Where Are You Being Censored?

Google put up an interesting page this morning dealing with Transparency. As an international company, their primary goal is maximize free expression and access to information.
To promote transparency around this flow of information, they built an interactive online Transparency Report with tools that allow people to see where governments are demanding that we remove content and where Google services are being blocked. Google believes that this kind of transparency can be a deterrent to censorship.

I think it's a great start to identifying the problem areas in censorship. At the very least, it can allow users to figure out where in the world they are the most likely to be censored and avoid those areas.

It Used To Be... Science Fiction

Google Inc. Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Office Dr. Eric Schmidt took to the keynote stage at IFA today to preview new technologies – including tools for Android-powered smartphones that translate conversations from one language to another as you speak.
This blogger would like to remind people that these technologies were considered the realm of science fiction only a decade ago.

Remember the Universal Translator of the Star Trek series? Say hello to Google-inspired "Voice-to-voice translation". It's not working yet, but at least someone is working on it. Google claims that it should be ready within a couple years.

While we're on the science-fiction curve with Star Trek... do you remember the Tricorder - the perpetual palm pilot of every away mission the crew went on? Those are already a reality with smartphones, the Google Droid leading the market. Smartphones help people by displaying data over photographs or video input in real time. A good example of this augmented reality is Google Maps with Street View.

Smartphones are truly becoming smarter and easier to use as well. New Droids, being produced right now by Google, offer voice command capability with the eventual goal of making it possible for you to get any piece of data or even TV program with a single voice command.

Schmidt said "more than 200,000 Android-powered smartphones are activated every day, and the Internet will soon deliver information to three or four billion people, not just the elite," via smartphones.
What are some other things that Schmidt envisions for the future?
"Your car should be able to drive itself! After all, your car knows where it is, knows where the other cars are and where it should be going."
"A near-term future in which you don’t forget anything, because the computer remembers. You’re never lost."
"We’re about to see a new age of augmented humanity, when computers will make it possible for us to do what we really want to do."

What about you. What would like to see in the near future?

42 Phrases A Lexophile Would Love

1. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
2. Police were called to a day care, where a three-year old was resisting a rest.
3. Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.
4. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
5. To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
6. When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
7. The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large..
8. A thief who stole a calendar... go twelve months.
9. The burglar fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.
10. Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.
11. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.
12. A math professor went crazy with the blackboard and did a number on it.
13. The professor discovered that his theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.
14. Dead batteries are frequently given out free of charge.
15. If you take a laptop computer out for a run, you could jog your memory.
16. A dentist and manicurist fought tooth and nail.
17. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
18. A will is a dead giveaway.
19. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
20. A backward poet writes inverse.
21. In a democracy, it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
22. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
23. If you don't pay your exorcist, you could get repossessed.
24. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
25. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft, and I'll show you A-flat miner.
26. When a clock gets hungry it goes back four seconds.
27. The guy who fell into an upholstery machine has fully recovered.
28. A grenade fell into a kitchen floor in France, and resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
29. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
30. Local Area Netowrk in Australia: The LAN down under.
31. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
32. A calendar's days are numbered.
33. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
34. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
35. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
36. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
37. When you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
38. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
39. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
40. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
41. Acupuncture is a jab well done.
42. A lot of money is tainted: Taint yours, and it taint mine. 

The Holiest of Unions

Held together by equal parts of resin, hardener, and Holy Spirit.

New Games To Play

So, several months ago I started playing this new game I saw called MyBrute
The concept of the game was interesting. You start with a character/gladiator, and are given 3 fights a day to get XP and level up, making your character a much better fighter.
There were two big problems with this game!

^{The most common screen you'll ever see on MyBrute}

#1 - The MyBrute server is almost ALWAYS down! So a game that might normally take a month to make a cool character in, takes vastly longer.
#2 - When the server is running, it tends to crash at odd times. So sometimes you'll have a series of epic battles and lose XP instead of gaining it, or you won't get any XP...
Needless to say, MyBrute was entertaining when it was running, but frustrating when it wasn't!

Just the other day though, I discovered a new game that I've started playing. Urban Rivals is like MyBrute in several ways but without the horrible bugs included. Like MyBrute, Urban Rivals is a free game.
Urban Rivals allows you have more than one character. In an interesting Pokemon/RPG twist, the game involves collecting character cards and improve on your characters in a battle setting. Each character has strengths and weaknesses, and how you use them in battle determines how much XP you get. Unlike MyBrute, there is no limit on the amount of gameplay in a single day. I made it to level 10 on my first day after a couple hours of play - Getting to level 10 on MyBrute took me 8 months!
I'm having much more fun playing Urban Rivals. Come play with me! Here's the link to play: Urban Rivals.

