Macpack

Ok this is a funny one. Use an oldschool mac as a backpack, albeit uncomfortably. I found it on Gizmodo.

RIAA Flow Chart

This flow chart gave me a genuine chuckle. I know it’s a joke, but as the post author points out, it’s rather accurate.

Expressive Connections

So I’ve been meaning to post something about this for a while now, but just hadn’t gotten to it. I think Twitter is so impulsive by nature, that it may have made me more spontaneous in my blog posting. (Let’s hope.)

Expressive Connections is a fully web 2.0 compliant website that allows its users to create a profile page and upload “works”. Works are images like photos, drawings, etc, or writings like articles, poems, or other literary works. The site also allows you to share a list of links and even your resume. What you end up with is a simple portfolio site that can be easily updated. Here’s mine.

It’s been Julie’s pet project since her web design class last semester when she took a simple html/css design project and turned it into an opportunity to allow me to help her along with learning Ruby on Rails. This semester, though, she’s in a real Rails class at MSU and is taking advantage of the opportunity for furthering the website. Expect OpenID support, on-site messaging, groups, and a “favorites” feature which will allow you to have friends and keep track of them somehow. And other fancy features are on the horizon!

RIAA Boycott

I’ve been following a series of articles on one of the feeds that I watch, Gizmodo, about an RIAA boycott. They are really throwing their weight in the wrong directions, and the only way to stop them is to choke their money supply. I highly recommend this post to get acquainted to the boycott and its reasons, and if you want more, look at this newly-posted entry with links to all the others.

Twitter.com

I’d been hearing about Twitter.com for some time now, particularly from the TWIT podcasts. (Leo Laporte uses this service quite a bit!) So, I decided to sign up for it last night.

The gist of it is this. Whenever you feel like it, you twit: Answer the question, “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less. (Or don’t answer the question at all…) When you add “friends” to “follow,” you can see what they’re all up to, creating a type of feed that can be somehow fun to check in with.

I’m not sure just how awesome this is, but it seems interesting enough for me to try it out. There’s also a dashboard widget among many other methods (IM, SMS, other apps) to make twitting as effortless as possible.

If you sign up, add me—I’m djthread.

Update: Talking to a friend, we decided this is the opposite of stalking. The stalkee continuously broadcasts everything to everybody rather than the stalker trying to “pull” the information surreptitiously.

Update 2: There’s a way to twit from Firefox and a wiki full of more alternatives.

Update 3: omg if ur on os x, Twitterific is nice!

The Novell-Microsoft Deal

So Novell and Microsoft finally made the deal they were apparently in talks about for some time. The deal essentially gets Microsoft a foot into the commercial aspects of linux use. They talk about sharing patents and increasing compatibility between the two OS’s, but ultimately it sounds pretty shady. Microsoft will be able to exert a great deal of pressure upon businesses who wish to use linux by outlining a “Microsoft blessed” way of doing things. Check out what Bruce Perens had to say.

Here’s what Red Hat said:

“An innovation tax is unthinkable. Free and open source software provide the necessary environment for true innovation. Innovation without fear or threat. Activities that isolate communities or limit upstream adoption will inevitably stifle innovation.”

Is Our Government Really Looking Out For Us?

I don’t typically discuss anything of this level of importance on my blog, but this is something I need to mention. I’ve been hearing a lot about the 9/11 conspiracy theory as of late. Some new documentaries have been coming out, and both YouTube and Google Video seem to be carrying an increasing number of these.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, let me give you the gist: All reasonable experts agree that the official theory on why the towers fell (fire from planes) is a very bad one, especially when you take into account building 7, which wasn’t even struck by a plane. No, folks, this was a controlled demolition that you witnessed on September 11, 2001. What this actually means is anybody’s guess, but the fact that our government has handled the situation how they have – withholding facts & other evidence and absolutely ignoring other, far more reasonable theories – suggests that they do, indeed, have something to hide.

If you’re new to all this, I highly recommend the following videos:

• Barrie Zwicker Speaks @ Winnipeg 9/11 Truth Event – This writer does a great job of explaining how important it is that we stand up and get the facts. Not just 9/11, but how it has been the basis for so much legislation. The “fear campaign” is bs. It’s short; I recommend watching it first.
• 9/11 Mysteries – This relatively new and very good documentary explains the events of September 11th very well. If nothing else, watch this one!
• Loose Change – Another leading documentary on the attacks.
• Independent Media In A Time Of War – A talk by Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!.
• Improbable Collapse: The Demolition of our Republic – One final recommended viewing. I love the part at the end where CNN’s Tucker Carlson more or less refuses to air a clip of Tower 7 collapsing as writer David Ray Griffin’s asks him to.

I’ve watched a fair number of these videos, and these are my favorites. For more information, I recommend the 9/11 Conspiracy Wikipedia entry and 911Truth.org.

Update: I need to add some more videos to the list. First, an 11 minute interview with author David Ray Griffin. This one is scary. At only 3:34, they speak of the Wolfowitz Doctrine and how its radical ideas could only rally support after a “massive catastrophic and catalyzing event.” (Sure enough…) And finally, a full-length documentary discussing the absolute failure of our mass media to ask the tough questions or otherwise reflect the opinions of huge proportions of our population that still have beliefs contrary to what we’re told.

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Who Killed the Electric Car? is a very interesting video that I hadn’t seen until I saw it on Google Video (linked from digg). I highly recommend watching this one when you have the time… it is very sad that there are actually forces acting against the electric car at all, let alone winning ones.

John Cleese on the End of USA Independence?

People never send me stupid chain mail, but I did get one today. I thought it was pretty funny, so I decided to share. I don’t know if it’s actually from John Cleese… but it wouldn’t surprise me.

BRITISH REVOKE USA INDEPENDENCE

A Message from John Cleese to the citizens of the United
States of America:

In light of your failure to elect a competent President
of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give
notice of the revocation of your independence, effective
immediately.

› Continue reading

Is Ubuntu the Best Linux?

I just read an interesting article from arsgeek entitled “Ubuntu – the best Linux distribution?” The author makes the point that one distro does not suit all people. I liked the conclusion, though: