GA-F2A88XM-D3H + 7850K + DDR3-2400

UPDATE 2 - I think I figured out the issue with the D3H motherboard and 2400Mhz RAM.  At the higher voltages, there is something (hardware switch) that triggers a restart in the same way a power-surge or overheating signal occurs.  This basically skips a BSOD and goes straight to the off-state.  Here is a better stability setting for this motherboard/RAM setup.

I was able to get my motherboard to stably (cross your fingers) run ddr3 at 2400Mhz.

I have an AMD A10 7850k on a Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H and the EVGA 2400Mhz 2x8 gb sticks.

SKU

898445

Mfr Part#

16G-D3-2400-MR

UPC

843368034054

I have the F9 Gigabyte bios.

Here's what I did:

1. LOWER the RAM voltage to EXACTLY 1.54V. 

Most of the time, articles will tell you to set the voltage higher, but I found that mine works best at EXACTLY 1.54V. (ran Windows Memtest without any errors, played Metal Gear Solid V for two hours)  The JEDEC spec says 1.65V, however, the computer would give a BSOD during any gaming if I had the Voltage higher than 1.54V. 

At 1.55V, the over-power/over-heating issue would occur.  But 1.54V seems to be the sweet spot.

2. 
INCREASE NB voltage by 0.018V. 
INCREASE VCore Voltage by 0.018V.
Set Vcore Loadline Calibration to Extreme. 
Set NBVID Loadline Calibration to Extreme also.
 

 

Initially, when I ran the RAM at 1.54V, @ 2400Mhz without these increases, it would crash a game back to Windows.  However, when I increased the NB and Core voltages, this seemed to cure the underpowering issue.

4. Automatically set the Timings.  The RAM seems to work best at looser timings.  The JEDEC spec suggests 11-13-13-35, but that never seemed to work for me.  When I booted with AUTO settings, it chose looser settings and seemed to be fine. Here's my CPU-Z screenshot:

5. Disable X.M.P. and AMD profile.

6. Set RAM multiplier to 24. 

7. Change some settings on the Core.  I left the CPU clock at stock, enabled Cool and Quiet, and disabled most everthing else.
 

All other settings are at stock.  I didn't change the NB frequency, it's at 1800Mhz.

Hopefully this will  help someone who is having trouble overclocking the ram to 2400 with a similar set-up.

Xfiles makes a triumphant return in 2016!

Xfiles reboot.  Scully on left, Mulder in middle. DJ Jazzy Jeff on right.

Weirdest Windows Glitch

 

Attack on Titan Season 2 -

This is pretty much what it's gonna be.

Shingeki no kyojin season 2! 進撃の巨人

Frank (2014) Movie Review

I just saw FRANK starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleason, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. I thought it was hella good!

Seriously, I wasn't expecting much from this movie and it delivered.

I've played in many, many bands in my life and there's always the annoying idea of "Why am I in this band?"

The real polarities of wanting to make music are typically as follows:

- Some people only want attention and fame. 
- Some people crave musical expression and art.

- Some people are naturally talented.
- Some people have to work hard to make music.

- Creativity might be associated with personal anguish.
- Creativity might be associated with interpersonal collaboration.

- There are leaders.
- There are support-members.

- There is entertaining music.
- There is avant-garde music.

FRANK explores all sides of this theme-spectrum.  There are untalented characters, crazy characters, hard-working musicians, and so-sos.  The film sort of explores the fantasy of wanting to see a band and get swooped up in the middle of it, and accepted by a band as a member.

There's also the dynamic of being in an actual band - there's creative differences, personal sabotage, and group dynamics. 

I think FRANK also exposes some of the shallowness of the modern music scene.  In some regard, the fleeting stardom of the SXSW festival and to some extent the Twitter/Youtube universe, are mediums for media, not necessarily art.  It seems like FRANK contends that there's a big difference between the two.

The other issue FRANK touches on a little bit is the Victorian notion that artistic geniuses are tortured individuals, in pain.  While that might be true for some cases, (easy one: Van Gogh), it might not necessarily be true.  FRANK doesn't really make a strong point in the direction of modern mental health, or a dose of reality.

Another interesting facet of FRANK is an international one.  The film starts out in the UK, and by the time it reaches small-town America, perhaps the romanticized notion of America is ruined.

I think another issue in FRANK is that it tries to humanize a performer, beyond the post-modern performer/audience dialectic.

