the extras department. A commentary would have been a wonderful touch since it's obvious everyone had a blast working on this film. This is a disc crying out for a special edition. (No stars) It's a shame we lost John Candy. He added so much to every film he was in, creating lovable and enjoyable characters no matter the situation. "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" is a perfect way to relive his unfortunately short career and also one of Steve Martin's best. It should be noted that the film is only rated "R" because of a tirade by Steve Martin in one scene when he walks into the car rental office. Skipping this sequence (even though it is one of the funniest in the film) makes this one perfect for family viewing.

Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 5, 2004 9:24 PM | | Comments (0)

The Land/People that Time Forgot DVD Review

Once a movie has raised the bar for special effects, going back and reliving some of those childhood favorites can be painful. Case in point, "The Land that Time Forgot." Mesmerizing at age 5, it doesn't quite hold up after repeated viewings of "Jurassic Park," but it's still enjoyable if you can get past the effects. This is not true for the second movie on this disc however, "The People that Time Forgot." After a German submarine destroyed their boat, the small band of survivors, including Bowen Taylor (Doug McClure) and Lisa Clayton (Susan Penhaligon) manage to hijack the war machine. After numerous changes in command, the group ends up on an uncharted island surrounded by an iceberg, "The Land that Time Forgot." Inside they find dinosaurs, caveman, and one very active volcano. Everyone bands together in an attempt to survive, forgetting that they are actually enemies. The effects are far from great in "Land," (especially the pterodactyl late in the film; you can obviously see the strings suspending it), but the sense of adventure is unmistakable. Things do start off a bit slow (40-minutes before the first dinosaur makes an appearance), but all of the actors do a fine job and the younger set, just like me many years ago, will be enthralled. If you can past the effects and just use your imagination a bit, you'll have fun for the majority of the running time. (*** out of *****) "The People that Time Forgot" picks up a few years after "Land." Having found the note that Taylor through into the ocean at the end of the previous film, Major Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne) gets the sponsorship of a newspaper to find the hidden land and to see if his friend Bowen is still alive. Soon after reaching the island, they meet up with a cavewoman named Ajor (Dana Gillespie in the most revealing cavewoman suit of all time) who tells the group that Bowen is still alive. Their search, now having purpose, is just beginning. "People" suffers from a wealth of flaws. First and foremost, the effects are even worse this time around, and this was made two years after the original. The film has absolutely no momentum behind it all, lacks tension, and just never seems to pick up steam. The finale, which should be a major spectacle, is just laughable. It's obvious that all of the explosions have been pre-set. It feels like you're right there on the set watching it all happen instead on some lost prehistoric island. The only reason to watch this one is for Gillespie and her costume. Otherwise, stick with the original. (* out of *****) Both films are presented in 1.85:1 widescreen on opposite sides of the disc. "Land" looks excellent on the format. A few occasional scenes of heavy grain barely mar the outstanding color that brings this film to life. Any scratches or specks on the print have been fixed to perfection. The black levels are never compensated and the transfer even holds together when brighter shades of red are thrown at it. This is outstanding work considering the age of the film. (****) Sadly, "People" doesn't fare as well. The color is toned down quite a bit here. The black levels are wildly uneven and a few sequences not only display a distracting amount of grain, but lose most of their color as well. The few scenes of clarity are far too soft and it looks like the camera is out of focus. You can certainly do worse, but it's obvious that equal time was not given to the restoration of both films. (**) Both movies are presented in 2.0 mono. These movies are mixed extremely low, so prepare to fight with the volume level throughout them. Some minor hiss and distortion is evident at many points in each film, but this is to be expected. These are tracks that just do what they need to do and nothing else. (***) Extras include, well, nothing. These films get the original trailers attached to them and that's it. Oddly, "Land" has English subtitles while "People" does not. (*) These films are part of the ever-growing "Midnite Movie" line produced by MGM. These discs are exclusive to Best Buy stores. For only $9.99, these discs are a great deal, but the exclusivity doesn't make much sense. Also, "People" was available separately on DVD not long ago. Those people who bought it separately have every right to be angry. Regardless, if you have fond memories of watching these films when you were a child, you won't find a better way to watch them than this disc.

Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 5, 2004 10:18 PM | | Comments (0)

Canada-Michigan 2004 Photos

When my Dad goes on a trip he usually takes his camera. Be sure to check out these photos from his latest trip up through Michigan and to Canada. If you have Webshots you can put them on your desktop easy. (You can download the images if you do not have Webshots) If you are a Mac using Webshots user, I strongly suggest using SwapTop, and not the official Webshots Mac client. Thanks Dad for the great desktop pictures. They look great on my 23" Cinema Display :)

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 5, 2004 10:28 PM | | Comments (0)

September 6, 2004

Adobe's InDesign and XML

The process of formatting and typesetting documents has come a long way in the relatively short span of time that modern computers have been around; the process has typically revolved around formatting scientific or technical documents using a variety of command-line tools. However, the latest version of Adobe's page-layout application, InDesign, integrates XML files into its visually oriented publishing workflow. Source: XML.com

Posted by Ken Edwards on September 6, 2004 7:45 PM | | Comments (0)

Bush's Resume

I found this on Jake's blog and just had to post.
  • I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
  • I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.
  • I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.
  • I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.
  • I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
  • I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.
  • I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.
  • I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).
  • I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.
  • I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.
  • I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
  • I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.
  • I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.
  • I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.
  • In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.
  • I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.
  • I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.
  • I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

    RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

    • All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.
    • All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
    • All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

    • Posted by Ken Edwards on September 6, 2004 8:23 PM | | Comments (0)

    September 7, 2004

    9 steps to a quicker MT3.1x installation

    Neil has put together a pretty good check list of things to help with the new MT 3.1x install:

    So now that I’ve upgraded I can fill you in on what you should do to make MT 3.1x work fast. I’ve covered some aspects in other entries but I’m repeating them here for the sake of completeness.

    On a related note, MT is now using Smarty for both dynamic publishing and caching. Pretty cool. I am glad I did not bail for WordPress when MT 3.0 was released. Reason being I have been using Smarty for bgnews.com for years now as a Digital Partners member. I am very interested how the integration of Smarty into MT will work.

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 12:19 AM | | Comments (1)

    A Faster, Better Behaved Windows XP

    If you've been hunting around for stuff on Windows XP lately, you've surely noticed that there are about 500,000,000 web pages with material on the subject. maybe 500,000,000 and 1... but that might be stretching it.  Why then am I adding to that number?  I'm not in this just for the cheap thrill of building a new web page; I have a suspicion (now confirmed by some emails I've gotten) that the effort will turn into something worth the while of someone other than the author.  Then too, I like to gab about computers, Windows in particular, and I don't get to do a lot of it in real life.  So here is where I will talk about Windows XP and imagine that someone is listening.  And you are (you're here after all, right?:)), so thanks for dropping in... Source: Gord Braun

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 7:08 PM | | Comments (0)

    Joswiak: 'True to What an iMac Has Always Been About'

    After Apple unveiled the iMac G5 in Paris this week, Vice President of Hardware Product Marketing Greg Joswiak gave Macworld editors a guided tour of the desktop's new design. Among the topics of conversation: the iMac's cooling system, why FireWire 800 was left out, and how this new model fits in with Apple's objectives... Source: MacCentral What a great Q and A!

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 7:46 PM | | Comments (0)

    Ten CSS tricks you may not know

    8. Vertically aligning with CSS Vertically aligning with tables was a doddle. To make cell content line up in the middle of a cell you would use vertical-align: middle. This doesn't really work with a CSS layout. Say you have a navigation menu item whose height is assigned 2em and you insert this vertical align command into the CSS rule. It basically won't make a difference and the text will be pushed to the top of the box. Hmmm... not the desired effect. The solution? Specify the line height to be the same as the height of the box itself in the CSS. In this instance, the box is 2em high, so we would insert line-height: 2em into the CSS rule and the text now floats in the middle of the box - perfect! and other great tips... Source: evolt.org

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 8:42 PM | | Comments (0)

    Color schemes generator 2

    Another great hex color picker. This one allows you to choose a color scheme and then display pastel and pale variations.

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 8:53 PM | | Comments (0)

    The Top 25 Censored Media Stories of 2003-2004

    #1: Wealth Inequality in 21st Century Threatens Economy and Democracy #2: Ashcroft vs. the Human Rights Law that Hold Corporations Accountable #3: Bush Administration Censors Science #4: High Levels of Uranium Found in Troops and Civilians #5: The Wholesale Giveaway of Our Natural Resources #6: The Sale of Electoral Politics #7: Conservative Organization Drives Judicial Appointments #8: Cheney's Energy Task Force and The Energy Policy #9: Widow Brings RICO Case Against U.S. government for 9/11 #10: New Nuke Plants: Taxpayers Support, Industry Profits #11: The Media Can Legally Lie #12: The Destabilization of Haiti #13: Schwarzenegger Met with Enron's Ken Lay Years Before the California Recall #14: New Bill Threatens Intellectual Freedom in Area Studies #15: U.S. Develops Lethal New Viruses #16: Law Enforcement Agencies Spy on Innocent Citizens #17: U.S. Government Represses Labor Unions in Iraq in Quest for Business Privatization #18: Media and Government Ignore Dwindling Oil Supplies #19: Global Food Cartel Fast Becoming hte World's Supermarket #20: Extreme Weather Prompts New Warning from UN #21: Forcing a World Market for GMOs #22: Censoring Iraq #23: Brazil Holds Back in FTAA Talks, But Provides Little Comfort for the Poor of South America #24: Reinstating the Draft #25: Wal-Mart Brings Inequality and Low Prices to the World Source: Project Censored.org

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 8:56 PM | | Comments (0)

    Mac OS X Hidden Files & Directories

    Mac OS X volumes contain quite a few files and directories (aka folders) that are invisible from the Finder (and many other interfaces). For the most part, they're hidden for good reason -- you generally don't need to worry about them, and in fact, probably shouldn't muck with them unless you know what you're doing. But just in case you find yourself needing to deal with them, here's a quick summary of what they're for... Source: Westwind Computing What a great list! People always ask me questions about hidden files/folders in OS X, and now I can say something other then "so you cannot see them."

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 9:02 PM | | Comments (0)

    CBS stations fined for Superbowl exposure

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Pop singer Janet Jackson's bare breast flash earlier this year will result in a record $550,000 fine for 20 CBS television stations, U.S. Federal Communications Commission officials said Tuesday... Source: CNN

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 9:44 PM | | Comments (0)

    OS X's Windows compatibility opens new avenues

    A Computer Reseller News article makes the case that Mac OS X's improved Windows compatibility opens new avenues -- for both users and resellers -- but that Apple isn't doing enough to push it in those new markets: "'The OSX has a strong argument for organizations that are heavily vested in Microsoft workflow because it can complement those environments well. It is a great opportunity for Apple to jump in and play with those organizations, but are people selling it that way? Probably not,' said Tekserve's Cohen, noting Apple doesn't charge for client access licenses." Source: CRN.com

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 7, 2004 10:38 PM | | Comments (0)

    September 8, 2004

    Jurassic Park DVD Review

    Everyone has his or her favorite movies. These are the films we almost live by, memorizing the script and repeating famous quotes in our daily lives. These are the films that impact us and specific moments are forever cemented in our minds. Welcome to "Jurassic Park."

    John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), leasing an island off the coast of Costa Rica, has cloned dinosaurs from ancient DNA and produced a theme park unlike anything else in the world. After a tragic incident involving a worker and one of the re-created inhabitants, a lawyer (Martin Ferrero), two paleontologists (Laura Dern, Sam Neil), and a chaotician (Jeff Goldblum), are brought to the island so they can take the grand tour, proving that the park is safe to wary investors. After a disgruntled employee (Wayne Night) shuts down the park security systems for his own purposes, the tourists are unexpectedly thrust into a battle for survival against creatures no man has ever seen alive.

