Corporate Lies: Radioshack

Corporate Lies
Radioshack's products are cheap crap. You would be lucky if they last at all. The saying you get what you pay for, this is usually true, but in the case of Radioshack it is not. The products are over priced, cheap components, and poorly made. Well, now there is an additional reason to hate them. They now lie to their customers, trying to push Cingular (crappy cell phone services), and I hate pushy salesman.

Side Note BTW: I've been a T Mobile user for about a year now. The service is good, never been cut off, etc... My dad who has Cingular, gets cut off almost all the time, and he pays alot for his service. I just pay the simple $10 a month.

Happy New Years and other stuff.

So today is the last day of 2005. I of course, get curious and look at my blog from 1 year ago on this date: http://williamandrus.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_williamandrus_archive.html. Not much exciting, just the normal stuff.

Ok here are some funny clips from Moronland.com:
Free Photo Booth: http://66.246.156.40/media/videos/lenophotobooth.wmv

R Kelly Closet Spoof: http://66.246.156.40/media/videos/Rkelly.wmv

Russle Peters: http://66.246.156.40/media/videos/Peterscomedy.wmv

Funny: Conan's 2005 year in review

http://y.wimp.com/file/aa31596896963bf9ac10f789d91b530e/43b5e08e/v/conan.wmv

Discrimination in U.S. State Constitutions against Atheists

Source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/texas.htm
I find this disgusting that, because I'm a atheist, I can't hold office in the following states:
MA, MD, NC, PA, SC and TN

In Maryland, I can't be a witness or juror.

In Massachusetts, everybody gets taxed to help out Protestant clergy.

"The good news:
These phrases are historical relics, left over from
earlier times. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution supersedes any
applicable statutory laws and sections of state constitutions. It thus nullifies
the effect of the above clauses."

Of course, with some thanks from the ACLU I bet. :)
But there are people out there who would love to have the 1st admendment taken away. Mostly the extreme conservative right, maybe?

Hack: How to rip DVDs

Source: http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/2005/12/26/how-to-rip-a-dvd-a-tutorial/

You will need:
http://www.mrbass.org/dvdrip/
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/AutoGK.htm

"1) Put in a DVD and launch DVD Decrypter. Choose IFO (Information
File) mode
2) Now you need to find which program chain to rip (PGC). Pick the one
that’s the longest, or in the case of a TV dvd, the episode you want to rip,
after which you will have a set of files which look like
this:
VTS_01_0.IFO
VTS_01_PGC_07 - Stream Information.txt
VTS_01_PGC_07_1.VOB
3) Launch AutoGK and select the first .vob that you just ripped as an
input file, and set an output file name
4) Now you need to select audio (choose the first one) and subtitles,
if any.
5) If you’re ripping a TV, set the preferred size to 350MB, if you’re
ripping a movie, choose either 700MB or 1400MB, depending on your
preference.
6) Finally, click on advanced settings and choose MP3 VBR 128kbs. Then
click “add job” and “start.”

Funny: Super Multitasking Phone

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/55091/super_multitasking_phone/

Video of President Bush Drunk at News Conference

Ok, this is fake, but funny how just slowing the feed down makes him so obviously a drunk. The weird words coming out of his mouth, of course are always his quirky ramblings.

http://www.wimp.com/bushdrunk/

Awsome Flash: The Ultimate Showdown

Ten Funniest Commercials of 2005

http://www.tbs.com/broadband/videoplayer/0,,65385,00.html

In Ithaca, NY: World smallest film contest.

Shoot a 30 second film on your cell phone, and you could win $5000.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/ptech/12/23/cellflicks.ap/index.html

Talked to Alex D. Weston recently

I talked to one of my first friends from SUNYIT today. He is living in NJ, working as a Help Desk. Brings back memories of when I would take up the offer of the school's free bowling Thursdays, and how Thursday was our Friday at the school, since we had no classes on those days. We talked about, how it sucks trying to look for in the technical industry.

Top 10 Weirdest PC Mods of 2005

http://gadgets.fosfor.se/the-top-10-weirdest-case-mods/

I personally like the WMD one:

Free Software

http://www.pricelessware.org/thelist/alp.htm

Here is another website that list a ton of free software. Its always good to have an alternative source, especially if it is open source.

Why is the Gov't spying on peace activist????

I know this is old, but felt with the recent look into how bush is supposly spying on potential terriorist. I felt that it would be prudent to show, how this has already been use for evil not protection from.

"I applaud our fearless leader and his attempt to clamp down on the treasonous and very dangerous Quakers. I was almost sucked into their evil cult and heinous plot to demonstrate against this war that was cooked up in Lake Worth when I visited my father last year in West Palm Beach. You can't tell a book by it's cover and these elderly, harmless looking bingo players are much more dangerous than they appear."

(transcript)

Video:
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Countdown-Spying.wmv

First was "Family Guy", now Futurama might be coming back.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/off-the-planet/2005/12/10/1134086846734.html

This would be very cool, if it comes true. I also like the idea that the creator is a Comp. Sci Major.

Free courses online (like comp sci, etc...)

http://opencontent.org/ocwfinder/?q=

This page displays multiple places of viewing online information. It is worth checking out to catch up or refresh your memory.

More live TV via the internet.

Ok, so here is another alternative.

This guys goes through the setup for watching Live tv on the internet for things like sports, etc...
http://www.ghacks.net/2005/12/19/watch-tv-with-your-pc/

He offers several software solutions:


http://www.sopcast.org/


http://www.pplive.com/en/


http://www.ppstream.com/

http://football4less.com/streams/coolstreaming.html

http://tv.qq.com/download.htm

http://www.tvants.com/

Politics: Bush spying on Americans, kidnapping, torturing, etc..

Recent News Sources:


http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/19/bush/index.html#wiretappin


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/18/60minutes/main1134821.shtml

WTF?!?!?!

Stupid Christians evangel elect Bush
Bush turns USA into evil fascist country
It's that simple.


Bush is encouraging spying on our own people,
Bush allows the lock-up, via the Patriot Act, to any personal (American or not) that might be considered a terrorist with out due process. That means, no one will know what happen to you, as long as they keep you locked up.
Bush allows the CIA to kidnap, move and torture people in other countries.
Bush fires personnel in the CIA and FBI, if they don't agree with the actions of president Bush.
Bush surpasses the U.N. expections for WMD in Iraq, and decides to invade Iraq anyway without any proof of WMD.
Bush rather spend money on War, instead of helping poor Americans.
Bush puts only his close personal friends in high up office positions.
Bush doesn't read or listen to the opposition, he calls them un-american/pro-terrorist.

You know the more I think about it, Bush is very similar to Saddam Hussein.

S.H. of course spied on his own people.
S.H. locked up anyone he wanted without due process.
S.H. ordered the torture and killing of people.
S.H. only allowed people in his own party to be in controlled.
S.H. never listened to the U.N.
S.H. rather spend money on weapons and personal things, then helping out his starving people.
S.H. puts his family and friends in high up office positions.
S.H. killed any opposition he could find.

Electornic Tutorial

http://www.ffldusoe.edu/Faculty/Denenberg/Topics/Electronics/
Alex_Pounds/Section6-10.htm

This brings back memories of electronics in high school, and digital logic in college. This is a good page, if you need help in either two.

Cool: Use a single computer with two simultaneous users at once

http://userful.com/products/free-2-user?

"Desktop Multiplier™ (2-user version, FREE!) Turn One Computer into Two
Desktop Multiplier™ (Free 2-User Edition) is a simple and free software add-on that turns your dual-monitor Linux PC into a dual-station (or dual-seat) Linux PC supporting two independent users, each with their own screens and keyboard with just one PC. All you need is a dual-head video card and an extra USB keyboard and mouse."

What would life be like if the internet was never born?

http://www.itsawonderfulinternet.com/
What a great story, bring a tear to my eye.

Urban Ninja

http://www.youtube.com/p.swf?video_id=pB2tdo0I7FQ\

I always like watching stuff like this. I wish someday, maybe I could do that, but I know that would never be.

Why Stores ask for you phone number....

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20051216083909990005&ncid=NWS00010000000001

"Because a phone number often can be used to look up a customer's address, stores say it helps them send special offers through the mail or tailor those offers to a customer's prior purchases. Many stores have signs explaining such a policy near checkout counters. Such signs commonly add that the stores don't share their customer information with third parties."

