Inside My Mind

Did the MyTouch 3G Out-cool the iPhone?

Matt — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:11:02 +0000

I don’t know if you can get much cooler than Clapton getting a call from Buddy Guy.

Verizon Takes Aim at iPhone’s Shortcomings

Truest Statement Ever?

Matt — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:05:37 +0000

One thing Windows users can do that Mac users can’t…

I don’t have a horse in this race…I use Ubuntu!

It’s official, Firefox 3.5 has surpasse…

Matt — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:01:54 +0000

It’s official, Firefox 3.5 has surpassed Internet Explorer 7 and is now the most used browser on the web.
StatCounter.com

Free Hugs Prank: $2 Deluxe Hugs This is …

Matt — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:59:02 +0000

Free Hugs Prank: $2 Deluxe Hugs

This is greatness!!!

Google Earth GPS Support Now Free!

Lee’s Christmas Poem My Dad shares his a…

Matt — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:44:04 +0000

Lee’s Christmas Poem

My Dad shares his annual Christmas poem.

No related posts.

Profile of John Mackey

Matt — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:27:10 +0000

If you can get past the author’s disdain for capitalism and personally responsibility (he completely dismisses the idea that each person is responsible for their own weight — it’s societies fault people are obese, not the person who refuses to control their eating), this is a pretty good profile of Whole Foods founder John Mackey.

via The New Yorker

Remembering the Monster: Cereal Maker John Harvey Kellogg

Android Celebrates First Anniversary with 50 New Phones

Matt — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:23:29 +0000

According to Google Android Blog on the first anniversary of the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1) there are fifty Android phones either available now, or in the planning stages.

Here is their list:

BOLD if available now / ITALICS is rumored release date

Acer Liquid – A1 – November 28th
Compulab Exeda
Dell Ophone mini3i – Benzine
Geek Phone One
General Mobile DSTL1
Haier H7
HKC Pearl
HighScreen PP5420
HTC Click – Fiesta – Tattoo
HTC Desire 6200 – November
HTC Dragon – Zoom 2
HTC Dream – T-Mobile G1
HTC Hero – G2 Touch
HTC Lancaster
HTC Magic – Sapphire – T-Mobile myTouch 3G – Google Ion – Dopod A6188
HTC Passion
HTC Predator
Huawei U8220 – T-Mobile Pulse
Huawei U8230
Innocomm Skate
Kogan Agora
Koolu Freerunner – Openmoko GTA02
Lenovo O1 Ophone
LG Etna
LG GW620 Eve – November 2009
LG GW880
Motorola Calgary
Motorola Devour
Motorola Droid – Sholes – Tao – November 7th
Motorola Heron
Motorola MB200
Motorola MB300
Motorola Morrison – Cliq – DEXT
Motorola Motis – 2010
Motorola Sholes Tablet – 2010
Motorola Zeppelin – 2010
Philips V808
Qigi i6
Samsung Behold 2 T939 – November 18th
Samsung Bigfoot
Samsung Galaxy i7500
Samsung Galaxy Lite i5700 – Spica – 2010
Samsung Houdini
Samsung m850 Q
Samsung Moment – InstinctQ m900 – November 1st
Sciphone N12
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3 / x10 Rachael – January 2010
Sunno S880
Tiger G3
ZTE Android

This doesn’t include the other Android based devices we’ve seen announced or released. Such as Raytheon’s RATS for the US Military, Barnes and Noble’s eBook reader, or Dell’s MID Device.

Via Google Android Blog.

Motorola Droid Review

Matt — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:53:34 +0000

The only publicly known user of the Motorola Droid, Boy Genius Report, has published the first review of the new Android based phone, and it’s glowing.

While he does give some of the credit for the experience to the new and improved Android 2.0, he does say this is by far the best Android phone to date. The only most negative part of the review is regarding the physical keyboard, but as BGR points out, you can use the virtual keyboard in both portrait and landscape mode. Read the full review and see all the pics at Boy Genius Report.

Nerdgasm Alert: Motorola Droid Hands-On!

Matt — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:42:39 +0000

Over the last couple of weeks The Boy Genius Report has taunted us with pictures, videos and screenshots from a device that most believe is a Motorola Droid (aka Sholes, aka Tao). Finally BGR has brought the Droid out of the shadows and we see it in all it’s glory.

Not an in depth review, but several nice pictures and it does confirm many of the rumors we’ve heard about this phone.

