*genius not included

Windows 7 64-bit Distortion and Audio Bug is Major Problem

2011-06-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

What's going on with this Windows 7 64bit bug that I and thousands of others are experiencing with little or no solution to be found?

If you're running the OS, you know what I'm talking about. The staccato audio distortions with a laggy mouse and peripherals. You play with the sound settings, check to see if you're running out of available RAM, but your DPC Latency Checker is showing MASSIVE spikes nonetheless.

I've been doing a lot of searching on the subject lately but still haven't solved the problem. A lot of what I've found says it's related to IRQ, but in my Zotac system there's not a lot of hardware reconfiguring I can do. I've got BIOS options for it, but to be honest I don't know where to start.

Here's some of the threads of similar problems I've found in my searching:

http://www.sevenforums.com/sound-audio/101178-music-distortion-mouse-lag.html

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1656790

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/itprovistaapps/thread/78fb4482-0513-4974-b4f4-b72fd8162760

http://windows7forums.com/windows-7-support/40874-windows-7-general-audio-lag-severe.html

http://www.thewinforums.com/threads/53188-Sound-Distortion-and-Mouse-Lag

Microsoft, please address this problem. This is unacceptable for an OS that's been in the general marketplace for so long. This is a core problem and even if you can't fix it, please let us know.

ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 - the little nettop that could

2011-03-31T11:53:00.001-04:00

After working off of a Lenovo S10 for the past year, I got sick of the mediocre Atom performance. I yearned for a desktop computer again, so I started budgeting a new system for myself. I wanted a powerful desktop that could handle all common programs out there, do some video editing, HD viewing and even a little casual gaming.

After quite a bit of research, I found a rather unlikely candidate: the Zotac ZBOX HD-ND22. Somehow I wound up going back to the netbook/nettop architecture. What gives?

The secret is under the hood: this particular ZBOX has an Intel Celeron SU2300 paired with the second-generation Nvidia ION graphics chipset. This ain't your father's Prescott-based Celeron with an integrated video output. What we basically have is a Core 2 Duo CPU paired with a GeForce 9400M video card. Throw in two sticks of RAM (if cost is an issue, get two sticks of smaller RAM before one larger stick so the Nvidia can have its own channel) and a 7200rpm laptop hard drive and you've a cost-effective little powerhouse, like the Smartuki of home computing. Heck, it's so small I mounted it on the back of my monitor.

I am running Windows 7 64-bit with full Aero effects on a 1080p monitor and it's one of the smoothest Windows experiences I've ever had. I'm only running 4GB of Patriot RAM instead of the maximum 8GB right now and I'm very pleased with multitasking on this machine.

Work similarly is a pleasure. Tabbing between multiple windows while conducting a video chat and working on Office documents did not tax the computer beyond its limits at all. While running CPU-intensive Rapid Evolution 3 on my music library for key and BPM detection I still surfed the 'net and listed to music with ease.

Gaming is quite a surprise. Left 4 Dead 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 run rather well once you've turned the resolution down a bit. Fortunately, I still have been able to keep texture quality high. Load times were short, thanks in part to the speedy Western Digital Scorpio Black hard drive.

This is even before the biggest surprise - the BIOS allows for real overclocking, voltage multipliers and all! I wouldn't recommend it with the stock cooling fan, of course, but it's a great gesture on the part of Zotac to at least give us the option.

If you're willing to void the one-year warranty (the weakest part of the bundle*), you can access two Mini PCI Express slots on the back of the motherboard for even more modding opportunity.

Overall, it's a great package that I've been truly happy with. Being able to run CPU and graphics intensive programs while drawing no more than 40W is really quite impressive and easy on the wallet as well. The ND22 demonstrates that even many of us power users really can leave the world of large, power-hungry desktops without sacrificing customizability or performance - and while on a budget to boot.

*All Patriot RAM carries a lifetime warranty; the Western Digital Scorpio Black series has a 5-year warranty.

Battle of the Music Managers: foobar2000, MediaMonkey and iTunes

2011-01-10T22:35:00.001-05:00

I've been a user of foobar2000 for a couple of years now. Previously, I used Winamp, which was flashy but not a serious enough application for my ever-growing library.

My library's grown over the years - currently over 12,000 tracks - and foobar2000 handled the growth well. However, it's not the most flashy player out there, nor is it the most user-friendly. While I don't own an Apple device or use the iTunes store, I have been curious how iTunes would compete. After all, it's one of the most popular media players out there, has a slick interface and an impressive set of features.

I also wanted to hit up a fling I once had with MediaMonkey. A closed-source, proprietary program (features may be unlocked by purchasing a "Gold" license), MediaMonkey claims to handle libraries with 50,000+ tracks with ease. There's a long list of features, most notably the ability to write Virtual Basic scripts to do pretty much anything. Our initial relationship didn't last long because of an awkward interface and the retardation of the features in the free version.

So, let's start the battle!

First, the playing field:

Lenovo S10-2 netbook with Intel Atom N270, 1GB RAM, Windows XP Pro, 5400RPM SATAII hard drive, 1024x600 resolution
78.4GB music library with 12,204 tracks, 98.8% mp3, 49.4% mp3 CBR, average bitrate 207kbps

And a note:

This review is based upon my needs as an amateur audiophile. I am not a DJ nor a producer, nor do I have $500 headphones and a $15,000 set of surround sound speakers. I'm more involved in my music than most laypeople, but I am not a professional who works with music. I'm kind of in the middle. However, I think this is the best position to be in to make these reviews as broadly applicable as possible.

If you want full reviews on each programs, look elsewhere. I don't care about video output or synchronization with external devices or network sharing. I'm comparing the integrity of the music players themselves and little more.

iTunes

While I was already running, I examined the Jobs juggernaut first because it's always the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Or should I say 5-billion-pound - that's how many songs were sold through iTunes in 2009.

After starting the program up, iTunes took about 9 minutes to import the songs in my library, neglecting to import some of my files (my few Musepack and WMA files, as I elected not to automatically convert the latter). The final song count was under 12,000 tracks. After importing the files, iTunes tried to automatically search for artwork and gapless playback information. While I could cancel the artwork search, even after restarting the program it insisted on scanning all the files for gapless playback, which took substantially longer than the initial import.

For my netbook, using iTunes was a drag, man. Rarely (of course in the moment I took the screenshot below) did memory usage drop below 150MB, even when I disabled the iTunes store and Ping. Multitasking on the Lenovo was not a pleasant experience with iTunes in the background and even the program itself lagged, stuttered and froze. Double-clicking a track to play it frequently meant waiting up to seven seconds for the new song to start playing.

For a power user like myself, I didn't like the lack of customization available as the other two programs have. I suppose that would be offset if I were working on a better laptop, with Apple peripherals, and used the iTunes store... but you know what? I don't.

Most importantly I have never liked how iTunes operates its library. Even if you enable iTunes to organize your music's filenames by tags, you can't change how it does that. Being able to organize one's music is crucial for a library of any decent size at all - ever erase a whole set of tags by accident? That's the easiest way by far to restore the tag information back.

iTunes is really the stereotypical Apple product: flashy, very useful if you've cash to blow (read: trendy), and only marginally useful otherwise. In fact, the only way it breaks the Apple mode is in its gross consumption of computer resources. No matter how you talk about this product, you'd be hard-pressed to use the word "economical."

MediaMonkey

Much how iTunes is the typical Apple product, MediaMonkey is the typical Windows product. It's powerful and shows a lot of information at once, but it's not well organized, its performance is spotty and it tries to look good - and fails.

As I mentioned before, MediaMonkey is full-featured, but some of the most important features are disabled in the free version, such as unlimited MP3 encoding, CD ripping speed and most importantly, file monitoring. Each time you add files to your music folder, you must update MM manually. What a pain.

When you start up MediaMonkey, the first thing you notice is the interface - and it's horrible. All forms of music cataloging and organization are set up in folder trees must have been ripped straight out of Windows Explorer. While it allows for a lot of options in a smaller area, it's not intuitive, nor pleasant to look at. I guess that runs in line with the theme. The menu bar at top is cluttered with buttons and menu options.

The layout of the music player at the bottom of the screen takes up valuable real estate on the netbook's limited monitor, and there's absolutely no way to go about modifying it. It's either there completely, or it isn't. And don't get my started on the theme, either. It doesn't look any better turned off:

Performance wasn't much of a mitigating factor. On initial run of the program, I added my music folder and then waited twenty minutes for MediaMonkey to add all the files. Remember the free version requires you rescan each folder manually for updates. Not a pleasant thought, eh? Also, I noticed when restarting the program with a genre in the main view of about 1,300 songs, there was significant hard drive activity while MediaMonkey added the songs to the list in the view. This poor performance by SQLite was disheartening.

Aside from file reading issues, performance was passable. Tracks changed much faster than iTunes and my computer didn't lag nearly as badly. Resource consumption was rather low:

MediaMonkey sports and impressive set of features for power users - especially the Visual Basic scripting available - but requires an appropriate power user system to experience it well. However, even a fast computer won't compensate for an ugly interface that allows for little useful customization.

foobar2000

What's great about foobar2000 is also its worst feature: it is a minimal program allows (really, requires) for intense and complex customization. It's a closed-source but completely free program with a dedicated user base and some really useful components available. It's not flashy, but it's clean and boy is it lean:

At idle, even when scrolling through my full library, memory stays around 50MB. The reason it rivals MediaMonkey's usage right here is I enable dithering on playback for better quality in my low quality files. That also drives the CPU usage up slightly.

The layout of foobar2000 as you see in the screenshot above is the result of hours of trial and error to see what I like. What's great about this layout is I am able to use the limited, landscape dimensions of my monitor most efficiently. However, if I ever want to use the same program on another computer (such as give it to a friend) I have to make sure I export the layout correctly, as well as install the same components. On the flipside, I could always make it a portable installation if I wanted to.

It's not flashy, but it's clear and easy to understand, even for iTunes users. As a result, I never have lag issues. And the features are all available - from podcast downloading to secure CD ripping, device synchronization and automatic folder monitoring. The most clunky part is the use of playlists. When I look through the music library with the Facets component I use (the panes on the bottom left), they actually update a playlist in real-time and the tracks shown above are those in the playlist. It's less complicated and much quicker than my words communicate - the view changes instantly - but it can get a little confusing sometimes.

Foobar2000 requires a power user to start, but it's a very rewarding application. It lacks a form of Auto-DJ, does not integrate video playback, has more complex solutions for remote access or control and by default does not allow for in-line editing of tag data. These drawbacks are not crucial, as foobar2000 does its main job very well: play and organize music efficiently without hogging valuable resources.

Conclusion

I know that this compare and contrast came out a little one-sided and that's mostly due to the fact that I've spent enough time battling foobar2000 to learn how to use it well. I haven't spent nearly as much time with the other programs, but they didn't need it. Both of them, iTunes especially, bill themselves as all-in-one plug and play solutions which don't require the same diligence that foobar2000 does.

The thing is, I really wanted to drop foobar2000 for a change of pace, but after reviewing these other options, I'll stick where I am. iTunes is practically unusable for me due to the intense lag I experienced and MediaMonkey's layout and lack of features really frustrated me. Why pay $20 for automatic folder monitoring when I was getting that for free with foobar2000?

As I said before, foobar2000 was the most favorable for me because it fit my requirements and I'm sure for others with different priorities. If I had a more powerful computer, iTunes or MediaMonkey might fit my bill better. I'd especially want iTunes if I had Apple hardware of any kind. And MediaMonkey may be more palatable if I had a larger resolution and faster hard drives to work with, along with the willingness to shell out the cash for a Gold license.

Each has a niche to fill, with some overlap of course. By the way, if you think foobar2000 is the right one for you, let me know and in the future I may post my files with the layout and components I use.

The Glitch Mob - 'Drink the Sea' [Review]

2010-05-31T16:19:00.001-04:00

After hearing the historic releases from edIT, Kraddy, Boreta, Ooah and their collective, one gets accustomed to the intentional stutters, skips, hums and otherwise harmonic distortions essential to the "glitch-hop" movement. It's not easy at first and it's certainly not for all - there's plenty of people who are lukewarm at best to it - but once you jump in and get used to the temperature you start to fully accept glitch as a pursuit of its own. Even after the loss of Kraddy, the EDM community eagerly anticipated the release of a complete album from the three that would really knock the purists for a loop.

Then again, books are not be judged by their covers, especially when you have a hard time deciphering what the book is all about.

Drink the Sea is, well, different, which is to say it's different from the different we expected. But then again, just as glitch showed us years before, different is not bad.

First of all and most obvious, at least to my untrained ears, is the lack of... glitch. Okay, it's there, but it's much more subtle than their previous work. This isn't a glitch album by any means. It is a bit reminiscent of 2008's "Nalepa 'Monday' Remix", and when you listen to their releases chronologically you'll realize they refined their technique in the older single.

This of course, begs the question - what are we listening to now, then?

Whatever it is - "ambient industrial shoegaze big beat trip-hop" is the best I can come up with- it's fantastic. Slow and powerful, but not lumbering or awkward. The whole album is cohesive and smooth. One of my favorite tracks is "Between Two Points", where Swan's vocals are glitched appropriately enough and grabs you with a magnetism rarely seen by these producers.

I'm not sure what it all means, but it's an album I couldn't live without, either. It's an experience that one must have to accept but will find it hard to completely understand.

Ten Commandments of Deadmau5

2010-04-07T21:18:00.002-04:00

"I remember what me dad said to me: 'You don't know where you're born.'
I promised meself I'd never say that.

I like you two. Y'know, you're good lads. You're one of your own. But you don't know where you're born.

I mean, look around ye. There's no jobs, no apprenticeships, no future, no nothin'. We're in a recession. The pound now means fuck-all unless you get out there to make it yourself. And most of ye's just sit back in apathy. A'ight, y'know you got your Playstations and your tinternets and your mobile phone and all that but that's nothin'. That's just smack for your generation, m'iright lads? I mean you got two choices: ye either sit back and let it happen or you stand up and make your voice be heard.

I mean look at your history. Your yippes, your punks, skinheads, nobheads all, rockers, acid heads, ravers - we had a voice. Where's the voice for your generation?

Now I was a proper raver. Clubs were our churches; it was a religion. We didn't just sit back and let it happen, y'know what I mean? Carpe diem. Seize the day. Don't sit back and let it happen. You get one chance. Take it, grab it. It's cat-and-mouse, this game.

You don't know where you're born.

Let me tell you the ten commandments about being a raver.