This is getting sick, I hate having my information of what I buy and when out there for companies to exploit. It starts with getting discounts at super markets, with them little tags. I don't mind getting coupons, just send it out to everybody, like you have been doing in the past. I will from now on try to use misleading information. Write down a wrong address and spell my name wrong on those stupid applications. It's not like they check up on you, and you will be able to get your discounts still at the super market. I should memorize the Better Business Bureau 's number and use that if I have to give a phone number out.

"'Not only that, you can also get an e-mail address' through data enhancement, Hoofnagle added. 'So getting the phone number opens you up not just to getting phone calls, but to spam.'"

Updates on Friendster and Myself

Ok, so I have updated my Friendster account with some pic of friends & family who are not on Friendster.

Being here in Colorado is nice, even though I think they hand out driver licenses on the street corner to anybody. It is a nice place, love the cold, but lack of snow is a little depressing.

I have been studing up on C#, while waiting for the new hard drive to arrive. I want to start practicing and programming with threads, delegates & events, and the GDI+.

I can't wait until I get a job, so I can start getting out of debt, and open my own webpage again. I hate not having a webpage out there.

Today, I bought Eurotrip and Enemy at the Gates DVDs. They are both very descent movies.

How To: Make Ice Shot Glass

http://www.elephantstaircase.com/wiki/index.php?title=IceShotGlasses

Free UML Tool

http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/products/ea_downloads.html

I defently need to start using some UML for some of the projects I want to program. I also hear that this tool does C#, which is awsome. That can make my programming project output faster. Yay :)

A Flash game like Counter Strike?

http://www.xgenstudios.com/play/stickarena/

I will have to try this when I get on a windows machine. :)

My name William James Andrus

Ok, after watching Current Tv yesterday, they discussed some top searches. One of the searches was "name meaning". So, I figure I would give it a shot, and look up my name: William

http://www.behindthename.com

So I find this site and enter my name:


WILLIAM
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIL-ee-am, WIL-yam

From the Germanic name Wilhelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans. It has belonged to several rulers of England, Prussia, and Germany, including William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England. Another famous bearer was William Tell, a legendary 14th-century hero from Switzerland. In the literary world it has been borne by dramatist William Shakespeare and poet William Blake, as well as contemporary authors William Faulkner and William S. Burroughs.

In the U.S. the name is usually in the top 20.
Interesting to see that in Sweden, it has been the most popular name for the past 2 years (2004, 2003).
It isn't very popular in Belgium.
The most popular decade for it to be used by women was in the 1920-1929, since 1990 the name hasn't been anywhere close to the top 1000.

Ok, this is a little funny, I always knew there was a ton of nick-names for William. Dang there are alot:

Names that are related to WILLIAM:
BILL m English
BILLIE m & f English
BILLY m English
GUGLIELMO m Italian
GUILHERME m Portuguese
GUILLAUME m French
GUILLEM m Catalan
GUILLERMO m Spanish
GWIL m Welsh
GWILHERM m Breton
GWILIM m Welsh
GWILLYM m Welsh
GWILYM m Welsh
HELMA f German
HELMINE f German
ILMA f
LIAM m Irish
MIINA f Finnish
MIMMI f Finnish
MINNA f German
MINNIE f English
PIM m Dutch
UILLEAG m Irish
UILLEAM m Scottish
UILLIAM m Irish
ULICK m Irish
VELMA f English (Modern)
VELVEL m Jewish
VELVELA f Jewish
VILCHJO m Esperanto
VILEM m Czech
VILHELM m Scandinavian, Hungarian
VILHELMAS m Lithuanian
VILHELMI m Finnish
VILHELMIINA f Finnish
VILHELMO m Esperanto
VILHELMS m Latvian
VILHJÁLMUR m Icelandic
VILHO m Finnish
VILI m Hungarian, Slovene
VILJAMI m Finnish
VILJEM m Slovene
VILJO m Finnish
VILKO m Slovene
VILLE m Finnish
VILMA f Hungarian
VILMAR m
VILMOS m Hungarian
WILHELM m German, Polish
WILHELMINA f German
WILKIE m English
WILL m English
WILLA f English
WILLEM m Dutch
WILLIE m & f English
WILLIS m English
WILLY m English
WILMA f German, English
WILMER m English
WILMOT m English
WILSON m English
WIM m Dutch, German
WIREMU m Maori


Thats about 63 names (if I counted correctly).

Ok, now for James:
English form of the Late Latin Jacomus which was derived from Iakobos, the New Testament Greek form of Ya'aqov (see JACOB).
From the Latin Jacobus, which was from the Greek Ιακωβος (Iakobos), which was from the Hebrew name Ya'aqov which meant "holder of the heel" or "supplanter".

Ok, I would be very lucky to find the meaning of Andrus. My grandfather was adopted, so the last name doesn't have much meaning to me; however, my heritage has more. The meaning of Andrus:

Estonian form of ANDREW
From the Greek name Ανδρεας (Andreas), which derives from ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος (andros) "of a man").

So bringing it all together:
William James Andrus = "desire" and "protection" + "holder of the heel" + "of a man".
= Protector + deceiver + strong
~ Strong decieving protector

I would have to think about that one.

Cool: Micro Railgun

Old Cache Source thanks to HackaDay:
http://www.geocities.com.nyud.net:8090/physicsthings/microrailgu.htm

Friendster

So, I finally gave in and signed up toward this Friendster thing, even though not alot of people that I know are on there, oh well.

My profile: http://www.friendster.com/user.php?uid=24311138

Friendster: http://www.friendster.com/

Interesting: Chating

http://www.there.com/index.html

This seems like an interesting way of chatting and playing games. Wouldn't mind trying it out soon.

Interesting: Man dresses up as bum giving out free Linux

http://lobby4linux.com/WordPress/wp-trackback.php?p=63

Basically, the man burns several disk of Linux and tries to give them out for free
dressed similarly as a bum. I found it interesting that less then a handful of people knew about Linux.

If I had money to burn, I wouldn't mind burning several Knoppix CDs and place them in stores with instructions
for people to take for free. That would be sweet. I know it is to much to ask for people to switch from Windows
to Linux, but with Knoppix that transition could be easier. They don't have to figure out how to do duel boots,
and configure the system. It would be already done, all they have to do is run the CD at start-up.

The free software would be a benefit also, like Open Office, progammming languages, games, etc....

Death by Caffeine

How many cans of Mountain Dew would it take to kill me?
Answer: 323

Hmm interesting, 323cans * (2 mins/1 can) * (1 hour/60 min) ~= 11hours.
So if I drank 1 can of Mountain Dew every 2 minutes it would take me 11 hours of this routine to kill me.


http://www.energyfiend.com/death-by-caffeine/

I also heard recently that chugging 2 gallons of water, can actually kill, because of the lost of electrolytes in the brain. Another interesting tid-bit. This could be a Urban Legend?? Story has it that as a initiation a set of pledges had to drink several gallons of water, and one of them died from it.

How To: Make Ballistic Gel

Source: http://thefifthrule.com/T5R/?p=225



"1st Recipe
Take 1 part pectin powder (same store isle as gelatin)
then take 1 part gelatin powder
take 3 parts boiling water (double boiler reccomended)
Stirr untill disolved.
Add color if desired
A few drops of oil of wintergreen (from baking supply store) can be used as a preservative.

2nd Recipe
Start with 20 grams gelatin powder
add 12 cc distilled water
then mix with 100 cc glycerin (sometimes available at drugstores, first-aid isle)
Let the mixture soak for about 45 minutes, then heat to 140 degrees in a double boiler, and pour into ziplock bags and lay flat to cool. (add color if needed)
add oil of wintergreen works as a preservative here too. "

This would be fun to use some molds, like a heart, add food coloring and use it for holloween.