The film is loosely based on a real musician, from Manchester, UK: Chris Sievey.  You can see the documentary here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5S-3DfLCGQ




   

Thermal Sensor Plus Augmented Reality

This plus this! https://learn.adafruit.com/diy-flir-light-painting-heat-map-photography

Here's an idea for an Augmented Reality device. In effect, this would be something closer to actual Predator thermal Vision. First, take the adafruit idea for an infrared sensor + light painting. Add the heat mapping capability to a bitmap-altering augmented reality app such as Glitchr. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dystopiazero.theglitcher&hl=en Basically the idea is this: The Thermal sensor detects the infrared radiation given off from a specific volume of space. The bit-map application changes the pixels based on specific cues from the camera. Thermal Sensor -> provides temperature reading -> temperature reading goes to Camera -> Camera outputs a colored pixel to display -> colored pixel displays to augmented reality VR system With a little bit of tweaking (mixing maps together over time? Refresh rates?) you could get more accurate maps of infrared heat radiation. I guess you could use this to detect drafts in houses, or read body temperature, which might be a good idea in cases of exposure. Since the movement is currently towards more permanent VR applications.

Snowpiercer

I just watched the movie "Snowpiercer" and I was blown away! This movie is amazing, beyond what I expected. First off, the performances are exceptional. Chris Evans does a great job as the hero - one can imagine Keanu Reeves or a similar leading man in the role, but Evans brings some grit to the role that I think others might have missed. Tilda Swinton is also a scene stealer; she creates a chaotic character that tries to bring order, but is overwhelmed. There are so many hilarious scenes where Mason gawks at the camera, imparting a much needed sense of humor to the absurdity of the movie, as if to say "I dunno, it just happened!" at an appropriate crescendo, like an authority figure who appears cartoonishly authoritative. Octavia Spencer rounds out the crew of misfits, as soon as she appears, you'll recognize her presence in many movies and TV shows. You might also notice Alison Pill, from the Newsroom. The screenplay is written to give a feeling of coworkers - these are people you might know and hang out with. In sci-fi, I think that is a much-needed element - which is why Alien, Aliens, Star Trek, FarScape, Firefly, and the Avengers work so powerfully: this is your team, these people are your friends. In the midst of an absurd sci-fi situation, this team element brings a lot of comfort. In my opinion, Snowpiercer is a sort of a re-working of the Grand Inquisitor's Tale from Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov. In the Grand Inquisitor's Tale, Jesus makes his comeback in the middle of the Spanish Inquisition and the Inquisitor (Head priest guy) makes the argument that people are better off with a tyrant. Jesus doesn't reply but kisses the Inquisitor to show compassion, as if to say that people are better off making their own decisions and that tyranny is lazyness. (I paraphrase scholarly criticisms.) In Snowpiercer, we have a similar argument - people can cling to life on the train. Some people are happy, some are sad, there is brutality, but there is life. Outside the train there is just snow and death. To transcend the rat race, they have to take the risk of life outside the train, otherwise the cycle of monotony will continue. The set pieces in Snowpiercer are amazing, also. From what appears to be a low-budget sci-fi quickly transforms into glorious art direction and architecture. I suspended my disbelief when the train cars appeared to move, like WHOA. The cinematography was done with an Arricam LT, there was a little bit of artifacting some the side shots, and maybe some "news reporting" camera angles, but overall the filmic quality was great. The lighting really grabbed some great orange and dark metal hues. Maybe the director (Joon-ho Bong) meant to change the hues as the story progressed, it's nuanced as the scenes change from brown rust to blue to pinks and silvers to lend emotion to the scene. Overall, probably the best movie I have seen this year.

How to Get rid of Full Screen Internet Explorer or How to get rid of full screen Firefox or How to get rid of Full Screen Chrome

Here's a handy piece of knowledge. If you are stuck with a browser that's on FULL screen, simply press the F11 key.

Why you should never use WD40 on your bike

I sometimes hear my non-bike friends say things like "Just use WD40 on your squeaky chain!" or "A little WD40 will fix that right up". My honest opinion is that WD40 is great for fixing household items like squeaky hinges, or you can use WD40 for getting rid of labels on tomato sauce jars, or for just about anything that requires a quick-evaporating oil. However, for bike items, you should really use bike-specific oils and lubricants. If you use WD40 on your chain, it just gets dirty and attracts dust. It's very easy to have a chain that continually creates grease stains that are impossible to remove from clothing. My favorites: Park Tool Polylube 1000 - it's great for bottom brackets and any threaded screw that requires grease. Pedro's GO - excellent choice for chain lubrication White Lightning Clean ride - Great for keeping the chain cherried If you really want a solid solution for keeping your chain lubed, I also recommend waxing it. To wax a chain, simply purchase some simple parafin from the store, find a way to CAREFULLY heat it (typically in a jar in boiling water, or a pie-pan) and dip your chain in. It works best with clean chains as long as the wax penetrates the inner roller surfaces.

