7610

Unembedded

Four photojournalists in Iraq put some of their pictures up online. Take the time and look through them. They'll make you stop and think.

C for cookie

C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me. This is a trailer for a film that is coming out soon! Probably not, but I'd watch it if it did come out.

Another rally in DC

There is another rally in DC this weekend. I guess it's good for the economy, but man, how would you feel if people protested in your city?

Better than the Light Saber Kid

So this is the hands down coolest home made light saber video ever. Even better than the Star Wars Kid.

No Iced Tea? How about a Loogie

Today in Stafford, VA, a teenager named Shaleesheya Ford was arraigned on a felony charge of adulteration of food and misdemeanor charges of obstruction of justice and making a false report for spitting in a man's drink.

Ford faces up to 10 years in prison. I say good. I try to avoid fast food anyway.

RIAA sues computer-less family for file-sharing

The RIAA has filed a lawsuit against a family in Rockmart, GA for illegal file-sharing, despite the fact that they don't even own a computer. Some of the songs that they allegedly shared include "Who Will Save Your Soul," Jewel; "Far Behind," Candlebox; "Still the Same," Bob Seger; "I Won't Forget You," Poison; "Open Arms," Journey; "Unpretty," TLC; "No Scrubs," TLC; and "Saving All My Love for You," Whitney Houston.

Suing someone without a computer for filesharing is nothing new for the RIAA. They've done it a handful of times before, and it's likely to continue happening. The family above only lived at the address in the court papers for less than a year, and it may be the case that the previous residents were the ones to engage in the illegal file-sharing.

Facts about Jack Bauer (24)

I'm a huge fan of 24. One of the characters is Jack Bauer. If I really have to explain this to you, then you need to either watch more television, or watch the show. It's great, but I'd recommend seeing a physician before watching this show. Here are some facts about Agent Bauer.

If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.
If everyone on "24" followed Jack Bauer's instructions, it would be called "12".
Upon hearing that he was played by Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer killed Sutherland. Jack Bauer gets played by no man.
Jack Bauer sleeps with a pillow under his gun.
Jack Bauers calender goes from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Jack Bauer.
If you wake up in the morning, it's because Jack Bauer spared your life.
Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.
When Kim Bauer lost her virginity, Jack Bauer found it and put it back.
"The valley of the shadow of death", refers to anywhere within a 25 mile radius of Jack Bauer.
Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.