Number one: you know that old saying, 'location, location, location'? Well that's dead right, boys.
Number two: gain entry by any means necessary.
Number three: fear nothing. Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Number four: send the word out to those who believe in it.
Number five: it's not where you're from; it's where you're going.
Number six: reject the mainstream.
Number seven: find the BEST soundsystem.
Number eight: the rule is, never fail.
Number nine: you have to make sure the music is bang-on. You can't have a revolution if the music isn't right, y'know what I mean, boys?
Number ten: it's your choice. Find your own voice."

Your friends are more popular than you, but you don't care

2010-04-03T17:11:00.004-04:00

Scott Feld's groundbreaking work entitled "Why Your Friends Have More Friends Than You Do" made waves in the psychological and sociological communities back in 1991, but more people need to be reminded of its applicability today, especially in the era of Internet-driven social networking.

The explanation is quite simple: we are more likely to be friends with those who have more friends than people who have few friends. Think in extremes - if someone is friends with everyone, you have a one hundred percent chance of being friends with that individual. The contrapositive is also true, then, that you have a zero percent chance of having a friend who has zero friends. So you're more likely to be friends with people who "network" at least as much as you do, which means that they're likely to have at least as many friends as you. Probably more.

It's a combination of pure math and human perception. For example, expand this to other areas of life. For example, the highway isn't usually crowded, but most people are most likely to be on it at the same time ("rush hour"). Neither is the beach, but more people are likely to experience it at the same time (days with particularly nice weather, we all want to go). When you go to the gym, you're not as in good condition as everyone else because you're more likely to see people who are there more often.

Mind-numbingly simple, isn't it?

It gets worse, though. Zuckerman and Jost demonstrated that individuals generally enhance their own standing in popularity when compared to their friends than when compared to that of the "typical other." (This is at least partially based off of Tesser's 1988 research that said we're more likely to feel threatened by the success of our friends than the success of strangers.) In their words:

Thus an exploration of the "subjective side" of the friendship paradox increases the irony: people have fewer friends than their friends have, but they believe they have more friends than their friends.

They attribute part of this to our ability to both reflect and compare ourselves to others: we want to be more popular than our friends, but we also want to benefit from our friends' popularity. Think of it in a different context - few of us are willing to say that we're the best drivers, but it's been proven that a majority of us think we're above average. Zuckerman and Jost present as an another reason that when calculating our own popularity, we include friends of our friends. But when calculating our friends' popularity; we only think of their friends - we don't know the friends of their friends.

So, what does this all mean?

If you needed more proof that comparing yourself to others isn't the way to make yourself happy in life, this should be it. Our ego (in an academic sense, not colloquial) wants us to believe that we are above average, when comparing ourselves with people we know. However, the reality is that we're not as popular as we think we are, and it does hinder the ego. For whatever reason, it's an explanation for why when we're in a sad state and our ego's down we'll feel that we don't have as many friends as others do. But when we're in an upbeat, dominant mode, we'll feel secure in the "knowledge" that we have plenty of friends for support.

There is a silver lining, though, and not one easily forgotten. You're not alone, because everyone else is in the same boat you are. And when you realize that this is all a normal part of human social life, then it's really not so bad. So remember that the next time you're feeling down. There will always be someone more popular, richer, stronger or better-looking than you are, but you've got those same qualities over everyone else. It's all about putting life in perspective.

Posted via web from samtaylor's posterous

*break for best results | mashup compilation free to download

2010-03-22T22:35:00.009-04:00

mash-up: n. a derivative work created by the combination of two or more songs or samples thereof, generally without "original" music. Often surprising in nature due to the devious and ironic humor of the producers. Known to cause havoc among purists, especially '80s arena rock fans.

Last week I put together a compilation of some of the best mashups I've come across yet. Some are more well-known, such as the works by Earworm or A Plus D, while others are a little more obscure. It's called *break for best results and I'm quite proud of it.

The goal of *break is to showcase not only the creativity of the mashup community, but also the listenability of these tracks. They're songs that don't take energy to listen to and enjoy and that, for example, you could put on during a party and have everyone hear something they like. The CD's not mixed, but the tracks flow well and I spent a lot of time putting together the playlist and editing some files.

On top of all that, I can feel good that all of these songs can be redistributed under fair use.

Tracklist:

[1]White Stripes vs. Nirvana - 7 Nation Teen Spirit (DJ BootOX)

[2]Beyonce vs. Dave Matthews vs. Jurassic 5 vs. Deee-Lite - Work It Out (Lenlow)

[3]Fort Minor vs. Daft Punk vs. Lenny Kravitz vs. Jet vs. Hard-Fi vs. Maroon 5

vs. Boomfunk MC's vs. T.O.K. - I Want to Get Away

Disco Revival Suite

[4]Beyonce vs. 10CC & The Jackson Sisters - I Believe In Dread Ja Vu (DJ Wildr)

[5]The Police vs. The Bee Gees - Roxanne Should Be Dancing (DJ Zebra)

[6]50 Cent vs. Bee Gees - Staying Alive In Da Club

[7]Kanye West vs. Beethoven vs. Walter Murphy- Beethoven's Fifth Gold Digger (A plus D)

[8]Pitbull vs. Flo Rida -The Low Anthem (Bass211)

[9]AC/DC vs. Black Eyed Peas - You Humped Me All Night Long

[10]Jay-Z vs. Beatles - What More Can I Say (Danger Mouse)

[11]Beatles vs. Black-Eyed Peas vs. Ludacris vs. Kelis - Black Beatles (Loo & Placido)

[12]Michael Jackson vs. Pussycat Dolls - Beat It Don't You Wish

[13]Mims vs. M.I.A. - This is Why I'm Paper Planes

[14]David Guetta & Akon, Kid Cudi vs. Crookers - Sexy Bitch Day N Nite (DJ Getdown)

[15]Katy Perry vs. Finger Eleven - Paralyzed by Hot and Cold (DJ Shades)

[16]House of Pain vs. Boston - More Than On Point (DJ Topcat)

[17]Kanye West vs. Radiohead - Reckoner Lockdown (DJ Earworm)

[18]Benga vs. Verve - Bitter Sweet Night (DJ Lowcash)

Download here.

Glitch Mob Single Available - "Drive It Like You Stole It"

2010-03-22T15:38:00.001-04:00

The Glitch Mob's album, Drink the Sea, comes out on May 25th but they've given Xlr8r a high-quality single from the album, "Drive It Like You Stole It".

Pretty synthy, but it's got a heavy bassline as well. Solid track. I like it.

Grab it at: http://www.xlr8r.com/mp3/2010/03/drive-it-you-stole-it

Posted via email from samtaylor's posterous

It's the weekend... let's make it a Lost Weekend

2010-03-12T16:11:00.003-05:00

I love this song by The Qemists, but the lyrics are hard to find. So here they are.

Queue it up...

It's Friday night and I'm alone,
The stars are out and I'm at home.
Feel like I’m coming alive,
See the knuckles turning white.
It’s Friday night and no one’s home, home,
I'm in the city alone, lone,
Feel like a carnivore tonight,
Strap it up and take a ride, ride.

Round and round she goes
And where she stops no one knows
And round and round she goes
And where she stops no one knows, knows

Keep it coming on, feel it coming on
feel it coming on, feel it coming on
feel it coming on, feel it coming on
feel it coming on, feel it coming on

I got your money,
Woo-hoo
I got your money,
Woo-hoo
I'll treat you honey,
Woo-hoo
I'll keep you up for days
I got your sugar
I’ll be your hooker
I'll keep you up for days

Saturday night I'm fucking stoned, stoned
While other suckers got their jobs, jobs
While on the freeway gonna blow, blow
The red light's saying go, go
Saturday night I'm fucking gone, gone
And all my friends are saying down, down
The world's faster when you're strong, strong
You’ll push your pedal saying whoa, whoa, whoa

I got your money
Hold on, hold on, hold on
I'll treat you honey
Hold on, hold on, hold on
I got your money
Hold on, hold on

Woo-hoo
I got your money,
Woo-hoo
I'll treat you honey,
Woo-hoo
I'll keep you up for days.
I got your sugar,
I’ll be your hooker,
I'll keep you up for dayyyyyyyy.........

Woo-hoo

I got your money
I'll treat ya honey.
I'll keep you up for dayyyyyyyyy…….
I'll keep you up for dayyyyyyyys…….

Hold on.
Hold on.
Hold on.

Coming down noooooowww...

Wa-hoo!
It’s Sunday morning, I'm with you,
How did I end up in this room?
I’m in a bed that isn’t mine,
The walls are closing in tight, tight.
It’s Sunday morning, I'm with you, you,
Your voice is like a sonic boom, boom.
And round and round she goes, goes,
And where she stops none knows, knows.

Round and round she goes,
And where she stops no one knows.
And round and round she goes,
And where she stops no one knows, knows.

Facebook Gold

2010-02-18T14:17:00.001-05:00

Facebook Gold is here - no, for real!

Proof in the screenshot below:

Posted via web from samtaylor's posterous

BT - These Hopeful Machines [Review]

2010-02-02T20:39:00.001-05:00

Brian Transeau has been pretty quiet for four years, since This Binary Universe blew our imaginations away. BT set the bar for productive creativity and quality so high a level where, frankly, no one else could reach.

That doesn't mean he took all those years off. Quite the opposite. His newest album, These Hopeful Machines, very may well be his magnum opus. It's a two-hour aural experience that defies categorization. It's not house, it's not trance, it's not ambient - but it is. It's solid yet dynamic. It's complicated but clear. It's artistic and marketable.

For those who found This Binary Universe too experimental, it's a welcome return to dance beats. For those who loved the album for its envelope-pushing development and listening quality, they won't be disappointed either.

Taken out of context, there are sections of tracks - albeit not whole tracks themselves - that seem out of place. And maybe if you're skipping around on shuffle you might notice this more. But these variances actually contribute to a completeness of the album that is quite rare, even among the most popular producers. This is why I and many others before me contend that BT is simply the best music producer out there today. The man was practically came out of the womb ready for the job, entering music conservatory at age seven and attending Berklee at age 15 - dropping out only to be later awarded an honorary doctorate.

The quality of Transeau's work is owed not only to talent but also to tenacity. A self-described "insane" attention to detail has led to innovations such as nano-correcting and surround sound production that generate some of the most immersive, clean, and sensual experiences ever heard. Also included in the CD is a fold-out print of an eight-foot-tall oil painting that took the artist ten months to complete. BT himself said in a Facebook video post that "this is the first album that I've made, and I look at it, and it feels complete, truly complete, both in music and in art."

Right off the top, Transeau grabs you by the heartstrings. These Hopeful Machines picks up right where This Binary Universe. But after the first ten seconds, it leaps from the operating table and jumps into the dance hall. "Suddenly" is a shout-out to everyone who's been wishing for a danceable tune since Emotional Technology in way back in 2003. Not only is it filled with rockin' guitar riffs and a house-y beat, but BT brought in former BBMak member Christian Burns for vocals.

Track Review

Disc 1

"The Emergency" opens with the piano and glitch that is associated with BT's most recent opus, but he doesn't step back into experimentation just yet. The next track, "Every Other Way", is calmer than the previous two, but by no means does it lack a punch - even with the xylophone hovering overhead. "The Light Of Things" introduces some of BT's trance roots. While it's slow to pick up, the masterfully mixed curve of the energy build in this track is a (if I may use such dichotomous adjectives) gentle rollercoaster rush.

The house track"Rose of Jericho" was an early released single that skyrocketed straight into the charts when it was released last June. "Forget Me", the final track on the first CD, is not much of a club track when compared the previous songs. Its beat is driven by live-recorded snares and high-hats that are less reminiscent of trance and more of The Killers-style alternative rock. Actually, this whole song reminds me a lot of The Killers. (Also, BT's five year-old daughter Kaia has a cameo in this song. Her contribution is, unsurprisingly, cute as heck.)

Disc 2

"A Million Stars" is destined right for the DJ booth with a Tiesto-esque sharp trance beat and the whispering, soft voice of Kirsty Hawkshaw. "Love Can Kill You" is a charismatic sing-along with profuse stutter edits that again echoes alternative rock influence, as does the following track, "Always". An instrumental follows, "Le Nocturne De Lumière" (The Night of Light, I believe), which is a creative progressive house track with some unexpected surprises inside.

Rob Dickinson, who contributed the vocals for "Always", returns for a relatively lofty house-based "The Unbreakable." The collection ends with BT's first-ever cover. BT sings lead vocals of The Psychedelic Furs' "The Ghost In You" in a slow, emotional conclusion.

Posted via web from samtaylor's posterous

Hadouken! - M.A.D. EP (Review)

2009-12-15T21:00:00.001-05:00

I'll admit it, I'd never heard of Hadouken! until I jumped to some compliation video on Youtube that featured "M.A.D." I have no idea what the video was about because all I kept thinking was, "What was that I just heard?!" A Google and Wikipedia search later and I was hooked on this so-called "grime" production crew out of Britain.

The M.A.D. EP has three distinguished tracks, along with three remixes of the title track. "M.A.D." itself is a real bass-pounder, an angry thrashing Hulk of a song leaving confusion and muddled thoughts in its wake:

Pop goes the pot it's pandemonium
Poison the sushi with plutonium
We eat enriched uranium
We drop beats that'll crack your cranium

After listening to this song a few times, I lost my Mensa membership. A bit more and a bit louder, I lost the power of speech. Good thing my friend came in the room and pulled me out before I started loping around on all fours and throwing feces at the wall.

There's a quality aggressively animalistic that's endemic to most Hadouken! works thanks to the overpowering drums and simple lyrics, but in M.A.D. it's concentrated so powerfully that it's amazing.

That momentum isn't kept up, though. "Something Really Bad" is, well, talking about itself. Thank God this track won't be on For the Masses. It's too simple, too rough, and the vocalization would make the cavemen cringe. It grows on you over time, but you have to give it a little effort in the beginning.

Fortunately, the dub mix of "Ugly" is a FANTASTIC follow-up. I'm not a huge dub fan - although DJZ's "Sub Slate" has helped me adjust well - but this song is dope. More varied and unique while not complex for Hadouken! regulars. It's also nice to see that a mainly-instrumental track of this quality can be produced by a band whose sound often is held together by the vocals.

The remixes of M.A.D. are pretty good, but none really strike me as nearly as potent as the original. The Detboi remix adds some dub flavor, Phace takes cues from drum 'n' bass, and Plastician... I don't know what Plastician did. I don't even know who Plastician is. All I know is he likes to sample clap tracks and... was drunk and bored?

This EP leaves me anxious for Hadouken!'s next release. Is it worth buying? Yes, I think so. Even if you were just paying for "M.A.D." and "Ugly (Dub Mix)", the price would be worth it. Just consider the accompanying tracks, while relatively irrelevant, as free bonus items that you can turn to when you're bored.

Of course, that's assuming you still have the mental capacity to operate a computer.

Posted via web from samtaylor's posterous

Interesting spam emails, Part 1 - Gambling Fail

2009-11-21T19:22:00.001-05:00

yo mate, ok I`ll give you my trick but if you give it someone else I`ll fuckin kill you :)

you know in roulette you can bet on blacks or reds. If you bet $1 on black and it goes black you win $1 but if it goes red you loose your $1.

So I found a way you can win everytime:

bet $1 on black if it goes black you win $1

now again bet $1 on black, if it goes red bet $3 on black, if it goes red again bet $8 on black, if red again bet $20 on black, red again bet $52 on black (always multiple you previous lost bet around 2.5), if now is black you win $52 so you have $104 and you bet:

$1 + $3 + $8 + $20 + $52 = $84 So you just won $20 :)

now when you won you start with $1 on blacks again etc etc. its always bound to go black

eventually (it`s 50/50) so that way you eventually always win. But there`s a catch. If you

start winning too much (like $1000 a day) casino will finally notice something and can ban

you. I was banned once on royal casino. So don`t be too greedy and don`t win more then $200

a day and you can do it for years. I think bigger casinos know that trick so I play for real

money on smaller ones, right now I play on elite vip casino: www.elitevips24.net for more

then 3 months, I win $50-$200 a day and my account still works. You`ll find roulette there when you log in go to "specialty" section - "american roulette". And don`t you dare talling about it anyone else, if too many people knows about it casinos will finally found a way to block that trick. If you have any questions just drop me a line here or on skype.

c ya

----- Original Message -----

From: "e.benker" <sindalott@gmail.com>

To: <jasoniffh@ilovesoy.com>

Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 1:14 PM

Subject: Please send me the system

> Hi roger.

>

> Please tell me when you will send me your roulette trick?

> You promised you`ll send it few weeks ago :(

>

> Thanks in advance.

This is an example of "doubling up," also known as the Martingale system. The theory does partially work, but only if you have the unlimited funds to support the continued doubling up of your bet every time.

The main draw with this is a fundamental misunderstanding of probability - the past doesn't matter. The probability of a future event in gambling in games, especially like roulette, does not depend on the past outcomes. That's how <i>random</i> works. It's quite possible to lose 5, ten, even twenty times in a row. Switching your choice between black or red for each time does not change the casino edge.

Besides, as the "reply" email says itself - do you want to risk $84 to win $20? Look at it in terms of expected value payoffs:

(-84*.5)+(20*.5) = -32

If you doubled up five spins at a time, then repeated play like that indefinitely, you would average a <i>loss</i> of thirty two dollars per game!

Lesson of the day, kids: you can play the people, but you can't outwit the system.

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail in error and delete this e-mail from your system.

Keep it pithy.

Posted via email from samtaylor's posterous

Wale - Attention Deficit (Review)

2009-11-17T22:43:00.001-05:00

After GQ's photoshoot of Kid Cudi, Drake and Wale as the "Gangsta Killers" was posted on DatNewCudi.com, I decided to give Wale's debut album a listen. Attention Deficit dropped on November 10th but already it's generated three singles, "Chillin" (with Lady Gaga), "World Tour", and "Pretty Girls". I'm really happy with the album.

In a word: fresh. The lyrics aren't "clean" but they're not gratutiously dirty either. They convey a more accurate view of the mainstream today (such as the social image commentary in "90210") than the crime-ridden, "f*ck bitches get money" theme of gangsta culture. Good, dirty sex is all fun - but at least it should with real women, not fake gold diggers and Barbie dolls. Wale celebrates a down-to-earth rhetoric that's a damn sound for sore ears to hear. The accompaniment production is fantastic too. Overall the style is reminiscent of little-celebrated, but high-quality groups like Blackalicious and the CunninLynguists.

Best track? Sorry, but definitely not "Chillin" with Lady Gaga. Great duo, but it's kind of out of place with the rest of the album, almost as though it was more of a marketing decision than on actual quality. Releasing a single like that gets popularity from the large group of Lady Gaga friends out there, but as a track it's mediocre... "Mama Told Me" I think has to be my favorite. Unfortunately, I can't find the lyrics to it. Wale's vocals flow with the music in an free-flowing waterfall of chimes, horns and claps. Awesome.

Out of ten? Eight seems appropriate. I feel the creativity dries up towards the end of the album, but it's definitely nothing you'd be compelled to skip. This album is greater than the sum of its parts, even if most of the songs aren't real catchy. The creative, new, fresh-and-clean feeling to this expertly produced album makes it a benchmark to judge post-gangsta MCs against.

Posted via web from samtaylor's posterous

Parting out midrange PC, plus freebies, as in beer (literally!)

2009-10-21T11:24:00.001-04:00

As the title says, I'm finally parting out my computer. It's a great setup which really holds its own even today.

Complete set of photos on Flickr

For info on free stuff see bottom...

Sale list:

Intel Pentium D 930 (dual core, 3Ghz, very overclockable!, includes stock cooler): $40

ASUS P5WD2-E Premium motherboard (975x chipset, Crossfire, simply a fantastic enthusiast board; includes 2 SATA cables and 2 IDE cables for CD-ROM and floppy): $75

eVGA 7600GT KO Superclocked (quite possibly the most bang for the buck I've ever seen in a graphics card. Will miss this most!): $40

2x1GB Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 RAM (rated 4-4-4-12 @ DDR2-800): $20/stick

2x160GB Western Digital Caviar WD1600YD hard drives (SATA, 7200RPM, 16MB cache, never had a problem): $25/per

Thermaltake 480W Purepower (includes PCI slot fan controller, very reliable, lots of cables!): $20

BenQ DW1650 DVD-RW drive (works great - missing the bezel on the drive tray as I had to remove it so it would work in the case, see picture; has LightScribe capability): $20

Last, but certainly not least, is the CASE!

Antec P160 Brushed Anodized Aluminium

-Fits Micro-ATX and standard ATX boards on easily accessible, removable tray
-14.3lb net weight
-10 drive bays: 4x5.25" and 2x3.5" in front, 4x5.25" inside
-Top two external drive bays have covers which hide the bezels of your optical drives, flaps open when tray extends
-2 temperature sensors, Firewire port, USB ports audio in/out, reset and power button easily accessible on top Closeup photo
-Stock 120mm rear fan included, but not installed.
-Drives use special rails for easy removal. I have enough rails for two optical drives and four hard drives. Closeup of hard drive rack It includes all but two of the PCI slot covers in the back.
-Three blue LEDs in front, in the air intake openings. There is also a removable dust filter and slot for a fan behind those openings.
-This is the version without the side window. It's begging to be modded. Seriously.

This case seems hard to find secondhand - there isn't even one on eBay! It was about $160 new so I'm going to ask $110 here. I'm cleaning it right now, there's a bit of dust inside. There is one small mark on the top which fortunately can't be seen if you look at the case from the front.

Prices don't include shipping. I'm willing to ship overseas if you're willing to pay the shipping costs. PM or reply here and I'll give you a quote.

I need to move these parts, I am open to reasonable offers. PM please.

As for the free stuff...

-If you come to pick any of these items up from me in St. Augustine, FL you get a free beer. Or any other alcoholic drink you wish. I do promo work for a local bar and have stacks of free drink tickets.
-I have sixty-five rolls of extra toilet paper in my dorm room. Upon request, I will send a roll with your item. (May affect shipping cost.)
-Oh yeah, if you pay the shipping you I got a 3.5" floppy drive or a Lite-On CD-ROM drive (both white) for you.

M-Audio X-Session Pro: Initial Thoughts

2009-09-05T19:44:00.005-04:00

In the spring I was invited to chill with Steve Palazzo, Jr. during his weekly radio broadcasts at Flagler's radio station, WFCF. What initially attracted us was our broad - and often eclectic - tastes in music. Steve's show was on every Saturday night from 9:30 to midnight and featured any and all tracks from the bleeding-edge: EDM to drum 'n' bass, techno to dubsteb, hip-hop mashups to what can be described no other than "glitch." All in all, Subliminal Messages was pretty darn fun.

Steve played all of his shows from his MacBook Pro through a simple 3.5mm audio line, controlled only with a M-Audio X-Session Pro. He wasn't even able to use headphones and had to mix all the tracks visually with the included Torq LE software. Incredibly enough, even the dnb mixes were silky smooth.

I've gotten into the idea of DJing, both as a hobby and a source of cash. So earlier this week, when Woot! had a sale of M-Audio hardware, I just had to pick one up. And I've been having a blast.

The X-Session Pro is a pretty useful piece of hardware, especially for the beginning DJ. It doesn't require an external power source; it only requires one USB cable to be plugged in. It is compatible with most DJ software out there, including open-source Mixxx. The Torq LE software that it's provided with is more than satisfactory, though: it's got a simple layout and includes core features like automatic BPM detection and support for MP3 files.

The main purpose of the XSP is to mix tracks. It doesn't sample, it doesn't scratch, and it won't make you a sandwich. But what it does, it does well: you can mix songs and control individual volume, pitch, 3-way EQ and some useful effects.

Torq LE is great software to use for beginners. It's stripped down to what you need and is absent of clutter that you don't want. The BPM detection is pretty good, and the automatic sync feature is acceptable. I found a couple of problems with auto-sync when working with drum 'n' bass tracks, but that takes all the fun out of manual mixing anyway so it's rather inconsequential.

Performance on the application is excellent. I am running it on a dual-core Pentium IV at 3GHz (which is a couple of generations old) with 2GB RAM on Windows XP, and there's no stuttering at all. Songs that haven't been previously analyzed load in 5 seconds or less. I have just installed Torq LE on my Lenovo S10-2 and it seems to run satisfactorily on there as well; I will post a follow-up with my experiences on the netbook.

One problem noted in the design of the XSP is that of prefade cueing - listening to the upcoming track via headphones in order to beatmix it. Since the XSP only has a USB port, how is this addressed? Simple - in Torq you may select for the cue track to play on one channel (for example, the left) while the main stream plays on through the other (the right, or vice versa). An adapter is included that splits your audio output into the two channels. Then you play plug your speakers into one end of the Y-adapter and your headphones into the second part of the Y. While you will lose true stereo output to your main speakers, that's not a big loss. It's a pretty smart trick, actually.

The XSP retails for $139.99, but I got it at Woot! for much, much less. Similar deals may be found on eBay as well. If you register the product, you will not even need the CD as M-Audio will allow you to download Torq LE for free from their site (I think it's about 175MB). This was also useful for my netbook, which doesn't have an optical drive for CDs.

It's been a great buy so far, and I hope to use this in a more professional setting soon. In the very least, look for some mixes online soon!

Stress Reliever

2009-08-01T23:20:00.002-04:00

In the morning I awaken freshened, oblivious to anything but the now, the current, what is. I approach life pragmatically and unbiased. I feel new. Clear. Now.

As the day progresses my unconscious fills with those maddening things unknown, questions unresolved. I address them increasingly abruptly. Emotions cloud judgment. The past and the future wedge themselves against the now, demanding concern, that recognition be placed upon them so as to solve those underlying puzzles that make up Life.

This tempest culminates at night, as I sit here, continually alone, waiting on answers late or never in coming. My battle cry weakens to a plea, prefaced by "all I want". The void within is filled with a fog of doubt, of fear.

When sleep overcomes me, my unconscious is fully unleashed. No work of intuitive human creation may match the horrors seen by my own eyes.

And when the next day comes, this Prometheus lives yet again.

Thing You Couldn't Find on the Internet

2009-06-29T20:06:00.002-04:00

For my summer job, I've been working at a local hotel as a griller at the pool bar. While filling in for our now-fired receiving clerk, I and a friend had some spare time. Inspired by a list I once saw on xkcd's Blag, hilarity ensued.

Phrases you couldn't find on the Internet this morning:

green striped pilates

iron cabana metal

dinosaur heartburn

cheese bagel dreams

Daffy Duck dementia

help I'm trapped in a lightbulb

how to make my balls magic (Anthony's query, not mine)

flex my magic playhut

since when does your mother do

hold the baby by its tail

Honorable mentions:

do not fork from this side (1 hit)

flapjack fatties (1 hit)

patrick swayze is god (5 hits)

all american bartender (7)

goat couch (81)

pirate promenade (129)

duct tape detectives (233)

death by bubble wrap (1,040)

An Open Letter to Our Nation's Leadership

2009-06-17T23:42:00.001-04:00

The letter that follows is from Janet Contreras, a 53-year-old Arizona grandmother. She's no professional writer or politician, but in her words:

"I don't want this fight, Glenn. I don't have the time or the energy or the financial resources for it, but that no longer matters. It no longer matters that I'm able or that I want this fight. I have to take it on. It's not a matter of choice anymore, which is why I wrote the letter."

I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?
Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why -- what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band-Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try -- please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn Congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

For more information,

Official Facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=91636823245

Read the transcript of Janet on Beck:
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/26808/

SIGN THE OFFICIAL PETITION (closed temporarily due to overwhelming server load):
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/8/an-open-letter-to-our-nations-leadership

Evil Nine - The Power EP (Review)

2009-06-15T20:19:00.005-04:00

I've gotten a chance to preview Evil Nine's newest EP, The Power, due to release from Marine Parade Records on June 22. It's been pirated quite a bit prior to its official release, and for good reason. At first hearing, it sounds like They Live! Part Deux but after giving all three tracks a run-through, it's just as refreshing as it is nostalgic.

The first track, "The Power," is, as Evil Nine describes it themselves, "like running amok with a chainsaw at an '80s night," whereupon you feel the aforementioned connection to their latest zombie-themed album. At this track, however, the theme digresses from flesh-eating mutants to a similarly horrifying yet distinct subject - the Eighties themselves. "The Night" feels as though it was ripped from the soundtrack of Miami Vice, and if I didn't know better I would have sworn I'd heard "The Heat" in a rerun of The A-Team on Hulu. Or maybe it's the other way around. I wasn't around until the very end of that decade anyway.

All three tracks aren't quite what I'd call danceable - but they're damned good to drive to, especially if you happen to be sitting in a Ferrari Testarossa. Or Van, I suppose. They are all definitely electric tracks that may cause you to don off-colored suits, gold chains, and start shifting your eyes suspiciously as you get up and do... something. These songs are just as high-energy as an 8-ball of white Columbian.

But make no mistake about my sarcasm; these songs KICK ASS. Evil Nine's description of these tracks on the Marine Parade site are dead-on too. For those of you who liked They Live! but wanted just a little bit more, here's an your answer to your prayers. If you didn't like They Live! very much, I doubt it will change your opinion much, but give it a shot anyway.