Eastbay Air Jordans out of stock

Well, apparently Eastbay has run out of the black royal Air Jordan reissue. This is a little disconcerting if you're a sneakerhead. They have some Jordans in stock (as I write) but of course, the larger sizes (size 15's?!?) are the ones that are available. I hate going to a boutique and finding out that the shoes I could have bought online for around a $100 cost upwards of $700. They're just shoes, and not even that cool of Jordans. Gamma blue is meh in my book. Fear Pack seem a little bit more exciting to me, especially with the transparent sole part. It just goes to show that being a sneakerhead can sometimes be a loosing proposition. But damn I wish I had those Air Jordens (sic).

How to remove a bottom bracket and how to install a bottom bracket part 2

Continued from Part 1

OK, insert the spindle.

And now the opposite cup.

By the way, add more grease before you do this.  Did I mention grease?

Next, get your trusty Pin Spanner and rotate the Non-drive cup until it's a little bit tight.

The non-drive side is not subject to the same counter-rotation as the drive side, so it's regularly threaded.  Once it's a little bit tight, put the drive-side crank on and tighten down the drive-side crank bolt. 

You can now rotate the NON-DRIVE cup to your desired tightness.



















Use your hand to test the amount of play in the drive crank.  It should spin freely without much resistance, but there should be zero wiggle.

Now, you can put the lock-ring on and put the non-drive crank back into place.  Make sure to apply grease to the spindle before you put on the crank arm.

Voila! All done! Time to ride.

How to remove a bottom bracket and how to install a bottom bracket part 1

Here's how to replace a bottom bracket with minimal tools.

In this example, I'll be replacing a Shimano UN English cartridge bottom bracket with a dura ace crown bearing bracket, and Sugino RD cranks.  I didn't have a large pipe wrench or lock-ring wrench, but you don't really need all those things to produce a functioning bike.  If you doubt your own mechanic skills, take your bike to a professional mechanic and don't mess with it.

But if you do trust your own mechanic skills, here are the steps.

First off the tools you'll need:

• 1 GREASE preferably bike-specific, although Marine grease will work also.
• 1 Pipe wrench or large wrench. I use a large pair of vice grips and finesse.  I highly recommend using the correct tools.
• 1 crank extractor -  I use a remnant of a Park crank extractor, they are typically about $10-$30 dollars on ebay or Amazon.  With mine, I can use an old  crank bolt to push the crank off the spindle.
• 1 bottom bracket remover - I use a Shimano suited for the UN series.  They're very cheap on ebay or Amazon, typically around $10-$15
• 1 pin spanner or similar 
• I SUGGEST WEARING GLOVES!

To begin, first remove the crank bolt with an 8mm allen wrench.

Insert the crank extractor carefully.  You can use a little bit of grease if it's not going easy.  Don't ruin the threads of the crank. Do the same for the opposite crank.

Next, you'll need a bottom bracket remover. Again, I'm using a Shimano brand for the UN series.  First off, bottom brackets can get stuck very easily.  I have hurt my back trying to remove a stuck bottom bracket, it's no joke.  If you need leverage, use a better wrench or something to increase the leverage of the wrench.  Don't mess up the threads on the the bottom bracket tool, it's easy to make a bottom bracket a permanent part of the bike.

I suggest using a pipe wrench instead of a vice grip.

I use a vice grip because I fly by the seat of my pants.

Anyway, if you can't do it on your own, it might not happen.  It's better to be safe than sorry.

Some thoughts:
1. Use liquid wrench if it's stuck.
2. Use heat if necessary
3. If it's an aluminum cup in a steel frame, it's possible to have galvanic bonding, in which case your bike is screwed.  Always use lots of grease when installing a bottom bracket.
4. Increase the lever arm with a steel tube or crappy handlebar.
5. Gloves will reduce finger injuries.

OK let's say you make it past this point and you're able to get the bottom bracket out. Repeat the process for the other cone.

Now, time to clean out the threads with a cloth.