Including:

It does run Android 2.0 (Eclair)
It is only a couple of millimeters thicker than an iPhone 3Gs including the slide out keyboard
It is the fastest Android phone out there (running a TI OMAP3430 processor)

Plus, they offer up these juicy tidbits:

Google had direct input on the design of this phone. They even imply that Google dictated virtually every move Motorola made regarding this phone.
It will come with a docking cradle/charger that will allow it to become a desktop info screen, displaying weather and time. (One could assume this could spawn a whole slew of apps such as a stock ticker, sports score scroll, news updates, RSS headlines, etc…)

It looks like this could be a win-win-win for Motorola, Google and Verizon.

iDon’t Commercial

Matt — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:15:54 +0000

No related posts.

Verizon Takes Aim at iPhone’s Shortcomings

Matt — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:04:07 +0000

Verizon’s marketing campaign for Motorola Droid puts iPhone squarely in it’s cross hairs with their list of “iDon’ts”:

iDon’t have a real keyboard.
iDon’t run simultaneous apps.
iDon’t take night shots.
iDon’t allow open development.
iDon’t Customize.
iDon’t Run Widgets.
iDon’t have interchangeable batteries.

DROID DOES

via Boy Genius Report.

Poker Tip: Rule of Four and Two

Matt — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:28:10 +0000

I was explaining this method for estimating odds to someone the other day, and thought it would be a great idea to write a short blog post explaining it to everyone.

The rule of four and two (also called ‘Solomon’s Rule’) is a very simple method for estimating odds in your head. It’s especially useful for those who have a difficult time doing long division without a piece of paper or calculator.

To estimate the odds that you will hit a given hand after the flop, just count up the number of outs, multiply that number by 4 and the result is the approximate percentage chance that you will hit your hand on the turn or the river. If none of your outs come on the turn, just multiply the number of outs by 2 to get the odds you’ll hit on the river.

Here’s an example:

You’ve got the ace and queen of hearts in your hand, the flop comes out six of hearts, ten of hearts and 3 of clubs, giving you four cards to a heart flush. That means there are nine more hearts out there that will make your hand. So to estimate the odds that you will hit your hand on the turn or the river just multiply 9×4 giving you a 36% chance that you’ll make your hand. The actual odds that you’ll make your hand are 34.9%, so the answer is close enough and MUCH easier to calculate.

If that heart doesn’t come on the turn, simply multiply the number of outs by two (9×2=18) to estimate the odds that you will make your hand on the river. The actual odds are 19.5%, again close enough. Calculating accurate odds on the river is much simpler, but this method is still easier.

There is one exception to this rule, if you have more than 9 outs, you must make the following adjustment when estimating odds after the flop. Multiply the number of outs by 4, then subtract 8 from the number of outs and subtract the result from your estimate.

If you had 12 outs, you would multiply 12×4=48, subtract 8 from 12 giving you 4, then subtract 4 from 48, so your approximate odds would be 44%. The actual odds are 44.9%.

Incidentally, the formulas for caculating actual odds are as follows:

After the flop:

((outs/47) + (outs/46) – (outs/47) x (outs/46))x100 = Odds you’ll make your hand on the turn or river.

i.e. 9 outs to make your flush:

(9/47) + (9/46) – (9/47) x (9/46)

(19.14 + 19.56) – (19.14 x 19.56)

.387 – .0374 = .3496

.3496 x 100 = 34.96%

(47 is the number of unknown cards after the flop (The 5 known cards being the two in your hand and the three on the board) and 46 is the number of unknown cards after the turn.)

After the turn:

(outs/46)x100

9/46=.195

.195 x 100 = 19.5%

(I’m no mathematician, and I usually do these calculations in my head, so my notation may not be 100% accurate.)

No related posts.

Can Ubuntu Replace Mac for Audio Production?

Matt — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:03:56 +0000

When Kim Cascone’s PowerBook G4 started becoming unreliable, he calculated the cost of a new PowerMac and production software and when the total came out to $3000, he decided to give Ubuntu a try. After a $600 investment in a new Dell laptop and donation to developers, he’s got no regrets about choosing Open Source software.

From CreateDigitalMusic.com:.