Send your name to the asteroid belt

http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov
/DawnCommunity/Sendname2asteroid/index_asteroid_blt.aspx



This is cool, at least my name would be carried on throughout history and space. :)

Basics of the Unix Philosophy

http://software-quality.blogspot.com/
2005/12/basics-of-unix-philosophy.html


"Rule of Modularity: Write simple parts connected by clean interfaces.
Rule of Clarity: Clarity is better than cleverness.
Rule of Composition: Design programs to be connected with other programs.
Rule of Separation: Separate policy from mechanism; separate interfaces from engines.
Rule of Simplicity: Design for simplicity; add complexity only where you must.
Rule of Parsimony: Write a big program only when it is clear by demonstration that nothing else will do.
Rule of Transparency: Design for visibility to make inspection and debugging easier.
Rule of Robustness: Robustness is the child of transparency and simplicity.
Rule of Representation: Fold knowledge into data, so program logic can be stupid and robust.
Rule of Least Surprise: In interface design, always do the least surprising thing.
Rule of Silence: When a program has nothing surprising to say, it should say nothing.
Rule of Repair: Repair what you can — but when you must fail, fail noisily and as soon as possible.
Rule of Economy: Programmer time is expensive; conserve it in preference to machine time.
Rule of Generation: Avoid hand-hacking; write programs to write programs when you can.
Rule of Optimization: Prototype before polishing. Get it working before you optimize it.
Rule of Diversity: Distrust all claims for one true way.
Rule of Extensibility: Design for the future, because it will be here sooner than you think"

I guess it can all boil down to this one simple saying: "Keep It Simple Stupid"

Some flash video tutorials

http://seangreasley.com/

Here are a few flash video tutorials. I might take a closer look into these sometime soon.

MVSpot no longer will be up.

I guess the legal system finally caught up to them. Here was a list of some of my favorite videos from the site:

A Perfect Circle - Imagine
The Cardigans - Carnival
The Cardigans - My Favorite Game
The Cardigans - You're The Storm
Rage Against The Machine - No Shelter
Rage Against The Machine - Testify
Rage Against The Machine - Sleep Now In The Fire
Rage Against The Machine - Renegades Of Funk
OK Go - A Million Ways
Korn - Did My Time
Switchfoot - Stars
Switchfoot - Meant To Live
Switchfoot - Dare You To Move
A.F.I. - Silver & Cold
A.F.I. - The Leaving Song Pt. II
Avril Lavigne - Losing Grip
Avril Lavigne - I'm With You
Audiovent - The Energy
My Chemical Romance - Helena
Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country
Weezer - We Are All On Drugs
Weezer - Say It Ain't So
Weezer - Island In The Sun (Vers. 2)
Weezer - Hash Pipe
Weezer - Dope Nose
Evanescence - My Immortal
Evanescence - Going Under
Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes
DMX - Ruff Ryders Anthem
Three Days Grace - (I Hate) Everything About You
The All-American Rejects - Dirty Little Secrets
Three Days Grace - Just Like You
Foo Fighters - Best Of You
Foo Fighters - Breakout
The Killers - Mr. Brightside
The Killers - Somebody Told Me
The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
Slipknot - Duality
Yellowcard - Way Away
System Of A Down - B.Y.O.B.
System Of A Down - Aerials

Mr. Brightside by The Killers

Video Code Proudly Provided by MVSpot.com

Another good job searching location:

http://www.craigslist.org/

Advice for unemployed Comp Sci Grads

http://www.clearps.com/tjr/computing/advice-for-cs

So I read this, and do almost everything on the list, but did pick up some ideas. Like: doing some free programming for non-profit organizations. That would be some experience I can at least put on my resume. I also like the idea of joining/starting a open source project. I should also buy a book on software testing, I have one for Visual C++, but I should get a broader more logic based one.

Everyone's eys are wired differently.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10239783/

"The first images ever made of retinas in living people reveal surprising variation from one person to the next. Yet somehow our perceptions don't vary as might be expected."

This is cool. Back in high school a concept was brought up about how people might precieve the world differently to other people, based on what they see. Sure they might recognize the same color, but to what effect. Maybe someone see the world in more of a shade of red, but is used to it, and this is normal to them, while, someone else would see in more of a green color. From day one we learn what is normal, but how do we know what someone else sees isn't slight off in color or hue.

Paint roofs white will reduce global warming???

http://www.newscientist.com/backpage.ns?id=mg18825273.000

"Painting all roofs white could nudge the Earth's albedo from 0.29 towards 0.30."

Interesting, hmmmmm.

Yet Another List of IP TV Shows

http://www.iptvshows.org/

This list is big, it should come in handy when I need to watch something geekish. :)

Helping Teach a computer common knowledge.

http://commonsense.media.mit.edu/cgi-bin/process_frame.cgi?form_type=WhatElseShouldIKnow

A MIT project teaching a program to know common sense. I have tried to enter some info, but there seems to be a server error at this time. An example of this works is:

You're given a statement. Try to write 5 common sense information, to be given to the program.

For example: Bob bought some milk.

Some things that a person should know include:

Bob probably used money to buy the milk
Milk is a kind of food
Bob probably bought the milk at a store

Elmira Rap Video????

Ok, I was talking to Seth Alexanderson today, and he mention that there was this awful rap video about elmira or something. I googled it and found this site: http://media.putfile.com/elmirawhereuat2. I can't watch it right now because of the HD crash and running linux. By the comments it seems bad. Of course, who would rap about elmira anyway??? It isn't hardcore, maybe poor, but nothing like NYC and LA would be. I can't wait to see this video.

How to: Build your own OS

http://www.osdever.net/tutorials.php?cat=0&sort=1

I, might try this someday, just to say that I did it.

How To: Get a X-rated job in the Tech industry

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Damn computer

Well, I recently got back on aim and talked to Venk and Keith after a long while. I downnload and started praticing some JSP, Tomcat server, ANT, Springwork, etc.. via Venks suggestion. Got it working, but now the hard drive in this computer is dead. Thanks to Knoppix I don't need that peace of shit to get internet access.

Talked to Keith, and the usual SUNY-IT drama. Nothing new there.

Still can't find a job, heck I can't even get a call-back for an interview. WTF?!?!?!?! I might as well give up and try a retail store or something, but wait even they don't bother to hire me. I guess becoming a professional bum is the best I'm good at.

How come when I'm moving to a new state, I get offers from the state I was just in?? Is there some cruel joke being played on me. It sucks being depressed, and not having a job, but to have no one call you for an interview is just more kicks to a man when he is down.

I guess I'll go now and watch TV and drown my sorrow in the beautiful light of my T.V. :\

Switchfoot - Stars

Video Code Proudly Provided by MVSpot.com

Visual IQ test

I took it and got a 118, i rushed it to much. Take my advice and take your time. I wasn't in a patient mood when I took it.

http://www.iqtest.dk/main.swf

Build your own google map

http://ruk.ca/wiki/Charlottetown_Transit_Map

I've been wanting to do this for some time now. :)

Criminal Domestic Violence by using cheese???

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/13161601.htm

This is stupid, that man is wanted for domestic abuse for spraying cheese in his wife's hair, after she sprayed cheese on his car.

"ALLEGED CRIME: Police said Higginbotham argued with his wife because she had not cooked anything. When she began cooking, he started making spaghetti while eating crackers and squeeze cheese. They argued, and he squeezed cheese on the kitchen floor. She squeezed the cheese on his truck, and he squeezed the cheese in her hair before fleeing in his truck. His wife said she washed her hair before the officer arrived to take her complaint."

Caller-ID Spoofing

http://www.gadgettrail.com/2005/01/06/do-it-yourself-caller-id-spoofing/

This is cool.

Math and Computer Science

http://allyourtech.com/content/articles/
04_05_2004_math_and_the_computer_science_major.php

Some of the classes are interesting, if you want to be a well-rounded Computer Scientist. Of course I think some classes are missing.

An artist rendering a women

http://fcmx.net/vec/get.swf?i=003702

This is an interesting flash, of how an artist draws a women from skeleton to clothing stage.

A fast moving star

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-11/eso-sot110905.php

"Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have recorded a massive star moving at more than 2.6 million kilometres per hour."

This is interesting. Just imagine, the mass and velocity of that sun. Talk about huge momentum.

Google: Map My Run

Here is a cool website that uses google's maps. I have register myself and put some of my runs up there. http://profile.mapmyrun.com/avgbody

Here is the website: http://mapmyrun.com

Funny: A different look at RAID

Click on image for larger image.

Whats your Sex ID?

So I took this test, found interesting stuff about myself. I score higher on test then the average man and women. I ended up on the scale:



about 25 percent on the female side. Where and average women would be 50 percent on the women side, and average male would be 50 percent on the male side.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sex/

Google map with chat

Ok, this is soooo cool. See where people are chatting from.
http://burm.net/google/mapchat_with_ajax

Check it out. It's worth it.