Ubuntu Linux 11.04 Given a "N"ame

Ubuntu Linux 11.04 finally has a name; something more official sounding than "Maverick +1". Mark Shutterworth led the announcement with an entry on his blog.

11.04 will henceforth be called Natty Narwhal

The Narwhal, as an Arctic (and somewhat endangered) animal, is a fitting reminder of the fact that we have only one spaceship that can host all of humanity (trust me, a Soyuz won’t do for the long haul to Alpha Centauri). And Ubuntu is all about bringing the generosity of all contributors in this functional commons of code to the widest possible audience, it’s about treating one another with respect, and it’s about being aware of the complexity and diversity of the ecosystems which feed us, clothe us and keep us healthy. Being a natty narwhal, of course, means we have some obligation to put our best foot forward. First impressions count, lasting impressions count more, so let’s make both and make them favourable.

Suggested Changes to Monopoly Rules

Official Monopoly Rules Page

So I was playing Monopoly against my computer the other day and I had several ideas for changing the face of Monopoly. The rules of the game are listed above. Below are my proposed changes to the rulebook.

JAIL - According to the official rules you land in jail if... you roll doubles 3 times in a row. That's an understandable rule! No one likes a lucky so-n-so who manages to roll doubles over and over again and makes it around the board a couple times. However, also according to the official rules, you can get out of jail by rolling doubles again or paying $50. Does that sound odd too you? Do the crime three times and get stuck in jail, do the crime again and get out!? Or bribe someone and get out!?
I propose the following change to the JAIL rule. Every jail sentence carries a fixed term of 3 moves (no paying $50 to get out). The only way to get out of jail is to NOT roll doubles on any of your three turns spent in jail. If you roll doubles while in jail, your sentence is extended by an additional fixed number of turns.

MORTGAGED PROPERTY - According to the official rules "If the property is mortgaged, no rent can be collected."
This rule is outdated! There are many people living today who have one and two mortgages on their home and rental property and still collect rent.
I propose the following change to this MORTGAGE rule. If the property is mortgaged, rent is collected. The player who owns the mortgaged property receives 50% of the rent, and the bank receives 50% (the amount the bank receives is applied to the amount needed to unmortgage the propoerty). This is a cool rule cause you can pay off the mortgage on the property as people land on the property.

GIFT CARDS - Ever noticed how there never seems to be enough money in a Monopoly game for a game that has a lot of players or on games that last a long time (esp. with one player who is really successful).
This is a new rule I propose be added to Monopoly. All you need to play with this rule are index cards sufficent for each player.
Every player is issued a rechargable gift card (index card) at the beginning of the game. If at any time, the bank needs money it can seize funds from any player... and the amount seized is written on that player's index card. The index card is usuable like any gift card. When amounts are transferred from player to player (in the case of rent), the amount is simply subtracted from one index card and added to the other index card. No negative balances are allowed on gift cards. If the amount on the card is not sufficent to pay, then zero out the balance and pay the remaining in cash.

START ORDER - The official rules state: "Starting with the Banker, each player in turn throws the dice. The player with the highest total starts the play..."
Going first is a definite advantage, because you can buy properties before anyone else gets there. So why not make players pay for the advantage?
My proposed rule is this: At the start of the game, bid for first position, then second, etc. This can cripple the player in the lead, who may have used a significant portion of his money to secure first place.

ONCE AROUND THE BOARD - Another alternative to figuring out start order instead of bidding on who goes first is not to let anyone purchase property until they have been around the board once and passed GO.

Search For PPA's from Linux Terminal

If you are looking for a particular package and don't know whether a ppa for it exists or not, then this tool can be really handy. PPAsearch (by wrinkliez) allows you to to search a ppa right from terminal. Just type in the name of any package and hit enter. It will list you all the available ppas.

To install ppasearch type and run in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:wrinkliez/ppasearch

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ppasearch 

To search a ppa type in terminal:

ppasearch -p package name

A list of available ppas will be shown. Enter your choice to add a ppa to your sources list.

Google Kills Wave

Image via Wikipedia

Just a year after the service was released, Google is announcing that it is pulling the plug on Google Wave.

Google will maintain the service through the end of the year, and the technology will be rolled into other Google projects. Some features are already available as open-source components, and Google will offer tools to let users "easily 'liberate' their content from Wave.

I am deeply saddened by this. I thought Google Wave was very innovative, and I loved this service.

Rest In Peace, Google Wave. I'll miss you.

The Best of Windows Error Messages

So I just finished reading the article over on GeekTrio about the best Windows Errors Messages ever.

We've all encountered stupid Windows error messages before. I encountered this error message in Excel. I was absolutely floored! The computer wanted me to enter a prime number larger than a googol!