It's important to get the threads as clean as possible.  Sometimes I chase the threads with a little bit of oil and an old toothbrush.  You can also face the bottom bracket at this point if you like. For a $150 frame like this, I don't mind a little roughness.

   

Now bust out the grease.  I like ParkTool Polylube 1000, but whatever suits your fancy.  If you have Marine grease, you can also use that.  Polylube is fairly safe and not smelly.

First, grease up the threads on the outside of the drive-side cup.

I like to put a layer of grease on the cup itself, and then the inside of the shell, I use a finger to spread it evenly.

Now give a good layer of grease to the inside of the cup and plop the bearings in. I suggest MOAR GREASE. GREASE IT UP!

Here's what mine looked like.  See the grease?  

It's a good idea to make the drive side cup as tight as possible, within reason.
Some people also suggest using Locktite or plumber's wrap.  The DRIVE SIDE can slowly unwind if as you pedal, so make sure that it is securely in place. 

Next, for this bracket, I'm applying a load of grease to the bearing crown.  Since the spindle will be placed inside, it's easier to apply grease before inserting the spindle.  Excess grease will be expelled.

MORE GREASE! Now, apply grease to the inside of the opposite cup, and insert the spindle.

Thin Clients and Lync 2013 deployment: HP t5740e vs. the Wyse z90d7

Current thin client choices and Lync 2013 phone deployment

I recently had the chance to check out some of the thin clients that Microsoft has approved for the Lync 2013 softphone.
As part of the Microsoft Unified Communications iniative with their products, they made the Lync VDI available for download.

If you're not an IT person, this may get a little confusing - Lync is a brand new way to do a SIP phone, and is similar to Skype.
(In fact, Skype may be combining with Lync as I write this.)

What makes Lync different than a normal SIP phone, like Asterisk or Eyebeam, is that it can be deployed on a Terminal-client basis.
Meaning, every business that uses Windows Server 2008 through 2013 and has a Remote Desktop from a local machine work-style can potentially use Lync.
I'm not sure about the current statistics about how many companies actually use Lync, I know that it is increasing.

Hosting can be done with a Lync server and SBC instead of a PBX.  Instead of storing the phone on the local computer (which means that the local machine has to
be maintained, de-virused, and worked-on) the phone is stored on the domain profile.  All you need to do is login to the server with your Remote Desktop Login.

There are a few requirements of the local machine however:

1. A Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8 machine
2. LyncVDI installed on the local machine, available from Microsoft.
3. RDP 8.0 installed (Install KB2574819 first, then KB2592687)

There are also several settings on the server itself (domain permissions must be set-up correctly).

In addition, the Lync Server and Session Border Controller have to be set-up and connected to a phone company.  I had a problem with a 20 second delay on incoming calls with Lync 2013. 
There are a few different flavors of this problem, it turned out that mine was the SIP Trunk provider's system was selecting through the codecs before finally choosing good old
North American G.711 ulaw.  I believe Lync can also do hi-def sound - but I was basically happy to have clear phone calls that didn't have a delay.  The SIP provider went through
a few different issues on the WireShark, but it turned out to just be a codec-selection problem with their Lucent Switch.

Another problem was computers that had USB audio problems.  Some headsets wouldn't work with Lync - people would connect the USB to a different port until it failed.  Some of these
issues were solved by selecting the "LOCAL RESOURCES" tab on the RDP and unchecking "Printers" as well as "Smart Cards".

On to the thin clients: the best two machines from the list (for a 30-person office setting) were the HP t5740e (specifically this model) and the Dell Wyse z90d7. You can probably
find these thin clients on Ebay for around $100.

The HP t5740e is my favorite because is was easy to set up, there were not many problems with installing the VDI or kb's.  The hard-drive space is limited however - I had to uninstall
most of the programs, including the Citrix wireless client. (For write-filter thin clients, don't forget to switch the Environmental Settings to have the temp drive as C: instead of Z:).

First, I undid the Harddrive's write filter, and changed the name on the domain - Again, Lync relies on the domain to connect. It was a little tricky getting the correct image.
I used a 16GB Sandisk Facet USB thumb-drive, not all thumbdrives will work because of the little proprietary drivers the companies install on the boot. 

The Lync VDI can be a little tricky unpacking - it worked when I left it marked "Install on first use".  The total size of this was around 411MB.  Plenty of room for the Hard Drive.