And if you were born after December 31, 1989, just turn on TV Land. You probably didn't get half of this review anyway.

Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem (Review)

2009-05-08T20:43:00.007-04:00

If it weren't for me being bored on a weekday night at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, and noticing an attractive yellow and black CD case on a rack, and the fact that the CD was only ten dollars, then I may not have discovered Innerpartysystem until much later, after they broke out into the mainstream.

I wouldn't be able to herald these incredible sounds (and sights, as their concertgoers know) to you so far in advance. But now I can. Narf narf narf.

Innerpartysystem has broken the barrier that was until now considered an impossible task- they've delivered a uniform blend of electronic/dance beats with rock lyrics and melodies. To wow us even more, they've done it on their debut album. No rough teething period, no pubescent insolence - they cut the Gordian knot almost perfectly on the very first stroke.

This album was released in 2008. Founders Nissley and Piccone started this band in 2006. All this has come about in less than two years - a match, one might argue, made in a higher plane.

Yeah, yeah, they're not perfect yet. They need to work on variety and more uplifting music - most of the tracks are depressing in nature - but I'll be damned if I knock such a vibrant startup for minor growing pains in the face of such momentous accomplishment.

All of the tracks have pronounced, bassy beats and electronic-inspired melodies. That's part of the reason that IPS is just so darn good. When you listen to tracks like "Die Tonight, Live Forever" or "Obsession", you don't even know you're listening to a rock band that can reproduce the instrument sections for this live, on stage. There are times when they tip the scales too far - most notably,"Heart of Fire" is a little out of place with more emphasis on rock than electronic influences, but it itself is a unique, impressive and refreshing track.

There are a lot of albums that I like because half the tracks are really fantastic while the rest are slightly better than mediocre. That's not the case with Innerpartysystem. While there are the more popular songs (which now that I look at the track list total at least half the album), they're all performed at the same level of quality and dignity. I mean, I haven't listened to this album in some months. I start playing it again, thinking, "I like this song, let me skip to one that isn't so good to note in the review," and I've found that they're all good. It's just unbelievable.

It's got quite possibly the most powerful opening track I've ever heard on an album, ever. "Die Tonight, Live Forver" starts with a crescendo of this heavy three note riff (ostinato to the classical devotees out there) that crashes like thunder to Patrick Nissley crying:

You can feel the pounding wrapped around your chest,
nothing's too excessive when you've got nothing left!

We're all here 'cause we've lost control
We're all here 'cause we've lost control...

and you're hooked, plain and simple. There's not a damned thing you can - let alone want - to do about it.

The bottom line: Innerpartysystem has set a high standard for themselves, but if they continue with this blend of rock-electronic-dance-punk that they've started with, they will be the ONLY people to pull off a successful career bridging those genres correctly.

Buy. On. Sight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1GIT44jjkE <- Watch "Die Tonight, Live Forever" official video here, embedding has been disabled.

Röyksopp - Junior (review)

2009-05-06T21:36:00.007-04:00

Apparently røyksopp means smoke mushroom in Norwegian, and if that's true, then it's the perfect name for these two DJs. Their latest album, Junior, lends a tone that one may only otherwise experience in a small cloudy atmosphere while high on... something. Maybe it's me; I just need time to appreciate the peculiarities of modern Scandinavian music.

It's a great ride, though. Junior is simple and delicate in parts but has an underlying strength that holds it together. There's a dichotomy in mood, too: "Happy Up Here", the first single, is a cute start to the album - it's very playful - but it's contrasted by the following lament, "The Girl and The Robot". This pattern continues throughout the album, episodes of mania intertwined with pangs of meloncholy.

This isn't a bad thing. Röyksopp have successfully struck a balance between their trip-hop roots and the dance beats that audiences devour these days. It's not all business sense - it's just good sense. For all its quirks, it's a damned good album to listen to. These are the times I wish I was more experienced in electronic music, because I can't quite pin down how this album works so well. I mean, it's got incredibly simple melodies, more synths than should be legal, and some of the most nondescript beats I've ever heard. Perhaps the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. (Let's face it, most of us here in the US didn't start listening to Röyksopp until we heard a song in a car insurance commercial about cavemen. It's not like we set our standards really high.)

Junior definitely isn't an album to get the party hoppin', but I could see "True to Life" and the powerful "It's What I Want" sneaking into some DJs' sets, along with the obligatory "The Girl and The Robot." I could see a remix of the catchy "Tricky Tricky" making it in there as well.

All in all, it's a compromise album that doesn't compromise itself. Junior lacks the degree of sensuality, perhaps even sexuality, that would make it much stronger in the club circuit and especially the American market. But it's so unique in that respect that it doesn't even try to pretend it's something it's not. Röyksopp has been comfortable holding their own niche for a while now and instead of trying to expand beyond it to reach out to new listeners, they're finding new ways to attract audiences to come to them. It's a smart gamble and it's paid off.

Spiralfrog No Longer Leaping - For Now

2009-03-24T20:01:00.011-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I have some depressing news from the front lines of free music. Spiralfrog.com is offline.

Spiralfrog is an ad-supported music download service providing users with a free, legal alternative to P2P filesharing. It officially launched after a substantial amount of publicity in September 2007 with 800,000 tracks in its collection.

According to CNET and Digital Music News, Spiralfrog had over $9 million in debt due, largely in senior secured notes. Secured loans mean less risk to the creditor because the borrower pledges a particular asset to the lender for the loan. If the borrower neglects to pay, the asset is automatically taken by the creditor; payback is required. Traditional venture capital startups, on the other hand, don't require payback and more risk is borne by the VC firm.

Spiralfrog had a rocky start, as shown by a moderate amount of turnover in the firm's leadership. But just one year ago it had established itself as the third most popular 'Net download service with 850,000 registered members. When the website shut down at 4pm, March 19, 2008, it had a purported 3 million songs and 5,000 music videos available for download from labels including EMI, BMI, Universal, and Sony.

What went wrong? I've been a Spiralfrog user since the beginning, so the points I'll give are not only those of popular opinion but those of a conscientious user.

As a semi-pro website developer, from the very beginning Spiralfrog's site was just not up to par. The search function was literal at best and based on a simple stemming algorithm that wasn't very forgiving if you couldn't remember the exact search term. The coding for the website was pretty rough, too, and the problem of downloads being dropped continued to occur through the site's short span of maturity.

Also, of course, the files were only downloadable as DRM-protected 128kbit .wma's that were a bit of a hassle to deal with, especially for anyone who didn't own a PlaysForSure-compatible portable audio player such as the iPod. If you were an XP user with Windows Media Player 10, there was a way around that with a nifty little app called FairUse4WM but it was of questionable legality and at the very least an unnecessary hassle. For me, the format itself was an issue too - 128 is barely sufficient for any audiophile and if you were converting music to MP3 for compatibility you'd lose even more quality.*

In my view, even in these rough economic times (which always come and go) Spiralfrog should have succeeded. The failure rested in the execution - which was evident in the noticeable amount of turnover among the company's leadership during its operation. There was no reason that Spiralfrog could not have secured more traditional capital funding, rather than operating on a debt basis, unless those in charge could not sell the company well enough to potential creditors.

Oh, well. There's always the chance that our favorite virtual amphibian could be brought back with a new owner, but the aforementioned interface and DRM issues need to be addressed before the company will attract the number of users and thus revenue needed to keep it solvent. As the saying goes, the free market abhors a vaccum and I can't wait to see who will try and fill it next.

*Not to mention that for someone who hears high frequencies like myself (and a prime member of the downloading demographic), WMA is just worse than MP3. Proven again. And again.

They Live! by Evil Nine (Review)

2009-03-17T19:36:00.009-04:00

I discovered Evil Nine a few years ago on The Crystal Method's compilation Community Service, but I didn't pay them much mind until I caught their single "Restless" on the soundtrack for London (incidentally, also a project from TCM). I loved You Can Be Special Too for a while until it was buried under a figurative pile of house and drum 'n bass.

Until last week, when I learned they are indeed very much alive.

They Live!, which entered stores in 2008, is the second album by the Brighton-based DJ duo. It's definitely not your average set of party breakbeats; as the cover art and title imply, this is more Rob Zombie than Fatboy Slim. In order to keep the theme's consistency and sheer power of the album, many of the tracks feel quite gritty. Whether it's the now-retro amount of synths, or the relatively slow and heavy bass, almost the entire collection demands your full attention. Unless you've listened to it a hundred times and watch Halloween sequels with your bacon and eggs in the morning, this is not "background music."

However, that is not to say the album is rough. It's definitely well-executed. Beaufoy and Pardy are able to maintain a sense of variegation while keeping in line with the apocalyptic theme. This is largely due to the contributing vocalists, including EL-P, Beans, Emily Breeze, David Autokratz, Seraphim. To my personal satisfaction, Toastie Taylor makes an appearance once again in the ominous "Dead Man Coming", although the track doesn't carry the same eminence that "Restless" did.

What I really like is how Evil Nine were able to keep the zombie theme without the songs being, well... about death or destruction. "All the Cash" has definitely been the hit single off the album, but EL-P's lyrics seem to present something of a love song instead of something sinister:

All the cash and all the cash and all the cash and all the cash in the world can't pay me to let go of you (go of you)
and all the death and all the death and all the death and all the death they dealt don't change the way I fell for you (fell for you)

Fortunately, those lines are intelligible. Unfortunately, most of the other lines in the song aren't (at least to my poor ears) and the lyrics aren't available anywhere on the Net.

It's my humble opinion that it is this characteristic that has made Evil Nine's breakbeats so impressive. A DJ doesn't just try to play decent music - they work on creating and maintaining a mood in the room. Beaufoy and Pardy are first and foremost DJs and they don't forget this in their studio creations. It's the music as a whole which drives their tracks. This could not be said for other many other DJs' studio production (David Guetta comes to mind). EL-P and Toastie may have great voices, but Evil Nine is the name on the cover.

Of course, maintaining this kind of a theme is really a double-edged sword. The album starts well, but some of the latter tracks don't hit the mark because they're either too similar or too different. Beans, from the acclaimed Antipop Consortium, tries too hard to make "Set It Off" a catchphrase and the repetition of the lyrics gets a little tiresome. "Twist The Knife" sounds too much like a rock song for my tastes, but Emily Breeze's voice is a welcome change from the male voices associated with Evil Nine tracks. However, this song does come dangerously close to violating the rule I explained in the last paragraph as at times it seems Evil Nine's instrumentals revolve around Breeze's crowing instead of vice versa.

If you're like me, looking forward to the coming zombie apocalypse and listening to good breakbeats are two big pastimes for you. They Live! is a great union of the two and you'll definitely want to pick it up. That being said, it's not a perfect album for everyone else. It's not party enough for the clubs (aside, perhaps, from some of the "All the Cash" mixes circulating) and the consistent urban wasteland theme is too dark for many other people too.

It's a lot like the survivors of such horror flicks - unique, alone, standing apart from a mass of soulless unintelligent nothings down below and ready to blow all of them away.

4/5
This album may be downloaded legally for free from Spiralfrog.com.

Life is...

2009-03-13T14:02:00.003-04:00

1. The perfect actions to take would have the best ends in mind.

People cannot foresee all permutations of their actions.

People cannot act perfectly.

2. Society is greater than the sum of its parts - "two heads are better than one."

Socialization is necessary to human development

3. Social life is based on our interactions with imperfect people.

For any amount of randomly selected people, the more people that are involved in a particular interaction, their imperfections become compounded.

Thus, the more we seek to develop, the more we wish to interact, the more imperfections manifest themselves in what we call "drama."

We cannot survive without social interaction.

Thus, drama is a necessary part of life.

I don't have time to read 25 arbitrary characteristics about you, most of which I already know

2009-01-31T00:07:00.001-05:00

I've been kind to you so far, but this is it. It has to stop.

I'm sorry you people think you don't prostitute yourself enough on the Internet already. That you feel you need to cathartically dispel all those rumors whizzing around that you are indeed not a person with idiosyncrasies.

Guess what? You're not, numbnuts.

Guess another thing? NOBODY CARES. You've got insecurities, bury them deep down and never let them come up again. I don't want to get involved in anyone else's problems. When I do, the end result means I know more about the criminal justice system than my own damned lawyer.

I don't want to know that your dog's name is Todd or that you won fourteenth place in the third grade science fair for "the evolushun of Gummi Bears" or that you're not sure what you want in life or that your cup size has grown inexplicably in recent months.

Wait, it has? If that's the case, that can stay as a testament to you making the world better. BUT THE OTHER 24 GO.

IF I GET TAGGED IN A "25 THINGS" NOTE ONE MORE FUCKING TIME SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FIND THEMSELVES SMASHED IN THE FACE REPEATEDLY WITH A HEAVY PIECE OF MINING EQUIPMENT.

Or maybe you can save me the trouble by removing yourself from the gene pool. Do it dramatically and I'll even show up and film it for you.

This rant was inspired by George Carlin's "Complaints and Grievances". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1i-kk5gJ50

If Operating Systems Ran Airlines

2009-01-05T13:51:00.003-05:00

(found on Urban Dictionary, then made a few edits)

UNIX Airways

Everyone brings one piece of the plane along when they come to the airport. They all go out on the runway and put the plane together piece by piece, arguing non-stop about what kind of plane they are supposed to be building.

Air DOS

Everybody pushes the airplane until it glides, then they jump on and let the plane coast until it hits the ground again. Then they push again, jump on again, and so on.

Mac Airlines

All the stewards, captains, baggage handlers, and ticket agents look and act exactly the same. Every time you ask questions about details, you are gently but firmly told that you don't need to know, don't want to know, and everything will be done for you without your ever having to know, so just shut up. The planes are very pretty though, and when the plane stops moving for no reason, a beach ball is tossed about the cabin to keep the passengers entertained.

Windows Air

The terminal is pretty and colourful, with friendly stewards, easy baggage check and boarding, and a smooth take-off. After about 10 minutes in the air, the plane explodes with no warning whatsoever.

Windows NT Air

Just like Windows Air, but costs more, uses bigger planes, and takes out all the other aircraft within a 300-mile radius when it explodes.

Windows XP Air

You turn up at the airport, which is under contract to only allow XP Air planes. All the aircraft are identical, brightly coloured and six times bigger than they need to be. The signs are huge and all point the same way. Whichever way you go, someone pops up dressed in a cloak and pointed hat insisting you follow him. Your luggage and clothes are taken off and replaced with an XP Air suit and suitcase identical to everyone around you - this suit makes up 90% of the exorbitant ticket cost. The aircraft will not take off until you have signed a contract. The inflight entertainment promised turns out to be the same Mickey Mouse cartoon repeated over and over again. You have to phone your travel agent before you can have a meal or drink. You are searched regularly throughout the flight. If you go to the toilet twice or more you get charged for a new ticket. No matter what destination you booked you will always end up crash landing into a large blue billboard in Prypiat, Ukraine.