I had tried Linux in 2005 on PowerPC-based Mac laptops, though at the time I couldn’t get audio working, even after extensive tweaking. But I had kept an eye on Ubuntu ever since. After considering MacBook Pro prices, I checked out the new netbooks coming to market and picked up a refurbished Dell Inspiron Mini 9 with Ubuntu pre-installed.

I loaded up my Dell with all a selection of Linux audio applications and brought it with me on tour as an emergency backup to my tottering PowerBook. The Mini 9 could play back four tracks of 24-bit/96 kHz audio with effects – not bad for a netbook. The solution to my financial constraint became clear, and I bought a refurbished Dell Studio 15, installed Ubuntu on it, and set it up for sound production and business administration. The total cost was around $600 for the laptop plus a donation to a software developer — a far cry from the $3000.00 price tag and weeks of my time it would have cost me to stay locked-in to Apple. After a couple of months of solid use, I have had no problems with my laptop or Ubuntu. Both have performed flawlessly, remaining stable and reliable.

What is Subway Selling Anyway?

Matt — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:19:48 +0000

The Smoke in this Flash ad on the Subway website spells out the word SEX!.

No related posts.

Bad Teacher, Good Lover

Matt — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:45:26 +0000

From badbadteacher.com.

Allen James Cole, 34, a government teacher at Travis High School in Austin, Texas has been arrested on allegations that he had sex with an 18-year-old female student more than 20 times in five days.

No wonder he looks so smug in his mugshot:

"Yep, that says MORE than TWENTY times in five days."

The Science of ‘Back to the Future’

Alarming Number of iPods Bursting into Flames

Matt — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:28:55 +0000

It took more than 7-months for KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy to get her hands on documents concerning Apple’s iPods from the Consumer Product Safety Commission because Apple’s lawyers filed exemption after exemption. In the end, the CPSC released more than 800 pages which reveal, for the very first time, a comprehensive look that shows, on a number of occasions, iPods have suddenly burst into flames, started to smoke, and even burned their owners.

via Apple Downplays Fiery iPod Incidents – Money News Story – KIRO Seattle.

Ohio Man Arrested for Threatening Telemarketer

Matt — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:52:04 +0000

Phone rage leads to arrest here for Ohio man

An Ohio man, fed up with deceptive junk mail, made the mistake of losing his temper while on the phone with a St. Louis company pitching an extended auto-service contract. Now he finds himself behind bars, where he is charged with making a terrorist threat.

According to court documents, Charles W. Papenfus, 43, allegedly told a sales representative during a May 18 telephone call that he would burn down the building and kill the employees and their families. He was indicted for making a terrorist threat, a Class D felony; and he could be sentenced to up to four years in prison if convicted.

Ethan Nadelmann Speaks at the NAACP Conference

Matt — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:50:37 +0000

Ethan Nadelmann Speaks at the NAACP Conference

Great fire and brimstone drug policy speech!

If You Have a BMI of 40+ Watch Out For Swine Flu

Matt — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:46:20 +0000

Obese Exposed as Swine Flu Collides With Fat Epidemic

No related posts.

Fed Vice-Chair Fears Audit’s Effect on Economy

Matt — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:17:46 +0000

Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn warns Congress investors may be worried that the Fed is monetizing US debt. (Monetization is the Federal Reserve paying off debts by printing money.)

Rightfully so!

The Fed continuing to attempt to stabalize the economy by monetizing US debt will lead to hyperinflation.

Libertary.com | Freedom of the Book

Matt — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:59:05 +0000

Libertary.com has published an online version of Judge Mike Gray’s book Drug Crazy: How We Got Into This Mess and How We Can Get Out.

This honest, logical assesment exposes how our war on drugs has enriched criminals, militarized our police forces, and endangered our freedoms while having very little impact on the availability of illicit drugs.

But wait, There’s More…

Matt — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:52:30 +0000

Order today and we’ll throw in the Billy Mays Magical Beard at no additional charge.

Order Now!

Billy Mays-A-Palooza

Matt — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:29:16 +0000

A double shot of Billy Mays greatness:

Billy Mays Caps Lock is a simple application that lives in your systems tray. The sole purpose of this application is to play famous Billy Mays soundbites everytime you press your caps lock key.

Billy Mays Power Mask allows you harness Billy Mays’ awesome powers by printing and wearing a Billy Mays mask.

Google Reveals Chrome OS Hardware Partners

Matt — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:46:11 +0000

From Google Chrome OS FAQ

What companies is Google working with to support Google Chrome OS?