Once everything was installed, the HP t5740e ran smoothly.  I was unable to clone the HP t5740e's very efficiently, however.

My second-best choice is the Dell Wyse z90d7. The Wyse website has a few different images for it, I used the 850. IMPORTANT TIP: Run the Dell Wyse USB Firmware tool as Administrator.

The Dell had plenty of disk space for the VDI.  Everything seemed to work well until I got a bunch of we external xml errors when trying the RDP.  I had to re-install everything until I got
the correct image on a thumbdrive.

Another issue about the Dell Wyse z90d7 - it only allows two profiles: Administrator and User.  Now, if you attach it to a domain, you may get a Temp profile appearing.  This may duplicate every time
you log in.  In C:\Users\ you may see a bunch of TEMP folders appearing. Don't let this happen, it will eat up the

First log in as Admin and delete the USER profile and corresponding C:\Users folder if there is one. Using Regedit, find and delete the ProfileGUID and ProfileList entry under:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\

Then you can restart and it should allow you to login with the Domain's user account.

I guess it's because of netxclean.exe and netxclean.ini.  I had no luck messing with the .ini. 

The Dell Wyse z90d7 has a big advantage (in my opinion) because it was able to pull an image from the thin client easily and clone easily.

The downside of the z90d7 was that it was more difficult to get going, and the two-profile netxclean issue is a downer.

The HP t5740e was much easier to get set-up, however, I was unable to pull a good image using the firmware tool.

Why Did Amp'D Mobile File For Bankruptcy?

Amp'D Mobile filed for Chapter 11. I read it on Gizmodo. I'm a little shocked.

They owed a lot (around a hundred million dollars) to several large companies. I've seen large corporations spend millions of dollars on nothing before, but never on such a scale.

Were Bestbuy and Verizon simply thinking that Amp'D was a fun diversion, or an experimental market?

I'm guessing that Verizon will simply purchase out the assets for Amp'D and use their subscribers in their new Verizon network. Yucky, but that would be a good triage.

I feel as if I just saw an Amp'D Mobile commercial on TV yesterday.

myLot User Profile

BEST PLACES TO HIDE MONEY AT HOME

(From the article: http://www.helium.com/tm/202270/places-hiding-money-please)

Best places for hiding money at home (Please don't come to my house and steal my stash.):

1. Underneath a safe.

A safe is an obvious place to hide money, so place something of lesser value in the safe so that a robber steals that and leaves the safe intact. Make a secret compartment underneath the safe in the floorboards, just in case. What robber will move a safe?

2. In the Refrigerator

There are a few companies that sell food items (containers and jars) with secret compartments. Just hope your robber isn't hungry.

3. Under the Refrigerator

Make a false bottom for the refrigerator by cutting out a thin sheet of opaque plastic and taping it (or magnetizing it) to the bottom of the fridge. You can line up the cash on the plastic and then place it under the fridge. (Be careful with this you don't want to hurt your back.)

4. Pens

A simple ball-point pen can be modified to fit one or two rolled-up bills. Also, place the pen in an area where people are not likely to utilize it, for instance, at the bottom of a drawer.

For added realism, CHEW ON THE PEN. Who wants to touch your nasty chew-toy?

How To Become A Millionaire

(From the article: http://www.helium.com/tm/207130/millionaires-their-money-extremely)

How do millionaires make their money? They work EXTREMELY HARD.

Living in Chicago, and playing assistant to several lawyers, I've known a few millionaires in my life. I know what they're like because I have to play custodian to their paperwork.

Here is what millionaires are like:

Millionaires WORK AT LEAST 70 HOURS A WEEK.

This is a big one. The attitude is that time spent NOT MAKING MONEY, is time wasted. So, every free moment they had was USED to make more money. Even during leisure time, business calls were taken, notes were written, memos were handed out.

Millionaires LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE.

One of my bosses would consistently float hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans. Every day was a new piece of real estate, or development. Funny thing, the guy didn't know the price of a gallon of milk! He was focused on big things. He moved mountains, not molehills.

Millionaires DO NOT LOSE MONEY.

It's a one-way street. Money goes in, not out. Millionaires are CHEAP. Contrary to the public image of people like Sean Combs, (who uses parties as publicity), millionaires do not spend money. They rake it in.

Millionaires FIND NEW WAYS TO MAKE MONEY.