Linux Air

Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to start their own airline. They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the runways themselves. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of printing the ticket, but you can also download and print the ticket yourself.
When you board the plane, you are given a seat, four bolts, a wrench and a copy of seat-HOWTO.html. Once settled, the fully adjustable seat is very comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without a single problem. The in-flight meal is wonderful and you have a large selection of movies to choose from. You try to tell customers of the other airlines about the great trip, but all they can say is, "You had to do what with the seat?"

Cubik

2008-12-04T23:48:00.006-05:00

Lifehacker, a GTD-oriented site I'm addicted to, often features articles on power users who customize their desktops. Most recently, they featured a particular user, Kaelri, who wrote a guide on how to recreate one of his most popular designs, Enigma. He even provided a .zip file with all the files you'd need.

This isn't just about changing the wallpaper and reorganizing the icons, mind you - we're talking about a complete rethinking of thinking of what a desktop should do.

These users are a lot like car enthusiasts. There are those who enjoy all the accouterments and want as many gadgets, lights, bells and whistles they can afford, and then there are those who would rather strip out everything unnecessary and focus on pure performance. If the tone didn't give it away, I fall into the latter - in both situations.

With that in mind, I would like to present to you my humble creation... Cubik.

I'll break it down into sections for you in a moment. First I should mention a core change: I have replaced the default Windows shell with the open-source Emerge Desktop. There is no taskbar or Start button anymore. And so we start with the first detail, clockwise from the top left:

System Tray

Now, I understand this is hard to see, but if you look closely you can make out some icons. This is the system tray, which I was able to control much more with the Emerge shell. The icons are at 20% opacity right now, which reminds me they're still there (they are always on top, even over windows). When I hover over the tray with the mouse, they become fully visible.

Rocketdock

Rocketdock is a clone of the Dock of Mac OS X fame, and it's a nifty free utility. It works much the same as the Mac dock, even with the bounce of icons when clicked. Since the taskbar is no more, I needed somewhere to store minimized programs; this does the trick.

Rainmeter Enigma Config

Rainmeter's a hell of a program; it can display nearly anything you want on the desktop. I took Kaelri's config and modified it a little, removing the analog clock and power monitors, replacing them with a military time clock and space monitors for my individual hard drives.

Rainmeter MaxoWeather Config

This config, which was included in the Enigma desktop, pulls forecast data from Weather.com. Simple enough.

CD Art Display

This probably took the most work - producing this nearly fully custom skin for CD Art Display (CAD) basically boiled down to me hacking apart Nevezen's elegant Pure Adium skin. Kaelri had provided a style of Pure Adium to go with Enigma, but it didn't really fit for me. The documentation for CAD skinning isn't great so I had to figure things out on my own... anyways, once I create my own graphics, this skin will be officially all new and all mine.

As you can tell, I extended the play bar, moved the text around and made everything larger. The buttons seen now are in reality hidden; they are shown when you hover over the album art briefly. I don't know how to change the area that causes the buttons to show, but I like this setup anyway.

Background

The background is called "Rubik" and may be found at http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper_beta/details/1301/rubik.html.

Conclusion
So, that's my desktop! If you want any of this - the CAD skin, the Rainmeter configs - let me know and I will post download links to them here. I'm not quite comfortable posting the CAD skin for download with some elements from another author in them yet so I will have to create my own button graphics before I make it public.

Random Updates, Ramblings, and a Request

2008-02-10T19:13:00.000-05:00

I know I've said this again and again, but I do plan on updating this blog more often. And now I have a reason.

I'll be writing a blog for The Gargoyle, the student newspaper of Flagler College, covering the news, politics, and miscellany through a technological lens. On this blog, which will be available publicly at gargoyle.flagler.edu, I'd also to run a Q&A post every once in a while. So tell me - what tech help/questions does the average college student have? As cliched as it sounds... help me help you!

Now that business is aside... here's some of the more interesting things I've stumbled upon the past couple of weeks:

The Avalanches only put out one studio album, but what they lack in quantity they more than make up in quality. Since I Left You, produced with samples from more than 900 movies, TV shows and LPs, ranked very high on the UK list (#8) and achieved acclaim on this side of the pond as well. Anyways, for this album the five-man group produced two music videos - one for the title track, and one particularly trippy video for the song "Frontier Psychiatrist". It won a couple of awards and trust me, when you watch this, you won't easily forget it. The best quality version I could find is hosted here.
I love cheeseburgers. A lot. I mean, almost every time I buy food from Bugg's Bistro in the student center, it's in the form of a 6 0z. beef patty with lettuce, tomato, and various cheeses (provolone and cheddar?!) and, of course, a golden toasted bun. But, of course, you can always trust the Germans to take things to the next level, and now they have. Introducing the cheeseburger in a CAN. Yes, the same round, metal objects usually associated with olives, sardines and the infamous Spam have now degraded another food group. Never again will I look at a burger quite the same way... perhaps I'll appreciate home-grilled ground beef just a little bit more.
Spam and scam have always interested me (I'll do a report on the growing hobby of scambaiting in the future for the Gargoyle blog) but I think I've found a story which really takes the hunter-turned-prey scheme to a whole new level. It's not exactly new - if you've been Internet savvy for a while this may have passed you by before - but it's a rather interesting (IMHO, incredible) saga of a possible eBay scam victim turning the tables on the scammer rather strongly, to say the least.
Recently, a lot of my friends have had problems with the new Microsoft Office 2007 formats - the .docx extension in particular. Long story short, the data is stored differently than in previous Office versions, so the documents are not backwards compatible. If these documents aren't working on your computer, I've found a great site which not only will convert these for you, but almost ANY TYPE OF MEDIA FILE. It's called Zamzar.com, and will convert images, documents, video, and even compressed media. To convert a .docx to .doc, for example, under "Step 1" click Browse, and select the document to upload it. In Step 2, choose the .doc format. Enter your email address in Step 3 - that's where the converted file will be sent to - and click Convert. In my experience, the whole process takes three to five minutes, depending on how long the email takes to travel.
However, if you do plan on converting files like this more often, download Microsoft's official Compatibility Pack. It's good for Office 2000, XP and 2003. However, I use OpenOffice, so I aren't afforded this luxury. Also, if you're a Mac user they have a different download for you - however, it's a converter, which probably means it's not automatic like the aforementioned download.

Hope this was a little interesting to y'all - I'm suffering from terrible case of writer's block right now so I just threw together what I had in mind. Don't forget about any suggestions for what you'd want to hear about in my new Gargoyle blog!

Thoughts on the Republican debate and more

2007-11-29T12:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I watched the CNN/Youtube Republican Debate last night and much to my chagrin I must admit I'll be changing my position. I don't do that much.

First, an overview of the debate itself. Anderson Cooper was an excellent moderator and I think that CNN chose good questions; all the topics from abortion to immigration to militarism to economy were discussed. CNN used adequate discretion in directing the questions to certain candidates and at points actually tried to level the playing field, especially in the case of Rudy Guliani - he caught a lot of flak during the debate.

I won't summarize the whole debate for you - first of all, that would be really time-consuming, and secondly, I don't get paid for this. What's great for those of you who missed it (how dare you?!), you can watch basically the whole debate, sans commercials, on Youtube's Republican debate page.

Mitt Romney and Rudy Guliani I think suffered in that debate. Guliani had been attacked all along the campaign so far and I think he might have broke even in this debate, but a lot of people I talked to were put off by Romney, especially when the question of waterboarding came up and he didn't label it torture, which justifiably upset John McCain.

I was originally a big fan of Fred Thompson. He has experience in the Senate, along with this previous legal career. He's a Christian conservative and has been lauded by many as the man who could unite the Republican party. Plus, his wife is hot.

So how was I wrong?

Under the stress of the debate he seemed more frazzled and stumbled as much as Rudy Guliani and Ron Paul. Thompson is a lot older than I had imagined him to be and perhaps that's part of the equation. Also, I'm afraid that he's more of a candidate who's always preached to the choir (look at his high reelection rates), which means he's never had to defend his position as much anymore.

On the other side, when Mike Huckabee put forth his hilarious campaign ad with Chuck Norris, who was at the debate last night, I personally thought it was a two-pronged tactic: one, to get more young people interested in Huckabee, and two, to appeal to the (excuse the gross generalization) midwest-farmer-type Iowans before the caucus. But now that I saw him in the debate, Huckabee's intelligence and articulation of values have vaulted him to the top of my list.

McCain did very well, too, although I'm afraid on Capitol Hill he's like the old war vet that everyone listens to and respects but no one wants to hang out with. When Ron Paul started going on about Vietnam and called the war irrelevant, not only was McCain upset, but many of the other candidates visibly were. I wish I could vote for him, but the poor guy never seems to get a true chance in the big picture.

I did notice that after the debate some of the first people to shake hands and pat each other on the back were Huckabee and McCain. That would make an amazing ticket. And Chuck Norris can be Secretary of Defense.

Addition - The Digital Copyright Debacle

2007-11-17T00:54:00.000-05:00

I have been waiting on some blank DVDs, so until then I can't get my DVD copying guides going. So in the meantime I've decided to write a little essay, so to speak, on the problem of digital copyright. It's up already, but I don't consider it finished and will keep adding onto it as time allows.

But I encourage you to take a look at it, critique it and whatnot so this website can inform more people.

New Guide - DVD Copy Protection

2007-11-05T18:01:00.000-05:00

I've added the first section to my DVD MegaGuide - an information guide to different versions of DVD copy protection. It's very pithy but will prove to be useful once I get some process guides online and you'll be wondering about the different terms I'll be throwing around.

Take a glance through it - you might learn something ;]

Mac Huntin' Season Is Officially Open

2007-11-02T15:54:00.000-04:00

I heard two pieces of news that made me (selfishly) very happy today:

From Bit-Tech.net:

"...[H]eise Security, a private UK security firm, has found multiple leaks in the Leopard firewall that may give viruses and other malware direct access to your system...
"Unfortunately the Leopard firewall failed to detect viruses that infiltrated the system while the firewall was disabled, even after it was reactivated. Basically, users who haven’t noticed their firewall deactivated may potentially already be infected with malware that won’t be caught by Apple’s software, even after you reactivate it..."

From Wired.com:

"...'[A]pple's day has finally come, and Apple users are going to get hit hard,' security researcher Gadi Evron said. 'OS X is the new Windows 98.'

"Announced Wednesday by Mac-focused security company Intego, the Mac Trojan was found on a set of pornography sites, where attackers dangled free movies that supposedly required users to install a special Quicktime codec to view. The codec, however, is fake. Instead of unlocking a skin flick, it installs what Intego dubbed the OSX.RSPlug.A Trojan horse on the user's computer..."

Welcome to the mainstream, Macintosh users. Apple will have to get its act together quick, or you'll soon suffer the same fate as us with bloated operating systems inflated by excessive software and incessant updates.

Just remember, so far these problems are limited to the newest, Leopard build of OS X.

Also, almost as a footnote, this interesting bit of education is out, credits again to Bit-Tech.net:

"Microsoft has just released the third volume of its Security Intelligence Report, which reports on the malware released between January and June 2007 and the effectiveness of its Malicious Software Removal Tool.

"Overall statistics show greatly decreased infection rates in Windows Vista and Windows XP SP2 when compared to older versions of the Windows OS."

This is good for now, but black hat crackers will always keep trying to infiltrate systems. What still scares me is that Vista requires 14-15 Gigabytes of space on the hard drive. Have we come to the point where adding more and more code is the only solution? Until we radically rethink the way a computer works and programs are processed, I am afraid so.

Of course, I'm not happy that Mac users are vulnerable - that's just a little selfish attack. What this proves is that no system is secure. When anything - a computer operating system or government - grows too large in size (for OS's, I mean usage, not data size) it's much easier to attack. At least Apple was smart and didn't try to market their systems based on their former security: their growth is now presenting new problems.

Back on the blog again...

2007-10-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

Well, after several months of dormancy, I've decided to bring my blog back online again. This is only one small part of my new overall web presence - I have a new website!

http://www.alwaysagooddecision.net

I've had it up for a month or so now, and I'm going to use it to host (mostly) computer-related guides online. So far, I have a guide on removing DRM from Windows Media files, and another, really great one on how to use the powerful Exact Audio Copy to rip music from even the most scratched CDs.

Today, I spent an hour or so updating the content management system I use, CMSimple, to version 3.0. It's still a little rough around the edges, but I love it.

Moving?

2007-01-26T11:17:00.000-05:00

I've got a website in the works that I should have up in a week or so. I'm using MS Frontpage 2003, but doing a lot of the work myself from scratch. The initial website will probably contain more Frontpage-specific code than later versions, just because I am trying to expedite the process. The blog here will be continued via WordPress, and most of the good viral content will make it onto its own web pages on the actual site.

I'll also have a subdomain for a little project I have going...(more on that later)

Hosting will be through NearlyFreeSpeech.net, a pay-as-you-go sort of service with unbelievable bang for your buck.

The URL should be thisissamtaylor.com; at a later date I might add samgtaylor.com, also.

Updates

2007-01-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

Haven't been on here in a while, letting the blog speak for itself.
College applications are going out. I found out that Eckerd, my No 1 pick, will be viewing mine in the next two days then letting me know by snail mail. It's rather nerve-racking. I've already got into the University of South Florida, my No 2, but the mitigating factor in the final decision, I fear, will be financial aid.

This blog has kind of been evolving on its own to a point where I feel it's more of a "post the best viral stories" blog than a personal deal. This outlook is appealing to me and I'll be doing more along the lines of humor and posting more often. I'll also post more guides on software, hardware, et cetera, as time goes on.

It looks like I've won my first award from The Blog Blog, a collection of the upper crust of blogs out there. Keep on referring this site to friends as I post more viral or useful content. Since I'm not paying anything for this blogspace, I feel no reason to put up ads or banners, so the only thing I get out of this is a little street cred and recognition.

Let's go phishing (Valve style)

2006-11-30T21:39:00.000-05:00

Remember: be wary when a person from "tech support" asks you for any information. Most often, they're imposters trying to gain access to your money/PC/both.