The Google Chrome OS team is currently working with a number of technology companies to design and build devices that deliver an extraordinary end user experience. Among others, these companies include Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba.

Not surprisingly, like most Linux distributions, it will be free:

Is Google Chrome OS free?

Yes – Google Chrome OS is an open source project and will be available to use at no cost.

American Empire Ending in 2012?

Matt — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:44:35 +0000

Gerald Celente predicts the end of the American empire by 2012.

Google Introduces New Operating System

Matt — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:47:28 +0000

All of the speculation appears to be coming to fruition. Google is releasing an OS. Google Chrome OS is based on the Linux kernel, but abandons Gnome and KDE in favor of an all new windowing system. The open source OS, much like Google’s Chrome Browser, is focused on speed, simplicity and security.

From Google Blog:

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

More Evidence D.A.R.E. Promotes Drug Use

Matt — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:25:00 +0000

In the past, we’ve seen the evidence that most kids are introduced to illicit drugs through D.A.R.E. Here Ryan Grim draws some interesting conclusions in his new book, This Is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America.

From Alternet:

The high-school class of 1996 was the first one to increase its use of drugs since the across-the-boards decline of the eighties. That group of students had entered kindergarten around 1983, the same year that the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, now D.A.R.E. America, was founded by Los Angeles Police Department chief Daryl Gates.

iPhone Sleuths

Matt — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:14:43 +0000

The Intermittent Kevin – Find My iPhone works, and it is awesome..

Great story about 3 geeks who use MobileMe and a Macbook with a 3G dongle to track down and confront an iPhone thief.

Verizon Takes Aim at iPhone’s Shortcomings

“Andrew Knowlton” Douche – Google Search

Matt — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:04:26 +0000

“Andrew Knowlton” Douche – Google Search.

Apparently, I share this opinion with others…

FDA Advises Zicam May Cause Permanent Loss of Smell

Matt — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:41:31 +0000

FDA Advises Consumers Not To Use Certain Zicam Cold Remedies.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today advised consumers to stop using three products marketed over-the-counter as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia). Anosmia may be long-lasting or permanent.

George W. Bush’s War on the Suffering

Pussy Cat Song – Asylum Street Spankers

Matt — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:05:50 +0000

YouTube – bob and tom show asylum street spankers resync.

Hilarity ensues…

$700 Billion Wall Street Bailout

Software for Tough Economic Times

Matt — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:13:08 +0000

During these tough economic times I thought it would be a good idea to create a list of commercial software and their Open Source (FREE!!) equivalents.

Microsoft Windows = Linux

While I don’t really expect everyone, or anyone, to go out and change their OS, there are a couple of Linux distributions out there that are up to snuff for the novice user. There are many different flavors (distributions) of Linux, but my personal choice would be Ubuntu. If you know someone who is new to computers and only wants to do email and internet, I would really recommend Ubuntu Linux. It’s virtually unbreakable. In addition, there are literally thousands of free programs available for Linux that are easily installed using the Synaptic Package Manager.

Microsoft Office = Open Office

Open office offers equivalent programs that save in the MS Office formats (Office 2003 format):

MS Program = OO Program
Word = Writer
Excel = Calc
Powerpoint = Impress
Access = Base
Visio = Draw
Equation Editor = Math

Photoshop = GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program)

From gimp.org:

GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
It has many capabilities. It can be used as a simple paint program, an expert quality photo retouching program, an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.
GIMP is expandable and extensible. It is designed to be augmented with plug-ins and extensions to do just about anything. The advanced scripting interface allows everything from the simplest task to the most complex image manipulation procedures to be easily scripted.
GIMP is written and developed under X11 on UNIX platforms. But basically the same code also runs on MS Windows andMac OS X.

In addition to it’s own impressive set of Plug-ins and Scripts, GIMP also supports many of the Plugins, filters and brushes made for Photoshop.

AIM, Yahoo, MSN/Windows Live, Google Talk, ICQ, Facebook Chat, Myspace IM = Pidgin

Pidgin is an all-in-one replacement for every instant messaging program out there. You can replace the menagerie of IM icons in the notification area with just one. Pidgin allows you to set your status in every IM program and on Facebook and MySpace simultaneously. In addition, it supports plugins including such features as ‘Psychic Mode’, where you are notified a person is about to IM you as soon as they start typing. In order to use Facebook Chat in Pidgin you’ll need to install the Pidgin Facebook Chat plugin.