When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer fucking hates lemonade.
If it tastes like chicken, looks like chicken, and feels like chicken, but Jack Bauer says its beef. Then it's fucking beef.
1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight.
A day without torture is like a day without sunshine to Jack Bauer. Jack Bauer has a great tan.
Lets get one thing straight, the only reason you are conscious right now is because Jack Bauer does not feel like carrying you.
Jack Bauer played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.
In the event of a crash your corpse doubles as Jack Bauers flotation device.
Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.
Jack Bauer once won a game of Connect 4 in 3 moves.
All men are created equal. They are all vastly inferior to Jack Bauer.
Jack Bauer is the leading cause of death in Middle Eastern men.
Jack Bauer doesn't speak any foreign languages, but he can make any foreigner speak English in a matter of minutes.
Osama bin Laden's recent proposal for truce is a direct result of him finding out that Jack Bauer is, in fact, still alive.
Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.
It's no use crying over spilt milk... Unless that was Jack Bauer's milk. Oh you are so screwed.
Tony was once shot in the neck, rushed to the hospital, underwent emergency surgery and was back on the job in just a few hours. Jack Bauer still can't believe that pussy went to the hospital first.
When Jack Bauer goes paintballing, he uses a real gun.
Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.
If Rosa Parks was in Jack Bauer's seat, she'd move to the back of the bus.
Jack Bauer teaches a course at Harvard entitled: "Time Management: Making the Most Out Of Each Day."
Every mathematical inequality officially ends with "< Jack Bauer".
When Google can't find something, it asks Jack Bauer for help.
Jack Bauer's house has an alarm system -- not to warn Jack of intruders, but to warn the intruders of Jack.
If Jack Bauer misspells a word, your dictionary is wrong.
Jack Bauer killed 93 people in just 4 days time. Wait, that is a real fact.
Simon Says should be renamed to Jack Bauer Says because if Jack Bauer says something then you better fucking do it.
Jack Bauer's favorite color is severe terror alert red. His second favorite color is violet, but just because it sounds like violent.
Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite. Jack Bauer laughs at Superman for having a weakness.
Jack Bauer is the 'i' in team.
Men are ok with their wives fantasizing about Jack Bauer during sex; because they are doing the same thing.
When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jack Bauer jumps out.
In high school Jack Bauer was voted "Most Likely to Kill the Foreign Kid"... and "Best Eyes."
If Jack Bauer shot you while quail hunting, it wouldn't be an accident.
When President Palmer quit to start doing Allstate commercials, it took him 43 takes before he could stop saying, "You're in good hands with Jack Bauer".
Jack Bauer once double teamed a girl.. by himself.
In 96 hours, Jack Bauer has killed 93 people and saved the world 4 times. What the fuck have you done with your life?
There have been no terrorist attacks in United States since Jack Bauer has appeared on television.
When Jack Bauer was a child, he made his mother finish his vegetables.
Jesus died and rose from the dead in 3 days. It took Jack Bauer less than an hour. And he's done it twice.
There is the right way, the wrong way, and the Jack Bauer way. It's basically the right way but faster and more deaths.
There are three leading causes of death among terrorists. They are all Jack Bauer.
Nobody says 'hit me' when Jack Bauer deals Blackjack.
When the boogie man goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Jack Bauer.
The only difference between Jack Bauer and the electric chair is that Jack Bauer makes you talk first.
Sun Tzu once wrote, "If your enemy is weaker, conquer him. If he is stronger, join him. If he is Jack Bauer, you're fucking dead."
Jack Bauer removed the "Escape" button from his keyboard. Jack Bauer never needs to escape.
On a high school math test, Jack Bauer put down "Violence" as every one of the answers. He got an A+ on the test because Jack Bauer solves all his problems with Violence.
Jack Bauer can get McDonald's breakfast after 10:30.
There are no such thing as lesbians, just women who never met Jack Bauer.
You can lead a horse to water. Jack Bauer can make him drink.
Jack Bauer doesn't play the game SORRY. Jack Bauer apologizes to no one.
Guns dont kill people, Jack Bauer kills people.
Jack Bauer got Hellen Keller to talk.
The Black Eyed Peas were just The Peas until Jack Bauer heard their music.
If Jack Bauer saw a terrorist reaching for a bomb to blow himself up, Jack would shoot the bomb first. Nobody steals a kill from Jack Bauer.
Die Hard is the funniest movie Jack Bauer's ever seen.
What color is Jack Bauer's blood? Trick question. Jack Bauer does not bleed.
Finding Nemo would have been vastly more exciting had Jack Bauer been looking for him.
Your attraction to Jack Bauer in no way affects your sexual orientation.
Jack Bauer knows Victoria's secret.
In kindergarten, Jack Bauer killed a terrorist for Show and Tell.
People with amnesia still remember Jack Bauer.
When Jack Bauer goes to the airport and the metal detector doesn't go off, security gives him a gun.
If Jack Bauer was gay, his name would be Chuck Norris.
Jack has broken Tony's leg, knocked Curtis out, and shot George Mason with a tranquilizer dart. Temporary incapacitation is Jack Bauer's way of saying, "let's be friends."
In the 18 months where Jack Bauer was presumed dead, Tony Almeida was put in a coma, Michelle and David Palmer were killed, a major hurricane raveged the Gulf Coast, and Rob Schneider made another movie. See what happens when Bauer isn't around?
When Batman is in trouble, he turns on the Jack Bauer signal.
Jack Bauer makes onions cry.
G.I. Joe has Jack Bauer action figures.
After 7 minutes of interrogation at the hands of Jack Bauer, Tom Cruise admitted that he was gay.
Jack Bauer was conceived by torturing the other sperm until they gave up the location of the egg.
If Jack and MacGyver were locked in a room together, Jack would make a bomb out of MacGyver and get out.
"Jack Bauer" is Arabic for "I'm fucked".
During the commercials, Jack Bauer calls the CSI detectives and solves their crimes.
Jack Bauer literally died for his country, and lived to tell about it.
Jack Bauer named his cat 'Chuck Norris.' Why? Because He's a pussy.
Jack Bauer's vanity plate reads: IKIL4CTU.
Jack Bauer has been to Mars. Thats why theres no life on Mars.
Osama Bin Laden hides under the covers in his bedroom every Monday night from 9 to 10 and cries.
Jack Bauer may have 9 lives but he is no pussy.
It would only take 1 bullet for Jack Bauer to kill 50 Cent.
Metallica lets Jack Bauer download all their songs off the internet for free.
Jack Bauer won the Tour de France on a unicycle to prove to Lance Armstrong it wasn't a big deal. He thinks yellow wristbands are gay.
Jack Bauer arm once wrestled Superman. The stipulations were the loser had to wear his underwear on the outside of his pants.
Jack Bauer once ate an entire bottle of sleeping pills. They made him blink.
Jack Bauer's family threw him a surprise birthday party when he was a child. Once.
The bumper sticker on Jesus's car reads, "WWJBD?"
If Jack Bauer lived next door to Kramer, Kramer would knock before entering.
Jack Bauer can touch MC Hammer.
Jack Bauer once killed so many terrorists that at one point, the #5 CIA Most Wanted fugitive was an 18-year-old teenager in Malaysia who downloaded the movie Dodgeball.