How many people, when suddenly prompted, can enter a prime number that large on the fly? Get real, Microsoft!
I just randomly typed a bunch of numbers and pressed Enter. The program crashed.

There is No Password

Do not try to guess the root password, that is impossible. Instead, realise the truth... there is no root password. Then you will see that it is 'sudo' that grants you access and not the root password.

sudo -V | -h | -l | -L | -v | -k | -K | -s | [ -H ] [ -P ] [ -S ] [ -b ] | [ -p prompt ] [ -c class|- ] [ -a auth_type ] [ -u username|#uid ] command

sudo allows a permitted user to execute a command as the superuser or another user, as specified in the sudoers file. The real and effective uid and gid are set to match those of the target user as specified in the passwd file (the group vector is also initialized when the target user is not root). By default, sudo requires that users authenticate themselves with a password (NOTE: by default this is the user's password, not the root password). Once a user has been authenticated, a timestamp is updated and the user may then use sudo without a password for a short period of time (5 minutes unless overridden in sudoers).

I Can Haz Beer Cat?

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Electronic Frontier Foundation - Cindy Cohn
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

Just How Bad Was Windows Vista?

Just how bad was Windows Vista?
Apparently, it's bad enough that 3/4 of Microsoft's business customers didn't upgrade, according to Microsoft. And the customer aversion to Vista is so strong, that Dell is charging customers $150 extra to downgrade and stay with XP! That's right! The retailer is now charging a whopping $150 for what Microsoft says is outdated software.

I get accused of bashing Microsoft from time to time, and I admit that I do take some pleasure in it. But, seriously! How can I be accused of bashing?
People already know that I'm right. According the statistics above, about 74% of Microsoft customers know I'm right. Microsoft has admitted that I'm right in their own press releases. So why am I accused of bashing when it's apparently common knowledge?

Oh well, for all you die-hard Windows fans out there... here's some YouTube videos you probably won't like.


There were an estimated 30 million Linux users back in 2005. The number is closer to 70 million now.


Linux always keeps up with the latest trends.


Linux can run on just about anything. And it can run just about anything, both Windows and Mac software.

At Least I Didn't Die

So I've been playing an RPG with some friends for the last couple months.
The game is Star Wars: Saga Edition. When we first began the game, the one thing I knew was that I didn't know much. Various things were later uncovered that proved this; we initially rolled the stats for our characters wrong which made them much weaker than they should have been; not even our GM fully understood how to use Destiny Points; we accidentally played the first game with unlimited force powers, and after we had gotten ourselves into a serious situation switched to the correct rules which severely handicapped us.
Still, I enjoyed playing. Despite our mistakes, we kept it fun. There were no rule Nazis among us. We just played and had fun and if we made mistakes we learned as we went.
I maximized the learning part for myself. I downloaded the Saga Edition rulebook and read the huge manual 4 times between our games. I immediately discovered a few glitches in my character which immensely helped my gameplay. I was still having troubles in my play though. I went back home and scoured the rulebook for character-specific traits and discovered I had forgotten to write any of those class traits down - did I mention we were all a bunch of n00bs at the beginning?
Anyway, long story short... I was a perfect light-side Jedi until the last game. I ended up dying and had to use Darkside Heal to get back up and continue fighting. I got back up to help save my friends, but I still ended up shifting towards the dark side, a shift I couldn't correct even though I tried repeatedly to get rid of the dark points. This only equated to a slight shift towards the dark side, but I was still essentially neutral. Our GM told us that there is a penalty in going dark side (even slightly) and that is that the Jedi will begin trying to hunt us down.
During the last couple play sessions, other characters lost their lives and got to make new characters. Some of our other players died in absolutely gruesome ways! One of our Jedi was ripped into an indeterminable number of pieces by a VERY LARGE carnivore. Another took a Mandalorian missile at point blank range right in the chest.
I was really happy with my last character, despite his flaws. I turned my character into a battle-tank character by level 4, with over 100HP. I really wanted to make a new character (using all my knowledge I had now to make a better character), but I didn't want to die.
I'm happy to say... I didn't die. I ended up needing to make a new character after my last (slightly darkside) character was captured by the Jedi on Coruscant. My last character is in jail, basically, awaiting re-education that will shift him back to the light. Maybe my character will come back later... I don't know.
I have two things to gloat about. I didn't die! And, having applied all the knowledge I gained previously, my current level-1 character is amazing!

Microsoft Has Set Us Back a Decade

Image via Wikipedia

While looking at my geek code the other day, I realized that in my latest copy of the code I used "w---" for my Windows geekiness. The expanded entry for "w---" is "Windows has set back the computing industry by at least 10 years. Bill Gates should be drawn, quartered, hung, shot, poisoned, disembowelled, and then REALLY hurt."

Why did I choose "w---"? I started thinking about this. And then I realized that it was true!
Windows has set back the computing in the world by over a decade!

While the computing market is driven by multiple forces, gaming is primarily a force that makes people upgrade. Think about it; have you ever heard someone say, "I need to upgrade my computer so I can run the latest version of PowerPoint!", or was it usually they wanted to upgrade so they could run a new game?

Gaming as a force has driven computing for a long time. However, not so much recently. Here's why... Microsoft happened; specifically, XBox happened. Gaming used to be the sole providence of the PC market. There were a few consoles available, but few offered a gaming experience that could rival PC. Knowing that gaming was driving the market, Microsoft wanted a piece of the pie and stepped in with a console called XBox. They were expensive too (you could sink as much into a new XBox which only ran games as you could into a new PC which had no limits as to what you could run), but since Microsoft started massively producing new video games, they released them initially ONLY for their system. PC gamers had to wait, and this draw slowly pulled them to using consoles as well for gaming.

Now let's take a look at the XBox itself. The latest version of the XBox, 360, has massive problems. Massive? 54% failure rate massive! Compare that to the 10.6% failure rate on the PS3 and a 6.8% failure rate on the Wii, and already Microsoft's gaming console starts sounding like a bad idea.
Okay, so maybe you've never had any problems. I have occasionally met people who say that to me. I can almost guarantee you though, that if you've never had any problems, then the people who were directly in front and behind you in the electronics checkout line have had problems. My brother is a die-hard XBox gamer. He's been through 7 XBox 360 warranty returns in the past 2 years!!

Now, let's take a look inside the XBox. The XBox360 uses a Xenon processor to power its gaming. This is triple-core processor, designed in the year 2002, capable of speeds up totalling 3Ghz.

When the XBox 360's 90nm "Waternoose" Xenon processor was released in 2005, it was already 3 years out of date. Just a year later, processors in PC's had already shifted to smaller and faster technology, like Pentium 4, Pentium D, and AMD's Phenom processor. These new PC chipsets were more than capable of running anything XBox could throw at them.

So, if these amazing technologies were released so many years ago, why haven't we seen another radical shift in the computer market to even faster processors? Simply put, demand. There is no demand. The International Roadmap for Technology Semiconductors shows that there is a trend of 70% scaling every 2–3 years. We've seen this trend played out over and over again. But everyone is busy playing on the nearly decade old architecture of the XBox. The new games on the market are being designed for the XBox. Why upgrade your PC to the newest thing if the older thing satisfies you?

So, even though PC's are far superior to XBox, Microsoft is stagnating computer advancement by holding the market forces behind with it's out-of-date technology. So, yes... I'm sticking with my "w---".
"Windows has set back the computing industry by at least 10 years. Bill Gates should be drawn, quartered, hung, shot, poisoned, disembowelled, and then REALLY hurt."

Why You Need A Grimoire

This article was published in Volume Twenty-Seven, Number Two, Summer 2010 article of 2600 The Hacker Quarterly. I wanted to share it, since it offered much good advice.