Microsoft Command Shell

Well this is interesting. I guess learning C# wasn't to much of waste of my time after all. :)

Of course learning msh doesn't look easy. I know unix/linux very well, but some of these commands are like actual functins. I guess I would have to get use to some of these weird commandline options. But on the good side it's similar to python, so I have some experience there at least.

Example from the website where the shell is given a string and is
piped to the function get-member and returns all the attributes and methods within
MSH that can deal with the string:

msh> "this is a test" | get-member
TypeName: System.String

Name MemberType Definition
---- ---------- ----------
Clone Method Object Clone()
CompareTo Method Int32 CompareTo(Object value), Int32 CompareTo(S...
Contains Method Boolean Contains(String value)
CopyTo Method Void CopyTo(Int32 sourceIndex, Char[] destinatio...
EndsWith Method Boolean EndsWith(String value), Boolean EndsWith...
Equals Method Boolean Equals(Object obj), Boolean Equals(Strin...
get_Chars Method Char get_Chars(Int32 index)
get_Length Method Int32 get_Length()
...


http://arstechnica.com/guides/other/msh.ars

Music Videos

Watch music videos online, and not from boring Yahoo. http://mvspot.com/v-7251-passive.php

They only have 2 songs for "A Perfect Circle". :(

Video Code Proudly Provided by MVSpot.com

Old McDonalds Reciepe

Source: http://www.stuffucanuse.com/Macdonald%20recipies.htm

My favorite meal the #1 please:

"The Big Mac
BIG MAC™ Special Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup KRAFT Miracle Whip
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons, heaping, WISHBONE deluxe French salad dressing (the orange stuff)
1/2 Tablespoon HEINZ sweet relish
2 teaspoons, heaping, VLASIC dill pickle relish (Heinz dill relish also works)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried, minced onion
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix everything very well in a small container. There better be no streaks! Microwave 25 seconds, and stir well again. Cover, and refrigerate at LEAST 1 hour before using.( to allow all of the flavors to "meld". ) Makes nearly 1 cup...enough for about 8 Big Macs™

Cooking your BIG MAC™
INGREDIENTS:

(this is a per sandwich recipe)
1 -regular sized sesame seed bun
1 -regular sized plain bun
2 -previously frozen regular beef patties
2 -tablespoons Big Mac sauce
2 -teaspoons reconstituted onions
1 -slice real American cheese
2 -hamburger pickle slices
1/4 Cup -shredded iceberg lettuce

COOKING:

Discard the crown half of the regular bun, retaining the heel. The cooking method for the Big Mac™ is basically the same as the regular burgers, only the bun toasting method is slightly different. In the Big Mac's case you toast the bottom (heel) first. Do this along with the extra heel. (this will be your middle bun.)

Cook the two-all-beef-patties just like the regular burgers. After the bun parts are toasted, put 1 tablespoon of "Mac sauce" on each of the heels. (toasted side.) Then add 1/8 cup shredded lettuce to each. On the true bottom bun, place one thin slice of American cheese on top of the lettuce.

On the extra "heel", the middle bun, place two pickle slices on top of the lettuce. Toast the "crown" (top) of the bun also. When the meat patties are done, place them one at a time on both prepared buns. Stack the middle bun on top of the bottom bun, and put the crown on top

For proper "aging", or "Q-ing", ...wrap the finished Big Mac® in a 12"x18" sheet of waxed paper as follows:

1...Center the burger, right side up, on the waxed paper. Fold the "long" ends of the paper up over the top. (It will resemble a tube with the burger in the center.)

2...Fold the two remaining ends underneath. Wrap snug, but don't squish it like the regular burgers.

3...Let sit 5-8 minutes, allowing the flavors to "meld"

4...Microwave, still wrapped, 15 seconds on high"

Miracle Whip??? WTF, thats sounds gross. Would have never though of that
as being in the special sauce.


"

McDonald's® Famous French Fries

Special Tools
Deep fryer
French Fry Cutter
(or patience for cutting potatoes)

Ingredients:

2 large Idaho russett potatoes
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1½-2 cups hot water
6 cups Crisco® shortening
1/4 cup beef lard (or save the fat from previously cooked burgers)
salt

Preparing your french fries

Peel the potatoes. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, corn syrup, and hot water. Make sure the sugar is dissolved. Using a french fry slicer, cut the peeled potatoes into shoestrings. The potatoes should be 1/4" x 1/4" in thickness, and about 4" to 6" long. (You can do this with a knife, but it is alot of work)

Place the shoestringed potatoes into the bowl of sugar-water, and refrigerate. Let them soak about 30 minutes.

While they're soaking, pack the shortening into the deep fryer. Crank up the temperature to "full". The shortening has to pre-heat for a very long time. It will eventually liquify. After it has liquified and is at least 375°, drain the potatoes and dump them into the fryer. (be careful, it will be ferocious)

After 1 to 1½ minutes, remove the potatoes and place them on a paper towel lined plate. Let them cool 8 to 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

While they're cooling, add the lard or beef drippings to the hot Crisco®. Again, crank the temperature to full. Stir in the lard as it melts into the oil. It will blend in.

After the deep fryer is reheated to 375°-400°, add the potatoes and deep fry again. This time for 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Remove and place in a large bowl.

Sprinkle generously with salt, then "toss" the fries to mix the salt evenly. ( I suggest about 1 teaspoon of salt, maybe slightly more)

Serve hot, serve immediately, and enjoy! Depending upon the size of the potatoes, this recipe make about 2 medium sized fries.

Special Notes

Note¹ If you want more fries, double the recipe---but DON'T double the cooking oil. Just cook them in shifts, adding about 1/4 cup more Crisco® and 1 tablespoon lard for the second batch.

Note² If cooking for a minute or so, removing, and returning the fries to the oil seems like a pain in the ass, that's because it is. But it is an important "blanching" step required for that great taste.

Note³ For an easier clone of McDonald's french fries, you can use the frozen, pre-cut Ore-Ida® shoestring potatoes. Just cook them in the same combo of Crisco® and lard, skipping the "blanching" process. Cook them while still frozen for 6-10 minutes (depending upon the amount) until golden brown. They're good, but not nearly as accurate in taste and texture as the fresh recipe."

Damn thats alot of fat and calories in thoughs french fries, I probably won't eat them anymore. I never cared for them that much. Yuch.... :P

Huricane Season

Here is a cool animation of the huricanes coming through
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003200/a003279/index.html

Lost Rhapsody

Lost on ABC + Boheiman Rhapsody by Queen = Lost Rhapsody
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=13477

Google email signs

Here is a website that creates a simple google mail address.
http://gsig.brightdev.com/index.php

Here is my favorite:

Molecular car & 4th dimensional scultpure

Scientists build world's first single-molecule car

"Rice University Scientists have done it. After BMW announced the possibility of producing a car that would utilize nanotechnology practically for all functions, Rice University scientists developed the world’s first single-molecule car- the car that was driven on a gold microscopic highway. It a small coupe that is devoid of any plush seating or conventional steering system. But it is a real solution for the grid locked cities. With a wheelbase of less than 5 nm, parking it is a cakewalk."

Everyday, the concept of fixing and healing people on the molecular level comes one step closer to becoming true.

New mathematics-based sculpture unveils fourth dimension

"The sculpture, designed by Adrian Ocneanu, professor of mathematics at Penn State, presents a three-dimensional 'shadow' of a four-dimensional solid object."

*sigh*, I love math, it is so beautiful and simple.

Learn how to play billards, better.

http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/pool/

They got video, articles, etc....

Jenga Sears Tower

The Internet is falling, the internet is falling...

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,16559,1589967,00.html This is interesting, EU hates the US control over the internet, and there might be a change in a month. Hmmmm, interesting, but who really cares? Snipet: "'We have to have a platform where leaders of the world can express their thoughts about the internet,' she [Viviane Reding] said. 'If they have the impression that the internet is dominated by one nation and it does not belong to all the nations then the result could be that the internet falls apart.' The US argues that many of the states demanding a more open internet are no fans of freedom of expression."

Turn your floppy drive into a RC car

http://www.generation5.org/content/2001/floppy.asp

Well this is cool, another hack from your old computer parts into something at least somewhat fun.

Gaming Machine for appox: $500

http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20051014/index.html

I need to get back into gaming sometime in the future, I am sick of boring console games.