Nero/Roxio Easy CD Creator = InfraRecorder

From InfraRecorder.org:

InfraRecorder is a free CD/DVD burning solution for Microsoft Windows. It offers a wide range of powerful features; all through an easy to use application interface and Windows Explorer integration.

InfraRecorder is released under GPL version 3.

Features

Create custom data, audio and mixed-mode projects and record them to physical discs as well as disc images.

Supports recording to dual-layer DVDs.

Blank (erase) rewritable discs using four different methods.

Record disc images (ISO and BIN/CUE).

Fixate discs (write lead-out information to prevent further data from being added to the disc).

Scan the SCSI/IDE bus for devices and collect information about their capabilities.

Create disc copies, on the fly and using a temporary disc image.

Import session data from multi-session discs and add more sessions to them.

Display disc information.

Save audio and data tracks to files (.wav, .wma, .ogg, .mp3 and .iso).

Adobe Acrobat (Distiller) = PDFCreator

PDFCreator allows you to make a PDF File from any program by printing to a PDF printer.

WinZip/Windows Zip Utility = 7-Zip

Are you tired of waiting hours for the built-in Windows Zip extractor to uncompress a zip file? Get 7-Zip!
7-Zip features most of the same features included in WinZip, but it’s free and has no nag screens.

Adobe Premiere = VirtualDub

While not as user friendly and as full featured as Premiere, VirtualDub is an incredible package of video processing and compression software, once again, for FREE!

From VirtualDub.org:

VirtualDub is a video capture/processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms (95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP), licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It lacks the editing power of a general-purpose editor such as Adobe Premiere, but is streamlined for fast linear operations over video. It has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters. VirtualDub is mainly geared toward processing AVI files, although it can read (not write) MPEG-1 and also handle sets of BMP images.

Sound Forge = Audacity:

From audacity.sourceforge.net:

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to:

Record live audio.

Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.

Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF sound files.

Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds together.

Change the speed or pitch of a recording.

And more! See the complete list of features.

Microsoft Internet Explorer = Mozilla Firefox

Many of you already know about Firefox. Judging by my website stats most of you use it. Firefox is one of the pieces of open source software that absolutely blows it’s commercial counterpart out of the water. Beginning with Firefox 2, it set the standard for web browsers left Microsoft scrambling to catch up. Beyond being naturally faster and more intuitive than IE, it’s also extendable through plugins, extensions and themes. Firefox extensions allow you to completely customize your browsing experience from removing every advertisement with adblock plus to adding functionality to control iTunes to the status bar.

The most likely way that your computer is going to be infected with adware or a virus is through security holes in Internet Explorer. More security flaws in IE are found all the time, and Microsoft is ususally the last to know. For a more customizable and secure browsing experience get Firefox today.

Check out my series of blog posts about my favorite Firefox Extensions.

Microsoft Outlook (Express) = Mozilla Thunderbird

While Thunderbird hasn’t matured quite as much as Firefox, it is still a highly customizable email client that gets more and more so every day. Much like Firefox, Thunderbird supports extension and themes, including adblock, that allow you to create your own email experience. You can install extensions that turn Thunderbird from a client like Outlook Express into a more flexible version of Microsoft Office Outlook.

More to come soon!

This is only the beginning of the list. I’ll post more free Open Source alternatives to high priced commercial software soon! In the meantime you can check out the home of Open Souce on the internet sourceforge.net.

Alice and I Walked to White Rock Lake on Thursday

Matt — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:09:46 +0000

No related posts.

Facebook Button for Picasa

Matt — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:06:40 +0000

Facebook Button for Picasa.

After uploading a few pictures to Facebook today, I remembered how handy having the Facebook Button in Picasa was and I thought everyone might not know abou it, so here it is!

Having the Facebook Button for Picasa makes uploading a one step process. Well, one step if you use Internet Explorer. If you’re scared of the security, or lack thereof, in IE (like me) and use Firefox or Chrome you’ll have to enter your password each time.

Hint: To avoid having to approve your uploaded photos each time, just click the Enable Extended Access link at the bottom of the screen where you choose what album to put them in. From that point forword you’ll no longer have to log in to Facebook and approve the photos.

This is a must have for anyone who uses Facebook and Picasa.