Why You Need a Grimoire
by Leviathan

No matter how long you have been hacking, surfing, or working in IT, and especially in these uncertain times when your activity can be sniffed, parsed, logged, and archived, you need a grimoire.
Dictionary.com defines a grimiore as "a manual of black magic (for invoking spirits and demons)." Those of us who have been pushing bits around for some time know that the things we routinely accomplish can sometimes appear to be black magic to the less technically adept among us. The sheer volume of information we have stuck in our craniums and bookmarks, and our ability to Google with precision, gives us an edge in finding and implementing all sorts of technology magic. This is all good.
But it's not perfect, you know. We forget things. A website that we KNOW contained the answer last week, is suddenly gone. The transient nature of that big beast we call the Internet means that all content is in flux. And by the way, are you tired of the many tech support sites, powered by ad after ad, where you have to register before they'll let you click on the answer to your question?
To paraphrase Dennis Hopper: "You, my friend, you need a grimoire."
To the uninitiated, it looks just like a plain, bound notebook. But to you, and to the minions who watch in awe as you use it, it is truly a book of spells. You have the answers, because everything of value you've come across in your technology dealings, you've recorded faithfully in your grimoire.
A grimoire is not pretty. It's not always well-organized. But the answers are there, because you put them there. It's your insurance policy, your journal, your database. In time you will come to know exactly where everything is.
Best of all, it's private. No amount of ISP chicanery, keystroke logging, or site monitoring will ever create another copy of your grimoire. It will never slip a cookie or prompt you to install another damned plug-in.
That, ummm, marginal URL that you really don't want in your bookmarks? Into the grimoire it goes. Default (factory) passwords? Never know when you'll need those. Write 'em down.
That UNIX command with the mile-long unreadable man(1) page? Write down exactly how you use the command in real life, using only the options that are most useful to you. That unsupported hack that made your video card come alive... what happens if you have you have to reload the OS? Catalog it with care.
Account names and passwords: be careful here. Most of us have a handfull of good, strong passwords we use all the time. Write down only the first two or three characters, and fill in the rest with random letters. Same with user IDs. No unintended reader will ever determine your complete password from w9xxxxxxxx. But knowing the starting letters will allow you to remember it.
Now this part should be obvious: my grimoire goes everywhere I go, no exceptions. It's always available to me regardless of where I am or what other resources there are.
If you accumulate as much information as I have (my grimoire is about 12 years old, with new entries written in the margins now), you and your book will become the stuff of legends. When I walk into a meeting and put it down on the table, I inevitably get the question, along with a stare of admiration: "Is that the book?" I smile in reply.
And if, saints forbid, you should ever be in an embaressing legal situation and you have to get rid of its evidence quickly, tear out the offending pages, shed a few tears, then flick your Bic. Let's see you clean up a hard drive that cleanly. Privacy, my friends; it is priceless. If your dealing are not quite that dramatic, your grimiore is a good reference at review time or when preparing your resume.
So spend a few wise dollars and obtain a good quality, bound notebook with lined archive paper, and start filling it with your accumulated IT wisdom. You and your grimoire will make history.

Excessive Video Game Playing Could Rot Your Teeth

This seems kind of like a no-brainer. I seriously want to know what kind of salary this person is earning to make an observation that dentists have known for the last 3 decades.

For that kind of observational talent, I could be earning big bucks too!

Don't Forget To Bring Your Chaperone

After all the child sex abuse cases that the Catholic Church has fielded in the past decade, this news item shocked me! I had two thoughts immediately that I decided to blog.

First, I was wondering if anyone would accuse the Pope of solicitation for this. I don't understand how anyone could fall for this a second time. Why would anyone who had been raped/sodomized under the guise of spiritual training, want to do it a second time with the leader of the church that raped them?

Second, this last paragraph caught my eye. "the Vatican has also sought to play down the crisis, accusing the media of exaggerating the problem." How exactly do you do that? How can you claim that the multiple sex-abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church and cost them over a billion dollars is just a figment of people's imagination?

Whatever... All I can do after reading this story would be to provide some advice to the victims. Don't forget to bring your chaperone when you see the Pope; one of you might end up pregnant.

Nerd Sniping

This comic makes me laugh a lot more than it probably should, especially since if I ever got sniped, I know I would totally fail. I've actually seen this problem before too and I never managed to solve it in the same day. I would be a very easy person to snipe.
Except you have no reason to snipe me; I'm not worth any points at all...

Linux, Where Crapware Goes to Die

Check out this interesting article I discovered.
I would like to use this article as a response to people who tell me that they don't like Linux because it doesn't run the programs they prefer. The reason I love Linux over Windows, is that Linux also doesn't run the programs that you don't prefer.

There are 3 reasons Linux doesn't run all the programs that Windows does, adequately covered in that article. I'd like to emphasize a few of the points and add a few more for emphasis.

I've heard people tell me that if my Linux computer isn't infected with crapware, I'm not trying hard enough - i.e.; downloading everything and installing it? I've also been told that if Linux was more popular then crapware would be written for it just as commonly as it is for Windows.

I'd like to emphasize that this simply will never happen, and I've probably tried harder than you to stress test my computer system. During the phase where I was purposefully trying to see what Linux could do, I went and tried to get a virus or spyware to install. I would try to install the programs that killed Windows, just to try and kill Linux. They wouldn't install, and the viruses did nothing. 50 viral programs and countless spyware, adware, and crapware programs later... and Linux was still triumphant.

#1 and 2 - Linux Is Hard To Infect And Easy to Disinfect - What makes me laugh on this is that this is a well established fact. And it's also well established that one of the best ways to secure Windows is run it through Linux.

There are die-hard Windows users, server administrators, network analysts, that I know who tell me that the only Linux they know is how to set up a Linux server and run Virtualbox, which they run Windows on. And why do they run Windows on a Linux Virtualbox? Because Windows is safer!! Windows running through Linux is 90% less likely to suddenly pick up infections, it crashes less, and it uses less memory.

This solution here is also the perfect way to get all those programs you want/need/prefer on Linux. Running a Windows Virtualbox allows you to run all those programs you absolutely crave, inside the security of Linux.