Here is the list:
ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard - $69
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ - $146
256-A8-N340-TX GeForce 6600 - $120
Corsair Value Select 512MB kit - $52
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB - $57.50
DVD-ROM from LiteOn (SOHD-16P9SBLK) - $21
330 W model from Seasonic, the S12-330 - $59

Total: $524.50

Battle for America

Here is a very good video of what America is fighting for.
http://www.current.tv/studio/media/684

I strongly recommend you watch it. Take a look.

www.Current.tv

Ok, I really love Current Tv. Here is a link:
http://www.current.tv/studio/screening

that allows you to choose what is shown on the television. I love the independent news and movies. To see peoples real perspectives and views. Check it out, vote and comment on potential pods. Enjoy....

Google: Use trace route and google map together

http://www.wereporters.com/desktopdefault.aspx?tabindex=10&tabid=5

This is a good idea, I always hated looking up where these IP address were. Now I can see the trace on google maps. Very Cool

I did a trace to my old school: www.sunyit.edu
It goes through Buhler, Kansas then Dallas,Texas then Loganville, GA
then New York, New York, then Hilton, NY then Syarcuse, NY.

Watch Online TV from around the world.

http://www.beelinetv.com/

This is a very cool site, you can watch television from around the world. Of course I only understand English and very little Spanish, but I do like checking out the Korean Television. I want to learn Korean and maybe visit there some day.

Here is another TV site from the past that I also already blogged about:
http://www.craftytv.com/
Here you can watch your favorite episodes of popular TV series.

Alaska's new slogan

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2005-10-04-alaska-ads_x.htm?csp=34

VISIT ALASKA Be For You Die

Top Geek Quotes

Taken from: http://www.boardofwisdom.com/

1) There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't.

2)If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0

3)I'm not anti-social; I'm just not user friendly

4)Roses are #FF0000
Violets are #0000FF
All my base
Are belong to you

5)My software never has bugs. It just develops random features.

6)Microsoft: "You've got questions. We've got dancing paperclips."

7)A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.

8)A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.

9)The box said 'Requires Windows 95 or better'. So I installed LINUX.

I should put my quotes up here, I'll do that tomorrow.

Evolution

What will we be like in the future?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7348103/

All of them seem to be to sci-fi. I think a combination of them are probably realistic. Don't know about the radiation future, but anything is possible, I guess.

An OS that fits on a Floppy!!!1

http://menuetos.org/



This would be cool to see if it would work on a 386.

Free Masive Online Games

http://play-free-online-games.com/games/games_all.html

Some cool games here. Not the best, but they are small and free. Heck, go kick but in good graphics or bad. :)

Hack: Camera Lens

Ok, here is a cheap hack:

http://warehouse.carlh.com/article_036/

Just use your sun glasses.

My Political Position: Another Test

You are a Social Liberal (78% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (36% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Save money on gas, here's 25 tips.

Source: http://www.knightopia.com/journal/archives/000779.html

Find the places near you that offer the cheapest gas and shop there first. (Resources: Cheap Gas, Gas Buddy, Gas Price Watch)


Check your tire pressure. Under-inflated tires require more energy to roll. The placard on the inside drivers door is where you'll find the correct tire pressure (usually about 28 PSI). Consider replacing worn tires with Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires.


Fill up on weekdays—because prices usually rise on the weekend. The cheapest times to buy gas are typically Tuesday midday or Wednesday morning.


Fill up at night because pumps deliver more gas when temperatures are lower.


Buy gas from busy gas stations. Stations that are consistently busy have their tanks refilled regularly, which means the fuel is more likely to be fresh. Fresh gas has more power than gas that has become contaminated by sitting in infrequently used tanks.


Avoid gas stations near freeways, however, because prices are often higher there.


Don't overbuy. Unless your owner's manual says you must use a higher grade (which very few cars actually do), buy regular gasoline. Costlier high-octane gas does not improve the performance of your vehicle.


Avoid topping off. When you purchase just a bit of gas at the gas station the pump doesn’t have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing.


Avoid running on empty. You may think you're using very little gas when your car is on empty, but you're actually using more gas because your vehicle is running less efficiently as it tries to accelerate and decelerate in a normal fashion. The best time to replenish your gas tank is when you have half a tank or less left, or when you find a gas price that you just can’t pass up.


Carpool whenever possible. Carpoolers often share the cost of gas, and the wear'n'tear on your vehicle is reduced as well.


Combine trips. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.


Choose your vehicle wisely. If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better mileage whenever you have the option.


Choose your route wisely. Take the route with the flattest terrain and fewest stops. Try to avoid traffic jams and stop and go traffic.


Slow down. Driving at posted speed limits saves fuel and lives. Each 5 mph over 60 mph is like paying an additional 10 cents per gallon. Use cruise control to maintain your speed.


Avoid sudden stops and starts. Erratic acceleration and braking can waste up to 50 cents a gallon.


Avoid idling. If you have to sit in your car for more than one minute, shut off the engine.


Limit air conditioning, which consumes fuel. At lower speeds, open the windows or sunroof to stay cool. At higher speeds, use the car’s fan instead (open windows create drag that reduces mileage).


Park in the shade. This minimizes fuel evaporation and helps keep your car cool in the summer.


Lighten your load. Don’t carry around items you don’t need. For every 100 pounds of weight in your car, fuel economy decreases by one to two percent. Put heavy items in the trunk instead of on a roof rack, which creates drag.


Keep your gas cap on tight. Tightening the gas cap on your car will prevent gas from evaporating and escaping into the air. If you've lost your gas cap, buy a new one ASAP.


Change your oil, spark plugs, and air filter on schedule. And go to a repair shop if your “Check Engine” light comes on—a faulty oxygen sensor could be the cause, lowering your mileage significantly.


Use the recommended grade of motor oil, preferably one with "energy conserving" on the label. Gas mileage could improve 1-2 percent.


Get a tune-up. A simple tune-up on your car can improve your gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent.


Look into discount gas card offers. Shell, Gulf, BP-Amoco, Exxon-Mobile, and others have rebate programs that offer as much as 5-10 percent off the gas you buy.


Track your average mileage and have your car checked if the average decreases. To calculate your mileage, note the odometer reading and number of gallons purchased each time you fill up. Divide the number of miles traveled between fill-ups by the number of gallons purchased.

Funny: Calve Commercial

Well here is a funny commercial, thought it should go in my blog:

http://content2.i-am-bored.com/games/91356_calvesauceL.mov

Interesting: A bridge between Asia and North America

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/engineering/
beringstrait/interactive/interactive.html

This would be interesting, imagine taking a train from Denver Co., to Bejing China. I wonder how much that would cost, and how long it would take. If its cheap, I would love to go. I know a flight takes about 10 hours or something like that. I bet the train would probably take a week and a half. You could go all the way to Europe according to the map.

Funny: Jon Stewart at the Emmys

http://216.86.152.122/videos/0/128248_ebc5f_256k.wmv

He goes off about Katrina, but is censored by CBS. (Not truely)

Funny: Why don't you get a job.

A flash movie of mario and the princess with the song: "Why don't you get a job"

http://content2.i-am-bored.com/games/18575_mario51.swf

How To: Build A Sentry Gun

Ok this is cool and scary at the same time.

http://cs-people.bu.edu/aaron/turret/turret.htm

Lost my website

I don't have my website anymore at my school. :(

So once I get a steady job, I'll have to find a good hosting site that will take my 650MB website and allow Perl/CGI, etc... access. I hope it won't be to expensive. I will also look for a name for my website, probably simple like WilliamAndrus.com, maybe even more simple then that. Andrus, isn't a common name, so I might use some of my past screen names, doubt they are up on the web.

I'm Back

I'm Back

Update:

Yesterday was my last day at Mercury Insurance Group. They gave me a chess game, to subsitute for the Ghetto Chess I made with pennys, and paper. They also gave me a Laker t-shirt and a Kobe Bryant Jersey, since I'm going to Colorado. I find that very humuorous.

I have my resume on Dice and Monster. Got only a few calls so far. Two of them are real interesting and would like to have them. One is a Software Test Technican, and the other is a constulting group that makes Tax Software. The Tax Software one, would require me to move from state to state for about 1-3 years. Sounds real cool. Gives me a chance to travel, if I get that job. She called me, but requires 2-5 years experience. Why she called me is my question.

The movers are here today packing things up. Should take all-day.