Audio: Every Curse Word from NWA’s Straight Out of Compton (NSFW)

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:38:20 +0000

Seeing that Sopranos video reminded me of this classic…

Straight out of Compton: Dirty lyrics only…

Video: Every Curse Word From the Sopranos (NSFW)

Matt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:26:00 +0000

the sopranos, uncensored. from victor solomon on Vimeo.

Remembering the Monster: Cereal Maker John Harvey Kellogg

Matt — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:39:45 +0000

Please contact Kellogg’s to voice your displeasure over the release of Michael Phelps: (800) 962-1413.

W. K. Kellogg, the founder of Kellogg’s, was the brother of John Harvey Kellogg. J. H. Kellogg was the founder of the Battle Creek Sanatorium. They originally had a partnership in a cereal company, but it was dissolved after J.H. Kellogg refused to add sugar to his recipe.

Both W.K. Kellogg and C.W. Post (the founder of Post cereals) were frequent visitors to the Battle Creek Sanitarium and believers in what J.H. Kellogg did.

Here are just a couple of his abhorent beliefs:

Kellogg worked on the rehabilitation of masturbators, often employing extreme measures, even mutilation, on both sexes. In his Plain Facts for Old and Young, he wrote

“ A remedy which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision, especially when there is any degree of phimosis. The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering an anesthetic, as the brief pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment, as it may well be in some cases. The soreness which continues for several weeks interrupts the practice, and if it had not previously become too firmly fixed, it may be forgotten and not resumed. ”

and

“ In females, the author has found the application of pure carbolic acid [phenol] to the clitoris an excellent means of allaying the abnormal excitement. ”

He also recommended, to prevent children from this “solitary vice”, bandaging or tying their hands, covering their genitals with patented cages, sewing the foreskin shut and electrical shock.

On Race Relations:

In 1906, Kellogg founded—together with Irving Fisherand Charles Davenport—the Race Betterment Foundation, which became a major center of the new eugenics movement in America. Kellogg was in favor of racial segregation and believed that immigrants and non-whites would damage the gene pool. Also, Kellogg gave a large portion of the common stock of the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company to the Race Betterment Foundation. Whether any of that stock has been converted into Kellogg Company stock is unknown.

Google Earth GPS Support Now Free!

Matt — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:42:42 +0000

I just got an email regarding Google Earth Plus stating that it’s been discontinued. According to the email the primary reason people paid for Google Earth Plus was for GPS device support. GPS support is now included in Google Earth 5.

From the email:

As a valued Google Earth customer, we want you to be the first to know that Google will no longer offer Google Earth Plus. With new enhancements to Google Earth released this week, we believe the needs of many Google Earth Plus customers will be met with Google Earth 5.0, which is freely available to all our customers.

…

The latest version of Google Earth lets customers import and track global positioning system (GPS) data. Our Google Earth Plus customers told us GPS tracking is one of the main reasons they choose Google Earth Plus. Now, since you can use this feature for free in Google Earth 5.0, there’s little separation between Plus and the free product. In order to simplify the decision of which version of Google Earth best meets our customers’ needs, we decided it no longer made sense to continue Google Earth Plus.

I’m definitely one of those customers. The only reason I paid for GE+ was for the GPS support.

Get Google Earth 5.0 here.

Ron Paul Says Senators Caved on Stimulus Package

Matt — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:55:16 +0000

From CNN:

In the video, Paul said he wondered whether Republican opposition to the spending is too little, too late.

“It is like they’re born-again budget conservatives,” Paul said. “Where were we in the past eight years, when we could have done something? And you see our last eight years that has set this situation up. So we can’t blame the Democrats for the conditions we have.

New Word Everyone Should Embrace: Saddlebacking

Matt — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:19:49 +0000

Dan Savage has coined a new word in honor of Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren. Pastor Warren also garnered attention because he was chosen to give the invocation at Barack Obama’s despite his support of California’s gay marriage ban ‘Proposition 8‘. Unfortunately for members of Pastor Warren’s Saddleback Church the name of their church has an entirely new meaning.

From saddlebacking.com:

Saddlebacking: sad•dle•back•ing \?sa-d?l-?ba-ki?\ vb [fr. Saddleback Church] (2009): the phenomenon of Christian teens engaging in unprotected anal sex in order to preserve their virginities

After attending the Purity Ball, Heather and Bill saddlebacked all night because she’s saving herself for marriage. Unfortunately her parents found out because they got santorum all over the sheets.