Millionaires are incredibly resourceful. They find ways to exploit simple things for profit. You could drop a millionaire in the middle of sub-saharan Africa, in a few weeks they would be making thousands of dollars! Millionaires see opportunity IN EVERYTHING, not LACK OF OPPORTUNITY. Don't forget, Post-it notes are a million-dollar industry, and that is the simplest idea.

iriver clix2

If you haven't seen it yet, the iriver clix2 is the new uber-style item. It's a 4 Gig media player, priced around $200.

It plays media files, can record sound, and is a heck of a lot cooler than the ipod. Plus, it's brand new.

I haven't posted a blog in forever!

Well, I'm back here again.

One of my favorite things these days is going on Perezhilton.com and seeing the little cartoon drawings he does with celebrities.

And he refers to Sanjaya as "Sangina!"

I decided to ditch the Adsense ads and instead focus on Oxado advertisements. You're allowed to put up more Oxado ads.

Oxado is a great alternative to Adsense, and so far it's earned my respect. Despite the fact that it pays Euros.

Sometimes, I wonder i Perez Hilton is too cruel. Seeing stars in compromising situations is like watching a car accident.

I'm tired, so tired of bloggin'

Here are a few links to my helium articles:

Best Cities In The World To Visit: Prague, Austin, Beirut, and Seoul

Google Adsense Success Stories

Why Do Onions Make You Cry?

Always Broke? Steps to better money management

Ugh...adsense words.

The top earners are usually dui, structured settlements, and loan consolidation. I simultaneously hate and love adsense. I have no idea if it really works, however.

(What the heck is a bextra lawsuit? Or for that matter, how many attorneys are gearing up for a vioxx class-action? Maybe I should steer the topic of this blog to technology.)

What will the outcome be? Viacom sues Youtube.

Last week, Viacom announced that it would file suit against Youtube, seeking damages of $1 billion dollars.

I do not believe that the core issue of the suit is whether or not Youtube was following the rules of the 1998 DMCA - Digital Millennium Copyright Act - wherein content uploaders are blamed for piracy, not providers. Lawsuits only happen when there's something to gain from the conflict - legal fees are exorbitant.

The issue is:

How much of a cut of the advertising revenue should be paid to Viacom?

According to the two correspondences to Youtube issued by Viacom, there were a total of 160,000 videos that could be claimed as copyright infringement, displayed on Youtube.

In terms of a dollar value of revenue lost by the distribution of those videos on Youtube, for free, Viacom is demanding $1 Billion dollars, on average, $6,700 per video.

Youtube's response is:

It's not OUR fault, it's the individual uploaders! How can you blame us for something that we didn't do! (Paraphrased from the DMCA.)

Does Google's Youtube have a chance with this argument? That depends on a few issues:

1. It's obvious that Viacom has previously issued complaints to Youtube. The suit has only come after more than one request.

2. Under the DMCA, Youtube's response would be to destroy the uploaded content that infringed upon copyright, upon notice.

Therefore, Viacom is issuing that suit because Youtube is not complying fast enough - or, perhaps because the value of the videos has not been translated to revenue for Viacom.

What I predict might happen:

OUTCOME 1

Youtube settles with Viacom for an undisclosed amount. That amount would be less than $1 Billion. Youtube removes all copyrighted material, sets up a better way to find copyrighted material. Viacom provides more content with a better fee from advertising revenue.

OUTCOME 2

Youtube does not settle with Viacom. Youtube wins the lawsuit, successfully defending with the 1998 DMCA. Viacom has no other recourse than to go after individual copyright impingers. Individuals who have shared videos will be sued for the content that they have uploaded to Youtube. Viacom becomes a sort of RIAA bill-collector, allowing people to pay off their judgements online, via credit card.

OUTCOME 3

Youtube does not settle with Viacom. Youtube loses the lawsuit, Viacom proves that Youtube has infringed on copyrights, or negligently colluded to allow copyright infringement. Youtube ordered to pay Viacom $1 Billion dollars. Youtube removes all copyrighted material. Youtube implements stricter standards.

With these three outcomes, pirates STILL move to different flash-video providers, regardless of what happens. Youtube becomes a haven for individuals, with less content from providers...apparently.

The question that Viacom has to answer is: How can we make money in these three outcomes?

The resolution that makes sense, besides becoming like a giant RIAA copyright infringement collector, or grabbing some of Youtube's riches, is to rig up a better revenue system for Viacom, and allow a similar level of anarchy on Youtube. (Pennies per click, with advertisers competing for positions on

After all, Viacom does not want to lose an audience.