But sometimes they get caught...

br0kenrabbit says:
hi

Greg_ValveOLS says:
good evening

br0kenrabbit says:
What's ip?

br0kenrabbit says:
up?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
my name is greg a member of the valve online Support team

br0kenrabbit says:
On MSN?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
yes :)

br0kenrabbit says:
Why?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
we logged multiple ips from your account and ned to verifi your information

br0kenrabbit says:
My information?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
we believe someone may have stolen your account mmmm you havent shared youre account infomation with anyone have you?

br0kenrabbit says:
No. I don't even have it written down.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
hmmm maybe a keylogger on you r PC then maybe you need a format?

br0kenrabbit says:
Well...

Greg_ValveOLS says:
if you can verify your account information to me i can insure that only your ip have access to it Its a new security feature were trying because this happens so muchlogin names and passwords aint safe anymroe You know. L:)

br0kenrabbit says:
Well

Greg_ValveOLS says:
dont worry this connect it secure

br0kenrabbit says:
Can I be honest with you, Greg?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
k

br0kenrabbit says:
Look, I don't know how you go this MSN account name, don't really care, either.

br0kenrabbit says:
Unlike you, I DO work for Valve. Trace my ip and you'll see.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
huh?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
bs

br0kenrabbit says:
Trace it.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
how

br0kenrabbit says:
Start/run/cmd type Tracert and then my IP address and hit enter.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
oh k

br0kenrabbit says:
As an employee, I know that Valve employees will NEVER contact users over MSN. I also know a valve employee will NEVER ask a user for his/her username and password.

br0kenrabbit says:
I'm putting a temporary hold on your Steam account.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
why?

br0kenrabbit says:
Have you read the ToS?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
Tod?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
tos

br0kenrabbit says:
terms of service

Greg_ValveOLS says:
were?

br0kenrabbit says:
Greg, this is a serious infraction against the Tos. You are at risk of losing your account.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
why

br0kenrabbit says:
I just told you why

Greg_ValveOLS says:
:(

br0kenrabbit says:
I need some information from you if you want me to unlock you account. I'm going to write you up but I will only suspend you account for three days, since this is your first infraction, okay?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
k

br0kenrabbit says:
First, what is the name the account is registered to. Not the user name, the persons real name who created the account. This is for verification purposes.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
xxxxx xxxxxxx

br0kenrabbit says:
Is this you?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
ya

br0kenrabbit says:
Are you the only user of this account?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
ya

br0kenrabbit says:
Okay, and what is the username

Greg_ValveOLS says:
xxxxxxxx

br0kenrabbit says:
Okay.

br0kenrabbit says:
I see you have purchased a few of our games, thank you. :)

Greg_ValveOLS says:
some. dude

Greg_ValveOLS says:
m

br0kenrabbit says:
Do you always log on from the same IP?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
ya

br0kenrabbit says:
And who is your internet providers, your ISP?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
xxxxxxx

br0kenrabbit says:
Thank you. One moment, please, let me verify this information.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
am i gonna be bale to play 2nite?

br0kenrabbit says:
What is your city of residence?

br0kenrabbit says:
That depends on if you cooperate. You're doing fine so far.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
xxxxxx

br0kenrabbit says:
Illinios?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
yes

br0kenrabbit says:
Okay. And what is the password associated with this account?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
xxxxxxx

br0kenrabbit says:
Okay. Do not try to log into steam. If you are connected now you need to log off.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
why

br0kenrabbit says:
So I can update your account.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
can I play 2 nite

Greg_ValveOLS says:
clan fight

Greg_ValveOLS says:
wont win without me heh

br0kenrabbit says:
Heh. You'll have to wait a few minutes. Are you logged off?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
ya

br0kenrabbit says:
Okay. Give me just a moment.

br0kenrabbit says:
Try to log in now.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
k

Greg_ValveOLS says:
It says login failed wtf wtf!!@?

br0kenrabbit says:
Greg

Greg_ValveOLS says:
did u ban me???????????>WHY

br0kenrabbit says:
Greg

Greg_ValveOLS says:
what

br0kenrabbit says:
Valve will never ask for your username and password.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
what????

br0kenrabbit says:
I don't work for Valve dude, but you just got pwnt.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
omg dude wtf why?

br0kenrabbit says:
Why were you trying to steal my account?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
i wanst

br0kenrabbit says:
Then why were you asking for my information?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
i was just making a joke but not cerious honest dude just give
my acount back pllllleeease i'm only 13 and save d up for like a year to buy it

br0kenrabbit says:
Greg

Greg_ValveOLS says:
dude pleas

Greg_ValveOLS says:
what

br0kenrabbit says:
Go mow some yards, bitch.

Tribute to Doc J

2006-11-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

Last year I took Honors Physics with a teacher we, at PHS, affectionately call "Doc J." Dr. James Miller, former high-level employee at Phizer, has spent years teaching because he has nothing better to do (he's loaded). He's a great teacher and has given us a lot of fun along the way.
Here's a list compiled by the liberal everyone loves to hate: Elie Blimes.

Master List of Doc J Quotes 2004-2005

"One guy screws up, y'all pay."
"Y'all be sitting in the hall enjoying the sunshine."
"They propagate the amplitudes; the amplitude propagates in an opposite direction."
Doc J: "You'll get your test back the last ten minutes of class."
Erin: "You just said the first ten minutes."
Doc J: "Well, I lied. If I did that you wouldn't pay attention to a word I said."
Us: "We don't do that anyway."
"I'm on a mission from God."
Doc J: "For those of you who have taken...uh...AP...uh...uh..."
Someone: "AP Lit?"
Doc J: "AP Chem. And AP Lit won't help you, unless you have a really weird teacher."
"There are 1500 different formulas to describe the wavelength of light."
"It's reflected across a meer. I look at a meer, I get scared."
"What is Gauss's Law?"
Perry: "Whoever smelt it, dealt it."
"Your choices are slim to none and slim just left town."
Doc J: "I'd be looking at Matt..."
Perry: "You'd be looking at me."
Doc J: "I'll look at you later."
Doc J: "All right."
Erin: "It's 12:05."
Doc J: "I know. That's why I said all right."
Us: "He says it 80 times a class anyway."
Doc J: "Yeah, I know. I say it all the time."
Perry, taking test: "Thanks, J. Sorry, Doctor J."
Doc J: "Oh, it's O.K. I'm not big on titles."
Perry: "That's good."
Doc J: "Hey, you can calls me Ray or you can calls me Jay."
Doc J, passing back test: "Ryan Hill?"
"This reminds me of a story. There's only five minutes between a C and an A."
Perry: "What's the word of the day?"
Doc J: "There's only five minutes between a C and an A."
Perry: "So that's the phrase of the day."
Doc J: "No, that's the word. I call it a word."
The test has "ICA-4QM” written in the space for test number.
Me: "Doc J, what does ICA-4QM1 stand for?"
Doc J: "In-class assignment, fourth quarter, magnetism one."
"How could you not have calculators? You guys are all nerds."
"I didn't like working there because my coworkers kept shafting me"
"If Mrs. Driscoll saw me do this she'd roll in her grave" [she's alive]
"We all have to set realistic goals...mine is to lose 10 pounds in a year"
"If you're fooling around in class you'll be fooling around with me in the prep room after school...my prep room needs cleaning out"
"Now....we have r... [Brandon: Arrrrrrr!] ...yes! Arrrr!... [class: Arrrrrr!] ....Arrrrr!...now shh..."
"[to Ryan Hall, who is dressed in costume] I used to date a girl who looked like that...she was from Pennsylvania or something"
"You can call me Ray or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Ray Jay- it makes no difference"
"S.H.U.T.U.P. Shut up! If you're not quiet I'm going to put my size 11 foot up your ass!"
"Now, I haven't had to break out the size 11s yet, but if I don't have quiet..."
"This problem is about the birds and the bees..."
"Now I think this is a little complex to teach to freshmen" [we're all juniors and seniors]
"The class average was a 52, which is good for a physics test"
"If you use the wrong units, Skeletor will be happy because he'll eat you”
"Next week I'm gonna give you an optional mini quiz."
"The test will have 25 questions, which will take you 1-3 minutes each."
"The way the supplementary test works is that I'm gonna average it with your poorest test of the quarter. Therefore, it can only help you."
"Jen next, Joe next, uh, uh [wags finger at Ryan] uh, uh, yeah."
"The height is analogous to the distance."
"I've always been considered borderline criminal wherever I worked."
"The ying yang is very important."
"Thermodynamics. Thermo...thermodynamics..thermodynamic

s...dynamics.. .thermodynamics."
"These are my words after reading 1000 different books."
"it...it...it...err..."
"There are two forms of the right hand rule--the karate chop and the finger curl. It's taken me two years to get it."
"It's very graphic. You'll see some pictures of this next week."
Perry and I: "I hope so."
“Next person who talks is going to spend some quality time in the hall—no warning. It’s not good for you to sit in the hall looking like a dolt.”
“Molecularlrly.”
“Kappa is Greek for K.”
“The third concept…” [points to #4]
“An atom is a mini magnet.”
“We might be able to make a mass spectrometer.”
“This is decided by the feathers on an arrow or a Dunkin Donuts cup.”
“One more thing. What happens when you….[pauses and turns to Yvonne] yes?”
“I want to give you some reading because it’s a good question and I’m not going to ignore it.”
“This is why the magnetic particles prevent life from being eradicated on earth. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
“Your test score is in powder blue.”
“Joe sartorially resplendent Presto, all dressed up.”
"Because of the music trips, I had to do eighteen makeups during class time."
"He was a sheep herder in the hills of Scotland. His only company was sheep."
"This was derived experimentally from the following experiment."
[to a just-waking-up Matt] "I was getting ready to pounce on you."
"What do feathers look like?" [draws an "X" on the board]
"The sine of 90 is always one. That's one 99% of the time."
"This experiment flabbergasted the scientists."
"Shock of all shocks..."
"Let's say we put 1000 volts..."
Perry: "Holy crap!"
Doc J: "That's not much."
"V is perpendicular to V which is perpendicular to F."
[magnet experiment] "When I shut off the current, you would think they would come apart, right? Uh....they did. Let me try this again..."
"We're going to move more swiftly but not rush."
"Some of you may not realize the space shuttle can not be flown without astronauts."
"What does equipotential surface stand for? Equi means equal, potential means potential, and surface means surface."
"Energy is quantized in terms of photons of discrete energy levels."
"Those of you who don't care, that's great. I don't care now either."
"What does this equation tell us? What this equation tells us is a lot."
"By the way, force is a force."
"Shh! Guys, I'm getting ripped! Now."
"Then they said, 'self, what equation gives us more force?'"
"In the bizarro world of physics, 2 + 2 is not necessarily 4."
"If you had an energy field and you sh-sh-shot a self-respecting particle through it..."
"...sinusoidally time varying electric field..."
"Are they related? No, they're the same."
Perry: "What does sinusoidally mean?"
Doc J: "You go to your math teacher and tell him you don't know what sinusoidally means and I'd like to see the size 12 footprint on your ass."
"If you look at a math book, you'll see a weird vector with a hat thingy on it at the end."
"Let us go back to the days of the dinosaurs. The earth had a molten core. It still does. It had lots of volcanic action, and lots of poor, unsuspecting iron."
[talking to Perry after class] "Now, I was going to play a really cruel joke on Erin. You see, I was going to make a memo from the music department saying something like 'three unannounced rehearsals' and sign it and put it on her desk. But I'm not that mean."
"This is the time of year some teachers get annoyed...[pauses and looks right at Joe] Because what?!?!?!?!...never mind."
"One year I gave a test and out of 58 people, there were 33 makeups because of music trips."
"You think it's funny. See how funny it is when you have to make it up and I'll crawl all over you."
"For the next three weeks, 20% of the class will be absent every day."
"I'm just trying to explain why people who are nice turn surly this time of year."
"This capacitor is 0.6 microfarads, this one is 0.4 microfarads..."
Perry: "What's a microfarad?"
Me: "A small rodent."
"In the next 17 days I'll get asked questions--can I go to this music recital? The answer is blank no!"
"I got so fed up with the music department, I was going to go down there with a baseball bat and start clubbing somebody."
"When I heard that, I went off like Mt. Vesuvius!"
"I wanted to do a minute of something or two..."
"I'd like you to read it the words. Do not try to understand everything about this."
[loudly knocks on table with ball]
Brandon: "Who's there?"
Doc J: "Me."
Erica, in a loud, clear voice: "Will there be any resistance on the test?"
Doc J: "OK. Here's the question. Erica asked a question. Is there any resistance on the test? No."
"The equation is derived in all its glory on page 558."
"I'm going to do this pictorally."
"They're emblazoned in yellow."
"We carry the rest along for the ride..."
"First step. We're done. Next step..."
"I'm working myself backward."
[Brandon coughs] Perry: "Shh!!" Doc J: "That's OK. A cough is acceptable."
"All these points are cooked up to the battery..."
"The net result of all the splits must equal the sum."
"They all drop 10 volts, not a different 10 volts, the same 10 volts; all are acrost 10 volts."
"If your head has not exploded [pauses] that's a good sign."
"You drop 10% of your total energy across [holds up Coke bottle] all three of these."
"If you never [pauses] listen carefully. If you never..."
"S'OK? S'all right."
"It requires you pummeling me with questions 'til it makes sense."
"Mike Goodes is absent today." [class laughs] "What's so funny?" Erin: "You said Goodes." Doc "What?" Erin: "You said Goodes instead of Goode." Doc J: "What?" Erin: "You said Goodes." Doc J: "Oh. People from Buffalo always add S's to the ends of words."
“This requires discipline, something some of you lack."
"Please be kind to your fellow brethren."
[checks Brandon's hw] "OK. You're good. You're cooking with gas."
"Next person who says anything will spend 5 minutes in the hall. No further warnings. No questions. So if I go 'shht' and 'shht' [points finger] you're spending 5 minutes of quality time in the hall."
"If you take the altitude of the triangle and find the centroid, it's equidistant from the three points. Centroid."
"A drawing means what is the direction of the electric field."
"Let me draw up and then see if it makes sense."
"Up means up."
"It's R squared, dude."
"We have some wire strippers here."
"You can get them out of this box [holds up a paper grocery bag]"
"You should begin building your robutt."
"You misdrew it."
"College professors. 50% are good, 50% I wouldn't bother to load 'em up with dynamite because it wouldn't be worth it."
"We'll do this tomorrow." [said on a Friday]
"Sorry for the pontification."
"Your final score is in powder blue."
"The additional topics is on the sideboard."
“Uh, uh, uh." [molests bear while talking]
“That's the--that's--that's--that's for--that's..."
“Good question. Here's my answer to that. Uh, no."
“We're gonna do robutts a couple of times this week."
"The balloon sticks to the wall because the water molecules in the wall align themselves..."
“What is grounding? Anything attached to the earth, through a pipe or elsewhere."
“And we have our charged rod and two metal balls...what happens if we remove the balls [makes a yanking motion with his hand]...and what about if we only remove one ball?....or put one over here and the other over here?"
"As Mrs. Bachman used to say, just get notes from someone you trust."
"Yesterday, we went over the chapter 33 worksheet." (no we didn't)
"If you weren't here yesterday, you should get everybody's notes."
"Now, everybody, you are battery..."
"It's basically because physicists are all messed up when it comes to chemistry."
"When it makes sense to explain things in terms of chemistry, I explain things in terms of chemistry. When it makes sense to explain things in terms of physics, I explain things in terms of physics."
"The first two symbols is...[no one talks]...that's right. A battery."
"Any device that stores charge means that the charge can be dumped through your body."
"If you already haven't picked it up..."
Question: "What does P stand for?"
Doc J: "P stands for putting a little positive test charge at point P."
"Take your positive test charge and stick it anywhere you want."
"What is a dipole? Di means two, and pole means pole."
"It starts at the positive targe..."
"There's just a little curvature right here..."
"I went over all these before the holiday break." [what holiday, Doc?]
"In college, I chose the mechanistic approach. I chose to memorize 20 processes instead of 10,000 reactions. You can apply this to everything except Biology. There's no easy way to learn the diference between a tibia and a fibia." [a fibula, maybe?]
"Let me pull out my charged ball."
"Who cares? Spark plugs care. Spark plugs. Spark plugs are what direct the spark in the engine..."
"I drew an ameba surface because I like amebas. [cue class laughing] Now...shh...arright...now...shh..."
"It's like Thunderdome. One electric field line enters, one line leaves. Two men enter, one man leaves."
"Surface area. That's the area of the surface."
"Everybody shut up."