Just in case you’re not familiar with the term ‘Santorum‘, here is the definition:

Pronunciation: san-TOR-um
Function: noun
Etymology: Savage Love – 05/29/03
1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.

Fisherman’s Best Friend

Matt — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:27:40 +0000

No related posts.

Led Zeppelin Stole a Lot of Songs

Matt — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:49:03 +0000

I heard these songs several years ago on The Ticket, but I just ran across them again.

I did have the song comparisons embedded, but I couldn’t stop it from autoplaying, so click here to hear the comparisons.

The following list does not include covers that were properly credited.

From: http://www.warr.org/zep.html

Now by popular demand! A list of some of the songs Zep stole from other artists:

“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” – A folk song by Anne Bredon, this was originally credited as “traditional, arranged by Jimmy Page,” then “words and music by Jimmy Page,” and then, following legal action, “Bredon/Page/Plant.”

“Black Mountain Side” – uncredited version of a traditional folk tune previously recorded by Bert Jansch.

“Bring It On Home” – the first section is an uncredited cover of the Willie Dixon tune (as performed by the imposter Sonny Boy Williamson).

“Communication Breakdown” – apparently derived from Eddie Cochran’s “Nervous Breakdown.”

“Custard Pie” – uncredited cover of Bukka White’s “Shake ‘Em On Down,” with lyrics from Sleepy John Estes’s “Drop Down Daddy.”

“Dazed And Confused” – uncredited cover of the Jake Holmes song (see The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes).

“Hats Off To (Roy) Harper” – uncredited version of Bukka White’s “Shake ‘Em On Down.”

“How Many More Times” – Part one is an uncredited cover of the Howlin’ Wolf song (available on numerous compilations). Part two is an uncredited cover of Albert King’s “The Hunter.”

“In My Time Of Dying” – uncredited cover of the traditional song (as heard on Bob Dylan’s debut).

“The Lemon Song” – uncredited cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” – Wolf’s publisher sued Zeppelin in the early 70s and settled out of court.

“Moby Dick” – written and first recorded by Sleepy John Estes under the title “The Girl I Love,” and later covered by Bobby Parker.

“Nobody’s Fault But Mine” – uncredited cover of the Blind Willie Johnson blues.

“Since I’ve Been Lovin’ You” – lyrics are the same as Moby Grape’s “Never,” though the music isn’t similar.

“Stairway To Heaven” – the main guitar line is apparently from “Taurus” by Spirit.

“White Summer” – uncredited cover of Davey Graham’s “She Moved Through The Fair.”

“Whole Lotta Love” – lyrics are from the Willie Dixon blues “You Need Love.”

Letter of the Week Award!

Matt — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:14:56 +0000

Newshawk: Published Letters Awards http://www.mapinc.org/lteaward.htm
Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jan 2009
Source: DrugSense Weekly (DSW)
Webpage: http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm
Website: http://www.drugsense.org

LETTER OF THE WEEK

DRUGS NEED REGULATION

By Matt Wolfgang

If our politicians refuse to take control of the illicit drug market by taxing and regulating these substances, other brave men will die in the name of letting criminals control the drug market.

We took control of tobacco, and now teen tobacco use is at its lowest level since the ’90s.

Who do you really want controlling the supply of these drugs, legitimate businesses or criminals?

Matt Wolfgang, Dallas

Pubdate: Sun, 11 Jan 2009

Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)

Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n027/a02.html

Jay-Z’s Black Album: 8 bit Remix

Matt — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:11:43 +0000

Jay-Z has released A Capella versions of his most recent albums, including the “Black Album”, to make life easier on DJs doing remixes. ChangWang2k3 has taken Jay-Z’s rhymes and laid them down on beats constructed from classic video game music, and it’s good!

Check it out:

Jay-Z vs Super Mario -- Change Clothes Remix

Jay-Z vs Mega Man 2 -- Dirt Off Your Shoulders Remix

Jay-Z vs Smash TV -- Lucifer

The Science of ‘Back to the Future’

Matt — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:09:57 +0000

Back to the Future at overthinkingit.com

The team at overthinkingit.com lives up to it’s name by attempting to apply real science to Doc Brown’s flux capacitor and the DeLoreon at 88 MPH space-time continuum.

