Heading back the States
Well I have been in Germany for about two weeks and it is finally time to head home. I must say that 80′s American music is very alive and well in Germany. The playlist at the Hotel bar reminded of “The Goldmine”, which was where children of the 80′s went when they attended one of the Universities in New Orleans (Tulane in my case). At one point I did get upset because I was unconciously humming an 80′s power rock ballad that played in the elevator alot, I don’t even remember the name or the words. Regardless I am glad I am heading back and should be there in a few hours. As I write this I am over the Atlantic and have to admit that Boeing’s Conexxion technology is pretty cool which is unfortunate as the service is being closed down at the end of the year unless it finds a buyer. Anyone got a few million/billion lying around?
Well, Guten Morgen America!
Much “Bully”hoo about nothing
After much hub-bub, lawsuits, injunctions, and school district bannings about a game not even remotely released yet, it seems that Rockstar’s Bully is actually a not the GTA-esque game all of its critics thought it would be.
Here is the in-depth wired article :
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71922-0.html?tw=wn_index_2
I wonder if there is a lesson in here somewhere….
Update 10/11/06 : Here is Ars Technica’s first look at Bully:
http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/bully.ars/2
Random Art with Kaleidoscope eyes
Don’t remember where I originally saw the link for this but it is a pretty neat little piece of interactive flash Kaleidoscope art. Enjoy :
LineTo experimental by ~Volcanic-Penguin on deviantART
Right after: A New Hope
I believe this originally aired on Robot Chicken on Cartoon Network :
Even Cavemen got hungry
A light-hearted short to break the net silence here. Just got back from vacation. (BTW, Diving in Cozumel rocks!) :
Etc : July 6 – 13
It’s been a little hectic at work. But here are some snippets from around the “net”.
HeatSeek (link to the TechCrunch article)
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there is now a secure browser (IE based) whose sole purpose it to enable you to handle porn easier. It also encrypts everything which makes it harder for junior to stumble upon (or deliberately find) the material on a shared computer. I guess it is what it is.
Windows Legacy
Microsoft ended support for Windows 98 this week, prompting several articles about how this will cause a steep rise of linux on these older boxes. Of course MS isn’t big on losing on any front, even legacy boxes, so they have announced Windows Fundamentals.
Congress & The Internet
Congress seems to be in a rush to do all kinds of things to the internet this week. Please check out the EFF Action Site.
Case in point, check out how Senator Ted Stevens (Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee) views the issue, with special “Daily Show” coverage :
Dance, Dance, Evolution
I seem to be on a YouTube kick recently. Saw this video over the weekend and thought it was pretty funny. So here it is, the “Evolution of Dance” :
It’s Independence Day!
Have a great day at your BBQ, picnic, or however you choose to celebrate.
I for one am planning on going to see superman returns :
Enjoy the day!
Identity theft sucks
Did you know that I live in an industrial complex in Keller, TX and that a few days before that I lived in an apartment complex in Fort Worth, TX? Neither did I. I logged in yesterday to take a look at my credit card statement and after logging in was greeted with a mostly bare page that told me to call an 800 number and that’s when I learned about my shopping spree at Buy.com and my repeated changes of address. Luckily the fraud department of the credit card company did not allow those charges to go through. And now I am left wondering, did someone just happen to crack my password on the credit card site? Or does someone have my Date of Birth, Mother’s Maiden name, and Social Security number (which is the other way to take over an account online)? So far I haven’t seen any major damage on my credit report but I will have to monitor it closely for the next long while.
What to do?
1. Setup a 90 day “fraud alert” at the 3 Credit Bureaus. They now share information, so notfiying one should notify them all. Here is the info you need on all three just in case:
TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistanc Department
Phone: 800-680-7289Equifax
Consumer Fraud Division
Phone: 800-525-6285Experian
National Consumer Assistance
Phone: 888-397-3742
So far I am runniing through step one, I am guessing I will be monitoring my credit like a hawk for the forseeable future and possibly contacting the police if there is any erroneous activity. But if I find out more, I will update this post.
By the way, US federal law allows you to request a free credit report from each of the 3 credit bureaus once a year. The website to do this is :
Happy Mornings
I really like this Folgers ad :
Diet Coke & Mentos
Is there anthing those two things can’t do?
From the wacky folks at EepyBird.com, please enjoy!
Google : Romance
Just when you thought your contextual relationship needs were not being met, Google comes to the rescue :
Now Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
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The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Book 4) by Robert Jordan
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A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) by George R.R. Martin
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1776 by David McCullough
Recent books:
- Lamb by Christopher Moore
- The Demonata #6: Demon Apocalypse (Demonata) by Darren Shan
- A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2) by George R.R. Martin
- The Demonata #5: Blood Beast (Demonata) by Darren Shan
- Demonata #4, The: Bec: Book 4 in the Demonata series (Demonata) by Darren Shan
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