Onix, Oracle's Linux Distro?

This was announced last week, but I think it's worth sharing in case you missed it. Oracle Corp. is considering launching their own Linux Distribution. They're looking at possibly purchasing Novell for it's SuSe offering. Novell is currently second in market share for Linux operating system sales behind RedHat Inc.

CEO Larry Ellison said that this is the next step in selling a full range of software in order to compete with Microsoft.

Golf Joke

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club.

A cell phone on a bench rings, and a man engages the speaker phone function, as he puts on his golf shoes, and begins to talk.

Everyone else in the room stops to listen.

MAN: "Hello".

WOMAN: "Honey it's me. Are you at the club?"

MAN: "Yes".

WOMAN: "I am at the mall now, and found this beautiful leather coat. It's only $1000, is it o.k. if I buy it?"

MAN: "Sure, ...go ahead if you like it that much".

WOMAN: "I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new 2006 models. I saw one I really liked".

MAN: "How much?"

WOMAN: "$90,000".

MAN: "For that price I want it with all the options"!

WOMAN: "Great! And one more thing...the house I wanted last year is back on the market, They're asking $950,000!"

MAN: "Well then go ahead and give them an offer for $900,000. They will probably take it. If not, we can go the extra $50,000. It is clearly a pretty good price".

WOMAN: "Okay. I'll see you later! I love you so much!"

MAN: "Bye. I love you too".

The man hangs up.

The other men in the locker room are staring at him in astonishment, mouths agape.

He smiles, and asks,"Anyone know who this phone belongs to?"

Going on a diet

So I've started a diet in preparation of going to Mexico. I'm not going to drink alcohol for two weeks (now on day 2) and not eat meat for two weeks (almost done with day 1). I haven't gotten a chance to weigh myself, so I will do that tomorrow morning. I'm not planning on not going out, I'm just going to drink water instead. The last time I went 10 days drinking water in lieu of alcohol, I lost 15 pounds. I had to start drinking again so that my clothes would fit!

Wish me luck! I've gone through one happy hour already.

RIAA and Bush

Apparently, George W. Bush has songs on his iPod that were obtained illegally. The President's iPod contains songs by the Beatles, the Archies, etc. and there are no Beatles songs available on iTunes. The RIAA has said that ripping CDs is illegal, and if there is no other way to get the Beatles other than CDs, then his music is illegal.

I'll bet Bush doesn't have the latest Neil Young album that calls for Bush's Impeachment.

[via BoingBoing]

I'll take a $1,000 Mint Julep

Yeah. That's right, I said a $1,000 Mint Julep.