Youtube does not want to lose an audience, either. They have to compete with paid services, and the upcoming video service from News Corp and NBC. Youtube is owned by Google, and Google has some smart business planners, they probably know that some of the videos on the site are copyrighted.

Google would much rather make a cut of the advertising revenue and allow the freedom of Youtube to continue. Google's motto is:'Don't be Evil', right?

What does this mean to you?

There are plenty of alternatives to Youtube to watch uploaded copyright material; just Google them.

A Few Links

Here are a few links to some articles that I found amusing:

The Top Careers of the 21st Century:
Steps to better money management
Why Do Onions make you cry?

How To Tell If a Girl Likes You Without Talking To Her

How do you tell if a girl likes you without talking to her? Here are a few signs.

1. She looks you in the eyes a few times.

If she likes you, she will look you in the eyes a few times. This is a signal of interest.

2. She will touch her hair, or shirt.

This is a grooming behavior. She's telling you that she's a neat and clean person, so go ahead and talk to her.

3. She looks away and then looks at you.

She may be a bit intimidated. Usually, girls do this behavior because they don't know if they want to get to know you.

Keep in mind that girls are difficult creatures; it's difficult to interpret their signals with one-hundred percent accuracy.

One last important thing:

You must talk to the girl IMMEDIATELY if she performs these behaviors. She will lose interest if you do not.

Why is the iphone on a GSM network?

Although I have heard the story of Verizon not taking the Apple contract, I still don't know why the iphone is on a GSM network.

The technology seems like it would be better suited to a CDMA network, especially when using the phone for websurfing or PDA-type actions.

And yes, come June, I WILL PURCHASE AN iPHONE. Precious......

QR Code Hack?

What the heck is a QR code?

QR codes, now popular in Japan (as of 2006), were invented by a company called Denso-Wave. These 2-d images contain a small amount of information, roughly 2,900 bytes of 8-bit binary.

What do you do with them?
In Japan, many cellphones have a special QR reader on the camera. You simply take a picture of the QR code, and your phone receives a small message, usually advertisements or coupons.

You can also make your own QR codes!

Using the site kaywa.com, I generated this image. If you had a reader and took a picture of this image, it would produce the URL for this blog.


I'm no security expert, but I am a creative person. So, I pose the question: is it possible to engineer a QR code trojan horse?

To put this in perspective, the smallest virus I could find was the AT virus, weighing in at a mere 144 bytes. (http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/at.shtml)

Even if it is not possible to have an executable file recorded in QR coding, maybe soon there will be a rash of QR grafiti, if there isn't one already.

Cellphone Standards

GSM vs. CDMA

What is GSM exactly? GSM stands for Global Systems for Mobile Communications. It's a cellphone technology.

What's CDMA? CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access. It's the other cellphone technology.

What does this have to do with me?
Most likely, your cellphone falls into one of the two categories.

What?
Your cellphone is either CDMA or GSM.

How can I tell?
Open up the back of your cellphone. If you see a smartcard, you have a GSM phone. If there's no smartcard, you have a CDMA phone.

Which one is better?
That's a tricky question. If you've had both types of service, you may find one more preferable to your liking. Of course, that's not to say that your carrier choice may have had something to do with it.

What do I prefer?
Undoubtedly, GSM. The smartcard is a huge benefit.

1. Use the smartcard in unlocked phones.
2. Carry your phone numbers in the smartcard.
3. Re-issued smartcards are typically cheap. **

(** You'll have to cite your individual area for pricing; fees vary depending on state.)

I am very clumsy; I have broken two phones in the last two years. However, each time I've had a broken phone, I've removed the smartcard and placed it into a cheap back-up phone and continued to have cellphone service.

Try the same thing with a CDMA phone. A broken CDMA phone has to be brought to the retailer and re-issued. If you have insurance, it's possibly covered. Otherwise, you still have to take the time to visit the retailer in person and get a new phone.

Secondly, if you take a GSM phone overseas, it is possible to put a foreign smartcard in your phone and receive service from that provider.

Given a choice, I will probably still chose based on price and quality of service.

A Funny about Net Neutrality

(JIM, a simple guy with dark hair, sits alone at home,
talking on his cellphone to LUKE.

LUKE is dressed like a member of Fleetwood Mac;
has on an 80's hair wig, aviator glasses, and
is wandering around a public park weirdly stroking
his chest hair.)

JIM:
So.

LUKE:
Complex issue here.

JIM:
Yes.