--INTERMISSION--

"No, I didn't get a haircut. I got my ears lowered."
"You'll be doing a research project on this next week." [it's vacation]
"If anyone's doing school week next week you're psychotic."
"If you're a numerologist that might tell you something about my mind."
"Is everybody copacetic with this?"
"I had some trepidations when I saw who was cutting my hair."
"Remember, your R is your R."
"Now the first thing people ask is the good question. What is the good question? I'll tell you when you shut up."
"You've just performed il anillanegal operation."
"We've already calculated the electric field in the Y direction with a mythical number."
“If you put eighteen teen point eight uh nine you'd get eighty-five percent credit. It's ambiguous without a picture."
"The tests were good for the most part. The average grade was 62%."
"No talking. I mean it." (no one was talking when he said this)
"I'm not asking for a pity party."
"Everybody's a critic." (after we showed him he had two number threes on a list)
"You should be able to put one and one...uh...uh...uh...together."
"It's like a video game. If you really understand the rules, you move on. If not, review your notes and the simple book first, then your book."
"Does that answer your question? Are you comfortable?"
"The walls in your house are made of gymsen. A special kind of gymsen. Its CH4 period H2O. Gymsem with water."
"I hope you're enjoying yourselves in the back row. Two of you did so bad on the last test you made me puke. Yes, you made me sick. If you just want to talk, get the hell out of my class."
"I don't care if you learn any physics in here."
"The definition of eeeehhhh [strange noise] electric field."
"We have a mythical charge..."
"That kinda crap makes me feel you don't respect me."
"Some of you who are clowning around are selfish. You'll get fired later in life."
"It says field, which means you should remember force."
"You guys would never understand one of my favorite oldies shows, the Red Fox Show." [O.K...thanks for sharing]
"You may have heard me slip in a few fields over the years."
"It's a force you can feel, which is why it's called a field."
"If you talk, today could be the day you have to spend some quality time with me after school. I'm not joking. The next person I see talking will have detention with me after school for two hours. I have a beautiful prep room. And Mr. Szymanski has a dirty fish tank. It's dirty. It smells like 15-day-old cod and is filled with nitric waste."
"What is a conductor?"
Kuchta: "Someone that controls a train"
Doc J: "I don't want any wise ass answers. I fart on your grave."
"I'm going to be trying some experiments on you guys."
"We trick the poor unsuspecting electrons..."
"You are budding young molecular modelers."
"I'm talking about bondage."
"This one has the fuller shell."
Erin: "That's me."
Doc J: "Right"
"Mrs. Kearney is going to start rolling in her grave. Mrs. Bachman too."
"This is an area I spent over 20 years in. Not this one, but another one."
"These are the nucleuses of copper."
"Don't mess with my fur."
"The flunk out course for lawyers is ethics."
"You're only as good as your next year."
"Then, we're going to put a charged rod next to metal balls."
"I looked it over really quickly but really carefully."
"Do you have problems with any of these two problems?" [Class: "Number Three"'] "Oh, no...I'm on the practice problems." [Class: "we know"]
"This problem is a discussion problem. Why is it a discussion problem? Because it has multiple answers."
"I want you to try and get the answer stipulated."
"This is the standard way is usually normally works."
"Everybody, here we got it."
"If I hear you talking you're going to spend some quality time with me after school." [in the prep room]
"We're doing it this way so you know it right from the front" [perhaps he means "start"]
"d is a word."
Doc J: "Your substitute teacher was Jen Tansey's mom."
Class: "Actually, she's Ryan Tansey's mom."
Doc J: "Oh. I thought by definition they were all related."
"By tomorrow, you should have done the following..."
"Everybody, would you cut out the crap."
"It's identical. Only two things change."
"Now. Who cares? Now."
"I want you to understand that to understand light you need to understand magnetic fields."
"You can't miss it. It's emblazoned with Poiseuille's Law"
"the practice problems I gave you when I was gone..."
"How did they measure flow rate? They put a bucket under the pipe and measured the gallons of water that came flying out of the bucket."
"Was there any questions?"
"sharinow!" (slurs three together)
"Here are the characteristics of simple fluids. First, they must, must, must flow in a straight line. Second, they must not flow in a curved line."
"It's a pain in the buttinsky."
"If you're enjoying yourself, enjoy yourself quietly." (oh, man...")
"I need quiet. Quiet is...just what I said. Quiet means quiet."
"There are at least 65 field trips planned through the rest of the year."
"Over 50% of the class was here yesterday and knows this stuff."
Arright, Now, everybody. Notice. Shh!"
"Arright. Shh. Everybody good? Shh!"
"Do you buy the following..."
"This ice cube is under water." [Perry: 'Is that an ice cube?'] "Yes it is."
"You will not be responsible for deriving this equation." [forgot who: 'do we need to know how to derive it?'] "No you don't."
"The deepness is..."
"Everybody I know buys the fact..."
"If you were not here yesterday..."
"You have a full tank of water. It is completely full."
"It was a real big one point curve."
"I was a lousy memorizerer."
"No joke. You think I'm joking but I'm not. Now shh! Alright. Now shh!"
"Allison, you just have one more problem to make up. [looks up] She's not here today. No fault of her own. She wasn't feeling well. She just has to make up one more problem. It's no fault of her own."
[after he wakes up Joe Stiles] "Now...I don't like people laughing at other people...shh! [we're now laughing at him] shh shh shh shh shh shh shh shh! [class is lauging even harder] now...shh....please...shh!"

Any spare cash?

2006-11-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

If I only had a better job...
- Kentsfield quad-core processors now available on Newegg: preorder at $1500!
link
- And something else to use up the excess computing power of the QX6700: A USB Missile Launcher.
link
- And if you use Xbox Live, you'll be pleased to know that there will be a public Halo 3 multiplayer beta coming out in the spring.
link
What will they think of next?

Leader or Follower?

2006-10-19T15:57:00.000-04:00

There's no such thing as a free lunch...

2006-10-11T08:38:00.000-04:00

...but there is good free software out there.

Here's a serious contribution for a change – what follows is a list of problem-free freeware that every person should have on their computer. Period. These programs I actually use and have on my computer right now, so you can trust that they are pretty easy to use and can work for everyone. Download links are at bottom.

Antivirus – AVG Free. Produced by Grisoft, this is probably the best free antivirus program out there.

Pros: I've been using it on my parent's DSL-connected PC for several years now, and have had no problems. Updates are easy and often, and the GUI is user-friendly.

Cons: No technical support. I have heard occasions where AVG Free has found non-existent viruses, but have not actually witnessed that myself.

Antispyware – This is a mixed bag, but I can tell you you will definitely want Spybot Search and Destroy.
Pros: The best part is its protection faculties – while this isn't considered the best program for scanning for spyware, I have never found any spyware when the option to “Block loading of bad pages” is enabled, along with the Teatimer background process. I've tested it. This blocks everything (or so it seems).
Cons: This isn't the easiest program to use. There is a lot of help provided, but this is a powerful program that asks for a little attention before you can use it to its full potential. Scanning isn't as good as other programs.

Firewall – I've really only used Zonealarm Free, which is pretty simple, except updating is a pain in the a**. You have to download the whole program and basically install it again. I don't recommend it unless you really want protection, because it really does do its job.
I've read a lot recently that the firewall that comes with XP SP2 actually suits most people just fine. And I think I have to agree. DSL/Cable connections are a little more risky, but if you don't have any sensitive data on your computer, the Windows firewall should do just fine. But you need XP and Service Pack 2.

Cleanup – One program really stands out above the rest here – CCleaner. It is very easy to use, and can detect your installed programs and knows which of their files are temporary and can be removed safely. You have the options to clean or not clean certain kinds of entries, such as remembered passwords or URLs you've typed recently.
Also, it can clean your registry of unnecessary entries, telling you why each entry can be removed, and (this is the best part) allows you to back them up before you remove them. I really haven't seen that anywhere else. Made a mistake? Double-click on your backup and the entries are back in the registry like nothing happened.
There is nothing wrong with this program at all. Get it and find out how much leaner and meaner your computer can be.

Office – OpenOffice.org is really good since 2.0 came out. It has document compatibility with Microsoft Office, and in the options you can choose to save all works in Office formats. If I didn't know better, I'd say I was using Microsoft Office right now. The money in my pocket tells me the difference.
The only problem is that macros are encoded differently, so power users/business might want to stick with Microsoft until someone comes up with a way to convert between the two.

Image Editing – Paint.NET, which evolved out of a college project, really rocks. It uses the .NET Framework 2.0, so you'll need to download that first, but trust me, it's worth the wait. It's also got optimizations for multi-core processors, meaning if you have a dual-core AMD or Intel it will run that much better. I don't do image editing much, but I can tell you that this is the next best thing to Adobe Photoshop.

Multimedia – MediaMonkey is really a great undervalued program that it great at cataloguing large (50,000+) music collections. It can automate many tasks, and you can write your own scripts in a number of languages for it if you're so inclined. It can rip, burn, convert, re-tag, etc. all at the same time, so if your PC is powerful enough you can get multiple tasks going, and monitor all of them at the bottom of the screen. Want one to go faster? Raise its priority. There is also a plugin available that allows you to catalogue and watch movie files as well. All attributes that can't be tagged directly on the files are stored in a database file, which you can backup easily.
The only con to this is some options are disabled in the free version, but they are ones most of us can live without. I'm actually considering buying this at some point – it is well worth it.

Download links:

http://majorgeeks.com/AVG_Free_Edition_d886.html
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=388 (Zonealarm)
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=2471 (Spybot S&D)
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4191 (CCleaner)
http://www.openoffice.org/
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4548 (Paint.NET)
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/netframework/aa731542.aspx (.NET Framework)
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4907 (MediaMonkey)

So that's the list. Download and enjoy!

Sincerely,

Samuel Taylor – Always A Good Decision.

P.S. I'd appreciate if you commented (you don't have to be a registered Blogger to comment), or at least pass this list on if you found it helpful (click the e-mail icon below this post).

Keep coming back for updates and more helpful info! Sam T.

Error! The operation completed sucessfully...

2006-10-05T15:52:00.000-04:00

2006-10-03T19:26:00.000-04:00

Why teachers are so stressed out...

2006-10-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

In the beginning there was the computer...

2006-10-02T09:01:00.000-04:00

Another funny story - this time borrowed from http://www.palmyra.demon.co.uk

In the beginning there was the computer …

And God said

C:\>Let there be light!

Enter user id. C:\>God

Enter password. C:\>Omniscient

Password incorrect. Try again. C:\>Omnipotent

Password incorrect. Try again. C:\>Technocrat

And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Sunday, March 1.

C:\>Let there be light!

Unrecognisable command. Try again. C:\>Create light

Done. C:\>Run heaven and earth

And God created Day and Night. And God saw there were 0 errors.

And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Sunday, March 1.

And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Monday, March 2.

C:\>Let there be firmament in the midst of water and light

Unrecognisable command. Try again. C:\>Create firmament

Done. C:\>Run firmament

And God divided the waters. And God saw there were 0 errors.

And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Monday, March 2.

And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Tuesday, March 3.

C:\>Let the waters under heaven be gathered together unto one place and let the dry land appear and …

Too many characters in specification string. Try again. C:\>Create dry_land

Done. C:\>Run firmament

And God divided the waters. And God saw there were 0 errors.

And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Tuesday, March 3.

And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Wednesday, March 4.

C:\>Create lights in the firmament to divide the day from the night

Unspecified type. Try again. C:\>Create sun_moon_stars

Done. C:\>Run sun_moon_stars

And God divided the waters. And God saw there were 0 errors.

And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Wednesday, March 4.

And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Thursday, March 5.

C:\>Create fish

Done. C:\>Create fowl

Done. C:\>Run fish, fowl

And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that creepeth wherewith the waters swarmed after its kind and every winged fowl after its kind. And God saw there were 0 errors.

And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Thursday, March 5.

And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Friday, March 6.

C:\>Create cattle

Done. C:\>Create creepy_things

Done. C:\>Now let us make man in our image

Unspecified type. Try again. C:\>Create man

Done. C:\>Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth

Too many command operands. Try again. C:\>Run multiplication

Execution terminated. 6 errors. C:\>Insert breath

Done. C:\>Run multiplication

Execution terminated. 5 errors. C:\>Move man to Garden of Eden File

Garden of Eden does not exist. C:\>Create Garden.edn

Done. C:\>Move man to Garden.edn

Done. C:\>Run multiplication

Execution terminated. 4 errors. C:\>Copy woman from man

Done. C:\>Run multiplication

Execution terminated. 2 errors. C:\>Create desire

Done. C:\>Run multiplication

And God saw man and woman being fruitful and multiplying in Garden.edn

Warning: No time limit on this run. 1 errors. C:\>Create freewill

Done. C:\>Run freewill

And God saw man and woman being fruitful and multiplying in Garden.edn

Warning: No time limit on this run. 1 errors. C:\>Undo desire

Desire cannot be undone once freewill is created. C:\>Destroy freewill

Freewill is an inaccessible file and cannot be destroyed. Enter replacement, cancel, or ask for help. C:\>Help Desire cannot be undone once freewill is created.