#3 - Linux programs are vetted (and there are thousands of programs available) - This is one point I like stressing a lot. While one of the rally cries of Windows supporters is that the selection of software is so much greater for Windows, none of the programs are vetted for usefulness and stability. There is NO MICROSOFT QUALITY CONTROL working to make sure that Windows programmers only write programs that won't hurt you, and keep your Windows programs safe.

I'm serious! And if you take the time to think about it you've probably already been in a situation where you realize that I'm right! What is the only thing that Microsoft, or Dell, or Compaq, or HP can advise you to do once your system is running slower than molasses because of all the spyware and malware and is infected and crashes when you try running spyware scans? Reformat!?!? Seriously!? The only option is reformatting!?

I don't like reformatting as an option, especially when on Windows it seems to be the only option. I would prefer a safer operating system experience with guaranteed safe programs (something Windows simply cannot provide).

Linux is safe. Every program is vetted through a testing group of millions of users before being released. Because Linux has a watchdog service is operation, there are standards that must be kept, and rules that are enforced.So while Windows runs more programs, only Linux can claim that the programs it runs are stable, secure, and free of malware. This is something that Windows has never been able to claim.

Oh, and another thing I'd like to add. Have you actually checked out the number of programs that Linux has in the repository? Before you claim that Linux doesn't have a lot of programs, you might want to install and play around with the 30,000+ programs that are there. And once you're done with those programs, check out Sourceforge and other places for more links you can add to your repository. I guarantee you will never be bored on Linux.

If Web Browsers Were Modes of Transport

Cartoonist Caldwell Tanner of College Humor suggests that web browsers can be compared to modes of transportation.Are his descriptions accurate?

Sony Downgrades the PS3 in an Upgrade

Here's a story that has millions of people up in arms. You can read the complete article on the EFF website.

I don't know if there is any nice way to blog about this. All I can say is, forgive me for trampling on your die hard personal opinions (if you still maintain those personal opinions after reading the EFF article)... but, here I go.

After Geohot released a hypervisor hack that made installing Linux software on PS3 a breeze (included here since I have no respect for Sony at all), Sony countered by releasing an upgrade for the PS3 console that downgrades the console - it completely removes the hypervisor function. Here's what makes this action by Sony suck even more. If you decline to upgrade (should we be calling this an upgrade when it involves the removal of a feature?), it effectively disables the console.

If you decline to upgrade your PS3, the console will no longer play PS3 games online anymore, you will not be able to watch video online anymore, it will be impossible to play new PS3 games, it will be impossible to watch new Blu-Ray videos, and new Blu-Ray discs could even disable the Blu-Ray drive completely.

What makes this worse in my eyes is the eagerness that Sony rushes in to rape their entire customer base over the actions of distinct minority.

I've have never liked Sony. And, simply because they decided to fleece their customers in this way, I will never trust them again. Even if this software issue gets resolved so that no harm is done to the consumers, I still won't trust Sony because they did this in the first place. Why should you trust a company that decides to harm their customers so eagerly?

Ubuntu switches to base-10

Ubuntu's future 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) operating system is going to make a small, but contentious change to how file sizes are represented. Like most other operating systems using binary prefixes, Ubuntu currently represents 1 kB (kilobyte) as 1024 bytes (base-2). But starting with Lucid Lynx 10.10, the operating system will be switching from IEC units (base-2) to SI units (base-10) that will denote 1 kB as 1,000 bytes, 1 MB as 1,000 kB / 1,000,000 bytes, 1 GB as 1,000 MB / 1,000,000 kB / 1,000,000,000 bytes, and so on.
It was originally thought that the change over to SI units would happen with 10.04 Lucid Lynx, but it has been delayed to Lucid+1 (10.10) since some programs have failed to update to the new units policy and were still using base-2
The ancient Greeks did not count in binary (base-2) and this new counting will finally put them in line with the standard Greek meaning of "kilo" as 1000.
This is a move already undertaken by other operating systems including Mac 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Did You Make a Thumbo?

I was quite amused by this word that I found on Word Spy.

My only question is this: Are thumbo's, like art, defined by the eye - or brain - of the beholder? My parents have tried for years to successfully integrate txtspeak and chatspeak into their phone texts, and fail horribly every time. They abbreviate the wrong words, or try to abbreviate already shortened accepted txtspeak text into something impossible to read, pronounce, or understand.

Does this make it a thumbo? It does from my perspective. However, they claim they can understand their texts.

What Is Hacking and Reverse Engineering?