LUKE:
Black and white or gray and grayyyy?

JIM:
Both.

LUKE:
Ok.

JIM:
Regulation good or regulation bad?

LUKE:
Depends.

JIM:
Why don't they open up a new internet and just charge extra for that if they want to make cash for premium service?

LUKE:
Dunno, dude.

JIM:
This is going to drive me crazy thinking about it.

LUKE:
What about municipal wifi?

JIM:
Do you want to pay for it?

LUKE:
I'd pay 1 cent on every dollar for muni wifi.

JIM:
Yeah?

LUKE:
Sure would. Shitfire! Free internet for e'rybody!

JIM:
You'd still have to send some packets to a server at one of the telcoms eventually.

LUKE:
Oh...true.

(LUKE produces a ripe plum from his pocket and eats it.)

JIM
Well then. I guess we're powerless.

LUKE:
No way, man. I'm not powerless. Look at these guns!

JIM:
Nice.

LUKE:
Do you wanna call your congressman or something?

JIM
Ok. (Calls Congressman Bob.) Hello?

(CONGRESSMAN BOB in his office, spinning around in his chair
smoking cigars, putting into a mug. Documents and pictures
of himself with famous politicians line his tiny office.
He also has an odd stain on his shirt.)

BOB:
Congressman Bob here, what do you want?

JIM:
Please vote for net neutrality!

BOB:
Net Boobality! I'll vote it down just for you!

JIM:
No, no. Net Neutrality. About regulating telcoms.

BOB:
I have a telephone. Yes. Are you the telephone repairman?

JIM:
Um...yes.

BOB:
About time you called! I was just about to have my morning game of Pinocle. Do you like Pinocle, son?

JIM:
Vote for Net Neutrality, ok bye!

BOB:
I love you!

JIM:
I love you, too!

BOB:
I love you too. What a nice young man.

(CONGRESSMAN BOB twirls a drumstick.
(not a drumming drumstick, rather, a chickenwing.))

LUKE:
Feel good?

JIM:
Yeah. I guess. I just...

LUKE:
What?

JIM:
I don't know what to think about Net Neutrality. I am absolutely blank.

LUKE:
Ever wonder...what is the internet like in Japan?

JIM:
I bet they're way ahead of us.

FIN

Delete Myspace

Today, I contemplated deleting my myspace account.

Don't misinterpret what I'm writing here. I think that myspace is a great site! I encourage you to make your own profile. It's a radical privilege to have myspace available and basically free. Myspace is worldwide, open regardless of race, ethnicity, preference, or creed. Myspace represents the freedom of the Internet. Publish, post; create your own identity. Be more than are at the moment.

What's that you say? Pish-posh! You'd never delete your myspace account? Not in a million years? Well, here's a list of reasons why it might be a good idea.


-Freer Time-

Can't think of something good to do with your free time? Please, go back to myspace.


-No more unwanted adds from crappy bands-

Ok, Johnny Local Rockstar, thanks for the add! I really appreciate how hard you rock. And by how hard you rock, I mean that was an AWESOME cover of a Ryan Adams song!

Strangely enough, a lot of musicians that I would have loved to add to my profile. These include Belle & Sebastian, MF Doom, El-P, Pavement, Sleater-Kinney, and a host of others.

Why is it that if I wanted to find these bands, it takes twenty minutes of searching through everyone who has the band listed as their favorite?

I would have loved to have Belle & Sebastian send me a notice saying "COME TO OUR SHOW!" Sadly, I went to see Johnny Local Rockstar. It was still ok.


-No more unwanted advertisement (from fine products)-

Think about this for a moment. Honesty, why are you on myspace in the first place? You're trying to look hot for random strangers and friends.

Why is it that the advertisements that appear on myspace are for dating websites? Not to imply that these sites don't do the trick, it's just that myspace is free!

This is like selling a can of pork and beans at the local charity food-bank.


-No more unwanted friends (excluding Tom)-

Ladies probably have this problem more than men, but, if someone finds you attractive, they might send you a note.

I wonder how many women feel like men are too aggressive on myspace. Does the veil of the Internet allow us to make choices that we otherwise would never make?


IN CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it's very easy to delete your myspace account. Simply follow the easy directions listed on the Account Settings page. Make a choice and live with the consequences. It's not like can't make a new page tomorrow, anyway.

However, we'll see how happy I am without myspace. The next entry on this blog will be "MYSPACE WITHDRAWAL: DAY 10"