Freewill is an inaccessible file and cannot be destroyed. Enter replacement, cancel, or ask for help. C:\>Create tree_of_knowledge

And God saw man and woman being fruitful and multiplying in Garden.edn

Warning: No time limit on this run. 1 errors. C:\>Create good, evil

Done. C:\>Activate evil

And God saw he had created shame.

Warning system error in sector E95. Man and woman not in Garden.edn. 1 errors. C:\>Scan Garden.edn for man, woman

Search failed. C:\>Delete shame

Shame cannot be deleted once evil has been activated. C:\>Destroy freewill

Freewill is an inaccessible file and cannot be destroyed. Enter replacement, cancel, or ask for help. C:\>Stop

Unrecognizable command. Try again. C:\>Break

C:\>Break

C:\>Break

ATTENTION ALL USERS *** ATTENTION ALL USERS: COMPUTER GOING DOWN FOR REGULAR DAY OF MAINTENANCE AND REST IN FIVE MINUTES. PLEASE LOG OFF.

C:\>Create new world

You have exceeded your allocated file space. You must destroy old files before new ones can be created. C:\>Destroy earth

Destroy earth: Please confirm. C:\>Destroy earth confirmed

COMPUTER DOWN *** COMPUTER DOWN. SERVICES WILL RESUME SUNDAY, MARCH 8 AT 6:00 AM. YOU MUST SIGN OFF NOW.

And God logged off at 11:59:59 PM, Friday, March 6.

2006-09-26T20:43:00.000-04:00

As "borrowed" from Bit-Tech.net:

Lesson number #1: When you have a toddler who apparently has an affinity for eBay auctions, don't save your password for your account.

Apparently, a UK mother has learned this lesson the hard way. According to Rachel Neal, her little whiz-kid Jack apparently bid on a barbie-pink Nissan Figero automobile...and won. When the parents received the congratulations e-mail from eBay, they were utterly surprised. After all, the kid is only three years old.

"We couldn't figure out what was happening," she told the Daily Telegraph. "So we checked and saw it was a Barbie pink car which we'd bought for 8999 pounds ($22,750). We flew into a panic."

Yeah. She went on to further elaborate, "Jack's a whiz on the PC and just pressed all the right buttons." Apparently, Jack came in the next day and said, "I've bought a car."

The car in question is a collector's item that was restored, and was being sold by Worchester Road Motors. When the parents contacted the company, the seller was more than gracious. He immediately cancelled the bid and re-listed the car for auction, saying he was "amused" by the chain of events.

All we need is Bill Cosby saying, "Kids say the darndest things!" So there you have it - a three year-old buys a 9,000 quid car, and idiotic parents have a chuckle about how smart their kid is. Fortunately, everyone had a laugh this go around - eBay Motors is a contract purchase, and the parents could have easily been held liable. Hopefully daddy doesn't save por...uhh, "mature content" passwords in a similar fashion.

2006-09-25T17:21:00.000-04:00

Yay for Alan Schlesinger! He spoke at our school today and it was a relief from the regular spinning politicians.
Now if we can only get Bill O'Reilly...
Campaign Website
Wikipedia Entry
On The Issues page

P.S. I just found the site On The Issues. It seems to be a good source for really finding out about politicians. I think I'll use it before Lamont comes to speak (if he comes), so I can rough him up a little...

2006-09-22T08:56:00.000-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS!

What OS are you?

If WWII was a video game...

2006-09-18T17:22:00.000-04:00

If WWII was a video game...
(by the way, feel free to comment - you don't have to be a member)

*Hitler[AoE] has joined the game.*
*Eisenhower has joined the game.*
*paTTon has joined the game.*
*MacRthr has joined the game. *
*Churchill has joined the game.*
*benny-tow has joined the game.*
*T0J0 has joined the game.*
*Roosevelt has joined the game.*
*Stalin has joined the game.*
*deGaulle has joined the game.*

Roosevelt: hey sup
T0J0: y0
Stalin: hi
Churchill: hi
Hitler[AoE]: cool, i start with panzer tanks!
paTTon: lol more like panzy tanks
T0JO: lol
Roosevelt: o this f*** sucks i got a depression!
benny-tow: haha america sux
Stalin: hey hitler you dont fight me i dont fight u, cool?
Hitler[AoE]; sure whatever
Stalin: cool
deGaulle: *** Hitler rushed some1 help
Hitler[AoE]: lol byebye frenchy
Roosevelt: i dont got *** to help, sry
Churchill: *** the luftwaffle is attacking me
Roosevelt: get antiair guns
Churchill: i cant afford them
benny-tow: u n00bs know what team talk is?
paTTon: stfu
Roosevelt: o yah hit the navajo button guys
deGaulle: eisenhower ur worthless come help me quick
Eisenhower: i cant do *** til rosevelt gives me an army
paTTon: yah hurry the f*** up
Churchill: d00d im gettin pounded
deGaulle: this is f*** weak u guys suck
*deGaulle has left the game.*
Roosevelt: im gonna attack the axis k?
benny-tow: with what? ur wheelchair?
benny-tow: lol did u mess up ur legs AND ur head?
Hitler[AoE]: ROFLMAO
T0J0: lol o no america im comin 4 u
Roosevelt: ***! thats bullshit u fags im gunna kick ur asses
T0JO: not without ur harbors u wont! lol
Roosevelt: u little **** ill get u
T0J0: mac i'm totally kicking ur ***
MacRthr: BRB AFK

Hitler[AoE]: ***
Hitler[AoE]: america hax, u had depression and now u got a huge f*** army
Hitler[AoE]: thats bullshit u hacker
Churchill: lol no more france for u hitler
Hitler[AoE]: tojo help me!
T0J0: *** u want me to do, im on the other side of the world retard
Hitler[AoE]: fine ill clear you a path
Stalin: *** u asshoel! WE HAD A f*** TRUCE
Hitler[AoE]: i changed my mind lol
benny-tow: haha
benny-tow: hey ur losing ur guys in africa im gonna need help in italy soon sum1
T0J0: o *** i cant help u i got my hands full
Hitler[AoE]: im 2 busy 2 help
Roosevelt: yah thats right **** im comin for ya
Stalin: church help me
Churchill: like u helped me before? sure ill just sit here
Stalin: dont be an ***
Churchill: dont be a commie. oops too late
Eisenhower: LOL
benny-tow: hahahh oh *** help
Hitler: o man ur f***
paTTon: oh what now ****
Roosevelt: whos the cripple now lol
*benny-tow has been eliminated.*
benny-tow: lame
Roosevelt: gj patton
paTTon: thnx

Hitler[AoE]: *** eisenhower hax hes killing all my ***
Hitler[AoE]: quit u hacker so u dont ruin my record
Eisenhower: Nuts!
benny~tow: *** that mean?
Eisenhower: meant to say nutsack lol finger slipped
paTTon: coming to get u hitler u paper hanging hun cocksucker
Stalin:
T0J0: HAHAHHAA
Hitler[AoE]: u guys are f*** ***
Hitler[AoE]: ur never getting in my city
*Hitler[AoE] has been eliminated.*
benny~tow: OMG u noob you killed yourself
Eisenhower: ROFLOLOLOL
Stalin: OMG LMAO!
Hitler[AoE]: *** i didnt click there omg this game blows
*Hitler[AoE] has left the game*
paTTon: hahahhah
T0J0: *** my teammates are n00bs
benny~tow: shut up noob
Roosevelt: haha wut a moron
paTTon: *** am i gunna do now?
Eisenhower: yah me too
T0J0: why dont u attack me o thats right u dont got no ships lololol
Eisenhower: f*** u
paTTon: lemme go thru ur base commie
Stalin: go to hell lol
paTTon: f*** this *** im goin afk
Eisenhower: yah this is ***
MacRthr: k back!
*Roosevelt has left the game.*

Hitler[AoE]: ***?
Eisenhower: *** now we need some1 to join
*tru_m4n has joined the game.*

tru_m4n: hi all
T0J0: hey
Stalin: sup
Churchill: hi
tru_m4n: OMG OMG OMG i got all his stuff!
tru_m4n: NUKES! HOLY *** I GOT NUKES
Stalin: d00d gimmie some plz
tru_m4n: no way i only got like a couple
Stalin: omg dont be *** gimmie nuculer secrets
T0J0: *** is nukes?
T0J0: holy shitholyshithoylshit!
*T0J0 has been eliminated.*
*The Allied team has won the game!*
Eisenhower: awesome!
Churchill: gg noobs no re
T0J0: thats bullshit u f*** suck
*T0J0 has left the game.*
*Eisenhower has left the game.*
Stalin: next game im not going to be on ur team, u guys didnt help me for ***
Churchill: wutever, we didnt need ur help neway ********
tru_m4n: l8r all
benny~tow: bye
Churchill: l8r
Stalin: f*** u all
MacRthr: f*** u commie!!!
MacRthr: ur next ****!
tru_m4n: shut up commie lol
*tru_m4n has left the game.*
benny~tow: lololol u commie
Churchill: ROFL
Churchill: bye commie
*Churchill has left the game.*
*benny~tow has left the game.*
*MacRthr has left the game.*
Stalin: i hate u all fags
*Stalin has left the game.*
paTTon: lol no1 is left
paTTon: weeeee i got a jeep
*paTTon has been eliminated.*
paTTon: o ***!
*paTTon has left the game.*

(This wasn't written by me, but I saw it on a forum a couple of years ago and had to save it...)

2006-09-14T13:02:00.000-04:00

Computer Stats:

ASUS P5WD2-E Premium

Intel Pentium D 930 (OC'd 20% to 3.6Ghz)

2GB Patriot EP (PC2-6400 @ 4-4-4-12) RAM

2 x 160GB Western Digital Caviar Hard Drives (RAID 1)

XFX 7600GS Extreme Edition

DVD+-RW and DVD-ROM

Antec P160 Aluminum Case

2006-09-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Click this! Now!

2006-09-06T09:11:00.000-04:00

Back at school today after the long Labor Day weekend. On Monday I and a couple very good friends of mine went to Lime Rock Park, in Lime Rock, CT, to the Rolex Vintage Festival presented by BMW. Very nice – I saw Bugattis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, and many, many new Mini Coopers (well over five hundred). Best of all, I got to see them race – that was very rewarding, despite the $45 ticket. I'll get some pics up when I get the chance.

Anyhoo, the cluster should be ready by the end of tomorrow. I scrapped ROCKS because I couldn't get the minimum 640MB RAM for each of the nodes, so now I'm going with dyne:bolic, which is actually a LiveCD version of Linux with OpenMosix, which controls the cluster functions. This distro is designed with multimedia working in mind, so I think my school could actually use this.

Another thing about this distro (or, rather, OpenMosix) is that there is no master/slave configuration – each unit works the same. That might be a double-edged sword when it comes to controlling the cluster. I guess I'll just have to see. So far, I'm using a 633mHz Celeron for the “master”, and two 400mHz P2s for the “slave” nodes. They're all connected via switch to themselves and the Net.

2006-09-02T11:32:00.000-04:00

I've worked with computers almost my whole life, it seems. I remember my family's first computer (beige, of course) when I was about five years old. I've come a long way from that first Pentium processor, but that color beige has come back one more time to me...

Pomperaug High School, in Southbury, CT, is one of the most state-of-the-art high schools in Connecticut. All of our computers in the Media Center (library) have LCD monitors, and all of our computers are new Pentium 4 Dells. We have an extremely fast network, our own television studio, and a computer design department with even better PCs for 3D animation and CAD. So what, pray tell, do we lack?

How about a supercomputer?

At school we have some Pentium II PCs lying around, the last of an old generation. I've decided to put those to work in a computer cluster (with the approval of the sysadmin, Mr. Murphy). I'm going to use these as the slave nodes and a slightly better Celeron computer for the master node. To control the nodes, I'll use ROCKS. As for what I'll do with them, I'm not really sure; I think I'm just doing this for the experience. I know that many, many colleges use cluster computing, and this could give me an edge.
For more info on cluster computing, try this page on Wikipedia.

EDIT: I'll use Linpack to see exactly how fast this system works. Then I'll compare it against the best past and present supercomputers at top500.org.

2006-09-01T14:57:00.000-04:00

After finally dragging myself to do it, I've started a new blog. (My last one was on Xanga under theworldisasheep).

I'm a senior in high school now, so in the coming months I guess I'll be writing about my college search/application process.

I have to go now, but I'll be writing more lengthy posts very soon.

HINT: I'm starting a ROCKS cluster computer grid. Expect the next post to be on that.

*genius not included

Windows 7 64-bit Distortion and Audio Bug is Major Problem

ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 - the little nettop that could

Battle of the Music Managers: foobar2000, MediaMonkey and iTunes

The Glitch Mob - 'Drink the Sea' [Review]

Ten Commandments of Deadmau5

Your friends are more popular than you, but you don't care

*break for best results | mashup compilation free to download

Glitch Mob Single Available - "Drive It Like You Stole It"

It's the weekend... let's make it a Lost Weekend

Facebook Gold

BT - These Hopeful Machines [Review]

Hadouken! - M.A.D. EP (Review)

Interesting spam emails, Part 1 - Gambling Fail

Wale - Attention Deficit (Review)

Parting out midrange PC, plus freebies, as in beer (literally!)

M-Audio X-Session Pro: Initial Thoughts

Stress Reliever

Thing You *Couldn't* Find on the Internet

An Open Letter to Our Nation's Leadership

Evil Nine - The Power EP (Review)

Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem (Review)

Röyksopp - Junior (review)

Spiralfrog No Longer Leaping - For Now

They Live! by Evil Nine (Review)

Life is...

I don't have time to read 25 arbitrary characteristics about you, most of which I already know

If Operating Systems Ran Airlines

UNIX Airways

Air DOS

Mac Airlines

Windows Air

Windows NT Air

Windows XP Air

Linux Air

Cubik

Random Updates, Ramblings, and a Request

Thoughts on the Republican debate and more

Addition - The Digital Copyright Debacle

New Guide - DVD Copy Protection

Mac Huntin' Season Is Officially Open

Back on the blog again...

Moving?

Updates

Let's go phishing (Valve style)

Tribute to Doc J

Any spare cash?

Leader or Follower?

There's no such thing as a free lunch...

Error! The operation completed sucessfully...

In the beginning there was the computer...

CONGRATULATIONS!

If WWII was a video game...

Thing You Couldn't Find on the Internet