It is amazing, and rather disconcerting, to realize how much software we run without knowing for sure what it does. We buy software off the shelf in shrink wrapped packages. We run setup utilities that install numerous files, change system settings, delete or disable older versions and superseded utilities, and modify critical registry files. Every time we access a Web site, we may invoke or interact with dozens of programs and code segments that are necessary to give us the intended look, feel, and behavior. We purchase CD's with hundreds of games and utilities or download them as shareware. We exchange useful programs with colleagues and friends when we have tried only a fraction of each program’s features.
Then, we download updates and install patches, trusting that the vendors are sure that the changes are correct and complete. We blindly hope that the latest change to each program keeps it compatible with all of the rest of the programs on our system. We rely on much software that we do not understand and do not know very well at all.
Many people fear hackers because they have been instilled with a negative view from the press, however, you owe many advancements made in computer software and hardware to hacking.
Hacker is a term used to describe different types of computer experts, who employ a tactical, rather than strategic, approach to computer programming, administration, or security. In computer programming, hacker means a programmer who hacks or reaches a goal by employing a series of small changes or additions to extend existing code and/or resources. In technical fields outside of computing, hacker is sometimes extended to mean an expert who has particularly detailed knowledge and uses this knowledge to cleverly circumvent limits to reach solutions.
Hacker means different things to some people.

To the popular press: means someone who breaks into computers
Among programmers: it means a good programmer

But the two meanings are connected. To programmers, "hacker" connotes mastery in the most literal sense. A hacker is someone who can make a computer do what he wants - whether the computer wants to or not.
To add to the confusion, the noun "hack" also has two senses. It can be either a compliment or an insult. It's called a hack when you do something in an ugly way. But when you do something so clever that you somehow beat the system, that's also called a hack. The word is used more often in the former than the latter sense, probably because ugly solutions are more common than brilliant ones.
Notice the definition given for the word "hack" according to the Encarta Dictionary for a good example of the two tenses to this word.

computer enthusiast: somebody who is interested or skilled in computer technology and programming
amateur player: somebody who enjoys a sport but lacks skill in it

Believe it or not, the two senses of "hack" are also connected. Ugly and imaginative solutions have something in common: they both break the rules. And there is a gradual continuum between rule breaking that's merely ugly (using duct tape to attach something to your bike) and rule breaking that is brilliantly imaginative (discarding Euclidean space).
As a hacker myself, I have often been criticized for the stand I take on computer technology, and when people get over their shock usually ask me, “How can you possibly condone hacking and reverse engineering?”
These questions are usually prompted by a limited understanding of hacking, and the fact that the negative connotation of both fields is frequently touted in the press.
To many people, the idea of hacking may conjure up stylized images of electronic vandalism, espionage, dyed hair, and body piercings. Most people associate hacking with breaking the law, therefore dubbing all those who engage in hacking activities to be criminals. Granted, there are people out there who use hacking techniques to break the law, but hacking isn't really about that. In fact, hacking is more about following the law than breaking it.
The essence of hacking is finding unintended or overlooked uses for the laws and properties of a given situation and then applying them in new and inventive ways to solve a problem.
Hacking is a tool... much like a stethoscope is a tool. A stethoscope could be used by a burglar to listen to the lock mechanism of a safe as the tumblers fall in place. But the same stethoscope could be used by your family doctor to detect breathing or heart problems. Or, it could be used by a computer technician to listen closely to the operating sounds of a sealed disk drive to diagnose a problem without exposing the drive to potentially-damaging dust and pollen. The tool is not inherently good or bad. The issue is the use to which the tool is put. It is much the same with hacking; it is not inherently good or evil unless it is used to good or evil purposes.
It says a great deal about our work that we use the same word for a brilliant or a horribly cheesy solution. When we cook one up we're not always 100% sure which kind it is. But as long as it has the right sort of wrongness, that's a promising sign. It's odd that people think of programming as precise and methodical. Computers are precise and methodical. Hacking is something you do with a gleeful laugh.
Reverse engineering is a process where an engineered artifact (be it a car, jet engine, or software program) is deconstructed in a way that reveals its innermost details, such as its design and architecture.
In the software world reverse engineering boils down to taking an existing program for which source-code or proper documentation is not available and attempting to recover details regarding its’ design and implementation.
Hacking and reverse engineering is particularly useful in modern software analysis for a wide variety of purposes:

Finding malicious code: Many virus and malware detection techniques use reverse engineering to understand how abhorrent code is structured and functions.
Discovering unexpected flaws and faults: Even the most well-designed system can have holes that result from the nature of our “forward engineering” development techniques. Reverse engineering can help identify flaws and faults before they become mission-critical software failures.
Finding the use of others' code: In supporting the cognizant use of intellectual property, it is important to understand where protected code or techniques are used in applications. Reverse engineering techniques can be used to detect the presence or absence of software elements of concern.
Finding the use of shareware and open source code where it was not intended to be used: In the opposite of the infringing code concern, if a product is intended for security or proprietary use, the presence of publicly available code can be of concern. Reverse engineering enables the detection of code replication issues.
Learning from others' products of a different domain or purpose: Reverse engineering techniques can enable the study of advanced software approaches and allow new students to explore the products of masters. This can be a very useful way to learn and to build on a growing body of code knowledge. Many Web sites have been built by seeing what other Web sites have done. Many Web developers learned HTML and Web programming techniques by viewing the source of other sites.
Discovering features or opportunities that the original developers did not realize. Code complexity can foster new innovation. Existing techniques can be reused in new contexts. Reverse engineering can lead to new discoveries about software and new opportunities for innovation.