Bad Teacher, Good Lover

January 22nd oral arguments in SONY BMG Music v. Tenenbaum will be televised over the internet

Matt — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:14:22 +0000

From the Recording Industry vs The People Blog:

District Judge Nancy Gertner has granted so much of the defendant’s motion as sought to televise, over the internet, the January 22, 2009, oral arguments of the parties’ motions concerning the defendant’s counterclaims, in SONY BMG Music v. Tenenbaum.

The ruling does not address the issue of televising subsequent proceedings, including the trial.

This is believed to be the first time that proceedings in an RIAA case will be televised. (If anyone has any contrary information, please let me know.).

CVN will “narrowcast” the audio-visual coverage to the website of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, which will make the recording publicly available for all non-commercial uses via its website.

The argument will be on Thursday, January 22nd, at 2:00 p.m.

Judge Gertner questioned the reason for plaintiffs’ objection:

While the Plaintiffs object to the narrowcasting of this proceeding, …. their objections are curious. At previous hearings and status conferences, the Plaintiffs have represented that they initiated these lawsuits not because they believe they will identify every person illegally downloading copyrighted material. Rather, they believe that the lawsuits will deter the Defendants and the wider public from engaging in illegal file-sharing activities. Their strategy effectively relies on the publicity resulting from this litigation.

Nothing in the local rules of the District Court of Massachusetts, the policies of the Judicial Council for the First Circuit, life, or logic suggests that this motion should be denied. As Judge Weinstein noted: “No reason has been suggested to depart from the policy that, in general, the public should be permitted and encouraged to observe the operation of its courts in the most convenient manner possible, so long as there is no interference with the due process, the dignity of the litigants, jurors, and witnesses, or with other appropriate aspects of the administration of justice.” …..

Much like the proceedings before then-Judge Alito and audiovisual coverage of legal arguments in Courts of Appeals around the country, the district court hearing now at issue involves only legal argument. Moreover, coverage will be “gavel to gavel” — streaming a complete recording of the hearing to a publicly available website — not edited for an evening news soundbite. The public benefit of offering a more complete view of these proceedings is plain, especially via a medium so carefully attuned to the Internet Generation captivated by these filesharing lawsuits.January 14, 2009, Order and Decision Granting Internet Television Access to January 22nd Oral Arguments

Libertarian and Green Party Candidates Arrested at Debate

It All Becomes Clear When the War Comes to Your Doorstep

Matt — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:29:27 +0000

From The Dallas Morning News:

Last week, the [El Paso] City Council unanimously passed a resolution that called for solidarity with Juárez. The resolution ignited local and national controversy after City Councilman Beto O’Rourke added a line calling for a once unthinkable strategy to neutralize Mexico’s powerful cartels: legalizing drugs.

Family Guy Uncensored

Matt — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:54:06 +0000

Family Guy – Uncensored
by mastergeorg0

Hilarious Neo-Con/Family Guy Spoof

UPDATED: Latest Dallas Morning News Letter to the Editor

Matt — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:43:32 +0000

I don’t know if it will make the print edition, but it’s available online here.

From: http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/01/thanks-for-tell.html

Drug dealers and drug users did not create the dangerous black market in which they do business. Politicians did. Drinkers didn’t make Al Capone a dangerous and rich man. Prohibition did. In much the same way drug users aren’t at fault for Senior Cpl. Norman Smith’s death — it’s the market in which they are forced to do business.
If our politicians refuse to take control of the illicit drug market by taxing and regulating these substances, other brave men will die in the name of letting criminals control the drug market.
We took control of tobacco, and now teen tobacco use is at its lowest level since the ’90s.
Who do you really want controlling the supply of these drugs, legitimate businesses or criminals?

Matt Wolfgang, Dallas

UPDATE: Published Sunday January 9, 2009. Points (Section P) Page 2P.

Ubuntu Linux 8.10: Intrepid Ibex

Matt — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:53:18 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to dip your toes into the Linux waters, I highly recommend Ubuntu 8.10. It’s very easy to install, and is similar enough to Windows for anyone to pick up quickly.

One of the coolest things about Linux is the Synaptic Package Manager. This tool allows you to browse online software repositories and choose from tens of thousands of free software packages. It covers everything from 3-D video games to digital audio workstations to advanced image editing.

If I were setting up a PC for someone who didn’t care/didn’t know about having Windows I would set them up on Ubuntu and probably never hear from them again. As opposed to the many Windows machines I’ve built, for both friends and clients, which turn into long term support projects.