This is probably one of my last days on this blog, until I get to the new home. :(
Hopefuly not to long.

Tech Shows

http://www.filefarmer.com/techshows/

Here is a list of tech shows you can view. Very nice, indeed.

Whats your age on other worlds?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/age/

Hey im only 15 on Mars, yeah I'm a teenager again. Ahh whats are these on my face, damn pimples. Curse you. AHHHHHHH

Google: Chat!!!

http://www.smashsworld.com/2005/08/im-on-google-talk-right-now.php

So here is a sight that describes the setup procedure for google talk:

1) Get GAIM if not already have it.

2) Add an account, select "Jabber" as the protocol.
3) Your screen name is everything before the '@gmail.com'.
4) Server is 'gmail.com'.
5) Click "show more options" and make sure "use TLS if available" is checked. Leave "Force old SSL" and "allow plaintext..." unchecked for now. Connection port should be 5222, connection server should be 'talk.google.com' without the quotes.
6) Ta-da! Just login and you should be good-to-go.


P.S. If you need an gmail account, just email me at "andrusw @ gmail . com"

Update on personal life:

Ok, so my last day on the job at Mercury Insurance Group will be next Wednesday August 31, 2005. I will then be packing up my stuff on Thursday and Friday, then heading out to Greeley, Colorado. I hate looking for a new job, it sucks. I put my info back on dice.com and monster.com, and I started getting calls for jobs around here. I'm like, where were they when I wanted one for the first 6 months I was here.

The California DMV, geesh. They sure are different out here then NY. The only regulation for a car is that it is smog tested, nothing else. Doesn't matter if the muffler or braking light might be bad. So on June, 15, 2006 I order a new registration through the state's online website. It was suppose to come in 2 - 8 weeks. It never came. So I called the DMV, after searching for a couple of hours for the correct phone number. I called at the beginning of August. The man on the phone said he will send one out right away. Well, its 3 weeks later. I just called again, and now I hope that the third time is the charm.

The people out here complain about illegal immigrants, somewhat often. CA DMV can easily get rid half of the problem, by making people surrender their license plate everytime a car changes hands. Its that simple. They would have to go in, show proof of purchase, pays fees, etc... No illegal immigrant would be able to get a license w/o some proof of residency. Oh well, not my problem. Anyway America would become a poorer country if it weren't for today's cheap (illegal) workforce.

I have been exercising still, but haven't lost to much weight. I need to cut down more on my food consumption still. I been getting to many feeding frenzies. I have reached a ceiling on the amount of weight I can lift, but I'm starting to add a different rountine now in my work. I'll say, my shoulders have become really strong. I did some push-ups yesterday and easily did 20, so I know there is some improvement.

My TV habits have been: Comedy's Centralia Daily Show, IFC, and Current. Current is a really awesome TV show. Lots of different views on life and non-mainstream stories. I really recommend the channel.

I started to learn Java. Now I remember why I hated the language in the first place. Took me an hour to figure out how to get console input. I would figure something simple, but nooooo. I have to figure out how to live without pointers also. I started to convert some of my programs and they have pointers. Now I see why pointers are nice to have. It just make life so much easier if you can tranverse through an array via a pointer. Oh well, there is always more then one way to skin a cat.

Ambigram

http://www.ambigram.matic.com/ambigram.htm

Make your name or some other two words into a Ambigram. (Read it normal and upside down).

Hacks: Food

http://www.slashfood.com/2005/08/19/top-25-food-hacks/

Some old, some new, and some very interesting concepts.

Hack: Get free PPV in hotel rooms

He is so kindly to offer two solutions. Yeah. :)


http://www.i-hacked.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=184&Itemid=45

1) Use wintv and a laptop

-or-

2) Buy a cheap universal remote control.

MyProgs

http://popular.myprogs.net/
See what programs everyone else is using. Very cool, it is taking me awhile to put mine in though. I have alot of programs I use. I see some that I have not tried before also, very interesting.

This site allows you to keep a social list of the programs you use. After you sign up you can add programs to your unique list. You can view anyone else’s programs and they can view yours. Extra user-defined data can be added to each program entry to organize and describe the program further such as program descriptions, a link to the program's homepage, and tags. You can use tags to categorize (and thus organize) programs so that you and others using this site will have an easier time finding new and interesting programs.

Try out this link for my programs I have listed so far: http://myprogs.net/andrusw

Slow Motion Capture Videos

http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/high_speed_video/

Some interesting thing to check out, maybe the billard videos might improve my game somehow. I don't know how, since I too good. :)

Plane struck by lightning..

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/ltg/plane_japan.php

How To: Build your own giant telescope.

My astronomy teacher at SUNY-IT had one of these that she built herself, me and my friends always wanted to do one ourselves some day. It was pretty awsome, you could see jupiter and it's giant huricane.

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/raycash/manualv2.pdf

Funny: RoboDump 1.0

This is just funny-- this guy puts a fake person in the toilet with noises, and people gossip about the person who has been in there all day.

http://triggur.org/robodump/

A large source of information

Ok, I love sites like www.fark.com and www.digg.com because of the amount of information that is given. Well here is an interesting site that gives a multitude of information from other sites. http://freshnews.org/

How To: Wardrive

http://www.sans.org/rr/whitepapers/wireless/174.php

"Computer users have been deploying 802.11b wireless access points in homes, offices,
and schools without any regard to the security of these devices. The overall coolness
and convenience of wirelessly accessing the Internet from the office cafeteria or from the next bedroom in the house has distracted most users from taking measures to
protect themselves against potential digital threats.

Meanwhile, a new activity has taken form: Wardriving. Participants of this activity
assemble their rigs of hardware and software with the intent of cruising streets to find your wireless access point. They share their results and plot the location of your wireless access point on a map – it’s probably listed on a web site right now. This paper will discuss the components needed to construct a wardriving rig and suggest methods for detecting wardrivers as they drive past your wireless network."

How to: Setup a Mandrake Server

http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_mandrake_10_2

Learn a new language

I guess you can just google up a learning site for any language, but this site can save you time. http://www.word2word.com/coursead.html

I'm taking a look at the Korean language.

Tutorial: How to comment your code.

http://www.icsharpcode.net/TechNotes/Commenting20020413.pdf

It's always nice to comment your code, especially if you go back after a year and have trouble remembering what it is doing.

Powder Alcohol :)

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1596657,00.html

Actual German Site:
http://www.subyou.com/

This sounds cool, I can see people just eating the powder without water. Why dilute??

It would be cool to mix the powder with other objects. Like make pretzels, and sprinkle it with powerder alcohol and salt. I'm pretty sure, bars would be selling these items very fast.

Rubber Band Warfare Techniques:

http://members.aol.com/morganbolt/

How To: Extract DNA

http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/activities/extraction/

Interesting, would be fun to have this as a High School experiment or something. I of course don't have a microscope laying around the house. :(

Different Linux Distributions every month?

http://www.distroofthemonth.com/

If you love the fruit of the month, or the cheese of the month, and always wanted a tech version -- well you're in luck. Linux Version of the month. Cool

"Try a different Linux distro every month! Subscribe today and we'll mail you a different Linux distro each month. Plus we'll send you a monthly email highlighting what to look for in that month's distro. All for less than $3.00 a disc! "

Thats pretty cheap too, it cost that much probably for the disc and shipment, and you don't have to take time to download. :)

200GB Disc

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/others/0,39037627,39246097,00.htm

Here is something to look forward to, a 200GB Holographic Versatile Disc. I would probably put Knoppix on that disc, with tons of software and everything. Who needs to put linux on the computer, when everything would be runnable from a disc. Also imagine the amount of movies you can put on one disc. Maybe a whole season worth on on disc, instead of getting several of them. I just hope the price will be cheap.

Digital Photography Tutorials

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm

This is an interesting site to brush up on digitial camera technology. It discusses how to improve your photos and other things.

A great tutorial on pointer in C

http://pweb.netcom.com/~tjensen/ptr/pointers.pdf

I learned a lot from this, interesting things like:

b[0] = 'x';

is the same as, and legal too:

0[b] = 'x';

I wanted to understand the function pointer concept a little more clearly, and this definitely helped.

The War on Terror - As viewed from the Bourne shell.