It is by poking about inside current technology that hackers get ideas for the next generation.
"No thanks", some may say, "outside help is not needed."
But they're wrong. The next generation of computer technology has often - perhaps more often than not - been developed by outsiders.
In 1977 there was no doubt some group within IBM developing what they expected to be the next generation of business computer. They were mistaken. The next generation of business computer was being developed on entirely different lines by two long-haired guys called Steve in a garage in Los Altos. At about the same time, the powers that be were cooperating to develop the official next generation operating system, Multics. But two guys who thought Multics excessively complex went off and wrote their own. They gave it a name that was a joking reference to Multics: Unix.
And it was the simpler Unix that led the computer revolution, not Multics.
But what hackers fear the most is today becoming a reality! The latest intellectual property laws impose unprecedented restrictions on the sort of poking around that leads to new ideas. In the past, a competitor might use patents to prevent you from selling a copy of something they made, but they couldn't prevent you from taking one apart to see how it worked. The latest laws make this a crime. How are we to develop new technology if we can't study current technology to figure out how to improve it?
Data is by definition easy to copy. And the Internet makes copies easy to distribute. So it is no wonder companies are afraid. But, as so often happens, fear has clouded their judgment. The government has responded with draconian laws to protect intellectual property. They probably mean well. But they may not realize that such laws will do more harm than good.
Breaking the rules should NOT be something that also breaks the law. What hackers fear most is that the government will discover too late that the very laws that they made for their protection are what causes them to fall. Unlike high tax rates, governments can't repeal totalitarianism if it turns out to be a mistake.
This is why hackers worry. The government spying on people doesn't literally make programmers write worse code. It just leads eventually to a world in which bad ideas will win since there will be no one around to hack into the program and make it better. And because this is so important to hackers, they're especially sensitive to it.
A good example of one law which scares me is the law regarding computer use in New South Wales, Australia.

Section 310 of the Crimes Act 1900 states that:
"A person who intentionally (a.) destroys, erases or alters data stored in or inserts data into a computer; or (b.) interferes with, or interrupts or obstructs the lawful use of a computer..." can be punished by severe prison sentences.

It might sound like a good law on the surface but look at it closer. Remember the description of most computer users at the beginning of this entry... is there any computer operation that doesn't "erase", "alter", "destroy", or "insert" data into a computer? No, there isn't!
And what exactly does it mean when it says "obstructs the lawful use of a computer?" Isn't the lawful use of a computer that computer users be allowed to "erase", "alter", "destroy", or "insert" data into a computer? Yes.
This law makes computer use simultaneously illegal and legal at the same time! By this law, anyone who uses a computer can be thrown in jail for up to 10 years, or completely pardoned! Interestingly, New South Wales is one of the most proactive states in the world in prosecuting computer-related crimes.
After I wrote this entry I did receive an answer to emails I sent to several Australian law firms. According to one email I recieved, "The NSW law prohibiting computer use is phrased that way since it can frequently be difficult to determine whether or not a person had malicious intent (which is a difficulty raised with the penal codes used in other Australian states). The way the law in NSW is phrased, what is prosecuted is not the intention but the computer use itself. The law in NSW is phrased to make any computer use illegal so as to give the government the greatest scope in prosecuting crimes of a computer nature, without having to worry about the intent behind the computer use."
What makes some of these totalitarianism laws so scary is that most hacking isn't about doing things illegal; it's about learning and expanding knowledge. This totalitarianism law of NSW actually threatens letting people expand their knowledge of computer by threatening to make ALL computer use illegal and prosecutable at the whim of whoever is in power at the time!!
The law may sound reasonable on the surface, and the explanation may sound like a laudable reason on the surface... but totalitarianism by its' very nature prohibits growth and learning.
I am a hacker. As such the owner and editor of this blog promises to always tout good (hacked, tested, reverse-engineered) ideas on this blog.
Keep hacking alive.
Keep good, tested ideas flowing.
Keep thinking outside the box.
Hacking and reverse-engineering should not be illegal when used to benefit others.