Coincidentally, this is my 600th post. Yay.

Hurricanes this year

Experts have forecasted about this year's hurricane season. Apparently, it's not going to be as active as last year's was.

The study said there was a 98 percent chance of a hurricane making landfall in the United States, with an 88 percent likelihood of a Category 1 or 2 striking land and an 81 percent chance of a Category 3, 4 or 5 slamming ashore.

That seems like a pretty hefty hurricane season to me. Regardless, I'm signing up for some additional Red Cross training, and I encourage you to do the same. It's a great rewarding way to help out and meet new people.

If you want to take a class with me, let me know.

Creative Advertising

You really have to see this ad campaign to promote awareness of childhood poverty.

Phone Bills

I was alarmed when my phone bill came and it was $34 something. I had called a month or so ago and cancelled everything but the dial tone. I very rarely use my land line. It's not about me though.

This poor guy got a $218 Trillion phone bill! Dang yo. Better start peeling some major potatoes.

Spidercat!

More fun with the laser pointer.

Also check out the Carnival of the Cats and the Friday Ark!

Put the Fedora down and back away

Max Spevack of RedHat Inc. sent an open letter to the fedora-announce list on Tuesday basically stating that RedHat is giving up on the Fedora Foundation.

This is not to say that Fedora is going away, the idea of the non-profit legal status of such a foundation to support Fedora is going away, to be reborn into the Fedora Project Board which will now have complete authority over the Fedora project, including budgetary control.

There were multiple legal and monetary hurdles as well as legal ramifications regarding copyright and patent protection that made this move sensible.

No Wonder I Can't Run

I am a geek. I do believe that I've got a lifestyle that is consistent with that, and if you know me, then you'd know that I can quite easily be classified as a geek.

Over at Carotids.com, there is an article entitled, "Health Problems Related to the Geek Lifestyle." Among the four problems noted by Dr. AA, I suffer from the first one (which happens to be the most common): Horrible Sleep Hygiene but more so the fourth. I don't get headaches very often, and I don't have back pain. I also show symptoms of Poor Attention Span. While I have pretty much always had a poor attention span, the idea of not being able to focus on one thing that is not computer related has always been an issue for me.

I have the ability to multitask many things at a time and am very particular about details. Recently, I've resorted to making lists of things (inspired by David Allen's Getting Things Done). Right now, I use a site called http://www.rememberthemilk.com. It's Web 2.0 enabled, and all kinds of AJAX enabled, but back to my point...

My horrible sleep patterns are pretty much like this: I'll come home from work and turn on the TV and my laptop. I will do something on my laptop until close to 1 AM. Then I fall asleep around 2 AM. I don't generally wake up in the middle of the night (that I recall). And I rarely use my laptop in bed. I don't have a television in my room, so I don't watch that either. I think my sleep pattern is poor since I go to sleep so late, and usually intend to wake up and go to the gym, but end up going straight to work (and the gym after work).

My attention span is admittedly quite short, but in comparison to some people that I know, it's rather long. This article says:

If I were to go and try to run a few miles this weekend, I would not be able to easily do so. My muscles are just out of shape from my lack of exercise over the last few months. However, if you take one of the these college basketball athletes, any of them would be able to run miles without even breathing heavy. However, if you made them sit down and try to learn Java for 12 hours a day, most of them would be asleep at their desk before lunch.

Now, I'm not out of shape although I could be in better shape. However, even when I'm working out, I need some other form of distraction (also known as stimuli), so I listen to music, read, or do both.

I guess out of the 4 most common geek lifestyle side effects, two isn't too bad. I could address the sleep problem with a little work but I don't think that the attention thing is going to go away any time soon.

Not your average centipede

Have you ever been in your garden or just walking around and seen a centipede? Their legs and color really used to freak me out. So, I generally followed a don't touch policy for them. Now that I've seen the following video, I'll stay well clear of them.

This is a video of a giant centipede, scolopendra gigantea robusta catching and eating a mouse. No joke.

Right? Check out more videos here. Don't let the bed bugs bite.