Wednesday, 20 June 2007

Warning: Refomatting a hard drive could cost billions

I just happened upon a news story that I apparently overlooked. It's now 3 months old, but it's still fascinating.

Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing information for an account worth $38 billion (€29 billion). That is what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account — one of Alaska residents' biggest perks — and mistakenly reformatted the backup drive, as well....

[the full story]

                            

Monday, 02 April 2007

Circuit City can go to hell!

 

Circuit City, I’ll never shop you again by ZDNet's Russell Shaw -- "Over more than two decades, I've bought my share of small electronics, computer and telephony equipment, and even a few tvs at Circuit City. From the show floor to the loading dock to my front door, I've always been pleased with their service. I've looked forward to subsequent shopping experiences there. But no more. Not [...]"

Yup! Circuit City can go to hell

I always liked Best Buy better anyway, but occasionally I did shop at Circuit City.

Now I never well.

I really think this strategy is going to backfire and their profits will plunge even more.

Good riddance....

Friday, 23 March 2007

The Year Without Toilet Paper

To reduce their impact on the environment, two New Yorkers give up what most take for granted. Oddly, the article doesn’t explain what they use in place of toilet paper…..

read more | digg story

Saturday, 17 March 2007

“Yahoo! Betrayed ‘My Husband’!”

FAIRFAX, Virginia (Wired News) — Early one Sunday morning in 2002, a phone rings in Yu Ling’s Beijing duplex. She’s cleaning upstairs; her son is asleep, while downstairs, her husband, Wang Xiaoning, is on the computer. Wang writes about politics, anonymously e-mailing his online e-journals to a group of Yahoo users. He’s been having problems with his Yahoo service recently. He thinks it’s a technical issue. This is the day he learns he’s wrong…….

read more | digg story

Wednesday, 14 March 2007

Apple Mac OS X megapatch plugs 45(!) security holes

Update for Mac OS X includes a number of fixes for zero-day vulnerabilities released as part of two high-profile bug-hunting campaigns.

Perhaps it’s time for a new TV ad campaign*?

read more | digg story


*2.48 MB  QuickTime Video



Tuesday, 06 March 2007

8 Ways to Kill Someone by Using an iPod Nano

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be funny or not, but I found it funny myself.

(found @ http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2006/6/23fleming.html)

1. Break it in half with your hands (very easy to do) and use the glass viewing screen's broken edge as a razorblade to slice the jugular when they are looking the other way.

2. Take off one sock (a dress or tube sock; pantyhose will work in a pinch), place the Nano in the sock, swing it around as fast as you can (being careful to not hit yourself), and whack the intended target right on the temple.

3. Take the reflective shiny part and catch the sun's ray and shine it in a vehicle driver's eyes, or if you are at a rock concert and the lead singer is prancing around on a center stage that protrudes into the audience like a phallus, you can use the same technique.

4. The cord on the earbud headphones can be used to strangle someone. A knee in the back can give extra leverage.

5. Dig a pit about 5 feet deep, then take about 15 3-foot-long stakes 2 inches in diameter and sharpen one end to a fine point, like a very sharp pencil. Jam the sticks at least a foot into the ground, with the sharp ends pointing up. Cover the hole with pine boughs, grass, and leaves. Treat the Nano like a slice of cheese pizza in a deep, hot oven and place it gently in the middle.

6. Carefully unstaple a tea bag and pour the contents on a plate. Break into the lithium-ion battery pack and saturate the tea with the battery's poison, then dry the tea in the sun (or with a hair dryer if you are in a hurry). Put tea back in tea bag and bend the staple back to its original position. Put the tea bag back where you got it.

7. Download to the Nano "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters. Tell someone you will give him or her your Nano if they listen to that song a hundred times in a row.

8. Hide the Nano in a bowl of lutefisk, then take it to the annual Norsefest Lutefisk Eating Competition in Madison, Minnesota.



Humm...I guess I never thought of killing someone with an iPod Nano.....

Saturday, 10 February 2007

News of the absurd

Police blotter: Teens prosecuted for racy photos

Teenagers have sex, photograph it, then email to the boyfriends email account. They are arrested for creating child pornography, and he is also charged with having child pornography in his possession.
Police assume that they will use the photographs for profit, by selling to child pornographers.
Florida, seems the place to live these days.

read more | digg story

Tuesday, 23 January 2007

My Fellow Linux Loving Friends Will Hate Me For This...

Not only am have I pre-ordered Windows Vista from Amazon.com and not only am I opting for the “Ultimate” version (vs. Home Basic, Home Premium or Business) but I’m paying $10.00 extra for a box that says “Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Limited Numbered Signature Edition“.

Honest to God, it’s a numbered edition (one of only 20,000) and it’s got Uncle Bill’s signature on the box as well (yes, I know he didn’t sign twenty thousand boxes - I’m more interested in the numbering anyway).

Windows Vista Ultimate Signature Edition Box
The geek in me thinks it’s cool and since it’s a limited thing, I figured for $10.00, why not?

Amazon.com will ship it on the 30th,  the day Vista is officially released and I’ll have it on the 1st of February.

Once I get it, I'm gonna hop on over to Windows Marketplace, plop down $50.00 and download (yes, download [!] ) a copy of Windows Vista Home Premium for me Mummy (thanks to the new "Family Plan")

I’ve been running Vista Release Candidate 2 for quite some time now and I’m impressed.

But not to worry Linux fans, I’m not abandoning you.  I just happen to like both Linux and Windows, so deal with it. 

On a related Linux note, GRUB handles the Vista bootloader very nicely. I was downright shocked.

Friday, 29 December 2006

Middle School Girls Gone Wild!!!

Whoa...

Now I really know why school sucked.  It was bad enough that we didn't have computers back then, but we also didn't have.....

Middle School Girls Gone Wild!!!

[clicky clicky for more]

It's just not fair, dammit.

Saturday, 23 December 2006

Last minute Xmas Idea for the Guys

Guys! Are looking for a last minute gift idea for that special lady in your life?

Well check this out (please note it's NSFW)!:



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