    Continue reading "Jurassic Park DVD Review" »

    Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 8, 2004 5:11 AM | | Comments (0)

    September 9, 2004

    The Lost World: Jurassic Park DVD Review

    What can you do when the magic is gone? Hopefully nothing. But when a studio puts out a movie that becomes the highest-grossing film of all time, you just know the sequel is coming at some point. It's just the way the industry works. Steven Spielberg steps behind the camera for the second time in the "Jurassic Park" series, wildly shying away from the book by Michael Crichton, but comes out with an uneven film that fails to recreate the experience of it's predecessor.

    After the financial disaster that was Jurassic Park, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) sends a crew to document the second island of the project, Site B, which has flourished without human contact. Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) is again brought into the mix after his girlfriend Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) leaves early on the expedition. Problems arise when InGen, now out of Hammonds control, decide to bring the thrill of the original park back to San Diego for public viewing. The two groups clash, but soon realize they both have the same objective: Survive.

    Continue reading "The Lost World: Jurassic Park DVD Review" »

    Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 9, 2004 12:20 AM | | Comments (0)

    Welcome to the new Breaking Windows

    Yes, I know, 2.0 is so very original. But then so is this template. I was getting tired with a lot of things about my old site template, but I will be bringing parts of it back, don't you worry. I updated to MT 3.11 on my 5 blogs and did not have a hiccup on any of them but the one I have customized the most - Breaking Windows.

    Can't call method "id" on an undefined value at lib/MT.pm line 770.

    That is the error I get when trying to rebuild. I spend a day trying to figure it out, and MT support, although very responsive, have not been able to give me an answer.

    The easiest way is to start over. After all I now have TypeKey on my templates, and I didn't have to do a thing!

    I will make small changes here and there, until then the site will be in a little bit of disarray. It is still readable, and everything is here. I imported everything.

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 9, 2004 3:00 AM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

    September 10, 2004

    iTunes Japan hits 'inadequate DRM' hurdle

    Apple's plan to open a Japanese version of its iTunes Music Store could be scuppered on local music companies' fears that its DRM technology, FairPlay, simply isn't restrictive enough...

    Existing Japanese digital music services do not support CD burning. They also charge from ¥200 ($1.83) a song - rather more than the Yen equivalent of the US store's $0.99 (¥108) download fee...

    Source: The Register

    It sounds to me like it sucks being a Japanese digital music lover!

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 10, 2004 1:11 AM | | Comments (1)

    Ten CSS tricks — corrected and improved

    Recent Evolt article Ten CSS tricks you may not know, is seeing plenty of discussion, so it deserves a bit of a critique.

    I posted this link the other day, and it sure has seen its fair share of linkage. It is also nice to see this appendix to the original article.

    Source: Tantek's Thoughts

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 10, 2004 1:27 AM | | Comments (0)

    POPFile v0.22.0 released, major improvements abound

    POPFile rocks! Now all I have to do is install this upgrade! I am not quite sure if I have all the needed perl modules for 0.22.0 but if not, its a quick download, Makefile.PL and install. I am excited in seeing the speed improvements, cleaner UI, and the support for NNTP! Once I have it installed I will have a full report on upgrading to 0.22.0 on OS X, as I have done in the past.
    This version consists of a major update to v0.21.0 with many improvements and bug fixes:

    1. History in database

    We've finally done away with the old method of keeping the message history in a single directory full of files (which was frankly flaky and hard to maintain). Messages are now placed in subdirectories with no more than 256 per directory. History is now moved it into the database along with all the other information that POPFile uses.

    This change brings two benefits: firstly it's a lot faster than previous versions because we can rely on the SQL database to do searching and sorting for us; secondly, it brings extra flexibility and we now have additional columns available in the history (we now have two time values (the date/time the message was received by POPFile and the date/time in the message header), the From, To, Cc and Subject headers and message size).