The War on Terror

As viewed from the Bourne shell.

source: http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/ThinGuy?entry=the_war_on_terror_as

$ cd /middle_east
$ ls
Afghanistan Iraq Libya Saudi_Arabia UAE
Algeria Israel Morrocco Sudan Yemen
Bahrain Jordan Oman Syria
Egypt Kuwait Palestine Tunisia
Iran Lebanon Qatar Turkey

$ cd Afghanistan
$ ls
bin Taliban
$ rm Taliban
rm: Taliban is a directory
$ cd Taliban
$ ls
soldiers
$ rm soldiers
$ cd ..
$ rmdir Taliban
rmdir: directory "Taliban": Directory not empty
$ cd Taliban
$ ls -a
. .. .insurgents
$ chown -R USA .*
chown: .insurgents: Not owner
$ cd ..
$ su
Password: *******
# mv Taliban /tmp
# exit
$ ls
bin
$ cd bin
$ ls
laden
$ cd ..
$ rm -r bin/laden
bin/laden: No such file or directory
$ find / -name laden
$
$ su
Password: *******
# mv bin /tmp
# exit
$ pwd
/middle_east/Afghanistan
$ cd /opt/UN
$ ln -s /Bad_Guys/Al_Qaeda /middle_east/Iraq/.
ln: cannot create /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda: Permission denied
$ su
Password:*******
# ln -s /Bad_Guys/Al_Qaeda /middle_east/Iraq/.
# cd /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
Al_Qaeda: does not exist
# rm /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
# mkfile 100g /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
mkfile: No space left on device
# rm /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
# cd /opt/Coalition/Willing
# mkfile 1b /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
# chown -R USA:Proof /middle_east/Iraq/Al_Qaeda
#exit
$ cd /middle_east/Iraq
$ ls
saddam
$ ls
saddam
$ ls
saddam
$ ls -a
. .. saddam
$ find / -name [Ww][Mm][Dd]
/Korea/North/wMd
$ wall Propaganda.txt
Broadcast Message from USA (pts/1) on USS_Abraham_Lincoln Th May 1st
Mission Accomplished!
$ rm saddam
saddam: No such file or directory
$ find / -name saddam
/var/opt/dictators/spiderhole/saddam
$ wall NewsWorthy.txt
Broadcast Message from USA (pts/1) on Time.Magazine Sat Dec 13
We Got Him!
$ mv /var/opt/dictators/spiderhole/saddam /opt/jail
$ cd /opt/USA
$ cp -Rp Democracy /middle_east/Iraq
$ cd /middle_east/Iraq/Democracy
$ ./install
Install Error: Install failed. See install_log for details.
$ more install_log
Installed failed!
Prerequisite packages missing
Conflicting package Wahhabism found in /midde_east/Saudi_Arabia
Packages Church and State must be installed separately
File System /PeakOil nearing capacity
Please read the install guide to properly plan your installation.
$

Tetris AI

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/punkball/tetris/

The Men Commandments...

Source: http://home.earthlink.net/~tgibson78/data/

1.) It is ok for a Man to cry under the following circumstances:

- When a heroic dog dies to save its master.
- The moment Angelina Jolie starts unbuttoning her blouse.
- After wrecking your boss' car.
- One hour, 12 minutes, 37 seconds into "The Crying Game".
- When she is using her teeth.

2.) Any Man who brings a camera to a bachelor party may be legally killed and eaten by his friends.

3.) Unless he murdered someone in your family, you must bail a friend out of jail within 12 hours.

4.) If you've known a Man for more than 24 hours, his sister is off limits forever, unless you actually marry her.

5.) Moaning about the brand of free beer in a friend's fridge is forbidden. Complain at will if the temperature is unsuitable.

6.) No Man shall ever be required to buy a birthday present for another Man. In fact, even remembering your friend's birthday is strictly optional.

7.) On a road trip, the strongest bladder determines pit stops, not the weakest.

8.) When stumbling upon other men watching a sporting event, you may ask the score of the game in progress, but you may never ask who's playing.

9.) It is permissible to drink a fruity alcopop drink only when you're sunning on a tropical beach... and it's delivered by a topless supermodel...and it's free.

10.) Only in situations of moral and/or physical peril are you allowed to kick another Man in the nuts.

11.) Unless you're in prison, never fight naked.

12.) Friends don't let friends wear Speedos. Ever. Issue closed.

13.) If a Man's fly is down, that's his problem, you didn't see anything.

14.) Women who claim they "love to watch sports" must be treated as spies until they demonstrate knowledge of the game and the ability to drink as much as the other sports watchers.

15.) A Man in the company of a hot, suggestively dressed woman must remain sober enough to fight.

16.) Never hesitate to reach for the last beer or the last slice of pizza, but not both - that's just mean.

17.) If you compliment a Man on his six-pack, you'd better be talking about his choice of beer.

18.) Never join your girlfriend or wife in discussing a friend of yours, except if she's withholding sex pending your response.

19.) Phrases that may NOT be uttered to another Man while lifting weights:

- Yeah, Baby, Push it!
- C'mon, give me one more! Harder!
- Another set and we can hit the showers!

20.) Never talk to a Man in a bathroom unless you are on equal footing: i.e. Both urinating, both waiting in line, etc. For all other situations, an almost imperceptible nod is all the conversation you need.

21.) Never allow a telephone conversation with a woman to go on longer than you are able to have sex with her. Keep a stopwatch by the phone. Hang up if necessary.

22.) The morning after you and a girl who was formerly "just a friend" have carnal drunken monkey sex, the fact that you're feeling weird and guilty is no reason not to nail her again before the discussion about what a big mistake it was.

23.) There is no reason for guys to watch Men's Ice Skating or Men's Gymnastics. Ever.

24.) When you are queried by a buddy's wife, girlfriend, mother, father, priest, shrink, dentist, accountant, or dog walker, you need not and should not provide any useful information whatsoever as to his whereabouts. You are permitted to deny his very existence.

25.) You may exaggerate any anecdote told in a bar by 50 percent without recrimination; beyond that, anyone within earshot is allowed to call 'BULLSHIT!'.
Exception: When trying to pick up a girl, the allowable exaggeration rate rises to 400 percent.


26.) The minimum amount of time you have to wait for another guy who's running late is 5 minutes. For a girl, you are required to wait 10 minutes for every point of hotness she scores on the classic 1-10 babe scale.

27.) Agreeing to distract the ugly friend of a hot babe that your buddy is trying to hook up with is your legal duty. Should you get carried away with your good deed and end up having sex with the beast, your pal is forbidden to speak of it, even at your bachelor party.

28.) Before dating a buddy's "ex", you are required to ask his permission and he in return is required to grant it.

29.) The universal compensation for buddies who help you move is beer.

30.) A Man must never own a cat or like his girlfriend's cat.

31.) When your girlfriend/wife expresses a desire to fix her whiney friend up with your pal, you may give her the go-ahead only if you'll be able to warn your buddy and give him time to prepare excuses about joining the priesthood.

32.) If a buddy is out-numbered, out-Manned, or too drunk to fight, you must jump into the fight.
Exception: If within the last 24 hours his actions have caused you to think, "What this guy needs is a good ass-whoopin.", then you may sit back and enjoy.


33.) If a buddy is already singing along to a song in the car, you may not join him...too gay.

34.) Under no circumstances may two men share an umbrella.

35.) When a buddy is trying to hook up, you may sabotage him only in a manner that gives you no chance of hooking up either.

36.) Before allowing a drunken friend to cheat on his girl, you must attempt one intervention. If he is able to get on his feet, look you in the eye, and deliver a "FUCK OFF!" You are absolved of your of responsibility.

37.) Never, EVER slap or smack another Man.

38.)
A Man is never allowed to talk to his mother on the phone while at a bar. This is especially true if said conversation is preventing him from taking his shot during a game of pool.

Some of these are funny. Good rules to follow by.

Google: Moon

http://moon.google.com/#fake

Ehhh, and I like astronomy.

Fractal Art: Some cool pictures.

http://complexification.net/gallery/

Google: Man uses google map to get out of a traffic ticket.

http://www.gearlive.com/index.php/news/article/
google_maps_helps_fight_traffic_tickets_07160942/

"

So it came time for my testimony and I stated that I was in mid-turn when an oncoming vehicle was coming toward me very quickly and I had decided not to make the turn until that SUV passed me. The Judge stopped and asked me how could there be an oncoming vehicle if the street was only one way. I stated that it was indeed a two way street. The officer reiterated that it was only a one way. So who was the judge to believe? I was desperate for proof so I did the unthinkable: I whipped out my notebook. I was very lucky to find an extremely bad connection via Wi-Fi. I pulled up Firefox and when to maps.google.com. I typed up the intersection and zoomed in as close as possible:

"

Lets all read some Banned Books

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html

CAB website

It's nice to see that at least someone has updated that site, since I left. I also noticed Keith Johnson's pic from the spring formal, with that goofy smile and red tie with white poka dots. What's up with that Keith? I thought you might have some fashion sense, but I guest you proved me wrong. :)



The laser tag, looks very cool. Running around in Donovan would be cool.