    2. Switch UI to HTML templates

    Back in the mists of POPFile time I grafted an HTML interface onto my little Perl script and POPFile was born. Unfortunately that HTML interface had grown into thousands of lines of ugly Perl and HTML interwined. This release completely separates out the HTML from the Perl.

    This has a number of advantages: firstly, POPFile's code is easier to maintain because it's simpler; secondly, skinning POPFile can now take advantage of the full power of HTML and not just a limited set of classes and lastly it's made it easy to expand the UI, which brings us to...

    Continue reading "POPFile v0.22.0 released, major improvements abound" »

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 10, 2004 2:20 AM | | Comments (0)

    Disney CEO Eisner to step down in 2006

    Michael Eisner said he plans to step down as Walt Disney chief executive when his contract expires in September 2006. Former Disney board members Stanley Gold and Roy Disney, who tried to oust Eisner earlier this year, went on the record in February saying that Apple and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs would make a great choice to run Disney after Eisner. Both Gold and Disney resigned last year in a dispute with Eisner, who has been criticized for numerous company missteps, most recently for not reaching an agreement to extend its partnership with Pixar.

    Source: MacMinute

    Bye bye Eisner, hello Jobs? I doubt that. I am glad to see Eisner go. Go read SaveDisney.org some time.

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 10, 2004 11:01 PM | | Comments (0)

    Tribune Co. paid $301,000 to the wrong Mark Guthrie

    MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) -- A messy legal dispute has developed between a former newspaper carrier and Chicago Cubs owner, the Tribune Co., which mistakenly put $301,000 of a former pro baseball player's salary into the carrier's bank account last year.

    Source: SI.com

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 10, 2004 11:18 PM | | Comments (0)

    MyDoom worm creators ask for job in anti-virus industry, Sophos reports

    The creators of the latest versions of the MyDoom email worm have embedded a secret message inside their code, asking for a job in the anti-virus industry, researchers at Sophos have discovered...

    Source: Sophos.com

    Times must be getting tough for computer virus writers, heh.

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 10, 2004 11:23 PM | | Comments (0)

    September 11, 2004

    Pup shoots man, saves litter mates

    PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- Nice shootin', Rex!

    A man who tried to shoot seven puppies was shot himself when one of the dogs put its paw on the revolver's trigger...

    Source: CNN

    Now that is something I have never heard of. Thanks for the link Brandon.

    Posted by Ken Edwards on September 11, 2004 12:58 AM | | Comments (0)

    Jurassic Park III DVD Review

    Michael Crichton is gone. Spielberg dropped down to executive producer. Jeff Goldblum suffered an injury before filming began and dropped out. The script is unfinished when filming starts. "Jurassic Park III" set itself up to be a disaster, but perseverance paid off to create an enjoyable, if lacking, survival movie filled with (yet again) brilliantly designed dinosaurs.... even if they don't fit in with the previous films in the series.

    Amanda and Paul Kirby (Tea Leoni and William H. Macy respectively) have lost their child on Isla Sorna, otherwise known as Site B in the Jurassic Park project, after a parasailing incident. Lying to get Alan Grant (Sam Neil) onto a plane for a fly-over in order to search for their son, the group faces a small problem when the pilot botches a take off, leaving them stranded on an island full of the most lethal predators the world has ever seen.

    Continue reading "Jurassic Park III DVD Review" »

    Posted by Matt Paprocki on September 11, 2004 1:09 AM | | Comments (0)

    MT-Medic to the rescue

    What is MT-Medic you ask? It is a CGI for performing useful MT tasks, such as listing and verifying plugins, resetting passwords and granting blog creation permissions. It also just saved me a lot of grief. I did a stupid thing and nixed permissions to one of my blogs for my login. Bad idea! Thanks to 6A tech support for pointing this gem out. I got the permissions fixed in no time. Great little app to have installed!