I also see how lame the carnival was this year. Thats what happens when you don't have me and keith as your RA's people. You get lamer, hard to believe. I didn't think it could have gotten worse. LOL

RA at that school have gotten worst in their imagination of events. No wonder that place is falling apart.

Free TV

Here is something interesting, watching free TV on the internet. I believe it uses winamp. Click on the icon below for the link.

Google: Google Earth

So I'm checking out some Colorado blogs and found this guy's blog: http://asiankid.blogspot.com/
talking about google earth, something i haven't heard of yet, (I'm to lazy to actually look through google's website)

http://earth.google.com
It sounds pretty cool, check it out. There is a free version. :)

Need to update my resume...

I need to add and change my resume to reflect the following:

Software:
Docucorp's Docucreate
IVANS Transfer Manager

Operating System:
HP3000's Mainframe

Skills:
Minimal knowledge of Underwriting

SQL - 6 months of experience
XML - 6 months of experience
XPATH - 6 months of experience
Linux Environment - 6 months of experience

Status

My dads computer has recently blown, with some big sparks of eletricity. So I might not be updating the blog as much as I want for the next 2 weeks.

My dad has also just informed me that he has gotten the position in Colorado. Which means, that I have about 2 months to find a job out there. Hope everything works out to be better then now. With the air force base and Lockheed Martin, I should be able to find a entry level programming position, just need to get some clearence. This might be good in the long run, I could end up back in Utica, NY someday if I stay on this path. About time that happens, I should have a better paying position, better living aranagements, and be closer to my old friends and old school. But that is only a long path potential future.

Other than that, I haven't been doing much. Just watching anime and stuff.

Make a solar generator for less then $300

http://www.rain.org/%7Ephilfear/how2solar.html

Would be interesting to make one, and then go on some camping trip and bring all my gaming stuff. Hey thats roughing it for me. :)

Updated Comedy Page

I deleted some old media files that I thought weren't that funny, and added a new one.

http://www.cs.sunyit.edu/~andrusw/pic/comedy/50sfilm.wmv

It's a 50's like film talking about how to talk trash to other online halo players.

"Gamers Turn Cities Into a Battleground"

New Scientist (06/11/05) Vol. 186, No. 2503, P. 26; Graham-Rowe, Duncan

Popular culture's reality craze has penetrated the virtual gaming world, as around the globe major urban centers are witnessing a surge in the popularity of virtual games where players compete for real territory with the aid of portable electronic devices. Using any handheld device with a GPS receiver, such as a cell phone or PDA, gamers competing against one another can follow their opponents' movements or search for treasure hidden in remote locations. Intel technology ethnographer Michele Chang says, "The limitations of physical space makes playing the game exciting." Advances in the technology and the pervasiveness of the cell phone have especially contributed to this trend of virtual, interactive gaming, as "geocaching" technology makes it possible for GPS coordinates to appear on one's phone set against a map of the city. Where turf in a city is divided among players, wandering into foreign territory may mean a fight executed over text messages. Some games are driven by gaps in the technology, or places where GPS devices are inaccurate, such as in the shadows of tall buildings, where the object of the game becomes using these areas to avoid detection. Given the interactive nature of these games that are being played in a real and public setting, safety concerns arise for both players and pedestrians, as the rules of the game can bring strangers together face to face. Game designers will need to find ways to protect the safety of users and the public and prevent "cyber-stalking."

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7498

This sounds cool, i would think about getting a gps for this only reason. Ha

Past few days....

Ok, so about 2 weeks ago, so guy in a moving van hits our telephone wire and cable wire. The telephone wire was quickly fixed since we have two lines coming to our house. They just decided to use the second line as the main line. The cable guy came by and started wining about how he wouldn't be able to hook the cable up. So my dad goes out and gets Direct TV (4 room deal).

So, I went out and bought a hdtv from best buy. It's a cheap tv from Advent, normally it would cost about $379.99 at other stores like circuit city, etc... I got it for $269. Here is how: First it was an already open item, which lowered the price to about $279.99. I also found on the Bestbuy's website: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&cmp=&id=pcmcat59100050011 that takes off an additional 15% of already open TV's. So after tax and CA's manditory $8 recycle fee, I end up paying for a cheap 27" Progressive Scan HDTV very cheaply. :)

AC for $30 or less

http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca.nyud.net:8090/~gmilburn/ac/

I wish I knew this when i went to school at SUNYIT. Where they have air conditioning, but the student's can use it. What bullshit!!!

Could you get into MIT back in 1876?

Take the math portion of the quizes:
http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/exhibits/exam-entrance1876/

It's pretty easy, but Math is one of my favorite subjects. :)

"Fields of Learning Theory, Machine Learning Grow Together at University"

The University of Chicago recently played host to workshops on learning theory and machine learning, two disciplines that are increasingly intermixing, according to Toyota Technological Institute (TTI)-Chicago professor John Langford. The learning theory workshops involved the sharing of ideas between mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists on the mathematical properties of evolutionary processes, and one workshop emphasized the evolution of language. Computer science professor Partha Niyogi says language evolution illustrates the transmission of knowledge through learning instead of inheritance. "You actually have to learn [your parents'] language not just from data provided by them, but also data provided by many other language users in the community in which you are immersed," he explains. The learning theory workshops were organized under a $2.2 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to Niyogi and TTI-Chicago professor Stephen Smale. The two-week-long Machine Learning Summer School involved the participation of around 100 students and represented a collaborative initiative between TTI-Chicago and the university's computer science department. The field of machine learning focuses on teaching a computer to learn from experience to carry out tasks that people can perform, but at substantially less cost. Niyogi says learning theory and machine learning have many mathematical foundations in common, and both the Machine Learning Summer School and the learning theory workshops represent the culmination of the three-month Program in Learning Theory and Related Areas organized by the university's computer science department and TTI-Chicago.

-University of Chicago Chronicle (06/09/05) Vol. 24, No. 18; Koppes, Steve

http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/050609/machinelearning.shtml

Support the Freedom to Read Amendment

http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=17226

Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act jeopardizes our civil liberties by severely expanding the scope of materials the FBI can access with a warrant from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court. In short, the FBI can demand bookstores and libraries to hand over all lists of all of their patrons and what books they've purchased or borrowed. It also prevents bookstore owners and librarians from telling patrons they're being watched or searched. Far from being theoretical possibilities, these powers are already being used.

The Freedom to Read Amendment would prohibit the Department of Justice from using any money in its budget to search a library or bookseller using the wide-sweeping powers granted under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act. The amendment would restore and protect the privacy and First Amendment rights of library and bookstore patrons which were in place before the USA PATRIOT Act. Passage of this amendment would still allow the FBI to use all constitutionally sanctioned means to obtain warrants and criminal subpoenas to access library and bookstore records pertinent to investigations related to terrorism or criminal acts.

The ultimate gaming experience, nightmare. WTF!!!! is a good statement.

http://www.kontrabandcontent.co.uk/1/graphics/movies/Real_zombies1.wmv

I would be having a heart attack or something if this happen to me. :o

Play a game with music, um ok sure ill give it a try

http://www.rektor.no/

Real Life Counter Strike (Parody)

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=reallifecounterstrike

Just interesting to watch, but it's not funny though. Oh well.

My name in Chinese

William in chinese is written as:

And now back to worshiping Google.

http://gmerge.2ni.net/index.php

Take google map's terraserver and make it your wallpaper.

Google takes over the News in 2014

http://oak.psych.gatech.edu/%7Eepic/ols-mattrobin-flash.swf

An interesting insite into what might become of the future, with Google and Amazon merging into one, and then later becoming what is known as EPIC.

Match Stick Rocket

All you need is:

Paper matches
Aluminum foil
Scissors
Straight pin
Paper clip

http://www.matchstickrockets.com/howto.html#build